Putin calls under lens as Trump says US is ‘at stake’
Democrats want to ‘take away your freedom’, says prez
WASHINGTON: Congress is determined to get access to Donald Trump’s calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said on Sunday, citing concerns the US president may have jeopardiSed national security.
“I think the paramount need here is to protect the national security of the United States and see whether in the conversations with other world leaders and in particular with Putin that the president was also undermining our security in a way that he thought would personally benefit his campaign,” Democrat Adam Schiff said
He also said Congress expects to hear “very soon” from a whistle-blower whose complaint spurred an impeachment inquiry against Trump.
Trump warned supporters on Saturday that “our country is at stake like never before”.
The video message posted on Twitter came in response to Democratic lawmakers’ investigation of accusations that Trump tried to strong-arm the Ukrainian president into providing dirt on Joe Biden, one of the American President’s main 2020 election rivals. American rights are being threatened by Democrats, Trump said, stating that they “want to take away your guns, they want to take away your health care, they want to take away your vote, they want to take away your freedom”.
“We can never let this happen,” he said. “Because our country is at stake like never before. It’s all very simple. They’re trying to stop me because I’m fighting for you - and I’ll never let that happen.”
In subsequent tweets, Trump repeated his charges that the impeachment investigation is a “Witch Hunt,” adding that Democratic lawmaker Adam Schiff, who is leading the impeachment probe, had defamed and libelled him, and should resign from Congress. The President later retweeted more than a dozen video clips of Republican politicians and media allies defending his conduct in the Ukraine scandal and criticising Democrats.