Rep. Joaquin Castro: Trump Gave Russia 'Green Light' to Meddle With Midterms
*By Christian Smith*
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) is calling on Donald Trump and Congress to pass legislation after the President's controversial summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week.
"We really need a law that establishes a basic level of election security protections so that the American people can have complete faith that our election systems are not being interfered with," Castro told Cheddar on Tuesday.
His comments came a day after the summit in Helsinki, Finland, where President Trump broke with the American intelligence community. During a press conference, he said he believed Putin's claims that Russia did not intercede in the 2016 U.S. election. The Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, has since released a statement reiterating the intelligence community's view that Russia did, in fact, interfere in the election.
In a rare moment of bipartisanship, the President's comments drew the ire of both Democrats and Republicans. With the near-universal outcryーand serious pressure from Washington aidesーTrump issued an unusual retraction on Tuesday, claiming he misspoke at Monday's presser.
“While Russia’s actions had no impact at all on the outcome of the election, let me be totally clear in saying — and I’ve said this many times — I accept our intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election took place,” Trump said. “Could be other people also. A lot of people out there.”
Still, Trump's original words, Rep. Castro said before the retraction, present a real danger for future elections in America.
"Donald Trump has given Vladimir Putin a green light to interfere with the 2018 midterm elections and the 2020 presidential elections," Castro said.
U.S. federal law has no precedent for election security, which Castro says should be a priority for both the president and Congress ーotherwise election tampering will continue.
"If Russia thinks that there's no cost to interfere with our elections, then they're probably going to do it again," Castro said.
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-joaquin-castro-weighs-in-on-president-trumps-summit-with-putin)
Christopher Wolfe, CIO at First Republic Private Wealth Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says he is surprised that the first quarter was the first down period in a long time, but adds that the second quarter could be difficult with a lot of volatility expected.
Jeffrey Small, President of Arbor Financial, joins Chedar News' Closing Bell, where he breaks down why stocks closed near session lows on Wednesday and tells viewers what to expect ahead of next earnings season.
Uber and Lyft drivers are cruising in Washington State, the first U.S. state to set an earnings standard for drivers for the ride-hailing companies. Governor Jay Inslee signed the new minimum pay standard into law Thursday, which also gives drivers access to perks like paid sick time and family medical leave. John Logan, Director of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Jeremy Berke, senior reporter on the cannabis industry for Business Insider, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss developments in cannabis legalization at the federal level. He helps break down the bill and what legalization efforts might look like in the Senate.
Selene San Felice, Tampa Bay reporter for Axios Local, and Jennifer Levi, director of the Transgender Rights Project at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) join Cheddar Politics to discuss the impact of the new law targeting LGBTQ communities in Florida schools.
Ryan Barber, justice correspondent at Insider, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss the latest developments in the January 6 investigation, including texts between Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
Joel Rubin, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and president of the Washington Strategy Group, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss the latest developments in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The head of Russia’s space program says the future of the ISS hangs in the balance after the U.S., EU, and Canadian space agencies missed a deadline to meet Russian demands for lifting sanctions on Russian enterprises and hardware.
President Joe Biden called for a war crimes trial against Russian President Vladimir Putin and said he’d seek more sanctions after reported atrocities in Ukraine.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 4, 2022, with reports of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, a weekend shooting in Sacramento killing six and injuring 12, Mexico ending its gas subsidization for U.S. drivers, and the University of South Carolina winning the women's NCAA basketball championship, and more.
