He's not defending the honour of Ukraine or making a political statement about Manafort.
He's asserting that the US has more corruption in local police and justice departments than the average American would like to believe.
He's asserting that the US has more corruption in local police and justice departments than the average American would like to believe.
He isn't asserting anything though, just throwing one-liners about horses around. Asserting would mean making an actual argument.