‘Photo Op’: Josh Hawley Mocks Zelenskyy’s Speech Before Congress As A PR Stunt
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speech before Congress a “photo op” Thursday.
“I didn’t go to the speech, because I didn’t want to be part of a photo op asking for more money from the United States government when they have not given us a single piece of accounting on anything they spent,” Hawley said.
Zelenskyy spoke before a joint meeting of Congress Wednesday night following a visit to the White House, calling U.S. aid to the county “an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”
Some Republicans, including Hawley and Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, declined to attend Zelenskyy’s addressor refused to applaud, pointing to past corruption by the Ukrainian government. Other Republicans opposed the spending on Ukraine, saying that country’s war with Russia was not an American problem.
WATCH:
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia introduced legislation calling for an audit of funds provided to Ukraine.
“I’m worried about putting us deeper in debt and worried about the American public,” Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Minority Leader, said. “They always come first.”
Russia invaded Ukraine Feb. 24 and has repeatedly fired barrages of missiles at targets in the country. The United States sent at least $52 billion in aid, in addition to another $45 billion in the $1.7 trillion omnibus legislation passed by the Senate Thursday.
The Biden administration announced the United States would give Ukraine a battery of MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missiles Wednesday, according to the Washington Post. The system consists of a AN/MPQ-53 radar and as many as eight launchers, each with four missiles, according to Designation-Systems.net.
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This feckless and reckless President and, in fact, the entire Congress (Republicans and Democrats alike) continue to wave their Ukrainian flags and spend unaccountable billions (100 billion so far and he wants another 47 billion) to a corrupt Ukrainian government that is busy buying mansions in Switzerland. Now we know clearly that the money is not so much to defend them, but to fight a proxy war to oust Putin that we didn’t want, didn’t vote on, and can’t win. Never mind that Europe is collapsing, hundreds of thousands are dying, and millions are fleeing creating a new refugee crisis in Europe. Of course they all shout, “we must protect their sovereignty and territorial integrity” while they do absolutely nothing about the fact that we have exactly zero “sovereignty” with a completely open border that let’s in millions of unvaccinated illegals; including criminals, cartels, terrorists (90 identified so far) and unlimited amounts of Chinese made fentanyl that kills 275 American citizens every day.
Ukraine was never in our national security interest, is an eastern bloc nation and was actually part of Russia until the USSR collapsed. And yes, Putin said that Ukraine joining NATO would be a “red line” for him, yet we ignored him and continued to suggest that Ukraine should join NATO. And remember that Ukraine is the corrupt government that accepted a billion dollar bribe from then VP Brandon to fire the prosecutor that was looking into his son’s money laundering scheme. We should stop the military/industrial complex and all the Democrats and Republican war hawks (like Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell) from getting us into never ending “regime change” wars. A negotiated peace could have actually happened back in April but Biden and the warmongers didn’t want it. How did that never ending war work out in Afghanistan where we spent 2 trillion dollars over 20 years only to see Biden’s disastrous and embarrassing withdrawal that left billions of dollars of our best military hardware to the Taliban? How did that work out in Iraq? In Libya, where Hillary instigated a coup to oust Gaddafi, and now they are just another failed, terrorist state? Only this time we aren’t fighting illiterate third world muslim terrorists, but a Russian dictator with the second largest nuclear arsenal in the world. Americans should be screaming and writing to all their Senators and Congressman to stop this madness before our unhinged and dementia riddled President gets us into WWIII.
I can’t understand how the American people just go along with anything that buffoon Biden does and the corrupt democrats and some republicans. Is Ukraine going to pay anything back or is it going to be like on Judge Judy and say it was a gift? The American government is giving billions or trillions to Ukraine and our great grandchildren will be paying this debt. Might at well given them nukes and let them get the party started. Putin will eventually use them anyway!
I did not know much about Zelensky when he came out like he was fighting for Ukraine. I now realize he is not, he is fighting for power, money and who knows what else. He is a money launderer with the Biden gang, make no mistake about that. No one has tracked all the money b iden is giving to him. We the people are paying billions and we have no idea where the money went and is going.
This man is a snake oil carny b arker. The lazy, crooked Republicans are in on this scheme and many others. Not all, but the majority. McCarthy, McConnell and the plastic faced RNC Head. are most definitely in on it. Do the people care? not enough to stand up to anyone, starting with the Congress. They will put those crooks back in at the drop of a hat. I am 89 and never saw our country just lay down and die like they are doing now. Shameful!!