An inside source told Fox News this week that the “whistleblower” who reportedly filed a complaint regarding President Trump’s conversation with the Ukraine leader did not have “first-hand knowledge” of the conversation.
“The whistleblower who sparked a mounting controversy over President Trump’s July phone call with Ukraine’s president did not have ‘firsthand knowledge’ of the conversation, a person familiar with the situation told Fox News — even as the issue fuels impeachment calls from Democrats,” reports Fox News. “The source said that it is made clear in the complaint itself that the whistleblower did not have direct knowledge of the July phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.”
“Fox News has learned that typically, multiple U.S. officials are on such calls with the president, but this would indicate the whistleblower is not one of those people. It’s unclear if the individual read a transcript of the call, heard about it in conversation, or learned of it another way,” adds Fox.
President Trump slammed initial reports of his conversation with another world leader, saying “Another Fake News story out there – It never ends! Virtually anytime I speak on the phone to a foreign leader, I understand that there may be many people listening from various U.S. agencies, not to mention those from the other country itself. No problem!”
Another Fake News story out there – It never ends! Virtually anytime I speak on the phone to a foreign leader, I understand that there may be many people listening from various U.S. agencies, not to mention those from the other country itself. No problem!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2019
“Knowing all of this, is anybody dumb enough to believe that I would say something inappropriate with a foreign leader while on such a potentially ‘heavily populated’ call. I would only do what is right anyway, and only do good for the USA!” he added.
Read the full story at Fox News.
DEVELOPING: Ex-Obama White House Counsel Indicted for 'Misleading' Mueller Team on Alleged Ties to Ukraine
Fox News is now reporting that a former White House counsel for then-President Barack Obama was indicted Thursday for “making misleading” statements to Robert Mueller’s team regarding his relationship with Ukrainian officials.
“Greg Craig, former White House counsel for then-President Barack Obama, was indicted Thursday on two counts of making false and misleading statements to investigators — including Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team — in connection with his work on behalf of Russia-backed former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych,” reports Fox News.
BREAKING: Former Obama White House Counsel Greg Craig has been indicted for allegedly making false statements to the US Justice Dept.; case stems from Mueller investigation. https://t.co/n1gcHJWVdK pic.twitter.com/Bf50UO2YdI
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 11, 2019
“Craig is the first prominent Democrat to be indicted in a case arising from Mueller’s now-completed probe into Russian election interference. Mueller referred the Craig case to prosecutors in New York last year after uncovering possible wrongdoing while he investigated former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s Ukraine lobbying work” adds the author.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
ON THE BRINK: Ukraine Imposes MARTIAL LAW to Combat Russian Threat
The Ukrainian government imposed martial law in vulnerable sections of the country for 30 days Monday; citing a growing threat from Russia and fearing the “extremely serious” threat of a full-fledged ground invasion.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko claimed the step was necessary to protect his nation’s sovereignty from Russian aggression after Moscow seized multiple Ukrainian navy vessels in recent days.
“Russia has been waging a hybrid war against our country for a fifth year. But with an attack on Ukrainian military boats it moved to a new stage of aggression,” Poroshenko said.
“The United States condemns this aggressive Russian action. We call on Russia to return to Ukraine its vessels and detained crew members, and to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.
Read the full report at Reuters.
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