Trump Asked Australia for Help Investigating the Mueller Probe’s Origins, Times Says
Credit to Author: Morgan Baskin| Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2019 21:44:35 +0000
It appears it’s not just the Ukrainian president who President Trump has pressed for politically-advantageous help, the New York Times reported Monday.
Trump also lobbied Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison recently for assistance in a Department of Justice inquiry that “Trump hopes will discredit the Mueller investigation,” according to the Times, which cited two U.S. officials with knowledge of the call.
Both the call and the way White House officials handled it echo the Ukraine scandal, which prompted House Democrats to launch an impeachment inquiry against Trump last week.
In the aftermath of Trump’s call with Morrison, the White House reportedly “restricted access” to its rough transcript to a handful of senior Trump aides –– a decision that the Times described as “unusual.”
A whistleblower who submitted a complaint to the intelligence community’s inspector general similarly alleged this summer that White House officials limited access to notes of Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During that call, Trump asked Zelensky for a “favor” that involved probing the business dealings of Trump's political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
READ: Barr picked a “Mueller-like” prosecutor to investigate the Mueller probe
A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined the Times’ request for comment, and a spokesperson for the White House did not respond to the Times’ request for comment, according to the paper.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Cover image: President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison listen to the National Anthem during an State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
This article originally appeared on VICE US.