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Trump-Ukraine scandal: whistleblower complaint 'unprecedented', says intelligence chief – live Nancy Pelosi on Trump-Ukraine scandal: 'This is a cover-up' – live news
(32 minutes later)
Here is a guide to some of the major Ukrainian players connected to the whistleblower complaint: Maguire argued the whistleblower complaint did not touch on election security – an assertion that overlooks the whistleblower’s stated concern about how Trump’s communications with Ukraine could jeopardize the integrity of US elections.
Petro Poroshenko - the chocolate king: A Ukrainian businessman who made his fortune with the Roshen chocolate empire (the name comes from the middle letters of his surname), Poroshenko is a canny politician, who positioned himself as a unity candidate after the 2014 Maidan revolution toppled corrupt president Viktor Yanukovych. He easily won elections that year, but – faced with the difficult task of enacting reforms as well as fighting a war with Russia - Poroshenko’s popularity tanked. Although some reforms were interacted, he was widely regarded as continuing the old type of politics to benefit his own circle of cronies. Acting DNI Maguire: "The complaint isn't about election interference."On page one, the complaint says the whistleblower is concerned Pres. Trump is "using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election."
Serhiy Leschenko - the anti-corruption campaigner: One of the new brand of politicians who entered the scene after Maidan, Leschenko was a leading political journalist who wrote widely on corruption, and became an MP after the revolution. He, and other so-called “Euro-optimists” in parliament became more disillusioned with the Poroshenko government as time went on. In May 2016, he published information from a so-called “black ledger” which showed under-the-table payments from Yankukovych’s regime to various figures including Paul Manafort. This led to Manafort’s resignation from the Trump campaign.Marie Yovanovitch - the US ambassador: A career diplomat who had served as ambassador to Armenia and Kyrgyzstan before her appointment to Ukraine in 2016, Yovanovitch replaced Geoffrey Pyatt (currently US ambassador to Greece), who was in charge in the aftermath of the Maidan revolution and played an outsize role in Ukrainian politics, regarded as one of the most powerful political players in the country for a period of time. Yovanovitch was a lower-key figure but was widely respected in the diplomatic community in Ukraine. She was withdrawn by the Trump administration in May 2019.Volodymyr Zelenskiy - the comedian president: Ukraine’s new president was a wild-card candidate who had no experience of politics save for playing the president in a television comedy. The actor and comedian swept to victory in elections earlier this year promising a more honest and transparent kind of politics, often blurring lines between his television persona and real life. In what would have been a remarkable plot twist in the series, he’s now been thrust into the centre of an American political scandal.Victor Shokhin - the prosecutor general: Ukrainian prosecutor general, who was widely seen as blocking the prosecutions of corrupt oligarchs, and who reform-minded Ukrainian politicians and international partners were pressuring the Ukrainian government to remove for some time, and was finally dismissed in 2016. He was later re-invented as a kind of heroic victim by Rudy Giuliani, who claimed Shokhin was fired on Biden’s orders to halt an investigation into the gas company that had put Biden’s son Hunter on its board. Maguire told the House intelligence committee that he has fulfilled his responsibility as acting director of national intelligence by conveying the whistleblower complaint to the panel.
Yuriy Lutsenko - the other prosecutor general: A veteran figure on the Ukrainian political scene, Lutsenko is a controversial character who at times has been a victim of political persecution and was jailed under the government of Yanukovych. He replaced Shokhin as prosecutor but was also viewed with suspicion by reformers. Lutsenko met with Giuliani and appears to have been amenable to opening a probe into claims of Ukrainian interference in 2016 on behalf of the democrats. He also told Giuliani that US ambassador Yovanovitch had given him a list of people he should not prosecute, a claim the state department has denied. Lutsenko was fired by Zelenskiy in August. “The horse has left the barn,” Magurie said, noting that the committee now has the complaint and the White House memo in its possession.
The intelligence chief said he would leave the determination of whether to pursue an investigation up to the committee.
Trump has concluded his fundraiser in New York and is traveling back to Washington. While boarding Air Force One, he did not take questions from reporters.
The president is expected to arrive in Washington at around 1:30 p.m., when he will be more likely to take questions from the media at the White House.
.@realDonaldTrump is heading back to Washington after fundraising in New York City amid the whistleblower controversy and impeachment threat. pic.twitter.com/sCkkVMqzBP
Maguire reiterated his belief, under questioning from Democrat Adam Schiff, that the president is subject to same laws as any other public servant.
