Republican Leader John Cornyn Attacks DeSantis After Florida Governor Says America More Important Than Ukraine

Republican Senator John Cornyn again lobbed criticism at Ron DeSantis after the Florida Governor suggested the Ukraine-Russia conflict is not a vital national interest to the United States.

DeSantis made the comments last week in response to a questionnaire submitted by Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

The Governor suggested that “peace should be the objective” in the region and downplayed the conflict as little more than a “territorial dispute,” leading to an avalanche of criticism from GOP warmongers and neoconservatives.

“While the U.S. has many vital national interests – securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness within our military, achieving energy security and independence, and checking the economic, cultural, and military power of the Chinese Communist Party – becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” DeSantis wrote.

Florida Governor @RonDeSantisFL answers our Ukraine questionnaire:

“While the U.S. has many vital national interests – securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness within our military, achieving energy security and independence, and checking the economic, cultural,…

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) March 14, 2023

RELATED: DeSantis Says America’s Interests Are More Important Than Ukraine, Infuriating Warmonger Republicans

Cornyn Goes After DeSantis on Ukraine … For the Second Time

Having solved all other issues pertaining to Texas … apparently … Senator John Cornyn publicly criticized DeSantis over his comments for the second time.

Cornyn (R-TX) shared excerpted quotes from an article from a left-wing outlet, The Atlantic, which contends “Zelensky Has an Answer for DeSantis” on Twitter.

The tweet included a quote from the article that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “didn’t want to appeal to the hearts of Americans, in other words, but to their heads” and that his response was: “Help us fight them here, help us defeat them here, and you won’t have to fight them anywhere else.”

Zelensky has an answer for DeSantis:

“Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY “didn’t want to appeal to the hearts of Americans, in other words, but to their heads. … [T]his was his answer: Help us fight them here, help us defeat them here, and you won’t have to fight them…

— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) March 21, 2023

Last week, after DeSantis’ comments had emerged, Cornyn also blasted the likely contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

“I was kind of surprised. I mean, Governor DeSantis is a veteran. He’s a smart guy. I think he’s been a very good governor,” he said before quantifying those compliments.

“And I just I don’t understand him saying that Ukraine isn’t important to the United States.”

A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows public support of providing aid to Ukraine is sliding, with just 37% in favor of sending taxpayer dollars to Ukraine, while 38% are opposed.

Biden is in Ukraine because support for endless military aid is slipping very fast. More and Americans see the slow drip of aid and fear an open ended abyss. https://t.co/1b4lmFcj0i

— David “smokin on TV” Marcus (@BlueBoxDave) February 20, 2023

RELATED: After Giving Democrats Enough Gun Control Votes, Cornyn Reportedly Says Immigration Is Next

Cornyn Ripped

Several conservative pundits offered a fiery response to Cornyn’s attacks on DeSantis.

Comedian Tim Young presented Cornyn with some friendly directions when he told the Senator to “GTFO.”

Young also pointed out Zelensky’s penchant for, contrary to his claims in The Atlantic article, playing to emotions.

“So that’s why he does nonstop photoshoots, has U2 concerts, photo ops with celebrities/politicians and drops in at awards shows?” Young countered.

So that’s why he does nonstop photoshoots, has U2 concerts, photo ops with celebrities/politicians and drops in at awards shows?

GTFO.

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) March 21, 2023

Zelensky also quite obviously tried to appeal to Americans’ hearts when he allowed the famous line – “I need ammunition, not a ride” – to circulate despite it having been completely fabricated.

Timcast.com personality The Redheaded Libertarian obliterated Cornyn over his comments.

“This war is unconstitutional, expensive, illogical, and none of our business, and you fkn know it, John,” she replied.

This war is unconstitutional, expensive, illogical, and none of our business, and you fkn know it, John.

— The Redheaded libertarian (@TRHLofficial) March 21, 2023

Sean Davis, a co-founder of The Federalist, called Cornyn an “idiot” for buying into Zelensky’s line.

He added, “Stop risking our security and wasting our money on stupid wars that have nothing to do with us.”

Cornyn, without skipping a beat, claimed in response that any criticism of blank checks to – and escalation of the war in – Ukraine is tantamount to the ‘Neville Chamberlain’ effect.

Channeling Neville Chamberlain, I see https://t.co/kzghl7qEoj

— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) March 21, 2023

If anybody is “channeling Neville Chamberlain” it’d be a Republican Senator who voted for Attorney General Merrick Garland, a man that has thoroughly weaponized the Department of Justice against political opponents and helped deliver gun control votes to the Democrat Party.

As the #2 Republican in the Senate, he was tapped by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to “negotiate” with Democrats on gun control this past summer, coming up with a bill that contained enhanced background checks for anyone under 21 and established a federal grant program to encourage states to create unconstitutional ‘red flag’ laws.

The ‘red flag’ laws allow authorities to confiscate firearms from individuals “deemed” a risk to themselves or others, without having been convicted of, or even accused of, a crime – a direct assault on the Second and Fifth Amendments.

Cornyn was so giddy about assaulting the Second Amendment that he joked about working with Democrats on amnesty for illegal immigrants next.

Update to earlier story about Cornyn’s immigration comment to Padilla last night:

Cornyn now claims he was joking, despite working w/ Padilla as recently as April on a deal.

So we asked: Why would Cornyn joke about such a serious crisis for his state and the country? pic.twitter.com/iHwwplwIF8

— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) June 22, 2022

Hilarious.

Cornyn later joined 17 other Republican senators in voting in favor of a $1.7 trillion Democrat omnibus spending bill just days prior to Republicans taking control of the House, abdicating the power of the purse for the GOP until September of 2023.

Locking arms with Democrats on spending was intentional, blocking a GOP House with new pro-Trump Representatives from immediately diving in and tightening up the Ukraine First spending spree.

They can never talk about border security ever again.

Congress has given over $110 billion to protect Ukraine’s border and refused to give more than $1.3 billion to secure the US border just four years ago because tRuMp Is a rAcISt…

— Rusty ?️ (@rustyweiss74) December 23, 2022

Cornyn’s comments are a sign of the growing rift within the Republican Party on how to handle the situation in Ukraine. Some Republicans, like DeSantis, believe that the United States should not get involved in the conflict, while others, like Cornyn, believe that the country has a moral obligation to “help” Ukraine.

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The rift in the Republican Party is likely to continue as the situation in Ukraine unfolds and as ‘America first’ politicians push for peace in the region while ‘Ukraine first’ GOP members continue beating the war drums and inch America ever further down a path to nuclear war.