(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Ukrainian officials find themselves in utter dismay after the expulsion of their ally, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from his role as House speaker on Tuesday.
According to Politico, the Ukrainian government, heavily reliant on McCarthy as a financial supplier, is now grappling with the immediate repercussions of his political downfall, with one Ukrainian lawmaker accusing House Republicans of holding their aid hostage.
“We are freaking out. For us it is a disaster,” said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, a Ukrainian MP and the chair of the committee overseeing Ukraine’s integration into the European Union. “We are interested in getting things sorted out so American democracy can function, and so we can restore the bipartisan consensus on supporting their own national interest by supporting Ukraine.”
Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak went a step further with an unhinged response. “There is nothing good, but, objectively, we have simply become hostages of their internal politics.
McCarthy’s exit came at a bad time for the eastern European country, which found itself mired in a disturbing corruption scandal implicating high-ranking military officials. Merely two months ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired his top defense chief, Olesksii Reznikov, days before he was set to meet with Pentagon officials.
“Well, that’s a setup,” one worried lawmaker claimed, while another added, “Honestly, we are watching for now.”
In a desperate statement to deescalate tensions, the Ukrainian government published a statement on the ongoing battle within the House GOP.
“Until a new speaker is elected, the House cannot vote on laws, but all other work, including in committees, continues,” said Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States.
McCarthy’s exit came after he refused to remove $300 million of U.S. taxpayer aid to Ukraine from a House GOP spending budget, which also included money for the border wall.
Instead, McCarthy told staunch conservative Republicans they must vote for the bill before the aid could be removed.
Ultimately, the bill failed, leading McCarthy to settle with a clean spending bill endorsed by both President Joe Biden and the Democratic-led Senate.
This concession delivered the final blow, with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., successfully submitting a motion to vacate.
