Brian Fitzpatrick is blasting President Trump's comments on Ukraine -- without naming him

Julia Terruso, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Feb 21, 2025

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PHILADELPHIA — On Wednesday morning President Donald J. Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, slamming Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “terrible leader” and claiming that the wartime president is a “dictator without elections.”

Four hours later, U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., shot off a one-sentence tweet:“Vladimir Putin is the Dictator without Elections.”

Fitzpatrick, a longtime defender of Ukraine who was stationed in the country as an FBI agent in 2015, then posted a lengthy condemnation of any peace agreement with Russia that excludes Ukraine and called for a plan to hold Russia accountable.

His comments did not directly mention Trump, the man who provoked his rebuttal. But the response, about as subversive as Republicans have been lately, illustrated the conundrum facing GOP members who disagree with the president but are guarded against his penchant for retaliation.

“President Volodymyr Zelenskyy need not, and must not, have any deal forced upon him by any outside nation that does not guarantee the security and the sovereignty of the Ukrainian people,” Fitzpatrick, who represents Bucks County, wrote in a statement on X.

“We all want an immediate end to this brutal Russian invasion and killing,” Fitzpatrick continued. “For a peace agreement to be fair and lasting, it must be done in a way that holds the Russian invaders accountable, protects the dignity of the Ukrainian victims, and provides for fair and equitable cost-sharing amongst all European nations.”

Fitzpatrick, a self-described moderate in a purple district, has often shied away from saying anything, good or bad, about Trump. But as chairman of the House Intelligence CIA Subcommittee, cochair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, and a former FBI agent posted in Europe, Fitzpatrick has long been a defender of Ukraine and his frustration with Trump showed this week.

“He’s a sharp guy, he understands his district — and he is on firm footing on this issue,” said GOP consultant Chris Nicholas. “Voters, because they know of his background as an FBI agent, realize he’s on firm ground. He’s not talking about some far-flung issue he’s only read about.”

Fitzpatrick has long been cautious in his approach to Trump, avoiding comments about him throughout 2024, when both men were on the ballot.

Trump shocked European leaders and rattled his own party members this week as he sharpened attacks on Zelenskyy, falsely claiming that Ukraine started the war with Russia (Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022) and painting Zelenskyy as the agitator in what could be an attempt to tilt public opinion ahead of a negotiated peace deal that favors Russia.

Several Republicans joined Fitzpatrick in pushing back without directly addressing Trump this week. Sen. Thom Tillis, a vulnerable Republican from North Carolina who visited Ukraine over the weekend to tour an area ravaged by fighting, said he’s “concerned with anything that would ultimately allow there to be a moral equivalency between Zelenskyy and Putin.” And Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., on Tuesday said Putin should be “in jail for the rest of his life, if not executed,” as Trump appeared to seek closer ties with the Russian leader.

“While the Republican Party is changing, the anti-Russia sentiment is still a through line for a majority of the party,” Nicholas argued.

Meanwhile, Trump on Friday continued bad-mouthing Zelenskyy, saying he didn’t think the president of the country involved in the war with Russia was “very important to be at meetings.”

Fitzpatrick has also made comments defending SNAP and Medicare benefits, which House Republican leaders have targeted for cuts, and in support of civil servants as Elon Musk, with the support of Trump, ushers in widespread federal layoffs.

You have to be watching him closely to notice. The comments aren’t in fiery floor speeches but social media postings that chronicle the constituent visits he makes around Bucks County.

“This morning served as a reminder of the remarkable dedication, strength, and passion of our federal workforce,” he posted on Facebook on Feb. 10 after meeting with members of the American Federation of Government Employees, or AFGE , who have had thousands of members laid off in the last few weeks.

“Every single day, millions of hardworking public servants ensure that our government functions effectively. They are the backbone of our democracy — the silent sentinels who process our Social Security checks, inspect our food supply, assist our veterans, protect our national security, and respond to disasters,” Fitzpatrick wrote. “A strong civil service is essential to a strong America.”

Even progressive groups that have challenged Fitzpatrick in the past have taken note. And in a moment when Democrats have little power to counter Trump’s agenda, one local group’s response to Fitzpatrick’s muted opposition wasn’t to slam his subtlety but to encourage him to keep going.

“He is kind of legislatively sticking his neck out a little bit and we are trying to get him to be a little more assertive about it,” said Kierstyn Zolfo, of Indivisible Bucks County.

Fitzpatrick, who has been endorsed by several federal employee unions, is a cosponsor of the “Saving the Civil Service Act,” a bipartisan bill that would protect civil service positions from becoming political and add some protection against termination by the White House. The bill was introduced in the last Congress and reintroduced in this one, where it has more relevance given Trump’s revamping of the federal government. Fitzpatrick, while listed as a cosponsor, hasn’t publicized his connection to the bill.

For Fitzpatrick, electoral success in recent years may also factor into his political calculus for sounding off. Bucks County voted for Trump, but Fitzpatrick’s district narrowly backed Vice President Kamala Harris by less than a percentage point. Fitzpatrick outran Harris in his district by 13 points.

The five-term incumbent is also accustomed to defeating more Trump-aligned challengers in Republican primaries. He could see another one in 2026.

“It is not a hypothetical that what he does could cause him to get another challenger,” Nicholas, the GOP consultant, said. “He’s lived it every term.”