The newspaper columnist who called on Jon Huntsman to resign from his post as Russian ambassador following the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump's recent Helsinki summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin works for the Salt Lake Tribune, which is owned by Huntsman's brother, Paul, Vox reports.
Paul Huntsman bought the paper in 2016 and is currently its owner and publisher.
"Ambassador Huntsman, you work for a pawn, not a president. It’s time to come home," columnist for The Salt Lake Tribune Robert Gehrke wrote Tuesday.
"As Utahns, many of us were a bit stunned last year when you accepted the job as U.S. ambassador to Russia, but your explanation made sense: It was a role you took on, much like your tenure in China, out of a deep sense of duty," the article read.
Trump during a press conference Monday following the summit supported Putin's statement that Russia did not meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, but backtracked Tuesday and said he accepted U.S. intelligence on Russian meddling.
"I have full faith and support for America's great intelligence agencies," Trump said before meeting with Republican members of the House Ways and Means Committee.
"Always have. And I have felt very strongly that while Russia's actions had no impact at all on the outcome of the election, let me be totally clear in saying that — and I've said this many times — I accept our intelligence community's conclusion that Russia's meddling in the 2016 election took place."
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