'Total weakness': Expert reveals how Mike Pompeo's praise of Putin is playing in Russia
Trump-era Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has received kind coverage from Russia state TV for praising Russia strongman Vladimir Putin, CNN reported Wednesday.
CNN's Brianna Keilar played clips of Pompeo complimenting Putin as a "talented statesman" who should be respected, calling him "very shrewd, very capable."
CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter noted Fox News personality Tucker Carlson has been pushing "this pro-Putin narrative and he's not the only one on Fox doing it. He's the most prominent, but we have seen it seep out throughout the right-wing media and to the likes of Mike Pompeo.
Keilar and co-host John Berman interviewed Daily Beast columnist Julia Davis, who monitors Russia state media.
"It has been a really shocking to watch the joy and glee with which Russian state television celebrated the prospect of an escalation with Ukraine, which even before this has gotten to this point they have always acknowledged that if Putin were to recognize the independence of these so-called republics, that would mean war against Ukraine," she explained. "And to watch them celebrating, demanding Champagne in the studio, there was so much laughter and clapping, it was very sinister and hard to watch."
Davis reported Russia state media is "thrilled" with Pompeo's statements.
"They replay them ad nauseam and to them it is a sign of total weakness, that even Americans are not united, and to them that proves that they don't know for sure that Russia is doing anything wrong and look at these major figures, the former head of the CIA, the former president, Tucker Carlson — who they praise and refer to as practically their co-host — to them that means that they're winning the information war in the United States as well," she explained.
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