Volodymyr Zelensky(y?) had a right to comment about Donald Trump and J.D. Vance during his visit to a Pennsylvania arms factory. 

It was stupid for him to criticize the next President of the United States, but if he wanted to do that, it was his right. 

But I do have a serious problem with the United States military flying him there to do so, and I wonder if that counts as illegal election interference on the part of our Department of Defense. I think Mollie Hemingway has a point when she says that Biden should be impeached for doing this. 

This is an impeachable offense on the part of Biden-Harris. And dangerously reckless move on Zelensky's part to campaign for Harris in a battleground state on U.S. taxpayer funds. https://t.co/IHfp7vCauk

— Mollie (@MZHemingway) September 23, 2024

Donald Trump was impeached for asking Zelenskyy a question in a phone call in 2020, yet nobody in the mainstream media or in Establishment Washington seems to have a problem with US government resources being used to have a foreign leader campaign for the sitting Vice President. 

It seems like there is a double standard at work. 

In his harshest criticism yet of the Republican presidential nominee, the Ukrainian president also described Trump’s running mate JD Vance as “dangerous” and “too radical”.

“His message seems to be that Ukraine must make a sacrifice,” Mr Zelensky said of Mr Vance in an interview with the New Yorker magazine before he flew to the US to present his “Victory Plan” to the White House this week. “But I believe that we have shielded America from total war.”

Mr Vance has been criticised by supporters of Ukraine for pushing a peace deal that consolidates the Kremlin’s control over captured territory.

Mr Zelensky said such a deal would disrespect the sacrifices that Ukrainian soldiers have made, appease Vladimir Putin and encourage other dictators to invade their neighbours.

Zelenskyy's visit to PA was quite the production. It included appearances with Governor Josh Shapiro, a pitch about how the Ukraine war provides jobs for Pennsylvanians, and the nastiness about Trump and Vance. 

Mr Zelensky’s intervention in US politics comes with polls showing Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, building a slender lead over Mr Trump ahead of the election in November.

Mr Zelensky began his tour of the US on Sunday with a visit to a weapons factory in Pennsylvania producing 155mm artillery shells to be sent to the frontlines in Ukraine, telling employees that “the democratic world can prevail” because of their work.

He is due to meet Mr Biden in the White House on Thursday to present his “Victory Plan”, which he will also share with Ms Harris and Trump.

The whole event was about politics, which, again, would be sleazy but legal but for the fact that the Biden/Harris administration paid for it. If the campaign had paid for it I would still be outraged, but military resources were used to make it happen. 

It's all part of a pattern: attack Trump for fake controversies while ignoring actual Democrat scandals. 

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Pennsylvania democrat Governor Josh Shapiro signed artillery shells to be used in war. This was at a munitions factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Democrats are now the party of war and they're proud of it. Sad. pic.twitter.com/I8CK0sr5Fc

— David J Harris Jr (@DavidJHarrisJr) September 23, 2024

I'm not sure Zelenskyy's endorsement of Harris actually helps her; it was unseemly, as was Josh Shapiro's ostentatious signing of an artillery shell that will be used against Russians. I think a lot of people outside the Beltway will be turned off by the spectacle, but that isn't the point. 

Zelensky is now touring ammunition factories in Pennsylvania and attacking President Trump and JD Vance in American media outlets.

A foreign leader is essentially campaigning for Harris on American soil. pic.twitter.com/580etLK72l

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 23, 2024

Of course, we have come to expect, as a normal part of politics, the deployment of federal resources to help incumbents in their campaigns; It's appalling but normal. But this has the feeling of "Wag the Dog" more than announcing a new bridge or post office. 

Yesterday, when I wrote about this, I suggested Zelenskyy just shut up. I hadn't noticed that Zelenskyy had flown on an Air Force transport. 

President Trump: "I think Zelensky is the greatest salesman in history. Every time he comes into the country, he walks away with 60 billion dollars." pic.twitter.com/tobrxr4j9w

— Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) September 24, 2024

Today? I suggest turnabout is fair play. Ukraine has played an outsized role in American politics of late. It was the Biden family bank, which is now a money sink and money laundering operation for America, and has inspired one impeachment and should initiate the process for another. 

Now that Russia has been thwarted in its bid to take over Ukraine, perhaps we should make Ukraine marginal again.