Trump briefed on informant
Officials: President told of whistleblower complaint before releasing aid to Ukraine
US President Donald Trump was briefed on the whistleblower complaint about his dealings with Ukraine before the White House released nearly US$400 million ($622.8m) in military aid to Kiev, officials say, shedding new light on events that triggered the impeachment inquiry.
Trump was told about the complaint in late August in a briefing by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and John Eisenberg, a lawyer with the White House National Security Council, according to two officials not authorised to publicly discuss the matter.
The lawyers told the President about the complaint, explaining that they were trying to determine whether they were legally required to give it to Congress, the officials said.
The aid was released on September 11 amid growing pressure from lawmakers. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The White House has claimed there was no link between the military aid suspension and Trump’s request for Ukraine to probe his political rival Joe Biden and his family.
But it was his request to Ukraine’s president in a July phone call that prompted the Government whistleblower’s complaint about a link. The assertion of such a link has since been corroborated by a parade of witnesses testifying on Capitol Hill.
The revelation comes just days before the House Judiciary Committee takes over the impeachment probe, scheduling a hearing for next week as it pushes closer to a possible vote on charges of “high crimes and misdemeanours”. The Judiciary panel scheduled the hearing as the Intelligence Committee yesterday released two last transcripts from its depositions, including from a White House budget official who detailed concerns among colleagues as Trump ordered them, through intermediaries, to put a hold on military aid to Ukraine.
Trump and his lawyers have been invited to attend the hearing and make a request to question witnesses, according to Democratic rules approved by the House last month.
Trump, meanwhile, yesterday tweeted an image of his head superimposed on the muscular body of Rocky star Sylvester Stallone. He regularly tells supporters at campaign rallies and in videos that Democrats are “trying to stop me because I’m fighting for you and I’ll never let that happen”.