A video surfaced Thursday showing North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a "thug" and slamming the country's government as "incredibly corrupt and ... incredibly evil."


In the footage obtained by WRAL, Cawthorn tells listeners, "Remember that Zelensky is a thug."

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"Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt, and it is incredibly evil, and it has been pushing woke ideologies," he said.

Cawthorn's office did not respond to the Washington Examiner's request for comment.

Just after the video was published, Cawthorn tweeted that "the actions of Putin and Russia are disgusting. But leaders, including Zelensky, should NOT push misinformation on America."

"I am praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Pray also we are not drawn into conflict based on foreign leaders pushing misinformation," he said.

Cawthorn did not address the newly surfaced video.


The report did not mention when or where the video was taken, but former White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove claimed in a Wednesday Wall Street Journal op-ed that it was recorded "last Saturday at a town hall in Asheville, N.C."

It was confirmed by a North Carolina Highway Patrol spokesman Wednesday that Cawthorn was charged with driving on a revoked license. He has also received two prior citations for speeding, according to Sgt. Marcus Bethea.

"During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the driver's license was in a state of revocation, and he was subsequently charged with driving while license revoked," Bethea said of the early march incident.

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A spokesman for Cawthorn told the Washington Examiner, "Our office expects the traffic matters to be resolved quickly, and we remain focused on serving the constituents of NC-11."