Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., told Newsmax on Friday that President Joe Biden's language invoking nuclear "Armageddon" over the Russian invasion of Ukraine could be a donor ploy.
Carter's suggestion on "Prime News" comes after Biden claimed at a fundraising event on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "not joking when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons" in Ukraine.
"We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis," the president also said at the event.
However, a day later, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre walked back the comments, stating that the U.S.'s nuclear posture is unadjusted and there is no indication that Russia "is preparing to imminently use nuclear weapons."
Carter isn't buying it: "One of two things [is] happening here: Either he is lying through his press secretary when she says, 'No, we're not close to an Armageddon; we're not close to nuclear war,' or he's trying to use the threat of Russia ... for fundraising. Either way, it's wrong."
The Georgia congressman also said ongoing House briefings on the Ukraine crisis have been insufficient insofar as letting him and his colleagues know if Russia is in any position to use nuclear weapons.
"The information we got is that Ukraine would've never been able to put up a fight like they've put up," he pointed out. "I am glad that they have — and we need them to do that. We need to make sure Putin is not successful.
"We need to make sure that Ukraine stays the course, that Putin is not successful here. We know what's going on. We know that China is watching this. We know that North Korea, we know that Iran, they're all watching this," he added.
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