Dear John,

Sign now: Republicans in Congress must stop their pandering to Trump and Putin and immediately denounce Putin's illegal and deadly invasion of Ukraine.

After Donald Trump called Vladimir Putin "a genius," reporters called Republican senators to see if they agreed.¹ Only one of them offered a statement against Putin.²

Elected Republicans across the country are either agreeing with Trump’s celebration of Putin or staying silent about the Russian dictator who just launched a bloody, costly, and unnecessary war.³

And it's not just Trump. Tucker Carlson has used his platform on Fox News to praise Putin.⁴ Steven Bannon has celebrated Putin.⁵ And more and more right-wing Republicans are either agreeing or staying silent out of fear of Trump and his allies.

This isn't hard: Vladimir Putin is an authoritarian who has trampled the rights of the Russian people for decades.⁶ And now he has initiated an aggressive war in Ukraine that's killing masses of people, devastating the country, and destabilizing the global economy. Any Republican in Congress who is too cowardly, craven, or wrong-headed to acknowledge this needs to hear from us and be shamed.

Will you sign this petition to demand that Republicans in Congress and those seeking to serve denounce Putin and his war in public, forceful, and unambiguous terms?

Sign Now

Putin’s attacks on Ukraine are displacing and killing Ukrainians, while Ukraine’s brave defenders fight back. Russians are also protesting the attack, proving that there are people within Putin's authoritarian reach who have the courage to speak up.⁷

Yet Republicans in the safety of America are too scared to denounce Putin—because Trump, Carlson, and Bannon have decided to praise and celebrate him.

Tell Republicans in Congress that speaking out against Putin and in solidarity with the Ukrainian people is the least they can do at this moment.

The global community has condemned Putin, and the Biden administration is working with international allies on sanctions and other options to confront Putin's aggression. Protesters in Russia and defenders in Ukraine are risking their lives and their freedom. Putin's long track record of violent authoritarianism at home and disinformation and militarism abroad speaks for itself.

Still, Trump calls him a "genius," Bannon praises him for his attacks on human rights, and Carlson uses his national platform celebrate Putin—while attacking and demonizing U.S. kids over their sexual identity.⁸

As a country, we need to urge our leaders to find a resolution to this conflict that is rooted in international diplomacy and to support the refugees from this crisis. We don't need Putin apologists, loyalists, and sycophants polluting our discourse.

And we don't need Republicans in Congress too cowardly to denounce Putin and his war.

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks for all you do,

— MoveOn

P.S. This petition was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online petitions. You can start your own petition to push for progressive change here.

Sources:

1. "Trump sides with Putin as Biden tries to stop a war," CNN, February 23, 2022 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/23/politics/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-joe-biden/index.html

2. Tweet by Mike DeBonis, February 24, 2022 https://twitter.com/mikedebonis/status/1497026278934806533?s=20&t=LJwVhYwEXn-G39eCvf3f0w

3. Republicans pick Putin over democracy — and Rick Scott's creepy blueprint for America shows why, Salon, February 24, 2022 https://www.salon.com/2022/02/24/pick-putin-over-democracy--and-rick-scotts-creepy-blueprint-for-america-shows-why/

4. "Tucker Carlson echoed Putin's talking points on Fox News, arguing the US should not care about Russia invading Ukraine,"Business Insider, February 23, 2022 https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/tucker-carlson-echoed-putins-talking-points-on-fox-news-arguing-the-us-should-not-care-about-russia-invading-ukraine/articleshow/89779717.cms

5. "Former Trump Adviser Steve Bannon Backs 'Anti-Woke' Vladimir Putin,"Newsweek, February 23, 2022 https://www.newsweek.com/former-trump-adviser-steve-bannon-backs-anti-woke-vladimir-putin-1682122

6. "Some LGBTQ Ukrainians fear human rights abuses if Russia stays: 'We will fight," CBS News, February 24, 2022 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ukraine-lgbtq-fear-human-rights-abuses-if-russia-invades/

7. "Thousands of Russians protest President Vladimir V. Putin’s assault on Ukraine. Some chant: ‘No to war!’," The New York Times, February 24, 2022 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/world/europe/russia-protests-putin.html

8. "Republicans pick Putin over democracy — and Rick Scott's creepy blueprint for America shows why," Salon, February 24, 2022 https://www.salon.com/2022/02/24/pick-putin-over-democracy--and-rick-scotts-creepy-blueprint-for-america-shows-why/

PAID FOR BY MOVEON CIVIC ACTION. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.