Trump news: President reacts as impeachment speculation intensifies and his own lawyer admits he cannot rule out that aid to Ukraine was used as bribe
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Donald Trump has insisted that he is not taking talk of impeachment seriously as he once again claimed he had done nothing wrong in a phone call with the president of Ukraine.
Arriving at the United Nations in New York for a session on religious freedom, Mr Trump said the row over his “perfect” phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky was a “Democrat witch-hunt”, adding: “They failed with Russia, they failed with recession, they failed with everything, and now they’re bringing this up.” Meanwhile, his personal lawyer, the former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, told Fox Business he could not be “100 per cent sure” the president didn’t threaten to cut off aid to Ukraine unless the former Soviet country agreed to investigate Joe Biden’s son.
Mr Trump is participating in a series of meetings today with fellow world leaders, including the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi - whom he once reportedly referred to as “my favorite dictator”, and what is described as a “pull aside” with New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern. Meanwhile, the Democrat-led House Judiciary Committee will hold a session entitled “Presidential corruption: emoluments and profiting off the presidency”.
He is expected to speak before the general assembly on Tuesday, marking his third address to the international body.
Mr Trump's day in New York included a viral moment, in which 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg was spotted glaring at the president as he walked into the building.
Decline of honey bees now a global phenomenon, says United Nations
Show all 2Ms Thunberg had travelled to the US from her home country of Sweden, on a carbon emission free yacht instead of by plane in order to reduce her carbon footprint.
Former secretary of state John Kerry has reacted to the allegations, and he’s not holding back.
“A fundamental, profound of abuse of power, there’s no other way to put it.”
Trump is also coming under fire from some in the Republican party.
Senator Mitt Romney says that if the president did try and pressure Zelensky it “would be troubling in the extreme.”
He stopped short of calling for impeachment but said it was vital the facts came out.
A group of leading UN officials have taken a veiled swipe at Donald Trump and other populist leaders and called for an end to “dehumanising hate speech” against migrants and ethnic minorities.
The open letter signed by more than 20 UN human rights special rapporteurs warns “leaders, senior government officials, politicians and other prominent figures [are] spreading fear among the public against migrants or those seen as ‘the others’, for their own political gain”.
Although the group do not name any particular politicians, the communique is likely to be interpreted as criticism of the US president.
Trump infamously began his presidential campaign by pushing for a ban on Muslims entering the US and attacking Mexican immigrants as rapists, drug dealers and criminals.
Yet it is the Donald who is set to lead a UN event on why the international community should do more to protect people from religious discrimination….
Tim Wyatt has the latest.
A poll is suggesting that 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is leading the way in the Iowa caucuses – a key swing state.
Here’s Democrat Bill Pascrell’s take on the scandal -
“US President tried to blackmail a foreign ally to meddle in a US election and smear an American political leader.
No both-sides garbage to mask Trump’s rancid corruption.”
What have the Ukrainians been saying about the scandal?
Well, leader Volodymyr Zelensky has defended his country’s relationship with the US and said he is “sure we will have a meeting in the White House” soon.
He is also particularly pleased with the millions of dollars the US is giving in them in military aid packages.
Our Defence and Diplomatic Editor Kim Sengupta has the story from Kiev.
There has also been a robbery at Trump Tower in New York.
Police are looking into the theft of $353,000 (£283,600) worth of jewellery from two apartments.
Here's our full story:
The Indian prime minister's apparent endorsement of President Trump's 2020 re-election bid has not gone down well in his home country.
Narendra Modi appeared with Mr Trump at a rally in Houston, Texas, yesterday which attracted tens of thousands of Indian-Americans. At the "Howdy Modi" event, he said: "In the words of candidate Trump: Abki baar Trump sarkar (This time, [a] Trump government).” Back in India, he has faced a storm of criticism for getting involved in US politics. Adam Withnall in Delhi has the full story:
Earlier this month it was reported that a top CIA spy inside the Kremlin had had to be exfiltrated for his own safety. The official had apparently been instrumental in tying Vladimir Putin to efforts to Russian efforts to influence the 2016 US presidential election - but his handlers had feared he could be exposed and removed him.
Now Russia has for the first time officially acknowledged that they are looking for a "missing" official who they believe to have been a CIA informant. Oleg Smolenkov disappeared with his family while on holiday in Montenegro and is believed to now be living in the United States. Adam Forrest has the full story:
Arriving at the United Nations just now President Trump once again insisted he had done nothing wrong and claimed he was not taking talk about impeachment seriously.
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