‘They Need to Drop This’: Karine Jean-Pierre Rips Republican’s Investigation Into Zelensky’s Pennsylvania Visit As a ‘Political Stunt’

While fielding a question from Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich about criticism surrounding Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Pennsylvania, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the House Republicans’ investigation into the trip needed to be dropped.

Heinrich prefaced her question about the Zelenskyy visit to a Pennsylvania arms factory, where several prominent Democrats were present including Gov. Josh Shapiro, by saying that critics were calling the visit a “political stunt.” Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, announced on Wednesday that he was opening up a Congressional investigation into a possible “abuse of power” by the Biden administration.

Jean-Pierre answered that by reminding everyone that Zelenskyy made a similar visit to Utah with Republican Gov. Spencer Cox back in July. No investigation was announced following that trip. She also said that contrary to what critics were saying, the investigation was the “political stunt,” not the Pennsylvania trip, and it should be dropped:

Heinrich: Critics have said that Zelenskyy’s trip to Pennsylvania was a political stunt. Did the administration communicate at all with Ukraine on who would be attending that trip or make any effort to make it a bipartisan event?

Jean-Pierre: So, let me just lay this down, because I know that there’s been a lot of talk about this. So, the Ukrainians asked to visit the facility, which employs American workers, as you know, who are manufacturing critical supplies that the Ukrainian military is using every day on the front lines of freedom. Because of its centrality to their country’s continued existence, this came from Ukraine, not us. This is something that they wanted to do. After they made that request, DOD did what it has done for years — figure out how to provide transportation for foreign leaders traveling on U.S. soil, which is common, which happens when they come to the U.S. And the whole world knows this is someone [Vladimir Putin] wants dead. He’s made very clear when it comes to President Zelenskyy.

And also just two months ago, President Zelenskyy traveled to Utah and held an event with a Republican governor, a very similar event. And Republican officials were there at that event in Utah. And there wasn’t a single demand, not one, not one single demand for an investigation when that occurred a couple of months ago in Utah. So, this was business as usual for a Ukrainian request during wartime. During wartime. And so I would encourage, we would encourage the House Republicans to drop this. This is a political stunt. They need to drop this.

Watch the video above via C-SPAN.

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