Maguire said: “No person in this country is beyond the reach of the law.”
Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House intelligence committee, concluded his comments in the hearing by congratulating Maguire on surviving the “legal word challenge charade.”
The California Republican said: “I would just encourage my colleagues that if they want to impeach the president, they need to go to the floor of the House to call for a vote.”
Meanwhile, the White House is strategizing about how to push back against Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
Trump’s former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, is in talks to spearhead a team meant to counter-program Democratic investigations into the Ukraine call and other controversies.
CNN reports:
Trump’s 2016 campaign manager would be in a crisis management type role, and the idea as it currently stands would be for Lewandowski to assemble a team that mirrors the one that existed in Bill Clinton’s White House when he was facing his own impeachment.
The list of potential players on the team includes David Bossie, his former deputy campaign manager who angered the President earlier this year by soliciting funds using Trump’s name. Bossie served as the chief investigator of the House Oversight Committee in 1997, helping scrutinize Clinton. ...
The team would be to help spearhead strategy and messaging as the House of Representative’s impeachment probe heats up. The role could also exist outside the White House, and many of the details of the arrangement are still unclear.
Yuri Lutsenko, the former Ukrainian president who first raised the allegations against Hunter Biden that Rudy Giuliani urged the country to investigate again, said he did not believe the son of the former vice president had broken the law.
The Washington Post reports:
‘From the perspective of Ukrainian legislation, he did not violate anything,’ former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuri Lutsenko told The Washington Post in his first interview since the disclosure of a whistleblower complaint alleging pressure by Trump on Ukraine’s president, Volodymr Zelensky.
Lutsenko’s comments about Hunter Biden – which echo what he told Bloomberg News in May – were significant because President Trump and his personal attorney Giuliani have sought to stir up suspicions about both Hunter and former vice-president Joe Biden’s conduct in Ukraine in recent weeks. ...
As vice president, Joe Biden pressured Ukraine to fire the Lutsenko’s predecessor, Viktor Shokin, who Biden and other Western officials said was not sufficiently pursuing corruption cases. At the time, the investigation into Burisma was dormant, according to former Ukrainian and U.S. officials.
‘Hunter Biden cannot be responsible for violations of the management of Burisma that took place two years before his arrival,’ Lutsenko said.
Here is a guide to some of the major players in Ukraine connected to the whistleblower complaint:
Petro Poroshenko – the chocolate king: A Ukrainian businessman who made his fortune with the Roshen chocolate empire (the name comes from the middle letters of his surname), Poroshenko is a canny politician, who positioned himself as a unity candidate after the 2014 Maidan revolution toppled corrupt president Viktor Yanukovych. He easily won elections that year, but – faced with the difficult task of enacting reforms as well as fighting a war with Russia - Poroshenko’s popularity tanked. Although some reforms were interacted, he was widely regarded as continuing the old type of politics to benefit his own circle of cronies.
Serhiy Leschenko – the anti-corruption campaigner: One of the new brand of politicians who entered the scene after Maidan, Leschenko was a leading political journalist who wrote widely on corruption, and became an MP after the revolution. He, and other so-called “Euro-optimists” in parliament became more disillusioned with the Poroshenko government as time went on. In May 2016, he published information from a so-called “black ledger” which showed under-the-table payments from Yankukovych’s regime to various figures including Paul Manafort. This led to Manafort’s resignation from the Trump campaign.
Marie Yovanovitch – the former US ambassador: A career diplomat who had served as ambassador to Armenia and Kyrgyzstan before her appointment to Ukraine in 2016, Yovanovitch replaced Geoffrey Pyatt (currently US ambassador to Greece), who was in charge in the aftermath of the Maidan revolution and played an outsize role in Ukrainian politics, regarded as one of the most powerful political players in the country for a period of time. Yovanovitch was a lower-key figure but was widely respected in the diplomatic community in Ukraine. She was withdrawn by the Trump administration in May 2019.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy – the comedian president: Ukraine’s new president was a wild-card candidate who had no experience of politics save for playing the president in a television comedy. The actor and comedian swept to victory in elections earlier this year promising a more honest and transparent kind of politics, often blurring lines between his television persona and real life. In what would have been a remarkable plot twist in the series, he’s now been thrust into the centre of an American political scandal.
