Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug” last Saturday, arguing that the Ukrainian government, now under siege by the Russian military, is “incredibly corrupt” and “incredibly evil.”

“Remember that Zelenskky is a thug,” Cawthorn said during a town hall in his home state last week. “Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies.”

The comment, reported by longtime Republican operative Karl Rove in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, is even harsher than the rhetoric of most of his right-wing colleagues, who, over the past several weeks, have slowly praised Zelenskyy as they hesitantly condemn Putin. 

On Wednesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., pushing back against Donald Trump’s supportive comments, said that he doesn’t “think anything’s savvy or genius about Putin.””I think Putin is evil,” the lawmaker said during a press conference. “He’s a dictator. And I think he’s murdering people right now.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has likewise called Putin […]