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Democrats in US Congress Blast Trump Over Call for Russia to Rejoin G8

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - President Donald Trump’s call for Russia to be re-admitted to the G8 drew an immediate rebuke from prominent Democratic members of the US Congress, with one member claiming that a key G7 priority is to prevent nations from meddling in each other’s elections, according to Twitter statements.
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"One of the priorities for the G7 is addressing foreign interference in elections," senior Democrat on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engle tweeted. "While Russia may have ‘unique expertise’ in this area, Moscow’s aims don’t align with those of the G7 democracies."

Russia formally joined the Group of Seven industrial nations (G7) in 1997, which has been the G8 until 2014, when Russia was expelled over the crisis in Ukraine and Crimea.

In a separate tweet, Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of failing to distinguish between adversaries and allies.

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Russia has repeatedly denied charges of meddling in US elections, and Trump has attempted — with little success thus far due to the opposition in Congress — to mend ties between Moscow and Washington.

Prior to boarding Air Force One to attend the G7 summit in Canada, Trump urged the G7 to re-admit Russia to the elite group of countries.

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