Durbin Reminds David Gregory That NBC Covered Putin’s Olympic ‘Charm Offensive’

Sen. Durbin Reminds Gregory His Network Covered Putin’s Olympic ‘Charm Offensive’ (Mediaite)

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) reminded Meet the Press host David Gregory Sunday morning that NBC had covered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Olympic games in Sochi, a “charm offensive” that turned out to be a prelude to Putin’s invasion of the Crimean peninsula.

The comment came in response to Gregory’s question about whether the U.N.’s critique of the United States’ human rights record (drones, NSA surveillance, etc.) made it difficult to maintain leverage when dealing with Russia.

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“This is the single most serious act of aggression since the Cold War,” Durbin said. “[Putin] ended the final ceremony at the Sochi Olympics — which your network covered, by the way — trying to make it a charm offensive for the world, that this is a modern Russian nation. And within hours invading one of his neighbors, sending the same troops protecting the athletes at Sochi into the Crimea.”

“Now, are we going to stand by and say this is acceptable conduct?” Durbin continued. “Because this isn’t the end of his ambition.”