President Donald Trump dismissed critiques of special envoy Steve Witkoff even as lawmakers in both parties sounded the alarm over recent comments he reportedly made to Russia in a leaked call focused on negotiations with Ukraine.

Scrutiny over Witkoff’s role as a negotiator exploded on Tuesday following a Bloomberg report of an Oct. 14 call he held with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov. In that call, Witkoff seemed to advise Ushakov on how to pitch Trump, fueling more scrutiny of the administration’s posture toward Russia. A recent 28-point plan proposed by the administration was similarly criticized for being too friendly to the Kremlin and suggesting outsize concessions for Ukraine.

White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is under scrutiny over a leaked October call.

via Associated Press/Alex Brandon

At one point, he urges the Russians to flatter Trump by calling him a “man of peace” and by congratulating him on a recent achievement. He also encourages Ushakov to arrange a call between Trump and Putin before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House.

“I would make the call and just reiterate that you congratulate the president on this achievement, that you supported it, you supported it, that you respect that he is a man of peace and you’re just, you’re really glad to have seen it happen,” Witkoff reportedly said. “I think from that it’s going to be a really good call.”

The Kremlin has not questioned the authenticity of Bloomberg’s recording, and the White House has not challenged the transcript’s veracity, according to an Associated Press report. A White House spokesperson also didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Multiple Republican lawmakers have slammed Witkoff’s approach, with at least one calling it far too favorable to Russia.

“He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations,” he continues. “Would a Russian paid agent do less than he? He should be fired.”

Democrats, too, have ripped Witkoff’s actions, with Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, alleging that “it seems Witkoff, as well as the president, are in bed with the Russians,” in a Wednesday CNN appearance.

“It’s a standard thing,” he said to reporters on Tuesday.