White House transcript shows US President Trump asked Ukrainian leader to probe political rival Joe Biden, a day after Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry of Trump
The connection to Attorney General William Barr marked a new and potentially more serious issue for Trump because it shows he took steps to involve the US government with a foreign country to investigate a political rival.
In the conversation, Trump doesn't distinguish between the roles of Giuliani, his personal attorney and political ally, and Barr, who as the nation's top law enforcement officer is supposed to be above the political fray. Barr has been a staunch defender of Trump, most notably during the Mueller investigation.
It's not the first time Trump has sought foreign assistance to undermine a political rival. He publicly asked Russia to release hacked Hillary Clinton emails in 2016, but this is his first documented time doing so while president with the weight of the US government at his disposal. The whistleblower, a member of the intelligence community, said in their complaint that they had heard the information from "White House officials," but did not have firsthand knowledge of the call, the Justice Department official said.
Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said the attorney general was first notified of Trump's conversation with the Ukrainian president "several weeks after the call took place," when the department received the referral about potential criminal conduct. The complaint has set off a stunning turn of American political events, leading Pelosi to yield to mounting pressure from fellow Democrats on the impeachment inquiry.
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