EXCLUSIVE: House Speaker Mike Johnson is calling on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to fire Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States after she allegedly organized a U.S. taxpayer-funded visit to a battleground state ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Fox News Digital has learned.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, organized a tour of an American manufacturing site for Zelenskyy over the weekend in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state ahead of November’s election.
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Johnson, R-La., said that tour was led by a “top political surrogate” for the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, and “purposely excluded” Republicans. Johnson called it clear “election interference.”
“I demand that you immediately fire Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova,” Johnson wrote in a letter to Zelenskyy exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital Wednesday.
“As you have said, Ukrainians have tried to avoid being ‘captured by American domestic politics,’ and ‘influencing the choices of the American people’ ahead of the November election,” Johnson wrote. “Clearly, that objective was abandoned this week when Ambassador Markarova organized an event in which you toured an American manufacturing site.
“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 continued, adding the tour was “clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats and is clearly election interference.”
Johnson said the “shortsighted and intentionally political move has caused Republicans to lose trust in Ambassador Markarova’s ability to fairly and effectively serve as a diplomat in this country.”
“She should be removed from her post immediately,” he wrote.
Johnson stressed that “all foreign nations should avoid opining on or interfering in American domestic politics.”
“Support for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to be bipartisan, but our relationship is unnecessarily tested and needlessly tarnished when the candidates at the top of the Republican presidential ticket are targeted in the media by officials in your government,” Johnson wrote.
“These incidents cannot be repeated.”
Johnson thanked Zelenskyy for his “prompt attention to this matter.”
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“I trust you will take immediate action,” Johnson said.
Zelenskyy over the weekend visited a Pennsylvania ammunition factory alongside two Pentagon leaders — the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology and the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer.
Zelenskyy also met with Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was said to be on the short list to be considered as Harris’ running mate before she chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Zelenskyy recently participated in interviews and was critical of former President Trump and his running mate JD Vance, calling the Ohio senator “too radical.”
The House Oversight Committee is now investigating the Biden-Harris administration’s alleged use of taxpayer-funded resources to fly Zelenskyy to Pennsylvania ahead of the November presidential election.
Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced the investigation Wednesday and is seeking records regarding the administration’s alleged “misuse of government resources” to allow Zelenskyy to “interfere in the 2024 presidential election.”
“The Committee seeks to determine whether the Biden-Harris Administration attempted to use a foreign leader to benefit Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign and, if so, necessarily committed an abuse of power,” Comer wrote Wednesday in a letter to the White House, Justice Department and the Pentagon.
Comer said his committee is investigating the circumstances that led to “justify” the administration’s transport of Zelenskyy on a Department of the Air Force aircraft to Pennsylvania.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, Pentagon, Justice Department and Harris campaign for comment.
Pentagon spokesperson James Adams told Fox News Digital that Zelenskyy’s Pennsylvania trip was a “U.S. Department of Defense-funded mission.”
“The Department requested Military Airlift (MILAIR) support to facilitate travel for senior U.S. government officials from both the Department of State and the Department of Defense,” Adams said. “These officials were conducting official business related to U.S. security assistance to Ukraine, which included a stop at Newark Liberty International Airport, where they linked up with President Zelensky before continuing to Wilkes-Barre International Airport in Pennsylvania.”
Adams said U.S. military personnel were aboard the flight as part of the Department of Defense and State Department delegation, which included Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Dr. William LaPlante, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma, and Assistant Secretary of State Stanley Brown.
“Additional U.S. military and civilian personnel accompanied these senior officials to provide logistical support,” Adams explained. “Also in attendance were elected officials who represent Scranton at the local, state, and federal level, including Sen. Bob Casey (PA), Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-08), Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti.”
Meanwhile, a source told Fox News Digital that Zelenskyy took a similar trip to Utah earlier this summer with Utah’s Gov. Spencer Cox.
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