GOP former Rep. Liz Cheney on Sunday warned of a Republican Party “Putin-wing” after former President Donald rump responded to the death of outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalnywithout actually mentioning him or Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 “We have to take seriously the extent to which you’ve now got a Putin-wing of the Republican Party. I believe the issue this election cycle is making sure that the Putin-wing of the Republican Party does not take over the West Wing of the White House,” Cheney said.

 President Biden and the Rump struck dramatically different tones in their respective responses to the death of the jailed Russian opposition figure.
 Biden, in his comments at the White House following the announcement of Navalny’s death, forcefully pinned the blame on “Putin and his thugs.”

 “Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. Putin is responsible. What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality. Nobody should be fooled,” Biden said.
 The Rump, meanwhile, said nothing directly about Navalny in a post that his campaign said was his official response to the opposition leader’s death – instead posting more than 20 times about a variety of topics including his criminal cases and his political opponents.

“When you think about Donald rump, for example, pledging retribution, what Vladimir Putin did to Navalny is what retribution looks like in a country where a leader is not subject to the rule of law,” Cheney said Sunday.