On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher responded to accusations that President Joe Biden’s handling of Afghanistan emboldened Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine by stating that “it wasn’t just all Biden” because prior administration’s appeased Russia, including the Obama administration.
“TRIGGERnometry” podcast co-host Konstantin Kisin said to Maher, “[Y]ou say he handled Ukraine well, and I agree with you. But, in my opinion, Ukraine wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t President, because what happened with Afghanistan is what emboldened Putin to do this.”
Maher responded, “You’re just pulling that out of your ass. … But to be clear, that’s possible. It’s possible Putin looked at Afghanistan — which, by the way…both Trump and Biden wanted to get out of Afghanistan. That was Trump’s plan that was put into motion, he inherited that, almost the way Kennedy inherited the Bay of Pigs.”
“Fifth Column” podcast co-host Michael Moynihan then cut in to say, “It’s also true that that might have been a thing, but we’ve been appeasing Putin’s expansionism and revanchism for a long time. I mean, he cut off two things…in Georgia.”
Maher then cut in to say, “And then Crimea in 2014. So, it wasn’t just all Biden.”
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