Many U.S. House Republicans have been claiming that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. They’ve made these claims despite being debunked by the American intelligence community. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) has been pushing for U.S. aid for Ukraine since 2014 and said he isn’t convinced that Ukraine was involved.
“I believe that Russia meddled in a significant way in the election, and we shouldn’t let them off the hook. In other words, that’s where the big problem was.”
Portman is co-chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus and has worked with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to help Ukraine separate itself from Russia. He believes Ukraine is serious about embracing democracy and would not have interfered with the election.