Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "thug" and Ukraine's government "incredibly corrupt" and "incredibly evil" during a townhall in his home state on Saturday.
The first-term Republican lawmaker made the comments in Asheville, North Carolina. They were first reported in a Wall Street Journal opinion column on Wednesday. The local television station WRAL published a video of Cawthorn's remarks on Thursday.
"Remember that Zelenskyy is a thug," Cawthorn said. "Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and it is incredibly evil and it has been pushing woke ideologies."
Cawthorn's comments are at odds with prominent members of his party who have decried Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and expressed support for Zelenskyy. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy during a press conference on Wednesday called Putin "evil" and a "dictator." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell last week called Putin a "ruthless thug."
A spokesperson for Cawthorn told Insider on Thursday that the lawmaker "supports Ukraine and the Ukrainian President's efforts to defend their country against Russian aggression, but does not want America drawn into another conflict through emotional manipulation."
"The Congressman was expressing his displeasure at how foreign leaders, including Zelensky, had recently used false propaganda to entice America into becoming involved in an overseas conflict," the spokesperson said, pointing to Cawthorn's tweet on Thursday.
"Propaganda is being used to entice America into another war," Cawthorn tweeted, along with a link to a Substack article about propaganda and misinformation in the Russia-Ukraine war. "I do not want Americans dying because emotions pushed us into a conflict."
Cawthorn wrote in a follow-up tweet: "The actions of Putin and Russia are disgusting. But leaders, including Zelensky, 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."
Some of Ukraine's official accounts have posted questionable and unverified information, according to The New York Times reported, but it's been mostly focused on "heroes and martyrs" in the war. Those claims also pale in comparison to the disinformation being spread by Russia, The Times added.
The US has provided arms to Ukraine to fight Russia, but no American forces are engaged in the conflict. President Joe Biden has consistently said there are no plans to deploy US troops to the war.
