Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.) has previously accused President Donald Trump of being part of a "Kremlin Klan" beholden to Russian interests, but she took the charge a step further on Thursday, disseminating a graphic she created of Trump associates who she has deemed part of this group.
The graphic, with Moscow in the background and an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin looming overhead, pictures several senior Trump administration officials and other associates of the American president labeled with their names.
Waters tweeted out the image from her official account, with the note "Prepared by Rep. Maxine Waters" in the bottom right corner of the graphic.
Meet @realDonaldTrump's #KremLINKlan: pic.twitter.com/UxzH4BSzp4
— Maxine Waters (@MaxineWaters) March 16, 2017
Trump is in the middle of the graphic, underneath an image of Putin, surrounded by headshots of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and 12 other men connected to the president. The words "Trump's Kremlin Klan" are written at the top of the graphic.
Waters has pushed her "Kremlin Klan" label since the beginning of the Trump administration, accusing the president's associates of conspiring with Russia to get money from the oil and gas industry.
"He [White House chief of staff Reince Priebus] can't continue to try to defend this president, who is entangled with this Kremlin clan of his, while they are all seeking really to get rid of these sanctions that are placed on Russia because all of them are connected to the oil and gas industry," Waters said last month.
During the same interview, she called Trump's associates "a bunch of scumbags."
"It's clear to me, and I just think the American people had better understand what's going on," Waters said. "This is a bunch of scumbags. That's what they are."
Waters has been one of the president's most vocal opponents in Congress since he entered the White House, repeatedly calling for Trump's impeachment. The California Democrat said last month that her greatest desire is to lead Trump to impeachment.
Many congressional Democrats have not been as willing to criticize Trump and call for his impeachment, leading Waters to call her Democratic colleagues too "nice."
Waters has vowed to fight Trump "every inch of the way" during his presidency.