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President Donald Trump offered a fulsome defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend, leaving Republican lawmakers frustrated and flummoxed yet again by the president's warm feelings toward the rival nation.

In a Fox News interview, Trump, who during the campaign repeatedly praised Putin, again said he respected the Russian leader and hoped to get along with Moscow, and he seemed to equate the United States with its adversary when pressed by host Bill O'Reilly, who said, "But he's a killer though. Putin's a killer."

"There are a lot of killers," Trump said, in an interview that aired Sunday before the Super Bowl. "We've got a lot of killers. What do you think? Our country's so innocent?"

Trump's comments came even as his United Nations envoy, Nikki Haley, on Thursday condemned Russia's "aggressive actions" in eastern Ukraine and as both the Senate and House intelligence committees launched investigations into alleged hacking by Russia of the U.S. election that the intelligence community believes was intended to benefit Trump.

The issue of Russia dogged Trump's presidential campaign - including after a news conference where he suggested that Russia hack Hillary Clinton's emails - and his latest comments left Capitol Hill Republicans scrambling to distance themselves from the president and his unusually friendly stance toward Putin, who has praised the president as a "smart" man.

In an interview with CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called Putin "a former KGB agent" and "a thug," and he rejected any comparison between the two nations, citing Russia's annexation of Crimea, its incursions into Ukraine and its interference in the U.S. presidential election.

"I don't think there's any equivalency between the way that the Russians conduct themselves and the way the United States does," McConnell said.

The senator added that while he hoped not to "critique the president's every utterance," he found significant differences between the two nations. "I do think America is exceptional. America is different," McConnell said. "We don't operate in any way the way the Russians do. I think there's a clear distinction here that all Americans understand, and no, I would not have characterized it that way."

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., was similarly wary. "Speaker Ryan has consistently and frequently spoken out on Russia and Putin and made his opinions well known, including the need for continued sanctions," spokeswoman AshLee Strong said Sunday.

She pointed to Ryan's comments at a CNN town hall broadcast last month, where he called Russia a "global menace" and said Putin "does not share our interests; he frustrates our interests."

"Let me put it this way, the Russians are up to no good, we all know that," Ryan said, responding to a question about Russia's election meddling. "We've got to make sure going forward that we do everything we can on cyber, on all of the other things to make sure that they can't do this again."

Congressional Republicans have broken with Trump over dozens of controversial statements he has made during his campaign, his transition and now his presidency. But few issues appear to have confounded lawmakers as much as his consistent defense of Putin. Trump's coziness is at odds with years of Republican foreign policy orthodoxy calling for a more aggressive stance toward Putin's regime.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., weighed in on Twitter with two missives that he personally penned. "When has a Democratic political activists ever been poisoned by the GOP or vice versa? We are not the same as #Putin," he wrote. In a second tweet, he said the United States should lift sanctions on Russia only if it ends its violations in Ukraine.

And Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wy., the daughter of former Vice President Richard Cheney, also took to Twitter to say that Trump's "statement suggesting moral equivalence between Putin's Russia and the United States of America is deeply troubling and wrong."

Appearing on four Sunday shows, Vice President Mike Pence rejected the notion that Trump had equated Russia to the United States.

"I simply don't accept that there was any moral equivalency in the president's comments," Pence said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "There was no moral equivalency. What you heard there was a determination to attempt to deal with the world as it is - to start afresh with Putin and to start afresh with Russia."

Pressed by John Dickerson, the show's host, on whether he believed the United States was morally superior to Russia, Pence repeatedly dodged the question, instead finally saying, "American ideals are superior to countries all across the world."

Pence, who would not commit to maintaining sanctions against Russia if it continues to violate a cease-fire agreement in Ukraine, nonetheless took a slightly harder line than the president on Russia.

Asked on ABC's "This Week" whether the White House planned to put Russia on notice, as it had Iran, over violating the cease-fire, Pence said, "We're watching, and very troubled by the increased hostilities over the past week in eastern Ukraine."

But he also broadly defended his boss, saying, "There's a new style of leadership, not just a new leader in the White House."

"President Trump is bringing a very candid - and direct type of leadership to the White House," Pence said. "And in conversations with leaders around the world, frankly, I think they all find it very refreshing."

