NEW YORK CITY — Vice President Kamala Harris belittled Governor Ron DeSantis’ stance on the war in Ukraine by suggesting he is ignorant on the subject.
The governor revealed his opposition to the Biden administration’s approach in a statement to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on Monday. DeSantis said he does not consider the “territorial dispute” a “vital national interest.”
“The Biden administration’s virtual ‘blank check’ funding of this conflict for ‘as long as it takes,’ without any defined objectives or accountability, distracts from our country’s most pressing challenges,” he wrote in a response to Carlson’s questionnaire.
“The U.S. should not provide assistance that could require the deployment of American troops or enable Ukraine to engage in offensive operations beyond its borders,” DeSantis added. “These moves would risk explicitly drawing the United States into the conflict and drawing us closer to a hot war between the world’s two largest nuclear powers. That risk is unacceptable.”
HARRIS: DESANTIS DOESN’T UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES
During an appearance on CBS’ The Colbert Show on Wednesday, Harris was asked her thoughts on the governor’s comments. She began by stating that her interactions with over 100 world leaders have yielded an “understanding of international rules and norms.”
The Vice President then suggested that this lack of experience explains why DeSantis holds a different opinion, saying: “If you really understand the issues, you probably would not make statements like that.”
Harris underscored the importance of the U.S. standing up for “sovereignty and territorial integrity” and opposing “any nation that would try to take by force another nation.” The full response can be viewed in the tweet below.
.@VP Kamala Harris shares her thoughts on Gov. Ron DeSantis calling the war in Ukraine a “territorial dispute.” #Colbert pic.twitter.com/ig1vPFEXRI
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) March 16, 2023
DESANTIS OFFICE RESPONDS
The governor’s press secretary Bryan Griffin fired back at Harris, suggesting the criticism was hypocritical.
“Hollow words from the @VP considering our own southern border,” Griffin wrote in a tweet. “From Florida, @GovRonDeSantis has done more to highlight and defend the 'sovereignty and territorial integrity' of the United States than the Biden Admin and his ‘border czar’ @KamalaHarris have done.”
