“Johnson received a key intelligence briefing from [CIA Director], who painted a picture of the dire situation on the battlefield in Ukraine and the global consequences of inaction, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation. The briefing left a lasting impression, and Johnson became increasingly convinced the fate of Western democracy was on his shoulders, sources close to him said.” https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/21/politics/ukraine-aid-mike-johnson-house-speaker-israel-taiwan
@randahl@DeeGLloyd@gtconway3 Remarkable change of heart for a man who until this point has never given a hoot about Ukraine or facts in general. Count me skeptical. This could just as easily be part of a deal where Johnson got the choice between being portrayed as the hero or being humiliated by losing the House.
@randahl@DeeGLloyd@gtconway3 True. One kind of pressure can lead to one thinking that maybe there is something worth considering about the other side’s arguments.
I think Jake Broe has a good take on it. https://youtu.be/1su7ZvUFJGI. According to him, it wasn’t Mike Johnson but Donald Trump who changed his mind. (I didn’t know before that it was Jake making the thumbs up memes. 😊)
@anderspuck@randahl@DeeGLloyd@gtconway3 Yes, and what Jake said is that Trump essentially got bored of the topic (of Ukraine) and therefore relented. I think that fits perfectly with Trump’s personality.
I really hope the Americans can get rid of that dangerous individual soon.
@amayer I wonder what UK foreign minister Cameron's visit was really about, and if the pressure he put on Trump played a role in getting Trump to finally shut up about Ukraine.
It does seem odd for the UK to house Trump’s businesses while Trump at the same time is undermining British security strategies.
@randahl@amayer@DeeGLloyd@gtconway3 I have thought about Cameron’s visit too. I’m not sure there have been threats involved, but I do think Jake might have a point that Trump is annoyed that the only thing anybody wants to talk with him about is Ukraine.
IMO the change of mind of Johnson was none. Trump's entanglements and the Iranian attacks gave him an opportunity to make moves against Trump (aid for Ukraine) and Biden (splitting of the bill; Biden was opposed against a standalone aid package).
@t_mkdf@anderspuck@randahl@DeeGLloyd I’m a bit confused. Maybe Biden was opposed to splitting the bill, but since all aid bills passed, I don’t see how that was a defeat for Biden (or some kind of win for Johnson).
@t_mkdf@amayer@randahl@DeeGLloyd I don’t think Biden cared about splitting it up at this point. It was something they cared about before when there was a fear that the House could pass aid for Israel and not Ukraine. There was a small victory in the loan part of the bill, but I think frankly no one cares about that either.
The aid was stalled for so long and it wasn't clear that anything might pass prior to November. Biden simply wasn't in a position to object to the procedure anymore.
@t_mkdf@amayer@randahl@DeeGLloyd I genuinely don’t think he cared about splitting up the bill at this point. The situation he wanted to avoid was having to veto a bill on aid to Israel.
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