'You of all people': CNN anchor hammers military vet Republican for silence on Putin

CNN's Brianna Keilar was shocked Friday as a former Green Beret-turned Republican congressman refused to knock Trump for his comments aimed at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

On Thursday, Trump referred to the leader of the war-torn nation as a "dictator," and suggested he was at fault for Russia's invasion of the country.

Keilar repeatedly pressed Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC), about Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to democracy if the U.S. doesn't do more to help Ukraine, but the North Carolina Republican kept steering the conversation back to the deficit.

Keilar began, "You're a former green beret — De Oppresso Liber — that's 'to free the oppressed,' the motto. You've been very clear about who that is in this war, but Russia is at the table with the Trump administration. How important do you think it is that Ukraine has a real seat at the table in these negotiations?"

"Look, I think the greatest threat to democracy in the history of this country is actually the debt and deficit, and we need to be very clear-eyed about this," Harrigan said, adding, "And if we do not respect our dollar with our spending, we will not be able to do the things that we want to do around the world."

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Keilar interjected, "I hear you on that, sir. It seems Congress can focus on both of these things. I'm asking you about whether Ukraine should have a seat at the table, a real seat at the table in these negotiations."

"The answer to this question is, we can't focus on both things," Harrigan said. "And I think, Brianna, this is what's so important to get out of this...we were doomed to fail in Ukraine because we're losing the economics of wars."

"But at this very moment in time, when there is a negotiation going on to end this war, how do you deal with that?" Keilar asked.

"I think President Trump and Vice President Vance have been very clear: the war needs to end. It needs to wind down, and it doesn't need to wind down six months from now, 12 months from now, three years from now; it needs to wind down right now."

"But you, of all people, have been very clear that it's not just about winding down a war. It's about how you wind down a war," Keilar maintained.

"I don't disagree with you there," Harrigan said. "And what i'm telling you is that we have a clear and existential threat to the future of our country, with how far in debt we are and how unmanageable our deficit is moving forward."

Watch the clip below via CNN.