Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) did not hesitate to say sorry to the leader Tucker Carlson to spread Russian propaganda seriously hampered GOP support for the Ukraine.
When asked Tuesday why he thought it took so long to deliver aid to Eastern European allies, McConnell wasted no time blaming the loud-mouthed conservative media personality.
“I think the demonization of Ukraine started by Tucker Carlson, who in my opinion ended up where he should have been a long time ago, which was the interview Vladimir Putin,” McConnell speak.
Carlson interviewed Putin in February in an interview two hours chat with the Russian leader, which saw the former Fox host criticized for not pushing back against Putin's countless questionable statements.
“He had a huge audience, which convinced a lot of rank-and-file Republicans that maybe this was a mistake,” McConnell continued.
The Senate on Tuesday took a key step toward a final vote on an aid package for allies that includes $61 billion for Ukraine, $26 billion for Ukraine. Israeliand 8 billion USD for Taiwan. Nine Republicans flipped their vote Tuesday night to send the bill to final passage, overcoming a significant hurdle as it made its way through the House.
With his comments, McConnell joined a growing list of Republican Party who have voiced concerns about the possible influence of Russian disinformation on their party. In early April, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) confirm a Republican member's assertion that Russian propaganda was infiltrated GOP.
That colleague, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul (R-TX) said, “Unfortunately, Russian propaganda has infiltrated the United States and it has infected a large portion of my party's base .” He blamed conservative news outlets for spreading it.
Turner agrees. “Oh, that's absolutely true,” he said on CNN. “We saw direct efforts from Russia to conceal anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian media messages, some of which we even heard being broadcast in the House of Representatives.”
McConnell's comments raise alarm bells that Russian influence has also spread to the Senate.
