White House accuses House Speaker of aiding Iran in latest Ukraine aid push

‘But where is Speaker Johnson’s supposed commitment not to ‘appease Iran’ in all this? Nowhere. Instead, his inaction is benefiting Putin and the Ayatollah,’ a White House memo states

The White House blasted House Speaker Mike Johnson, accusing him of helping Iran and Russia through his “inaction,” as he continues to stall a vote on the Ukraine aid package as the Ukraine-Russia war rages on into its second year.

Iran is “actively enabling Russia’s war in Ukraine and its attacks against Ukrainian cities,” deputy White House press secretary and senior communications adviser Andrew Bates said in a memo obtained by Reuters

“President Biden is standing up to Iran. But where is Speaker Johnson’s supposed commitment not to ‘appease Iran’ in all this? Nowhere. Instead, his inaction is benefiting Putin and the Ayatollah,” the memo states.

The memo comes days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the delays in delivering arms to the embattled country have made the situation “extremely difficult” on the frontline. He said Russian troops are “taking advantage of the delays in aid to Ukraine.”

The US Senate last week approved a $95bn bill providing assistance for Ukraine, Israel and other allies. The package includes $60.6bn in aid to Ukraine.

However, Speaker Johnson refused to bring the bill to the floor for a vote in the House. Instead, he sent House Representatives home for a two-week recess, saying “We’re not going to be forced into action by the Senate.”

The White House memo also says, “Putin has signalled he could attack NATO countries the United States is obligated to defend if he succeeds in Ukraine.”

It continues, “If House Republicans facilitate Ukraine’s defeat, America could face costs infinitely more expensive than the bipartisan investments we need to make in Ukraine’s capacity to defend themselves.”

Earlier this week, President Joe Biden said that he believes House Republicans are “making a big mistake not responding.”

Mr Biden said it’s “shocking” how members of the GOP are “walking away from the threat of Russia, the way they’re walking away from NATO.”

He agreed to sit down with Mr Johsnon to discuss the foreign aid package — after the White House had repeatedly rejected the House Speaker’s “multiple” requests for a meeting, Politico previously reported.

The memo also arrived as President Biden announced 500 sanctions on Russia following the death of Putin critic Alexei Navalny.

The sanctions will target individuals “connected to Navalny’s imprisonment as well as Russia’s financial sector, defense industrial base, procurement networks and sanctions evaders across multiple continents,” Mr Biden said in a White House press release on Friday.

The president also urged the House to pass the bipartisan national security supplemental bill, saying, “History is watching. The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will not be forgotten.”