On Friday Senator Ted Cruz criticized the Biden administration for prioritizing a new nuclear deal with Iran and expressed concern about the lack of transparency and accountability in the use of funds provided to the Ukrainian government.
On his podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” he suggested that there may be little interest in unrestrained checks going to the government of Ukraine with a Republican majority in the House and that the focus should be on the strategic national objective.
Cruz also criticized Democrats for wearing Ukrainian flags as a virtue signal, comparing it to wearing a COVID mask, and suggested that it is driving Americans away from standing up to Russian aggression.
“I also think the focus needs to be on what our strategic national objective is. … For the Democrats, this has become a virtue signal. For the Democrats, they wear a Ukrainian flag,” Cruz said. “And it’s become a way, a Ukrainian flag has become like a COVID mask. It’s a sign to show your virtue.”
“It’s a little jarring seeing all of these images of him in a sweatshirt and fatigues next to Biden … It is a costume,” Cruz mentioned.
WATCH:
For Democrats, a Ukrainian flag is like a COVID mask— it's a sign to show your virtue! pic.twitter.com/FomxIDoG2L
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 24, 2023
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
BEN FERGUSON, CO-HOST: “Do we have any accounting or any checks and balances for this now open-ended war [in Ukraine]?”
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): … “We don’t have nearly as much accountability as we need. … The Biden administration is not providing the missiles that could take out those Iranian drones. Because their [the Biden admin’s] priority is kissing up to the Ayatollah and entering into a new nuclear deal with the Ayatollah, even if it undermines US national security.
At the same time, the billions that are going to the Ukrainian government that are not going for ammunition, not going for weapons, but instead are just going for general economic support there is very little transparency, very little accountability as to where that money is going. I can tell you in the last couple of weeks, I met with an ambassador of a NATO member and European country that is near Ukraine and we spent quite a bit of time talking about what the status of what was going on in the Ukrainian war was.
And I’ll tell you, the warning I gave this Ambassador which is that I think Congressional patience for an open ended commitment to the Ukraine war is fading quickly. And with a Republican majority in the House, I think you’re going to see much more scrutiny on what funds are going. I think there will still be a willingness to provide actual weaponry to provide ammunition or weapons that the Ukrainians can use to defend themselves. I think there will be very little interest in unrestrained checks going to the government of Ukraine.
I also think the focus needs to be on what our strategic national objective is. … For the Democrats, this has become a virtue signal. For the Democrats, they wear a Ukrainian flag. Zelensky has become, I think People Magazine is going to name the sexiest man alive, they’re in love with him. And it’s become a way, a Ukrainian flag has become like a COVID mask. It’s a sign to show your virtue.
Now look on the conservative side, there are a lot of us who are Reagan conservatives that believe standing up to Russia and aggression is a good idea, that want Russia to lose, that want Putin to lose. But as we see all these Leftist preening around with Ukrainian flags and you know, almost dancing with their fealty to him, it is driving millions of Americans away…”