{"id":173071,"date":"2024-02-16T13:50:11","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T21:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=173071"},"modified":"2024-02-16T13:50:11","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T21:50:11","slug":"president-biden-on-the-reported-death-of-aleksey-navalny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=173071","title":{"rendered":"President Biden on the Reported Death of Aleksey Navalny"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Good afternoon.  I \u2014 I\u2019m heading off to East Palestine in \u2014 in a moment, but I wanted to say a few things this morning about Aleksey Navalny.  You know, like millions of people around the world, I am literally both not surprised and outraged by the news \u2014 the reported death of Aleksey Navalny.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cvqMXRooFCo\" title=\"President Biden Delivers Remarks on the Reported Death of Aleksey Navalny\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>He bravely stood up to the corruption, the violence, and the \u2014 the \u2014 all the \u2014 all the bad things that the Putin government was doing. <\/p>\n<p>In response, Putin had him poisoned.  He had him arrested.  He had him prosecuted for fabricated crimes.  He sentenced him to prison.  He was held in isolation.  Even all that didn\u2019t stop him from calling out Putin\u2019s lies.  Even in prison, he was a powerful voice of the truth, which is kind of amazing when you think about it.<\/p>\n<p>And he could have lived safely in exile after the assassination attempt on him in 2020 \u2014 which nearly killed him, I might add.  And \u2014 but he \u2014 he was traveling outside the country at the time.  Instead, he returned to Russia.  He returned to Russia knowing he\u2019d likely be imprisoned or even killed if he continued his work.  But he did it anyway, because he believed so deeply in his country \u2014 in Russia.  <\/p>\n<p>Reports of his death, if they\u2019re true \u2014 and I have no reason to believe they\u2019re not \u2014 Russian authorities are going to tell their own story.  But make no mistake \u2014 make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny\u2019s death.  Putin is responsible.  <\/p>\n<p>What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin\u2019s brutality.  No one should be fooled \u2014 not in Russia, not at home, not anywhere in the world.  Putin does not only target his [the] citizens of other countries, as we\u2019ve seen what\u2019s going on in Ukraine right now, he also inflicts terrible crimes on his own people. <\/p>\n<p>And as people across Russia and around the world are mourning Navalny today because he was so many things that Putin was not: He was brave.  He was principled.  He was dedicated to building a Russia where the rule of law existed and of \u2014 where it applied to everybody.  Navalny believed in that Russia \u2014 that Russia.  He knew it was a cause worth fighting for and, obviously, even dying for.  <\/p>\n<p>This tragedy reminds us of the stakes of this moment.  We have to provide the funding so Ukraine can keep defending itself against Putin\u2019s vicious onslaughts and war crimes. <\/p>\n<p>You know, there was a bipartisan Senate vote that passed overwhelmingly in the United States Senate to fund Ukraine. <\/p>\n<p>Now, as I\u2019ve said before, and I mean this in the literal sense: History is watching.  History is watching the House of Representatives.  The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten.  It\u2019s going to go down in the pages of history.  It really is.  It\u2019s consequential.<\/p>\n<p>And the clock is ticking.  And this has to happen.  We have to help now.  You know, we have to realize what we\u2019re dealing with with Putin. <\/p>\n<p>All of us should reject the dangerous statements made by the previous president that invited Russia to invade our NATO Allies if they weren\u2019t paying up.  He said if an Ally did not pay their dues, he\u2019d encourage Russia to, quote, \u201cDo whatever the hell they want.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>I \u2014 let me \u2014 I guess I should clear my mind here a little bit and not say what I\u2019m really thinking. <\/p>\n<p>But let me be clear: This is an outrageous thing for a president to say.  I can\u2019t fathom.  I can\u2019t fathom.  From Truman on, they\u2019re rolling over in their graves hearing this.<\/p>\n<p>As long as I\u2019m President, America stands by our sacred commitment to our NATO Allies as they have stood by their commitments to us repeatedly. <\/p>\n<p>Putin and the whole world should know: If any adversary were to attack us, our NATO Allies would back us.  And if Putin were to attack a NATO Ally, the United States will defend every inch of NATO territory.  Now is the time for even greater unity among our NATO Allies to stand up to the threat that Putin\u2019s Russia poses.<\/p>\n<p>You know, I send my deepest condolences to Aleksey\u2019s staff and supporters who are going to continue his work despite this loss, despite all of Putin\u2019s desperate attempts to stamp out the opposition. <\/p>\n<p>And most of all, to his family, especially to his wife, his daughter, and his son, who have already sacrificed so much for their family and a shared dream for a better future for Russia. <\/p>\n<p>So, I just want to say God bless Aleksey Navalny.  His courage will not be forgotten.  And I\u2019m sure it will not be the only courage we see coming out of Russia in the near term. <\/p>\n<p>Thank you.  I\u2019ll be happy to take a couple questions.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Sir, first, was this an assassination?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  The answer is, I \u2014 we don\u2019t know exactly what happened, but there is no doubt that the death of Navalny was a consequence of something that Putin and his \u2014 and his thugs did. <\/p>\n<p>Q    And to be clear, you warned Vladimir Putin when you were in Geneva of \u201cdevastating\u201d consequences if Navalny died in Russian custody.  What consequences should he and Russia face?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  That was three years ago.  In the meantime, they faced a hell of a lot of consequences.  They\u2019ve lost and\/or had wounded over 350,000 Russian soldiers.  They\u2019ve made it into a position where they\u2019ve been subjected to great sanctions across the board.  