Donald Trump doesn’t mention Joe Biden in first phone call with Ukraine president, newly released memo reveals
A NEW memo of a call between President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian President has been released as the second day of the impeachment enquiry gets underway.
But the conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskiy doesn't contain the problematic mentions of the Bidens or the 2016 election that have come under scrutiny in the impeachment probe.
A separate call between the two leaders on July 25 sparked the impeachment inquiry. Democrats have said Trump abused the power of his office by pressing Zelenskiy to investigate a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.
They have also accused him of withholding military aid to Ukraine to pressure Zelenskiy into launching an investigation which Trump has denied the accusation.
When I owned Miss Universe, they always had great people. Ukraine was always very well represented
US president Donald Trump in call to Ukrainian leader
The US president has touted the call as “more important” than his controversial July call with Zelenskiy because he said this one came “first.”
Trump, in the April call, invited Zelenskiy to the White House.
But the call turned out to be banal, suggesting that releasing the call memo on the second day of the impeachment hearing was strategic.
Trump says: “I’d like to invite you to the White House. We’ll have a lot of things to talk about, but we’re with you all the way.
The US president also told Zelenskiy: “When I owned Miss Universe, they always had great people. Ukraine was always very well represented.”
The brash president owned the beauty pageant from 1996 to 2015.
Trump, a former reality show host, compared Zelensky’s election to his own.
Zelensky is a former television comedian.
He said: "I guess in a way I did something similar."
The conversation lasted 16 minutes, according to the memo.
The notes of the call were read aloud to the public impeachment hearing which has entered its second day.
The House has opened a second day of Trump impeachment hearings with Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who was suddenly recalled back to the US by President Donald Trump.
Yovanovitch is expected to testify about her ouster, which another diplomat has called a smear campaign against her by Trump allies.
The live public hearings by the House Intelligence Committee are being held to determine whether Trump should be removed from office over his actions toward Ukraine.