Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner said Sunday that Russian propaganda had infiltrated his Republican colleagues and was being “broadcast in the House.”
The Ohio Republican reiterated a claim made last week by Chairman Michael McCaul to Puck News: “Russian propaganda has unfortunately made its way to the United States and infected much of the base.” of my party. »
“It’s absolutely true,” Turner said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“We are seeing directly from Russia attempts to hide communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russian messages, some of which are even spoken in the House.”
“To the extent that this propaganda takes hold, it makes it harder for us to really see this as a battle between authoritarianism and democracy,” he added.
Support for increased funding for Ukraine has waned within the House Republican Party conference as the conflict in the east drags on into its third year. President Mike Johnson is reportedly considering providing aid to Ukraine in some form after Congress’ Easter recess.
Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner said Sunday that Russian propaganda had infiltrated his Republican colleagues and was being “broadcast in the House.”
The Ohio Republican reiterated a claim made last week by Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul to Puck News: “Russian propaganda has unfortunately made its way to the United States and infected much of the base of my party.”
After the Senate passed a national security supplement in February providing $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, funding for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific stagnates in the Lower House .
In a statement released Thursday, Johnson suggested he would attach border provisions to any foreign aid package.
“As I have always said, national security begins at our southern border. Any additional funding from the President’s request should be based on meaningful policy to help the American people and finally confront the invasion of our southern border.
The House is expected to pass a supplemental funding package with foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific in the weeks following the Easter holiday.
But the details of the package remain unclear. It is expected to include some provisions from HR 2, the House Republican border package.
People sit outside a house hit by a recent bombing, what local authorities called a Ukrainian military strike, in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, April 7, 2024.
Some policymakers have pushed for Russian assets to be seized, rather than simply frozen, and reallocated to Ukraine under the REPO law. But the process would be difficult and has almost never been done before.
The United States, the European Union, the G7 and Australia have frozen around $280 billion in assets of the Russian Central Bank, mainly in the form of securities and cash. Sanctions against Russian nationals have frozen an additional $58 billion in assets, according to the U.S. Treasury.
The US, UK and Canada all support seizing assets. But France, Germany and the European Central Bank have expressed concerns about possible Russian retaliation and the precedent it would set for international law.
In this photo taken from a video and published by the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry on Thursday, April 4, 2024, a Russian tank fires at an undisclosed location in Ukraine.
Others have suggested that aid to Ukraine would likely include a lend-lease clause. Providing defense equipment under the Lend-Lease Act means it is supposed to be returned if not destroyed during the war. Funds could also be loaned to Ukraine with the promise of long-term repayment.
Meanwhile, Johnson previously suggested lifting the ban on liquefied natural gas exports after Biden said in January he would pause approval of applications to analyze the economic and environmental impact. It’s unclear whether the White House would agree with this.
Johnson would likely need significant Democratic support to pass the legislation, as many of his Republicans remain staunchly opposed to any additional funding for Ukraine.
Democrats largely support funding Ukraine’s war against Russia, but some progressives might scoff at a package that includes money for Israel, which they say has not paid enough attention to the lives of Palestinian civilians in its mission to eradicate Hamas. The recent assassination of an American aid worker could further strengthen their opposition.
Last month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., launched an effort to oust Mike Johnson from the presidency. She did not force an immediate vote, but as a staunch opponent of aid to Ukraine, bringing an additional national security bill to the House floor would further endanger Johnson’s job.
Turner said Sunday he did not think Johnson was in “any risk” of being forced out by the “chaos caucus,” referring to members “who are seeking attention to themselves and trying to ‘stop all important work in Congress.’
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