Appearing for an interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press”, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) schooled host Chuck Todd for suggesting that President Joe Biden should not have called Russian dictator Vladimir Putin a “war criminal.”
“President Biden called Putin a war criminal this week. There are a lot of people who agree with that assessment but question whether the president himself should have personalized it,” Todd told Murphy before asking: Where are you in this?”
Murphy replied: “I don’t think you can do anything other than call Vladimir Putin a war criminal.”
“He is!”, he insisted. “I mean, what he’s doing right now as we speak, targeting children, maternity wards, schools inside Ukraine clearly crosses a line.”
Todd shot back, asking Murphy: “We’re going to negotiate with a war criminal?” “That is what’s difficult here, right? We didn’t negotiate with [former Serbian President Slobodan Milošević].”
“President Biden is showing moral leadership just like President Zelenskyy is showing moral leadership,” Murphy said while pointing out that the decision of whether or not to negotiate with Putin will be made by Zelenskyy.
“There are a lot of Republican colleagues now who are using their time to criticize President Biden, vote against Ukraine aid on the floor of the House and the Senate while President Biden is standing up there saying and doing the right thing. So I’m proud of President Biden for drawing a moral line against Vladimir Putin.”
“I’d rather have my Republican colleagues supporting [Biden] rather than attacking him,” Murphy said.
Watch the video below from NBC.
WATCH: Should President Biden have called Russian President Putin a “war criminal” before negotiating with him?
Sen. @ChrisMurphyCT: “I don’t think you can do anything other than call Vladimir Putin a war criminal. … I’m proud of President Biden.” pic.twitter.com/KkqlicwjNK
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) March 20, 2022
