StoriesSeptember 26, 2019
Washington dives into impeachment probe
LISA MASCARO, MARY CLARE JALONICK of the Associated Press
President Donald Trump listens during a multilateral meeting on Venezuela at the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump listens during a multilateral meeting on Venezuela at the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)The Associated Press
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the InterContinental Barclay New York hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the InterContinental Barclay New York hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)The Associated Press
President Donald Trump arrives to a news conference at the InterContinental Barclay New York hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is right. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump arrives to a news conference at the InterContinental Barclay New York hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is right. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)The Associated Press
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the InterContinental Barclay New York hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the InterContinental Barclay New York hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)The Associated Press
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y. holds up a copy of a White House released rough transcript of a phone call between President Donald Trump and the President of Ukraine as Schumer speaks to the media about an impeachment inquiry on President Trump, Wednesday Sept. 25, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y. holds up a copy of a White House released rough transcript of a phone call between President Donald Trump and the President of Ukraine as Schumer speaks to the media about an impeachment inquiry on President Trump, Wednesday Sept. 25, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)The Associated Press
A White House-released rough transcript of President Donald Trump's July 25, 2019 telephone conversation with Ukraine's newly elected president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, released Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Wayne Partlow)
A White House-released rough transcript of President Donald Trump's July 25, 2019 telephone conversation with Ukraine's newly elected president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, released Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Wayne Partlow)The Associated Press
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is surrounded by reporters as she arrives to meet with her caucus the morning after declaring she will launch a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is surrounded by reporters as she arrives to meet with her caucus the morning after declaring she will launch a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)The Associated Press
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., departs the Capitol en route to a speaking event in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. Pelosi will meet with her caucus later as more House Democrats are urging an impeachment inquiry amid reports that President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his family. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., departs the Capitol en route to a speaking event in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. Pelosi will meet with her caucus later as more House Democrats are urging an impeachment inquiry amid reports that President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his family. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)The Associated Press
President Donald Trump walks away after delivering remarks to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump walks away after delivering remarks to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)The Associated Press
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the InterContinental Barclay New York hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the InterContinental Barclay New York hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)The Associated Press
“1917” (R)— PUL“BAD BOYS FOR LIFE” (R)— LEW“BIRDS OF PREY” (R)— PUL“BLOODSHOT” (PG-13)Soldier Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) is killed and then is reanimated with superpowers. — LEW, PUL“THE CALL OF THE WILD” (PG)Based on the 1903 Jack London novel of the same name, a mixed-breed dog named Buck struggles for survival in the wilds of the Yukon in Canada, finally settling his loyalty onto a man named John Thornton (Harrison Ford). — LEW, PUL, MOS, REX“EMMA” (PG)Based on the Jane Austen novel of the same name, in 1800s England, a well-meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends. (See a review on Page 13.) — LEW, PUL“A HIDDEN LIFE” (PG-13)Franz Jägerstätter (August Diehl), an Austrian and a conscientious objector, refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II. Written and directed by Terrence Malick. — KEN“THE HUNT” (R)Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there but they’ve been chosen to be part of the Hunt. Stars Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank and Ike Barinholtz. — LEW, PUL“THE INVISIBLE MAN” (R)When Cecilia’s abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see. Based on the 1897 novel by H.G. Wells. — LEW, PUL“IMPRACTICAL JOKERS: THE MOVIE” (PG-13)The story of a humiliating high school mishap from 1992 that sends the Impractical Jokers (Joseph “Joe” Gatto, James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn and Salvatore “Sal” Vulcano) on the road competing in hidden-camera challenges for the chance to turn back the clock and redeem three of the four Jokers. — LEW“I STILL BELIEVE” (PG)This biopic tells the life story of Christian music artist Jeremy Camp (K.J. Apa). Also stars Gary Sinise and Shania Twain. — LEW, MOS“JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL” (PG-13)— LEW“ONWARD” (PG)This animated film is set in a suburban fantasy world where two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover if magic still exists. Stars the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. — LEW, PUL, MOS, FOX; IN 3D: LEW“SONIC THE HEDGEHOG” (PG)— LEW“THE WAY BACK” (R)A former high school basketball star (Ben Affleck), struggling with alcoholism, is offered a coaching job at his alma mater. As the team starts to win, he may have a reason to confront his old demons. — LEW, PUL, MOS !
