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Yes.

In 2018, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson visited Moscow, Russia with a group of seven other members of Congress on the Fourth of July. During the visit, the group warned Russia to not interfere with the U.S. 2018 midterm elections.

Election interference was the main topic the lawmakers discussed with top Russian officials. It was the first congressional delegation to visit Russia since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The trip was scheduled a month before former President Donald Trump was set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The visit drew criticism because it happened to fall on the Fourth of July; however, to suggest that the trip was a celebration of the American holiday is a misrepresentation of facts.  

Sources

Roll Call: After Moscow Trip, Ron Johnson Says Election Meddling Overblown

NPR: GOP Senators Spend Independence Day In Moscow

The Hill: GOP senators visited Moscow on July 4, warned Russia against meddling in 2018 election: report

Washington Post: Republicans on Russia trip face scorn and ridicule from critics at home

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Erin Gretzinger joined Wisconsin Watch as a reporting intern in May 2022. She is a journalism and French major at UW-Madison and will graduate in spring 2023. Erin previously worked for the Wisconsin State Journal as a reporting intern and served as the 2021-22 editor-in-chief at The Badger Herald. She is a recipient of the Jon Wolman Scholarship, the Sigrid Schultz Scholarship and the Joseph Sicherman Award Fund for her academic and reporting work.