Washington – Today, Congressman Lance Gooden demanded an immediate investigation into serious misuse of taxpayer funds and potential violations of U.S. law during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent visit to Pennsylvania.

On Sunday, President Zelensky toured a facility producing ammunition for Ukraine, flanked by exclusively Democrats, including   Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator Bob Casey, and Representative Matt Cartwright.

The Ukrainian President made politically charged remarks directly attacking the Trump-Vance ticket while completely refraining from speaking negatively of Kamala Harris. His comments, suggesting dire global conflicts under a Trump-Vance administration, resemble prepared Harris-Walz  talking points rather than a diplomatic policy position befitting a U.S. ally, and his visit likely violates the Hatch Act, which strictly prohibits political misuse of federal resources.

"Using American taxpayer dollars to fund what was clearly a campaign-style event for the Democrats is unacceptable and likely illegal," stated Congressman Gooden. "The American public deserves a full explanation and accountability for this blatant politicization of foreign diplomacy."

Congressman Gooden is demanding answers on:
  • Unauthorized political use of U.S. Air Force C-17 and detailed accounting of all taxpayer funds used for Zelensky’s security and transportation.
  • Explicit violations of the Hatch Act and related statutes concerning the misuse of government resources for political campaigning.
  • Detailed accounting of all taxpayer funds used for Zelensky’s security and transportation.
  • Examination of potential covert coordination between Zelensky’s itinerary and Democratic campaigns, specifically scrutinizing the exclusion of Republican officials from events.

All relevant documents and communications must be preserved for a comprehensive investigation to safeguard the public trust against such profound abuses of power.

"Utilizing taxpayer dollars to parade a foreign leader around, who then attacks a major party ticket days before a presidential election, is textbook election interference and a clear violation of the Hatch Act. This is not only a gross misuse of public funds; it’s an outrageous manipulation of our democratic processes." said Gooden.

Rep. Gooden was joined on this letter by several of his colleagues: Ralph Norman (R-SC); Mary Miller (R-IL); Clay Higgins (R-LA); Michael Cloud (R-TX); Harriet Hageman (R-MT); Andy Biggs (R-AZ); Dan Bishop (R-NC); Eric Burlison (R-MO).

Read the full letter here.

###