Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky walked right into the lion’s den Tuesday, a meeting with President Trump coinciding with an explosive impeachment inquiry related to Trump’s interactions with the leader.
Вчора поспілкувалися з @RealDonaldTrump та @FLOTUS на Офіційному прийнятті від Президента США та Першої леді. Сьогодні продовжимо у робочому режимі! pic.twitter.com/8pnu5nHxgU
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 25, 2019
Roughly translated, the caption reads: “Yesterday communicated with @RealDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS at the official reception from the US President and First Lady. Today we will continue in working mode!”
Zelensky and Trump have a meeting scheduled for Wednesday at 2:15 pm E.T.
At the heart of the impeachment inquiry is Trump’s July 25 call with Zelensky, during which he confirmed that he brought up Biden and his son, Hunter, who sat on the board of a Ukrainian company. News reports claim that Trump tried to strong-arm Zelensky into digging up dirt on the Bidens, possibly by leveraging withheld aid that he asked to be blocked just days before the call.
The administration released notes on the call Wednesday morning, though not a full transcript or recording. The notes confirm that Trump pushed Zelensky to investigate the Bidens.
Also part of the scandal is a whistleblower, a member of the intelligence community, who lodged a complaint with the Intelligence Community Inspector General concerning Trump and Ukraine. Not much detail is known of the complaint, which was barred from Congress by acting DNI Joseph Maguire.
