Representative Michael R. Turner, who drew criticism last week after releasing a cryptic statement about a new threat, said he wanted to avoid “an international crisis.”
Fearful of antagonizing the former president, congressional Republicans downplayed the remarks, instead lauding the former president’s record and criticizing President Biden.
There is a dawning recognition that the continent urgently needs to step up its own defense, especially as the U.S. wavers, but the commitments still are not coming.