There's bipartisan agreement that Trump's Germany comments were a big mistake

President Trump and Angela Merkel.
(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Former Secretary of State John Kerry hasn't held his tongue when it comes to criticizing President Trump. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has kept quiet, if he has criticism at all.

But both of these political veterans had sharp words for the president after he said that Germany is "totally controlled by Russia" at a Wednesday breakfast meeting during this week's NATO summit in Brussels. When asked if he agreed that Germany is "captive to Russia," as Trump said Wednesday, Hatch told reporters that the president "can be a little too critical of the other [NATO] counterparts, and I don't think he should be critical." Hatch added that he has met German Chancellor Angela Merkel and has "the highest opinion of her," Politico reports.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.