Vladimir Putin Mimics Donald Trump's Talking Point That Criminal Indictments Are Political 'Persecution'

The Russian leader — whose government was linked to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign in the Mueller Report — has waded into U.S. politics again with false claims of DOJ weaponization

Donald Trump has at least one ally when it comes to his myriad criminal charges: Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said in recent remarks the myriad investigations of the former U.S. president demonstrate corruption and "rottenness" in American politics.

“As for Trump, for us what is happening in today’s conditions, in my opinion, is good because it shows the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others democracy," Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum held in Russia on Tuesday.

“Everything that is happening with Trump is the persecution of a political rival for political reasons. That’s what it is," Putin continued. "And this is being done in front of the public of the United States and the whole world."

Related: Every Crime Donald Trump Has Been Charged with This Year

Trump is currently mired in a number of legal issues, including lawsuits and investigations at both the state and federal level. And despite that the investigations stem from different jurisdictions, Trump has — like Putin — decried them as politically motivated.

In April, Trump became the first sitting or former president in U.S. history to answer to criminal charges following an investigation into an alleged hush money payment he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels while he was a presidential candidate in 2016.

Less than two months later, he was charged following a federal investigation into his handling of classified documents (and what prosecutors say was a conspiracy to obstruct justice during the probe).

In August, he was hit with a third indictment related to his actions leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, following the "most wide-ranging" Justice Department investigation in history. And just two weeks later, he was indicted in Georgia alongside 18 of his allies over attempts to overturn the state's 2020 election results.

Related: Trump Asks Putin for Help Against the Bidens — a Pattern That Got Him Impeached

Putin, who is currently leading a war against Ukraine that has led to countless civilian deaths, has been publicly praised in the past by Trump.

In 2016, during his presidential campaign against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, now 77-year-old Trump urged Putin, 70, to hack his rival's emails, saying in a press conference: "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press."

Related: The Mueller Report Was Finally Released: What It Says About Donald Trump and Russia

In more recent years, Trump has also spoken highly of the Russian autocrat, calling Putin a "genius" shortly after his invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has called Putin a "war criminal," and a "killer" who does "not have a soul."

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