Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., challenged The Squad Wednesday for abandoning their anti-war position along with many others in the Democrat Party.
Gaetz made his comments on an episode of "System Update" with independent journalist Glenn Greenwald on the ongoing war in Ukraine. Greenwald and others argue that defending Ukraine is not worth the chance of sparking nuclear conflict with Russia.
Greenwald noted the absence of prominent anti-war Democrats questioning the United States’ involvement in this foreign war.
"What explains this kind of unanimity on behalf of the Democratic Party, where there was always at least some anti-war sentiment, to just keep sending more and more money to fuel this war?" Greenwald asked Gaetz.
"Yeah, where did the anti-war Democrats go? I remember when The Squad showed up in Washington D.C. and they were saying the military is racist, now they’re voting for NATO expansion for goodness sakes," Gaetz replied.
He added further, "So it’s been quite the reversal, and I did solicit the support of some Democrats, and you know what they said to me? They said ‘well, we can't look inconsistent and we voted to send these arms and so now we have to vote to continue to maintain that and maintain the logistics kits and the supply chains and all the advisors that go along with having this equipment in a theater of hostility."
Gaetz, too, wondered where the once-famous anti-war wing of the American left has gone, saying that if any still adhere to these principles, he would gladly collaborate with them.
"Where is the anti-war coalition in the Democratic Party? Because, guess what, I’ll work with them, and I don’t care who it is," Gaetz said. "I’ll work with anyone and everyone, regardless of what they think about me or any other subject to try to end our involvement in these wars, and to end the manner in which this congress appears to be at bended knee to defense contractors and lobbyists and special interests, rather than serving the actual interests of our fellow Americans, and it’s no joke when you’re playing a game of nuclear chicken with a country like Russia."
MATT GAETZ RIPS ‘BIPARTISAN COALITION’ THAT FAVORS WAR IN UKRAINE
Greenwald responded by observing how the American left is completely different from left-wing parties of other major countries that still have prominent anti-war politicians.
"If you look at the left-wing of almost every modern democracy in the world, in Germany, in Great Britain, here in Brazil, you find huge amounts of people on the left, including members of the parliament or major political figures, including the newly elected president of Brazil, who are saying it’s madness to keep fueling this war, and yet there is simply not a single Democratic member of Congress willing to say that, it’s really bizarre," he said.
Leftist Democratic Party members in America sent a letter to President Biden calling for peace negotiations with Russia in late 2022, but then quickly withdrew it.
Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., claimed, after backlash, that she withdrew the letter because "our message is being conflated by some as being equivalent to the recent statement by Republican Leader McCarthy threatening an end to aid to Ukraine if Republicans take over," she said. "Nothing could be further from the truth."
