FLASHBACK: Last year Jen Psaki said use of cluster bombs would be a 'war crime'—now Biden sending them to Ukraine

Recently, Joe Biden proclaimed on CNN that he would be handing Ukraine a group of cluster bombs, which have been banned by 108 nations following the signing of the United Nations Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2008. 

As The Post Millennial noted earlier, cluster bombs can leave behind residue that can later go on severely injure or even kill innocent people years after a war’s end. 

Such a promise by the Biden administration appears to contradict previous claims it has made. Last year, former White House press secretary Jen Psaki suggested that if Russia were to use cluster bombs, the actions would amount to a “war crime.”

“There are reports of illegal cluster bombs and vacuum bombs being used by the Russians,” began a White House reporter. “If that’s true, what is the next step of this administration?  And is there a red line for how much violence will be tolerated against civilians in this manner that’s illegal and potentially a war crime?”

Psaki replied that it “would be,” adding that assuming the allegation was true, “it would potentially be a war crime.”

American journalist and Human Events Senior Editor Jack Posobiec took to Twitter to highlight this glaring hypocrisy from the White House, posting, “Last year Jen Psaki said Russia using cluster bombs was a war crime.” 

He then pointed out, “Today the Biden Admin is sending cluster bombs to Ukraine.”

Cluster munitions have been deemed incredibly dangerous for civilians. Human Rights Watch has called on world leaders to not hand over such weapons to Ukraine or Russia for this exact reason. 

“Cluster munitions used by Russia and Ukraine are killing civilians now and will continue to do so for many years,” commented Mary Wareham, the acting arms director at Human Rights Watch. “Both sides should immediately stop using them and not try to get more of these indiscriminate weapons.”

She also stated that “The US government should not be providing cluster munitions to any country due to the foreseeable and lasting harm to civilians from these weapons,” and noted that “Transferring cluster munitions disregards the substantial danger they pose to civilians and undermines the global effort to ban them.”

National security adviser Jake Sullivan acknowledged that cluster munitions will “create a risk of civilian harm,” but insisted that is the precise reason why the decision to donate the weapons to Ukraine was made, arguing it is necessary in order to counter Russia.