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Republicans Freak As Ukrainian-Born GOP Colleague Trash Talks Zelensky
House Republicans are seriously regretting giving Ukraine-born GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz a platform to speak on the war, after she started lobbing intense criticism at president Volodomyr Zelensky and his administration, drawing a rare rebuke last weekend from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, which said she was "trying to earn extra political capital on baseless speculation."
Rep. Victoria Spartz, who emigrated from Ukraine, speaks during a press conference about a Senate resolution calling for accountability for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at the Capitol in Washington. | Mariam Zuhaib/AP Photo
According to Politico, Republicans within the GOP Conference have "widespread fear" that her outspoken posture will damage US-Ukraine relations, and that the MAGA wing of their party - which has seen growing opposition to US support of the Ukraine war - will point to Spartz's comments as justification.
Spartz, who has traveled to Ukraine about six time since the war began, released a statement earlier this months calling on Zelensky to "stop playing politics and theater" and "start governing to better support his military and local government."
She also accused President Joe Biden of "playing politics" and said that he needs to present a "clear strategy and align security assistance with our strategy."
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Lastly, she called on lawmakers to "establish proper oversight of critical infrastructure and delivery of weapons and aid," a concern shared among progressives over the possibility that the weapons could end up in the wrong hands.
The extraordinary statement comes after Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) asked President Joe Biden to brief Congress on years-old allegations against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak. Earlier this week, the freshman lawmaker also slammed both Biden and Zelenskyy for their approaches to the ongoing war, infuriating officials in both countries. -Politico
One anonymous GOP lawmaker who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee told Politico "Her naiveness is hurting our own people," adding "It is not helpful to what we’re trying to do and I’m not sure her facts are accurate … We have vetted these guys."
Another senior House Republican who spoke on condition of anonymity simply said "What the fuck."
Panic Spreads:
A third House Republican granted anonymity to speak candidly about Spartz said she has a reputation for elbowing her way into briefings and meetings for committees she doesn’t belong to, like the Foreign Affairs panel, where multiple members have tried to address her comments behind closed doors. The Biden administration is even getting involved — another sign of growing worries that Spartz’s comments may damage cohesion among the Western coalition in defense of Kyiv. A Foreign Affairs Committee aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. intelligence community is planning to brief Spartz about her claims in a classified setting Friday morning. -Politico
"I don’t share her criticisms," said Seen Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who has collaborated with Spartz on legislation concerning Ukraine. "I believe that the Zelenskyy government and the Ukrainian people have risen to the moment. It is in our national security interest to stand with the Ukrainian people and their elected leadership."
Spartz defended herself to Politico in a statement:
"Growing up in Ukraine and visiting six times since the war started, I have a comprehensive understanding of the situation on the ground," adding "The stakes are too high to be reactive without deliberation — as intended for our institution."
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politico.com
Republicans wince as their Ukrainian-born colleague thrashes Zelenskyy
Victoria Spartz took the GOP mantle on aiding Kyiv back in the spring. Now, her fellow lawmakers worry she's undermining the effort.
Spartz is dredging up old dirt on Zelenskyy and his advisers at a time when Ukraine’s future as an independent nation may depend on allying with him, her detractors say.
“I don’t share her criticisms,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has worked with Spartz on Ukraine-related legislation. “I believe that the Zelenskyy government and the Ukrainian people have risen to the moment. It is in our national security interest to stand with the Ukrainian people and their elected leadership.”
In statements and interviews, Spartz has pushed for better oversight of the U.S. weaponry flowing into Ukraine — an issue that has attracted bipartisan scrutiny.
But she has also accused Zelenskyy of “playing politics” and not “understanding” the seriousness of the conflict. And she has launched a crusade against his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, accusing the president’s top aide of being in the pocket of Russia.
In the process of speaking out, she’s raised years-old allegations, many of which Zelenskyy’s political foes have lobbed in the past without factual basis. She has said publicly that she believes Yermak should be fired for inhibiting the war effort — even as others say Spartz’s own actions are undeniably impeding it.
Spartz declined to answer questions on the record for this story, but her office provided a written statement to POLITICO that defends her criticisms of the Zelenskyy government. (She has previously put the onus on Yermak and others to prove her wrong.)
And she’s showing no sign of regret.
“Growing up in Ukraine and visiting six times since the war started, I have a comprehensive understanding of the situation on the ground,” Spartz said. “The stakes are too high to be reactive without deliberation — as intended for our institution.”
As she goes after Zelenskyy’s top aides, the first-term Republican has previously generated headlines for her poor staff retention rate. Current and former aides described to POLITICO a hostile work environment in which Spartz repeatedly berates her staffers.
The 43-year-old’s Zelenskyy-gadfly persona this summer marks a sharp turnaround from her message on March 1, when she made an impassioned and tearful plea for the Biden administration to respond more forcefully to the crisis unfolding in her motherland. As Spartz described the struggle of some family members to survive bloody Russian assaults, House GOP leaders and dozens of rank-and-file members stood behind her, dressed in blue and yellow to match Ukraine’s flag, nodding in agreement.
Ukrainian-American Rep. Spartz: 'This is not a war. This is genocide.'
Four-plus months later, there are far fewer signals in the conference that she is an authoritative voice on the matter. Spartz’s latest posture is privately befuddling many of her colleagues, though none of them want to publicly rebuke a colleague over Ukraine — particularly given her personal ties to the situation — as the Russian attack itself becomes more politically thorny within the GOP. |