“1917” (R)— PUL“BAD BOYS FOR LIFE” (R)— LEW“BIRDS OF PREY” (R)— PUL“BLOODSHOT” (PG-13)Soldier Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) is killed and then is reanimated with superpowers. — LEW, PUL“THE CALL OF THE WILD” (PG)Based on the 1903 Jack London novel of the same name, a mixed-breed dog named Buck struggles for survival in the wilds of the Yukon in Canada, finally settling his loyalty onto a man named John Thornton (Harrison Ford). — LEW, PUL, MOS, REX“EMMA” (PG)Based on the Jane Austen novel of the same name, in 1800s England, a well-meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends. (See a review on Page 13.) — LEW, PUL“A HIDDEN LIFE” (PG-13)Franz Jägerstätter (August Diehl), an Austrian and a conscientious objector, refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II. Written and directed by Terrence Malick. — KEN“THE HUNT” (R)Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there but they’ve been chosen to be part of the Hunt. Stars Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank and Ike Barinholtz. — LEW, PUL“THE INVISIBLE MAN” (R)When Cecilia’s abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see. Based on the 1897 novel by H.G. Wells. — LEW, PUL“IMPRACTICAL JOKERS: THE MOVIE” (PG-13)The story of a humiliating high school mishap from 1992 that sends the Impractical Jokers (Joseph “Joe” Gatto, James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn and Salvatore “Sal” Vulcano) on the road competing in hidden-camera challenges for the chance to turn back the clock and redeem three of the four Jokers. — LEW“I STILL BELIEVE” (PG)This biopic tells the life story of Christian music artist Jeremy Camp (K.J. Apa). Also stars Gary Sinise and Shania Twain. — LEW, MOS“JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL” (PG-13)— LEW“ONWARD” (PG)This animated film is set in a suburban fantasy world where two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover if magic still exists. Stars the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. — LEW, PUL, MOS, FOX; IN 3D: LEW“SONIC THE HEDGEHOG” (PG)— LEW“THE WAY BACK” (R)A former high school basketball star (Ben Affleck), struggling with alcoholism, is offered a coaching job at his alma mater. As the team starts to win, he may have a reason to confront his old demons. — LEW, PUL, MOS !
President Donald Trump meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the InterContinental Barclay New York hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the InterContinental Barclay New York hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)The Associated Press
President Donald Trump attends a multilateral meeting on Venezuela at the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump attends a multilateral meeting on Venezuela at the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)The Associated Press
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to address the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to address the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)The Associated Press
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., reads a statement announcing a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., reads a statement announcing a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)The Associated Press
FILE - In this Dec. 19, 1998, file photo, President Bill Clinton looks on as Vice President Gore addresses members of congress outside the Oval Office after the House of Representatives voted to impeach the president. Donald Trump joins a small group of fellow presidents now that he's the subject of an official impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives. Only three of his predecessors underwent similar proceedings: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, who were acquitted after trials in the Senate, and Richard Nixon, who resigned to avoid being impeached in connection with the Watergate scandal. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 19, 1998, file photo, President Bill Clinton looks on as Vice President Gore addresses members of congress outside the Oval Office after the House of Representatives voted to impeach the president. Donald Trump joins a small group of fellow presidents now that he's the subject of an official impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives. Only three of his predecessors underwent similar proceedings: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, who were acquitted after trials in the Senate, and Richard Nixon, who resigned to avoid being impeached in connection with the Watergate scandal. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)The Associated Press
FILE - In this April 29, 1974, file photo, President Richard M. Nixon points to the transcripts of the White House tapes after he announced during a nationally-televised speech that he would turn over the transcripts to House impeachment investigators, in Washington. Donald Trump joins a small group of fellow presidents now that he's the subject of an official impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives. Only three of his predecessors underwent similar proceedings: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, who were acquitted after trials in the Senate, and Richard Nixon, who resigned to avoid being impeached in connection with the Watergate scandal. (AP Photo/File)
FILE - In this April 29, 1974, file photo, President Richard M. Nixon points to the transcripts of the White House tapes after he announced during a nationally-televised speech that he would turn over the transcripts to House impeachment investigators, in Washington. Donald Trump joins a small group of fellow presidents now that he's the subject of an official impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives. Only three of his predecessors underwent similar proceedings: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, who were acquitted after trials in the Senate, and Richard Nixon, who resigned to avoid being impeached in connection with the Watergate scandal. (AP Photo/File)The Associated Press
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., joins a rally of organized labor to show support for union workers, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., joins a rally of organized labor to show support for union workers, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)The Associated Press
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, joins impeachment activists with a youth-led group, By The People, to call for Congress to remove President Donald Trump from office, outside the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. Rep. Green, joined by Alex Meltzer, 9, of Boston, has pressed for Trump's impeachment three times. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, joins impeachment activists with a youth-led group, By The People, to call for Congress to remove President Donald Trump from office, outside the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. Rep. Green, joined by Alex Meltzer, 9, of Boston, has pressed for Trump's impeachment three times. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)The Associated Press
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrives to speak to reporters at a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrives to speak to reporters at a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)The Associated Press
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, center, leaves a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., before a closed door caucus meeting about impeachment, Tuesday Sept. 24, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, center, leaves a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., before a closed door caucus meeting about impeachment, Tuesday Sept. 24, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)The Associated Press
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to address the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to address the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)The Associated Press
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Iraqi President Barham Salih at the Lotte New York Palace hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Iraqi President Barham Salih at the Lotte New York Palace hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pressed the leader of Ukraine to “look into” Joe Biden, Trump’s potential 2020 reelection rival, as well as the president’s lingering grievances from the 2016 election, according to a rough transcript of a summer phone call that is now at the center of Democrats’ impeachment probe.

