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Saturday 28 September 2019

Subpoenas mark first concrete steps for Trump impeachment

By ZEKE MILLER, ERIC TUCK- then that his accuser “isn’t tained by the National Se-
ER and MICHAEL BALSAMO a whistleblower at all.” curity Council. The official
Associated Press Still at issue is why the rough was granted anonymity
WASHINGTON (AP) — transcript of Trump’s July 25 Friday to discuss sensitive
House Democrats took phone call with Ukraine’s matters.
their first concrete steps in president was put on “lock White House attorneys had
the impeachment investi- down,” in the words of the been made aware of con-
gation of President Donald whistleblower. The CIA of- cerns about Trump’s com-
Trump on Friday, issuing ficer said that diverting the ments on the call even
subpoenas demanding record in an unusual way before the whistleblower
documents from Secretary was evidence that “White sent his allegations to the
of State Mike Pompeo and House officials understood intelligence community’s
scheduling legal deposi- the gravity of what had inspector general. Those al-
tions for other State Depart- transpired” in the conver- legations, made in mid-Au-
ment officials. sation. gust, were released Thurs-
At the end of a stormy The whistleblower com- day under heavy pressure
week of revelation and re- plaint alleges that Trump from House Democrats.
President Donald Trump speaks at the Hispanic Heritage Month crimination, House Speaker used his office to “solicit All the while, Trump was
Reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Nancy Pelosi framed the interference from a foreign keeping up his full-bore at-
Friday, Sept. 27, 2019.
Associated Press impeachment inquiry as a country” to help himself in tack on the whistleblower
somber moment for a di- next year’s U.S. election. and the unnamed “White
vided nation. In the phone call, days House officials” cited in
“This is no cause for any after ordering a freeze to the complaint, drawing a
joy,” she said on MSNBC. some military assistance for warning from Pelosi against
At the White House, a senior Ukraine, Trump prodded retaliation.
administration official con- new Ukrainian President Late Thursday, Trump de-
firmed a key detail from the Volodymyr Zelenskiy to dig nounced people who
unidentified CIA whistle- for potentially damaging might have talked to the
blower who has accused material on Democratic whistleblower as “close to
Trump of abusing the pow- rival Joe Biden and volun- a spy” and suggested they
er of his office. Trump, for teered the assistance of engaged in treason, an act
his part, insisted anew that both his personal attorney, punishable by death. Then
his actions and words have Rudy Giuliani, and U.S. At- on Friday, he said the per-
been “perfect” and the torney General William Barr. son was “sounding more
whistleblower’s complaint Pelosi refused to set a and more like the so-called
might well be the work of deadline for the probe but Whistleblower isn’t a Whis-
“a partisan operative.” promised to act “expedi- tleblower at all.”
The White House acknowl- tiously.” The House intel- He also alleged without
edged that a record of ligence committee could evidence that information
the Trump phone call that draw members back to in the complaint has been
is now at the center of Washington next week. “proved to be so inaccu-
the impeachment inquiry Pelosi said she was praying rate.”
had been sealed away in for the president, adding, Pelosi told MSNBC, “I’m
a highly classified system “I would say to Democrats concerned about some of
at the direction of Trump’s and Republicans: We have the president’s comments
National Security Council to put country before par- about the whistleblower.”
lawyers. ty.” She said the House panels
Separately, Trump adviser At the White House, it was conducting the impeach-
Kellyanne Conway told a senior administration of- ment probe will make
reporters that the whistle- ficial who acknowledged sure there’s no retaliation
blower “has protection that the rough transcript of against people who pro-
under the law,” something Trump’s conversation with vided information in the
Trump himself had ap- Ukraine’s Zelenskiy had case.
peared to question earlier been moved to a highly
in the day. He suggested classified system main- Continued on Page 4