Trump defends decision to congratulate Putin despite explicit warning from national security team as he attacks Clinton, Obama AND Bush for lacking 'chemistry' and 'smarts' for Russia

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President Donald Trump defended his decision to ignore the advice of his security advisors and congratulate Russia's Vladimir Putin on his election, saying getting along was a 'good thing.'

Trump blasted the 'Fake News' media while going after three of his predecessors, and described six areas where Russia can help 'solve problems.'

His pair of tweets, like his congratulatory call to Putin, did not mention Russian election meddling in the U.S. or any role it had in the murder of a Russian spy in Britain. 

'I called President Putin of Russia to congratulate him on his election victory (in past, Obama called him also),' Trump wrote Wednesday, amid internal recriminations about who leaked information about advice Trump got before the call.

President Donald Trump congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election even though his top aides wrote 'DO NOT CONGRATULATE' in his briefing materials, it was reported on Tuesday. Putin is seen left and Trump is seen right

'The Fake News Media is crazed because they wanted me to excoriate him. They are wrong!'

Getting along with Russia (and others) is a good thing, not a bad thing,' Trump wrote, ending his initial tweet.

Then Trump laid out where Russia could help the U.S. It is frequently seen as one of the chief forces undermining U.S. influence and stability, through its invasion of Crimea, support for Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and support for Pyongyang. 

'They can help solve problems with North Korea, Syria, Ukraine, ISIS, Iran and even the coming Arms Race,' Trump wrote. 

'Bush tried to get along, but didn’t have the “smarts.” Obama and Clinton tried, but didn’t have the energy or chemistry (remember RESET). PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!' he concluded.  

Putin declared victory in presidential elections on Sunday in Russia after winning 77 per cent of the vote

LONG DISTANCE INFORMATION: Trump said he called Putin because getting along with Russia is a 'good thing'

PROBLEM SOLVER: Trump rattled off areas where Russia could help the U.S., including Ukraine, where it invaded Crimea. Then he rapped predecessors for lacking the needed qualities

The leak of information that President Trump ignored an explicit warning from his national security staff not to congratulate Vladimir Putin on his suspicious reelection has brought immediate finger-pointing and fury inside the White House.

Trump on Wednesday told reporters at the White House had 'congratulated Putin on his victory,' as his White House declined to say the election, where Putin won a fourth term with 77 per cent of the vote, was not free and fair. 

Such a leak could only have come from one of a relatively small group of people with access to high-level security information.

Its disclosure prompted immediate finger-pointing, Axios reported.

As one furious aide put it: 'This is the way Trump is. If he's doing business with you or working with you in some way, he's going to congratulate you.' 

The aide aide called the idea that Trump is soft on Russia 'crap,' adding that Trump didn't want his relationship with Putin to be 'acrimonious.'

CNN reported that Trump fumed about the disclosure after it happened Tuesday night, peppering outside advisors with questions about who they thought was responsible. He also noted that it only could have come from within a small group of staff aides, according to a source.

White House chief of staff is also furious about it, according to the report, and plans to address the matter as he tries to get to the bottom of who disclosed it.  

The Washington Post reported on the security instruction cards Trump got for the call just hours after the president told Reporters what he had said. 

Trump also didn't take the advice to condemn the poisoning of a Russian spy in Britain, according to the leak – something the British government has said almost certainly was directed by Russia. 

 The report lays out possible motives for the leak. One is 'concern about how Trump is handling Putin – an indication that national security officials view Putin as a threat and may even share the view of external critics who fear there is some reason Trump is unable to voice condemnation of him.

It also cites 'frustration' by the officials being ignore, or 'internal power games.'

GOOD CALL? It took Trump two days to phone Putin after the Russian president's not-so-shocking landslide in his latest re-election

The spat comes as, more than a year into his tenure, Trump is still facing harsh criticism for his failure to publicly confront Putin.

Former CIA Director John Brennan blasted the decision in an appearance on MSNBC.

 'To congratulate him and to treat him so nicely while he treats Americans with such disdain, I think it demonstrates that he looks at the world through a prism of what is going to help and protect Donald Trump. That is not what presidents are supposed to do,' said Brennan, who noted Putin is the person who 'authorized interference in our election' and 'almost certainly' directed the poisoning of a spy in Britain.

'He is self absorbed and he is trying to just protect his own interests.' Brennan said Trump was 'afraid of the president of Russia,' and called out what he called a 'fawning attitude.'

'The Russians may have something on him personally that they could always roll out and make his life more difficult,' said Brennan, without laying out any evidence.   

Trump phoned to congratulate Putin on his re-election even though his top aides wrote 'DO NOT CONGRATULATE' in his briefing materials, according to the Post report that appeared on Tuesday.

