Trump wants to read out Ukraine phone call
Trump eager to change opinion as Dems push ahead
WASHINGTON • U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to read out a transcript of his controversial phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, in a “fireside chat” broadcast live to the American people.
The president insisted he had “done nothing wrong” and said he would not co-operate with the ongoing impeachment investigation into allegations he withheld military aid from Ukraine while pushing the foreign government to investigate a political rival. The inquiry, which is being led by Democrats in the House of Representatives, was triggered by the July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky, during which he asked the Ukrainian leader to do him a “favour” and investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Trump acknowledges discussing Biden, a leading Democratic 2020 candidate, but denies there was anything wrong with the request.
“At some point, I’m going to sit down, perhaps as a fireside chat on live television, and I will read the transcript of the call, because people have to hear it. When you read it, it’s a straight call,” Trump said in an interview with the Washington Examiner.
Trump’s unusual offer is part of a strategy of maintaining public support over the phone call. The president’s efforts have so far included selling T-shirts and other merchandise with the slogan “read the transcript.”
The comments came after a historic day in the House of Representatives on Thursday when it voted for only the third time in recent history to formalize impeachment proceedings against a president. The result means that the impeachment inquiry will soon enter a public phase, with televised hearings expected to take place as early as this month.
Despite the formal vote, Trump said he did not intend to cooperate with the proceedings, saying it would set “a terrible precedent for other presidents.”
The vote on that measure split along partisan lines in the House. All Republicans and two Democrats opposed the measure, with all other Democrats supporting it.