Gene Valentino On NEWSMAX ~ More Ukraine Funding!?

Gene Valentino On NEWSMAX ~ More Ukraine Funding!?

Bianca de la Garza: Welcome back everybody to Newsline and you’re looking live here in Washington DC. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington today for a series of high level meetings with lawmakers. He met with senators this morning. He will be meeting with President Biden soon. Zelensky’s visit of course comes as Biden seeks additional aid.

for Ukraine, but it is tied to border security as well. Let’s bring in our panel to discuss today’s big visit and

everything that is on the line. Our panel is Daniel Lippman, the White House and Washington reporter for Politico today, and also Gene Valentino, a GOP political strategist and insider, host of the Grassroots Truthcast podcast and the former county commissioner in Escambia County, Florida.

Gentlemen, welcome in. for having me, Bianca. Absolutely. Jean, let’s start with you. Obviously, it’s going to be a busy day, high pressure day. There’s 110 billion that Zelensky wants to bring home. And obviously [00:01:00] a lot at stake here. Many say that the funding for Ukraine, now we have to finish the job.

We have to make sure that Russia doesn’t go forward, especially with its ties to Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas. What’s your take on where this may go

Gene Valentino: today? Well, thank you for having us. And Bianca, my concern is, I’ve always been concerned about our foreign allies. And Ukraine is at the top of the list right now.

But where has the money gone that we’ve sent them already? I ask for a complete audit or a revelation of transparency on all funds that the United States has given. has given Ukraine. I’M concerned about why so many Ukrainians have left the country. Good, hardworking, military, fighting men. And why Lloyd Austin has to threaten more funding by using Americans as boots on [00:02:00] the ground.

As your prior guest had mentioned to remedy Ukraine’s problem. Where’s Ukraine stepping up and doing this on their own first? And why are they not being as transparent? And why is our own Congress and our own Financial Defense Department not being transparent in showing us? Where those funds are.

Bianca de la Garza: Well, there’s been a push for transparency for months, but now as it works, as you know, in Washington, Daniel, it comes down to the last moment, right? Just right before we’ll see if it can be averted. I do want to play a little bit of Zelensky speaking at the National Defense University yesterday, and this is his pitch again for aid from the U.

S. to Ukraine. Let’s play this.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy: The whole world is watching us. Observing what destiny other free nations could face to live freely or to be subjugated. Ukrainians haven’t given up and won’t give up. We know what to do and you can count on [00:03:00] Ukraine and we hope just as much to be able to count on you. When the free world hesitates, that’s when dictatorships celebrate.

Bianca de la Garza: So, it’s tied into, as you know, border funding as well, and, you know, Mitt Romney came out, Daniel, and said, you know, yesterday, why don’t Democrats get the job done if funding for Ukraine is so critical? Do whatever it takes, get our border fixed. Somewhat of a logical statement. Yeah, the

Daniel Lippman: administration is really caught in a tough place because they don’t want to do all of these restrictions on asylum to stem the tide of people coming in.

to our country illegally because they have a progressive base that elected Biden to be less draconian on immigration, but they also want to get a deal done and they don’t want to leave Ukraine out to dry and so I think they feel like they want to, you know, thread this needle and maybe it won’t be 50 billion dollars to Ukraine, but 25 billion with kind of a [00:04:00] less of a fewer restrictions on

Bianca de la Garza: immigration.

Well, we’re hearing the numbers and they are historic every day. The number of folks crossing our southern border, as you know, as well, Gene, and it’s a serious concern, especially when it comes to our own national security.

Gene Valentino: Yeah, I’m concerned about the volume of people coming across the southern border.

Why is it so hard for people to rally around our need, or resist rallying around our need to protect? We Americans, we historically, as far as the history books tell, show America as a benevolent governance that’s done well whether you’re in NATO or not, ergo Ukraine right now. We have done a lot of good in the world.

We need people to step up and help protect America, whether we have a strong administration or not. The southern border is loaded with Thousands of people per day just bleeding in over the line and our budget [00:05:00] process doesn’t seem to want to address that issue. Why are we giving such carte blanche to Ukraine?

I’m not saying they don’t need the money, I’m saying show me proof you

Bianca de la Garza: need the money. It’s a balance, yeah. And when you have FBI Director Christopher Wray sounding the alarms in Congress as well, many saying it’s not a matter of if but when. Serious concerns. John Maynard, we gotta leave it there.

Appreciate your time and your analysis. Got through a lot. Thank you so much, Gene and Daniel. See you back here soon. Thank you, Bianca. Thank you.

Intro Reel: Welcome to Gene Valentino’s America Beyond the Noise