Squishy Republican falsely claims Ukraine is a democracy and that its conflict with Russia has nothing to do with NATO.
House Intelligence Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) claimed that Russian propaganda has “infected” a portion of the GOP — the MAGA wing, more specifically.
In a Sunday interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Jake Tapper, Turner said he agreed with Rep. Michael McCaul’s (R-Texas) characterization that Russian propaganda has “infected a good chunk of my party’s base.”
“Oh, it’s absolutely true,” Turner told Tapper about McCaul’s remarks. “We see directly coming from Russia attempts to mask communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages, some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor.”
.@RepMikeTurner tells @jaketapper it’s “absolutely true” that Russian propaganda has “infected” a portion of the GOP base, calling out “anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages, some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor.” pic.twitter.com/Jv4fAiCNf4
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) April 7, 2024
“I mean, there are members of Congress today, who still incorrectly say that this conflict between Russia and Ukraine is over NATO which of course it is not,” Turner continued. “Vladimir Putin having made it very clear, both publicly and to his own population, that his view is that this is a conflict of a much broader claim of Russia, to Eastern Europe, and including claiming all of Ukraine territory as Russia’s.”
“Now, to the extent that this propaganda takes hold, it makes it more difficult for us to really see this as an authoritarian versus democracy battle, which is what it is. President Xi of China, Vladimir Putin himself have identified it as such,” Turner said.
“We need to stand up for democracy. We need to make certain that we know that authoritarian regimes never stop when they start an aggression. Ukraine needs our help and assistance now and this is a very critical time for the US Congress to step up and provide that aid,” Turner added.
To sum up Turner’s remarks: the Ukraine conflict has absolutely nothing to do with NATO’s expansion and Ukraine is a democracy that America must defend.
Now THAT is weapons-grade propaganda.
The reality is that the Ukraine conflict has almost entirely to do with NATO’s expansion eastward, and Putin himself made that clear in remarks to the Russian people in 2022 that are difficult to find in the West because Russian outlets have been banned in America.
And to call Ukraine a democracy is an insult to democracies. President Volodymyr Zelensky suspended his country’s elections, banned opposition political parties, eradicated opposition media, and banned the Orthodox Church.
If the talking points are coming from CNN, they’re probably a load of BS.
