UPDATE: Cassidy, Boozman, Abraham, Cotton on Trump-Putin meeting

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) and Senator John Boozman (R-Arkansas) have also commented on the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. They commented on Twitter.

Cassidy said:

Sen. Boozman said:

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Congressman Ralph Abraham (R-Alto) has issued a statement following Monday's meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On his Facebook page, Abraham released the following statement:

"It is known that the Russians have always tried to meddle in American affairs, but nothing they did affected the outcome of the last presidential race. They didn’t change a single vote, and President Trump won in a landslide. The Left still cannot get over it, and that’s why they’re desperate to keep pushing this bogus collusion narrative (even while they turned a blind eye to Obama’s weakness that allowed Russia to invade Crimea)."

"President Trump is an expert negotiator who keeps his cards close. I am confident the United States will be as successful in confronting Russian aggression as we have been in negotiations with other foreign leaders."

U.S. intelligence agencies have unanimously concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 campaign, most likely to help Trump's campaign.

Their meeting comes just days after 12 Russian military intelligence officers were indicted in the U.S. on charges of hacking into the Democratic election campaign. During a press conference on Monday, Putin denied meddling in U.S. elections.

He also rejected allegations that Moscow has collected compromising materials on U.S. President Donald Trump or his family.

Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton (R) also released a statement, shortly after Abraham. He said:

“U.S.–Russia relations remain at a historic low for one simple reason: Vladimir Putin is a committed adversary of the United States. In the last few years alone, Russia meddled in our presidential campaign, violated arms-control treaties with the United States, invaded Ukraine, assassinated political opponents in the United Kingdom, made common cause with Iran in propping up Bashar al-Assad’s outlaw regime in Syria, and cheated not only in the Olympics, but even in the Paralympics. These are not the actions of a friend, an ally, or merely a nation with aligned interests. Until Russian behavior changes, our policy should not change. The United States should stay on the strategic offensive against Russia by maintaining sanctions, rebuilding our military, modernizing our nuclear forces, expanding missile defenses, sending more weapons to our allies, and producing more oil and gas. Strength is the one language for which Vladimir Putin needs no interpreter.”

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(*Parts of this story were taken from an Associated Press article on the Trump-Putin meeting.)