Section: The Washington Times (USA)
National security officials objected to stopping Ukraine aid
WASHINGTON (AP) – The view among the national security officials was unanimous: Military aid to Ukraine should not be stopped. But President Donald Trump’s acting chief of staff thought otherwise. As the aid was being blocked this summer, Ukraine officials began quietly asking the State Department about the hold-up. The …...
Rudy Giuliani-Ukraine ‘irregular channel’ at center of Donald Trump impeachment probe
Former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani keeps popping up all over the Ukraine impeachment inquiry, but lawmakers can’t determine how responsible President Trump is for his fixer, who is a notoriously loose cannon. The impeachment inquiry has found Mr. Giuliani’s fingerprints on almost every aspect of the case, …...
Laura Cooper transcript: Pentagon official worried about ‘legality’ of Trump blocking Ukraine aid
House Democrats on Monday released a transcript of a closed-door interview with a Pentagon official who said concerns were raised about the legality of President Trump withholding military aid from Ukraine. Laura K. Cooper, the Defense Department deputy assistant secretary for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, said White House moves to …...
Ukraine, rebels say pullback in the east is completed
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – The Ukrainian military and Russia-backed separatist rebels have completed a pullback of troops and weapons from an area in eastern Ukraine embroiled in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people, officials said Monday. The disengagement near Petrivske that began Saturday followed a recent similar …...
After push from Rick Perry, backers got huge gas deal in Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Two political supporters of U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry secured a potentially lucrative oil and gas exploration deal from the Ukrainian government soon after Perry proposed one of the men as an adviser to the country’s new president. Perry’s efforts to influence Ukraine’s energy policy came …...
What’s coming in impeachment: Public hearings, messaging
WASHINGTON (AP) – For only the fourth time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives has started a presidential impeachment inquiry. House committees are trying to determine whether President Donald Trump violated his oath of office by asking Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden’s family and the 2016 U.S. …...
Donald Trump aides fight over Ukraine policy
House impeachment transcripts show an internal White House struggle over Ukraine policy, with National Security Council staffers taking aim at President Trump and his political appointees. Fiona Hill, a Russia specialist brought to the NSC in 2018 from the Brookings Institution, went to war against Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to …...
Rand Paul blasts Trump, Joe Biden over Ukraine manipulation
Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, says he’s the only politician in Washington who doesn’t want something in exchange for foreign aid to Ukraine—because he opposes foreign aid. “I would make the argument that every politician in Washington, other than me, virtually, is trying to manipulate Ukraine to their purposes,”...
‘No ambiguity’: Takeaways from Ukraine transcripts
WASHINGTON (AP) – Two White House officials described tensions and frustrations among some of the nation’s top diplomats as President Donald Trump, backed by his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, pressured Ukraine to investigate Democrats. In closed-door transcripts released by House impeachment investigators on Friday, Fiona Hill, a...
What You Need to Know: White House split on whistleblower
WASHINGTON (AP) – For only the fourth time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives has started a presidential impeachment inquiry. House committees are trying to determine whether President Donald Trump violated his oath of office by asking Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden and his family and to … …read more...
