Comments from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sparked a second day of ire from GOP figures, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) demanding he fire the country’s ambassador to the U.S. while a House panel launched an investigation after suggesting a recent appearance by Zelensky amounted to election meddling.
House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) Wednesday morning launched an inquiry into Zelensky’s trip to Pennsylvania, suggesting a visit to a factory that supplies munitions to the country constituted a campaign stop for Vice President Harris.
Republicans cried foul over the visit Tuesday, particularly after Zelensky offered up critical comments about former President Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) during a separate interview.
Zelensky visited the factory flanked by Pennsylvania Democrats, including Gov. Josh Shapiro (D). It is common for governors to appear at such events in their state.
Johnson and Comer, however, said appearing with a political figure who was briefly a contender to serve as Harris’s running mate made the stop political in nature.
“The facility was in a politically contested battleground state, was led by a top political surrogate for Kamala Harris, and failed to include a single Republican because – on purpose – no Republicans were invited. The tour was clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats and is clearly election interference,” Johnson wrote to Zelensky Wednesday.
“I demand that you immediately fire Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova,” he added, writing that she can no longer “fairly and effectively serve as a diplomat in this country.”
A spokeswoman for the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Zelensky’s visit was described by the state as his making “a special trip to the Keystone State to visit the Pennsylvania workers who are playing a vital role in Ukraine’s defense.”
Zelensky’s visit to Pennsylvania mirrors a trip to Utah in July, where he met with Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, and signed a memorandum of understanding with state leaders.
In both cases, state leaders expressed support for Ukraine in its battle against Russia.
While Republicans have fixated on Zelensky’s visit to the Pennsylvania, it’s an interview the Ukrainian president did that initially sparked GOP criticism.
In an interview with The New Yorker published Sunday, Zelensky called Vance “too radical” for his views on Ukraine, and suggested the senator study World War II. Vance has called to end U.S. support for Ukraine, and for Kyiv to cede territory to Russia in a peace deal.
“The idea that the world should end this war at Ukraine’s expense is unacceptable,” Zelensky said in the interview.
Zelensky struck a more cautious tone toward Trump, saying he has had good conversations on the phone with the GOP presidential candidate, but said Trump “doesn’t really know how to stop the war, even if he might think he knows how.”
Comer’s letter asks the White House, Justice Department officials, and the Pentagon to provide details about any coordination about the trip, accusing the Biden administration of having “orchestrated and used government resources to make possible this apparent campaign event that resulted in the potential interference in a federal election.”
Comer’s probe comes after Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) led eight other Republicans in demanding an investigation from the inspectors general of both the Justice Department and Department of Defense seeking all federal resources dedicated to the visit.
House Oversight Democrats suggested that Comer’s new probe reflects a broader effort to undermine Ukraine.
“America didn’t forget that Chairman Comer called Ukraine a foreign adversary and used the Committee to repeat and amplify Russian propaganda. It is sadly unsurprising he is once again working to undermine Ukraine’s efforts to repel Putin’s lawless, bloody, and unjustified invasion.”
