Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States, on September 22, 2024.
Presidential Press Service of Ukraine | Reuters
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Cuomo is investigating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to an ammunition plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Sunday. Cuomo claimed the trip was organized in support of Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential bid and was accomplished using “taxpayer-funded resources.”
The Republican investigation comes as relations between Zelensky and former President Trump appear to be deteriorating.
On Wednesday, Trump accused Zelensky of insulting him – Trump said the Ukrainian president gave him a “nasty little distraction” – and added that he got along “very well” with Russian President Vladimir Putin good”.
“The people of Ukraine really have nothing to go back to, and it doesn't need to happen. Those buildings collapsed, those cities are gone. They're gone, and we continue to offer billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal,” Trump said. Pugh spoke about Zelensky during a speech at a pipe parts manufacturer in Mint Hill, North Carolina.
Zelensky is in the United States for the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week in New York, where he is meeting world leaders. He also plans to visit the White House on Thursday to meet with President Joe Biden there and with Harris later in the day.
Trump is expected to meet with Ukraine's president at Trump Tower on Thursday, but Trump campaign official told reporters nbc news On Wednesday, the meeting did not take place. When asked why, a person familiar with the situation pointed to Zelensky’s interview with The New Yorker.
In an interview published on Sunday new yorkerZelensky said Trump's running mate, Ohio Senator Vance, was “too aggressive” and that his message “seems to be that Ukraine must make sacrifices” to end the war with Russia.
Asked at a Wednesday news conference whether Ukraine should cede land in exchange for a ceasefire with Russia, Vance said “everything is on the table.”
Cuomo's letter also criticized the timing of the visit as Zelensky made comments about Trump's running mate.
The ammunition factory Zelensky visited was made by General Dynamics and produces parts for 155 mm artillery shells, a key ammunition for Ukraine's operations. Pentagon Fact Sheet From July 2024
On Wednesday, the Department of Defense announced $375 million in additional security assistance to Ukraine, including more 155mm artillery shells specially produced at the Scranton plant.
“I started my visit to the United States by expressing my gratitude to all employees of the plant and reaching an agreement to expand cooperation between Pennsylvania and Zaporozhye Oblast,” Zelensky wrote on Sunday.
There, Zelensky also met with three Pennsylvania Democrats. Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator Bob Casey and Representative Matt Cartwright. Casey and Cartwright are both up for re-election in November.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a speech at the “Future Summit” held in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA on September 23, 2024.
Caitlin Oakes | Reuters
“The Scranton Army Ammunition Plant plays a critical role in supporting Ukrainian forces, and I am honored to join President Zelensky in thanking Pennsylvania workers for helping defend our democracy. Attempting to discredit his visit to our Commonwealth is an insult and a disgrace.” ,” the senator said. Casey said in a statement to CNBC.
Spokespeople for the governor's office and Cartwright's campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the investigation.
“In 2019, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives impeached President Donald J. Trump for abuse of power for trying to exploit a foreign leader — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — for his 2020 campaign. Presidential campaigns seek profit despite the lack of any support.
In 2019, then-President Trump had a 30-minute phone call with Zelensky. The former president asked Zelensky to investigate the activities of his then-rival President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, which was a response to Trump. part of Trump's impeachment inquiry.
“The Biden-Harris administration recently flew the same foreign leader — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — on a U.S. taxpayer-funded flight to Pennsylvania ahead of the upcoming 2024 presidential election. 's battleground state, dubbed “the vice president's toughest battleground,” President Kamala Harris won,” Cuomo continued.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Attorney General Merrick Garland and White House Counsel Edward Siskel, Cuomo sought more information about government resources used for the trip and all internal and external communications.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson also issued a scathing letter Wednesday about the trip to Pennsylvania. Johnson wrote directly to Zelensky asking the wartime leader to recall Oksana Markalova, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, who helped organize Scranton's visit.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) walks to his office at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, September 17, 2024.
Kevin Dickey | Getty Images
“This tour is clearly a partisan campaign designed to help Democrats and is clearly election interference,” Johnson wrote. “This short-sighted and deliberate political move has led Republicans to express their disapproval of Ambassador Makarova during this Trust has been lost in the nation’s ability to serve as a diplomat fairly and effectively.”
Cuomo's investigation comes a day after nine House Republicans signed an agreement. letter A letter was sent to Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz and Defense Department Inspector General Robert Storch demanding “a comprehensive investigation into the use of U.S. military assets and federal resources related to this visit.”
In the letter, Republicans suggested Zelensky could fly to Scranton on a U.S. Air Force plane and provide Secret Service protection.
Trump's stance on the war in Ukraine and the U.S.'s role in it has been a focus of controversy on the campaign trail, drawing criticism from Democrats and some Republicans. Some Republicans said Trump's ambivalence about U.S. support for Ukraine was one of the reasons they supported Harris over him.
By contrast, Biden reiterated his administration's support for Ukraine on Wednesday, adding that he would announce more “a series of actions to accelerate support for the Ukrainian military” on Thursday.