FEELING THE HEAT

U.S. Officials Were Aware of Trump’s Pressure on Ukraine Before July Phone Call: Report

Contradicting a core GOP argument, U.S. officials were informed that President Zelensky felt pressure from Trump before July phone call.

Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky felt pressure from the Trump administration to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden before the July phone call at the center of the impeachment inquiry, the Associated Press reported Monday.

Two sources with knowledge of the matter told the AP that U.S. State Department officials, including then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch who testified Friday in the House impeachment inquiry, were informed at least three times that Zelensky was wary of the Trump administration pressuring him to pursue investigations into political opponents that could affect the 2020 U.S. presidential elections.

These briefings add to the Democrats’ evidence that contradict one of the core Republican arguments against the impeachment inquiry: That Zelensky never felt pressure to investigate Biden, which is based on the Sept. 25 joint media appearance with President Trump and Zelensky, who said “nobody pushed me.” The AP further reported that notes that circulated internally at the State Department revealed that Zelensky attempted to cover-up the real purpose of a meeting on May 7, which was to discuss political concerns with the White House, not energy.