DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement after President Trump held a press conference in Helsinki, Finland with Russian President Vladimir Putin:

“Donald Trump made clear that his loyalties lie with a foreign adversary who attacked our country rather than with U.S. intelligence agencies and the American people.

“Today’s press conference was a shameful display of cowardice and capitulation. Just days after 12 high-ranking Russian intelligence officers were indicted for their attack on American democracy, Donald Trump stood next to Vladimir Putin and refused to call on Russia not to attack us again. He took Putin’s side over his own government’s. And instead of denouncing Russia’s attack on our democracy, he went after American institutions. Never before has a U.S. president failed so spectacularly to stand up to a hostile foreign power.

“As if things couldn’t get any more appalling, Trump said he wanted to work with Putin to investigate the intelligence agents who were indicted for conspiring against the United States. American officials told Trump who set fire to our democracy, and instead of believing them, he invited the arsonist to investigate.

“Republican leaders have a choice: They can either hold this president accountable for his disgrace to our democracy, or stand with this president and send a crystal-clear message that it’s fine for a foreign power to attack Americans as long as it serves their political interests. November can’t come soon enough.”