Putin’s Congresswoman Is Coming to the Rescue
Marjorie Taylor Greene is Russia’s last, best hope for victory in Ukraine
Not a lot is going according to plan for Vladimir Putin. After his army failed to capitulate Kiev in the early stages of the conflict, Russian forces have gradually yet reluctantly ceded territory back to Ukraine. After the Ukrainian Defense Force’s stunning thunder run across Kharkiv Oblast and recent liberation of Kherson city, Russian supply lines are increasingly vulnerable to Ukrainian HIMARS rocket strikes. Putin’s ill-trained and under-equipped conscripts are suffering from hypothermia and constant drone attacks.
All is not quiet on the western front, but for Putin, there is still a glimmer of hope.
Following the 2022 U.S. Midterm Election, Republicans under-performed expectations and delivered a narrow majority in the House. The United States House of Representatives is the chamber which, according to the Constitution, is tasked with originating all spending bills. That means the incoming Speaker of the House, likely Kevin McCarthy, will wield considerable influence in determining aid to Ukraine.
McCarthy stated in October that as Speaker he would no longer offer a “blank check” to Ukraine. Furthermore, McCarthy recently allied himself with far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene in his quest to eke out a narrow majority. With a projected Congress consisting of 222 Republicans and 213 Democrats, McCarthy now finds himself cobbling together several far-right fringe characters while attempting to keep every single “normal” Republican in place. This explains his unholy alliance with Putin fan-girl and Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Greene, who was once a featured speaker at a white nationalist rally has pledged to leverage her power within the GOP caucus to eliminate aid to Ukraine. Greene was one of 57 House Republicans who voted against Ukraine aid in May. And with her committee assignments likely to be reinstated by McCarthy, Greene and other fringe firebrands like Paul Gosar (who keynoted the same white nationalist rally) and Matt Gaetz are positioned to make life painful for presumptive Speaker McCarthy… as well as for the people of Ukraine.
While presumptive Speaker McCarthy is likely no fan of Putin, he has nonetheless elected to give voice and power to those who wish to deny Ukraine the support they so desperately need. If given the choice between saving Ukraine and maintaining the Speaker-ship, McCarthy will likely choose the latter. It won’t take much for the incoming Republican Congress to fumble the ball on aid simply to appease a few fringe members.
We simply cannot trust the incoming Congress to do the right thing on Ukraine. Congressman Mike Turner, more or less considered a mainstream Republican, said recently that he would not entertain Democrat-led bills to aid Ukraine. Turner maintained that a Republican House would give Ukrainian defenders “only what they need.” A truly lackluster commitment.
Providing Ukraine with only the bare minimum is likely to prolong a war that Putin is already decisively losing. It could very well provide the shot in the arm his failing regime so desperately needs. Without enough long-range Ukrainian weaponry or a consistent resupply of anti-air defense systems, Russian invaders can gradually regain their footing. Perhaps that’s exactly what Congresswoman Greene wants.
With only weeks left for a lame duck session, Congress must immediately work on the framework for an even larger aid package that will support Ukraine for at least another full year. Without a long-term, immediate commitment, we risk allowing Putin to regain the initiative.
And what about that “audit” of Ukraine aid?
It shouldn’t be lost on us that Greene, who called for an end to Ukraine aid, also introduced legislation demanding an “audit.” This so-called audit is a secondary attempt to unravel Ukrainian aid by tugging away at some – any – thread.
Any audit into Defense assistance is virtually guaranteed to result in a failing grade. Why? Because, for context, our own Pentagon has failed five audits in a row.
It stands to reason that any Ukrainian assistance audit is merely a pretext to scavenge for anti-Ukraine talking points. After all, it doesn’t take much for Kremlin lackey and professional exaggerator Tucker Carlson to turn any wayward thread into a conspicuous tear.
Even the most fervent Ukraine supporters acknowledge that waste, fraud, and abuse likely exist in no small measure within the Ukrainian government, but we have to call this proposed audit for what it is… “[G]iving aid and comfort to the enemy, intentionally or unintentionally.”