Security advisers told Trump not to congratulate Putin

Washington - Aides included a section in Trump's briefing materials for the Tuesday morning call stating: "DO NOT CONGRATULATE.

US President Donald Trump was warned in briefing materials to refrain from congratulating Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election, but he did so anyway, a senior administration official said on Wednesday.
Aides included a section in Trump's briefing materials for the Tuesday morning call stating: "DO NOT CONGRATULATE," said the official. The message was first reported by The Washington Post.
It was unclear whether Trump, who prefers oral briefings, read the talking points prepared by his national security team before the call. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster briefed the president in person before the call in the White House residence.
Trump's call of congratulations drew him bruising criticism from members of his own party even before the Post reported that aides had given him instructions not to do so.
Trump also said he and Putin might meet "in the not too distant future" to discuss the arms race and other matters.
What they didn't discuss on Tuesday was noteworthy as well: Trump did not raise Russia's meddling in the US elections or its suspected involvement in the recent poisoning of a former spy in Britain.
"An American president does not lead the free world by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections," said Senator John McCain, who chairs the senate armed services committee and has pressed the Trump administration to respond aggressively to Russia's interference in the US presidential election.
Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, a frequent Trump critic, called the president's call "odd". Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump "can call whomever he chooses" but noted that calling Putin "wouldn't have been high on my list".
At the State Department, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said it was "no surprise" that Putin was re-elected, commenting that some people were paid to turn out to vote and opposition leaders were intimidated or jailed. She also cited a preliminary report by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe that said Russia's election took place in an overly controlled environment that lacked an even playing field for all contenders.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended Trump's call and noted that President Barack Obama made a similar call at the time of Putin's last electoral victory.
"We don't get to dictate how other countries operate," Sanders said.