House Republican leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) broke with former President Donald Trump on Wednesday during his weekly press conference when asked if he agrees with Trump’s controversial characterization of Putin.

CNN’s Manu Raju asked McCarthy, “With regards with what’s happening in Ukraine, the former president has praised Vladimir Putin’s losing as ‘very savvy’ and as ‘a genius’ do you agree with him?”

“I did not think anything savvy or genius about Putin. I think Putin is evil, he is a dictator,” shot back McCarthy.

Raju was referencing comments Trump made in late February on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.

Trump was asked to explain “what went wrong” in regards to Russia and Ukraine, he responded:

I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said this is genius. Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine–of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful.

Trump added, “You gotta say this pretty savvy. And you know what the response was from Biden? There was no response. They didn’t have one for that. No, it’s very sad. Very sad.”

McCarthy offered no such sentiments, saying, “I think he’s murdering people right now.”

The House minority leader continued, and mixed in criticism of Joe Biden:

I went to Ukraine taking Republicans and Democrats a number of years ago. When I came back from that trip, I requested a meeting with the Vice President of America, Joe Biden. I went to the situation room and I advocated that we should sell them javelins based upon Russia had come into Ukraine before, they had no defense to be able to fight back. The uniqueness of Ukraine is they don’t ask for American men or women to come to fight for them. All they asked is to be able to be supplied the weapons that they could defend themselves within their borders, that administration said ‘no.’ President Trump said ‘yes.’

Watch the full clip above, via OAN

The post Kevin McCarthy Rejects Trump: ‘I Do Not Think Anything’s Savvy Or Genius About Putin’ first appeared on Mediaite.

from Mediaite https://ift.tt/kNrTnSj