BIDEN: War Imminent

Today on Sekulow, President Biden predicts an imminent invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Keeping you informed and engaged, now more than ever, this is Sekulow. What's the threat of a Russian invasion right now? It's very high.

Why? It's very high because they have not moved any of their troops out. They've moved more troops in. Number one, number two, we have reason to believe that they are engaged in a false flag operation. They have an excuse to go in. Every indication we have is they're prepared to go into Ukraine, attack Ukraine.

Number one. Number two, I've been waiting for a response from Putin for my letter that my response to him has come to Moscow embassy. They're faxing it here.

Not faxing it, they're intending it here. I have not read it yet. I cannot comment on it. We want to hear from you.

Share and post your comments or call 1-800-684-3110. Your sense of this is going to happen. Yes, my sense of this will happen in the next several days.

And now your host, Jordan Sekulow. You heard right there President Biden predicting that there will be an invasion of Ukraine by Russia in the next several days. Now, remember earlier this week we were told that, you know, it could be midweek this week.

That time passed. We were in New York yesterday. We're working on a project we're not ready to announce yet, but to expand our work at the UN, especially when it comes to these issues that are outside of just human rights but also national security and the Security Council and security of the United States. And yet while we were there in New York yesterday working on that for the ACLJ, the Secretary of State Tony Blinken is making an emergency trip to New York to address the Security Council meeting in a special session about the situation in Ukraine before he made his trip to Europe, to the OSCE.

So he's, again, there is a lot of movement going on. There are more U.S. troops have been sent over to Hungary. So they're kind of in the NATO countries, U.S. troops.

There's been a buildup there. What we're being told is that those troops are sent over for purposes of if there's a mass influx of people across the border. So if Ukraine becomes a place where people need to flee, that we will have to have these troops. Now, what I don't love about that is it puts our troops in a similar situation in Afghanistan. So while we might not be putting them in the war zone, we're treating our troops as humanitarian actors instead of the killers that they really are trained to be. It's very similar actually to what we see at our border, where the border agents have become social workers trying to handle kids and families. So I already see how this can become a disaster for our military, not because they've done anything wrong, because they're put in a situation they're really not trained to do that job. They are not, as we were talking about earlier, Dad, they're not U.S. aid. They're not social workers.

And their job that they are trained is to kill for the United States and defend the United States of America. So it's interesting. So the President is going to be speaking to transatlantic partners tomorrow on a phone call. He's going to be possibly, I think, addressing the United States, us, this afternoon, again.

Vice President Harris is in Germany for the Munich Conference. This is all happening simultaneously. We were in New York yesterday.

And it's interesting. We were in New York yesterday exploring ways in which we can increase our influence on a whole host of issues, including global security and how that impacts it. The difficulty here is Russia is mounted, our reports indicate 190,000 troops on the border. Belarus, and we're going to get into this later in the broadcast, which was a Soviet satellite, and it's still operating as a Soviet satellite, basically, is the ally. Putin was there yesterday.

They're doing war games, I think, yesterday and today. That's all going on simultaneously. So and another thing, has Putin already accomplished half of his goal, which was destabilizing NATO?

And would we send, I want your opinion on this, would you want to send American troops, as President Biden's doing right now, to Poland, to other NATO countries? Thousands are going to engage in this. What are your thoughts on that?

1-800-6-8-4-3-1-1-0, 800-6-8-4-3-1-10. Rick Grenell, our Senior Advisor on Global Affairs, coming up in the next segment. That's right, so share this broadcast with your friends and family and support the work of the ACLJ and ACLJ.org.

That's ACLJ.org. And again, we're highly engaged in this. We've got, coming up next with us, joining us live, Rick Grenell, who served as the Acting Director of National Intelligence. And a lot of this predicting game is based off intel. It's based off, you know, you can see the troops, but also what is their decision points.

Be right back. The challenges facing Americans are substantial. At a time when our values, our freedoms, our constitutional rights are under attack, it's more important than ever to stand with the American Center for Law and Justice. For decades now, the ACLJ has been on the front lines, protecting your freedoms, defending your rights, in courts, in Congress, and in the public arena. And we have an exceptional track record of success.

But here's the bottom line. We could not do our work without your support. We remain committed to protecting your religious and constitutional freedoms. That remains our top priority, especially now during these challenging times. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side.

If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at ACLJ.org, where you can learn more about our life changing work. Become a member today, ACLJ.org.

Only when a society can agree that the most vulnerable and voiceless deserve to be protected, is there any hope for that culture to survive. And that's exactly what you are saying when you stand with the American Center for Law and Justice to defend the right to life. We've created a free, powerful publication offering a panoramic view of the ACLJ's battle for the unborn.

It's called Mission Life. It will show you how you are personally impacting the pro-life battle through your support. And the publication includes a look at all major ACLJ pro-life cases, how we're fighting for the rights of pro-life activists, the ramifications of Roe v. Wade 40 years later, play on parenthood's role in the abortion industry, and what Obamacare means to the pro-life movement. Discover the many ways your membership with the ACLJ is empowering the right to life. Request your free copy of Mission Life today online at ACLJ.org slash gift.

