President Donald Trump told reporters in the White House that “it doesn’t matter what I discussed” with foreign leaders, seeking to assert that the allegations made against him were lodged by a “partisan” whistleblower.
Trump didn’t deny discussing former Vice President Joe Biden with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, although he stressed that all his exchanges with foreign leaders are “always appropriate.” The President, nonetheless, noted that “somebody ought to look into Joe Biden’s statement” about Ukraine, Politico reported Friday.
The comments will certainly cause a greater rift between the White House and House Democrats requesting to see the whistleblower complaint, the subject of which is most likely Trump’s the phone call with Zelensky.
But despite making accusations of “partisanship,” President Trump acknowledged that he did not know the identity of the whistleblower.
An intelligence watchdog has deemed the claims in the report “urgent” and “serious”, a characterization Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire does not agree with. He has refused to comply with a subpoena to provide the complaint.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that Maguire and the President were stonewalling, noting that if the allegations against Trump were true, it could have “serious repercussions for his administration and our democracy.”
President Trump further told reporters in the Oval Office that he didn’t know whether the complaint dealt with his July 25 conversation with the Ukrainian president, even though his comments sparked speculation that it very well might.
Several outlets reported earlier this week that the subject of the whistleblower complaint is that particular phone call, which included a “promise” to Zelensky.
Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani’s dealings with Ukraine have been the subject of an investigation by three House committees looking into Giuliani’s efforts to force the Ukrainian government to help Trump’s re-election bid in 2020.
On Thursday, Giuliani admitted he had asked Ukrainian officials to investigate Biden and his son.
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