Secretary of State Mike Pompeo subtly dropped a new conspiracy theory on Fox News Wednesday night, implying that the Obama administration held back from giving weapons to Ukraine because of Hunter Biden.
“I couldn’t answer if it’s because of Hunter Biden, that Barack Obama and Vice President Biden didn’t give weapons to Ukraine, they will have to answer for that,” he told Fox News host Martha MacCallum, who did not question the bizarre claim.
Pompeo weaves new Hunter Biden conspiracy theory from Trump talking point pic.twitter.com/Pk6l4FZqyU
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) October 31, 2019
First of all, it’s unclear what kind of connection he’s trying to fabricate between Hunter Biden and the weapons. Biden’s only connection to Ukraine was serving on the board of a company there.
It is clear where Pompeo got the inspiration for the smear, however. President Donald Trump has actually been echoing an old John McCain talking point lately, saying that while the Trump administration gave Ukraine weapons, the Obama White House only provided “pillows and sheets.”
As seen in a helpful fact check by CNN, the U.S. had earmarked more than $120 million in security assistance to Ukraine (which included armored Humvees) with an additional $75 million slated for equipment like UAVs and night vision devices by March 2015.
The Obama administration did not provide lethal aid to Ukraine, something which the Trump administration later did (after it unfroze the military funds held back in exchange for President Volodymyr Zelensky manufacturing a Biden scandal).