All right, welcome back to Secular. We're joined now by our Senior Counsel for Global Affairs, the former Acting Director of National Intelligence and Ambassador to Germany, Rick Renell. Rick, I mean, we have been back and forth with this now for weeks. We had President Biden again predict that the invasion is imminent.

Now he's predicting in a matter of days. First, we thought there might have been, Russia was claiming they were moving troops away. The US is saying, no, they're actually adding troops. We're sending more troops to NATO-allied countries. As it stands today, we sent the Vice President over to Europe for the Munich Conference, but they actually increased the size of that because of this problem. We've got our Secretary of State over there as well.

He made an emergency visit to the Security Council yesterday. Are we on the brink of seeing a full-scale war in Europe? Well, that's exactly what the administration keeps telling us. They keep saying that bloody war is around the corner. I have to say that if you really believe that a bloody war is around the corner, then you should be putting sanctions of all types to avoid the war. And we have yet to see Nord Stream 2 sanctions or swift banking sanctions. There's a whole bunch you can do peacefully through diplomacy, through tough diplomacy, rather than just talk and wave the flag of war. You know, Rick, one of the things I thought about here, and it's just interesting you said that, is because if, in fact, the President is correct and his advisors are correct that this is an imminent military engagement in Europe, basically, in Russia, Ukraine, and, you know, and then you've got the surrounding countries, you would think these crippling sanctions would have been put into effect. He's not even really... He's saying, if they go in, we will put in crippling sanctions.

He could... He's allowing Putin to wave the... rattle the saber. And our response is, I haven't read the letter yet. I mean, this is what's going on right now. Let's even take it a little step further, Jay, because the reality is, is what Joe Biden is saying is, I need to see blood in Ukraine before we're going to put sanctions on. He's saying, if you go in and start a war, then we'll do sanctions.

What have we come to? I am of the nature that we should have diplomats doing everything we can to avoid war. Why are we just defaulting to the Pentagon and troops on the ground in Europe? Why are we not allowing the State Department and others to peacefully put a squeeze on the Russians? The Russians have a pipeline of influence and money. That money, through the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, is paying for all of this offensive measures that are happening in Ukraine. You want to stop the offensive measures? You want to stop the Russians and Putin from bullying Ukraine? Put sanctions on the pipeline.

What are we waiting for? You are the ambassador to Germany for the United States. The Germans are, of course, notably silent in a lot of this.

How does that play into this whole situation? I think that what President Trump did to try to get the Germans to pay their fair share of 2% of their GDP towards NATO and military equipment and issues was the right approach. We certainly were successful in some ways. We got the Germans to increase.

They're roughly at 1.5% right now. That's not enough. They are undermining NATO. You want to talk about making NATO irrelevant, allow members to continue to ignore the 2% obligation and undercut it. Look, I'm at the point where I think any country who is a member of NATO, who is not paying their NATO obligations, should have their vote taken away. Why are they going to be making decisions about the future of NATO or about what NATO should be doing if they're undermining NATO by not paying their fair share?

There's precedent for this. The United States was under this pressure when we were behind on our dues at the UN. We were threatened in the General Assembly with not being able to vote.

I think if countries, members of international organizations are not up to date on paying their fair share, take away their vote. Well, it makes me nervous too, as an American, Rick, and for our military, while we get this pledge from the administration that they're not going to be put in a direct war in Ukraine, they're not being inside Ukraine to fight Russia, they're being put in all these places that the Biden administration is telling us there's going to be mass influx of people. And we're treating our military actors who really are trained to kill and defend as humanitarian workers. And we saw the difficulties in Afghanistan with that.

We've seen that in the past before. That's really not their job. And we've even seen it with our border agents before.

They're not social workers at the border, and then it's a mess with how they treat kids and how they're trying to take care of families. But doesn't that also really put them in harm's way? If you see a mass influx of people coming, I mean, by putting troops there, are they at risk? Look, I think that the solution is having diplomats who know how to negotiate, brave diplomats, diplomats who have muscle to be able to creatively find solutions before we get to war.

The Pentagon famously does not negotiate. They actually go in and finish the job. And so I think it is dangerous, but we have diplomats who signed up for the Foreign Service and we should train them. They should be equipped to go into dangerous situations, dangerous situations, crises around the world, and try to solve them diplomatically.

It's a lot cheaper, by the way, to send in the State Department than it is to send in the military. So we were, Rick, yesterday, Jordan and I were in with some of our team members in New York, actually in New York City, looking at ways in which we can expand our influence on a lot of issues, including these. It was interesting, Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, was at that very moment at the National Security Council at the UN. Here's what he said. Let's play this statement. Now, I'm mindful that some have called into question our information, recalling previous instances where intelligence ultimately did not bear out.

But let me be clear. I am here today not to start a war, but to prevent one. So this is interesting rhetoric, but we're not doing anything preemptively other than saying it's going to be bad if he does this. If he starts a war in Ukraine, it's going to be bad. We're going to be really tough.

Yeah. Go ahead, Rick. It's going to be bloody. It's going to be bloody.

