Michael Whatley, Donald Trump’s hand-picked Republican National Committee (RNC) chair, lumped in Ukraine with China and Iran when listing the United States’ “aggressive” adversaries on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.

“Joe Biden’s feckless leadership has shown China, has shown Ukraine, has shown Iran, that they can feel free to be much more aggressive on the world front to the point where even they will try and meddle with our elections here,” Whatley told host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday.

  • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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    7 months ago

    Even Team Rocket could have figured out that Putin’s kompromat became useless the day Trump was sworn in. The CIA and NSA would have ‘proved’ it was fake in a heartbeat.

    Donnie could have extorted money out of Putin, but was too big a lickspittle to even imagine standing up to the boss.

    • ExtraPartsLeft@kbin.social
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      7 months ago

      It makes me think Putin doesn’t actually have anything on Trump and the other Russia loving Republicans. They just really like him and are envious of his authoritarian regime.

      • Zipitydew@sh.itjust.works
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        7 months ago

        I’m pretty sure he did. But it was all about campaign funding through the NRA. That little bit of news did slip out a while back. None of the GOP got in trouble. That’s why they don’t care now.

      • logicbomb@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Why not both? They could have something on those politicians and also be envied by them.

        Unless everything we know about Russian intelligence is wrong, Putin almost certainly has kompromat on many politicians. There was an article recently from a politician about how after he was elected, he started being approached by young beautiful women, and he realized after talking to other politicians just how trivial an effort it would be to get compromising material on most of them.

        According to George Clooney, he always saw Trump in NY bars trying to sleep with random women in the early 2000s. Trump was already a world famous “businessman” at the time who was into politics. Exactly the sort of person Russia could target and who would be easily compromised.

        • Carrolade@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          It’s fine to consider, but it’s also just an unnecessary step. Aligning with each other ideologically is enough to explain the cooperation we see.

          • ExtraPartsLeft@kbin.social
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            7 months ago

            That’s what I’m thinking too. Because to say that Putin has something on Trump at this point, is in some ways taking agency away from Trump. But I think Trump and the other Putin lovers are terrible enough people on their own. He doesn’t need to have any dirt on them, they just want to work with him because they think he’s doing well for himself, and they want that kind of power too. It feels like a much simpler explanation.

  • TheJims@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Trump’s first impeachment was for trying to extort Ukraine. At this point Republicans and Russia are synonymous.

  • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    I would really love to know if the CIA / FBI is investigating behind the scenes any of these shenanigans as actual real foreign countries involvement in subversion of U.S. politicians (blackmail via compromising photos, etc.).

    • cygon@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      I’ve read news where FBI insiders where quoted calling their organization “Trumpland” and that the Mueller probe and other corruption investigations only happened because a handful of department heads didn’t bow to pressure coming from both inside and outside.

      I hope it’s is not quite as bleak as that makes it sound.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    7 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Michael Whatley, Donald Trump’s hand-picked Republican National Committee (RNC) chair, lumped in Ukraine with China and Iran when listing the United States’ “aggressive” adversaries on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.

    Biden has been a strong ally to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky throughout the conflict and continues to press Congress to give more aid to the war-torn country, while some Republican lawmakers push against additional funding.

    The clip of Whatley’s interview was shared on X, formerly Twitter, by journalist Aaron Rupar, who said that the RNC chair “says the quiet part loud” by portraying Ukraine as the adversary.

    When listing America’s top adversaries, RNC Chair Whatley includes Ukraine (along with Iran and China) and omits Russia.

    Recently, Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said: “I think Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it’s infected a good chuck of my party’s base.”

    When Jake Tapper asked Representative Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, if he agrees with McCaul’s statement on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, he said: “It is absolutely true.”


    The original article contains 727 words, the summary contains 189 words. Saved 74%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • mhague@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    No transcript and no video? Doesn’t seem like anyone bothered to put it up. I doubt he went on to say two sentences. A bunch of articles all have the same blurb and then have the gall the name the proceeding section: The Context.

    I’m just curious to hear what republicans think ought to be done about traitors, election meddlers, etc. considering their leader disgraced former president Trump is traitor №1.