U.S. Senator Ron Johnson says he wants improved relations with Russia. “I believe it’s incredibly important to have dialogue with Russia,” Johnson said during a video call with Wisconsin media on Tuesday. “I would like to improve relations.”
The Wisconsin Republican, part of a congressional delegation to Moscow over the Independence Day holiday last week, says Russia and the U.S. are “unfriendly adversaries,” and he wants that to improve. Johnson also reiterated that Russian interference in the 2016 elections was “not the greatest threat to our democracy,” even if Democrats try to “blow it out of proportion.”
AUDIO: Senator Ron Johnson call 5:11
Johnson also said he doesn’t have a “litmus test” for President Donald Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh. “I want to meet with him and discuss exactly his approach to the law, but early indications are, from my standpoint, very favorable.”
President Trump believes Judge Kavanaugh is the best possible person at this moment in time for America. His lengthy judicial record gives us a clear window into his approach to the law. #SCOTUS pic.twitter.com/L6lrmlOwmW
— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) July 10, 2018
In a statement, Democrat Tammy Baldwin said she’d review Kavanaugh’s nomination, with an eye to “an independent justice who will not overturn the law of the land on women’s health, health care for people with pre-existing conditions, and the constitutional rights and freedoms of all Americans.”