(UI: Unidentified individual)
UI: Kevin had the Ukrainian prime minister this morning.
Ryan: Oh, so did I. I just left him in the health care… [unintelligible].
UI: Okay.
Ryan: This guy’s a good guy.
[Crosstalk]
Ryan: This guy’s a pretty good guy.
Rodgers: Is this the guy who’s been there a while?
Ryan: No, he’s new. He was the speaker of the [unintelligible].
Rodgers: Their other prime minister got kicked out, right?
Ryan: Right. This guy’s like the anti-corruption guy. This guy’s there because he’s the anti-corruption guy.He was the speaker…
Rodgers: Okay.
Ryan: And he’s the one who was working on the amendments to the constitution [unintelligible]…independent judiciary.
Rodgers: Okay.
Ryan: They got that in now…[unintelligible]…and he’s passing…and he’s passing all these anti-corruption laws.
Rodgers: How are things going in Ukraine?
Ryan: What’s that?
Rodgers: How are things going in Ukraine?
Ryan: Well, the Russians are bombing them 30-40…um, um…shells a day and the people. Crimea is gone. And, they’re trying to clean up their government to show that they want to be western. So they’re trying to prove to the western world that they want to be western, or westernizing, so they can get support to get their country back. They’re [unintelligible]. Everybody talks a good game on what they’re doing, but he’s passed all these anti-corruption laws. The question is are they, like, executing…[unintelligible]…I think by the summer they’ll have it all done.
Rodgers: Did he talk about their economy?
Ryan: Yeah, this is about getting actual growth and not graft growth, so…no, it’s not good, but…
Rodgers: I went there a year ago. It was like wow. These people are living…they’re on the front lines. They’re fighting for their freedom…it’s, uh…their independence.
Ryan: He basically…He has this really interesting riff about… people have said that they have Ukraine fatigue, and it’s really Russian fatigue because what Russia is doing is doing to us, financing our populists, financing people in our governments to undo our governments, you know, messing with our oil and gas energy, all the things Russia does to basically blow up our country, they’re just going to roll right through us and go to the Baltics and everyone else.
Rodgers: Yes!
Ryan: So we should not have Ukraine fatigue, we should have Russian fatigue.
Rodgers: Yes! The propaganda…my big takeaway from that trip was just how sophisticated the propaganda…
Ryan: It’s very sophisticated.
Rodgers:…coming out of Russia and Putin.
Ryan: Very sophisticated.
[Crosstalk]
Rodgers: Not just in Ukraine. They were once funding the NGOs in Europe. They attacked fracking.
Ryan: Correct.
Rodgers: Russia TV. I was not…you know…I hadn’t tuned into Russia TV until that trip. It’s, it’s frightening.
Ryan: So he’s saying they’re doing this throughout Europe. So, uh…
[Unintelligible]
Ryan: This is,this isn’t just about Ukraine.
Rodgers: So, yeah, it is a, um…[unintelligible]…a way…it’s really a messaging…you know…they are…it’s a propaganda war.
Ryan: Russia is trying to turn Ukraine against itself.
Rodgers: Yes. And that’s…it’s sophisticated and it’s, uh…
Ryan: Maniacal.
Rodgers: Yes.
Ryan: And guess…guess who’s the only one taking a strong stand up against it? We are.
Rodgers: We’re not…we’re not…but, we’re not…
McCarthy: [unintelligible]…I’ll GUARANTEE you that’s what it is.[Unintelligible]
McCarthy: The Russians hacked the DNC and got the opp research that they had on Trump.
McCarthy: laughs
[Crosstalk]
Ryan: The Russian’s hacked the DNC…
McHenry: …to get oppo…
Ryan: …on Trump and like delivered it to…to who?
[Unintelligible]
McCarthy: There’s…there’s two people, I think, Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump…[laughter]…swear to God.
Ryan: This is an off the record…[laughter]…NO LEAKS…[laughter]…alright?!
[Laughter]
Ryan: This is how we know we’re a real family here.
Scalise: That’s how you know that we’re tight.
[Laughter]
Ryan: What’s said in the family stays in the family.