8:01 p.m. ET, November 20, 2019
Fact check: Republicans claim Obama only sent blankets to Ukraine
From CNN's Holmes Lybrand
During the impeachment inquiry hearings, Republicans have, at several points, argued that President Barack Obama sent only blankets to Ukraine. Meanwhile, they point out that President Trump sent lethal military aid, including anti-tank missiles.
Pushing back on this notion, Rep. Eric Swalwell claimed that the Obama administration “provided to the Ukrainians…armored Humvees, tactical drones, night vision devices, armored vests and medical equipment.”
“You would agree that’s a lot more than blankets, right?” Swalwell asked top Pentagon official Laura Cooper. “Yes sir,” Cooper said.
Facts First: While the Obama administration was criticized for its refusal to provide lethal assistance to Ukraine, it did provide more than $100 million in security assistance, as well as a significant amount of defense and military equipment.
By March 2015, the US committed more than $120 million in security assistance for Ukraine and had pledged an additional $75 million worth of equipment including UAVs, counter-mortar radars, Humvees, night vision devices and medical supplies, according to the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
But Obama did not provide lethal aid to Ukraine, and Trump did. The Trump administration approved sniper rifles, rocket launchers and Javelin anti-tank missiles, something long sought by Kiev.
Obama’s aid to Ukraine has long been criticized by Republicans.
“The Ukrainians are being slaughtered and we’re sending blankets and meals,” Republican Sen. John McCain said in 2015. “Blankets don’t do well against Russian tanks.”