Not everyone seemed to agree. Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, who ran against Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries, issued a sharp rebuke on Twitter. "America has been a beacon of light and freedom," he wrote. "There is no equivalence with the brutal regime of Vladimir Putin."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., even called for an investigation by the FBI into Trump's financial, personal and political connections to Russia.

"I want to know what the Russians have on Donald Trump," she said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "We want to see his tax returns so we can have truth in the relationship between Putin, whom he admires, and Donald Trump."

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Republicans decry Trump's defense of Putin, Russia - Chicago Tribune

A coal-fired power plant near Center, North Dakota, in 2008. Tom Stromme / AP

On Feb. 3, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, introduced a bill in the House that would terminate the EPA by the end of 2018.

The bill comes two months after Trump appointed Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the agency picking an ally of the fossil fuel industry who has long been skeptical of climate change and has filed 14 lawsuits against the EPA.

In addition to Gaetz, here are the Republican sponsors, most of whom cite job creation as their main objective.

Gaetz, a freshman, took aim at the EPA in a leaked email,

"Our small businesses cannot afford to cover the costs associated with compliance, too often leading to closed doors and unemployed Americans,"

If enacted, the bill would will give power back to the states and local governments, Gaetz said.

"To better protect the environment we should abolish the EPA and downstream resources to states for more effective & efficient protection," Gaetz said in a Facebook post Friday.

Gaetz's track record with the EPA is not a friendly one. For years,

As a state lawmaker, Gaetz previously came under fire for

As a representative for Georgia's 11th Congressional District, Loudermilk has served in Congress since 2015. Since then, he's signed onto almost a dozen measures to pull back environmental regulations, including one that would

After being flooded with messages online, Loudermilk defended the bill in a tweet, saying state and local governments are better equipped to protect the environment than federal agencies.

Of his support for scrapping the agency, he said: "The GA EPD would do much better protecting the environment than a big DC bureaucracy."

Loudermilk was a vocal opponent of President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, which was the first policy of its kind to set national limits on carbon dioxide produced from power plants.

He made a statement denouncing the plan in 2015, saying, "What the [Obama] Administration does not want us to know is that these standards would wreak havoc on our economy and inflict enormous costs on the American consumer."

Massie, who's represented Kentucky since 2012, has also long been an opponent of the EPA, which is why it's not surprising he's pushing to abolish the agency.

Related:

"The Constitution reserves lawmaking authority for the legislative branch, not unelected bureaucrats in the executive branch. The EPA makes rules that undermine the voice of the American people and threaten jobs in Kentucky," Massie said in a statement Friday to

Massie's voting history reveals his disdain for the federal agency. On Friday, he voted to overturn a rule that limited methane emissions on federal land, and he has previously co-sponsored

At the beginning of the 115th Congress, Massie was assigned to three committees: Oversight and Government Reform; Science, Space and Technology; and Transportation and Infrastructure.

Palazzo, who's represented Mississippi since 2011, previously signed the

His track record on environmental issues includes:

More recently, Palazzo got backlash for being among nine Republicans who

While some conservatives are praising the proposal, the legislation has little chance of getting through both chambers of Congress.

"It's hard to imagine Congress being willing to do so, and the American public would almost certainly virulently oppose such a move," Ann Carlson, an environmental law professor at the University of California-Los Angeles Law School,

Since its creation in 1970 under President Richard Nixon, the EPA has grown into an agency with an $8 billion fund. And throughout its history, politicians have called to end the EPA both on the campaign trail and through legislation.

Six years ago, Sen. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina,

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Meet the Four Republican Lawmakers Who Want to Abolish the EPA - NBCNews.com

Want some good news? In Maryland, the state assembly just overturned Republican Gov. Larry Hogans veto of a clean energy jobs act showing once again that the march toward clean energy will continue, despite whats happening in Washington D.C.

The bill in question is the Clean Energy Jobs Act of 2016, a bill with bipartisan support in the state. It would create new incentives for renewable energy to expand in Maryland, including increasing the states renewable energy portfolio standards to 25 percent by 2020.

