Joe Biden said that he was “both not surprised and outraged” by the reported death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny in prison, blaming it on Vladimir Putin.
The news networks broke away from coverage of the Fani Willis hearing in Georgia — which today featured her father on the witness stand — to carry the president’s remarks.
“Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” Biden said in the Roosevelt Room.
Biden then paid tribute to Navalny, noting that he returned to Russia even after attempts to poison him.
Biden also blasted former President Donald Trump for stating last weekend that, if he returns to the White House, he may not come to the defense of NATO allies if they have not paid up.
“He said if an ally did not pay their dues, he encouraged Russia to ‘do whatever they hell they want,’” Biden said.
The president then paused, before telling the press pool, “I guess I should clear my mind a little bit and not say what I’m really thinking. But let me be clear, this is an outrageous thing for a president to say. I cannot fathom — from Truman on, they are all rolling over in their graves hearing this.”
The president also called on the House to pass an aid package to Ukraine. A $95 billion national security supplemental passed the Senate earlier this week, with money for additional support to Ukraine, as well as aid to Israel and Taiwan. Even though the bill passed with bipartisan support, House Speaker Mike Johnson has been resistant to immediately bringing it to the floor.
“The failure to support Ukraine will not be forgotten,” Biden said.
Later, in talking to reporters, Biden showed a flash of anger as he noted that the House has taken “a two-week vacation.”
Biden said, “Two weeks — walking away. Two weeks. What are they thinking. My God, this is bizarre, and it is just reinforcing all of the concern and almost, I won’t say panic, but real concern about the United States being a reliable ally. This is outrageous.”
