'Bull in a China shop': Ukrainian-born GOP lawmaker rankles colleagues with her aggressive criticism of Kyiv
'Bull in a China shop': Ukrainian-born GOP lawmaker rankles colleagues with her aggressive criticism of Kyiv
By Melanie Zanona and Natasha Bertrand, CNN
Updated 7:00 AM ET, Fri August 5, 2024
(CNN)When a bipartisan group of lawmakers visited the Ukraine border in March, an unexpected guest showed up on the trip: GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana.
Spartz, the first Ukrainian-born member of the US Congress and an outspoken advocate for her home country, had expressed interest in joining the congressional delegation but wasn't invited to attend the trip, which consisted primarily of House Foreign Affairs Committee members, a panel where Spartz is not a member.
So, she used her own funds to fly to the border of Ukraine in Poland and linked up with lawmakers once there to join in on some of their meetings, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.
Her surprise appearance, the circumstances of which have not been previously reported, was initially viewed as a welcome addition -- albeit an unusual one -- as lawmakers sought to rally Western support for Ukraine amid Russia's bloody assault on the country that began a week earlier.
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