Gov. Hogan vetoed the bill last year. But it received an astounding 88 votes in favor (versus just 51 in opposition) in the state House, with representatives voting as their constituents desired. The Senate followed days later.

This is a major victory for the environment and clean energy in Maryland, and will help the state continue to be a leader despite who some call a backward-thinking governor.

Gov. Hogan should take notice: Marylanders want progress, not ideological obstruction, Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said in a press statement.

They want science, not denial. They want action, not grandstanding and jobs, not rhetoric.

The bill will have wide-ranging positive impacts for Maryland. Besides expanding clean energy, it is estimated it will reduce the states greenhouse gas emissions by over 2.7 metric tons a year. Proponents say it will also create an estimated 1,000 well-paying jobs while preventing 25 to 50 premature deaths a year.

As mentioned, the bill received bipartisan support in the House and enjoys broad public support as well, with 63 percent of Marylanders expressing support for the legislation in public opinion surveys.

And that is something that is not unique to Maryland all across the country, people strongly support clean, renewable energy and climate action. Even a majority of Republicans want to see us act on climate. With this data in mind, it seems the deniers in charge in D.C. dont represent Americans, but a tiny minority of fringe activists and the few companies (such as ExxonMobil) that refuse to accept reality.

Thats why for many this was a message not only to Gov. Hogan, but also to the president whose climate-denying policies Hogan supports.

The Maryland House of Delegates voted to reject the anti-environmental agendas of both Larry Hogan and Donald Trump today, Tidwell said. This is one of the first state legislative votes nationwide to show that states WILL fight back when leaders like Hogan and the climate deniers in Washington attempt to thwart progress on clean-energy jobs and global warming pollution.

Environmental activists and supportive business leaders across the country are preparing to fight the new administrations policies, while also promoting strong, decisive action at the state level is a crucial tool for progress. Maryland just set an example of how we can act on clean energy, even with Republican leadership and potentially leverage such policies to drive bipartisan collaboration. Its time for the rest of the America to follow.

Image credit: Thisisbossi via Wikimedia Commons

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Maryland Assembly Overturns Republican Governor's Clean Energy Veto - Triple Pundit (registration) (blog)

'So-Called' Judge Criticized by Trump Is Known as a Mainstream Republican New York Times The federal judge who blocked President Trump's immigration order is described by former colleagues and acquaintances as a mainstream Republican who went from a career as a highly respected corporate lawyer in Seattle to an appointment by ... and more »

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'So-Called' Judge Criticized by Trump Is Known as a Mainstream Republican - New York Times

Rep. Tom McClintock has voiced concerns about Obamacare enrollees losing coverage. | AP Photo

Obamacare supporters showed up in huge numbers to voice concerns over repeal.

By Victoria Colliver

02/04/17 04:38 PM EST

Updated 02/04/17 07:28 PM EST

ROSEVILLE, Calif. Two Republican lawmakers representing reliably conservative districts on opposite ends of the country on Saturday faced down heated questions from Obamacare supporters who flooded town hall events demanding that Congress not dismantle a health care law that has provided insurance for millions of people.

Fervent backers of the health care law shouted down Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), blasting his views on the Obamacare repeal and President Donald Trumps immigration ban. Hundreds of demonstrators showed up some as early as 6:30 a.m. to a theater in downtown Roseville, just northeast of Sacramento.

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After the meeting ended, McClintock was escorted by police as the crowd outside the theater shouted Resist! and "Shame!"

The hostile crowd in Roseville was just the latest sign of trouble for congressional Republicans as they face voters outside of Washington. In Pinellas County, Fla., Gus Bilirakis, who represents a district Trump won, was on the defensive as voters packed a town hall on Obamacare. For more than two hours, Bilirakis listened to stories from his constituents young, old, black and white who implored him to not repeal the federal health care law without having a replacement ready.

To take away the Affordable Care Act is taking away my freedom and justice, said Evan Thornton, a 21-year-old St. Petersburg College student who said he was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome at 16 and has stayed on his mothers insurance because of Obamacare. Its taking away my life.

Hundreds of protesters, some holding signs favoring the Affordable Care Act and demanding a town meeting, gathered outside a GOP gathering Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill) attended in his district early Saturday, the Chicago NBC affiliate reported.

