The ‘80s called! Impeachment witness Karlan mocked for suggesting Ukrainians are helping prevent Russian invasion of US

Stanford law professor Pamela Karlan raised eyebrows online for suggesting during congressional impeachment hearings that the US must keep Ukraine strong “so they fight the Russians there and we don't have to fight them here.”

Yes, you read that right. It seems in Karlan’s mind, all that’s stopping “the Russians” from invading the US is the Ukrainian army, which must be kept strong to stave off the ultimate disaster. The law professor made the baffling comment during the House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing on Wednesday.

Karlan’s emphatic doomsday warning produced stunned reaction online, with conservative journalist Jack Posobiec describing the moment as one in which the respected professor went “full neocon.”

“The students who are paying through the nose at Stanford are really not getting value for money,” added author and commentator George Szamuely, referring to Karlan’s teaching role at the prestigious university.

“Anyone else would be laughed out of the pub,” for making such a statement, Szamuely continued.

For most level-headed experts, it would be difficult to imagine a scenario in which Americans would need to be ‘fighting the Russians’ on US soil, regardless of US policy in Ukraine — but perhaps Karlan just took ‘Red Dawn’, a 1980s Soviet-invasion movie, a bit too seriously.

Some on Twitter also wondered where Karlan had been when the Obama administration was denying military aid to Ukraine — particularly as she herself worked at the Justice Department during his presidency.

“No wonder Russia is leary of the US — this is what is being taught to our children,” another person said.

“Hey, the ‘80s called and wants its foreign policy back or something,”wrote another.

During her testimony, the professor accused Trump of “violating his oath” to defend the Constitution and sacrificing the national interest “for his own private ends” in his communications with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, around which the impeachment hearings are centered.

Democrats have accused Trump of offering Zelensky a quid pro quo of US military aid in return for Kiev opening an investigation into whether former VP Joe Biden used his influence to shut down a corruption probe into a Ukrainian gas firm where his son Hunter sat on the board.

While Biden’s son is apparently above the law, Trump’s children were fair game. At one moment in the hearing, Karlan brought up the president’s youngest son to argue that Trump is behaving like a king, saying that the US Constitution prohibits titles of nobility, so “while Trump can name his son 'Barron,' he can't make him a baron."

This personal attack drew strong reactions from Republicans, Trump’s critics were busy heaping praise on Karlan for her apparently “devastating” and “powerful” testimony to the committee.

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