Angry congressman claims Trump has ‘broken the law’ and Putin will ’embarrass him’

0Senator Thom Tillis claimed that the president’s deal with Russia could possibly violate the law as well as put many Americans in danger -Credit:Getty Images (Getty Images)North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis denounced President Donald Trump and his newly signed energy deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming that it "broke the law."

During an apperance Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, the senator warned that the president's deal could possibly violate the 2022 law passed by Congress that bans Russian oil imports unless specific conditions were met, including the country's withdrawal from Ukraine.

"I do believe there's a legitimate case for saying the president's not following the law," Tillis explained. "We were very clear that Russia is the aggressor. Russia is the one who can end this war by backing out of the territory they occupied."

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When Politico reached out to the White House for comment, they were directed to a Truth Social post from the president declaring an energy ceasefire. "Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine," posted the president.

"Both parties have agreed," Trump added. "Do not break it! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP." The president's post did not provide any details on the ceasefire nor any evidence that Russia had agreed to the deal.

Trump's post followed an ABC's "This Week" interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who called on the president to support the ceasefire. The president also announced on Friday that Russia would "immediately supply" diesel fuel to global markets in an effort to relieve some of the high prices at the pump due to the Iran war.

On Saturday, the president defended the U.S.'s actions in Iran and demanded an end to Ukraine's drone strikes that have crippled Russian oil refineries.

However, Tillis was still out to blame Putin and Iran for the high prices at the pump. "If President Trump wants to end the strain on energy supplies, No. 1, get things right in Iran and, No. 2, recognize that it was Vladimir Putin, not Zelenskyy, who started this war," he said.

"It's Vladimir Putin who owns the responsibility for energy prices coming from that part of the world," he added. The senator also voiced his concern that moving forward with the agreement could put Americans at risk.

"These are bad people hanging out with bad people, putting American lives at risk — particularly our Special Operators and forward-deployed personnel," Tillis worried. "People in the Department of Defense and our intelligence operations really need to beat a path to the president's office and say, 'Look, this guy has a murderous rap sheet. He cannot be trusted.'"

He added, "I guarantee you, at the first opportunity Putin has to embarrass or undermine President Trump, he will." The president's announcement is a sharp pivot from the sanctions signed into law last month.

The legislation, which had been championed by the late senator Lindsey Graham, was meant to deplete Moscow's resources by targeting Russian officials, banks, and a shadow fleet of oil tankers. Both Democrats and Republicans supported the bill in both the House and the Senate.

According to Tillis, the president's actions were "tarnishing" the legacy of Graham. In the president's ever-shifting rhetoric, Trump also demanded that the country hold an election, something Tillis cautioned the president over.

"The president needs to realize that tens of thousands of people have died over this illegal invasion, and I get it that he may be frustrated," said Tillis. "But he needs to understand who the good guys are in this disagreement and who the bad guys are, and it's not even close."