Raleigh, N.C. — U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina told supporters he thought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a “thug”—a comment that runs counter to the overwhelming share of Republicans with a favorable view of the leader fending off a military invasion from Russia.
“Remember that Zelenskyy is a thug,” Cawthorn said in a video obtained by WRAL. “Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies.”
It was unclear where the video was taken. Cawthorn had a number of events in the state over the weekend.
On Thursday afternoon, one hour after WRAL reported the comments, Cawthorn appeared to walk back his remarks, saying on Twitter that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions are “disgusting.”
“I am praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” he added.
He also sought to justify calling Zelenskyy a “thug” by accusing the Ukrainian president of pushing “misinformation on America.” He posted a link to a conservative blog post with examples, including a story of Ukrainian soldiers on Snake Island who were feared to have been killed in a Feb. 24 Russian attack later being reported as “alive and well.”
……..
- Discussion
-
According to the polling in the piece, Cawthorn is boldly taking the position held by 6% of Republicans. Because the nationalists have special insight into the soul of the nation because of reasons. https://t.co/NZ9tV7jcmD
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) March 10, 2022
If Madison Cawthorn could read, I’d say he’s been reading pro-Putin propaganda. https://t.co/7Xr0YbrIxc
— Windsor Mann (@WindsorMann) March 10, 2022
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.