And we\u2019re contemplating what else could be done. <\/p>\n<p>But the \u2014 the \u2014 what we were talking about at the time there were no actions being taken against Russia.  And that \u2014 look at all that\u2019s transpired since then.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Can you say whether you\u2019re \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    How do you think this \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q    \u2014 whether you\u2019re looking at increasing sanctions on Russia right now?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  We\u2019re looking at a whole number of options.  That\u2019s all I\u2019ll say right now.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Is there anything you can do to get ammunition to the Ukrainians without the supplemental from Congress?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  No, but it\u2019s about time they step up \u2014 don\u2019t you think? \u2014 instead of going on a two-week vacation.  Two weeks they\u2019re walking away.  Two weeks.  What are they thinking?  My God, this is bizarre. <\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s just reinforcing all the concern and \u2014 and almost \u2014 I won\u2019t say \u201cpanic,\u201d but real concern about the United States being a reliable ally.  This is outrageous. <\/p>\n<p>Q    Are you more confident now that you\u2019ll get the Ukraine aid given what\u2019s happened today?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I hope to God it helps.  But I mean, the idea we need anything more to get the Ukraine aid \u2014 I mean, \u2014 I mean, this is \u2014 in light of a former president\u2019s statement that \u2014 saying Russia, if \u2014 if they haven\u2019t paid their dues to us, go get them. <\/p>\n<p>Come on.  What are these guys doing?  What are they doing?<\/p>\n<p>Q    Sir, how concerned are you about the anti-satellite capability that Russia is developing?  And what is your administration planning to do in response?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  First of all, there is no nuclear threat to the people of America or anywhere else in the world with what Russia is doing at the moment.  Number one.<\/p>\n<p>Number two, anything that they\u2019re doing and\/or they will do relates to satellites and space and damaging those satellites, potentially. <\/p>\n<p>Number three, I \u2014 there is no evidence that they have made a decision to go forward with doing anything in space either.  So, what we found out: There was a capacity to launch a system into space that could theoretically do something that was damaging.  Hadn\u2019t happened yet.  And my expect- \u2014 I \u2014 my hope is it will not. <\/p>\n<p>Q    Mr. President, just quickly \u2014<\/p>\n<p>AIDE:  Thank you all.  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>(Cross-talk.) <\/p>\n<p>Q    Quickly, Mr. President, have \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  I\u2019ll \u2014 I\u2019ll take one more.<\/p>\n<p>Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  Switching gears for a moment.  Have the Israelis presented a credible evacuation plan for the nearly 1.5 million displaced Palestinians sheltering in Rafah?  And what would the consequences be for Israel if they move ahead with a full-scale ground invasion without clear measures to protect civilians there?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, first of all, I\u2019ve had extensive conversations with the Prime Minister of Israel over the last several days \u2014 almost an hour each.  And I\u2019ve made the case \u2014 and I feel very strongly about it \u2014 that there has to be a \u2014 a<br \/>\ntemporary ceasefire to get the prisoners out, to get the hostages out.  And that is underway.  I\u2019m still hopeful that that can be done. <\/p>\n<p>And in the meantime, I don\u2019t anticipate \u2014 I\u2019m hoping that that you \u2014 that the Israelis will not make any massive land invasion in the meantime.  So, it\u2019s my expectation that\u2019s not going to happen. <\/p>\n<p>There has to be a ceasefire temporarily to get those hostages \u2014 and, by the way, there are \u2014 we\u2019re in a situation where there are American hostages, American citizens that are being held hostage.  It\u2019s not just \u2014 not just Israelis; it\u2019s American hostages as well. <\/p>\n<p>And, you know, my hope and expectation is that we\u2019ll get this hostage deal.  We\u2019ll bring the Americans home.  And the deal is been negotiated now, and we\u2019re going to see where it takes us.<\/p>\n<p>(Cross-talk.)<\/p>\n<p>Q    An FBI \u2014 an FBI informant \u2014 an FBI informant at the center of the impeachment inquiry into you has been indicted for allegedly lying.  Your reaction to that, and should the inquiry be dropped?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  He is lying, and it should be dropped.  And it\u2019s just been a \u2014 it\u2019s been an outrageous effort from the beginning.  What he did \u2014<\/p>\n<p>(Cross-talk.) <\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  No, I\u2019m serious.<\/p>\n<p>(Cross-talk.) <\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you, all. <\/p>\n<p>See you in Ohio. <\/p>\n<p>12:47 P.M. EST<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230;Good afternoon. I \u2014 I\u2019m heading off to East Palestine in \u2014 in a moment, but I wanted to say a few things this morning about Aleksey Navalny. You know, like millions of people around the world, I am literally both not surprised and outraged by the news \u2014 the reported death of Aleksey [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":173072,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-173071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-government","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Fullscreen-capture-2162024-14903-PM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=173071"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173073,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173071\/revisions\/173073"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/173072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=173071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=173071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=173071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}