CHARLOTTE, N.C. — U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug,” according to video posted by Raleigh station WRAL-TV.
The comment was first reported in an opinion article by Karl Rove that was published in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. Rove, who was a senior adviser to former President George W. Bush, said Cawthorn made the comments Saturday at a town hall in Asheville. A video clip of the remarks was published by WRAL on Thursday morning. The News & Observer has not yet obtained a copy of the video.
“Remember that Zelenskyy is a thug. Remember the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and it is incredibly evil and it has been pushing woke ideologies,” Cawthorn, a North Carolina Republican, says in the brief clip.
After the comments surfaced, Cawthorn tweeted: “Propaganda is being used to entice America into another war. I do not want Americans dying because emotions pushed us into a conflict.”
“The actions of Putin and Russia are disgusting,” he added. “But leaders, including Zelenskyy, should NOT push misinformation on America. I am praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Pray also we are not drawn into conflict based on foreign leaders pushing misinformation.”
Cawthorn’s opponents in the GOP primary for the 11th Congressional District, where Cawthorn is running for reelection, were quick to criticize him.
“Let’s be clear. The thug is Vladimir Putin. We must unite as a nation to pray for President Zelenskyy and the brave people of Ukraine who are fighting for their lives and their freedom,” wrote state Sen. Chuck Edwards, on Twitter. “Anything less is counter to everything we stand for in America.”
Another opponent, Michele Woodhouse, told WRAL she considers Zelenskyy “a hero” and called Cawthorn’s comments out-of-touch and “boorish.”
Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis also weighed in on Cawthorn’s comments, writing on Twitter that the notion that Zelenskyy is a “thug” or the Ukrainian government is “evil” is part of the “deranged propaganda” that the Russian government has been spreading across the world.
“Thankfully, the vast majority of Americans and nearly every single member of Congress are united in support of Ukraine’s fight for freedom,” Tillis said.
National Democrats also criticized Cawthorn’s comments. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, Ammar Moussa, said it was “only natural” that “anti-Ukraine sentiment has found a place within the Republican Party” under the leadership of former President Donald Trump, who himself called Russia’s invasion last month “genius” and “savvy.”
Recent polling, however, shows that large majorities of Republican voters support Ukraine and Zelenskyy amid the Russian invasion of the country.
A national poll released by Quinnipiac University this week showed that 61% adults surveyed who identify as Republicans said they had a favorable view of Zelenskyy. Just 6% of adults who identified as Republicans said they had an unfavorable view of the Ukrainian president, while 31% said they hadn’t heard enough of him to form an opinion.
Earlier this week, Glen Bolger, a prominent GOP pollster, said he had recently completed a survey of Republican primary voters in an unnamed state, which he said he wouldn’t disclose because the poll was conducted for a private client, which showed an even higher share of GOP voters — 87% — said they supported Ukraine in its war with Russia.
In the Quinnipiac survey, 66% of Republicans said they would support a U.S. ban on importing Russian oil, even if it meant higher gasoline prices at home, while 30% said they would not support a ban.
On Wednesday, Cawthorn and U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina were among 15 House Republicans who, along with two House Democrats, voted against a bill that would stop U.S. imports of Russian oil.
The freshman congressman’s comments surfaced while lawmakers in Raleigh were debating a resolution introduced by House Speaker Tim Moore expressing “solidarity with the people of Ukraine as they fight for their freedom” and urging the Biden administration to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
The resolution passed the state House by a unanimous 112-0 vote, with eight members not present due to excused absences.
After the House session Thursday morning, Moore told The News & Observer he thought Cawthorn’s comments were “unfortunate,” and that there shouldn’t be any “moral ambiguity” among lawmakers regarding Ukraine.
“We need to very clearly condemn someone who’s a bad actor like Vladimir Putin, and everything I’m seeing about Zelenskyy is, this is a guy who cares about his country, and is literally putting his life on the line,” Moore said.
Senate members did not have a resolution of their own during their last voting session prior to adjourning Wednesday evening, but a bipartisan group of more than 30 state senators did sign their names to a statement expressing support for Ukraine.
———
