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Whistleblower:Trump Called Ukraine Pres09/21 08:55
President Donald Trump urged the new leader of Ukraine this summer to
investigate the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, a person familiar with
the matter said. Democrats condemned what they saw as a clear effort to damage
a political rival, now at the center of an explosive whistleblower complaint
against Trump.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump urged the new leader of Ukraine
this summer to investigate the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, a person
familiar with the matter said. Democrats condemned what they saw as a clear
effort to damage a political rival, now at the center of an explosive
whistleblower complaint against Trump.
It was the latest revelation in an escalating controversy that has created a
showdown between congressional Democrats and the Trump administration, which
has refused to turn over the formal complaint by a national security official
or even describe its contents.
Trump is defending himself against the intelligence official's complaint,
asserting that it comes from a "partisan whistleblower," though the president
also says he doesn't know who had made it. The complaint was based on a series
of events, one of which was a July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to a two people familiar with the
matter. The people were not authorized to discuss the issue by name and were
granted anonymity.
In a tweet Saturday, Trump referred to "a perfectly fine and routine
conversation I had" with Ukraine's leader. "Nothing was said that was in any
way wrong."
Trump, in that call, urged Zelenskiy to probe the activities of potential
Democratic rival Biden's son Hunter, who worked for a Ukrainian gas company,
according to one of the people, who was briefed on the call. Trump did not
raise the issue of U.S. aid to Ukraine, indicating there was not an explicit
quid pro quo, according to the person.
In an interview with Ukrainian outlet Hromadske that was published Friday
evening, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said his country was not
interested in taking sides in U.S. politics, but that Zelenskiy had the right
to keep the contents of his conversation with Trump secret.
"I know what the conversation was about and I do not think there was any
pressure" from Trump, Prystaiko was quoted as saying. "There was a
conversation, different conversation, leaders have the right to discuss any
existing issues. This was a long and friendly conversation that touched on a
lot of issues, sometimes requiring serious answers."
Biden said that if the reports are true, "then there is truly no bottom to
President Trump's willingness to abuse his power and abase our country." He
said Trump should release the transcript of his July phone conversation with
Zelenskiy "so that the American people can judge for themselves."
The U.S. government's intelligence inspector general has described the
whistleblower's Aug. 12 complaint as "serious" and "urgent." Trump dismissed it
all Friday, insisting "it's nothing." He scolded reporters for asking about it
and said it was "just another political hack job."
"I have conversations with many leaders. It's always appropriate. Always
appropriate," Trump said. "At the highest level always appropriate. And
anything I do, I fight for this country."
Trump was asked whether he knew if the whistleblower's complaint centered on
the July 25 call with Zelenskiy. "I really don't know," Trump said.
When questioned whether he had brought up Biden in the call, Trump said, "It
doesn't matter what I discussed." But then Trump urged the media "to look into"
Biden's background with Ukraine.
There has yet to be any evidence of any wrongdoing by Biden or his son
regarding Ukraine.
Trump and Zelenskiy plan to meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General
Assembly this coming week. The Wall Street Journal first reported that Trump
pressed Zelenskiy about Biden.
The standoff with Congress raises fresh questions about the extent to which
Trump's appointees are protecting the Republican president from oversight and,
specifically, whether his new acting director of national intelligence, Joseph
Maguire, is working with the Justice Department to shield the president.
Democrats say the administration is legally required to give Congress access
to the whistleblower's complaint, and Rep. Adam Schiff of California has said
he will go to court in an effort to get it if necessary.
The intelligence community's inspector general said the matter involves the
"most significant" responsibilities of intelligence leadership.
House Democrats also are fighting the administration for access to witnesses
and documents in impeachment probes.
In the whistleblower case, lawmakers are looking into whether Trump lawyer
Rudy Giuliani traveled to Ukraine to pressure the government to aid Trump's
reelection effort by investigating the activities of Biden's son.
During an interview Thursday on CNN, Giuliani was asked whether he had asked
Ukraine to look into Biden. He initially said, "No, actually I didn't," but
seconds later he said, "Of course I did."
Giuliani has spent months trying to drum up potentially damaging evidence
about Biden's ties to Ukraine. He told CNN that Trump was unaware of his
actions.
"I did what I did on my own," he said. "I told him about it afterward.
Still later, Giuliani tweeted, "A President telling a Pres-elect of a well
known corrupt country he better investigate corruption that affects US is doing
his job." Democrats have contended that Trump, in the aftermath of special
counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, may have asked for foreign
assistance in his upcoming reelection bid.
Trump further stoked those concerns earlier this year in an interview when
he suggested he would be open to receiving foreign help.
The inspector general appeared before the House Intelligence Committee
behind closed doors Thursday but declined, under administration orders, to
reveal to members the substance of the complaint.
Schiff said Trump's attack on the whistleblower was disturbing and raised
concerns that it would have a chilling effect on other potential exposers of
wrongdoing. He also said it was "deeply disturbing" that the White House
appeared to know more about the complaint than its intended recipient ---
Congress.
The information "deserves a thorough investigation," Schiff said. "Come hell
or high water, that's what we're going to do."
Among the materials Democrats have sought is a transcript of Trump's July 25
call with Zelenskiy. The call took place one day after Mueller's faltering
testimony to Congress effectively ended the threat his probe posed to the White
House. A readout of the call released from the Ukrainian government said Trump
believed Kyiv could complete corruptions investigations that have hampered
relations between the two nations but did not get into specifics.
Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who in May called for a probe of
Giuliani's effort in Ukraine, said in an interview on Friday it's "outrageous"
the president has been sending his political operative to talk to Ukraine's new
president. Murphy tweeted that during his own visit it was clear to him that
Ukraine officials were "worried about the consequences of ignoring Giuliani's
demands."
The senator tweeted that he told Zelenskiy during their August visit it was
"best to ignore requests from Trump's campaign operatives. He agreed."
Letters to Congress from the inspector general make clear that Maguire
consulted with the Justice Department in deciding not to transmit the complaint
to Congress in a further departure from standard procedure. It's unclear
whether the White House was also involved, Schiff said.
Maguire has refused to discuss details of the whistleblower complaint, but
he has been subpoenaed by the House committee and is expected to testify
publicly next Thursday. Maguire and the inspector general, Michael Atkinson,
also are expected next week at the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Atkinson wrote in letters that Schiff released that he and Maguire had hit
an "impasse" over the acting director's decision not to share the complaint
with Congress. Atkinson said he was told by the legal counsel for the
intelligence director that the complaint did not actually meet the definition
of an "urgent concern." And he said the Justice Department said it did not fall
under the director's jurisdiction because it did not involve an intelligence
professional.
Atkinson said he disagreed with that Justice Department view. The complaint
"not only falls under DNI's jurisdiction," Atkinson wrote, "but relates to one
of the most significant and important of DNI's responsibilities to the American
people."
(KR)
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