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.
Bravo @MaxBoot for calling out Putin lovers in Trump's GOP. We Dems erred in '12 by mocking Boot/Romney Russia worryhttps://t.co/rjrAMJyCBR
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) July 13, 2017
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.
Romney, who calls Russia our "No. 1 geopolitical foe," doesn't seem to realize it's the 21st century. #RomneyNotReady http://t.co/xcvhOAFS
— The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) October 22, 2012
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.