WH Tries To Clean Up Biden’s Historic Flub About Russia Invasion As Ukraine Leaders Look On In Horror
President Joe Biden finally held a real press conference and immediately reminded the nation why his staff has been hiding him for a year. The guy made what can only be known as a historic flub seeming to give Vlad Putin’s impending invasion of Ukraine the greenlight.
Biden was trying to talk tough to deter Russia from invading but let slip that as long as it is a minor incursion and not a full invasion it might not be a big deal.
Then Biden admitted NATO allies are divided on what to do if Russia invades a small part of the country or mounts a full invasion. Look, we don’t know what Russia will do but now Biden owns any invasion. Ukraine is livid with Biden over the flub making this the moment Biden went from national embarrassment to international embarrassment.
CNN’s Matthew Chance, who is in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, reported that Ukrainian officials “watched those remarks with horror.” You cannot screw up more than Biden has unless you really, really try.
NOW – Biden on Russia invading Ukraine: "It depends on what it does. It's one thing if it's a minor incursion…"pic.twitter.com/vnkySSSX9f
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 19, 2022
Kamala Harris tried to clean up the historic flub saying on NBC:
“On the subject of Ukraine, I will tell you that the president has been very clear, and we as the United States have been very clear, if Putin takes aggressive action, we are prepared to levy serious and severe costs, period.
“We are clear and have been clear for quite some time, that our first approach and priority and preference is that these issues could be resolved diplomatically.
“We have also been clear and continue to be clear, that if Russia takes aggressive action, it will be with severe cost.
“I’m not going to psychoanalyze President Putin of Russia, but I will tell you this — it is clear to us that the decision is probably in his hands, and we are prepared to take appropriate action based on whatever he decides to do,” Harris said.
UPDATE – White House clarification on Biden's remarks concerning Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/2ewZzFiI6n
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 19, 2022
Re: Biden in press conference suggesting a "minor incursion" by Russia into Ukraine would be met with a lesser response, CNN's Matthew Chance (who's in Kyiv) just reported that Ukrainian officials "watched those remarks with horror"
— Steve Lookner (@lookner) January 19, 2022