Trump repeatedly prodded Volodymyr Zelenskiy, new president of the East European nation, to work with U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer. At one point in the July conversation, Trump said, “I would like for you to do us a favor.”

The president’s request for such help from a foreign leader set the parameters for the major U.S. debate to come — just the fourth impeachment investigation of an American president in the nation’s history. The initial response highlighted the deep divide between the two parties: Democrats said the call amounted to a “shakedown” of a foreign leader, while Trump — backed by the vast majority of Republicans — dismissed it as a “nothing call.”

The call is one part of a whistleblower complaint about the president’s activities that have roiled Washington and led Democrats to move ahead with an impeachment inquiry of the Republican president on the cusp of the 2020 campaign.

After being stymied by the administration, members of the House and Senate intelligence committees took their first look at the complaint late Wednesday. Republicans kept largely quiet, but several Democrats, including Intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff, called the classified account “disturbing.”

Some from both parties want it to be made public. Congress is also seeking an in-person interview with the whistleblower, who remains anonymous.

Trump spent Wednesday meeting with world leaders at the United Nations, a remarkable TV split screen even for the turbulence of the Trump era. Included on his schedule: a meeting with Zelenskiy.

In a light-hearted appearance before reporters, Zelenskiy said he didn’t want to get involved in American elections, but added, “Nobody pushed me.” Trump chimed in, “In other words, no pressure.”

The next steps in the impeachment inquiry were quickly developing a day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched the probe. A rush of lawmakers, notably moderate Democrats from districts where Trump remains popular, set aside political concerns and urged action.

