Sen. Bob Menendez didn’t mince words for Florida’s junior senator, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who he cited as “singlehandedly undermining” the ability for the U.S. government to respond to the Russia-Ukraine war by blocking confirmation of officials tasked with supporting Ukraine.
What’s more, Menendez took issue with the fact that the confirmation was blocked just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Congress and asked the U.S. for more aid and support.
“It is amazing to me. My colleagues who got up to applaud President Zelensky. My colleagues who come to the Senate Floor to talk about both the need to help Ukraine and the humanitarian realities that are compounding every day,” said Menendez. “They get up and clap and then come to the floor to object to the very things that can help [Ukraine].”
GOP Senators Block Confirmations
Menendez said Scott made “extraneous excuses” for his objections, and refused to answer his request for a colloquy to further debate the merits of his obstructionism.
“My God, it is not right to hold up everything we are trying to do for Ukraine. This is a global emergency. The fate of not only Ukraine but democracy is on the line,” he said.
Marshall Plan?
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) also targeted by New Jersey’s senior Senator as well after blocking Menendez’s motion for the Senate to take up Erin McKee to be Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Marshall did not cite a reason for his objection.
Menendez also highlighted the nomination of Eliot Kang to the position of Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of International Security and Non-Proliferation, which was yet to be confirmed.
“Because of Republican delays he has not yet been confirmed, despite the fact that he was nominated 328 days ago,” he said.
A Break from Prior GOP Principles
Menendez said he couldn’t understand how the Republican Party, which was the party of “freedom and democracy” under President Ronald Reagan, were taking actions that benefitted Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“This really undermines our national security. It really undermines our help for the Ukrainian people….I hope some saner minds will prevail in the days ahead when I come back to the floor to try this again,” he said.
An ‘Illegal and Unprovoked War’
Menendez, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Commitment, characterized the conflict as “Putin’s illegal and unprovoked war.”
“The humanitarian crisis inside Ukraine is worsening every day. We can all see it for ourselves. You can see the images of Mariupol, where more than 200,000 civilians remain under siege, cut off from food, fighting for their lives,” said the North Jersey Senator. “You can see the frightened faces of children, crossing the border into Poland, carrying only a teddy bear and a change of clothes.”
“This is a trauma they will struggle with for the rest of their lives,” he said.
What’s Menendez’s interest in Ukraine?
Joe Biden, John Kerry, Mitt Romney, The Clintons, Nancy Pelosi and George Soros All Have Business Connections to the Ukraine
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/02/reminder-joe-biden-john-kerry-mitt-romney-the-clintons-nancy-pelosi-and-george-soros-all-have-connections-to-the-ukraine/
It sounds like Sen. Menendez is using the Ukrainian disaster for his own political ends, including grandstanding. The two low-level bureaucrats whose confirmations have been blocked will make ZERO difference, neither better nor worse, to the situation. They will be political appointees in charge of career civil servants who do the actual work. These civil servants can do their jobs without supervision by political hacks and are more likely to do a better job without political guidance. Congress has one job right now: provide the funding and get out of the way. Sen. Menendez needs to get out of the way and be quiet.
Democrats must remind voters in districts where these Republican senators obstructing the appointments are running for re-election that they (Republican senators) took traitorous actions to undermine the security of our ally, Ukraine, thereby, undermining US national security. Republicans are playing dangerous politics with our country’s national interests in order to appease their benefactor, Putin.
Your source is a far-right Russian propaganda website, funded by the Russian state. It regularly publishes false conspiracy theories that have been repeatedly proven as false in order to undermine American social cohesion. This is classic KGB-style disinformation. And surprise, surprise, guess where Putin worked before becoming president.
how about we help the united states citizens first, I am tired of our people suffering to help others and we do not get help for our people, allowing Ukrainians to flood NJ , PA and NY walk through these cities and see how many homeless people there are. If you put them in the suburbs that really is a problem that they would live better than the US citizens, it a problem when you cannot take care of home but you can give tax payers money to help others, do we get money to help our citizen’s, NO!!! The officials refuse to use 0il in our own country and would prefer to use others countries that are too our enemies. All I can say is RICH PEOPLE, that forget about the littles people
Senator; Many saw the Danger of having a President with such close ties to Europa’s Political & Economical Interest’s, which now have lead to Supreme Discord’s!! AND; Having Ties to, ‘The Ukraine Connection’s’ aren’t helping!! It’s time for Serious Talk’s, without Supplying & Exploiting the Ukraine with WAR Armament’s to Continue this Fracas!!//
Partisan, disgusting, cynical commentary to deflect the obvious GQP ties to Russia. Ignored.
Unfortunately, reality doesn’t enter into current GQP voting…