Democrats fume at GOP's barrage against Zelensky
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Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the U.S. Capitol on July 8, 2024. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images.
House Democrats are pushing back hard against House Republicans' harsh scrutiny of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to a munitions plant in Pennsylvania earlier this week.
Why it matters: The trip has touched off a House Oversight Committee investigation and even a call from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for Zelensky to fire his ambassador to the U.S. for organizing the trip.
State of play: Zelensky traveled to Scranton, Pa. to tour the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, which is making ammunition for the Ukrainian army.
- He and his U.S. ambassador, Oksana Markarova, met there with Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, as well as Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), who represents Scranton.
- Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) opened a probe into the trip, criticizing Zelensky's critical comments about the GOP presidential ticket and the use of a U.S. Air Force jet to transport the Ukrainian president.
- Johnson sent Zelensky a letter saying "no Republicans were invited" and that GOP lawmakers have lost trust in Markarova "to fairly and effectively serve as a diplomat in this country" as a result.
What they're saying: "No other members were invited, including me, a Democratic member from an adjacent district," Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), a staunch supporter of Ukraine, told Axios.
- Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called Johnson's singling out of Markarova as "highly unusual," telling Axios, "For all the years I have been here, I have welcomed heads of state who have been brought ... by their ambassador."
- Both lawmakers also noted that Ukraine's demand for ammunition from the plant has been an economic boon to Scranton.
Zoom out: Zelensky and former President Trump are engaged in an increasingly heated war of words, and Trump's allies are not jumping to his defense.
- Zelensky told the New Yorker that Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Trump's running mate, is "too radical" in his opposition to U.S. aid to Ukraine and that Trump doesn't know how to end the war with Russia.
- Trump has criticized Zelensky for "refusing to make a deal" with Russia and fighting to retake captured territory and spoken negatively about U.S. aid to Ukraine.
Zoom in: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking member of the Oversight Committee, called Comer's probe "as absurd and futile and embarrassing as their impeachment investigation against Joe Biden."
- "Ukraine is a democratic ally of the United States ... so it's disappointing that Speaker Johnson, who had really begun to make some progress in terms of defending democracy and freedom against Russian aggression, has now made himself party to the pro-Putin bloc again," he added.
- Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), the co-chair of the Ukraine Caucus, said the Republican backlash against Zelensky's trip "emphasizes why November matters ... for democracy in Eastern Europe."
The other side: Johnson told reporters Markarova "crossed the line," saying she and Zelensky "made a campaign stop on behalf of the Democratic Party and effectively have given a tacit endorsement to Kamala Harris."
- "That's not what we need our allies doing, or any foreign nation. I think it's election interference and I think it's an unforgivable trespass," he added.
- Johnson's office did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
