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Fmr. Hillary Clinton Spokesman: Democrats Wrong in 2012 to Mock Romney's Russia Worries

Brian Fallon served as national press sec. for Clinton's 2016 campaign

Mitt Romney / Getty
July 13, 2017

Former Hillary Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon tweeted Wednesday that Democrats "erred" in their mocking of Mitt Romney in 2012 for calling Russia the nation's top geopolitical foe.

Fallon posted a tweet linking to a clip of Max Boot, who advised Romney on foreign policy in 2012, sparring with Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Wednesday evening. Boot criticized Carlson for being too soft on Russian President Vladimir Putin, which retired Lt. Col. Ralph Peters also did on Carlson's show this week.

"Bravo @MaxBoot for calling out Putin lovers in Trump's GOP. We Dems erred in '12 by mocking Boot/Romney Russia worry," Fallon wrote.

Fallon, now a CNN commentator, served as the national press secretary for Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016.

Romney, the Republican nominee running against then-President Barack Obama, said in 2012 that Russia was "our No. 1 geopolitical foe." Obama's campaign and many members of the press derided the comments, with Obama himself quipping in a debate that "the 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back."

"The Cold War's been over for 20 years," Obama said.

The media praised Obama's comment as a strong remark against Romney at the time.

Democrats have changed their tune on Russia since the U.S. intelligence community stated that the Kremlin was behind meddling in the 2016 election to try to help Donald Trump win the White House. The Russia investigation has dominated headlines throughout the Trump administration, with a sprawling investigation ongoing into whether the Trump campaign illegally colluded with Russian entities to affect the election.