Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) faulted her staff for releasing a since-withdrawn letter to President Joe Biden calling on him to negotiate a settlement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine following a slew of internal backlash on Tuesday.
The letter, which was drafted and signed by 30 progressive lawmakers, was met with strong pushback as critics slammed its language advocating talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to de-escalate the war in Ukraine.
The members who signed the letter this past summer were apparently not told it was going to be sent, and some swiftly issued statements walking back or clarifying their support.
PROGRESSIVES WITHDRAW LETTER TO BIDEN URGING UKRAINE DIPLOMACY AFTER BACKLASH
Lawmakers pushing back on the letter blasted it for coming on the heels of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) stating that the United States “won’t write a black check” to Ukraine, a remark that was roundly criticized by Democratic leaders.
In a statement retracting the letter, Jayapal said she takes responsibility but said it “unfortunately was released by staff without vetting.”
“The proximity of these statements created the unfortunate appearance that Democrats, who have strongly and unanimously supported and voted for every package of military, strategic, and economic assistance to the Ukrainian people, are somehow aligned with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President Zelensky and the Ukrainian forces,” Jayapal said.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. Every war ends with diplomacy, and this one will too after Ukrainian victory,” she continued.
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While Jayapal, who is eyeing a leadership position, blamed the letter’s release on staffers, one former aide who worked closely with the office disputed the claim, telling Business Insider, “There is no way that Pramila Jayapal doesn’t know every word that leaves her office.”
“You can’t blame the staff and then accept responsibility in the next line of your statement,” the former staffer wrote in an email. “That’s not how that works. And I doubt it was released by staff without vetting. That’s just not how she runs her office,” they added.
