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A4 up front
Thursday 26 sepTember 2019

Washington plunges into Trump impeachment investigation

Continued from Front gas company. Trump, im-
mediately after saying he
The president’s words set and Zelenskiy would be in
the parameters for the de- touch, references Ukraine’s
bate to come — just the economy, saying: “Your
fourth impeachment inves- economy is going to get
tigation of an American better and better I predict.
president in the nation’s You have a lot of assets. It’s
history. The initial response a great country.”
highlighted the deep divide At another point in the
between the two parties: conversation, Trump asks
Democrats said the phone Zelenskiy for a favor: his
call amounted to a “shake- help looking into a cyber-
down” of a foreign leader, security firm that investi-
while Trump — backed by gated the 2016 hack of the
the vast majority of Repub- Democratic National Com-
licans — dismissed it as a mittee and determined it
“nothing call.” was carried out by Russia.
The call is one part of a Trump has falsely suggest-
federal whistleblower com- ed Crowdstrike was owned
plaint about the president’s by a Ukrainian.
activities. After being sty- Trump has sought to impli-
mied by the administration, cate Biden and his son in
lawmakers on the House Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y. holds up a copy of a White House released the kind of corruption that
and Senate intelligence rough transcript of a phone call between President Donald Trump and the President of Ukraine as has long plagued Ukraine.
committees got their first Schumer speaks to the media about an impeachment inquiry on President Trump, Wednesday Hunter Biden served on the
look at the complaint on Sept. 25, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. board of a Ukrainian gas
Wednesday. Congress is Associated Press company at the same time
also seeking an in-person been investigating. months to deride the now- Capitol Hill about his inves- his father was leading the
interview with the whistle- “We need to be disciplined finished special counsel tigation into Russia’s 2016 Obama administration’s
blower, who remains anon- about how we communi- investigation into election election interference. diplomatic dealings with
ymous. cate,” said Rep. Elissa Slot- interference, declaring im- In the 30-minute phone Kyiv. Though the timing
Trump spent the day meet- kin of Michigan. “The min- peachment “a hoax” and call with Zelenskiy, Trump raised concerns among
ing with world leaders at ute we’re talking about the the “single greatest witch encourages the Ukrainian anti-corruption advocates,
the United Nations, a re- intricacies of process is the hunt in American history.” leader to talk with Giuliani there has been no evi-
markable TV split screen minute that we are losing Republicans largely stood and Barr about Biden and dence of wrongdoing by
even for the turbulence people.” by the president and dis- his son Hunter, who served either the former vice presi-
of the Trump era. On his Pelosi announced the im- missed the notion that the on the board of a Ukrainian dent or his son.q
schedule: a meeting with peachment probe on Tues- rough transcript revealed
Zelenskiy. day after months of resis- any wrongdoing by Trump.
In a light-hearted appear- tance to a process she has “I think it was a perfectly
ance before reporters, Zel- warned would be divisive appropriate phone call,
enskiy said he didn’t want for the country and risky for it was a congratulatory
to get involved in Ameri- her party. But after viewing phone call,” said Rep. Liz
can elections, but added the transcript on Wednes- Cheney, the No. 3 House
that in the phone call, “No- day, Pelosi declared: “Con- Republican.
body pushed me.” Trump gress must act.” “The Democrats continual-
chimed in, “In other words, Trump, who thrives on ly make these huge claims
no pressure.” combat, has all but dared and allegations about Pres-
The next steps in the im- Democrats to move to- ident Trump, and then you
peachment inquiry were ward impeachment, con- find out there’s no there
still developing a day after fident that the specter of there.”
House Speaker Nancy Pe- an investigation led by the The memo released by the
losi launched the probe. opposition party will bolster White House was not a ver-
Moderate Democrats, in- rather than diminish his po- batim transcript, but was in-
cluding some from districts litical support. stead based on the records
where Trump remains pop- “It’s a joke. Impeachment, of officials who listened to
ular, urged the speaker to for that?” Trump said during the call. The conversation
keep the inquiry to Ukraine a news conference in New took place on July 25, one
and not expand into other York. He revived the same day after special counsel
issues Congress has already language he has used for Robert Mueller testified on