Progressive Democrat says that Russia 'has been emboldened by' GOP assaults against American democracy

Progressive Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) said that Russia "has been emboldened by" GOP assaults against American democracy. The freshman lawmaker also described President Joe Biden as "a very strong president."

"I think the Russian Federation has been emboldened by Republican attacks on our own democracy here domestically," Jones told reporter Kevin Frey.

The congressman said that "despite Donald Trump, when he was president, having a very cozy, encouraging relationship" as it pertains "to Vladimir Putin and his antics, we've got a very strong president in Joe Biden today."

A Washington Post-ABC News poll of adults in the U.S. found that 48% believe that American leadership on the world stage has become weaker during Biden's tenure, while just 23% believe it has grown stronger, and 26% think it has stayed around the same. The poll was carried out Feb. 20 to 24.

The eyes of the world are on Ukraine, where Russia has mounted an invasion against the sovereign nation, wreaking death and destruction as Ukrainians bravely risk their lives to fight back against the Russian onslaught.

The U.S. has condemned Russia and levied sanctions. President Biden has said that U.S. troops will not intervene in Ukraine, though he has declared that America will defend NATO allies.

Rep. Jones is an advocate for adding seats to the U.S. Supreme Court, a move critics commonly describe as court packing.

"The only way to restore integrity to the Supreme Court is to expand it. Congress must do exactly that, before it's too late," the congressman said in a statement while applauding President Biden's decision to nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the high court vacancy that will be created by Justice Stephen Breyer's upcoming retirement.

Jones said that he is "clear-eyed about the continuing threat the far-right, 6-3 majority on the Court poses to our democracy and fundamental freedoms. While Judge Jackson will bring a much-needed voice to the bench, her nomination will not change the balance of power on the Court."