During a meeting in New York City on Wednesday with President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters that he was not pressured to investigate the family of former Vice President Joe Biden during the leaders’ hotly debated phone call in July — a transcript of which was released on Wednesday morning, after great anticipation, by the White House.
“Nobody pushed me,” Zelensky stated.
The transcript showed that Trump asked about a possible probe into Biden family dealings in the country, though it was related to past corruption and to addressing corruption — not to anything campaign-related in the future.
And it did not show any explicit link to a request to U.S. aid, as some people had suggested and fervently maintained.
“We had a great phone call,” Zelensky added.
“It was normal,” he said, noting that the transcript was out and available for all to read on their own.
“In other words, there was no pressure and you know there was no pressure,” Trump commented immediately afterward, looking directly at members of the media.
Prior to the two presidents’ meeting, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced on Tuesday that she was endorsing a move toward an impeachment inquiry by Congress into Trump.
To some degree the process has already been underway by others, namely by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
Related: Tulsi Gabbard: Impeachment Would Be ‘Terribly Divisive’ for the Country
Pelosi, before this, had cautioned care and having all the facts in hand before moving forward on any impeachment path.
But far-Left members of her caucus were annoyed by this — and apparently pushed her enough in this direction that she finally moved on the idea.
Related: Pelosi’s ‘Move’ on Impeachment Seems a Mere Gesture Only
Pelosi said the Trump administration had violated the law and disappointed the country by not turning over a so-called whistleblower’s complaint about Trump’s call with Zelensky in late July.
But it’s emerged that the whistleblower never heard the Trump phone call firsthand.
He or she — whoever this individual is — heard it only second-hand or perhaps even third-hand. This remains to be seen.
“She’s lost her way. She’s been taken over by the radical left,” Trump declared of Pelosi, as Fox News noted.
See the tweets below with more information on, and reaction to, this story — and share your ideas.
Let’s be real: The Democrats are not calling to impeach @realDonaldTrump—they are calling to impeach the democratic process which got him elected. They are calling to impeach our right as Americans, to vote for change.
They have spent the last 2 years, trying to impeach America.— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) September 25, 2019
The lead attorney representing the "whistleblower" donated to Joe Biden's campaign
The law office he's employed by is run by a top donor to the Clinton campaign
He used to be employed by Hillary Clinton AND Chuck Schumer
And we're supposed to believe this isn't political?
?
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) September 25, 2019
Do you think any other president would have to go through what @realDonaldTrump has been through? Looks like Zelensky refuted @RepAdamSchiff claims
Ukrainian President Refutes Dems Accusations: 'Nobody pushed me' To Investigate Biden https://t.co/76bSrea4Gt via @SaraCarterDC— Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) September 25, 2019
It's rare to hear of a politician who's concerned about dividing the country, isn't it? Dem. Pres. Candidate @TulsiGabbard didn't buy into her party's call for impeachment of @realDonaldTrump. She's smart enough to know how that would devastate our nation. https://t.co/nBaZbopz7y
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) September 25, 2019
In a press conference, President Donald Trump said there was "no pressure" on Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden. https://t.co/0BdKw1Wvc9
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) September 25, 2019
Democrat Nancy Pelosi condemns President Trump over the phone call he had with Ukraine immediately after admitting that she has not even seen the transcript
Everything Pelosi says here is completely false pic.twitter.com/dDHeAMuTvg
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) September 25, 2019
Poor @SpeakerPelosi.
Now let’s investigate @JoeBiden and his boss @BarackObama. https://t.co/ayOZUCQiWK
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) September 25, 2019
This article has been updated.
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