WASHINGTON (AP) - A senior House Republican says the United States is not the same as Vladimir Putin's Russia, putting him at odds with President Donald Trump.
Trump triggered a bipartisan backlash during an interview with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly broadcast Sunday before the Super Bowl. Trump repeated his desire to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
O'Reilly called Putin "a killer."
Trump answered, "We've got a lot of killers. What do you think? Our country's so innocent?"
Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, the House Armed Services Committee chairman, told reporters on Monday that he didn't see the interview. But he says, "If you're asking me 'Are we the same as Putin's Russia?' The answer is no."
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