Lawmakers are heading to Ukraine with or without White House’s approval

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa) didn’t give the Biden administration a chance to reject his request to travel to Ukraine when he visited Kyiv and Odesa in May.

The former FBI agent, who helped stand up Ukraine’s National Anti Corruption Bureau in 2015, traveled with Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), relying on a network of personal contacts and the Ukrainian government to ensure his safety.

“Me and Dan just decided to go, because we were told that [the trips] were not being approved,” Fitzpatrick told The Hill in an interview in his office in late July. “So that’s why we chose that course. Dan’s a Navy seal, I’m an FBI agent, so we can handle ourselves.”