REMINDER: Republican Sen. Ron Johnson Let Trump Withhold Money from Ukraine

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a joint session of Congress, asking for our help to fight against Russia’s brutal invasion and war crimes against his country. The fight is far from home, but here’s what you need to know about one of our representative’s role in this crisis:

• President Zelensky was the world leader that President Trump attempted to blackmail in a phone call that led to Trump’s first impeachment. 

• Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson gave Trump a pass for withholding congressionally-approved military aid to Ukraine as Russia’s military attacked their eastern territory. 

• Retired Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, a national security expert who blew the whistle on Trump’s behavior during impeachment hearings, recently told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Sen. Johnson has “blood on his hands” for undermining national security regarding Ukraine. 

• Johnson is among those now claiming Russia did not launch their full-scale invasion of Ukraine during President Trump’s time in office because of his “strength.” But there’s a more logical explanation for the timing of Putin’s move.

• As Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton has publicly explained, Trump intended to withdraw the United States from NATO if elected to a second term. 

• So from Putin’s perspective, the possibility of a dramatically weakened NATO alliance was worth waiting for before launching the full-scale invasion.

• The ferocity of the Ukrainian defense and the overwhelming support for Ukraine by the international community are critical factors in why Russia has not immediately overrun the second largest country in Europe. And none of that was a given if Trump had remained in office.