Donald Trump impeachment: FIVE key points from Trump’s call with Ukraine’s president

Impeachment is now a real possibility for Donald Trump as House Democrats formally announce official impeachment investigations. House leader Nancy Pelosi revealed her intentions on Tuesday amid news the President would release details of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Democrats are adding the calls to other avenues for impeachment, and are expected to make progress in investigations over several months. The transcripts offer a selection of troublesome suggestions from Mr Trump which will serve as one of the most appropriate routes to impeachment.

1. Trump pushes for an investigation into Joe Biden

Donald Trump suggests during the call Joe Biden pressured the Ukrainian government to drop investigations into his son Hunter, who worked in the country for a gas company while he was vice president.

He then asks for investigations into the unfounded claims made about the 2020 Democrat Presidential hopeful.

Mr Trump said: “Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it … It sounds horrible to me.”

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2. CrowdStrike

Donald Trump mentions US cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which aided the FBI in investigating a hack on Democratic National Committee (DNC) servers in 2016.

In the past, the President has suggested CrowdStrike, based in Sunningdale California, is owned by a Ukrainian businessman.

During the unclassified call, Mr Trump then appears to suggest Ukraine knows this DNC server, and he wants to know what happened to it.

He says: “I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine, they say Crowdstrike … I guess you have one of your wealthy people … The server, they say Ukraine has it.”

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3. Trump was prepared to enlist his personal lawyer as a mediator to Ukraine

The transcript reveals Donald Trump wanted his lawyer Rudi Guiliani to mediate with Ukrainian officials.

He said: “Mr Giuliani is a highly respected man. He was the mayor of New York City, a great mayor, and I would like him to call you.

“I will ask him to call you along with the Attorney General.”

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4. Zelensky attempted to curry favour with Trump

Rather than rebuke Mr Trump’s advancements, President Zelensky brought up how friendly he was with the US, and Trump specifically.

He said: “I would like to tell you that I also have quite a few Ukrainian friends that live in the United States.

“Actually last time I travelled to the United States, I stayed in New York Central Park and I stayed at the Trump Tower.”

5. The ‘unclassified’ document is not a transcript

While much of the information revealed in the unclassified document is damning for President Trump, it is likely not the whole picture.

The contents of the released document is a summary and does not include the full conversation between the premiers.

The document prefaces the conversation by saying the report may not be entirely accurate, as several factors could impact the record.

source: express.co.uk