There's blood coming. But guess what? We're not trying to do the things to avoid it. Put sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

It's pretty basic. Will you explain the SWIFT sanctions? If we put sanctions on our audience understands what that means financially to Russia? So SWIFT banking sanctions are the sanctions that countries use internationally, the SWIFT system. So by putting sanctions on the Russians, they wouldn't have access to the international banking system.

They wouldn't be able to use the codes in order to transfer money or participate in international commerce. That would be crippling to their economy. So you could either do SWIFT banking sanctions on the Russians, or you could do the pipeline, or you could do both to really maximize.

Yeah. We're very familiar with that because we've got international efforts. We use those banking systems.

We have wire systems. And yeah, if you have a problem there and you've got to contact banks, I mean, you cannot move money. The money is done. I mean, it's pretty simple.

I mean, it doesn't take a ton of steps. If your codes aren't working, you're not allowed to utilize it from your end or the other end, the money is gone. To say all this to Rick, this rattling for war, even if our troops aren't in this direct conflict, instead of putting these sanctions in place before, can have a serious impact on all of us in America. Not because of necessarily what happens to Ukraine in the three days of invasion, but on our economy.

I mean, our economy could take, it's already, we see at the stock market, but I think that's just a taste. Look, I think there's plenty of warnings where we should be very cautious in using diplomacy right now. And we just aren't. I don't understand why the State Department has been shoved aside. I will say this, we cannot talk about what's happening in Ukraine and the Biden response to it without talking about Afghanistan. Because I believe that the disastrous withdrawal and the embarrassment on the world stage, which really frightened our allies and others. I think that what's happening with the Biden team right now is they're scrambling to swing the pendulum back to pretend like they're tough. And to be able to have this, you know, we're going to stand up to the Russians who are marching to war. It's a way to cover their failures in Afghanistan. And I would argue that they're only emphasizing the emotional aspect of the policy.

It was emotional in Afghanistan. And now they're overly aggressive with, you know, pretending like we're going to war. And yet the Ukrainians certainly aren't saying, hey, come help us stave off a war. They're trying to say, as the President of Ukraine said, your policy isn't working.

You're not deterring Russia and you're killing our economy. Rick, as always, we appreciate all of your insight. Rick Grenell, who's our senior counsel for global affairs, for foreign policy and national security.

And again, that insight, if we really wanted to prevent war, there would be steps we'd be taking right now to do so that don't include our troops, don't include bloodshed, don't include harpsichord. I also want to say that to give the insight that Rick Grenell offers our audience and viewers is because of your support for the American Center for Law and Justice, as was the case when Jordan and I were in New York yesterday. ACLJ.org. We want to take your calls at 800-684-3110. What do you think about all of this? Want US troops involved?

800-684-3110. Only when a society can agree that the most vulnerable and voiceless deserve to be protected is there any hope for that culture to survive. And that's exactly what you are saying when you stand with the American Center for Law and Justice to defend the right to life. We've created a free, powerful publication offering a panoramic view of the ACLJ's battle for the unborn.

It's called Mission Life. It will show you how you are personally impacting the pro-life battle through your support. And the publication includes a look at all major ACLJ pro-life cases, how we're fighting for the rights of pro-life activists, the ramifications of Roe v. Wade 40 years later, the play on parenthood's role in the abortion industry, and what Obamacare means to the pro-life movement. Discover the many ways your membership with the ACLJ is empowering the right to life.

Request your free copy of Mission Life today online at ACLJ.org slash gift. The challenges facing Americans are substantial at a time when our values, our freedoms, our constitutional rights are under attack. It's more important than ever to stand with the American Center for Law and Justice. For decades now, the ACLJ has been on the front lines protecting your freedoms, defending your rights in courts, in Congress, and in the public arena. And we have an exceptional track record of success.

But here's the bottom line. We could not do our work without your support. We remain committed to protecting your religious and constitutional freedoms.

That remains our top priority, especially now during these challenging times. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side. If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at ACLJ.org, where you can learn more about our life-changing work. Become a member today.

ACLJ.org. Hi, welcome back to Sekulow, and we are taking your calls as well. 1-800-684-3110. That's 1-800-684-3110 to talk to us on the air.

We just had Rick Rinella. I think he made some points I just want to kind of hit. One is that NATO, this idea that if you're not going to pay your fair share and you're not going to really offer up the resources you need to, you shouldn't have a vote on how NATO acts. Two, that if the Biden administration, which we have President Biden, can we play that Biden saying he believes this is, this war is happening within days? He said it again yesterday.

Let's play it. That if you really believe that and you wanted to prevent a war, people getting killed, cities being major, you know, international cities being overrun, that you would put in really tough sanctions. It might hurt everybody. It might hurt everybody's economy short term.

The number two in our embassy was thrown out by the Russians. Yes, but if you really believed that this kind of war, which would have crippling impacts on economies all over the world, because war in Europe would just do that. It doesn't matter if Ukraine's economy isn't that tied to the US, war in Europe will hurt our economy. So short term sanctions that might put some limits, it might be a little ding on our economy short term, but to rid this bigger conflict is what you would be doing right now. It's also what you would be doing if you really wanted to protect Ukrainians.

