Biden urges investigation into Trump Ukraine call

By Amanda Becker and Jonathan Landay

 

FILE PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the One Iowa and GLAAD LGBTQ Presidential Forum in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, September 20, 2019. REUTERS/Scott Morgan

 

DES MOINES, Iowa/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, a frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, on Saturday called for an investigation into reports that President Donald Trump pressed his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate Biden and his son.

 

"This appears to be an overwhelming abuse of power. To get on the phone with a foreign leader who is looking for help from the United States and ask about me and imply things … this is outrageous," a visibly angry Biden said while campaigning in Iowa.

 

"Trump is using this because he knows I'll beat him like a drum and is using the abuse of power and every element of the presidency to try to do something to smear me," Biden said.

 

Trump's July 25 telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is at the centre of an escalating battle over a whistleblower's complaint reportedly concerning the U.S. leader's dealings with Ukraine that the administration has refused to give Congress.

 

The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets on Friday said Trump repeatedly asked Zelenskiy to investigate unsubstantiated charges that Biden, while vice president, threatened to withhold U.S. aid unless a prosecutor who was looking into a gas company in which Biden's son was involved was fired.

 

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden told a reporter on Saturday that President Donald Trump 'deserves to be investigated" over a classified whistleblower complaint, and that Trump is using an "abuse of power" to smear him. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

 

Trump, reports said, urged Zelenskiy, a comedian who had just won election, to speak with Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, has promoted the allegations against Biden and his son, Hunter, and acknowledged that he pressed for a Ukrainian investigation.

 

Biden has admitted threatening to withhold aid unless the prosecutor was dismissed, a demand also made by the wider U.S. government, the European Union and other international institutions for his alleged failure to pursue major corruption cases.

 

The news reports about the Zelenskiy phone call have intensified demands by Democratic lawmakers for the House of Representatives to launch impeachment proceedings against Trump, and have elevated the controversy to a major campaign issue.

 

Trump denied doing anything improper. He wrote in a series of tweets on Saturday that his conversation with Zelenskiy was "perfectly fine and routine." He accused the "Fake News Media and their partner, the Democrat Party" of staying "as far away as possible" from the Biden allegations.

 

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko on Saturday denied in an interview with a Ukrainian news outlet suggestions that Trump had pressured Zelenskiy.

 

Biden, responding to a reporter's question at the Polk County Democratic Party's annual steak fry in Des Moines, denied that he had ever spoken to his son about his business dealings in Ukraine.

 

"You should be looking at Trump. Everybody looked at this and everybody who’s looked at it said there’s nothing there. Ask the right question," continued Biden. “You should be asking him the question: why is he on the phone with a foreign leader, trying to intimidate a foreign leader?”

 

Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of Biden's main rivals in the Democratic primary race, reiterated in Des Moines that she believes Trump's reported actions should be the subject of impeachment proceedings in the U.S. House of Representatives.

 

"It is time for us to call out this illegal behaviour and start impeachment proceedings right now," Warren said in remarks at the steak fry.

 

At the steak fry, Biden called on voters to oust Trump but did not mention Ukraine. "Above all else we must defeat Donald Trump period and stop his abuse of power," Biden said.

 

The House Intelligence Committee is demanding it be given the whistleblower's complaint in line with a finding by the inspector general for the intelligence community that the matter met the legal threshold for transmission to Congress.

 

Acting Director of National Security Joseph Maguire, however, decided against providing the complaint to the committee after he consulted with the Justice Department, and reportedly the White House.

 

Maguire and his top lawyer contended the complaint did not meet the legal guidelines for submission to the committee, prompting Democrats to accuse Maguire of breaking the law.

 

Three House committees already were investigating the Trump-Zelenskiy call in part because the Ukrainian government's readout of the call appeared to show that he had encouraged Zelenskiy to pursue a Biden investigation.

 

(Reporting by Jonathan Landay in Washington and Amanda Becker in Des Moines, Iowa; Editing by David Gregorio)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-23

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One very brave whistle blower put his or her future on the line the lawful thing is turn it over to congress to be checked out to see if it has merit the whistle blowers boss certainly did 

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

"This appears to be an overwhelming abuse of power. To get on the phone with a foreign leader who is looking for help from the United States and ask about me and imply things … this is outrageous," a visibly angry Biden said while campaigning in Iowa.

 

Maybe Biden's rallies will have chants of "Lock Him Up!".

 

What goes around comes around.

Trump believes that as President he IS above the law(WHICH HE IS DEFINATELY NOT) and tries to get people around him to break the law as well .

 "Sunday Morning Futures" that Joe Biden's campaign is likely coming to an end -- all because of newly resurfaced reports about his possible misconduct in Ukraine that "first originated back when Hillary Clinton was trying to make sure Biden didn’t get in the race."

Biden does not have "clean-hands" in this Ukraine debacle...

 

Biden stands to lose more in an investigation than does Trump.

 

This is huge for Biden's campaign...time will tell...

19 minutes ago, Longcut said:

 "Sunday Morning Futures" that Joe Biden's campaign is likely coming to an end -- all because of newly resurfaced reports about his possible misconduct in Ukraine that "first originated back when Hillary Clinton was trying to make sure Biden didn’t get in the race."

