Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona said Mr Trump’s attacks were reminiscent of words infamously used by Russian dictator Josef Stalin to describe his opponents. The senator, a frequent Trump critic who is retiring this year, said when Mr Trump calls stories he does not like "fake news", he should be the figure of suspicion, "not the press". In an opinion column in The Washington Post, Mr McCain said Mr Trump’s attempts to undermine the free press "make it more difficult to hold repressive governments accountable". Constant cries of "fake news" undercut legitimate reporting and "strip activists of one of their most powerful tools of dissent", Mr McCain wrote. As a Republican, Mr Flake said he is ashamed of the US leader and said politicians in both parties must stand up to his attacks.

Source: Evening echo January 17, 2018 19:30 UTC