Victor Shokhin – the prosecutor general: Ukrainian prosecutor general, who was widely seen as blocking the prosecutions of corrupt oligarchs, and who reform-minded Ukrainian politicians and international partners were pressuring the Ukrainian government to remove for some time, and was finally dismissed in 2016. He was later re-invented as a kind of heroic victim by Rudy Giuliani, who claimed Shokhin was fired on Biden’s orders to halt an investigation into the gas company that had put Biden’s son Hunter on its board.
Yuriy Lutsenko – the other prosecutor general: A veteran figure on the Ukrainian political scene, Lutsenko is a controversial character who at times has been a victim of political persecution and was jailed under the government of Yanukovych. He replaced Shokhin as prosecutor but was also viewed with suspicion by reformers. Lutsenko met with Giuliani and appears to have been amenable to opening a probe into claims of Ukrainian interference in 2016 on behalf of the democrats. He also told Giuliani that US ambassador Yovanovitch had given him a list of people he should not prosecute, a claim the state department has denied. Lutsenko was fired by Zelenskiy in August.
Maguire voiced concerns about Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer and thus a private citizen, involving himself in efforts to convince Ukraine to launch an investigation of Joe Biden.Maguire voiced concerns about Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer and thus a private citizen, involving himself in efforts to convince Ukraine to launch an investigation of Joe Biden.
QUIGLEY: And why would you have those concerns? MAGUIRE: Well, in order to be able to handle sensitive information, whether it be diplomatic or certainly, intelligence information, one must be vetted.QUIGLEY: And why would you have those concerns? MAGUIRE: Well, in order to be able to handle sensitive information, whether it be diplomatic or certainly, intelligence information, one must be vetted.
Jim Mattis, Trump’s former defence secretary, has swerved past questions about the US president’s conversation with the leader of Ukraine and attempts to cover it up.Jim Mattis, Trump’s former defence secretary, has swerved past questions about the US president’s conversation with the leader of Ukraine and attempts to cover it up.
“I know no more than any of you know, perhaps a little bit less,” he told an audience at the Atlantic magazine festival in Washington.“I know no more than any of you know, perhaps a little bit less,” he told an audience at the Atlantic magazine festival in Washington.
“We’re watching this play out in a rather historic moment in our country’s life and we’ll see how it plays out.”“We’re watching this play out in a rather historic moment in our country’s life and we’ll see how it plays out.”
Mattis, who is promoting a new memoir, said the constitution is proving itself a “hardy document” that can “hold fast” against the current turmoil. He sees no value in adding his voice the “cacophony” that passes for political discourse in Washington, he explained.Mattis, who is promoting a new memoir, said the constitution is proving itself a “hardy document” that can “hold fast” against the current turmoil. He sees no value in adding his voice the “cacophony” that passes for political discourse in Washington, he explained.
Maguire emphasized that the “greatest challenge” facing the United States is safeguarding “the integrity of the election system”.Maguire emphasized that the “greatest challenge” facing the United States is safeguarding “the integrity of the election system”.
It’s worth noting that the whistleblower complaint accuses Trump of jeopardizing that integrity by soliciting the aid of a foreign country in the 2020 election.It’s worth noting that the whistleblower complaint accuses Trump of jeopardizing that integrity by soliciting the aid of a foreign country in the 2020 election.
Maguire says that the "greatest challenge" faced the United States is making sure "we maintain the integrity of the election system" https://t.co/yvuNtBBxW8 pic.twitter.com/IpjcOHAK4xMaguire says that the "greatest challenge" faced the United States is making sure "we maintain the integrity of the election system" https://t.co/yvuNtBBxW8 pic.twitter.com/IpjcOHAK4x
Maguire was just questioned by representative John Ratcliffe, who withdrew from consideration for the role of director of national intelligence.Maguire was just questioned by representative John Ratcliffe, who withdrew from consideration for the role of director of national intelligence.
Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), Trump's initial (and failed) pick to be the Director of National Intelligence, now interrogating Joseph Maguire, acting Director of National Intelligence.Imagine if Ratcliffe were in this position today. I think things would have gone differently.Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), Trump's initial (and failed) pick to be the Director of National Intelligence, now interrogating Joseph Maguire, acting Director of National Intelligence.Imagine if Ratcliffe were in this position today. I think things would have gone differently.
