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Post by Admin on Nov 3, 2019 3:44:06 GMT
Documents from Robert Mueller’s investigation into the 2016 election obtained by BuzzFeed News show that President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort tried to link Ukraine to the hacking and distribution of internal DNC emails. Mueller’s office ultimately concluded that it was Russia behind the hack and indicted 12 Russian officers. President Donald Trump’s obsession with obtaining emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee’s servers in 2016 was a topic of near-constant conversation at the highest levels of his campaign, a massive tranche of documents relating to the special counsel investigation reveals. The documents, the result of a pair Freedom of Information Act lawsuits filed by BuzzFeed News and CNN, show that the Trump campaign was “very happy” with the public release of the emails, the hacking of which was eventually traced by the U.S. intelligence community to the Kremlin. But even as early as 2016, a top Trump aide placed the blame for the hack on Ukraine—echoing the same conspiracy theory recently revived by Trump and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, to justify their pressure campaign on that country’s leaders.
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Post by Admin on Nov 16, 2019 18:32:51 GMT
The release of the transcript of President Donald Trump’s first call in April with Ukrainian President-elect Volodomyr Zelensky was meant to bolster the case that Trump had nothing but good intentions in his dealings with Ukraine—but it also showed a White House summary of the same call released to the public shortly after it occurred was largely fabricated. The White House readout, a summary of the call released hours after it occurred, claimed Trump “underscored the unwavering support of the United States for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity—within its internationally recognized borders—and expressed his commitment to work together with President-elect Zelensky and the Ukrainian people to implement reforms that strengthen democracy, increase prosperity, and root out corruption.” Such statements are nowhere to be found in the transcript of the call released by the president on Friday. That transcript shows Trump congratulating Zelensky on his recent election win, promising to arrange a White House visit for him, and recounting the large number of Ukrainian women who participated in Trump’s Miss Universe competitions. Nowhere does Trump mention efforts to address Ukrainian corruption, economic prosperity, or democratic institutions. Nor does he even allude to its efforts to beat back the Russian occupation of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on those discrepancies to The Daily Beast. Late Friday, in a statement to CNN, a White House spokesman blamed Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman—a key witness in proceedings—for the mistake. “It is standard operating procedure for the National Security Council to provide readouts of the President's phone calls with foreign leaders,” deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said. “This one was prepared by the NSC's Ukraine expert.”
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Post by Admin on Dec 22, 2019 18:27:16 GMT
New documents show President Donald Trump asked about U.S. military aid to Ukraine a month before the call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that went on to trigger the impeachment investigation into Trump. The heavily-redacted emails, obtained under a Freedom of Information request by the Center for Public Integrity, also show that administration officials ordered a hold on the aid about an hour after the leaders’ call on July 25. Trump asked about a June 19 article in the Washington Examiner newspaper referencing the aid. Michael Duffey, an official at the Office of Management and Budget, wrote to the Pentagon requesting more detail about the funding, according to an email from Duffey to the Pentagon comptroller. Showing Unease “The President has asked about this funding release, and I have been tasked to follow-up with someone over there to get more detail.” An email from Duffey to Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist on July 25, shortly after the Trump-Zelenskiy phone call, expressed uneasiness about the hold. “Given the sensitive nature of the request, I appreciate your keeping that information closely held to those who need to know,” Duffey wrote. The new documents “reveal how quickly the White House moved to cut off military aid to Ukraine,” Susan Smith Richardson, chief executive officer of the CPI, said in a statement on Saturday. Duffey, an OMB official working on national security issues, is one of four witnesses Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has requested for the pending Senate trial of Trump on two articles of impeachment passed by the House of Representative last week.
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Post by Admin on Feb 19, 2022 18:29:52 GMT
Ukraine President Zelensky delivers impassioned speech | MSC 2022
14,591 views • Feb 20, 2022 • Speaking on the second day of the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy challenged members of the European Union and NATO to take their relationship with Ukraine seriously. In emotional remarks, he thanked partners for their rhetorical and material support in the face of Russia's military build up on Ukraine's borders. But he said they have Ukraine to thank for standing up to Russian aggression for years, and protecting the rest of Europe from it.
Still, Zelenskyy said diplomacy is the only means for Ukraine to regain the territory it lost when Russia attacked in 2014. That led him to question Russian claims that they are not seeking to do so again now. Christiane Amanpour was on hand to conduct an in-depth follow-up interview with Zelenskyy.
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Post by Admin on Feb 20, 2022 3:06:57 GMT
“We are not afraid of Russia” says Ukraine’s President on Day of Unity - BBC News 321,238 views • Feb 17, 2022 • Ukraine's government has been holding what it calls a "Day of Unity" in response to fears of a Russian invasion.
The US and Nato have disputed Russia’s claims that it’s been withdrawing some of its forces.
Western intelligence estimates, suggest Russia, still has well over a hundred thousand troops encircling the country.
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has been travelling the country to inspect defences and rally Ukrainian forces.
Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Sarah Rainsford, who has been travelling with President Zelensky.
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