Echo opinion letters criticize South Dakota Senator John Thune July 4 Russia trip

South Dakota Senator John Thune went to Russia on American Independence Day ~ criticized by constituents

Thune should have stayed in America

South Dakota senior Senator John Thune just spent several days in Russia in preparation for a meeting between President Trump and Vladimir Putin. It's unconscionable that he would waste even a minute "greasing the skids" for a president who has a higher regard for Putin than for the many countries that have been allies of the United States for decades.

Thune's 4th of July recess would have been much more productive and appreciated had he spent the time in his home state listening to the soybean, corn and dairy farmers whose livelihood and future are threatened by the ill-conceived and poorly-executed global trade war Trump has initiated and to address the many other important issues facing South Dakotans.

The Trumpification of our congressional delegation (Sen. Thune, Sen. Rounds and Rep. Noem) and the rest of the Republican Party are almost complete. It's party over country, party over pride, party over principle. All that's missing is the leash and a flea collar for every one of them. Bruce Oberlanderm Deadwood

Thune's Russia trip was un-American

While most Americans spent July 4 with family, friends and neighbors watching parades, rodeos and fireworks, what did John Thune (our SD senator and number three man in the U.S. Senate) do? He flew halfway around the world with the GOP-only delegation to meet with Russian leadership.

Never mind that the Senate Intelligence committee had just released their bipartisan report concluding that Russia had actively interfered in our presidential election on behalf of Trump. Never mind that two more Brits were felled by the same nerve agent Russia used to harm a defector and his daughter. Never mind how many journalists and dissidents Putin has had killed or that his actions on the international stage have been provocative and anti-democratic.

The optics of Thune’s visit were bad enough, but the fact that these senators proclaimed Russia is no longer an adversary should be enough for patriotic Americans to sit up and take notice. This same group is allowing Trump to meet one-on-one with Putin with nobody else in the room to hear or record what has been discussed or decided. Trump has shown that he cannot be 

trusted to do what he says. This whole situation is unprecedented and un-American. Pamela Baum Spearfish