A Trump-appointed former senior advisor to the secretary of defense says Russian forces were 'too gentle' on Ukraine and called Zelensky a 'puppet'
Category: News & Politics
Via: krishna • 3 years ago • 35 commentsBy: Sarah Al-Arshani and John L. Dorman
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A street after a missile hit near the Kharkiv Regional State Administration building in Freedom Square in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Ukrinform
A Trump appointee on Friday accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of being a "puppet" and said Russia has been too gentle in their attack on Ukraine.
In an interview with Fox Business' Stuart Varney, retired Col. Douglas Macgregor — who former President Donald Trump appointed as a senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense — said that there was nothing "heroic" about Zelensky, who has led his country's resistance against invading Russian forces.
Macgregor — who was also tapped by Trump to serve as ambassador to Germany in July 2020 before the nomination stalled in the Senate — said that the war could have "ended days ago" if Zelensky had accepted what the Russians have sought, which he said is a "neutral Ukraine."
"I think Zelensky is a puppet and he is putting huge numbers of his own population in unnecessary risk," Macgregor expressed.
Varney ended the interview by telling Macgregor that he disagreed with him.
Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming — a conservative who in recent years has become one of Trump's most ardent critics — on Saturday blasted MacGregor for his comments.
"Douglas MacGregor, nominated by Trump as ambassador to Germany; appointed by Trump as sr advisor to the Secretary of Defense, says Russian forces have been 'too gentle' and 'I don't see anything heroic' about Zelensky," she wrote on Twitter. "This is the Putin wing of the GOP."
Macgregor's worldview was also dismissed last week by the Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin after he said that the US shouldn't help Ukraine and that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be able to seize parts of the country.
Griffin said Macgregor's comments had many "distortions."
"The kind of appeasement talk that Col. Doug Macgregor, who should know better — when he was in government, he was the one who was advising Trump to pull all US troops out of Germany," she said. "That kind of projection of weakness is what made Putin think that he could actually move into a sovereign country like Ukraine."
While congressional Republicans have overwhelmingly lined up behind Zelensky, Trump last month described Putin's justification for invading Ukraine as "savvy" and "genius".
Tags
Who is online
57 visitors
A Trump appointee on Friday accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of being a "puppet" and said Russia has been too gentle in their attack on Ukraine.
In an interview with Fox Business' Stuart Varney, retired Col. Douglas Macgregor — who former President Donald Trump appointed as a senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense — said that there was nothing "heroic" about Zelensky, who has led his country's resistance against invading Russian forces.
Macgregor — who was also tapped by Trump to serve as ambassador to Germany in July 2020 before the nomination stalled in the Senate — said that the war could have "ended days ago" if Zelensky had accepted what the Russians have sought, which he said is a "neutral Ukraine."
"I think Zelensky is a puppet and he is putting huge numbers of his own population in unnecessary risk," Macgregor expressed.
Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming — a conservative who in recent years has become one of Trump's most ardent critics — on Saturday blasted MacGregor for his comments.
"Douglas MacGregor, nominated by Trump as ambassador to Germany; appointed by Trump as sr advisor to the Secretary of Defense, says Russian forces have been 'too gentle' and 'I don't see anything heroic' about Zelensky," she wrote on Twitter. "This is the Putin wing of the GOP."
A puppet would just follow along. Zelensky is not doing that. If MacGregor thinks that purposely killing civilians is being "too gentle" then he is as bat shit crazy as the guy who nominated/appointed him.
I remeber that it wasn't too long ago that most Republicans, including those on Fox news-- were strongly supportive of Putin. Even here on NT-- making numerous comments about how "it wasn't our war" and urging us to in no way support The Ukraine.
Even some comments praising Putin.
But then as Americans saw the horrible atrocities committed by the Russians, and the ciurage of the Ukrainians, many Americans felt very supportive of Ukraine.
Fox news shifted its position, making it OK for Americans to support Ukraine. And for the most part their groupies shifted their positins as well.
Like I need FAUX News giving me permission to support the Ukraine. They can kiss my grits.
Conservative Republican Liz Cheney said: "This is the Putin wing of the GOP."
That about sums it up . . .
My new avatar is Devil's Advocate, and I'm going to be the Devil's Advocate here. IMO had Zelenskyy made a deal with Putin for Ukraine to go neutral all the lives lost, all the people terrorized and displaced, all the destruction, all the financial loss MIGHT NOT HAVE HAPPENED, and if Putin were then still to invade then Russia would be made to suffer no different than what is happening now. As well, it is not impossible that at least some of Putin's reasoning for what is happening just might be true, but of course impossible to accept, because after all, Russia isn't an American-style democracy.
