WASHINGTON — "I now do recall." With that stunning reversal, diplomat Gordon Sondland handed House impeachment investigators another key piece of corroborating testimony Tuesday. He acknowledged what Democrats contend was a clear quid pro quo, pushed by President Donald Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, with Ukraine. Sondland, in...
Trump: Whistleblower 'Must Be Brought Forward to Testify'
WASHINGTON — The whistleblower who raised alarms about President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine and touched off the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry is willing to answer written questions submitted by House Republicans, the person's lawyer says. But President Donald says that's not good enough. Trump himself refused to provide anything but written answers...
Ex-Trump Aide Confirms Biden Probe Sought, Didn't Consider It Illegal
WASHINGTON — A former top White House official confirmed Thursday that military aid to Ukraine was held up by President Donald Trump's demand for the ally to investigate Democrats and Joe Biden, but he testified he saw nothing illegal about the quid pro quo at the center of the Democrat-led...
Nunes: 'After Today, House Intel Committee Ceases to Exist'
Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, continued his full-throated defense of President Donald Trump on Thursday. The Tulare Republican spoke during the debate before Democrats powered through the ground rules for their impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump on a 232-196 vote. "It's clear that since the Democrats took...
Going After Investigators: Criminal Review of Mueller Probe
WASHINGTON — Investigating the investigators, the Justice Department has shifted its scrutiny of the government's Trump-Russia review to a criminal probe, a person familiar with the matter says. It's raising Democrats' concerns that President Donald Trump may be using federal muscle to go after his opponents. The revelation comes as...
GOP Stands by Trump, Gingerly, After Diplomat's Testimony
WASHINGTON — They pleaded ignorance, saying they'd not read the diplomat's damning statement. They condemned the Democrats' tactics as unfair. They complained that the allegations against President Donald Trump rested on second- or third-hand evidence. Wednesday was a day of careful counterargument by congressional Republicans, the day after America's top envoy in...
Donald Trump Jr.: A Potent Voice for Father's Campaign
SAN ANTONIO — The shout of "2024!" from the crowd was unmistakable. It stopped Donald Trump Jr. cold. President Donald Trump's eldest son had been in the midst of a humor-laced screed in which he decried Joe Biden as too old and Elizabeth Warren as too liberal and insisted his...
Mulvaney: Ukraine Aid Held Amid Push to Investigate Dems
WASHINGTON — The White House acknowledged Thursday that it held up military aid to Ukraine as President Donald Trump pushed the country's new leader to investigate the Democratic National Committee in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, a central question in the House impeachment inquiry. Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said that...
US Envoy Key to Ukraine Probe Distances Himself from Trump
WASHINGTON — The U.S. ambassador to the European Union said Thursday that President Donald Trump directed him and other envoys to work with his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, on Ukraine policy and that he disagreed with the directive. Gordon Sondland's testimony to House impeachment investigators was aimed at distancing himself...
Ukraine President: 'No Blackmail' in Conversation With Trump
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine's president insisted Thursday that he faced "no blackmail" from President Donald Trump in their phone call that led to an impeachment inquiry, distancing himself from the U.S. political drama and trying to claw back his own credibility. Volodymyr Zelenskiy said for the first time that his...