Why are House Republicans investigating Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Scranton?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Scranton earlier this week with Gov. Josh Shapiro is currently under investigation by a U.S. House committee as Republicans say the trip had ulterior political motives aimed at supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential bid.

Here’s why Zelensky visited Pennsylvania, what he did while he was here, and why House Republican leaders are investigating the trip.

What Zelensky did during his visit to Pennsylvania with Shapiro

On Sunday, Shapiro and Zelensky visited the Scranton Army Munitions Plant in Lackawanna County, which produces large-caliber metal bullets used by Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion.

In particular, the factory produces 155-millimeter howitzer cartridges for the US Department of Defense, which both leaders signed as part of a photo op.

The plant is in President Joe Biden’s hometown, which is located in a particularly crucial battleground county that is in critical condition. The two leaders were joined by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Republican Matt Cartwright, both Democrats who will be up for re-election on the Nov. 5 ballot.

“Pennsylvania is the birthplace of American freedom, and our community proudly stands with the Ukrainian people as they fight for their freedom against open aggression,” Shapiro said. “I am proud to welcome President Zelensky and his delegation to Scranton to visit the women and men who are driving his country’s fight for freedom.”

Shapiro too signed a five-year contract with the military of the Southeastern Ukrainian Province “to enhance overall cooperation” between the Ukrainian Province’s military and Pennsylvania and support its reconstruction efforts.

Why House Republicans are investigating this visit

Republican leaders in Pennsylvania and beyond almost immediately questioned Zelensky’s motives for the trip, arguing that the trip was a taxpayer-funded Harris campaign and that Zelensky was trying to interfere in the 2024 presidential election.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) launched an investigation into the trip on Wednesday, questioning the operate of taxpayer resources to fly Zelensky to Pennsylvania in just a few days after the Ukrainian leader made critical comments about former President Donald Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R., Ohio), in a New Yorker op-ed in which he stated that Vance was “too radical”.

The House Oversight Committee is currently investigating any coordination between the Biden-Harris administration, Shapiro’s staff and Zelensky to operate government property “for the political benefit of Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign,” Comer said in a news release.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) also canceled a visit with Zelensky scheduled for Thursday demanded the release of the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States.

“As you said, the Ukrainians sought to avoid being “drawn into American domestic politics” and “influenced the choices of the American people” ahead of the November elections,” Johnson wrote Wednesday in a letter to Zelensky. “That goal was undoubtedly abandoned this week” when Zelensky visited a munitions plant in Scranton and no Republicans were invited, he added.

The part of Scranton where the munitions plant is located is represented exclusively by Democrats at the state and federal levels.

Johnson also noted that Pennsylvania is an crucial battleground state and Shapiro is Harris’ primary surrogate. Shapiro was Harris’s leading running mate and remains a leading supporter of Harris in Pennsylvania and across the country. Johnson called the visit a “short-sighted and deliberately political move” that caused Republicans to lose confidence in Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S.

Zelensky’s latest comments and previous visits

Zelensky’s visit to Pennsylvania was not unusual. Zelensky visited other state governors, including Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox earlier this year.

However, Zelensky and Trump have a long history. Trump’s first impeachment trial, which ended in his acquittal in 2020, focused on whether he tried to pressure Ukraine’s president to investigate Biden and his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings in the country.

More recently, Trump has been increasingly critical of Zelensky and his leadership since Russia launched its invasion of the neighboring country in 2022. During the Sept. 10 presidential debate, he refused to say whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war with Russia.

Harris was supposed to meet with Zelensky during his visit to Washington on Thursday. Zelensky was also scheduled to meet with Trump on Thursday, but that meeting was canceled, This was reported on NBC News.

Throughout the Russian invasion, Ukraine relied on the United States for financial and arms aid. Biden announced this on Thursday will send Ukraine $7.9 billion in military aid as part of a $61 billion aid package passed by Congress earlier this year.