Republicans push hard on Russia while defending Trump's NATO comments

Senator Tim Scott, Republican of South Carolina, said Sunday that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was a “murderous dictator” responsible for the death of opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny, and that “we need strong leadership from America that will actually push back against Russia and other dictators.”

Mr. Scott then followed the leap in logic that many ambitious Republicans have employed in their efforts to take a hard line on Russia while pledging allegiance to a former president who has done the opposite. He said the only man for that job was Donald J. Trump.

“Unfortunately, Joe Biden cannot withstand that accusation and Donald Trump can,” Mr. Scott, who has been mentioned as a potential running mate for Mr. Trump, said on CNN's “State of the Union.”

Mr. Scott's comments on the Sunday television circuit reflected the fear that Republicans in Congress with political ambitions have about alienating Mr. Trump and his base: They claim to have a hard line on Russia while they favor be careful not to say anything that might antagonize the enemy. the former president.

Mr. Trump recently said he would encourage Russia to “do whatever they want” to NATO allies who are not contributing enough to collective defense. And during the 2016 election, Trump's campaign sought close contacts with Russian government officials who helped him get elected, a bipartisan congressional report found.

On Sunday, Representative Michael R. Turner, Republican of Ohio and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on NBC's “Meet the Press” that it was “very, very important for the United States to stand strong and stand with Ukraine.” ” He warned of the consequences if Russia continued its aggression, noting it would “endanger other parts of Europe.”

But when pressed about Trump's recent comment encouraging Russia to attack NATO allies, he downplayed it and defended the former president. “Here's what I know,” Mr. Turner said. “Donald Trump's political rallies don't really translate into Donald Trump's actual policies.”

He added: “If you look at his policies, if you look at his record, he has actually increased funding for NATO and increased the European Reassurance Initiative,” increasing the readiness of armed forces in Europe.

Mr. Scott, in turn, also ignored the fact that Mr. Trump has remained silent in the days since Mr. Navalny's death, avoiding a question on Sunday from CNN's Jake Tapper about why that was the case and whether he wanted Mr. Trump did that. say something.

“I think a better question is: Let's look at the problems we face today,” he said. “What you see front and center is Joe Biden's failure.”

Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said he wanted to make Russia “pay a price for killing Navalny” by designating the country as a state sponsor of terrorism.

“They deserve this title,” he said. “Putin has been killing people, opposition leaders, for decades. He chopped Syria into pieces. He is one of the worst actors in the world and an indicted war criminal.”

But Mr. Graham has also defended Mr. Trump's comments about NATO. And he voted against a Senate foreign aid package that would send money to Ukraine, saying he would support crucial aid for Kiev only if it came in the form of a loan, an idea floated by Mr. Trump.

The former president has resisted sending more aid to Ukraine, putting pressure on Speaker Mike Johnson from the House of Representatives to block a $95 billion aid package for Israel and Ukraine that the Senate overwhelmingly passed last week has adopted.

Mr. Johnson said last week that Mr. Navalny's death was “symbolic of Mr. Putin's global pattern of silencing critics and eliminating opponents for fear of dissent.” He added that “as Congress debates the best path forward to support Ukraine, the United States and our partners must use all available tools to cut off Putin's ability to finance his unprovoked war in Ukraine. ”

But Mr Johnson has also suggested he has no intention of putting the bill to a vote in the House of Representatives.

Liz Cheney, a former Republican representative from Wyoming whose criticism of Mr. Trump led to her ouster from Congress, said the best way to deter Mr. Putin was for the House of Representatives to pass the bill.

“One man, one man has the power to make that happen, and that is Mike Johnson,” Ms. Cheney said on “State of the Union.”

She said the bill could be on President Biden's desk tomorrow, awaiting his signature, if Mr. Johnson chose to put it up for a vote.

“Mike Johnson would have to dig deep into his conscience,” Ms. Cheney said, adding: “He has said, and I take him at his word, that he believes God has told him he is called to be Moses . I think Mike Johnson needs to see if this is actually that moment.”