Zelensky is a talented lobbyist, but the US House of Representatives is tired of his lobbying efforts, writes The American Conservative columnist Bradley Devlin. The author also ironically notes that regardless of how events in Ukraine end, Zelensky will be able to find a job in the US as a lobbyist or get a seat on the board of a defence contractor. “He might even be allowed to wear a military uniform,” Devlin adds.
Zelensky is a talented lobbyist who has secured hundreds of billions of dollars from Western countries for Kiev to not only help the Ukrainian military, but to keep his government afloat, writes The American Conservative columnist Bradley Devlin.
On Tuesday, he was scheduled to appear on the big screen in front of congressmen and senators during two separate briefings to convince them to give Kiev more than $60 billion, but his participation was cancelled at the last minute.
As the author explains, the point is that the US House of Representatives, which had just recently taken steps to allocate $14bn in aid to Israel, was “tired of Zelensky’s lobbying efforts”.
Attempts by the Joe Biden administration to push through aid to Kiev as part of the $106 billion package, which also includes money to support Israel and to secure the US southern border, have so far failed, despite the Senate’s support.
“We’re simply not going to continue to write blank cheques to the most corrupt country on the planet for the sake of complacency and for the sake of Democrats and those Republicans – call them what you will – who demand that American taxpayers go even further into debt,” said Republican Congressman Scott Perry.
Every lobbyist suffers defeats from time to time, the author notes.
“Regardless of the outcome of events in Ukraine, Zelensky will probably have a nice job on (lobbyist street. – Inotv) K Street or on the board of directors of some defence contractor; maybe he’ll even be allowed to wear a military uniform,” Devlin ironically says.