President’s comments on election meddling called ‘disgraceful’ but most in his party are reluctant to enter open conflict

Air Force One departed Helsinki on Monday after a head-spinning week in which the US president attacked the postwar international order and sided with the Russian president Vladimir Putin over his own intelligence agencies about whether Moscow meddled in the US elections. The question that now looms before Republican lawmakers: how will they respond?

Trump 'treasonous' after siding with Putin on election meddling Read more

Donald Trump’s conduct during the joint press conference with Putin drew condemnation from across the political spectrum, including from Republicans who have been previously wary of criticizing him.

Yet despite the deep disappointment and shock, leading Republicans lawmakers have so far failed to pledge any concrete action to punish Trump for his conduct next to Putin, which some panned as “shameful” and a “sign of weakness”.

“Some statements coming out from [Republicans] are OK,” said Senator Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii. “But the foundational question is whether or not a member of Congress will use their constitutional authorities to slow or stop this.”

Republicans, who hold the majority in both chambers of Congress, could try to force Trump’s hand on Russia by holding up nominees, demanding hearings or pushing for increased oversight. There is, as Democrats note, pending legislation that Congress could pass to protect special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether Trump campaign associates colluded with Russia during the election.

On Tuesday, the editors of the conservative Weekly Standard magazine called on Republicans in Congress to formally censure the president.

“We understand that such a measure would be largely symbolic,” the editors wrote. “But symbols matter. It would be no small thing for congressional Republicans to declare, in a formal manner, that a president who coddles and defends an anti-American despot doesn’t deserve their support.”

Play Video 3:10 Key moments from the Trump-Putin press conference - video

Late Monday evening, Senator John Cornyn told CNN Republican lawmakers were considering a measure that would reaffirm support for the intelligence community conclusion on Russian meddling. Such action would follow the non-binding resolution in support of Nato, which the Senate passed last week before Trump landed in Brussels for a summit with military allies.

In the hours after the press conference, several leading Republicans rebuked Trump for appearing to disregard his own intelligence community and place trust in Putin, an adversary accused of having attacked the very foundation of American democracy: its electoral system.

Russian woman charged with spying for Moscow by 'infiltrating' NRA Read more

“They think it’s Russia,” Trump said during the press conference, referring to US intelligence officials and aides. “I have President Putin – he just said it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be.”

In a statement, House speaker Paul Ryan reprimanded Trump: “There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia.” He also reasserted his view that there is “no question” Russia interfered in the US presidential election and continues to meddle in democracies around the world.

Ryan was joined by other Republican lawmakers. John McCain, the ailing Arizona senator and one of the party’s leading voices on national security, delivered perhaps the harshest rebuke, calling the press conference “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory”.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Trump said the media had distorted a successful European trip.

“While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia,” Trump wrote. “Sadly, it is not being reported that way – the Fake News is going Crazy!”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Paul Ryan reprimanded Trump for his comments about the US and Russia. Photograph: Michael Reynolds/EPA

Democrats have laid out four actions they say Republicans could take. The Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, said Republicans should refuse to “water down” and instead should “ratchet up” sanctions against Russia. Secondly, Schumer asked Republicans to join him in calling on Trump’s national security team present for the summit with Putin to testify before Congress.

He then called on Republicans to end their attacks on the Mueller investigation. Lastly, he said, Republicans should pressure the president to demand the extradition of the 12 Russian intelligence officers charged last week in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign.

“The president is doing grave harm to the standing of these United States while kowtowing to the number one enemy which we probably have on the globe, Vladimir Putin,” Schumer said. “He’ll continue to do so if he isn’t checked and the best people to check him are not Democrats, but his fellow Republicans.”

Patrick Toomey, a Republican senator from Pennsylvania, suggested the US should threaten “tough, new sanctions” if Russia refuses to extradite the 12 intelligence officers. Ryan and Senate No2 John Cornyn subsequently suggested they would support new sanctions.

Play Video 0:58 Putin says Russia has never interfered with US internal affairs – video

Still, there were some Republicans who stood by Trump.

Mark Meadows, chair of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, declined to criticize Trump for blaming the US for poor relations with Russia. Senator Rand Paul, of Kentucky, dismissed the focus on Russian meddling as “Trump derangement syndrome”.

Republicans may settle on a course of action over the coming days. But as past episodes have shown, they largely prefer to avoid open conflict with the president.

For now, even Trump’s harshest Republican critics seem to place their hopes not in Congress but rather the president’s ability to change.

“Americans are waiting and hoping for President Trump to embrace that sacred responsibility,” McCain said. “One can only hope they are not waiting totally in vain.”