Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., said Biden must enact “painful” sanctions on Russia, not just “slaps on the wrist,” if he’s serious about forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to roll back his invasion in Ukraine.
In an interview with Fox News Digital at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Braun slammed President Biden for his “weakness” on the Russia-Ukraine war, saying that his reaction to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine should have been stronger.
“When President Trump was [in power], if you crossed a red line, almost everybody expected there to be a consequence,” said Braun.
In contrast, the senator said that Biden is projecting weakness, by disarming the U.S. by taking away an opportunity for the country to become energy independent and overseeing the chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan.
RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES
“Bad actors see that, and that feeds into their motivations. And they’re going to say, ‘Hey, if this is the same old reaction, I can get by with it.’ That’s what’s happening,” explained Braun.
In response to Biden’s newly announced second wave of sanctions against Russia, Braun told Fox News Digital that since the “cat is out of the bag,” there is no guarantee they will work against Putin, and they cannot be just “slaps on the wrist.”
“And I think we need to make [sanctions] painful enough to where they reverse [the invasion], ideally. But now, once the cat’s out of the bag, you have no guarantee that that will happen.”
Aside from being tough on foreign adversaries, Braun also explained to Fox News Digital why it is important to crack down on domestic criminals.
Braun, along with Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, authored a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) this week asking the nonpartisan, fact-finding body to dig into nonprofits that provide bail services.
Braun told Fox News Digital that he was motivated to call for an investigation because of the continued “coddling” of criminals, especially in Democrat-run cities.
“So here is another example of where if you’re coddling, if you’re letting criminals, especially ones that have got bad records out on the streets, it’s a signal for them to continue bad behavior. Very analogous to the bigger picture international criminals. Bad actors take their cue by what they see your reaction is going to be,” Braun said, referring to Putin’s aggression toward Ukraine.
In addition, in response to a question from Fox News Digital regarding whether Braun would get behind the growing movement to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon over his crime policies, the senator said he would support it.
Braun added, you cannot go “light” on “law and order issues.”
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