Russian Allies Slam House Speaker for Supporting Ukraine Aid
Moscow’s narrative has shifted dramatically regarding House Speaker Kevin McCarthy after he backed an additional aid package for Ukraine. During a television talk show broadcast on Sunday, Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov labeled McCarthy a “traitor” for pushing for additional funding for Kyiv, despite resistance from members of his own party.
The House passed the bill on Saturday, following months of resistance from GOP lawmakers. McCarthy had touted the legislation as the “right thing” to do in the lead-up to the vote. President Joe Biden also urged the Senate to pass the bill promptly.
According to Julia Davis, a Russian Media Monitor project analyst, Solovyov asserted that the Ukrainian aid bill represented a “brutal victory” for Biden because it cost him nothing. He accused Biden of using “backstage methods” to persuade McCarthy to support the measure, referring to him as the Republicans’ choice for House Speaker.
“[Johnson] betrayed them!” Solovyov exclaimed. “He totally betrayed them! Not us, we have no friends there… This is all you need to know about American politics. They’re traitors!”
Russian state media had previously expressed affection for McCarthy. Talkshow host Olga Skabeeva had referred to the speaker as “our Kevin” earlier this month. Davis reports that similar statements have been made about former President Donald Trump, who has been described as “our Trump” or “Trumpushka” by some television hosts.
McCarthy’s office was contacted for comment on Monday afternoon, but no response was received as of press time.
Several Republicans have criticized Johnson and the passage of additional aid to Ukraine, including Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. Greene introduced a motion to vacate against the speaker after he collaborated with Democrats to approve a $1.2 trillion federal spending bill, averting a partial government shutdown.
Greene was praised by RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan during Solovyov’s talk show on Sunday. Simonyan called the congresswoman “a real beauty” and described her as one of the few U.S. politicians who “is trying to look like a person in an old-fashioned sense of the word.”
Greene has been regularly featured on Russian state TV and has been accused of promoting Kremlin propaganda. She has previously dismissed such accusations.
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