Section: National Newswatch (Canada)
George Kent tells lawmakers he was told to ‘lay low’ after raising concerns about Giuliani
State Department official George Kent told lawmakers in a closed-door deposition Tuesday that acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney appointed three other Trump administration officials to spearhead the president’s efforts in Ukraine. According to Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., who was present for the deposition, Kent testified that...
Trump’s former top Russia adviser told Congress she saw ‘wrongdoing’ in US policy toward Ukraine, source says
Fiona Hill, President Donald Trump’s former top Russia adviser, raised concerns about Rudy Giuliani’s role in US foreign policy toward Ukraine, telling lawmakers on Monday that she saw “wrongdoing” in the American foreign policy and tried to report it to officials including the National Security Council’s attorney, according to...
Biden, Warren, Sanders face scrutiny at Democratic debate
WESTERVILLE, Ohio — Joe Biden is facing baseless — but persistent— allegations of wrongdoing overseas that could undermine his argument that he’s best positioned to defeat the president. Bernie Sanders is recovering from a heart attack that raised questions about his ability to withstand the vigour of a presidential campaign. And Elizabeth...
Ambassador to E.U. to testify he doesn’t know why Ukraine aid was held up
U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland will testify to Congress next week that he did not know why United States military assistance to Ukraine was held up nor who ordered it, according to a person with knowledge of Sondland’s testimony before the House next week. Sondland will say that he “relied on the president’s...
Former lawmaker’s planned congressional comeback clouded
AUSTIN, Texas — Former Republican Rep. Pete Sessions’ climb back into Congress was already off to a rough start, with some in his own party suggesting he was carpetbagging by leaving the Dallas district he lost last fall to try to get elected in a far more rural and politically safe one. Now he may have bigger problems: a federal indictment...
Ex-Ukraine ambassador testifies Trump pressured State Department to oust her
Marie Yovanovitch, the ousted U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told House impeachment investigators Friday that President Donald Trump had personally pressured the State Department to remove her, even though a top department official assured her that she had “done nothing wrong.” Yovanovitch said that after she was abruptly recalled from her post in...
Michael McKinley, senior adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, resigns
Michael McKinley, a career diplomat and senior adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has resigned from his position amid rising dissatisfaction and plummeting morale inside the State Department over what is seen as Pompeo’s failure to support personnel ensnared in the Ukraine controversy. A senior officer who has held a range of...
Washington Post: National security officials raised concerns about Trump’s Ukraine approach before July call
At least four national security officials were so concerned by the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure Ukraine for political purposes that they shared their discontent with a White House lawyer both before and after President Donald Trump’s July phone call with Ukraine’s President, The Washington Post reported Thursday,...
Giuliani’s associates tried to cut business deal in Ukraine boasting of Trump ties
When it came to their dealings in Ukraine over the last year, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman wore two hats. The Florida businessmen were helping President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani set up meetings with high level Ukrainian officials, according to documents obtained by the State Department inspector general. Giuliani has...
2 men tied to Giuliani arrested on campaign charges related to Trump’s re-election bid
Two Florida businessmen tied to U.S. President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani have been arrested on allegations of campaign finance violations resulting from a $325,000 US donation to a political action committee supporting Trump’s re-election. Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman were arrested on a four-count indictment that...
