Democrats Voted Against Penalties For Foreign Contributions

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited an ammunition factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Scranton Army Ammunition Plant is one of the few plants in the United States to manufacture 155mm artillery shells, according to AP News. These shells, used in howitzer systems that strike targets up to 20 miles away, have been used by Ukrainian forces in the war against Russia.

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

Sept. 22, 2024, marked 44 days before the U.S. presidential election. The state of Pennsylvania is seen as a swing state, going to Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election before he lost the state in 2020 to Joe Biden.

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

Were any Republican congressmen 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 Zelensky is such a student of military history, perhaps he should have gone to West Point to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war with cadets.

Zelensky on Vance

During the trip, Zelensky was interviewed by The New Yorker. One of the topics that came up involved the Republican vice presidential nominee, J.D. 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,” Zelensky quipped.

Such comments by a foreign leader on American soil just ahead of the 2024 election raised eyebrows.

Zelensky 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, Zelensky’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. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has opened an investigation into the Biden-Harris administration using taxpayer funding to fly Zelensky to Pennsylvania to campaign for 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.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson has called for Zelensky to immediately fire Ukrainian ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova, who is said to have organized the tour of the Scranton plant.

The No Foreign Election Interference Act

This potential foreign election interference comes on the heels of related congressional action. Just prior to Zelensky’s visit, House Republicans put a measure on the House floor regarding foreign election interference. I voted for H.R. 8314, the No Foreign Election Interference Act, which imposes penalties if political committees receive contributions from organizations that accept 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 supposed Russian interference. Yet, when given the chance, Democrats and the media failed to call out Zelensky for his trip, and Democrats voted down a foreign election interference bill in the House.

Democrats may point out that Trump and Zelensky also met, on Friday, and they will try to tell you it’s the same thing. But they are not the same. Scranton, Pennsylvania, was a political rally for Democratic candidates in trouble. Trump’s meeting with Zelensky in his private offices in New York is the definition of international diplomacy.

What is clear is that Russia and Iran are engaged in operations to influence our presidential elections. U.S. 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. Trump has faced two assassination attempts. Iran is making threats on Trump’s life. I recommend Zelensky read up on this history.

Rep. Morgan Griffith serves Virginia’s Ninth Congressional District. He is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.