April 8, 2024 (EIRNS)—House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-OH) told CNN’s “State of the Union” broadcast with Jake Tapper on April 7 that Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was absolutely right to denounce Russian propaganda as having infected Republican members of Congress. “Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it’s infected a good chunk of my party’s base.” And that’s why they can’t pass legislation providing more money and weapons to Ukraine, he argued.
What sort of Russian propaganda? Well, one example is to state that the Ukraine-Russia war has to do with NATO. “We see directly coming from Russia attempts to mask communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages, some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor. I mean, there are members of Congress today, who still incorrectly say that this conflict between Russia and Ukraine is over NATO, which of course it is not,” Turner said. “[Russian President] Vladimir Putin having made it very clear, both publicly and to his own population, that his view is that this is a conflict of a much broader claim of Russia, to Eastern Europe, and including claiming all of Ukraine territory as Russia’s.”
Turner further opined: “Now, to the extent that this propaganda takes hold, it makes it more difficult for us to really see this as an authoritarian versus democracy battle, which is what it is. President Xi of China, Vladimir Putin himself have identified it as such,” Turner lied baldly.