Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and three others will receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award this year, The Hill reports.
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation announced on Thursday that this year's award will go to Zelenskyy, Cheney, Michigan Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Arizona GOP House Speaker Rusty Bowers, and Georgia Election Department employee Wandrea "Shaye" Moss. In a statement, the organization praised "each for their courage to protect and defend democracy in the United States and abroad."
The statement continues, "There is no issue today more important than the fight for democracy. These honorees have placed their careers and lives on the line to protect democratic principles and free and fair elections. They embody what President Kennedy admired most in others — political courage."
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation said that Zelenskyy "has focused the eyes of the world on the existential threat facing Ukraine, and on the need for robust, uncompromising international engagement and cooperation to safeguard all democratic societies."
The organization said Cheney "repeatedly called on the President to respect the rulings of the courts and his oath of office, and to publicly support the peaceful transfer of power. When the President instead rejected the lawful, certified outcome of the election, she broke with most in her party, urged fidelity to the Constitution, and stood her ground with honor and conviction."
Cheney said in a statement responding to the news that "In America, we have also seen how fragile our democratic institutions can be, and we have learned that they do not defend themselves."
She added, "We — each one of us — must do that. If we do not stand for truth, the rule of law and our Constitution, if we set aside our founding principles for the politics of the moment, the miracle of our constitutional republic will slip away."
Cheney also praised fellow recipient Zelenskyy for showing young Americans how to express "absolute and uncompromising courage" in the face of tyranny.
The award will be presented on May 22 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, Massachusetts.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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