During a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing this week, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) posed a direct question to Trump allies Christopher Landau and Matthew Whitaker: “What else could a Russian asset actually possibly do that Trump hasn’t yet done?” Instead of giving a clear answer, both men stuck to familiar talking points, repeating claims about Trump being a skilled negotiator and asserting that the war in Ukraine wouldn’t have happened if Trump were still president.
The exchange began when Merkley asked Landau, “Is President Trump a Russian asset?”
Landau, Trump’s pick for Deputy Secretary of State, quickly dismissed the idea, saying, “Absolutely not, senator. He’s the president of the United States, duly elected by the American people.”
Merkley then explained why he asked the question: “People back home have been asking me this question, and they say, if he was an asset, we would see exactly what he’s doing now, for example, he proceeded to forward or express from the Oval Office propaganda that has been Russian propaganda that Ukraine started the war, that Zelensky is a dictator. Second of all, he gave away key things on the negotiating table before the negotiations even started, ensuring us would absolutely oppose any possibility of NATO membership for Ukraine. Third, he’s cut off the arms shipments to Ukraine, completely undermining their ability against a massive neighbor next door with short supply lines and huge resources. Fourth, he’s undermined the partnership with Europe, which has been essential to security over the last 880, years, a major, major goal of Putin’s, and then he’s done everything to discredit and demean Zelensky on the international stage with the just shameful press conference in which He teamed up with the Vice President to attack Zelensky. I can’t imagine that if he was a Russian asset, he could be do anything more favorable than these five points. What else could a Russian asset actually possibly do that that Trump hasn’t yet done?”
Instead of addressing the question directly, Landau turned to Trump’s peace efforts, saying, “Senator the the President has made it absolutely clear that his top priority is to try to bring peace and end an absolutely savage war. I know you’re familiar with the savagery. This is turning into World War One, style French warfare. Now in eastern Ukraine, the President is an exceptionally gifted deal maker. He is probably the only individual in the entire universe that could actually stop this,” Landau asserted. “The President understands as part of his deal.”
Merkley interjected, “Thank you, but you’ve moved off the point I raised.” He then asked Whitaker the same question: “Do you approve of the five things President Trump has done that benefit Russia and harm Ukraine?”
Whitaker, Trump’s Ambassador to Nato, responded, “Well, Senator, I respectfully disagree with how you’ve framed those points. The war in Ukraine wouldn’t have happened if President Trump had been president in 2022. The war started because of Joe Biden’s weakness.”
Merkley responded, “That wasn’t the question I asked. Maybe you can address that on TV later. But can you answer the question I asked? Do you agree with Trump’s actions, especially pushing Russian propaganda from the Oval Office?”
Whitaker replied, Well, I’m not here to assign labels,” Whitaker replied. “We’re in the middle of a very important peace negotiation.”
Merkley replied: “I do hope that we have an administration that works to get the very best deal for Ukraine. But what a Russian asset would do would be to work to get the very best deal for Russia. And that appears to be exactly what Donald Trump is trying to accomplish. ”
Watch the exchange below:
Trump's allies are asked a simple question: "What else could a Russian asset actually possibly do that Trump hasn't yet done?" pic.twitter.com/LPYw7FbxSi
— Richard Woodruff 🇺🇦 (@frontlinekit) March 5, 2025
