John Oliver knocks Bush statement on Russia, Ukraine: ‘You are not the guy for this one’

Comedian and television host John Oliver took a shot at George W. Bush for a statement the former president issued condemning Russian’s invasion of Ukraine last week. 

“I join the international community in condemning Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine,” Bush said after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

“Hold on, George. Not from you,” Oliver shot back during a segment on the crisis in Ukraine on his weekly HBO show, “Last Week Tonight.” “You are not the guy for this one, because that statement only would have made sense if it ended with ‘Oh shit, now I hear it. Sorry. I’ll shut the f— up now.”

Bush was widely criticized for his administration’s decision to invade Iraq in pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, which the Defense Department and intelligence officials in his administration insisted the country was in possession of, in the months following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacks. 

Putin has earned global condemnation for his assault on Ukraine, with President Biden and other NATO allies imposing sanctions on Moscow and pledging support for the Ukrainian resistance efforts. 

Fighting continues near Ukraine’s major cities this week, with hundreds reportedly killed as citizens and the Ukrainian army fight back Russian forces. 

Former President Obama also issued a statement condemning Putin following the invasion, saying it was a violation of the “basic principles of human decency.”

Former President Trump, however, has not condemned the invasion, saying in a recent interview that the way Putin has handled the situation in Ukraine is “smart” and “pretty savvy.”