Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) has launched an investigation into the Biden-Harris administration after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent appearance in Pennsylvania.
On Monday, Zelensky met with Gov. Josh Shapiro at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, which produces 155mm artillery shells for the military.
“I have heard that 400 people work here, but I wanted very much to come here and to thank you. Four hundred people have saved millions of Ukrainians,” Zelensky said, according to a press release from the U.S. Army.
Though members of the press were not permitted to attend, a video of Shapiro autographing shells to be used in the war in Ukraine made the rounds on X. BREAKING: Josh Shapiro and Zelensky visit artillery shell plant in Scranton, PA
Shapiro signs shells to be used in the war in Ukrainepic.twitter.com/r3rrY6FQsM
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) September 23, 2024
On Wednesday, Comer, who serves as chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, announced that he is requesting documents from the White House, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Justice regarding the visit.
“If the Biden-Harris Administration attempted to use a foreign leader to benefit the Vice President’s presidential campaign, this is an abuse of power and misuse of taxpayer dollars,” he said, alleging that Zelensky’s visit could interfere in the 2024 presidential election. 🚨🚨🚨
I’m seeking documents from the White House, Department of Defense, and Department of Justice regarding the Biden-Harris Administration’s misuse of government resources that allowed Zelensky to interfere in the 2024 presidential election.
If the Biden-Harris… https://t.co/fTijeoh6jG
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) September 25, 2024
In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Comer noted that, in 2019, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives impeached former President Donald Trump “for abuse of power under the theory that he attempted to use [Zelensky] to benefit his 2020 presidential campaign.”
“The Biden-Harris Administration recently flew the same foreign leader … on an American-taxpayer-funded flight to Pennsylvania, a battleground state in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, which has been described as the ‘trickiest battleground for Vice President Kamala Harris to win,’” Comer wrote, citing a Sept. 6 report from NBC News.
“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,” he said.
Comer discussed a recent interview with The New Yorker in which Zelensky criticized Trump and his running mate, Sen. J. D. Vance, whom he referred to as “too radical.”
“This rhetoric coming from a foreign leader released in anticipation of a U.S.-taxpayer-funded visit about the current Administration’s political opponent is highly concerning,” the representative said.
Comer announced the committee’s plan to investigate all communications between the Biden-Harris administration, Shapiro’s office, and Zelensky to determine if government property was misused for the sake of benefitting the vice president’s campaign.
“The Committee believes no foreign actor … should be permitted to interfere in American elections,” Comer concluded.
The committee chairman said the documents requested should be provided no later than Oct. 2.
