Mike DeWine Admits Bucking Trump to Push Dolan over Moreno Is All About Sending More Money to Ukraine

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) on Wednesday admitted his endorsement of state Sen. Matt Dolan (R) is about sending more American taxpayer dollars to Ukraine.

DeWine endorsed Dolan’s bid Monday as the March 19 Senate Republican primary rapidly approaches. DeWine endorsed Dolan over the Trump-endorsed candidate, businessman Bernie Moreno.

DeWine cited that Dolan is the strongest candidate in terms of sending American taxpayer dollars to Ukraine.

“I think all three of them can win in the fall. But I think he is in a much stronger position, frankly,” DeWine said.

He added that Dolan “is more focused on national security,” such as voting on Ukraine aid.

“The America-Last wing is saying the quiet part out loud. DeWine is backing Dolan because he is more focused on funding Ukraine than solving our problems here at home,” Moreno spokeswoman Reagan McCarthy said in a written statement. “The contrast in this primary could not be clearer: Dolan’s priority is to other countries, not to America.”

Breitbart News has reported on Dolan, who has said that he does not want aid to Ukraine to be stopped by Biden’s “dysfunction” or the migrant crisis at the southern border.

Dolan explained, “We cannot allow the dysfunction of the Biden administration at the border to interfere with our responsibilities to Ukraine, not only our responsibilities to Ukraine, but our responsibilities to our allies, and to us as American[s] because Putin being in Ukraine is a national security risk.”

Dolan also said he “does not want boots on the ground in Ukraine”; however, he warned that may happen if “we appease [Vladimir] Putin.”

“If we appease Putin, which unfortunately there’s some in my party that want to do, that’s what we’re looking at.”

The state senator also claimed that any official who wants to negotiate with Putin to end the seemingly endless war amounts to a Putin-appeaser.

Dolan’s primary opponent, the Trump-endorsed Bernie Moreno, said, “This is the very definition of putting America Last.”

Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.