Transcript of Donald Trump’s call with Ukrainian president shows him offering US assistance for investigation into Joe Biden
- White House officials had said the transcript did not show the US president seeking an investigation of his political rival
- The revelation comes a day after Democrats seized on the explosive allegation to launch an impeachment process
Those statements and others in a phone call on July 25 between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were so concerning that the intelligence community inspector general thought them a possible violation of campaign finance law.
In late August, intelligence officials referred the matter to the Justice Department as a possible crime, but prosecutors concluded last week that the conduct was not criminal, according to senior Justice Department officials.
The administration’s disclosures underscore how the president’s phone call has consumed the federal government in recent days, and how the White House is now scrambling to defuse the situation by offering more details of what the president said.
White House officials said the transcript does not show the president seeking an investigation of Biden’s son in exchange for providing aid to Ukraine. When the president reminds Zelensky of how the US helps Ukraine, Zelensky responds that he appreciates the tough sanctions the US has imposed on Russia.
On Wednesday, the administration released a White House transcript of the call and detailed behind-the-scenes discussions about how to handle the accusations.
