McCaul says ‘important’ for Johnson to talk Ukraine with Trump: ‘He has tremendous influence over my conference’

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said Sunday that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) discussing the issue with former President Trump bodes well for aid to Ukraine. , noted that the former president still has “tremendous influence.” ” in forming the party’s policy positions.

In an interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” host Margaret Brennan pointed out that President Trump sometimes spreads pro-Russian misinformation online, and that McCall said that Trump has I asked him if he was concerned about the impact misinformation about the war would have on the party.

“Well, that’s why the chairman went down and Mar-a-Lago told him about Ukraine policy and this loan program for direct government support, like the European Union is doing, will be acceptable,” McCall said. said.

McCaul said he believes President Trump and his allies “don’t want us to lose in Ukraine like we did in Afghanistan,” adding, “The consequences will be long-term and the United States will not emerge stronger. It becomes weaker,” he said.

“I don’t think Mr. Trump wants to own it. I think he wants to help us get to the point where we can arrive and get the job done,” McCall added.

McCaul’s comments come as he continues to push for aid to Ukraine for a floor vote despite pushback from his own party. McCaul said he has received assurances from Johnson that the bill will be tabled for a vote, but it remains unclear what the bill will look like. McCaul plans to further discuss the issue with Johnson and other national security officials Sunday night, he said.

Prime Minister Johnson also visited President Trump on Friday to discuss aid to Ukraine. Prime Minister Boris Johnson finds himself in a difficult position as many in the council are increasingly resistant to continued support for Ukraine’s efforts to fend off Russian aggression. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said publicly that he intends to put any proposal on support for Ukraine to a vote, but if things go ahead he could face a vote to expel him from the chair.

“To be honest, Margaret, he has a lot of influence in my conference. That’s why it’s important that we have these discussions with him,” McCall said. When asked about the importance of having to sign the bill to get support from House Republicans even though he’s no longer in office, he said:

“But we also, we’re all independent thinkers and we’re all representing our districts. I haven’t seen a threat like this since my father’s World War II.” And I think if we don’t come together, this evil alliance that happened after Afghanistan is going to happen,” McCall continued. “Remember Afghanistan was a turning point. And that’s when the Russian Federation moved into Ukraine. President Xi has his eye on Taiwan. The Ayatollahs have reared their ugly heads.”