Charlotte – A bombshell story printed in today’s News & Observer and Charlotte Observer detailed Congressman Ted Budd’s history of “friendly toward Russia” votes, one day after he was roundly criticized for refusing to condemn Vladimir Putin as he launches a deadly invasion of Ukraine. In the story, Budd wouldn’t dispute a description of Putin as a genius.
The report shows that as a member of Congress, Budd consistently voted against Russian sanctions on multiple occasions, even despite overwhelmingly bipartisan support for the bills:
- “In the past, Budd’s votes in Congress have been friendly toward Russia. He has voted against Russian energy sanctions and a bill that called on the G7 to ban Russia from its summits until it respects the territorial lines of Ukraine.”
“Congressman Budd’s latest failure to stand up to Vladimir Putin should come as no surprise given his ‘friendly toward Russia’ voting record,” said former Gov. Pat McCrory. “Putin is a murderous, evil dictator bent on reinstating what President Reagan called the ‘Evil Empire,’ and Budd’s continued refusal to condemn praises for Putin makes it clear that he cannot represent the Republican Party in this US Senate race. We already have a president that is too weak to stand up to Russia with sanctions that would have prevented this invasion, we don’t need a Senator who will follow suit.”
Budd also refused to show up for votes on legislation that provided hard-hitting Russian sanctions and supported Ukrainian energy independence (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), as well as on a bill providing for a tough NATO response to Russia (NATO Support Act).
“There’s not only a pro-Putin pattern with Congressman Budd, but there is a deeply troubling pattern of not showing up,” said McCrory. “He doesn’t show up for debates, interviews, or tough questions. And he won’t show up to do something as simple as vote against Russia. It’s disgraceful and is not in line with what we need from a US Senate candidate from North Carolina.”
