Mitt Romney has, in part, built his political career on standing up to Vladimir Putin, but his early work in the U.S. Senate has exposed him as just another stooge of Donald Trump and Russia.
MSNBC’s Ari Melber pounced on Romney’s hypocrisy on Thursday, calling him out for voting this week to lift sanctions on Putin-connected businesses.
“Sen. Romney can talk a very big game on this, but this was his first test as senator, a chance to take action to confront Russia, and he folded,” the MSNBC host said. “He did exactly what he said he wouldn’t do when it comes to Russia.”
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Mitt Romney is all talk, no action on Russia and Putin. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/hSzDfmg8uC
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) January 18, 2019
Melber hit Romney:
Tough talk. And this week a Putin oligarch has been lobbying to cut sanctions with support from Russia-friendly President Trump. It seems like a time for Romney to buck the White House. He has been warning about Russia for years. … And Romney took heat for that. He even doubled down. He staked his presidential candidacy on what he said was a principal of standing up to that foe, Russia. … So what happens now when Romney finally gets this chance to use those clear eyes on Putin? You see him there presiding over the vote. He stuck with Trump, voting to block any effort to address these sanctions on the Russian oligarch. This is actually one of his very first votes as senator. Take a look. We found this on Russian-state TV covering the news. You see Romney in the top row celebrated by that foe. Sen. Romney can talk a very big game on this but this was his first test as senator, a chance to take action to confront Russia, and he folded. He backed Donald Trump. He did exactly what he said he wouldn’t do when it comes to Russia.
Republicans have completely sold out to Trump and Russia
As Rachel Maddow pointed out on Wednesday after Republicans voted with Donald Trump in favor of Vladimir Putin, the GOP “didn’t pass the test” when they gave Russia a giant economic handout on Wednesday.
It’s the latest indication that Russia and Putin have complete control not only over the president they helped install in 2016, but the Republican Party more broadly.
And no GOP hypocrite stands out more than Utah’s new Sen. Mitt Romney, who has spent years touting his tough stance on Russia before folding like a cheap tent this week.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
