Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Wednesday that the White House’s “political policy is simply wisdom that fails to meet the test of common sense.”
Discussing the situation in Ukraine on Newsmax's "National Report," the congressman from Texas said, "We watched President Joe Biden essentially play Jimmy Carter for the weeks leading up to now, and you just cannot do anything less when dealing with the Russians."
Carter's reputation as a weak president on foreign policy is the result of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, when Islamist students overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 66 Americans hostage, holding them for 444 days.
Former President Donald Trump said in May of last year that Biden can't be compared to Carter.
"I see that everybody is comparing Joe Biden to Jimmy Carter," Trump said in a statement at the time. "It would seem to me that is very unfair to Jimmy Carter. Jimmy mishandled crisis after crisis, but Biden has CREATED crisis after crisis."
Americans fleeing Ukraine through Poland have reportedly been told to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination at the border.
At a White House press briefing, press secretary Jen Psaki dodged a question from a reporter about vaccination status for Americans entering Poland from Ukraine, referring them to the State Department.
Sessions said that he is unsure if Americans in Ukraine had access to COVID-19 vaccines, but that it shouldn't make a difference at this point.
"We need to get people out of a war zone," the congressman said. "It is in America's best interest not to have our citizens be in the midst of a war zone where it's very dangerous."
"To simply put up a red herring that you've got to show your vaccination card is not very nice and this State Department should insist that we get those people out and take care of them," he added.
Sessions also said that the Biden administration needs to be careful how it handles the Ukraine crisis because Beijing is paying attention.
"This is where their political policy is simply wisdom that fails to meet the test of common sense," he said. "And I will tell you that this White House is badly, badly behind the curve. They were back in Afghanistan, they are again today."
Recently leaked notes from a White House Situation Room meeting the day before Kabul fell reveal how unprepared the White House was for an evacuation, Axios reported.
As a result, House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer, R-Ky., and Subcommittee on National Security Ranking Member Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., requested in a letter Tuesday that the Biden administration officials provide all documents and communications related to the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"So, what we need to watch for now is how are we effectively protecting Americans that need to get out of Ukraine?" Sessions asked. "We have a vast interest in business there; we have a vast interest in making sure American citizens are taken care of."
Note: See Newsmax TV now carried in more than 100 million U.S. homes, on DirecTV Ch. 349, Dish Network Ch. 216, Xfinity Ch. 1115, Spectrum, U-verse Ch. 1220, FiOS Ch. 615, Frontier Ch. 115, Optimum Ch. 102, Cox cable, Suddenlink Ch. 102, Mediacom Ch. 277, AT&T TV Ch 349, FUBO and major OTT platforms like Roku, YouTube, Xumo, Pluto and most smart TV’s including Samsung+, Sony, LG, Vizio and more – Find All Systems that Carry Newsmax – Click Here
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.