Chuck Schumer demands Senate investigation of Trump-Ukraine allegations
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday called on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to launch an investigation into allegations that President Trump asked the president of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in exchange for security assistance.
Why it matters: The request is likely to fall on deaf ears. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) is the only Republican thus far to condemn the allegations — at least part of which Trump has confirmed himself — as "troubling in the extreme."
Driving the news: Trump confirmed on Sunday that he discussed Biden and his son during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25.
- It's not yet clear whether the conversation is related to a controversial whistleblower complaint that the Trump administration has refused to turn over to Congress, which Schumer also called on his Republican colleagues to investigate.
- "The Republican Senate's 'see no evil, hear no evil' attitude toward such a serious national security concern is unacceptable & must change," Schumer wrote.
Schumer requested that Senate committees take the following actions:
- Convene hearings with acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, among others.
- Issue a subpoena for the whistleblower complaint.
- Request that the White House release transcripts of the conversation between Trump and Zelensky.
- Identify who in the administration requested the delay of $341 million in security assistance to Ukraine.
- Insist the Office of Legal Counsel provide a legal opinion or guidance on the administration's obligation to give the whistleblower complaint to Congress.
Go deeper: Trump's defiance on Ukraine
