https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-rep-cawthorn-calls-zelensky-a-thug-says-ukraine-is-pushing-woke-ideologies/ar-AAUTIuv
GOP Rep. Cawthorn calls Zelensky ‘a thug,’ says Ukraine is pushing ‘woke ideologies’
Christopher Wilson - 1h ago
Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., called Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky a "thug" at a campaign event over the weekend.
"Remember that Zelensky is a thug," Cawthorn said in a video obtained by WRAL. "Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies."
The 26-year-old Cawthorn’s statement is a deviation from mainstream Republican support of Zelensky and the Ukrainian people as they defend themselves against the Russian invasion, but it echoes other comments made at the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
“We’re talking Ukraine … one of the three most corrupt countries on the planet,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said at the first hearing. “Corruption is not just prevalent in Ukraine — it’s the system!”
Trump was impeached for attempting to blackmail Zelensky shortly after the Ukrainian president took office, in a call to him in 2019. Democrats argued that Trump had threatened to condition U.S. military aid to Ukraine on a commitment from Zelensky to launch an investigation into Joe Biden, then a top candidate in the Democratic primary race.
An hour after WRAL published the video, Cawthorn tweeted that Putin’s actions were “disgusting” and that he was praying for Ukrainians but that “leaders, including Zelensky, should NOT push misinformation on America.”
A spokesperson for Cawthorn did not immediately reply to Yahoo News’ request for comment.
The comments from the freshman were first noted by the Republican strategist Karl Rove in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Wednesday. In a piece describing Republican support for Ukraine, despite Trump’s praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Rove cited Cawthorn's comments, as well as those made by Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance, as exceptions.