One option Pelosi is considering, pressed by some lawmakers, is to focus the impeachment inquiry specifically on the Ukraine issues rather than the many others Congress has already been investigating.

“For me, that’s what’s important,” said Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., among the new lawmakers in Congress with national security backgrounds. She said it’s “just an egregious idea that the president of the United States can contact a foreign leader and influence him for dirt on a political opponent. ... That can’t be normalized.”

Pelosi announced the impeachment probe Tuesday after months of personal resistance to a process she has warned would be divisive for the country and risky for her party. But after viewing the transcript on Wednesday, Pelosi declared: “Congress must act.”

Trump, who thrives on combat, has all but dared Democrats to move toward impeachment, confident that the specter of an investigation led by the opposition party will bolster rather than diminish his political support.

Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM

“It’s a joke. Impeachment, for that?” Trump said during a news conference in New York. He revived the same language he has used for months to deride the now-finished special counsel investigation into election interference, declaring impeachment “a hoax” and the “single greatest witch hunt in American history.”

Republicans largely stood by the president and dismissed the notion that the rough transcript revealed any wrongdoing by Trump.

“I think it was a perfectly appropriate phone call, it was a congratulatory phone call,” said Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican. “The Democrats continually make these huge claims and allegations about President Trump, and then you find out there’s [nothing] there.”

The Trump administration also continued to raise questions about the whistleblower’s motives. According to a Justice Department official, the intelligence community’s inspector general said in letter to the acting director of national intelligence that the whistleblower could have “arguable political bias.”

The memo released by the White House was not a verbatim transcript, but was instead based on the records of officials who listened to the call. The conversation took place on July 25, one day after special counsel Robert Mueller testified on Capitol Hill about his investigation into Russia’s 2016 election interference.

In the 30-minute phone call with Zelenskiy, Trump encourages the Ukrainian leader to talk with Giuliani and Barr about Biden and his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. Immediately after saying they would be in touch, Trump references Ukraine’s economy, saying: “Your economy is going to get better and better I predict. You have a lot of assets. It’s a great country.”

At another point in the conversation, Trump asked Zelenskiy for a favor: his help looking into a cybersecurity firm that investigated the 2016 hack of the Democratic National Committee and determined it was carried out by Russia. Trump has falsely suggested Crowdstrike was owned by a Ukrainian.

In the days before the call, Trump ordered advisers to freeze $400 million in military aid for Ukraine — prompting speculation that he was holding out the money as leverage for information on the Bidens. Trump has denied that charge and the aid package does not come up in the conversation with Zelenskiy.

Trump has sought to implicate Biden and his son in the kind of corruption that has long plagued Ukraine. Hunter Biden served on the gas company’s board at the same time his father was leading the Obama administration’s diplomatic dealings with Kyiv. Though the timing raised concerns among anti-corruption advocates, there has been no evidence of wrongdoing by either the former vice president or his son.

Biden said it was “tragedy” that Trump was willing to “put personal politics above his sacred oath.” He singled out Trump’s attempts to pull Barr and the Justice Department into efforts to investigate Biden, calling it “a direct attack on the core independence of that department, an independence essential to the rule of law.”

While the possibility of impeachment has hung over Trump for many months, the likelihood of a probe had faded after special counsel Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia investigation ended without a clear directive for lawmakers.

Since then, the House committees have revisited aspects of the Mueller probe while also launching new inquiries into Trump’s businesses and various administration scandals that all seemed likely to drag on for months.

Details of Trump’s dealings with Ukraine prompted Democrats to quickly shift course. By the time Pelosi announced the probe, two-thirds of House Democrats had announced moving toward impeachment probes.

The burden will probably now shift to Democrats to make the case to a scandal-weary public. In a highly polarized Congress, an impeachment inquiry could simply showcase how clearly two sides can disagree when shown the same evidence rather than approach consensus.

Advertisement
Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM