Two Republican Congressmen unwittingly cracked jokes at President Joe Biden’s return to Delaware this weekend as war waged in Ukraine, though White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki clarified that he was doing business in Wilmington while at a family funeral.
Representative Darrell Issa of California, 68, and Mark Green of Tennessee, 57, made the remarks on the sidelines of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
The two were specifically asked about the US response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.
‘He’s gone back to Delaware – there is no weakness in the White House, he abandoned the capital!’ Issa said.
‘One hundred per cent,’ added Green.
Issa then mocked the US government’s offer of an evacuation for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
President Joe Biden leaves St. Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, Del., after attending a Mass, Saturday
Representative Mark Green attends a meeting with members of the bipartisan delegation of the US Congress in Kyiv
Representative Darrell Issa, a Republican from California, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference
An Ukrainian Territorial Defence fighter examines a destroyed Russian infantry mobility vehicle GAZ Tigr after the fight in Kharkiv on February 27
‘When he offered to evacuate Zelensky, Zelensky said ‘no, I need bullets,’ so he evacuated himself to Delaware!’
Issa then joked that Delaware would be ‘the last line of defense in the Union’ but said Biden would be fine ‘as long as those trains don’t take the enemy there.’
It wasn’t clear that Issa or Green were aware of the reasons for Biden’s travel to Wilmington.
Biden spent the weekend in Delaware at a funeral – according to the Wilmington Journal, Biden’s late son Beau’s widow (and Hunter’s ex-girlfriend) Hallie’s mother died recently – but spokesperson Mike Gwin said that Biden was still working.
Gwin said the Biden ‘rallied our allies, militarily reinforced our NATO partners on the eastern flank, provided critical assistance to brave Ukrainian fighters, and marshaled unprecedentedly severe sanctions against Putin and his cronies’ during the present crisis.’
He put that in contrast to how he felt the Congressmen had responded to various behaviors of former President Donald Trump.
President Biden is pictured leaving the White House for his Delaware home on Friday evening
Biden and his wife Jill appeared relaxed as they headed for Marine One, despite Europe currently experiencing its biggest conflict since World War Two
‘In contrast, these Congressmen were eager to defend former President Trump as he weakened America’s standing globally and caved to Putin – even when Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine as a bargaining chip, or when he sided with Putin, a former KGB agent, over our own intelligence community,’ Gwin added.
The president and First Lady Jill Biden were snapped exiting the White House on Friday evening to board their Marine One helicopter as Europe faces its biggest conflict since World War Two.
President Biden, 79, and First Lady Biden, 70, donned their customary face masks, even though both are vaccinated and boosted, and the CDC itself has indicated that the time to lift almost all mandates has come.
Biden has access to technology that allows him to work from his luxury home in Rehoboth Beach, and will be following the latest developments in Ukraine from there.
But critics will likely ask whether Biden should remain at the White House to help project the power and authority that comes with his office during a time that has left many across the United States and wider world fearful for their safety.
Biden frequently spends his weekends at his Delaware home, though former President Trump also frequently spent weekends at his clubs at Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster.
The United States has imposed a raft of punitive financial sanctions against Russia in a bid to try and deter Vladimir Putin from continuing to invade Ukraine.
But thus far, the Russian premier – whose personal fortune has been estimated by Forbes to sit at $200 billion – has not been deterred.
The US has provided Ukraine with considerable military hardware, and thus far President Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces appear to have slowed the Russian onslaught.
But Kremlin troops had entered Ukraine in the early hours of Saturday morning, and it is feared the capital city could fall to Putin later on Saturday.
Pentagon efforts to try and stop the war from flaring were slick, but ultimately unsuccessful.
US intelligence on Russian troops’ movements ahead of the invasion was shared far more freely than normal, in an attempt to spook Putin.
America also warned of the sanctions Russia would face if Putin did invade, but the image-obsessed Russian leader ultimately decided to plow on anyway.
The POTUS and FLOTUS both wore masks outdoors, even though both have received their COVID vaccines and booster shots
President Biden and the first lady held hands as they walked towards Marine One
The United States on Sunday condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to put his nuclear forces on high alert as dangerous and ‘unacceptable.’
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield also said nothing was ‘off the table’ when asked about the possibility of Putin being tried in international court as a war criminal.
In issuing his order to prepare Russia’s nuclear weapons for increased readiness for launch, Putin cited ‘aggressive statements’ from NATO allies and widespread sanctions imposed by Western nations.
Thomas-Greenfield told CBS’s ‘Face the Nation’ program that Putin’s actions have escalated the conflict.
She said the United States was ‘continuing to look at new and even harsher measures against the Russians.’
In a separate interview on CNN’s State of the Union, the diplomat responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calling for Putin to stand trial in the International Court of Justice.
‘We’re holding the Russians accountable at every level,’ Thomas-Greenfield said.
‘They are the aggressors. And they have to be held accountable, whether it’s in the United Nations or elsewhere. And all of that continues to be discussed and is on the table.
A Russian military vehicle is seen ablaze in Kharkiv on Sunday morning after troops entered the eastern Ukrainian city
Ukrainian servicemen have a rest on a position near Kyiv, Ukraine, February 27, 2022
A big fire at a petroleum storage depot after a Russian missile attack, in Vasylkiv, near Kyiv
Thomas-Greenfield said ‘everything is on the table’ when asked about possibly trying Vladimir Putin in the international criminal court
‘As you know, we will be having a discussion in Geneva at the U.N. Human Rights Council, bringing Russia before the Human Rights Council as well. And there’s another resolution that we’re bringing before the General Assembly in a special emergency meeting that we’re requesting tonight.’
Host Dana Bash pressed her, ‘You didn’t mention a war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Is that also on the table?’
‘I think everything is on the table as we move forward. But as we’re dealing with the situation today, we’re continuing to address all of those issues,’ Thomas-Greenfield said.
Zelensky accused the Russian military of genocide in recorded remarks and demanded Putin be tried at the Hague in an early Sunday morning statement on Twitter.
‘Ukraine has submitted its application against Russia to the ICJ. Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression. We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to cease military activity now and expect trials to start next week,’ he said.
He said in a video message the same day that Putin’s ‘criminal actions against Ukraine bear signs of genocide.’
At the Pentagon, a senior U.S. defense official also described Putin’s nuclear order as an escalation and said it was ‘putting in play forces that, if there’s a miscalculation, could make things much, much more dangerous.’
The United States is trying to determine what Putin’s order means ‘in tangible terms,’ the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
