On suspicion of encouraging the Ukrainian president to investigate Joe Biden's son, Donald Trump believes his conversations with the leaders are "always irreproachable".
A whistleblower accuses Donald Trump of putting pressure on his Ukrainian counterpart to push him to investigate the family of Democrat Joe Biden. Charges that the US president vigorously challenged, Friday, September 20. " It's ridiculous ! It's a partial whistle-blowerhe has launched from the Oval Office, while ensuring he does not know his identity. "I had conversations with many leaders, they are always irreproachable. "
The folder, potentially explosive, still remains surrounded by many gray areas. According to Washington Post and the New York Times, the conversation with a foreign leader reported by the whistleblower concerned Ukraine.
Congressional politicians are wondering about a telephone conversation in July between the US president and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. According to Wall Street JournalMr. Trump, during this call, encouraged "About eight times" Mr. Zelensky investigates Joe Biden's son and works with his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to do so. Second son of the former senator, Hunter Biden worked for a Ukrainian gas group from 2014, when his father was vice president of Barack Obama.
Joe Biden demanded that Mr. Trump release the transcript of this phone call so that "The American people can judge for themselves". "If these accusations are true, then President Trump's will to abuse his power and humiliate our country has no limits"said the candidate for the Democratic primary in a statement.
The indignant democratic leaders
Donald Trump's statements against the whistleblower have outraged the Democratic leaders of four powerful Congressional committees, who have denounced a "Shameless attempt" risky intimidation "To have a deterrent effect on future whistleblowers, with serious consequences for our democracy and national security". They called the White House to deliver " at once " the content of the report made by the whistleblower to the Intelligence Committee.
For Nancy Pelosi, Democratic President of the Lower House of Congress, information about "A reliable whistleblower" about the president's communications with a foreign leader "Raise serious and urgent issues for our national security".
Did he specifically mention Joe Biden with the Ukrainian president? "What I talked about does not matter", Donald Trump retorted, before adding that "Someone should be looking at Joe Biden", who could be his big rival in the 2020 presidential election. The favorite of the Democratic primary rejected all suspicion surrounding the affairs of his family in Ukraine, insisting that"No credible media has deemed this statement credible".
A meeting between Trump and Zelensky on Wednesday
Finding particular concern "Promise" made by the White House tenant to a foreign leader, a whistleblower, himself a member of intelligence services, made an August 12 report to the Inspector General of Intelligence, Michael Atkinson.
But the information was not transmitted to the Congress in the time provided, raising questions about possible interventions. "We do not have the report, we do not know if the press information is accurate or inaccurate"said Adam Schiff, Democratic Chairman of the powerful House Intelligence Committee.
Ukraine elected in April to the presidency a comedian hitherto a novice in politics, Volodymyr Zelensky. The tete-a-tete between the latter and Donald Trump, scheduled Wednesday in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, will be, in the context of these revelations, scrutinized with particular attention.
