Foreign Election Interference?

During the last week of September, the United National General Assembly welcomed several high-profile heads of state. President Biden, Brazilian President Lula Da Silva, and Argentinian President Javier Milei were among the speakers who addressed the UN body.

Also in the speaker lineup was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. For his speech, Zelenskyy encouraged Western powers to continue their support of Ukraine as they battle Russia’s invasion.

Zelenskyy was not only in the news for his United Nations address, however.

On Sunday, September 22, the Ukrainian leader visited a Pennsylvania ammunition factory in Scranton. According to AP News, the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant is one of the few plants in the United States to manufacture 155 mm artillery shells. These shells, used in howitzer systems that strike targets up to 15-20 miles away, have been used by Ukrainian forces.

But Zelenskyy’s decision to visit the ammunition plant came under fishy circumstances.

September 22, 2024, marks 44 days before the United States presidential election. The state of Pennsylvania is seen as a swing state, going to President Trump in the 2016 presidential election before he lost the state in 2020 to President Biden.

The tour of the Scranton factory was accompanied by the state’s Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro, a top surrogate for Vice President Harris’ campaign, as well as Democratic Senator Bob Casey and Democratic Congressman Matt Cartwright, who are both running for re-election this year. And both Senator Casey and Congressman Cartwright face stiff opposition.

Were any Republican Congressman invited to attend the event? Were any invited to speak?

Why at this point in time did they visit the largest swing state, when they could have had their meeting at a facility in New York?

Since Zelenskyy is such a student of military history, perhaps he should have gone to West Point to discuss the Russian-Ukraine war with cadets.

During the trip, Zelenskyy was interviewed by The New Yorker magazine. One of the topics that came up involved the Republican Vice-Presidential Nominee, JD Vance. He called Vance “too radical” on his stances with regards to Ukraine. “Let Mr. Vance read up on the history of the Second World War, when a country was forced to give part of its territory to one particular person,” Zelenskyy quipped.
Such comments by a foreign leader on American soil just ahead of the 2024 election raised eyebrows.

Zelenskyy is on the record saying Ukrainians have tried to avoid “being captured by American domestic politics” and “influencing the choices of the American people” ahead of the November election.

Unfortunately, Zelenskyy’s recent actions at the Scranton plant totally discredit his past statements and suggest an interest in interfering in the American election process.

House Republicans are hoping to get answers as they investigate this potential campaign event.

Kentucky Congressman James Comer, Chair of the House Oversight Committee, has opened an investigation into the Biden-Harris Administration using taxpayer funded resources to fly Zelenskyy to Pennsylvania to campaign for Vice President Harris ahead of the 2024 election.

Comer writes: “The Committee seeks to determine 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.”

Speaker Johnson has called for Zelenskyy to immediately fire Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova. Markarova is said to have organized the tour of the Scranton plant.

This potential foreign election interference comes on the heels of Congressional action.

House Republicans put a measure on the House Floor just prior to Zelenskyy’s visit related to foreign election interference. I voted for H.R. 8314, the No Foreign Election Interference Act, which imposes penalties with respect to contributions to political committees from organizations that receive contributions from foreign nationals.

However, 181 Democrats voted against it!

After Trump’s election in 2016, many Democrats dismissed his election as illegitimate due to Russian interference.

Yet, when given the chance, Democrats and the media failed to call out Zelenskyy for his trip, and Democrats voted down a foreign election interference bill in the House.

What is clear is that Russia and Iran are engaged in operations to influence our presidential elections. United States intelligence officials recently confirmed that Iran hacked the Trump campaign and attempted to provide the stolen information to the Biden campaign before Biden dropped out of the presidential race.

We are living in turbulent times. President Trump has faced two assassination attempts. Iran is making threats on Trump’s life. This is important context.

I recommend Zelenskyy read up on this history.

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.
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***editor’s note: September 22 marks 44 days before November 5, the date of the U.S. Presidential election.