GOP leaders: We're not inviting Putin to address Congress

Erin Kelly | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan said they have no intention of inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to address Congress when he meets with President Donald Trump this fall.

"There is no invitation from Congress," said Don Stewart, McConnell's spokesman, on Friday.

Ryan's spokeswoman, AshLee Strong, said: "The only one talking about inviting Putin to address Congress is Nancy Pelosi."

Strong was referring to a statement from Pelosi, who called on Ryan on Friday to make it clear he would not issue an invitation "for a thug like Putin to address the United States Congress." Pelosi, D-Calif., is the House minority leader.

The White House confirmed Thursday that discussions are underway for Putin to visit Trump in Washington sometime this fall. It would be the first time that Putin has come to the White House since 2005.

That invitation comes amid a continuing backlash over Trump's remarks at a press conference with Putin on Monday in Helsinki, where Trump appeared to side with Putin's claim that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Trump's comments have drawn outrage from both Republican and Democratic members of Congress.

McConnell, R-Ky., said Monday that Russia should not be considered an ally of the U.S. He also reiterated his support for the American intelligence community’s assessment that Russia, at Putin's direction, interfered in the 2016 election.

"I have said a number of times, I’ll say it again: The Russians are not our friends," McConnell told reporters. "And I entirely believe the assessment of our intelligence community."

Ryan, R-Wis., issued a similar statement Monday.

"The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally," Ryan said. "There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals. The United States must be focused on holding Russia accountable and putting an end to its vile attacks on democracy."

Congressional leaders do not invite every head of state who visits the White House to address Congress. The last foreign leader to address a joint meeting of Congress was French President Emmanuel Macron on April 25.

More: Colbert has a snaky name for White House's Putin invitation: 'Titanic 2: Here We Go Again'

More: White House says Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Washington in the fall

More: Donald Trump: If things don't work out with Vladimir Putin, 'I'll be the worst enemy he's ever had'