Trump ignored his advisers and praised the Russian leader in what he described as a 'very good call' despite the Kremlin's alleged role in the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter on British soil earlier this month.

The governments of both the United States and the United Kingdom believe Russia is responsible. The Kremlin has denied the allegation.

Before the phone call with Putin, Trump was given briefing materials which contained cards with talking points, according toThe Washington Post.

White House officials told the Post that the cards did have instructions for Trump to refrain from congratulating Putin, who declared victory on Sunday in an election that most observers believe was a sham. 

It took two days for Trump to dial up Putin on Tuesday to offer congratulations on his suspicious but official landslide victory in a re-election bid for a fourth term.

'I had a call with President Putin and congratulated him on the victory, his electoral victory,' Trump told reporters at the White House, referring to a race that the Russian strongman won with 77 per cent of the vote.

'We will probably get together in the not too distant future,' Trump said in the Oval Office during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters a few hours later that 'there are no specific plans made at this time' for a meeting.

Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain released a biting statement accusing Trump of 'congratulating dictators on winning sham elections.'

'By doing so with Vladimir Putin,' McCain continued, 'President Trump insulted every Russian citizen who was denied the right to vote in a free and fair election to determine their country's future, including the countless Russian patriots who have risked so much to protest and resist Putin's regime.'  

Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain released a biting statement accusing Trump of 'congratulating dictators on winning sham elections'

Sanders pushed back but wouldn't say whether Trump agrees Putin was re-elected in a 'sham.'  

'We disagree with the fact that we shouldn't have conversations with Russia. There are important topics that we should be able to discuss,' she said.

The president and the White House Press office both provided official confirmation that the call took place, a day after the White House declined to describe the election as 'free and fair.' 

Sanders went further on Tuesday, saying the U.S. shouldn't pressure any other nation to choose its leaders in a more democratic fashion.

'We don't get to dictate how other countries operate,' she said. 

I HEAR CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER: Trump spoke about his call with Putin when reporters peppered him questions as he spoke to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office

'What we do know is that Putin has been elected in their country, and that's not something that we can dictate to them, how they operate. We can only focus on the freeness and fairness of our elections.'

'President Trump congratulated President Putin on his March 18 re-election,' the press office said. 

Trump described the conversation as 'a very good call.' He said the two leaders would most likely discuss the 'arms race' which he described as 'out of control.' 

'We will never allow anybody to have anything close to what we have,' Trump said. Earlier this month, Putin revealed Russia has a new missile that 'can reach any point in the world.'

Putin boasted about the missile during his State of the Union address.

'It can attack any target, through the North or South Pole, it is a powerful weapon and no missile defense system will be able to withstand,' Putin said, CNBC reported March 1.

He said the missile 'can reach any point in the world.'

Trump said he and Putin would also 'discuss Ukraine, Syria and North Korea.'

Putin won the contest with about 77 per cent of the vote, drawing eye-rolls – and few immediate congratulation calls – from the West.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday that there was 'no scheduled phone call' between the two leaders.

Trump ignored his advisers and praised the Russian leader despite the Kremlin's alleged role in the poisoning of a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal (right) and his daughter, Yulia (left), on British soil earlier this month

Dictatorships and other authoritarian governments lined up to boost Putin's ego following his win, including the leaders of China, Venezuela, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Iran – all Russian allies.

The silence from the rest of the civilized world is partly because of tensions related to the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Sailsbury, England. 

The United Kingdom has blamed the assassination attempt on Russia, and the Trump administration has said it shares that assessment. 

Sergei and Yulia Skripal remain in critical condition. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the lack of a call from Trump was not seen as 'an unfriendly step.'

'Some cannot call him due to their schedule. There is no need to dramatize,' he said. 

Asked Monday whether Trump believes the Russian election was 'free and fair,' Gidley shot back that 'we're not surprised by the outcome.'

Pressed on what that means, he repeated the same words a second time.

Gidley also took pains to insist that the administration would 'work to cultivate the relationship we have with Russia, and obviously we will impose costs when Russia threatens our interests.' 

Russia's election was marred by what some international monitors saw as rampant fraud.

China's Xi Jinping (right) and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (left) led strongman governments from around the world in paying tribute to Putin while the West sat on its hands

Many observers were reportedly kept out of polling places, and there were reports of tempering with ballots that had already been cast. 

Alexei Navalny, a leading opposition leader, was not permitted to run because of a past criminal conviction – something his supporters believe was politically motivated.

It has been customary for U.S. presidents to call Putin after each of his election victories, but Trump may have approached the errand with caution.

He is under investigation by a special counsel and a Senate committee over unproven allegations that his presidential campaign colluded with Russians to meddle with the outcome of the 2016 U.S. election.

Trump and his spokespersons have dismissed the probe's mission over and over, and the president has sent signals that a closer relationship with Moscow would be in America's interest generally.