A year ago, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine got underway, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley issued a statement that read in part, “Russia’s brutal assault on Ukraine and invasion of its territory must be met with strong American resolve.” The Missouri senator endorsed a U.S. policy of economic sanctions and military aid to “help arm the Ukrainians to defend themselves.”
Exactly one year to the day after the GOP lawmaker issued that statement, Hawley’s interest in “strong American resolve” appeared to waver. He published a tweet on Friday that read:
“The Republican Party can be the party of Ukraine and globalists or the party of East Palestine and working Americans. Not both.”
The missive was apparently well received by Fox News: Hawley was invited onto Tucker Carlson’s program on Friday night, where he repeated the message, practically word for word.
The GOP senator’s message came just two days after Donald Trump made a public appearance in East Palestine, Ohio, and appeared to criticize U.S. aid to Ukraine, saying he hopes, after we assist our allies against Russia’s invasion, that there’s “some money left over” to help East Palestine after its train derailment disaster.
As a substantive matter, as Hawley almost certainly understands, such rhetoric is nonsense. The United States remains the world’s wealthiest country, by a wide margin. We have the resources to assist Ukraine and the cause of democracy while simultaneously helping a community dealing with a derailment disaster.
When ABC News’ Martha Raddatz asked Texas Rep. Michael McCaul about Hawley’s quote yesterday, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said, “I think that’s a false choice.”
I think he’s right, but as prominent GOP lawmakers find it necessary to publicly denounce other prominent GOP lawmakers’ positions on Ukraine, there can be little doubt that the Republican Party is starting to fracture on this issue, and the fissure is growing…
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