Congressional candidate Nathaniel Moran says U.S. should pressure Russia to back off

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran, who is one of four Republican candidates for the 1 US Congressional District, weighed in on the escalating situation in Ukraine and said that the United States should put pressure on Russia to back off of its “unnecessary and illegal invasion of a sovereign country.”

Moran spoke to East Texas Now host Jeremy Butler Friday morning.

“It’s a shame we’re in this situation,” Moran said. “I feel very bad for the people of Ukraine. The United States has a definite role here to play in putting pressure on Russia to back off of this unnecessary and illegal invasion of a sovereign country.”

Elaborating, Moran said America needs to stand with its allies, adding that experts have known this invasion was possible for years.

“We need to stand firm with Ukraine,” Moran said. “We need to impose these tough economic sanctions and even go further with economic sanctions. We also need to take personal sanctions against Vladimir Put, who is at the center and heart of this. We need to push back hard against this because, truly, we’re not going to have peace unless we show strength.”

When Moran was asked for his opinion on President Joe Biden’s response to the situation in Ukraine, he said the United States is having to be reactionary when America should have been more proactive.

“One of the ways we should have been proactive is through energy independence,” Moran said. “The Biden Administration has really crippled the energy industry in this nation.”

At a question about his thoughts on the use of military force to assist Ukraine, Moran said he is in favor of sending troops to Germany to help protect NATO’s member nations.

“We do not want to get into a direct conflict with the Russian in Ukraine,” Moran said. “We need to make sure we take steps to make sure our troops aren’t unnecessarily put in harm’s way.”

The other Republican candidates for the 1st US Congressional District seat include Aditya “AD” Atholi, Joe McDaniel, and John Porro.

The Democratic candidates for the 1st US Congressional District include Gavin Dass, Jrmar “JJ” Jefferson, and Stephen Kocen. The winner of the Democratic primary in March will go on to face the winner of the Republican primary in the November general election.

U.S. Rep. Louis Gohmert, the incumbent, chose not to run for the US House again. Instead, Gohmert is running for Texas Attorney General.

To watch the full interview, click the video above.

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