EXCERPT:
PELOSI: “In terms of his meeting with Putin, I think that he should meet with him. They should have a line of communication. And issues like cyber security and energy, of course, are not necessarily on the table in that meeting, but are the reality that we have to deal with. And energy and cybersecurity are probably two items that may come up at that meeting, but that we have to be prepared for whether they do or not. Now, let's just make a contrast. The president — former president of the United States, for whatever reason, whether the Russians had personal, political or financial leverage over him, just kowtowed, catered to Putin in a way that was humiliating to the United States of America. And when — when Putin hears about some of the violations of the rights of his own people, he laughs. This is a thug. This is a thug. But he is the head of an important state. In terms of the issues you raise, the President should meet with him. And I think he's going to meet a very different president than one who was at the mercy of Putin."