Of course Trump wants Russia back in G-7, says Yarmuth. They elected him.

U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth said Friday that President Donald Trump is calling for Russia to be let back into an alliance of industrialized nations because it elevated him to the White House.

The Group of 7 — which is made up of the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan — are scheduled to meet in Quebec this weekend to discuss several issues such as climate change and a growing trade war.

Russia was kicked out of the alliance in 2014 following its annexation of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.

Trump said Friday that the Russian government should be readmitted, however. He said his administration has been "Russia’s worst nightmare" but that the foreign power should be in the meeting.

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"They threw Russia out," Trump said. "They should let Russia come back in, should have Russia at the negotiating table."

"Say what you will about Trump, he sure is loyal to the country that elected him," Yarmuth, a Democrat who represents Kentucky's third congressional district, tweeted on Friday.

Asked if the congressman is saying the Russians elected Trump, Chris Schuler, a Yarmuth spokesman, said: "Haha. That’s the point!"

But Louisville Republicans rebuffed Yarmuth's tweet as one pandering to his liberal base.

"Congressman Yarmuth is demonstrating yet again why he has failed so miserably at getting anything done for this district, as he consistently chooses to use his platform for far-left pandering instead of advocating for Kentucky," said Jim Stansbury, chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. "If he spent even half as much time serving his constituents as he does parroting the latest anti-Trump talking point handed down by his liberal party leaders, perhaps Louisville wouldn't be falling behind its peer cities."

Trump and his supporters have bristled at suggestions that the he or his campaign colluded with the Russian government to win the presidency.

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Robert Mueller, the special counsel looking into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, has indicted 19 people since last year, including five whom have pleaded guilty, in the course of that investigation.

Trump has called Mueller's investigation a "witch hunt" and "hoax" on numerous occasions.

Russia joined the G-7 in the late 1990s almost a decade after the fall of the Soviet Union, making the group the G-8. Trump did not specify why he believed Russia, which retains control of Crimea, should be readmitted.

The president did take to social media on Friday ahead of the G-7 summit to rail against Canada for tariffs it is imposing on U.S. dairy products.

Trump's trade policies have ignited a battle with several U.S. allies, including the European Union, which has resulted in many of those countries announcing they will impose tariffs on domestic products including Kentucky bourbon.

Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or pbailey@courierjournal.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/philb.

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