The House Oversight and Accountability Committee opened an investigation Wednesday into the Biden administration’s use of taxpayer money to fly Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Pennsylvania to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Chairman James Comer sent letters to the White House and departments of Defense and Justice requesting information about the administration’s communication about Mr. Zelenskyy’s trip this week.

“The committee seeks to determine whether the Biden-Harris administration attempted to use a foreign leader to benefit Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign and, if so, necessarily committed an abuse of power,” the letter said.

In the letter, Mr. Comer, Kentucky Republican, pointed out that former President Donald Trump was impeached by the Democrat-controlled House in 2019 for what it called an abuse of power through the attempted use of a foreign leader — Mr. Zelenskyy — to benefit his 2020 presidential campaign.

The congressman argued that the current administration flying out Mr. Zelenskyy could result “in the potential interference in a federal election.”

Mr. Zelenskyy is in the country for the United Nations’ General Assembly this week. He made a stop in Pennsylvania Sunday and toured an ammunition factory with Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who was on the short list to be Ms. Harris’ running mate. The Ukrainian president was flown to the Keystone State in an Air Force C-17 plane.

Mr. Comer said the committee “seeks to understand the circumstances that led — and any facts that could justify — the Biden-Harris administration to transport President Zelenskyy on a Department of the Air Force aircraft to Pennsylvania to introduce government officials to President Zelenskyy about the Russia-Ukraine war.”

The chairman also mentioned Mr. Zelenskyy’s rhetoric to describe Mr. Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, as “too radical” for his views on Ukraine in an interview with The New Yorker.

The Ukrainian leader also said Mr. Trump wouldn’t be able to stop the Ukraine-Russia war — a claim the former president has repeated multiple times.

“My feeling is that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how,” he said in the interview.

“This rhetoric coming from a foreign leader released in anticipation of a U.S.-taxpayer-funded visit about the current administration’s political opponent is highly concerning,” the letter from Mr. Comer said.

He requested the information from the White House, DOJ and Defense Department by Oct. 2.

The Washington Times has reached out to the letter recipients for comment.

• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.