Democrats want next U.S. secretary of state to be tougher on Russia

Reuters
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks after the Senate Democratic weekly policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 6, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top U.S. Senate Democrats on Tuesday blasted President Donald Trump's stance on Russia as too soft and indicated that his approach to the country accused of meddling in U.S. elections will come up when they consider his nominee for secretary of state next month.

Saying that outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "was not close to tough enough on Russia," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he hoped that Mike Pompeo, nominated to head the State Department, "will be a lot tougher and we hope he can persuade the president to be tougher, because the president is not serving American interests."

(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Peter Cooney)