Liberal-leaning groups are trying to foment a real movement against Trump and in particular against repeal of Obamacare sharing spreadsheets of town halls for Republicans across the country in hopes of sparking a grassroots movement similar to the tea party movement of 2009. Videos of screaming constituents were splashed across TV that summer as Congress drafted Obamacare, slowing the laws momentum and crushing any chance that Republicans would help pass it.

So far, protests against the repeal effort are not nearly as heated as those rage-filled 2009 town halls, some of which ended in fistfights, arrests and hospitalizations. But they show growing angst over the GOPs uncertain plans to replace the health care law.

McClintock, whos voiced concerns about Obamacare enrollees losing coverage, was heard on leaked audio during last weeks GOP retreat fretting about the lack of a replacement plan. On Saturday, McClintock recounted conversations he's had with party leadership.

I said, no, with all due respect, we have bills, we have proposals, but we dont really have a plan until we pass a plan out of the House, he said.

McClintocks district covers a large swath of mostly rural Northern California, covering some small mountainous counties as well as portions of the farm-rich Central Valley. In solidly blue California, it can be easy to forget that 25 of the states 58 counties voted for Trump. Roseville is the largest city in Placer County, where Trump won 52 percent of the vote, compared to 41 percent for Hillary Clinton.

Amanda Barnes, a 28-year-old resident of Auburn, Calif., told McClintock she considered it an act of God that she was able to get on her mothers health insurance five months before she was hit by a car, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Barnes said at the time she was covered by the Obamacare provision allowing young adults to stay on their parents' health insurance..

If I had not had my mothers insurance to cover my health care costs, I would have been over half million in debt just in the first three days," she said, asking how McClintock would protect her health.

Republican leaders say theyre still trying to push through a repeal of Obamacare while approving major parts of a replacement plan by early March. But there are deep disagreements among GOP lawmakers about how much of Obamacare they should salvage, with Obamacares fiercest critics pushing to kill as much of the law as swiftly as possible through a fast-track budget process.

After the McClintock event, some attendees said they were frustrated his lack of detail about an Obamacare replacement plan. He just said, yes, we have something in place, said Andrea Seminer, a lawyer from Roseville. They have nothing in place.

Bilirakis was on the defensive at a Palm Harbor community center in northern Pinellas County, which was one of just four Florida counties that went for Trump after President Barack Obama won there twice.

Without providing details, Bilirakis said that he would work to ensure that the GOP replacement plan allows young adults to stay on their parents' plans and includes protections for pre-existing conditions. Bilirakis told reporters after the meeting that he was resolved to repeal Obamacare.

I think we need to repeal because we need to do it right and expand health care, he said. Its too expensive. The premiums are too high, the deductibles are too high.

McClintock told POLITICO he wanted to hold another listening session Saturday to accommodate the crowd outside the theater, but he said Roseville police advised him to leave when the town hall ended, because apparently the situation outside was getting dangerous.

As a diplomat would say, it was a frank exchange of views, McClintock said after the event, adding that he will continue to meet with constituents. Its not their job to listen to me at the town hall; its my job to listen to them.

Dennis Revell, chairman Placer County Republican Party, attributed the high turnout at the town hall to an organized effort within the Democratic and progressive movement in this country to attempt to become the liberal equivalent of the Tea Party.

Theyre entitled to do that, he said. Theres a very good member of Congress standing here in the middle of Coliseum as the liberal gladiators attempted to attack him. He stood his ground and had a meaningful discussion.

Nathan Williams, one of the main organizers of Town Hall Project 2018, a liberal volunteer group that circulated a nationwide list of lawmakers constituent events, said hes trying to promote respectful dialogue.

Were not encouraging people to be abusive or intimidating or peddle conspiracy theories, he said this week. Were empowering constituents; not trying to terrify members of Congress.

Despite the show of support for Obamacare at the town hall, McClintock said he believes the majority of Americans want a better health care plan.

If people loved [Obamacare]," he said, "Nancy Pelosi would still be speaker and Hillary Clinton would be president."

Christine Sexton contributed to this story.

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Republicans face anger over Obamacare repeal during town halls - Politico