Imprisoned Russian dissident and former Russian presidential candidate Alexei Navalny—who once tried to run against Vladimir Putin—died suddenly on Friday according to the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service. Navalny—widely regarded as a political prisoner—was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of "extremism."
Michael McFaul—former United States Ambassador to Russia—told MSNBC:
"Putin killed Navalny. Let's be crystal clear about that. Putin killed Navalny because Navalny was the one opposition leader in Russia that Putin feared the most."
McFaul added in his appearance on Morning Joe:
"This is a really tragic day for me, and it should be a tragic day for anybody who cares about democracy."
Political leaders around the world immediately offered condolences to Navalny's family and condemned Putin for his involvement in his political rival's imprisonment.
Except for former Republican President Donald Trump.
The GOP 2024 presidential frontrunner remained mum about Navalny's death until Monday—President's Day—when he took to Truth Social to make his first public remarks about Navalny. But rather than focus on the accomplishments, activism or family of Navalny, Trump—as usual—focused on his favorite topic—Donald Trump.
The former United States President posted:
"The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country."
"It is a slow, steady progression, with CROOKED, Radical Left Politicians, Prosecutors, and Judges leading us down a path to destruction. Open Borders, Rigged Elections, and Grossly Unfair Courtroom Decisions are DESTROYING AMERICA."
"WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A FAILING NATION! MAGA2024"
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
Trump's self-centered, self-serving post drew immediate condemnation for what it did and didn't say.
In an appearance on MSNBC's Inside with Jen Psaki, former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed Trump's post as well as his days of silence.
Pelosi said:
"You're talking about a former President who cannot tell the truth."
Referring to Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya who spoke at a gathering in Munich the former Speaker was attending, Pelosi added:
"They said we have confirmed that [Alexei Navalny] has been assassinated by Vladimir Putin—putting it right at his doorstep—then [Putin's] pal in the United States Donald Trump—and you wonder what does Putin have on Donald Trump that he has to be beholden to him, his buddy in vileness—and I don't know if you're going to show the American people the statement that [Trump] made, but it's beneath the dignity of a human being."
"It is so horrible you think, no, somebody must have made this up. Not even Donald Trump could go this far."
Pelosi noted nothing is too low for the 2024 Republican presidential candidate.
"As I've said, he's in a limbo competition with himself for how low he can go. Well now he's gone beyond sea level, beyond ground level."
"This statement that he made should disqualify him from running for anything, much less President of the United States."
Pelosi shared a clip from the interview on X.
After commenting on Putin, Psaki asked the former Speaker of the House:
"What do you think? We’re all wondering this question, Speaker Pelosi, what do you think Putin has on him?"
"I mean, it sure seems like something, as you’ve said a few times, given that he refuses to criticize him, that he seems to be a fanboy of him. Are you worried?"
Pelosi responded:
"First of all, we must be sure that [Trump] does not step one foot into the White House. Not as President or not as anything."
"He has brought disgrace to the White House..."
“I don’t know what [Putin] has on him, but I think it’s probably financial. I think it’s probably financial."
Trump's son Eric said in 2014 that the Trump organization was beholden to Russia for financial investments in their company and purchases or leases of Trump real estate holdings.
Eric stated:
"We don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia."
Pelosi was far from alone in condemning Trump's post and his failure to criticize Putin.
Even former White House Director of Strategic Communications and Trump aide Alyssa Farrah Griffin was critical of Trump.
Navalny was imprisoned in January 2021 when he returned to Moscow.
The Russian dissident was still recuperating from a 2020 poisoning by a nerve agent. Navalny blamed Putin's regime for the assassination attempt.
On 20 August 2020, Navalny became ill during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow. He was hospitalised in Omsk where the plane made an emergency landing to seek medical treatment.
On 2 September 2020, the German government announced scientists from the Bundeswehr Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology had unequivocal proof Navalny was poisoned by a Novichok type nerve agent.
Unlike Trump, the EU had no qualms calling out Putin in relation to Navalny's death.
Putin has been blamed by the international court for several attacks on Russian dissidents critical of him, including several taking place in the United Kingdom.
The most famous were the London polonium-210 poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 and the Salisbury, England attacks against Sergei and Yulia Skripal in 2018.
In September 2021, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Russia was responsible for the assassination of Litvinenko and ordered Russia to pay Litvinenko's widow €100,000 in damages plus €22,500 in court costs.
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