I want to reiterate something to everybody. It's not anti Ukraine. Ukraine has never been an ally of the United States. Up until Zelensky, it was a puppet state. They were, and since the fall of the Soviet Union, they were throwing leaders in and out as we speak. And in fact, Zelensky himself was part of a political movement that ran out. So when outside of the Democrat, for all the people don't like insurrections and these kinds of movements, Zelensky is there because they ran out the last President. Not through the elections, by the way, folks. But by political protests that the United States supported that destabilizing because that President was an ally of Putin. So now you've got a guy who's been there for a few years, but it's not a direct allegiance with the United States. And in fact, the Ukrainians, which is pretty bold if you think about a country that's got 190,000 Russian troops surrounding them, I think the US has bungled this entire operation. That's what the Ukrainians have said.

That's what Zelensky has said. Let's take Rina's call from California to get the conversation going on this part. And we'll take your calls to it, 800-684-3110. Jordan and I were in New York yesterday. When Blake, he was there, we were about 20 blocks away, working with our team on how do we expand our reach?

How do we continue to show an increased impact? So this is all going on. Hey, Rina. Hi, guys.

Thank you so much for taking my call. Listen, Rick Grenell is 100% spot on, and I want to reach out to every one of my fellow Americans who's listening to this program. God has given us a responsibility. He's given us representatives to get in contact with. I feel with all my heart if we all contact our representatives and ask them to exercise the diplomatic sanctions of sanctioning that pipeline and everything, Rick, just saying that God will move through our actions. He gives us a responsibility. We have a spiritual weapon. And just remember, God can move the hearts of people.

He is the one who does that. And remember also, when Israel was being threatened by Sennacherib, okay, with virtually the same amount of troops that are surrounding Ukraine, God, the next morning, made sure that every single one of those people, okay, were dead, okay? Well, because Jordan said this also, normally military actions, that's what it is. We've turned our military into a bit of a humanitarian strike force of sorts. But let's go to Than Bennett because, Than, there has been action in Washington even yesterday. Yeah, Rina's point's a really good one because last night, the United States Senate did finally take some action, Jay.

Now, look, maybe if you look at it a little bit cynically, they were about to leave town for a week and I think they probably didn't want to leave without passing something and then have a war break out. Let me just kind of report the good and the bad of this, Jay. The good is that the United States Senate spoke with one voice. They passed by voice vote a resolution that condemns any invasion that may happen and stands in defense of that.

The bad of that, Jay, goes back to something that Rick said in the last segment of the broadcast. There was an opportunity here for a bipartisan group of the United States Senate to do exactly what Rick recommended and that was to start with sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. That bill was just a few weeks ago, Jay, and it had bipartisan support. It had 55 senators voted in favor of it and it didn't pass because the Biden administration asked Senate Democrats to filibuster it. So, Jay, that would have been the action. The other thing that they could have done is they could have passed new Swift System sanctions.

They didn't do that either. So, there's some good and some bad here, but Raina is definitely correct. The United States Senate has a role to play here. They took a good step last night, but I do fear maybe it was a little too late, Jay.

Yeah, we need to stay on top of this. Although we could be, according to the President, we could be in a war in about three hours, I mean, or three days. Right, and what Rick is saying is that's how sanctions work. Sanctions work to prevent the conflict. If you do the sanctions after the conflict, the bloodshed has occurred, the country has fallen, the Russians have put in their puppet state. So, if you even believe Biden that this is days away in any of the coming few days, the sanctions would just be a punishment.

And then we'd be punishing ourselves for those sanctions, by the way. So, there's calls about that too coming in, Jerry in Rhode Island on Line 4. Hey, Jerry, welcome to Secular. You're on the air.

Hello, team. I would have asked Rick Grenell why he thinks the administration did not do the sanctions. I think he's at a bit of a loss because, but I think the second part here, it's a little bit sad, is that our economy is taking some hits. If they put those sanctions in now without bloodshed, and it will impact our economy, it will make some things more expensive. Now, that's short-term if it prevents a conflict. But they think, I think the Biden administration is saying, we need bloodshed for the American people to understand why we need these sanctions.

You know, I'm afraid that that is a bad- Which is a sick way of approaching it. If that is the way they're approaching it, which it sounds like it is, that's why they keep saying it's going to happen, then we'll do something. That is, we're trying to prevent bloodshed, but the economic consequence area that Jordan just mentioned, it's a real thing here. I think it is, but I also would add that the Biden administration seems oblivious to the economic consequences. I think they see the Ukrainian situation as an opportunity to deflect from Biden's compounding problems. And so I would argue that the Biden administration has never been particularly serious. So if you look at the war in Afghanistan and the chaotic withdrawal, if you look at the issue of inflation, if you look at America's southern border, if you look at the inability of the Biden administration to muster real support for the nation state of Israel, I think at each and each and every term, the Biden administration has dropped the ball. So if an invasion of Ukraine is imminent, as Biden says again and again, why hasn't he imposed sanctions now?

