Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Sunday flat-out refused to offer even slight criticism of former President Donald Trump’s repeated praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, insisting that he (Cotton) “doesn’t speak on behalf of other politicians.” Bringing up the twice-impeached ex-president calling Putin “smart” and “very savvy” for his “genius” invasion of Ukraine, ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Cotton if he was “prepared to condemn” that rhetoric from the leader of the GOP.

“George, if you want to know what Donald Trump thinks about Vladimir Putin or any other topic, I would encourage you to invite him on your show. I don’t speak on behalf of other politicians,” Cotton, who has appeared on Fox News over 100 times in the past year to blast President Joe Biden, grumbled in response. The ABC News moderator then pointed out that if Biden or former President Barack Obama said something similar, Cotton would be the “first to criticize” them, only for the GOP lawmaker to deflect once again. Finally, when asked if he could support Trump if he runs again for president in 2024, Cotton—who has presidential ambitions himself—claimed that he hasn’t given the matter any thought. “I’m not worried about this fall’s election right now, much less an election two years from now,” he huffed.