The Lead with Jake Tapper: Rep. Mike Quigley (D) Is Interviewed On Sending Military Aid To Ukraine
Interview
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I was as surprised as anyone, and that's the way it should be. The fewer people who know, the safer the visit.
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Well, I didn't mean to imply putting those together, the not sending those jets was half-assing it. It was, you need to give them everything that will help them win the war. And as President Zelenskyy said, help us win quickly. It's hard to keep the coalitions together. And again, your previous guest was right, what were once vices are now habits.
Everything that we are sending was once viewed as escalatory. At the very least, I ask that we get these things ready. The Abrams tanks were a no, no, no and now it's probably what -- it's unclear, but they probably won't get our tanks until the end of this year. They'll get the German tanks possibly in March.
So, if we're talking about sending them longer-range missile systems, and that's what I was talking about, the full range and the possibility of jets. You know, I'm no expert in this, but my suggestion is we have to give them what will help them win quickly and at least get ready to send these things because of the long lag time of training and reconditioning.
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It's a Florida governor with zero foreign policy experience making a campaign gesture. And look, I hear about the 11 Republicans on the far, far right extreme having a resolution to cut off all funding. I think it's more valuable and instructive to listen to Republicans who are in positions of authority, Chairman Turner, Chairman McCaul, Senator Mitch McConnell, talking about ongoing support for this war effort. I think they have far more sway. My only concern with the extremes now is that they seem to have disproportionate influence over the current speaker of the house.
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It's extraordinarily serious and I don't think there's any creeping up to the line in modern warfare. There's a way to find out anything like this. It's disturbing and it's also somewhat contradictory. What is China doing? Is it trying to normalize relations with the U.S. with the two presidents' meetings and of course Secretary Blinken meeting with his counterpart, and then we shoot a balloon right down Main Street that obviously isn't going to be hidden from anyone.
And then, you know, this word of the possibility of sending lethal weaponry to the Ukraine conflict, this of course would be met with extraordinary reaction by the U.S. I'd like to think that the fact that it's become public will further discourage them from any such action.
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I think what you're going to hear from Putin is he's going to be addressing the Russian public, but I think what he's really doing is speaking to his far-right ultra-nationalists. I think he's far more concerned about the fact that the war is going poorly and their view of that than he is with the Russian public which he treats as cannon fodder, putting men in there, ill-trained, ill-equipped as just seemingly uncaring about Russian lives. So, I think what you're going to hear tomorrow is President Putin speaking to the far right, people who could pose a risk to him.
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Thank you.
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