I think the answer is Biden wants blood first in order to deflect attention from his own problems. Which is, Jordan, exactly what you said. I mean, is that because that's the only way they think they can get the American people to understand that these sanctions have consequences? When we come back from the break, we're going to talk about Ukraine a little bit too. It's not exactly what you think it is. And Andy's going to talk a little bit about that, but you think that's what this is? Yeah, I think that our economy's at a kind of weak point right now. And so with inflation, those issues, and they know that if you put the sanctions in place early to prevent war and people don't ever see any guns, people being killed and there's not bloodshed, they say, why did you put sanctions on these things that made my natural gas more expensive or oil more expensive and gasoline at the pump more expensive?

Instead of explaining to the American people, there's a short-term so that long-term we're not dealing with an economic collapse because there's massive war in Europe. Be right back, second half hour coming up with secular. For decades now, the ACLJ has been on the front lines, protecting your freedoms, defending your rights in courts, in Congress, and in the public arena. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side. If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at ACLJ.org, where you can learn more about our life-changing work. Become a member today.

ACLJ.org. Keeping you informed and engaged, now more than ever, this is Sekulow. And now your host, Jordan Sekulow. So you've got President Biden addressing the nation this afternoon. He's said that he believes that the invasion of Ukraine will happen in the next few days. The Vice President Kamala Harris is in Europe at the Munich Conference, which has been expanded because of the crisis and the potential conflict that the U.S. is saying is imminent. We're basically the only country saying that.

The UK a little bit, but that's it. And you've also got our Secretary of State. He makes an emergency stop at the UN in New York yesterday at the Security Council. We were there actually looking at ways to expand our work at the UN and on these international security issues. We do a lot of work at the UN, especially in Geneva.

Those are the human rights, Christian persecution, that's really the hub for that. But you've got all the other work going on at the UN, like these crisis meetings that happened at a moment's notice. And all those representatives from all those countries have to be there all the time in case of these crises. So while we're looking at doing that work, I mean, it's very real time, but now he's in Europe as well. We have no coalition ready to defend Ukraine. That's a done deal. So we've all said included, I mean, I say we as a country has said, if the Russians want it, it's theirs.

Well, I was going to ask Andy this because I think here's the thing. You look at Ukraine and Belarus. These are the two countries that are in the news right now on all of this, right, is Ukraine and Belarus. What are those countries and where are their allegiances?

Those countries' allegiances are not with the United States, except for self-protection and self-interest. They're with the Russians. If you take a look at the map of Ukraine and consider Ukraine in the middle, Jay, remember Ukraine was the heart of Russia. It was where the Russians were Christianized in the 10th century, Kiev in the caves of Kiev by Prince Vladimir. So historically it has been the heartland of Russia. If you look north of that, you have Belarus. Belarus and Lukashenko, who is President and basically dictator. What is Belarus's name? Before it was Belarus, Jay and Jordan, it was Byelorussia, also known as White Russia.

The principal languages there are Byelorussian and Russian. Its allegiance is to the old block of the Soviet Union, which is represented by Putin and the Soviets and the Russian Federation today. So it's all part of the same Russian satellite scheme that we saw before the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1989s and 90s.

It's interesting, Belarus has played the role here because Russian troops are there as well. While Russia and the Soviet Union fell, they maintained a Soviet dictatorship. So Lukashenko is the last remaining real Soviet dictator in Europe.

Yes, you can point to North Korean style dictators, you can point to Chinese style, but really from the Soviet block, when the rest of Eastern Europe and Central Europe was splitting up into these new countries and trying to deal with democracy and elections and freedom, Belarus maintained Soviet style dictatorship. But it's also true, and Harry and I were talking, we were all talking about this before. It's also true that Putin has already succeeded because if part of it was to draw, it was the concern that Ukraine was going to join NATO, right Harry? That was the Russian, if they joined NATO, what does it mean? Well, here's the problem. NATO is now so divided and so split, it's almost rendered not meaningless, but it certainly has been greatly weakened.

I think that is correct, but I would also add that it's greatly weakened because NATO has undermined itself because the nation states that make up NATO refuse to fully commit to NATO, and they then want to rely on the United States to engage in saber rattling to save them. All right, folks, we're gonna take your phone calls to 1-800-684-3110. That's 1-800-684-3110 to talk to us on the air.

Phone lines are open. Do you want US troops involved in this at all? Do you want sanctions?

Do you think this is a role, George? Do you think this should be the Europeans' mess to deal with? Why are we taking the driver's seat? Why not force this on Germany, force this on the UK, force this on the Europeans? And are you prepared for the economic consequences?

Be right back. And we have an exceptional track record of success. But here's the bottom line. We could not do our work without your support. We remain committed to protecting your religious and constitutional freedoms. That remains our top priority, especially now during these challenging times. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side.

If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at ACLJ.org, where you can learn more about our life-changing work. Become a member today, ACLJ.org.

Only when a society can agree that the most vulnerable and voiceless deserve to be protected is there any hope for that culture to survive. And that's exactly what you are saying when you stand with the American Center for Law and Justice to defend the right to life. We've created a free, powerful publication offering a panoramic view of the ACLJ's battle for the unborn.

