Nov 4, 2019

Conway: I don't know if Trump withheld aid to press Ukraine on Bidens

White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway speaks to journalists outside the White House, Oct. 25. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told CNN’s "State of the Union" Sunday she doesn't know if President Trump withheld Ukraine's military aid to encourage an investigation into his potential 2020 rival. But it's "unimpeachably true that Ukraine has that aid," she said.

Why it matters: The issue of whether Trump pressured Ukrainian President Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden during a July 25 phone call is central to a whistleblower complaint and subsequent impeachment inquiry.

What they're saying: Trump denies any "quid pro quo" took place, and Conway later told "Fox News Sunday" the issue was "hypothetical." "Is it a high crime and misdemeanor? I wouldn’t think so," she said.

Go deeper: Trump-Ukraine scandal: All the key players, dates and documents

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Rebecca Falconer

Report: WH review finds Mulvaney sought to justify blocking Ukraine aid

Mick Mulvaney. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

A confidential internal review found White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney asked budget office officials for an "after-the-fact justification" for withholding aid to Ukraine, the Washington Post first reported Sunday.

Why it matters: The issue of blocking almost $400 million in military aid to Ukraine is central to the impeachment inquiry, as House investigators examine allegations that President Trump ordered the move to press for Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son. Trump denies any wrongdoing.

Go deeperNov 25, 2019

Fadel Allassan

George Conway takes aim at Trump and the GOP in rare TV appearance

George Conway. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

MSNBC raised eyebrows just before Wednesday's impeachment hearing with a special guest commentator: conservative lawyer George Conway, the husband of counselor to President Trump, Kellyanne Conway.

Why it matters: His association to the president has made him "a liberal sensation by emerging as an unlikely critic of the president," per the New York Times. But despite having previously written a Washington Post op-ed, Conway hadn't appeared on television before Wednesday's MSNBC cameo.

Go deeperNov 14, 2019

Zachary Basu

NYT: Trump was briefed on whistleblower complaint prior to releasing Ukraine aid

Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

In late August, White House lawyers briefed President Trump on the now-infamous whistleblower complaint about his dealings with Ukraine, the New York Times reports, citing "two people familiar with the matter."

Why it matters: The report suggests Trump knew officials had raised alarms about his July 25 phone call with Ukraine's president two weeks prior to his decision to unfreeze military aid, which Democrats allege he was using as leverage to pressure Ukraine to announce investigations into the Bidens and the 2016 election.

Go deeperNov 27, 2019