MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski spoke out Tuesday with rare praise for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy after he shredded a Russian reporter over U.S. aid to Ukraine.
McCarthy rebuked a Russian reporter Monday while in Jerusalem after the reporter questioned the speaker’s support for Ukrainian aid.
“We know that you don’t support the current unlimited and uncontrolled supplies of weaponry and aid to Ukraine,” the reporter said.
“Did he say I don’t support aid to Ukraine? No, I vote for aid for Ukraine, I support aid for Ukraine,” McCarthy shot back. “I do not support what your country has done to Ukraine. I do not support your killing of the children, either. And I think … you should pull out.”
Brzezinski came to McCarthy’s defense.
“Wow, as a frequent critic of Kevin McCarthy, I just want to say, that was amazing … and also much-needed in terms of how some Republicans were very carefully parsing their words about aid to Ukraine, and that’s saying it mildly,” she said. “This was resounding. And in an incredible situation too.” (RELATED: McCarthy Upstages Biden, Invites Israeli Leader White House Snubbed)
“Well, it was good for several reasons,” President of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass said. “One, it was a great message to Russia, for them to hear, because they’re counting – you know, that the Republicans aren’t going to support aid. They’re wrong. Indeed, the administration is confident it has the votes when this comes up again, probably, [in] the summer or fall. It was also good that he said it in Israel, because Israel has been hedging its bets all along between Russia and Ukraine.”
A small group of Republican lawmakers on April 20 sent a letter to President Joe Biden demanding “unrestrained U.S. aid for Ukraine must come to an end,” arguing that sending aid and arms to Ukraine could put the U.S. in the position of supporting a “dangerous proxy war” with Russia.