Dear MoveOn member,
After Donald Trump called Vladimir Putin "a genius," reporters called Republican senators to see if they agreed.1 Only one of them offered a statement against Putin.2
Elected Republicans across the country are either agreeing with Trump or staying silent about the Russian dictator who just launched a bloody, costly, unnecessary war.3
And it's not just Trump. Tucker Carlson has used his platform on Fox News to praise Putin.4 Steven Bannon has celebrated Putin.5 And more and more right-wing Republicans are either adding their agreement or staying silent out of fear of Trump and his allies.
This isn't hard: Vladimir Putin is an authoritarian who has trampled the rights of the Russian people for decades.6 And now he has initiated an aggressive war in Ukraine that's costing lives, devastating the country, and destabilizing the global economy. Any Republican in Congress who is too cowardly, craven, or wrong-headed to acknowledge this needs to be shamed—or voted—out of public service.
Russia's attacks on Ukraine are already displacing, terrifying, and killing Ukrainians. After Putin failed to justify the invasion despite his use of disinformation, he just launched the attacks anyway. The Ukrainian and Russian people will suffer as this outrageous and devastating war continues.
The brave Russians protesting the attack prove that there are people within Putin's authoritarian reach who are willing to speak up.7 Yet Republicans in the safety of America are too scared—because Trump, Carlson, and Bannon have decided to praise and celebrate Putin.
The global community has condemned Putin, and the Biden administration is working with international allies on sanctions and other options to confront Putin's aggression. Protesters in Russia and defenders in Ukraine are risking their lives and their freedom. Putin's long track record of violent authoritarianism at home and disinformation and militarism abroad speaks for itself.
Yet Trump calls him a "genius," Bannon praises him for his attacks on human rights, and Carlson uses his national platform to attack and demonize American kids over their sexual identity while offering a positive view of Putin's politics.8
As a country, we need to urge our leaders to find a resolution to this conflict that is rooted in international diplomacy and to support the refugees who will emerge through this crisis. We don't need Putin apologists, loyalists, and sycophants polluting our discourse.
And we don't need Republicans in Congress too cowardly to denounce Putin and his war.
Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.
Thanks for all you do.
—Mana, Isbah, Amanda, Oscar, and the rest of the team
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