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Cawthorn, a North Carolina Republican, made the comments to supporters at an appearance in Asheville earlier this month.
"Remember that Zelensky is a thug," Cawthorn said in a video reported by WRAL. "Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies."
Cawthorn's comments have been aired by Russian state media as part of its propaganda attempting to justify Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
Asked about Cawthorn's comments at his Friday press conference, McCarthy disagreed with the freshman lawmaker.
"Madison is wrong," McCarthy said. "If there's any thug in this world, it's Putin. You've just watched with Russia, directing Russia, to bomb a maternity ward. We watched yesterday, in a theater that's identified in the front and the back from the air that you're housing children, bombed. This is atrocious. This is wrong. This is the aggressor. This is the one that needs to end this war. This is the one that everybody should unite against."
Comment: Fake news! As Lavrov pointed out "the Azov Battalion and other radicals kicked out all the expectant mothers, the nurses and other staff members" and used the maternity hospital as a base. See also: Moscow responds to Ukraine maternity clinic bombing accusation
With regards to the maternity ward, Russia reported that no ground attacks had been carried out in Mariupol on that day, furthermore, the theatre was not on their target list as they knew that the Azov Battalion may be holding civilians hostage there, using the upper floors as firing points. Local reports state that the explosion came from within the building. Civilians who escaped the bombing blamed the Azov Battalion, who were holding them hostage in the theater basement. See also: Another propaganda fail: Ukraine backtracks on claims of Mariupol theater massacre
McCarthy said he still supports Cawthorn's reelection.
After his comments gained attention, Cawthorn appeared to backtrack, writing on Twitter that Putin's invasion is "disgusting," but insinuated Zelensky is pushing "misinformation" to get the United States to enter a war. President Joe Biden and U.S. officials have said they will not enter a direct conflict in Ukraine.
"I am praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people," Cawthorn wrote.
Zelensky virtually addressed Congress this week, where he was met with overwhelming bipartisan support for his efforts to deter Russia's invasion, although lawmakers and U.S. officials have balked at one of his requests, a NATO-enforced no-fly zone over Ukraine.
Comment: McCarthy is wrong, wrong, wrong. Cawthorn should've stood his ground. See also: