Announcing Retirement, McCaul Issues Warning on World War III

House Republican says Putin is playing Trump on Ukraine 'as a KGB officer would'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 14, 2025 4:10 PM CDT
Updated Sep 14, 2025 5:00 PM CDT
Announcing Retirement, McCaul Issues Warning on World War III
House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, presides over a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 24, 2024.   (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)

Republican Rep. Michael McCaul announced Sunday that he plans to retire after his 11th term, taking the opportunity to warn that in light of Russia's escalation of its invasion of Ukraine, "We got to be very careful not to be on the precipice of a World War III." McCaul made his statements to ABC News as he discussed last week's incursion into Polish airspace of Russian drones, which led to NATO scrambling jets to intercept the vehicles, the AP reports. Russia said the intrusion was an error, but Poland and other European countries contended it was intentional. President Trump said it "could have been a mistake."

McCaul, a former chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a leading voice for supporting Ukraine, said he doesn't buy that, per CBS News. "With all deference to the president, I don't think that was a mistake," the Texas Republican said Sunday, adding that he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin is "testing the resolve of NATO." McCaul added that thinks Trump is "waking up" to the fact that Putin "is not negotiating in good faith." Of Putin, McCaul said, "I think he's manipulating the president as a KGB officer would."

At least 10 lawmakers now are leaving the House without seeking higher office. McCaul didn't reveal what he's doing next but said, "I'm looking for a new challenge in the same space that would be national security, foreign policy, but just in a different realm." He's also long advocated for strong policies toward China and enhanced security measures at the US-Mexico border, per the New York Times.

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