It's called Mission Life. It will show you how you are personally impacting the pro-life battle through your support. And the publication includes a look at all major ACLJ pro-life cases, how we're fighting for the rights of pro-life activists, the ramifications of Roe v. Wade 40 years later, a play on parenthood's role in the abortion industry, and what Obamacare means to the pro-life movement. Discover the many ways your membership with the ACLJ is empowering the right to life.

Request your free copy of Mission Life today online at ACLJ.org slash gift. Wall Street Journal just sent this out. This is what the media is being told by US officials. US officials say they expect to be listening to this, folks. This is not people just shooting at each other over a border, sending a few mortars. You know, Israel deals with that on a daily basis, and life goes on. Ukrainians and Russians have been doing that to each other for a decade.

But here's what they say. US officials say they expect a Russian attack on Ukraine in the next few days. This is how it really hurts our economy. It can involve a broad combination fighter jets, tanks, ballistic missiles, cyber attacks, the ultimate intention of rendering the country's leadership powerless. A full-on war invasion. Fighter jets drop bombs on cities. They take the air space. Ballistic missiles take down city blocks. This is the equivalent, what they're predicting, is the equivalent of how the US went into Baghdad.

No, exactly. So Colonel Wes Smith is with us on the phone. And Colonel Smith, the reports are, at least the US intelligence chain, 190,000 troops between Belarus and the border of Russia, Ukraine. So Belarus, of course, also, as Andy said, bordering Ukraine, and of course Russia does as well.

What does that mean? What's the significance of that number, if that number is actually correct? Well, the significance of the number is that is enough to launch an initial invasion. You know, if there's an insurgency by the Ukrainians, it could be a long protracted bloody war for Russia. But that is enough to go ahead and start an invasion. And it's not just the number of troops.

It's the type of equipment. They have artillery, they have armored personnel carriers that we know that are there. This is not just the number of troops, but the type of troops and the type of weapons to go ahead and to go in. Plus the ground that's pretty well frozen solid in Ukraine now, which makes the which makes these tracked vehicles very maneuverable. And Ukraine is surrounded on three sides, that Russia has troops in Crimea on their southern border.

They have troops on the Russian border in the east and now Belarus to the north. So it does look ominous. I'm a little mystified like you, RJ. Why is President Biden being so public about predicting this when other nations are not? You know, I don't know.

And the truth of the matter is, I don't think any of us know. I mean, I'm sure he's basing it on intelligence calculations he's getting from our U.S. intelligence agencies, telling them this is imminent. I mean, two days ago they were all talking about, not even, it was yesterday, diplomacy. And then in 24 hours it went from diplomacy to, you know, buckle up. The invasion is about to start. And here's the problem with all of this.

You know, I don't think as Americans we realize the impact this would have on us. Economically, we're sending more troops now, Andy, to Poland. And I'm thinking about that. We're sending more troops to Poland. To do what? That's what I'm, to do what?

And it's part of the NATO alliance. But what are they going to do? Are we going to send American troops in to defend Ukraine and that government? I doubt it. I hope not. I doubt it.

I doubt it very seriously, Jay. But you raise a very good question. What is the purpose of strategically sending troops into Poland and doing these sorts of things? Where is the welfare of the United States? Where is the number, America number one policy that we saw under President Trump?

I don't see that here. I see somebody who's simply the President currently saying there's going to be an imminent invasion. Basically diplomacy and sanctions are secondary. Not very important.

Who cares about it? We're not going through the Swiss banking channels. We're not doing anything with oil and gas prices. And so we're simply condescending to let the Russians have their own way in Ukraine and taking the line that was taken by Chamberlain in 1938 with Czechoslovakia, a far off country of whom we know very little. But the idea, Wes, that we would put American troops into battle readiness over this, I think is really dangerous. A war with Russia makes absolutely no sense. Absolutely does not.

And I don't think anyone in their right mind wants that. The troops in Poland and the other NATO bloc countries are there because I think they are very afraid of Putin's aggression that where would he go next after Ukraine. But in the meantime, what we have to understand is Ukraine has never been an independent nation until 1991. They were always a part of Russia. We might object to the implications and the ethics of Putin taking Ukraine, but we really have very little, if any, strategic interest in defending that country. It's always been a part of Russia. Yeah, but there is one strategic interest we have, and that would be to get the gas prices down in the United States from $5 to $6 a gallon.

And Harry, you raised the point. Why are we not opening our U.S. reserves? Why isn't Biden doing that now? Well, it's puzzling. But Biden, I think most Americans would agree, is a puzzle on so many levels.

I want an answer to this. Why would you not open up the reserves? I think he's handicapped or perhaps blocked on that effort because of the Green New Deal. His progressive flank would oppose it. So even if that would preclude a Russian invasion, he prefers not to inflame tensions with AOC and the other individuals on the left. Let's go to Sonja's calling Marilyn online too.

Hey, Sonja. Hey, so I really believe there's just a nefarious reason. I believe he's beating the war drum because he wants the war. I believe it's a diversion. They can divert our attention all over except for the Durham report.

