New Delhi:
The top White House spokeswoman on Thursday accused Democrats running the impeachment probe into Donald Trump of a “sick” and “rabid” desire to take down the president. “The Democrats are clearly being motivated by a sick hatred for President Trump and their rabid desire to overturn the 2016 election,” Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement as impeachment hearings continued in Congress.
“The American people deserve better,” Grisham said.
Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry over claims that Trump pressured Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in a July 25 phone call to look into what the US leader said were corrupt business deals involving Biden.
Last week, Donald Trump dubbed the impeachment proceedings against him as a "double standard never seen" in US history. This came after US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch deposed before the Congressional panel on the second day of impeachment hearings. “A double standard like never seen before in the history of our Country,” Trump tweeted as Yovanovitch was grilled on president's interaction with Ukrainians.
Asserting that he has done no wrong, Trump released transcripts of his first phone to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his electoral victory.
Laura Cooper, the Pentagon official in charge of the country, testified to Congress that Ukraine reached out on July 25, the very day that Trump spoke to his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a call that triggered an impeachment inquiry. Cooper said she received emails on July 25 saying that both the Ukrainian embassy in Washington and the House Foreign Affairs Committee were asking about the assistance.
“I would say that, specifically, the Ukrainian embassy staff asked, ‘What is going on with Ukrainian security assistance?” Cooper said.
Asked by Representative Adam Schiff if the Ukrainians had been “concerned,” Cooper replied, “Yes, sir.”
Cooper said that her staff received the emails on July 25 and that she had not been personally briefed on them until she conducted research in preparation for her congressional appearance.
