As Russia keeps increasing its attacks on Ukraine, the partisan finger-pointing continues here at home. On Sunday's This Week on ABC, the "PowerHouse Roundtable" got heated when Former New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie rightly blamed President Joe Biden for the current situation in Ukraine.
Anchor George Stephanopoulos started off the firestorm by asking Christie if there's anything Biden could've done short of "imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine" that would've prevented Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading. Christie argued that if Biden had "aggressively armed Ukraine" from day one in office by continuing "the Trump policy" of providing arms, Russia never would've invaded.
Bringing up Trump clearly triggered the libs on the ABC panel, because you could hear instant shouting at Christie. Chief Washington correspondent Jon Karl instantly scoffed at Christie's suggestion that Trump had armed Ukraine, huffing "Trump is the one who brow-beated Zelenskyy and held back the javelins that Congress had voted to supply him with."
Christie firmly replied that the "Ukrainians were arm armed" under Trump, "and in January of 2021, Joe Biden stopped that policy" Christie added. He also reminded the liberal panel that Biden "reversed domestic oil production policy" and "just in North Dakota alone, half a billion barrels a day reduced because Biden prevented us from taking it out of Federal lands. We import half a billion barrels a day from Russia. We could stop paying blood money to Russia to fund this war if we would increase domestic oil production."
Next, former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile tried to challenge Christie, and it went just as poorly for her (click "expand"):
DONNA BRAZILE: I want to go back to your point. The Republicans, seriously, Donald Trump tried to play a game with Mr. Zelenskyy.
CHRISTIE: And still armed them.
BRAZILE: He tried to play a game
CHRISTIE: And still armed them.
BRAZILE: And was impeached for it. So I think this President has rallied the country, rallied nato. Gotten the Germans -- I mean look at the countries that are coming to help the Ukrainians.
CHRISTIE: You think that's because of Joe Biden?
[crosstalk]
BRAZILE: Yes, I believe Joe Biden has shown leadership.
[crosstalk]
CHRISTIE: No, Donna! It's because the tanks rolled into Ukraine and that puts the Russian tanks a lot closer to Germany than they were before they did. You cannot give Joe Biden credit for that. And by the way, Joe Biden did one thing that Donald Trump didn’t do, he stopped arming Ukraine. And this was the same administration he was part of back with Obama that –
BRAZILE: Oh Lord, here we go!
CHRISTIE: That sent blankets after Crimea.
BRAZILE: You changed your platform on Ukraine.
Lastly, Stephanopoulos asked Christie if Republicans would "forego criticizing" Biden for skyrocketing gas prices. Christie ignored the question and let him know what should be done to ease consumers' pain at the pump: "you have to ban Russian oil and you have to increase domestic production. And that is where Joe Biden is going to have the problem. Because he's held captive by the environmental left."
Christie mentioned Biden's climate czar John Kerry's comments bemoaning the war in Ukraine, not because people are dying but because it is making "climate change" worse. Stephanopoulos didn't bat an eye. Instead, he brought up the UN's report on climate change claiming it's an "existential crisis and it’s getting worse."
Realizing how out of touch those comments were, Christie tore into Stephanopoulos "and that’s what the tragedy is in Ukraine? While people are being slaughtered?"
This is where the media's priorities are. Blaming former President Trump and obsessing over climate change.
This out-of-touch segment on ABC was made possible by WeatherTech. Their information is linked.
To read the relevant transcript click "expand":
ABC’s This Week
3/6/2022
9:42:45 a.m. EasternGEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You don't believe there's anything we could have done short of you know, giving -- imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine that would have prevented Putin from going in?
CHRIS CHRISTIE: Listen, I absolutely believe George, that if we had aggressively armed Ukraine from the time Joe Biden got into office if he continued the Trump policy and had continued to aggressively arm Ukraine –
JON KARL: Continued Trump policy? I mean Trump’s the one that
[crosstalk]
CHRISTIE: No, listen.
KARL: Trump is the one who brow-beated Zelenskyy and held back the javelins that Congress had voted to supply him with.
[crosstalk]
CHRISTIE: Jon, you can continue, and he still, the Ukrainians were arm armed. And in January of 2021, Joe Biden stopped that policy. The same way he reversed domestic oil production policy. Just in North Dakota alone, half a billion barrels a day reduced because Biden prevented us from taking it out of Federal lands. We import half a billion barrels a day from Russia. We could stop paying blood money to Russia to fund this war if we would increase domestic oil production. But that goes against the President’s climate….
[crosstalk]
(...)
DONNA BRAZILE: I want to go back to your point. The Republicans, seriously, Donald Trump tried to play a game with Mr. Zelenskyy.
CHRISTIE: And still armed them.
BRAZILE: He tried to play a game
CHRISTIE: And still armed them.
BRAZILE: And was impeached for it. So I think this President has rallied the country, rallied nato. Gotten the Germans -- I mean look at the countries that are coming to help the Ukrainians.
CHRISTIE: You think that's because of Joe Biden?
[crosstalk]
BRAZILE: Yes, I believe Joe Biden has shown leadership.
[crosstalk]
CHRISTIE: No, Donna! It's because the tanks rolled into Ukraine and that puts the Russian tanks a lot closer to Germany than they were before they did. You cannot give Joe Biden credit for that. And by the way, Joe Biden did one thing that Donald Trump didn’t do, he stopped arming Ukraine. And this was the same administration he was part of back with Obama that –
BRAZILE: Oh Lord, here we go!
CHRISTIE: That sent blankets after Crimea.
BRAZILE: You changed your platform on Ukraine.
(...)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Will Republicans forego criticizing him for increased gas prices?
CHRISTIE: You have to do two things at the same time and should be able to. You have to ban Russian oil and you have to increase domestic production. And that is where Joe Biden is going to have the problem. Because he's held captive by the environmental left.
[crosstalk]
CHRISTIE: John Kerry, his guy said last week that the real tragedy of Ukraine is it's slowing our efforts on climate change. That will summarize what the far left's view is about domestic oil production.
STEPHANOPOULOS: We just saw the U.N. Report this week. This problem is an existential crisis and it’s getting worse.
[crosstalk]
CHRISTIE: And that’s what the tragedy is in Ukraine? While people are being slaughtered? That’s what Kerry is talking about?
