House Minority Whip Steve Scalise blasted 2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden after he downplayed any Russian meddling in the 2016 election under his or former President Barack Obama’s watch.
During a CNN interview that aired on Friday, Joe Biden promised that Russian election interference “wouldn’t have, and it didn’t” happen “on my watch, on Barack’s watch.”
After Special Counsel Mueller released his final report of Russian interference in the presidential election, Obama’s administration came under attack for “completely [dropping] the ball on Russia’s interference in the 2016 campaign.”
As The New York Times previously reported, Obama’s Administration knew about the Russian meddling but did not announce it sooner in fear of being “perceived as taking sides in the election,” former Secretary of Homeland security Jeh Johnson told the Times.
“Seriously, Joe?? It DID happen on your watch and Obama’s watch!!” Steve Scalise responded to the Democratic presidential candidate.
Steve Scalise took note of Joe Biden’s comments and called him out for them by taking a “walk down memory lane” in a series of tweets.
The Republican lawmaker went on and pointed out “how weak the Obama administration was on Russia,” “Obama’s Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offering a ‘reset’ with Russia,” and Democrats mocking now-Sen. Mitt Romney “for taking the threat of Russia seriously.”
This is not Joe Biden’s only comment he has made and later been called out for. Biden previously claimed that there “wasn’t one single hint of a scandal or a lie” in the 8 years of the Obama administration — even though there were multiple scandals during Obama’s presidency.
The Russian meddling comment by Joe Biden is only the latest stumble in his 2020 Democratic presidential primary race, as he’s seen his support among Democratic voters decrease following the first debate and has even been passed in fundraising by Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
