Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump, appearing on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, came out in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, defending him against allegations that he has ordered the deaths of journalists in his country.
"Nobody has proven that he's killed anyone," Trump said, according to the New York Daily News. "He's always denied it. It's never been proven that he's killed anybody."
"As far as the reporters are concerned, obviously I don't want that to happen, I think it's horrible," he continued. "But, in all fairness to Putin, you're saying he killed people, I haven't seen that. I don't know that he has. Have you been able to prove that?"
These comments came after Trump was pressed by the show's host, George Stephanopolous, about comments made on Friday about the subject. At the time, when asked about the allegations, Trump said: "I think our country does plenty of killing also," according to The New York Times.
In response to Stephanopoulos' suggestion that Trump is drawing a moral equivalence between the killing of journalists under Putin and America's killing of terrorists abroad, Trump countered there is no evidence of Putin's involvement in any of the deaths.
"He's always denied it. He's never - it's never been proven that he's killed anybody," he said. So, you know, you're supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, at least in our country. It has not been proven that he's killed reporters."
Trump coming out in support of Putin should be of little surprise. Putin praised Trump last Thursday, saying: "He is a bright and talented person without any doubt," adding that Trump is "an outstanding and talented personality."
Trump later responded in kind at a rally in Columbus, Ohio, saying: "It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond."
