Former President Donald Trump has so far declined to publicly condemn Russia and President Vladimir Putin for the death of Alexey Navalny and has baselessly suggested he is being politically persecuted in the same way the Russian opposition leader was.
The lack of a direct response from the GOP presidential frontrunner is likely to fuel fresh questions about how he would approach Russia in a potential second term following comments earlier this month that he would encourage the country to invade a NATO ally that was not spending enough on defense.
Trump, who faces 91 criminal charges and claims without evidence he is being politically targeted because he is running for president, posted on his social media website on Monday, “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!” Trump posted on Truth Social. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which span four separate cases against him.
Trump last year also compared himself to Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison and was the first president of post-apartheid South Africa, as he railed against the numerous criminal charges against him and argued he was a victim of political persecution.
The news of Navalny’s death, which happened while he was incarcerated in Russia, drew swift and forceful reactions from Western leaders, including President Joe Biden, who blamed Putin and said, “What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality.”
In sharp contrast, Trump, who…
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