Tag: President Zelensky

House Dems release new impeachment evidence related to indicted Giuliani associate

It also includes a previously undisclosed May 2019 letter from Giuliani to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The House Intelligence Committee released new evidence on Tuesday related to the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, including information turned over by Lev Parnas, an indicted former associate of Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.

The release, which reflects the unfinished nature of the House’s impeachment inquiry, comes ahead of an expected House vote on Wednesday to formally send the impeachment articles to the Senate for a trial.

“Despite unprecedented obstruction by the president, the committee continues to receive and review potentially relevant evidence and will make supplemental transmittals,” Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) wroteTuesday to Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), whose panel is responsible for compiling the complete record of the investigation ahead of the Senate’s trial. Continue reading. Continue reading.

Ukraine’s Zelensky is making headway against corruption. But the fight risks angering Trump.

Washington Post logoKYIV, Ukraine — By the end of this month, more than 500 Ukrainian prosecutors will be out of their jobs as part of sweeping professional reviews under Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Among the prosecutors heading for the exit: a key Kyiv contact for Rudolph W. Giuliani.

The prosecutor purge is just one of several corruption-busting efforts set in motion by Zelensky. But it puts into sharp relief Zelensky’s twin challenges — trying to balance his clean-government promises at home with his needs to keep President Trump from turning against him.

Zelensky’s bind is not hard to spot.

Continue reading here.

Zelensky planned to announce Trump’s ‘quo’ on my show. Here’s what happened.

Washington Post logoThe phrase “quid pro quo” is usually translated as “something for something.” In the case of President Trump’s communications with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, it appears that the “quo” was supposed to have been a declaration of Zelensky’s commitment to undertake investigations into the 2016 election and Joe Biden. The New York Times has reported that a public announcement was set to be made on my CNN program. So I think I owe readers my best understanding of what actually happened.

Ever since Zelensky was elected president in April, my team and I have been interested in having him appear on the show. He is a fascinating political figure, a total outsider who swept into power. I had visited Ukraine several times and interviewed the previous president of the country three times, so I was familiar with the place and had good contacts.

We began the process of establishing connections with the new administration, which was cordial and efficient throughout. Heads of state often find it useful to give interviews around the time of the annual U.N. General Assembly in September, and that was our target.

View the complete November 14 commentary by Fareed Zakaria on The Washington Post website here.

Ukraine president: “I don’t want to be involved” in U.S. elections

Axios logoResponding to the release of a memorandum from a July phone call with President Trump on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the UN that he doesn’t want be involved in “democratic, open elections” in the U.S.

ZELENSKY: “I think you read everything. I think you read text. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be involved to democratic open … elections. Elections of USA. No. Sure, we had, I think, good phone call. It was normal. We spoke about many things, and I — so I think and you read it that nobody pushed me.”

TRUMP: “In other words, no pressure.”

The big picture: The memorandum released by the White House confirmed that Trump asked Zelensky to work with his attorney Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General Bill Barr to investigate unsupported corruption allegations against Joe Biden.

View the complete September 25 article by Zachary Basu on the Axios website here.