President Joe Biden’s nine word ad-libbed remark that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power” prompted lawmakers and allies on Sunday to both clarify the president’s comments and warn against the gravity of them.
Less than 24 hours after Biden’s comments, Democratscame to the administration’s defense, reiterating the U.S. isn’t seeking regime change. Meanwhile, some Republicans warned Biden’s off-the-cuff remark carries weight that could have consequences, prompting worries that tension with Russia could escalate.
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During a speech in Warsaw, Poland, on Saturday, Biden reinforced the United States’ and allies’ supportof Ukraine against Russia. He ended with some of his strongest comments to date about Putin: “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”
The White House and administration officials immediately walked back the comments, saying there is no policy for regime change in Russia.
“As you know, and as you have heard us say repeatedly, we do not have a strategy of regime change in Russia or anywhere else, for that matter,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday in a press conference in Jerusalem.
“Vladimir Putin is a monster. But the position of the United States government is not to send troops in there,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said on ABC News “This Week.” She added Biden “was talking about that Vladimir Putin has got to stay out of NATO countries,” and it is “very clear” he wasn’t talking about regime change in Moscow.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.Y. said the Biden administration has “made it clear that the goal of the United States is not regime change in Russia.”
“It’s defending the extraordinary people of Ukraine and helping them in what I think is an existentially critical battle, not just for their country, but for free democracies around the world,” Booker said during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “So that’s the focus right now.”
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., on CNN’s “State of the Union,” said “it is up to the Russian people to determine who’s going to be in power in the Kremlin.”
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GOP senators warn Russia could use Biden’s words
Despite the administration’s immediate response, some Republicans warned Sunday that those words could be used as Russian propaganda.
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said “it was a mistake” for Biden to make those comments and that “it plays into the hands of the Russian propagandists and plays into the hands of Vladimir Putin.”
“We’re in a crisis. We’re in a war situation. And so clarity is incredibly important,” Portman said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “And we need to be sure that we are also clear with our NATO allies because that’s how we are stronger.”
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, noted the president’s comment “carries a lot of weight.”
McCaul referenced a recent controversy after the Pentagon declined Poland’s proposal to provide Russian-built MiG-29 fighter jets for the United States to give to Ukraine.
“It sends a very provocative message to Mr. Putin,” He said. “If we’re so worried about provoking him that we couldn’t even send MiGs into Ukraine, how is this any different? In fact, I would say it’s more provocative than sending MiGs.”
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Should Biden have been corrected?
A former Obama administration official thinks clarifying Biden’s remark was the wrong move.
Jeh Johnson, who served as Department of Homeland Security secretary, said he would not have walked back the president’s remarks.
On “Meet the Press,” Johnson said that Putin is “a war criminal” and is “slaughtering innocent men, women and children.”
“He illegally invaded Ukraine, and he has got command and control of nuclear weapons. Such a person should not remain in power,” Johnson said of Putin.
Johnson added that instead of clarifying the statement, he would have modified it by saying “it’s not a statement of our policy, it’s just simply a statement of fact.”
“I’d like to see us, at some point, get to a place where we’re not constantly disclaiming the line over which we will not cross,” he said. “It was a statement of fact. Virtually everyone agrees. Everyone in the western world agrees.”
Contributing: Michael Collins and Maureen Groppe
Reach Rebecca Morin at Twitter @RebeccaMorin_