We won't think about the Durham report. We won't think about their dismal performance and their jobs because he'll wind us all up and he'll further destabilize our country, which is their goal anyways. What damages any politician the most is what happens in our pocketbooks in America. That's the bottom line.

It's what happens in your wallet spending. It's not good. And the American people's feeling about where it's going isn't good. There's that wag the dog situation here where it's like you're banging this war drum for a war you're not even going to be involved in? Just because you'd like the world to be distracted by people getting killed, that's not how the U.S. should operate. If we really want to prevent people from engaging in full-scale conflicts, you put the sanctions in place, you take the short-term economic hit, you explain that to the American people, you open up strategic reserves to counter that, and it's short-term.

You have a full-on invasion. Watch your 401k if this is a war with fighter jets and ballistic missiles in the next few days. Stock market?

Not pretty. Because it starts sowing doubts about, like you said, where else can Putin go? And I'd ask this question to the American people right now. Ukraine, one thing. Would you put U.S. would you really want U.S. troops fighting a war for Poland? Shouldn't that be Europeans at this point?

This is not 1938. We've built them up since World War II so that they can do this themselves so that we don't have to be the only people putting our troops in harm's way. They have no stomach for it, so let them suffer. Ultimately, if they won't stand up to Putin, then it's their problem. They won't even stand up to Putin with economic sanctions right now.

That's what we've got to be clear here. We're shipping thousands of troops coming out of the United, Fort Bragg and North Carolina to protect Europe, Germany, and Poland. And Andy, they won't defend Hungary. Andy, they won't defend Hungary. They're not defending themselves. They won't even go in favor of economic sanctions. As I've said before on this program, if there is a brigade coming against the Russians being led by the United States, and it seems that there is, then the emperor has no clothes. Because if you look behind President Biden, there are no Hungarians, there are no Germans, there's no French, there never will be any French, there's no English, there's no Poles. I mean, what are we doing here leading the charge against a faraway country, as I've said of which we know very little, which is not... That's what I'm saying, Andy.

We're not willing to put in an economic sanction, but we're willing to ship 8,000 or 10,000 American troops that are going to be dealing with refugees fleeing into Poland, who do not speak English, and who knows what is going to happen. I do know what has happened though. The stock market fell 600 points yesterday and we're on the air and I hope it rebounds. Okay, it's down 255 right now while we're alive.

Hopefully it comes back up. But that's just with every time Joe Biden makes these statements, that's what's happening. Yeah, and again though, he thinks that if a war really starts, you'll be so distracted by watching that on TV that you'll somehow think, well, that's why the economy's down. Instead of... They could have prevented this.

Instead of... They were already dealing with inflation that had nothing to do with Ukraine or Russia. But now this will just compound those issues. If you're already paying more at the pump, shut off the Russian gas and oil because once you have to, at that point Nord Stream 2 will have to go, and that means gas and oil prices rocket through the roof. Instead of doing a short-term sanction on it, now you have to have a long-term sanction on it because they're shooting ballistic missiles into a country. Is that what he's going to say this afternoon?

That's what the Wall Street Journal's reporting that they're saying. I mean, if you think about the implications of all this, folks, but this is also one of the reasons why when we were in New York yesterday, we were thinking, we have the ability and we've got the team, obviously. You've seen this team. You've seen them on radio and TV. You hear them on radio and listen, watch us on TV or on the social media platforms every day. We have the teams to influence this in a big way. And when we get back, I want to ask Stan Bennett about what's actually going to happen in Washington on this. We'll also take your phone calls at 800-684-3110. But we were in New York City yesterday with some of our team members discussing this very point.

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That's 1-800-684-3110. Jonathan Washington State, good question on line one. Hey, Jonathan, welcome to Sekulow. Hello, gentlemen.

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and all that is yours. My question is uneducated, and I believe you've already answered it, but here it is. What would be worse for the American public, the institution of sanctions by the US against Russia now at this point, or to bypass that and actually have a full-scale war in the Ukraine spilling out into Europe? Two months ago, it would have been the sanctions on Russia would have been better.

It would have been a short-term hit on our economy. You prevent a full-scale war. If you have a full-scale war, which I don't know if, again, any of us really 100% believe is true, it's because the Ukrainians themselves have said they don't.

And the US intel has had real problems with predicting these kind of things in the past, recent history. But if you have a full-scale war, take them at their word. That is a much worse impact on the world economy because airspace in Europe becomes too dangerous to fly over.

Oh, it would be incredible. And then the sanctions you would have put on gas temporarily in Nord Stream 2 will have to be long-term if they are, I guess, if they're using ballistic missiles. So yes, full-on war, much worse for the world economic impact.

Much worse for the world, period. Now, the question is, Stan, in Washington, we got the resolution, the joint statement yesterday, what do you think actually happens here? If sanctions are imposed, what is Congress's role, if any, in that part?

Well, actually, Jonathan's question is the right one on this. And it's the same one that Senate Democrats are asking their President right now. Because remember, they passed this resolution last night, Jay, unanimously by voice mode condemning an invasion by Russia if it happens. They did it after they were briefed by the administration. But to Jordan's point that he just made, after the administration briefed them several weeks ago, they were prepared to pass the sanctions that Jonathan is asking about. So it's almost, you know, I think the perspective inside the Democrat conference is it's probably too late.

