House Republicans are getting increasingly desperate as they have requested a DOJ investigation into Zelenskyy’s trip to Pennsylvania.
In a letter, 9 House Republicans wrote:
We write to express serious concerns about potential violations of U.S. law arising from
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent visit to Pennsylvania and request a full
investigation into the use of U.S. military assets and federal resources in relation to the visit.
As reported, President Zelensky visited Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Sunday to tour the Scranton
Army Ammunition Plant, a facility that produces military equipment for Ukraine. The Ukrainian
President was accompanied exclusively by Democrats including Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator
Bob Casey, and Representative Matt Cartwright, forty-two days before the election in the crucial
swing state of Pennsylvania. Zelensky’s visit and his comments criticizing the Trump-Vance
ticket as “too radical,” as well as arguing that under Vance, “America is headed for global
conflict,” smack of a Kamala Campaign stump speech.
These actions have raised serious concerns among observers that the visit may have been politically motivated, potentially violating U.S. laws such as the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities while on duty or using government resources for such activities.
Additionally, it has come to our attention that President Zelensky may have flown into Pennsylvania on a U.S. Air Force C-17 military aircraft and was provided Secret Service protection, both of which involve the use of U.S. taxpayer funds. There is concern that these resources were used for purposes unrelated to U.S. national security or bilateral diplomacy but rather to support a politically significant visit ahead of a major U.S. election. If taxpayer dollars were used to facilitate this visit in a way that may violate federal laws or ethical guidelines, it is essential that Congress and the public receive a full accounting of those expenditures and the motivations behind the visit.
The House Republicans make it sound like Zelenskyy went to Pennsylvania to campaign for Kamala Harris. In reality, the Ukrainian president went to the munitions plant to thank workers and to deliver the message Ukraine needs more help.
Zelenskyy is interested in getting Putin’s troops out of his country. He didn’t come to Pennsylvania to campaign for Harris.
The Ukrainian president’s trip clearly got under Trump’s skin as the ex-president has been complaining about it for two days.
The DOJ will likely not investigate Zelenskyy, but House Republicans are doing their best to create the perception of foreign election interference for Kamala Harris where none exists.
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Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
