Trump doubles down on debunked Ukraine theory, despite testimony

Donald Trump
Donald Trump also repeated his insistence there was no quid pro quo

President Donald Trump on Friday promoted a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election, a day after a former White House adviser called it a “fictional narrative” and said it played into Russia’s hands.

Trump called in to “Fox & Friends” and said he was trying to root out corruption in the Eastern European nation when he withheld aid over the summer. Trump’s July 25 call with Ukraine’s president is at the center of the House impeachment probe, which is looking into Trump’s pressure on Ukraine to investigate political rivals as he held back nearly $400 million.

He also worked to undercut witnesses at the hearings, including the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, whom Trump recalled from her post in Kyiv. The president called her an “Obama person” and claimed without evidence that she didn’t want his picture to hang on the walls of the embassy.

“There are a lot of things that she did that I didn’t like,” he said, adding that he asked why administration officials were being so kind to her. “’Well, sir, she’s a woman. We have to be nice,’ he said they told him. Without providing details, Trump said he viewed her differently. “She’s very tough. I heard bad things,” he said.

He repeated his assertion that Ukrainians might have hacked the Democratic National Committee’s network in 2016 and framed Russia for the crime, a theory his own advisers have dismissed.

“They gave the server to CrowdStrike, which is a company owned by a very wealthy Ukrainian,” Trump said. “I still want to see that server. The FBI has never gotten that server. That’s a big part of this whole thing.”

When asked how he knows that, Trump replied only that people are talking about it.

The president in the wide-ranging interview also claimed that he knows the identity of the whistleblower who filed the formal complaint that spurred the impeachment inquiry.

“You know who the whistleblower is. So do I,” Trump told the hosts.

Trump said he didn’t believe U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, who has maintained that he doesn’t know the identity of the whistleblower.

“If he doesn’t, then he’s the only person in Washington who doesn’t,” Trump said.

Trump said he does not expect to be impeached, claiming Democrats have “absolutely nothing” incriminating, despite days of public testimony by witnesses who said Trump withheld aid from Ukraine to press the country to investigate his political rivals.

“I think it’s very hard to impeach you when they have absolutely nothing,” Trump said, adding that if the House did vote to impeach him, he would welcome a trial in the Senate.

Trump’s claim on Ukraine being behind the 2016 election interference has been discredited by intelligence agencies and his own advisers.

CrowdStrike, an internet security firm based in California, investigated the DNC hack in June 2016 and traced it to two groups of hackers connected to a Russian intelligence service — not Ukraine.

One version of the debunked theory holds that CrowdStrike is owned by a wealthy Ukrainian. In fact, company co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch is a Russian-born U.S. citizen who immigrated as a child and graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The president repeated his claim one day after Fiona Hill, a former Russia adviser on the White House National Security Council, admonished Republicans for pushing unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about Ukrainian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

“Based on questions and statements I have heard, some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country and that perhaps, somehow, for some reason, Ukraine did,” Hill testified before the House impeachment inquiry panel. “This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves.”

Trump told “Fox & Friends” that “there was no quid pro quo,” in his efforts to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to open investigations of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son’s dealings in Ukraine.

The president’s assertion is at odds with sworn testimony by impeachment witnesses.

Associated Press


4 comments

  • gary

    November 22, 2019 at 1:40 pm

    Despite testimony? WTF is this fake news talking about? All I have heard since this bullshit started was…. “I heard from” Every God damn thing was hearsay!

  • D-U-M-P T-R-U-M-P !!!

    November 22, 2019 at 1:52 pm

    This guy is one sicko POS! More deranged than Hitler. More absurd than Mussolini. As much of a freakin’ sociopath as were Gotti and Bulger! And the Republicans in the House and Senate supporting him and enabling him are just as bad as he is! Americans need to grab their pitchforks and take to the streets! PRONTO!

  • Sonja Emily Fitch

    November 23, 2019 at 7:48 am

    THE REPUBLICAN PARTY DOES NOT EXIST. THE RUSSIAN PARTY AND THE goptrump CULT EXISTS. WE IN AMERICA ARE BUILT ON OUR TWO PARTY SYSTEM AND INDEPENDENTS…WE ARE AMERICA. THE RUSSIAN PARTY AND THE goptrump CULT DESANTIS, NUNES, AND ET AL ARE PATHETIC MORONS LOOKING FOR POWER. THEY ARE ALL RUSSIAN ASSETS.

  • Dan

    November 23, 2019 at 9:19 pm

    To Democrats hypocrisy is like breathing LOL

    “Ya got 6 hours until my plane leaves to fire the prosecutor ( who is investigating little Hunter) or no money.”….Joe Biden.

    Democrat-Socialist 2020 Platform & Goals:

    -Massive tax increases.

    -End all deportations of illegal aliens (if you get here, you stay.)

    -Drivers licenses for illegal aliens.

    -Voting rights for non citizens.

    -Welfare & Food Stamps for illegal aliens. (Warren)

    -Increase refugee’s from the third world.

    -Non citizens allowed to hold public office.

    -Socialism.

    -Open Borders.

    -Sanctuary Cities.

    -Decriminalize illegal entry into our country.

    -De-fund & terminate Border Patrol & ICE.

    -Disarming Americans.

    -Green new deal.

    -End of Electoral College

    -Free medicare care for all including non citizens (taxpayer funded)

    -!00% free college for all, including non citizens. (tax payer funded)

    -Reparations.

    -Susie & Bobby using the same restrooms.

    -Late term abortions up to 9 months.

    -Infanticide.

    -Pay check for every person in the US even if they choose not to work.

    *Sources: Straight from the Democrat’s themselves. View their

    speeches / debates on you tube.The choice is yours.-

Comments are closed.


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