Six Republicans on Wednesday opposed a bill instructing the government to gather information “on war crimes and other atrocities committed during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.” Every other member of Parliament who was present voted yes. The six Republicans who voted “no” were Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Warren Davidson (Ohio), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.). Thomas Massie (Ky.) And Scott Perry (Pa.).
The bill was considered a few days after images of civilians dead appeared on the streets of cities and suburbs around Kyiv as Russian troops left the area and the Ukrainian army entered.
The Russian government has denied the allegations, but videos and photos have surfaced in support of the USSR’s indiscriminate targeting of civilians. One photo showed a man killed with his hands tied behind his back. Other satellite images showed corpses on the streets for weeks, with Russian troops occupying parts of the area. Hours after the Senate in a rare 100-0 count voted in favor of ending permanent normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, which has supported the Moscow war in Ukraine, three Republicans in the House voted “no” to 420- 3 in Parliament. meter in Biden’s office.
The “no” this time came from representatives Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Greene and Massie. Seven House Republicans also voted against a bill banning imports of Russian oil, coal and gas: Greene, Massie, Gaetz, Rep. Dan Bishop (RN.C.), Biggs, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Gossar. They were joined by two Democrats: spokesman Ilhan Omar (Minn.) And Cori Bush (Mo.). Democrats have taken advantage of the vote, seeing Republicans as a pro-Moscow parliamentary group.
“The Republican Party’s pro-Putin faction is anti-democratic,” the Democratic National Campaign Committee said in a tweet in response to votes against the war crimes bill.
MP Sean Patrick Maloney (DN.Y.) mocked that “Republicans are curious about Putin,” while MP Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) Expressed his disbelief: “You can imagine voting against the petition and keep track of Putin’s war crimes? Can you imagine? “ It becomes a basic line of attack. House Speaker Democrat Hakeem Jeffreies (DN.Y.) named a “pro-Putin figure” among Republicans at a news conference last week. Republicans who voted against the measures, which had overwhelming support from the GOP as a whole, said they were concerned about the unintended consequences of the bills.
They argued that they could lead to higher inflation, or in the case of the war crimes measure it would cede US power to international courts.
“It’s not in Putin’s interest to observe the second- and third-class consequences of legislation that goes far beyond its stated scope,” Gaets tweeted Thursday. Roy, Greene, Gaetz and others who voted against the energy sanctions bill voiced concerns that blocking energy imports would contribute to higher prices for gas and other goods. “The only thing that current legislation will do is empower rivals like Iran and Venezuela, while at the same time sticking American consumers to higher prices,” Roy said in a statement. Massie said he opposed the war crimes bill because it could provide a president for assessing US troops for war crimes in Afghanistan for accidental bombing or drone strikes. He also said that provisions extending “too broad” executive powers to impose sanctions on those whom the president considers to have been involved in human rights abuses are “unfair legislative practice”. Asked about allegations that Putin was in favor of such a vote, Massie quoted a line in a 2014 article by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger: “Defaming Putin is not foreign policy. It’s an alibi for the lack of one. ” Perry and Biggs expressed concern about the dominance of the bill that guides the collection of information on war crimes. The bill stipulated that the information would be retained for possible use in “international courts”, but the United States does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. They cited the risk of US troops falling under international jurisdiction if the government recognizes international courts for other countries. Biggs said it was “fake” to call his position Putin. “Russia had no challenge,” he said. “Vladimir Putin is a war criminal who should be tried for war crimes, but Americans deserve to be fully informed about what this bill says and does, and not be guided solely by the fictional title,” Perry told statement. Opposition to the bills adds fuel to the fire, and critics say the vote, combined with recent statements by high-ranking Republicans, exposes a party that is sympathetic to Russia. Former President Trump has previously described Putin as a “genius”, urging some Republicans to distance themselves. In an interview with the Washington Post on Wednesday, Trump said Putin “overreacted” by invading the country. MP Madison Cawthorn (RN.C.), who voted in favor of the three Russia-related bills for a vote in Parliament this week, has faced backlash from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) described Ukraine as “pulling” by President Volodymyr Zelensky. Davidson said he was “certainly not pro-Russian,” noting his previous criticism of the war.
“It kind of comes with the whole narrative, like the rush to get involved in a war we’re not really directly in,” Davidson said, but added that “we need to support them.” Greene said concerns about the US escalation and intervention were behind her opposition. Jackson’s confirmation gives troubled Biden such much-needed victory The Note: Psakis’s rumored move to MSBNC sparks controversy “It could potentially lead us to World War III, something no one wants,” he said in a video he recorded after the vote on Thursday. “While we are devastated and praying for the people of Ukraine, and we are all against the war going on there, all they have to do is push Putin and Zelensky to the negotiating table to negotiate peace and end the war. “These sanctions are not going to do that.” Votes against the ban on oil, coal and gas imports by Omar and Bush undermine the argument on this bill, at least that Republican opposition to the bill signaled Putin’s approval. When an earlier version was put to a vote last month, Omar had voiced concerns about how a ban on energy imports would affect human suffering in Russia, and Bush said he was concerned it would lead to more oil and gas drilling in the United States.