Ah FOX News, that home of bias and Trump propaganda.

Hunter has made millions from his involvement in a Ukraine energy company is it because of his name and connection with pops?  Nah... 

22 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Ah FOX News, that home of bias and Trump propaganda.

You prefer the unbiased reporting from CNN I presume?

1 minute ago, daoyai said:

Hunter has made millions from his involvement in a Ukraine energy company is it because of his name and connection with pops?  Nah... 

It probably is because of who is father is. But the question is did Biden in any way promote his career or protect him. So far there's no evidence to support that. But plenty of evidence to the contrary.

2 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

It probably is because of who is father is. But the question is did Biden in any way promote his career or protect him. So far there's no evidence to support that. But plenty of evidence to the contrary.

But creepy Joe admitted to pressuring Ukraine into firing the prosecutor involved with a case against the company. ... why ?

11 minutes ago, daoyai said:

But creepy Joe admitted to pressuring Ukraine into firing the prosecutor involved with a case against the company. ... why ?

As has been repeatedly noted, Biden was carrying out administration policy. The pressure to remove that prosecutor wasn't due to the fact that he was going after corrupt figures but the fact that he wasn't. Not only was it the Obama administration policy, but EU policy as well. 

27 minutes ago, daoyai said:

You prefer the unbiased reporting from CNN I presume?

I prefer to see the whistleblower’s report and transcripts of the subject calls.

28 minutes ago, daoyai said:

But creepy Joe admitted to pressuring Ukraine into firing the prosecutor involved with a case against the company. ... why ?

From the OP

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Biden has admitted threatening to withhold aid unless the prosecutor was dismissed, a demand also made by the wider U.S. government, the European Union and other international institutions for his alleged failure to pursue major corruption cases.

 

1 hour ago, Silurian said:

 

Maybe Biden's rallies will have chants of "Lock Him Up!".

 

What goes around comes around.

maybe Biden wants them to lock MrT up, in the same cell as Bidens corrupt son!

3 minutes ago, tifino said:

maybe Biden wants them to lock MrT up, in the same cell as Bidens corrupt son!

Hunter Biden may be morally corrupt, but legally? What criminal activity is he alleged to have done?

47 minutes ago, daoyai said:

You prefer the unbiased reporting from CNN I presume?

Uhhhhh yes absolutely 100% don’t subsribe to the trump propaganda channel 

Just now, bristolboy said:

Hunter Biden may be morally corrupt, but legally? What criminal activity is he alleged to have done?

that is what MrT was hunting down... wasn't it? 

2 minutes ago, tifino said:

that is what MrT was hunting down... wasn't it? 

So he was looking for possible criminal activity but without evidence that there was any?

1 hour ago, daoyai said:

Hunter has made millions from his involvement in a Ukraine energy company is it because of his name and connection with pops?  Nah... 

 

I don't know that Trump supporters are in a position to comment about nepotism.

35 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I prefer to see the whistleblower’s report and transcripts of the subject calls.

and that makes 2 of us, unfortunately Trump will do anything and everything to keep it from people eyes, same with his taxes, university records, Scotland airport collision, etc, etc, etc.....????

A summary

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4 hours ago, Longcut said:

 "Sunday Morning Futures" that Joe Biden's campaign is likely coming to an end -- all because of newly resurfaced reports about his possible misconduct in Ukraine that "first originated back when Hillary Clinton was trying to make sure Biden didn’t get in the race."

Lol. It's an interview of Devin Nunes!????

the cherry on the cake the ukrain hoax involves a whistleblower w/o first hand knowledge of the telecom, surely 100 % impeachment reason or is it high treason ???

 

wbr

roobaa01

Troll post removed

Lock up Trump. Lock up Trump. That is what Biden should be chanting. He is running against a crime lord, and if he does not employ similarly aggressive tactics, he will not win. I am not advocating that he become the liar that Trump is, nor that he completely abandon truth, honesty, any semblance of integrity, and honor. But, the level to which Trump will stoop to win, is something most of us are familiar with at this stage. And the whistle blower needs to be heard. With this administration being perhaps the least transparent in history, only people like this will be able to reveal the truth, and get past the "truth is not truth" conmen like Guiliani and Trump. 

2 hours ago, candide said:

Lol. It's an interview of Devin Nunes!????

Exactly.

the cherry on the cake the ukrain hoax involves a whistleblower w/o first hand knowledge of the telecom, surely 100 % impeachment reason or is it high treason ???
 
wbr
roobaa01

Not
A
Hoax.

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Echoes of Watergate says Bernstein - -

Recommended background article according to Bernstein - -

President Trump and the warping of democratic governance


Not for the first time, President Trump has revealed the fragility of this country’s democratic system. Three years into his presidency, the evidence of a weakened system is all around. It has happened in plain sight.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/president-trump-and-the-warping-of-democratic-governance/2019/09/21/3df51c22-dc7b-11e9-ac63-3016711543fe_story.html

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A post containing unsubstantiated information has been removed.  If you cannot provide links to substantiate your information, don't bother posting.