MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and podcaster Keith Olbermann called out a since-deleted tweet from The Conservative Political Action Coalition (CPAC) about President Biden’s financial aid and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Scarborough calling it “unfiltered Russian propaganda.”
The tweet specifically referenced financial processes, comparing Biden’s aid to Ukraine with the migration issue at the United States’ southern border.
“Vladimir Putin announces the annexation of 4 Ukranian-occupied territories. Biden and the Dems continue to send Ukraine billions of taxpayer dollars,” CPAC’s original tweet — which was subsequently deleted with no explanation — reads. “Meanwhile, we are under attack at our southern border. When will Democrats put #AmericaFirst and end the gift-giving to Ukraine?”
This disapproval of Biden’s financial aid to Ukraine has been conveyed by other Republican leaders, but the tweet received backlash specifically for calling Ukrainian land “Ukrainian-occupied territories.”
Scarborough labeled the tweet “unfiltered Russian propaganda.”
“Did CPAC really tweet this unfiltered Russian propaganda?” the “Morning Joe” host tweeted Saturday. “It accuses Ukraine of ‘occupying’ its own country. Reagan’s example of challenging Russian aggression is mocked as ‘gift-giving’? First Trump, Then Orban, Now Putin.”
Podcaster Keith Olbermann also responded to the deleted message.
“What could be worse than @cpac and anti-America pigshit [Matt Schlapp] endorsing Putin’s attack on Ukraine and threats against the US? How about deleting the tweet with no explanation? #CPACCowards,” Keith Olbermann wrote.
Filmmaker Rob Reiner summed it up as “the GOP had firmly planted its flag in Authoritarianism.”
Conservative commentators have observed the backlash, describing the tweet as “awkwardly-worded” or sharing approval of the CPAC’s deleting the tweet.
Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson shared a screenshot of the deleted post, writing “For y’all coming in later, this is the tweet Putin’s little minions at @CPAC deleted.”
Several other critics remarked about the Tweet’s deletion despite Twitter’s long memory.