Armed Services Republicans, White House push back against claims that Zelenskyy's PA visit was 'political'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to a U.S. Army ammunition plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania on Sunday has come under fire from some Republicans including Speaker Mike Johnson for being partisan.

Johnson wrote in a letter to Zelenskyy, "The tour was clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats..."

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The visit was at the request of Ukraine to thank the American workers who have helped boost ammunition production for Ukraine to defend against Russia, White House and Pentagon officials told Fox News.

Elected officials who attended the event were all Democrats, but that is because it is standard procedure to invite House and Senate members who represent the district where the visit is located.

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In this case, all elected officials happened to be Democrats due to what is called the "geographical jurisdiction," a defense official told Fox News.

Zelenskyy has met exclusively with Republicans in past trips due to this same reason of who happens to be in elected office in the districts he is visiting.

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Zelenskyy visited Utah in July of this year to meet with Utah's Republican Gov. Spencer Cox and met with Utah's all-Republican Congressional delegation.

Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) the Senate Armed Services Committee's top Republican said in a statement, "If President Zelenskyy came to Mississippi, he would be accompanied by Republican officials because that's who the people in their wisdom elected."

The U.S. Army helped arrange the visit, White House press secretary KJP told Jacqui Heinrich in today's briefing

Jacqui Heinrich questioned KJP about this in the WH briefing earlier this afternoon-

Karine Jean-Pierre: "This is something that Ukrainians asked for. They did this a couple months ago in Utah, in Utah, with a Republican governor and Republican, elected officials were there as well. We didn't hear any type of investigation request when we went to a Republican state. We didn't."