On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. lawmakers over Zoom. It was a grim call. The embattled world leader detailed the increasing aggression from Russian forces, who invaded the neighboring nation a week-and-a-half ago on the orders of its president, Vladimir Putin. Zelensky’s own life is in jeopardy, and to protect him, his people informed those participating to not share anything about it over social media. But two GOP senators didn’t heed that warning.
As per NBC News, Marco Rubio, the oft-controversial senator from Florida who has, unlike some in his party, warned of Putin’s ambitions, and Steve Daines of Maine both posted pictures of Zelensky on the Zoom call to their Twitter accounts. It was exactly what they were told not to do as part of the bipartisan meetings, which had been set up by House leaders Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell. Both posts were met with scorn, with people accusing the two Republican senators of recklessly endangering Zelensky, who has been the subject of assassination plots.
“The Ukrainian Ambassador very intentionally asked each of us on the zoom to NOT share anything on social media during the meeting to protect the security of President Zelenskyy,” tweeted Democratic representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota, in a quote-tweet that included Rubio’s offending tweet. “Appalling and reckless ignorance by two US Senators.”
Representative Jason Crow, of Colorado, did not quote-tweet Rubio or Daines in his own upbraiding. “The lack of discipline in Congress is truly astounding,” he wrote. “If an embattled wartime leader asks you to keep quiet about a meeting, you better keep quiet about the meeting. I’m not saying a damn thing. Lives are at stake.”
The lack of discipline in Congress is truly astounding.
If an embattled wartime leader asks you to keep quiet about a meeting, you better keep quiet about the meeting.
I’m not saying a damn thing. Lives are at stake.
— Rep. Jason Crow (@RepJasonCrow) March 5, 2022
As of this writing, both Rubio and Daines’ posts remain live, despite countless pleas to take them down.
Rubio and Daines weren’t the only Republican congresspeople to screw up during the call. Another Florida senator, Rick Scott, also forgot to mute his microphone.
At one point during his emotional presentation, Zelensky paused to ask one of the American lawmakers to mute themselves.
“Senator Rick Scott, please mute your mic,” he said. https://t.co/ElfsEAtQ4y— Alan Rappeport (@arappeport) March 5, 2022
On the call, Zelensky’s warned that, should the invasion persist, the problem might spread across the continent. “This will become Europe’s problem,” he said, adding that “this might be the last time you see me alive.”
Since the Russian invasion began, Ukrainian people, including Zelensky, have fought back and hard, refusing to stand down, and in Zelensky’s case even turning down an evacuation offer. “I need ammunition, not a ride,” Zelensky reportedly said. Russian forces have stepped up their attacks, even targeting Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. The right, meanwhile, has struggled to find a consistent message, with some of them providing praise that was then used by Russian state propaganda.
(Via NBC News)