Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tried to play off the Putin GOP as a few lonely voices and urged America to ignore them.
Video of McConnell:
Transcript via CBS’s Face The Nation:
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MARGARET BRENNAN: You are very clear in your language there, but others in your party have not been. Congresswoman Liz Cheney has said there’s actually a Putin wing of the Republican Party these days. Think she’s referring to Congressman Cawthorn, who called Zelenskyy a thug? Marjorie Taylor Greene said the U.S. should not fund a war the Ukrainians cannot possibly win. Is there any room in the Republican Party for this rhetoric and why isn’t there more discipline?
SEN. MCCONNELL: Well, there’s some lonely voices out there that are in a different place, but looking at Senate Republicans, I can tell you that I would have had I been the Majority Leader put this Ukraine supplemental up by itself. I think virtually every one of my members would have voted for it. The vast majority of the Republican Party writ large, both in the Congress and across the country, are totally behind the Ukrainians and urging the president to do- take these steps quicker. Yeah, to be bolder. So, there may be a few lonely voices off the side. I wouldn’t pay much attention to them.
There Are More Than A Few Lonely Putin GOP Voices
McConnell was urgently trying to minimize the influence of Putin on his party. The former Republican president, Donald Trump called Putin a genius and lavishes praise on the dictator at every opportunity. The top cable news host on Fox News is Tucker Carlson, who pushes Russian propaganda on a nightly basis. Sens. like Josh Hawley and Ron Johnson have been caught spreading pro-Putin propaganda. In the House, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Madison Cawthorn, Thomas Massie, Paul Gosar, Matt Gaetz, and several others have voted in support of Putin.
Rep. Cheney was right. The Republican Party has a Putin wing. Mitch McConnell is afraid that this wing is going to cost him in the midterm election, so he is trying to minimize the influence of Putin on his party.
Mitch McConnell doesn’t want you to notice, but a lot of high-profile Republicans are supporting Putin.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
