House Republicans are demanding answers from the Biden/Harris DOD and DOJ over the legality of Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Pennsylvania earlier this week. The Ukrainian president made a stop in the one state that will likely determine the outcome of the presidential election and appeared to be doing some electioneering on behalf of one of the candidates: Kamala Harris.
It was Zelensky’s stop at an ammunition factory that first caught the attention of GOP lawmakers, who noticed that only one political party, the Democrats, had representatives on hand. The diminutive leader was accompanied by Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), and Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA), with nary a Republican in sight. This brought up the question of whether there was “any direct or indirect coordination” between Zelensky’s visit and the Harris/Walz campaign.
To make matters worse, the optics suggest that taxpayer money may have been used to fly in Zelenksy on government planes and provide him protection by federal agencies for the duration of his visit, for what likely was, to all intents and purposes, a campaign stop designed to benefit Kamala Harris.
If true, that could be a major violation of the Hatch Act, something the House GOP recognized:
The letter specifically requests a full accounting of the use of military aircraft and Secret Service resources, including an explanation of the justification for those resources and how it “aligns with U.S. national interests.” Additionally, the lawmakers have requested an accounting of all other uses of taxpayer funds in connection with Zelensky’s visit.
Here’s the worst part: At the same time Zelenksky was possibly campaigning in PA, a story dropped in The New Yorker in which he said Donald Trump “doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how” and slammed Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, as “too radical.”
“I don’t take Vance’s words seriously, because, if this were a plan, then America is headed for global conflict,” Zelensky said. “It would imply that whoever asserts control over territory — not the rightful owner but whoever came in a month or a week ago, with a machine gun in hand — is the one who’s in charge. We’ll end up in a world where might is right. And it will be a completely different world, a global showdown.”
Republican Lance Gooden (R-TX), one of those demanding accountability from the Biden/Harris administration, remarked:
“Utilizing taxpayer dollars to parade a foreign leader around, who then attacks a major party ticket days before a presidential election, is textbook election interference and a clear violation of the Hatch Act. This is not only a gross misuse of public funds; it’s an outrageous manipulation of our democratic processes.”
RedState’s Bonchie had this to say about the incident:
“Is Zelensky going after Trump and Vance because Democrats have prodded him to do so in exchange for taxpayer-funded support? Short of someone spilling the beans on what has been said behind the scenes, we may never know, but it sure seems like it. The appearance of impropriety is extensive, and the practical aspects of using government resources to have Zelensky come essentially campaign for Democrats six weeks before a major election is highly inappropriate.”
It’s very unlikely that the House Republicans will be getting answers to their questions any time soon. And, certainly, the media won’t be pressing the matter if it in any way comprises the Harris/Walz ticket. American taxpayers, however, should push for answers as to why there aren’t enough federal resources to keep former president Trump safe, but there’s plenty in the coffer to roll out the red carpet for the guy who’s already taken billions of their hard-earned money.
