MSNBC’s Geoff Bennett reported Friday that White House staff is privately “relieved” that the planned meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was called off, because it heads off a potential repeat of their joint appearance in Helsinki, where Trump embarrassed himself and the United States on the world stage.

“The White House was forced to put out a statement today saying there would be no informal meeting between the two,” Bennett said, referring to the administration’s response to Russia’s trolling earlier in the day.

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“I talked to foreign policy experts and at least one administration official who are relieved this meeting between the Presidents Trump and Putin is not happening,” he added. “Because it means that President Trump won’t necessarily, if he fails to hold Putin’s feet to the fire or worse, should he accept Putin’s version of events as he did in Helsinki, that certainly won’t happen now.”

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