‘Clown Show!’ Rubio and Other Trump Officials Bashed for ‘Truly Bizarre’ Handling of Russia Peace Plan ‘Circus’
(AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, Pool)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other Trump administration officials are coming under fire for their whiplash-inducing reversals surrounding a 28-point peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
The criticism follows public denials from the secretary and one of his spokesman that Rubio told a group of senators that the reported peace plan which has been circulating was not the brainchild of President Donald Trump or anyone else in the administration. But rather, it was essentially a Russian “wish list.”
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) — one of several senators to speak with Rubio Saturday — said during a press conference at the Halifax International Security Forum that the secretary told him the U.S. did not come up with this latest peace proposal.
“Secretary Rubio did make a phone call to us this afternoon,” Rounds said. “I think he made it very clear to us that we are the recipients of a proposal that was delivered to one of our representatives. It is not our recommendation, it is not our peace plan. It is a proposal that was received. And as an intermediary, we have made arrangements to share it. And we did not release it. It was leaked. It was not released by our members or our representatives.”
Sen. Angus King (I-ME) added that Rubio told the senators the plan is not the “administration’s position — it is essentially the wish list of the Russians.”
But the State Department denied the denial.
“This is blatantly false,” wrote Tommy Pigott — principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department — on X late Saturday. “As Secretary Rubio and the entire Administration has consistently maintained, this plan was authored by the United States, with input from both the Russians and Ukrainians.”
A short time later, Rubio himself claimed the peace plan was “authored by the U.S.” and was not a Russian wish list.
“It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations,” Rubio wrote on X. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”
And Rounds tried to aid in the walkback with a vaguely-worded X post of his own.
“I appreciate Secretary Rubio briefing us earlier today on their efforts to bring about peace by relying on input from both Russia and Ukraine to arrive at a final deal,” Rounds wrote.
House Republican Don Bacon (NE) exploded over the chaotic events surrounding the peace plan.
“Some people better get fired on Monday for the gross buffoonery we just witnessed over the last four days,” Bacon wrote on X. “This hurt our country and undermined our alliances, and encouraged our adversaries.
And that reaction was echoed by many observers across the political spectrum. Here’s a sampling:
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