Former Trump White House chief of staff John Kelly was asked on Thursday why Republicans have had such kind words for Russian President Vladimir Putin lately. His answer: “I don’t get it.”
CNN host Jake Tapper questioned Kelly about right-leaning figures who have fawned over Putin while dismissing President Joe Biden. “What’s your response when you hear that?” Tapper asked.
“Disbelief,” Kelly responded. “[Putin] is a tyrant. He’s a murderer. He has attacked an innocent country whose only crime is that they want to be free and democratic and they’re working in that direction and have been working in that direction.”
Putin ordered an attack on Ukraine early Wednesday in what amounted to the largest full-scale invasion in Europe since World War II.
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“Is Putin smart?” Kelly said. “Yes. I mean, tyrants are smart. They know what they’re doing. But…I can’t imagine why someone would look at what’s happening there and see it [as] anything other than a criminal act. I don’t get it, Jake.”
Although neither Tapper nor Kelly mentioned him by name, ex-President Donald Trump has been the worst offender. On a radio show on Tuesday, Trump described his reaction to the news that Putin was laying the groundwork for an attack on Ukraine.
“I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said this is genius,” Trump recalled. “Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine—of Ukraine—Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. He used the word ‘independent’ and ‘we’re going to go out and we’re going to go in and we’re going to help keep peace.’ You’ve got to say that’s pretty savvy.”
Trump’s praise of the Russian leader has been met with disapproval among some of his advisers and associates. Yet the former president might have felt encouraged to make those comments after seeing a recent poll showing that Republicans actually view Putin more favorably than their own commander-in-chief.
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