Former Texas Republican Representative Will Hurd, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, expressed disappointment on Sunday with the Biden administration’s handling of the weekend mutiny in Russia.
Hurd said the only words coming out of the White House were, “We are actively monitoring” the situation.
“There’s another word for it — it’s wringing your hands and doing nothing,” Hurd told ABC’s “This Week.”
Hurd added that the United States had missed an opportunity to take advantage of the chaos surrounding Russia and its Wagner mercenary group.
“We’ve had intelligence reports that suggest it was moving forward,” Hurd said. “We should have planned with our allies. We should have planned with the Ukrainians how to take advantage of this opportunity.
US spy agencies tipped off the White House after learning in mid-June that Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was planning an armed rebellion against the Russian defense establishment, The Washington Post reported.
President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday.
“They discussed Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive and President Biden reaffirmed the unwavering support of the United States, including through continued security, economic, and humanitarian assistance,” the White House said. in a press release. “The leaders also discussed recent events in Russia.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also weighed in on the mutiny, calling it “extraordinary”.
“I think you’ve seen cracks emerge that didn’t exist before: first by bringing Prigozhin to the fore – by questioning the very premises of Russian aggression against Ukraine to begin with – the argument that Ukraine or NATO were a threat to Russia, and a direct challenge to Putin himself,” Blinken told CNN.
The rebellion, which lasted less than 24 hours, saw Prigozhin’s forces take control of the Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don which oversees fighting in Ukraine. The mercenaries then advanced towards Moscow before retreating after the Kremlin struck a deal to send Prigozhin to Belarus.
During the interview, Hurd also took aim at his 2024 rivals, former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, over their stance on the war in Ukraine, which he called “wrong.”
“I wish they would stop fighting with corporate America like Disney and be more interested in supporting our allies against attack, against democracy,” Hurd said in a subtle dig into DeSantis’ ongoing legal fight with the entertainment giant.