The United States' potential move of 5,000 U.S. troops into Eastern Europe does little more than to "check a symbolic box" rather than making a real effort to reinforce Ukraine against an invasion from Russia, Rep. Pat Fallon said on Newsmax on Monday.
"I would have supported much stronger messaging from President [Joe] Biden earlier," the Texas Republican said on Newsmax's "John Bachman Now." "I think we might be beyond the point of no return at this point. If we're really going to reinforce the Ukraine we might have. We might be talking about 25,000 troops, 30,000 troops, and not just the troops, but we're going to need heavy equipment, and then we need air cover as well."
Further, the 5,000 troops reportedly under consideration wouldn't go to Ukraine but instead to Bulgaria or Hungary, according to reports, and Fallon said he wonders how that would deter Russian aggression.
The lawmaker also on Monday said Russia wasn't "rattling the saber" when former President Donald Trump was in office, but in other times when President Joe Biden was in office as then-President Barack Obama's vice president, Russia took action.
"In 2008 they invaded and stole two provinces in Georgia and 2014, under President Obama, they stole the Crimea from Ukraine," said Fallon. "Dictators, the one thing they understand is strength and they understand weakness, and they smelled something when President Biden took office."
Then the "debacle and catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan" happened, and even China is increasing its aggressions, flying three times as many sorties into the Taiwanese defense zone this past year than they did when Trump was in office, said Fallon.
The congressman also discussed a report about Biden's son, Hunter, after GOP senators released information about a $3.5 million wire transfer he'd allegedly gotten from a Russian billionaire.
"If that's true, it's incredibly troubling," said Fallon. "An immediate family member of the president of the United States is being paid millions of dollars from a foreign power, someone that's an adversary and about to possibly start another war. We need to know the truth."
The congressman also slammed Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., over her comments concerning former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's claims the Jan. 6 committee could go to jail if Republicans regain control of the House this year.
Cheney said that his statement, made on a Fox News interview Sunday, is "what it looks like when the rule of law unravels."
"I don't know exactly when Liz Cheney became a spokesperson for the Democratic Conference, but it certainly seems to have happened at some point," said Fallon. "We want equal justice. That's all any American wants. We're supposed to have equal justice under the law, and I'm very troubled … there are about 40 people still being held in relation to the actions of Jan. 6 for over a year.
"Why are they being denied bond? There are rapists and accused rapists and accused murderers that get out on bond."
Most, he added, "according to the FBI, didn't even destroy property or hurt anyone at all when they even entered the Capitol building. So if it's the destruction of property, 13 months of prison, I mean, this is ridiculous. This is not equal justice, and these folks have become political prisoners."
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
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.