As controversy over Russia's ties to the White House continues to grow, Kansas supporters of President Donald Trump believe Democrats are making too big of a deal out of the issue.
41 Action News recently traveled to Leavenworth, where Trump received almost twice the amount of votes as Hillary Clinton during the last presidential election.
Support for the president can still be easily found, and those who voted for him said they will continue to stand by Trump during the Russia case.
"I think the Democrats are mad because their person did not get in, so they're going to say Trump had help," explained Cathy Forge, who voted for Trump in the last election. "They're picking on him. They need a scapegoat, so they're going to make him and his people a scapegoat."
Multiple Trump supporters who spoke to 41 Action News believed the Russia controversy was being blown out of proportion.
Despite allegations that Trump administration members held meetings with Russian leaders during the presidential campaign, the supporters said the case was what they've come to expect out of Washington, D.C..
"It's all politics," explained Trump supporter Ann Grove. "They need somebody to blame and they're going to get somebody to blame."
Many supporters said they voted for Trump because of his promises to improve the country's economy, and the Russia scandal takes attention off more important matters.
"We need jobs in the United States," said steel trader Marlin Holyfield. "We need business to come back. We need companies to step up and people to get good paying jobs."
Holyfield said the steel trading business has suffered in recent years.
Instead of focusing on Trump's relationship with Russia, Holyfield explained that Americans should be more concerned about improving the economy.
"We should be worried about what's going on in the country here and not so much what everyone thinks happened," he said.
Other supporters, like former Kansas state representative Tony Barton, said people should wait before they jump to conclusions on the Russia issue.
"We're still waiting for the proof and the investigation, or at least I am, to see some of these things play out," he explained.
Political writer Jack Cashill spoke to 41 Action News about the possible impact of the case, saying that it was "business as usual" in the nation's capital.
"The whole notion the Russians somehow infiltrated the election is an elaborate way of explaining away Hillary Clinton's failure to win in November," he said. "There's nowhere for this story to go, except to be in the news everyday and make the losers feel good about their loss."
Cashill expected Trump to recover quickly from the controversy, with no big consequences from the matter.
"I think it'll have very close to no impact on President Trump," he said. "It's a distraction, but he's been plowing thorough despite distractions."
With the Trump presidency just over a month old, supporters looked to move past the Russia controversy.
"I hope to see Trump have a fabulous four years and bring us back to where we're supposed to be," explained Cathy Forge. "I'm happy with what he has done. I'm all for him. Go Mr. Trump!"
Trump won Kansas in the 2016 presidential election by 20 percentage points.
The economy and immigration were the top two issues that Trump supporters who spoke to 41 Action News said they cared about.
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Tom Dempsey can be reached at Tom.Dempsey@KSHB.com.