Maguire said, in response to questioning from Democratic representative Joaquin Castro, that the whistleblower complaint is “in alignment” with the memo the White House released yesterday on the president’s Ukraine call.
Rep. Joaquin Castro: "Would you say that the whistleblower complaint is remarkably consistent with the transcript that was released?"Acting DNI Maguire: "The whistleblower's complaint is in alignment with what was released yesterday by the president." https://t.co/fUBRdsHDCG pic.twitter.com/9m3Xc5pqwf
This is a noteworthy comment because the complaint specifically accuses Trump of trying to solicit a foreign country’s assistance in the 2020 election and pressuring Ukraine to open an investigation into Joe Biden.
Maguire seems to be acknowledging that the memo the White House released reflects those allegations.
Pelosi said the whistleblower complaint has now become the “focus” of the impeachment inquiry.
>@SpeakerPelosi asked if spoke of impeachment has narrowed to Ukraine: "The consensus in our caucus, is that our focus now is on this allegation. ... This is the focus of the moment."
Several House committees are investigating the president’s actions in a number of different situations, but Democrats reportedly believe the Ukraine controversy is the easiest accusation for the public to understand.
Pelosi accused the Office of the Director of National Intelligence of breaking the law in its handling of the whistleblower complaint.
The House speaker said the law is clear in regards to whistleblower complaints: that the director of national intelligence “shall” share the report with the congressional intelligence committees.
Pelosi expressed bafflement that Maguire went to the subject of the complaint, the White House, to determine how to handle the report.
Maguire has said in the House intelligence committee hearing today that he felt he needed White House guidance on how to deal with possible executive privilege concerns with the complaint.
Nancy Pelosi has started her weekly press conference by directly addressing the release of the whistleblower complaint.
Recounting the whistleblower’s allegations that the White House tried to keep details of the Ukraine call from becoming public, the House speaker said, “This is a cover up.”
Pelosi also explained her thinking behind deciding to launch a formal impeachment inquiry against Trump. “Last week we saw something that removed all doubt as to whether we should move forward,” she said.
“When people say to me ‘what changed your mind?’ I didn’t change my mind. I have always been on the course of finding the facts.”
Republicans on the House intelligence committee have repeatedly criticized Adam Schiff for exaggerating the White House memo on Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president.
The Democratic chairman said this in his opening statement to underscore his argument that Trump’s actions were similar to those of a mob boss: “In essence, what the President Trump communicates is this: We’ve been very good to your country. Very good. ... I have a favor I want from you though.”
Republicans chastised Schiff for not quoting directly from the memo, but it’s worth noting that the memo is not a verbatim transcript of the conversation.
Reacting to the release of the whistleblower complaint, Democratic presidential candidates are calling for the House to immediately launch impeachment proceedings against Trump.
Donald Trump believes he is above the law—and he will continue to commit crimes from the White House until we hold him accountable. The House needs to vote on articles of impeachment—and when it comes to the Senate, I will do what the Constitution requires.
The House should cancel its break and start impeachment proceedings now. As the whistleblower made clear: Every day Trump is in office, our democracy is less safe. We can’t wait to act.
Donald Trump has abused his office to benefit himself. Congress must immediately cancel its recess and begin impeachment proceedings to hold him accountable. The future of our democracy depends on it. #WhistleblowerComplaint
Maguire appeared to implicitly criticize the actions of Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer who has been deeply involved in encouraging Ukraine to open an investigation into Joe Biden.
Rep. Quigley gets Maguire to say that he has a problem with civilians conducting sensitive foreign policy/national security missions.This is a veiled criticism of Rudy Giuliani's role in the Ukraine matter.
But when specifically asked about Giuliani’s role in this scandal, Maguire referred questions on the matter to the White House.
Maguire expressed discomfort with appearing before the House intelligence committee, saying he only chose to testify because of a request from Trump.
“I did not ask to be sitting here,” the acting director of national intelligence told the House committee.
Maguire gave an emphatic “no” when asked if Trump had requested to know the identity of the whistleblower.
The acting director of national intelligence previously said he would not divulge details of his conversations with Trump, but he made an exception to clarify that the president had not asked for the whistleblower’s name.
Maguire denied that he ever threatened to resign if the White House placed confines on his testimony, contradicting a Washington Post report that he had.
Maguire put out a statement similarly denying the story yesterday.