Raleigh News and ObserverRaleigh News and Observer
Robert Willett/rwillett@newsobserver.com

Madison Cawthorn loves getting people wound up. He's only been in the spotlight for a few years, and an elected official for just over a year, but he still manages to generate enough scandal to stay in state and national headlines.

WRAL shared a video of him calling the Ukrainian president a thug at an event last weekend. He says that Ukraine is incredibly corrupt and has been pushing woke ideologies.

After WRAL broke the story, Cawthorn posted on his congressional account that the actions of Putin and Russia are disgusting. Zelensky should not push misinformation on America.

His message seems to reject America entering the fight. Zelensky's villainization is similar to rhetoric coming from Russian officials. President Putin has tried to justify his invasion of Ukraine by saying it is a special operation to protect people who have been abused by the Kyiv regime.

Cawthorn's comments are a departure from most of his fellow Republicans, and they are also out of step with what Americans overwhelmingly feel about Ukraine. The Republican-led N.C. House of Representatives was unanimous in their support for Ukraine. House Speaker Tim Moore told The News & Observer that Cawthorn's comments are unfortunate.

Zelensky is a guy who cares about his country, and is putting his life on the line, so we need to condemn him.

It is not clear what Cawthorn is thinking. It's possible he has a soft spot for Putin because of their similar rhetoric. It is possible that he wants to mimic former president Donald Trump, who expressed early admiration for Putin. It is believed that Cawthorn was speaking without thinking about what the Americans think about Russia and Ukraine. It wouldn't be the first time.

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