Letters to Republicans in Congress

Support Ukraine, Not Putin the criminal

Dr. Richardson Reports

In her Feb 16, 2025 Letters from an American, Heather Cox Richardson writes about how the United States, contrary to long time “free world” allegiances, the current administration is now backing away from support for Ukraine and European democracy. She mentions two Republican Senators, Roger Wicker, R-Miss, writing:

But the U.S. is not speaking with one voice. Republican leaders who support Ukraine are trying to smooth over Trump’s apparent coziness with Russia. Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) called out Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “rookie mistake” when he offered that the U.S. would not support Ukraine’s membership in NATO and that it was “unrealistic” for Ukraine to demand a return to its borders before Russia invaded in 2014, essentially offering to let Russia keep Crimea. Wicker said he was “puzzled” and “disturbed” by Hegseth’s comments and added: “I don’t know who wrote the speech—it is the kind of thing Tucker Carlson could have written, and Carlson is a fool.” Carlson, a former Fox News Channel personality, has expressed admiration for Orbán and Putin.

“There are good guys and bad guys in this war, and the Russians are the bad guys,” Wicker said. “They invaded, contrary to almost every international law, and they should be defeated. And Ukraine is entitled to the promises that the world made to it.”

Today on Face the Nation, Representative Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) said: “There is absolutely no way that Donald Trump will be seen—he will not let himself go down in history as having sold out to Putin. He will not let that happen.”

My email to Senator Roger Wicker

Sent via his email contact page a few days ago - went through I assume.

https://www.wicker.senate.gov/contact

Your firm support for Ukraine is much appreciated! Thank you for questioning the comments of Sec. Hegseth regarding U.S. support for Ukraine to join NATO and for keeping its original boundaries. You are right that the kind of sentiment Hegseth expressed was foolish and not what America stands for. Ukraine has stood up to Russian aggression with honor and great determination.

My father and grandfathers all were in the service, in World War I and World War II, keeping our country free from tyranny, and to support democratic governments around the world. That our current president and his deputies seem to want to befriend Putin and his Russian methods is so out of line with what I have always believed that I am truly frightened for our future.

Please use your influence in congress and with the president to make clear that we the people of the US do NOT want to be like Russia, and that Putin is NOT our friend.

Thank-you for your service and attention to this matter. Thought I'm not in your state, I am appealing to you as a citizen of the country where I saluted the flag every day at school and said that ours was a "sweet land of liberty." Now I'm 75, and I hope I don't have to see liberty and freedom end in our country. --Sylvia Stauffer

And now Senator Wicker is on TV calling Putin the crimanal he is:

Top GOP Senator Slams Idea of Trump Negotiating With Russia: Putin Should be ‘Jailed, Possibly Executed’

Senate Armed Services Chair Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) pulled no punches on Tuesday in his description of Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggesting the dictator should be “executed” as opposed to being negotiated with.

What is Crenshaw saying?

I looked at Crenshaw’s interview with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation. What I hoped (and at first thought) he was saying was that Trump would never let Putin take advantage of him, and that he, Trump, does care about a lasting peace in the region, and won’t just flatter Putin and let Putin have what he wants. But really all he did say is that that Trump will not go down in history as having sold out to Putin, and (seeming to catch himself just talking about how Trump is caring about his legacy) Crenshaw quickly adds:

he will not let that happen, for the sake of his own legacy, but he does care about peace here, and lasting European peace… -Dan Crenshaw

My attempted email to Rep. Crenshaw:

I am happy to hear you say that Pres. Trump really does care about peace in Ukraine and that he would never let himself be taken advantage of by Putin in any kind of negotiation.

I am writing to you as a 75 year old patriot whose father and grandfathers served the United States in two world wars Please use your influence to continue to speak out about how the U.S. should continue to support Ukraine.

thank-you, Sylvia Stauffer

But can’t email to him from my zip code. So here’s his address, to which I will send a copy of this email:

Representative Dan Crenshaw
248 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515

(202) 225-6565

More Crenshaw today, Feb 19

Lots more being said about this now, as Crenshaw gets into a “bar fight” metaphor for handling international affairs. Not what I expect from elected representative of a country that supports peaceful negotiation. Or did. And yes, I understand Crenshaw is outspoken and in front on other issues, on which I totally disagree with his view.