--- title: Donald Trump: Lindsey Graham Slams Trump on Russia description: Members of Donald Trump's own party were not so enamored with his proposal to form a cyber security unit with Vladimir Putin canonical: https://time.com/4850698/lindsey-graham-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-cyber-security-unit/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-07-09T17:40:12.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T16:29:03.876Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Wants to 'Work Constructively' With Russia. Some Disagree. og:description: "Its not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but its pretty close," said Sen. Graham og:url: https://time.com/4850698/lindsey-graham-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-cyber-security-unit/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7bd396a2e9d78d8d/6988cc0686f68eb0ac6e48fc/lindsey-graham-senator-republican-healthcare-bill-vote.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6327 og:image:height: 3559 og:image:alt: Sen. Lindsey Graham Hears From Constituents During Townhall In Columbia, South Carolina og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Wants to 'Work Constructively' With Russia. Some Disagree. twitter:description: "Its not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but its pretty close," said Sen. Graham twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7bd396a2e9d78d8d/6988cc0686f68eb0ac6e48fc/lindsey-graham-senator-republican-healthcare-bill-vote.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Wants to Form a Cyber Security Unit With Russia. Some Members of His Party Don't Agree > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Jul 9, 2017 5:40 PM UTC  Sen. Lindsey Graham addresses constituents during a town hall meeting March 25, 2017 in Columbia, South Carolina. Sen. Lindsey Graham addresses constituents during a town hall meeting March 25, 2017 in Columbia, South Carolina. Sean Rayford—Getty Images  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Jul 9, 2017 5:40 PM UTC [President Trump](http://time.com/4849232/g20-summit-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-body-language/) suggested Sunday that, after pressing [Russian President Vladimir Putin](http://time.com/4850434/vladimir-putin-g20-summit-meeting-trump/) twice about the possibility of Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election during their meeting at the G20, which Putin “vehemently” denied, it was time for the United States to move forward with Russia, possibly working together on a cyber security initiative to combat election hacking. But members of Trump’s own party are not so enamored with that idea. > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884013689736769536) > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884016887692234753) “It’s not the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard, but its pretty close,” Sen. Lindsey Graham said on [NBC’s _Meet the Press_ ](http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/graham-working-with-russia-not-the-dumbest-idea-but-close-989079107596)when asked by Chuck Todd about the cyber security unit. “They \[Russia\] did try to attack our election system, they were successful in many ways, and the more you do this the more people are suspicious about you and Russia.” Florida Senator Marco Rubio [analogized on Twitter](https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/884022979004428289) that asking Putin to work on a cyber security unit was akin to partnering with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on chemical weapons, which he has been accused of using, but has repeatedly denied. “While reality & pragmatism requires that we engage Vladimir Putin, he will never be a trusted ally or a reliable constructive partner,” [Rubio tweeted. ](https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/884021848148672512) And Arizona Senator John McCain jokingly suggested that Putin would be a perfect partner in this initiative, since he instrumented the hacking. “I am sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort,” he said on _Face the Nation._ Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who said on ABC’s _This Week with George Stephanopoulos_ that the cyber security unit is a “significant accomplishment” for the President, declined to answer directly when asked if Trump accepted Putin’s denial of election interference. But Trump’s Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus, said on _Fox News Sunday_ that the President “absolutely” did not believe Putin’s denial. “Yes, he believes that Russia probably committed all of these acts that we’ve been told of, but he also believes that other countries also participated in this,” Priebus said. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4850698/lindsey-graham-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-cyber-security-unit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4850698/lindsey-graham-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-cyber-security-unit/"},"headline":"Trump Wants to Form a Cyber Security Unit With Russia. Some Members of His Party Don't Agree","datePublished":"2017-07-09T17:40:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T16:29:03.876Z","description":"\"Its not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but its pretty close,\" said Sen. 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