There was a time to do that. We were willing to do it based on briefings from the administration and the administration opposed them. So what's next, Jay? I think this is a play for the administration. I don't think there's much of a play left for the legislature.

So Holly on Facebook asks this. Biden and his administration reversed every good policy and regulation Trump and his administration put into practice. And we're seeing the results. And I'm going to say something here. We just had Rick Grenell on, who was, of course, the director of national intelligence and was also the ambassador to Germany, who's now part of our team.

But I want to tell you something, folks. Does anybody out there listening believe that Vladimir Putin would be invading Ukraine if Donald Trump was the President of the United States? With all the issues you want to talk about, does anybody believe that they would be invading Ukraine? We'd be talking about, what did he say?

Rockets and ballistic missiles. They're scared to death of the United States. And this is the difference between America first.

We're talking about with Rick and Mike Pompeo all the time. I would rather be feared and hated by the Europeans and the rest of the world than just be their friend. Because see what happens when you're just their coffee partner? And you just sip tea with them and try to do deals with Iran on nuclear weapons? Can you imagine that right here?

They're not scared of you. So yeah, it might be that the world complains a lot about the US, but what they didn't do was start wars with each other. Yeah. And I look at this, Andy, from a little bit of history, and world wars have started over things that are... If you study the history of this, World War I, how did it start?

We know how it started. And here you've got the United States President saying what this guy's going to do while we are doing not even economic sanctions. And I don't want US troops involved in this, period. There is no good outcome if that happens. Andy.

No, there isn't, Jay, whatsoever. We have no business pulling the Europeans' chestnuts out of the fire, especially when they are not willing to defend and support themselves. The Germans do not pay their fair share. They only pay 1.5% of their GDP.

In tornado, they're supposed to pay 2%. What are we doing back in Europe again? We went there in World War I.

We lost millions of people's lives and Americans were lost. We went there in World War II and did the same thing. Now we're going there again over the Ukraine.

No reason whatsoever. Impose sanctions. Learn the lessons of history. Do not sacrifice American lives over the boundaries of the Ukraine. Think about your own boundaries and think America first. And we have the nuclear weapons to make the world be afraid of us at every moment. But we had a leader who was able to put off, personality-wise, though we had no wars started, we had no conflicts, there was no terrorism in the United States, there was no Islamic, there has been Islamic terrorism since Joe Biden. Remember what we saw in Texas, the synagogue. International terrorists gets over to the U.S. and, again, the idea of fear as a tool instead of this idea that we want to be everybody's friend.

Power. I don't want to be everybody's friend, right? I mean, the idea is we all started really understanding, what does it mean by America first? It actually means Ukraine is safe. America first actually means we don't have to worry about World War III. It means we can focus on Ukraine. We can take out the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and destabilize Iran without a major conflict. We can also then spend our attention on how to deal with China, which we unfortunately haven't yet talked about today.

Yeah, which we need to even get into. Let's take another call. Yep, let's go to Andy in Nebraska on line three. Hey, Andy. Maybe Andy is not there. Let's go to Sheila in California, line four.

It looks like Sheila dropped as well. Okay, so we talked about China. You mentioned China. So the big threat in all of this is still China. Okay, because they've got a military that has significance. The end of economy that has significance. Like, tied directly into the United States.

Oh, right. So if we start getting into a tit for tat with China, you're talking about, I mean, if the Ukraine and Russia and that conflict would have massive implications on our economy. Imagine conflicts with China when we have to start, if we had to start sanctioning, we can't.

We're not at a point probably economically where we have enough independence in our manufacturing to be able to even do anything. So if they're not afraid that you would go nuts on them, militarily, which they were under Trump. Under Trump, they thought he might push the button against us. Yep. That's all you have to think. This guy might use it. Look what Donald Trump did when...

They just have to think you might press the button. When Brunson was in jail, in prison in Turkey, he took down the Turkish... Two tweets. Two tweets, took down the Turkish economy. And Brunson ended up in jail. You want to try to get Sheila here?

Yeah, Sheila in California, if you're there, welcome to secular. Yes, if we had a full-out war with the Ukrainians, what would be the long-term ramifications for the US after that, besides economic? Well, I think it shows NATO might be done as an institution.

It may have failed. You have these massive influx of people. Who are we gonna really defend? What are we really there for? If we're not willing to put the sanctions in place before the conflict, we need people to get killed. I mean, sanctions you put in place to prevent people from getting killed. You don't do sanctions if you kill people.

Just take that in for a second. Sanctions are put in place as diplomatic, preventative economic measures before people get killed. After people get killed, you have to make the decision if you're going to go in and kill them.

That's really the only option. Yeah, and the problem is you utilize diplomacy as war when you put in sanctions and have some power and force behind it, so that you avoid the troops. I don't think the United States has the stomach to put American troops in harm's way over this. We're gonna hear from the President again this afternoon, so if you're hearing us late, there'll be more analysis coming over the weekend and Monday.

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