Trump shrugs off impeachment calls over Ukraine affair

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump denied trying to coerce Ukraine into investigating his Democratic rival Joe Biden, but wavered about whether he would release a transcript of a phone call that some Democrats say is grounds for his impeachment. Trump told reporters in New York that he did not pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July phone call to launch a corruption investigation into Biden and his son in return for US military aid. “No I didn’t,” Trump said. A US whistleblower lodged a complaint about the contents of Trump’s conversation with Zelenskiy, leading to calls from some Democrats that Trump be impeached for trying to enlist a foreign power to smear a domestic opponent. Biden, a former vice president, whose son Hunter worked for a company drilling for gas in Ukraine, is the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination to face Trump in the November 2020 election. Trump gave a contradictory message about whether he would release a transcript of the call with the Ukrainian leader. “I may do it because it was a very interesting call,” Trump said. “It was a very nice call. I hope you get to see it and I hope you get to see it soon,” he said. But he added: “I don’t think it’s a great precedent to be releasing calls with foreign countries, heads of foreign countries. So I don’t think it’s a great precedent.” Late on Monday, the Washington Post reported that Trump ordered his acting chief of staff to withhold $400 million (£321.6 million) in military aid for Ukraine a week before the phone call with Zelenskiy, citing three senior administration officials. One official told the Post that the decision to withhold the funds was based on corruption concerns and denied any link between blocking the money and pressing the Ukrainian president to investigate the Bidens.