President Donald Trump continues to insist that he did nothing wrong in the July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky which spurred Trump's impeachment.
What's more, Trump insists that Zelensky thinks the call was "perfect" too.
He most recently said so in a tweet this morning.
Trump claimed Zelensky announced that Trump did "nothing wrong" in his dealings with Ukraine, but it turns out this isn't entirely true, as people were quick to point out.
In the Time Magazine interview with Zelensky that Trump is referencing, Zelensky actually criticizes Trump's decision to withhold crucial, congressionally approved military aid from the country in exchange for announcing an investigation into his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, as well as conspiracy theories that Ukraine worked with Democrats to frame Russia for meddling in the U.S. election.
Zelensky said:
"If you're our strategic partner, then you can't go blocking anything for us. I think that's just about fairness. It's not about a quid pro quo."
Trump claims that withholding the aid wasn't based on a "quid pro quo," but rather on Ukraine being a "corrupt country," that needed to weed out said corruption before receiving aid from U.S.
Zelensky alluded to these claims as well:
"When America says, for instance, that Ukraine is a corrupt country, that is the hardest of signals."
In efforts to maintain a stable relationship with the U.S., Zelensky has said little publicly of the call, which Trump appears to have taken as an endorsement.
In the days following the White House's release of the July 25 call transcript, Trump and Zelensky met publicly at the United Nations Summit in New York, where Zelensky said he felt "no pressure" on the call from Trump.
Aides at the state department and the White House have since testified in public impeachment hearings that the Trump administration pressured Ukrainian officials to announce an investigation into Trump's political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, before the aid would be lifted.
People weren't surprised at yet another lie from the President.
Trump and those closest to him still refuse to testify or participate in the impeachment hearings, which will be under the supervision of the House Judiciary Committee beginning this week.
@kileywrestling/Bluesky
