Video: At NATO Meeting in Copenhagen, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) Says He’s Hearing “Horror at the attacks in Israel,” “Resolve in our support for Ukraine,” “Worry about political instability in the U.S.”

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) reports in from Copenhagen, whree he’s “representing the US at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.” According to Rep. Connolly:

“Overwhelmingly, I’m hearing 3 things: 1. Horror at the attacks in Israel 2. Resolve in our support for Ukraine 3. Worry about political instability in the United States”

All of which are fully justified, of course. Other than that, Rep. Connolly had a few other interesting things to say.

• Congress needs to help Israel by “resupplying [it] with artillery, with munitions, with the capability of restoring Iron Dome to protect Israel proper, intelligence, surveillance…whatever Israel needs.”
• Connolly called the current, “leadership situation” in the U.S. House “very dangerous at any point…particularly dangerous right now. The United States has to be able to respond to the situation in Ukraine and to the situation unfolding in Israel, and we need to be able to do that with alacrity, we need to do it massively, and we can’t be spending our time in internal squabbles at a moment of such criticality.”
• According to Rep. Connolly, the reactions from other leaders are: 1) “near unanimity about the need for the NATO alliance, including the United States, to be stalwart in standing with Ukraine in its fight against Russia”; 2) “horror at the unfolding events in Israel and swift action to condemn it universally here…and to offer assistance of any kind to our ally and partner, Israel”; 3) “an undercurrent of deep worry about the United States – what is going on in our polity, are we in fact unstable ourselves, are we able to continue to lead and respond in functional and meaningful ways.”
• “Trying to resolve the situation with the Speaker’s seat is a key piece of that, but the unfolding politics in America, where loud voices objecting for example to aid to Ukraine really unsettle our allies.”
• On many Republicans blaming Hamas’ terrorist attacks “on U.S. aid to Iran,” Rep. Connolly said it’s “nonsense – not a penny of the $6 billion set aside and delivered to a third country for humanitarian has in fact been distributed, not one dime…and it’s not at all clear what role Iran has played…but that’s not to say that Iran’s hands are clean…they’re bloody, they’ve created enormous destabilization in the region…and the statements coming out of Tehran by religious leadership  are reprehensible with respect to the slaughter and barbarity on Israeli soil, and for that matter the deaths that are occurring in Gaza as a consequence…Iran has much to answer for…”
• “There’s no question that the instability in Washington  doesn’t make things helpful, and Republicans really ought to be looking at themselves. It’s a Republican Senator, Tommy Tuberville, who has prevented over 300 military appointments from going forward in the U.S. Senate.  It’s a Republican Senator, Ted Cruz, who is one of the reasons we don’t have an ambassador in Israel right now. It’s Republican intransigence that prevented the free flow of continued aid to Ukraine at a critical moment in their battle…Ukrainians are fighting and dying.”

I’m in Copenhagen representing the US at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Overwhelmingly, I’m hearing 3 things:

1. Horror at the attacks in Israel
2. Resolve in our support for Ukraine
3. Worry about political instability in the United States pic.twitter.com/LDYyyIggHi

— Rep. Gerry Connolly (@GerryConnolly) October 9, 2023