Zelenskyy made a few deals alright, how quickly they were forgotten.
I'm unable to open occrp. Since you posted it in a reply to me you must want me to see it, and if so, then please copy and paste the actual text of whatever it is.
Morning..ahh we now have two snakes in the grass.. Russia and China...
Both had better be wary of each other..some snakes to tend to swallow one another ..
Putin needs a bullet and hopefully I have paid for one...will be sending more over shortly...to Russia with love....
Buzz as you keep telling us you live in China and people who sprout off comments about China should go and live there etc etc to see what it is really like...and shouldn't believe all they read..
Well the same applies to Ukraine...name one country in this world that does not have corruption from the top down...seen Mr Putin's yacht and palace etc etc...one of his interests is to restore the Russian Empire, take back the countries that broke away and restore it's former glory if you can call it that.. living in Russia is like turning the clock back 30 years for the ordinary citizen.
Doing a deal with Putin is doing a deal with the devil itself...I hear the gulags are working overtime at the moment...🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
I may not have been to Ukraine or Russia, but I grew up and lived among Ukrainians and Russians, some of whom (not my parents) were Communists, which might explain why I don't fear Communists and Communism (as so many do) even though I'm not a Communist myself - my mother was born in Kiev (now spelled Kyiv?) and her family immigrated to Canada in the 1920s, and my father was born in Belarus, in a city just about on the border with Russia and he immigrated to Canada about the same time by himself at the age of 13, but did meet with some of his family who were already there.
So Shona, although I have not been to Ukraine or Russia - I know Ukrainians and Russians quite intimately.
As for snakes, they exist everywhere - all around the world so might as well admit it. Russia and China are not unique.
As a matter of fact, according to the most widely read book in the world, the bible, the snake existed even before Adam and Eve. LOL
Yes so do I and we have many sources of info coming in with what is going on over there at the moment..more so than many people and news sources...
We maybe related... same area of Ukraine my SIL is from...don't fear communism never have, just felt sorry for them more than anything... wouldn't mind going back to Russia now and compare it to when I was there last...
Back then it was depressing, backward and corrupt. All the money went to the military, the people got nothing...it was the pits...never so glad to get to a Macca's (McDonald's) in Poland and get some "decent food"..and I never eat the crap not even here, but we were desperate at the time..
Things would have changed I hope, but whether it has for the ordinary people so far doesn't look it..
As for Putin, I just sent another thousand bullets to the Ukraine army.. money well spent and as they say.."it only takes one"..
Also sent money to the Ukrainians that are now refugees in Poland via our contacts..at least that way we know they will get it and Putin will keep his grubby little fingers off it.
Yes snakes do exist all around the world..just some are more deadlier than others...
In Russia my father's family was far from poor - they owned a sugar refinery. The reason my father left China was because he was a student in a trade school and it got discovered he was bourgeois, and so he was endangered. But, fortunately for me, he became very successful in Canada.
Anoon..just got a spam call from Moldova...the KGB are after me...
Your dad was lucky he did not get his head blown off...we studied that here at high school in European history...
Macca's (McDonald's) have just announced it's closing all its stores in Russia temporarily..
Hell that can only benefit the Russians and save them...
Only decent thing in Macca's is the coffee...
When I first moved to China 15 1/2 years ago I almost never saw a fat person. McDonalds, KFC, Burger King have been operating all this time, and now (maybe because people are better off, but I blame the fast food outlets) there seem to be a lot more fat people.
By the way, were any of the bullets you sent made of silver? They might need one for Putin.
Fat, salt and sugar taste good. Those who indulge on that good tasting fast food ingest way more fat than they need and get way too much sugar from the digested carbs coupled with the gratuitously added sugar designed to make everything taste better.
Yes, and obese children become obese adults.
Fortunately for me, my wife grew up on a farm, she's a great cook and she really knows her vegetables. In fact I recall her once wandering through a wild field for half an hour and coming back with enough edible greens for a meal for both of us. I rarely eat restaurant food any more - why would I? I think I weigh less now than when I came here, and I was never overweight.
I am sure I can arrange it..
This Colonel is bat shit crazy.
Too gentle?
What an asshole. He sounds like a genocidal maniac.
What I'm wondering is how many of the most ardent Trump sycophants will end their love affair with Putin-- and switch over to supporting the Ukraine now that much of Fox has changed their propaganda line..
Now that Fox news has given the MAGA-cultists permission to end their love affair of Putin...
GOP = Goonie Over Putin
I don't give a flying fuck what you think.
C'mon, give him a break-- he's doing the best he can!
Me thinks Macgregor got swindled by a Ukrainian on a singles website and now he just wants revenge.