While legislation aimed at Russia has been overwhelmingly passing through Congress, each bill has seen “no” votes from a small handful of Republicans in the House. The opposition to the measures has led to Democrats smearing the GOP members as “pro-Putin.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is the only House member to vote against every piece of legislation targeting Russia, including a resolution expressing support for Ukraine that was voted on shortly after the invasion began. Massie, Rep. Gosar (R-AZ), and Rep. Rosendale (D-MT) were the only ones to vote against the resolution, which was passed on March 2.
Explaining his opposition to the resolution, Massie said the call to provide Ukraine with “defensive security assistance” was too open-ended. “This term is so broad that it could include American boots on the ground or, as some of my colleagues have already requested, US enforcement of a no-fly zone,” he wrote on Twitter.
The resolution also called for “fully isolating” Russia’s economy, which Massie warned could also hurt the US economy. Other lawmakers expressed this sentiment when they voted against a bill banning the import of Russian oil, which reinforces an executive order signed by President Biden. Two Democrats, Reps. Ilhan Omar (MN) and Cori Bush (MO), joined a group of Republicans in voting against the oil ban.
Massie and Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) were the only House members to vote against a bill that downgrades Russia’s trade status. The legislation and the oil ban come as Americans are facing soaring gas prices and inflation. President Biden has admitted that the sanctions campaign against Russia will hurt the US and Europe and even warned of “real” food shortages.
On Wednesday night, the House passed a bill directing the US government to collect evidence of alleged Russian war crimes to facilitate international trials. Massie, Greene, and four other Republicans voted against the legislation.
Explaining his vote on Twitter, Massie wrote: “Some of my colleagues and I voted against this resolution in part because it contains language that could set the table for bringing spurious war crimes charges against American service members for mistakes made during military operations in theaters such as Afghanistan.”
Despite Massie’s reasoning, Democrats jumped on the war crimes vote to smear the GOP members. “The GOP’s Pro-Putin faction is anti-democratic,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wrote on Twitter. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney said that “Democrats stand with Ukraine” while “Republicans are Putin-curious.” Last week, Rep. Hakeem Jefferies claimed there was a “pro-Putin caucus” among Republicans.
Similarly, former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who served as a Democrat, came under fire when she raised concerns over the US-funded biological labs inside Ukraine, which Pentagon officials have admitted could contain Soviet-era bioweapons. For raising the concerns, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) smeared Gabbard as a “treasonous liar.”
No one cares anymore what the US Congress does, short of authorizing WWIII. Certainly Russia doesn’t care.
Explaining his vote on Twitter, Massie wrote: “Some of my colleagues and I voted against this resolution in part because it contains language that could set the table for bringing spurious war crimes charges against American service members for mistakes made during military operations in theaters such as Afghanistan.”
And of course, we don’t want to hold American service members accountable for their “mistakes”. And they are always “spurious” if they are done by our troops. Like shooting an unarmed naked man reaching for a rock as Eddie Gallegher did. But the Don came to his rescue because he, like Massie, knows the fog of war only applies again to our lovable, huggable troops.
Wasn’t that unarmed, naked man really a teenager? Eddie Gallegher represents the worst kind of American.
Riiiiiiight Wars…it’s always an “anomaly” when Amerikkkan troops commit gross violations of international law…🙄
I’m an American. I don’t care what Putin or Zelensky want. The best interest of the US happens to be a neutral stance, a neutral Ukraine, and the disbandment of NATO. The architect of the Soviet containment strategy, George Kennan, commented in 1997 that NATO expansion would be a huge and disruptive mistake Russia would eventually have to respond to. He was right.
Very nicely stated Jethro!…
Yes, Uncle Jed, Granny and Ellie Mae would be proud.
Massie for President in 2024!
Well, no, please, Mary, he’s a Zionazi of the first order.
I’d prefer Cori to anyone that congress could possibly offer.
He does say some good things on occasion. But that Christmas card with him and his smiling family posing with weapons made me sick. A version of “Keep Christ in Christmas” I guess. And Massie had what looked like an M-60 on his lap. What the F is he going to use that for? I believe in the 2nd amendment but glorifying those weapons is disgusting.
God and guns, Wars. God and guns.
And gays. As in gay bashing.
Please, Dave, don’t be too harsh on poor Mitt Romney. He can’t help it. He’s been brainwashed by the military-industrial omplex. It’s a congenital mental defect that runs in his family. He inherited it from his daddy.
Bain Capital. So very generous toward employees of companies that company destroyed. Made Mitt rich. All that mattered.
This was a symbolic gesture on their part. Even Rand Paul learned from his papa’s mistake not to be caught in this
wow common sense? will they be punished? unemployed or dead?
Can’t wait to see Amerikkka’s reaction when those “real food shortages” come to fruition. It’s perfectly acceptable for Afghans to starve, but hey, we’re ‘CEPSHUNAL!
In the meantime, I’ve seen basic grocery store items rise by as much as 50%. And theft is rising at my local grocery store. Well, duh. People don’t have the money to feed themselves.
But the Pentagon budget is $830 billion! Wonder if we can eat that military equipment if push comes to shove.
Yeah, it was OK for 500,000 Iraqi children to die too. So many children in the ME to starve or kill, so little time…………….
A Republican with a brain is pilloried by fellow Republicans. Figures.
What’s the matter with being pro-Putin. It’s not a smear. I admire the man and wish we had leadership like him.