September 27, 2024
Handout Photo/Ukrainian Presidency via Abaca; Sipa USA
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky toured the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant on Sunday, Sept. 22, as he began a key visit to the United States in which he is expected to present his blueprint to defeat Russia to President Joe Biden, other allies and presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's trip to a Scranton ammunition plant on Sunday has led to outrage, calls for a Ukrainian ambassador to be fired, and an investigation into whether the visit amounted to "misuse of government resources" by House Republicans. Now, the White House and the Pentagon have weighed in as well.
"We would encourage the House Republicans to drop this," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing Thursday. "This is a political stunt. They need to drop this."
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It all started Sunday when Zelenskyy visited the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, accompanied by Gov. Josh Shapiro, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, whose district includes Scranton. The plant makes equipment that is critical to Ukraine's defensive war against Russia.
No elected Republicans were present for the event, and it's not clear whether any were invited. That apparently outraged House Speaker Johnson, who wrote a letter to Zelenskyy calling for Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. to be fired.
"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," Johnson wrote in the letter. "The tour was clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats and is clearly election interference."
But Jean-Pierre said that the Sunday visit to the ammo plant was requested by Ukraine, and not the Harris campaign or White House. And the Pentagon called the trip "official business."
"Regarding Sunday's trip to Pennsylvania, the flight was a U.S. Department of Defense-funded mission," James Adams, a Pentagon spokesperson, said. "These officials were conducting official business related to U.S. security assistance to Ukraine."
Jean-Pierre added that Sunday was also not the first time that Zelenskyy had met with a partisan group of elected officials since the war began. In July, Zelenskyy traveled to Utah to speak to a bipartisan group of governors with the National Governors Association. While there, Zelenskyy met with Utah's governor, a Republican, and the state's congressional delegation, all Republicans.
Other House Republicans have echoed Johnson's call, with nine signing on to a letter requesting a Department of Justice investigation.
Neither Harris nor the election were mentioned in video and press materials released by Shapiro after the Scranton visit, which was conducted under tight security.
In a separate letter, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Louisiana., announced an investigation into "whether the Biden-Harris administration attempted to use a foreign leader to benefit Vice President Harris's presidential campaign and, if so, necessarily committed an abuse of power."
Other Democrats are pushing back as well.
"The Scranton Army Ammunition Plant is playing a critical role bolstering Ukraine's forces, and I was honored to join President Zelenskyy to thank Pennsylvania workers for helping defend democracy," Casey said in a social media post. "Attempts to smear his visit to our Commonwealth are an insult and a disgrace."
Support for Ukraine's defensive war against Russia has become a key issue in the U.S. presidential campaign, with the two candidates espousing sharply opposing views.
Harris has called for the United States to continue supporting Ukraine with military aid. She held a joint press conference with Zelenskyy today
Former President Donald Trump, on the other hand, has criticized American support for Ukraine and frequently praised Russian President Vladimir Putin. During a debate with Harris earlier this month, he declined to answer questions about whether he wants Ukraine to win the war.
Yesterday in North Carolina, Trump said that Ukraine has been "absolutely obliterated" in the war, and accused Zelenskyy of making "little, nasty aspersions" about him.
On Thursday, Trump said he would meet with Zelenskyy at Trump Tower in New York.
His running mate, J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, has previously criticized U.S. support for Ukraine. Critics say a proposed peace plan he unveiled was effectively a concession to Russia.
Polling has repeatedly shown a majority of Americans favor providing support for Ukraine, with many saying that the United States should do more to help. Pennsylvania has the second highest number of Ukrainians of any state as a percentage of total population.
