Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) has offered a cynical take on the Ukraine war effort being a symbol of freedom while simultaneously referencing a story about a Christian leader who was jailed in Kyiv on the very same day Mike Pence said such arrests weren’t happening.
Vance shared a story about the pretrial detention of a senior Orthodox cleric who had been detained in Kyiv.
Reuters reports that a court had ordered the detention as part of “tough bail conditions” set forth on Friday, July 14th.
The cleric, who hails from a church with historic links to Moscow, had been arrested on suspicion of inflaming religious hatred and justifying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He has been under house arrest since April.
Lebid will stay in custody until August 14 if he doesn’t post bail set at Hr 33 million ($898,000).
He is accused of inciting hatred and justifying Russia’s war against Ukraine.https://t.co/OHWCUHBaAG
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) July 14, 2023
Christian Leader Jailed In Ukraine On The Same Day Pence Assured It Wasn’t Happening
Vance shared the relatively muted story in the mainstream press and commented on how the war in Ukraine is, in their eyes, supposed to be a commentary on freedom.
“Remember: the Ukraine war is all about freedom,” he wrote. “Sometimes religious freedom requires jailing priests you don’t like. Or something.”
The sarcastic commentary was a retweet of political analyst Jake Posobiec, who said the jailing of priests was happening “just days” after former Vice President Pence said it wasn’t.
It was, in fact, the same day as a GOP presidential candidate forum hosted by Tucker Carlson – July 14th.
At the forum, Carlson and Pence engaged in a heated back and forth about priorities and religious freedom.
“I sincerely wonder how a Christian leader could support the arrest of Christians for having different views,” Carlson jabbed, a reference to the assertion that the Ukrainian government was carrying out the arrests.
“I asked the Christian leader in Kyiv if that was, in fact, happening, and he assured me it was not. People were not being persecuted for their religious beliefs,” Pence fired back.
He might want to check in with that leader again.
Tucker Carlson: “The Zelenskyy government has arrested priests. That’s not consistent with religious liberty. It’s an attack on it, and we are funding it.”
Mike Pence: “I asked the Christian leader in Kyiv if that was happening and he assured me it was not.” pic.twitter.com/4c2szc5JpH
— Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) July 14, 2023
RELATED: Biden Admin Fights to Remove Ukraine Spending Oversight from Defense Bill
Vance: We Must Stop Supporting Ukraine War
Senator Vance, during an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham earlier this week, said the United States needs to “stop supporting the Ukraine war effort.”
He was referencing President Joe Biden’s recent admission that American ammunition is running low.
“You’re seeing the president of the United States saying the American people were running out of bullets,” he said.
“We’re not making enough ammunition to arm our own troops or arm our allies for a war of the future, yet the same people will continue to say we can send more, more, more to Ukraine,” Vance added. “We need to stop supporting the Ukrainian war effort at the least until we have enough bullets for our own.”
Sen. JD Vance: We need to stop supporting Ukraine’s war efforts. pic.twitter.com/Zmnka10ftI
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) July 18, 2023
Meanwhile, Pence found himself in a tussle with Carlson at that same forum over his support for the Ukraine war effort.
Dear lamestream media: This is what journalism looks like.
Mike Pence’s expression after Tucker backs him into a corner to finally acknowledge Ukraine’s violations of democratic norms and religious liberty is *priceless.* pic.twitter.com/rqkeQj5UV6
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) July 14, 2023
As for his claims that religious leaders aren’t being jailed in Ukraine, the Reuters report seems to dispute that assertion.
“Ukraine has been cracking down on the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church, claiming it is pro-Russian and collaborating with Moscow,” they write. “The church denies that and says it cut all ties with Moscow last year, but many of its churches have been searched and dozens of clergy have faced charges.”
Unfortunately, you should not expect to hear much about this from the mainstream media.
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