The next representative from the 22nd Congressional District, Claudia Tenney, is supportive of president-elect Donald Trump's approach on foreign policy matters thus far. And as his inauguration day approaches, she says more Americans need to give him the benefit of the doubt.
In a recent Op-Ed published in the Syracuse Post-Standard, Rep.-elect Claudia Tenney firmly comes to Trump's aid over how he is handling China. The president-elect is under fire for accepting a phone call with the leader of Taiwan, in defiance of the United States' long-standing one-China policy. But Tenney defends the phone call, saying it's time to get tough with China.
"There is a problem with china with a $360 billion theft that’s happening with American companies through hacking," Tenney said. "As a manufacturer, we are all under threat to losing jobs to Chinese theft of our intellectual property."
Tenney says it's time to start punishing Chinese companies that are involved in that type of hacking and bolstering America's cyber security measures. But she is skeptical of reports that the CIA believes Russia hacked into U.S. political organizations to help Trump get elected.
"I don’t believe the Russians would pick out one candidate or another at this point," Tenney said. "I just think the Russians are just interested in advancing their own cause. They hack a lot of people, a lot of groups -- they’re a threat. I don’t think Trump is taking them lightly. I think a lot of that is the media."
Tenney says there's no proof of Russian interference on behalf of Trump, instead blaming Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's loss on her own campaign.
"The CIA's claim, which was a third-hand complaint from what I’m hearing has been debunked by the FBI and numerous other people," She said. "The question is -- I don’t think Russia would -- they didn’t stop Hillary Clinton from going to the rust belt and having a better message, from having a private server in her basement or using the office of secretary of state to enrich herself. I think it was a bad campaign that caused it."
Tenney says Trump and Putin are not buddies, only that the president-elect recognizes what she calls the geopolitical genius of Putin during his tenure. She says Putin is a dangerous character and Trump is aware of that fact.
"I think Trump is recognizing one very important thing, he’s representing the United States and the American citizens first," Tenney said. "He’s not interested in a globalist agenda to the extent that it would hurt the United States. He’s indicated as I do that we have to trade with the world, but trade has to be fair and it can’t be at the expense of Americans, companies and jobs. I don’t think it’s a pro-Russia, anti-China agenda, I think it’s a pro-American agenda."
