MicroStockHub/iStock(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump’s phone call with a foreign leader that has become the focus of a complaint to the director of national intelligence’s inspector general involved Ukraine, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
Trump reacted Friday, tweeting, “there was nothing said wrong, it was pitch perfect!”
According to a readout released from the White House, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25 “to congratulate him on his recent election.”
A more extensive readout from the Ukrainian president’s office, however, noted that the two also spoke about “investigations into corruption cases that have hampered interaction between Ukraine and the U.S.A.”
The president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, has publicly and privately urged in recent months for Ukrainian officials to investigate ties between former Vice President Joe Biden’s diplomatic efforts in the country and any connections between his son’s business ventures.
In his tweets Friday morning, Trump began by attacking the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, who’s demanding details of the complaint.
“The Radical Left Democrats and their Fake News Media partners, headed up again by Little Adam Schiff, and batting Zero for 21 against me, are at it again! They think I may have had a “dicey” conversation with a certain foreign leader based on a “highly partisan” whistleblowers … statement,” he said.
“Strange that with so many other people hearing or knowing of the perfectly fine and respectful conversation, that they would not have also come forward. Do you know the reason why they did not? Because there was nothing said wrong, it was pitch perfect!” Trump said.
The Radical Left Democrats and their Fake News Media partners, headed up again by Little Adam Schiff, and batting Zero for 21 against me, are at it again! They think I may have had a “dicey” conversation with a certain foreign leader based on a “highly partisan” whistleblowers..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 20, 2019
The Washington Post was first to report the news.
It remains unclear the exact details of the call.
DNI Inspector General Michael Atkinson in a Sep. 9 letter to the House Intelligence Committee said that the complaint rose to a level of “urgent concern” and “appeared credible” enough to warrant the notification of Congress.
The DNI’s general counsel and the Department of Justice, however, has disputed that characterization of the complaint, resulting in a constitutional showdown between members of Congress and the Trump administration regarding matters of potentially privileged material.
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