President Trump. Photo: Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
An alleged promise made between a foreign leader and President Trump recently reported by a whistleblower is said to involve Ukraine, 2 people familiar with the issue said, per a Washington Post report confirmed by the New York Times.
The state of play: On Aug. 12, a whistleblower filed a complaint with intelligence community inspector general Michael Atkinson, which he deemed "credible and urgent within the definition of the law." While the nature of Trump's alleged "promise" remains unclear, he spoke with newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky roughly 2 weeks before the complaint was submitted. Per the Post, that conversation is being investigated by House Democrats.
- The House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight committees launched an investigation in early September into alleged efforts by President Trump and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to pressure the Ukrainian government into digging up dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, who once served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.
- It's not clear whether there is a connection between the Giuliani investigation and whistleblower complaint.
Go deeper: Schiff: DNI's refusal to turn over whistleblower complaint is "unprecedented"