Trump news conference live stream: Watch President Donald Trump's news conference one day after Pelosi announces formal impeachment inquiry – CBS News, CBS News

The Trump administration on Wednesday released the much-anticipated summary of President Trump’s phone call in July with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, the conversation that was part of the whistleblower complaint at the center of House Democrats’ newimpeachment inquiry.

Mr. Trump, who was in New York for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, spent the day arguing the summary vindicated him from Democratic claims that he had pressured a foreign leader to interfere in domestic politics.

“I didn’t threaten anybody,” Trump said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

Thesummary, however, shows Trump did urge the Ukrainian leader to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who sat on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company.

The document is a summary of the call and not a verbatim transcript. A footnote says it is the record of the notes and recollections of National Security Council staff and Situation Room officers “assigned to listen and memorialize the conversation in written form.”

• Read the full summary of the call released by the White Househere

“I think you read everything. I think you read text,” the Ukrainian leader said, when asked whether he felt pressured to investigate the Bidens. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be involved [in the] democratic, open elections of USA. We had, I think, good phone call. It was normal.”

According to the memo, Zelensky said Ukraine was “almost ready to buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes, “referring to powerful anti-tank missiles. Mr. Trump responded he “would like you to do us a favor though,” telling Zelensky he would like to find out what happened with “this whole situation with Ukraine,” mentioning Crowdstrike, a cybersecurity company which helped investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Trump later mentioned “the other thing,” saying “there’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son.” Zelensky pledged that a new prosecutor would look into the case, and asked for additional information. Mr. Trump told Zelensky he would have Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr call. The Justice Department, which released the memo, said Wednesday that Barr never discussed anything related to Ukraine with Giuliani.

On Wednesday, Democrats said the memo was worse than they anticipated, with Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, saying it was reminiscent of a “classic mafia- like shakedown. ” But Mr. Trump claimed the document vindicated him, saying the memo showed no explicit quid pro quo with Ukraine.Updates appear below:    

Lawmakers get first look at whistleblower complaint

6: (PM:) The office of the director of national intelligence provided the whistleblower complaint to congressional committees, giving lawmakers the first look at the document.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr told reporters his committee had received the whistleblower complaint shortly after 4 p.m. Members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees and party leaders streamed in and out of a secure hearing room on Capitol Hill late Thursday afternoon to examine the document, which one lawmaker said was 10 to 12 pages long.

In a quick statement after viewing the report, House Intelligence Committee Chair man Adam Schiff said: “I want to thank the whistleblower for coming forward.”

“I found the allegations deeply disturbing and very credible. I can understand why the inspector general found them credible, “Schiff said.

Read morehere.

Trump says he thought impeachment was “dead” after Russia probe

5: 04 PM:president, asked if he’s ready for a long, drawn-out impeachment process, said he thought the threat of impeachment was “dead” after the conclusion of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe. He then went on to lament how the media, in his mind, has ruined the lives of his allies, like his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

Mr. Trump said his family used to be treated “great,” but now they’re criticized in the press.

The president lamented the “viciousness” of the media coverage, and blasted top Democrats for criticizing him.

“They must laugh their asses off,” the president said of Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Jerry Nadler, the Judiciary Committee chairman. –Kathryn Watson

Trump says he might release another call with Zelensky

5: 02 pm:Trump also suggested he might release a prior phone call with Ukraine’s president, after suggesting he might also release calls Zelensky had with Vice President Mike Pence. Mr. Trump described his released phone call with Zelensky as “innocent.” –Kathryn Watson

Trump, asked about China, comments on 2020

4: 59 PM:Trump, asked why he thinks the U.S. is making progress with China on trade, wouldn’t give specifics, simply repeating that he believes progress is being made.

Pressed on the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement that still needs congressional approval, the president suggested progress might not be possible with Democrats attempting to impeach him.

The president then went on to say Democrats won ‘ t win in 2020, touting how well he thinks he’s doing in various states. –Kathryn Watson

Trump references letter from Democratic senators to Ukraine prosecutor

4: 58 pm:In his press conference, Mr. Trump mentioned a letter sent by three Democratic senators to the prosecutor general of Ukraine in 2018. Mr. Trump claimed the Democratic senators essentially threatened to cut off aid to Ukraine unless the prosecutor general provided answers about why he closed four investigations.

However,the letterto then-Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko did not include an explicit threat or mention US aid to the Ukraine. Democratic Senators Dick Durbin, Patrick Leahy and Bob Menendez wrote to Lutsenko asking why four investigations pertaining to former special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe were closed.

“As a strong advocates for a robust and close relationship with Ukraine, we believe that our cooperation should extend to such legal matters, regardless of politics,” the letter said. “We strongly encourage you to reverse course and halt any efforts to impede cooperation with this important investigation.” –Grace Segers

Trump claims there was no “quid pro quo” with Ukraine

4: 55 PM:Asked why he thinks it’s appropriate to ask a foreign leader for assistance with an American citizen, Mr. Trump said there’s a “lot of corruption” going on, before defending his call as “perfect.”

The president then said Democratic senators were also at fault. Pressed again on the matter, Mr. Trump went on to reminisce about his election win, insisting Democrats are only going after him because they didn’t want him to win.

Pelosi, Mr. Trump said, has allowed her party to be taken over by far-left radicals. –Kathryn Watson

Trump says he wants “transparency” on whistleblower and the Bidens

4: (PM:Trump, reiterating what he tweeted moments before, said he wants “transparency” on the whistleblower complaint, casting doubt on the whistleblower’s credentials.

“I’ve informed them, all of the House members, that I fully support transparency on the so-called whistleblower information, even though it was supposedly secondhand information, which is sort of interesting, “Mr. Trump said.

But he also said he wants “transparency” on the actions of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. The president also demanded transparency from Democrats.

“It’s all a hoax folks, it’s all a big hoax,” Trump said of claims that he pressured Zelensky and of Democrats’ impeachment efforts. –Kathryn Watson

Trump kicks off press conference at UN

               

4: 29 PM:The president, flanked by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, began his press conference just before 4: 30 pm at the U.S. Mission to the U.N. Mr. Trump lamented that the press has barely covered his bilateral meetings, because the press is wasting its time on “nonsense.” –Kathryn Watson

Intel chief denies report he threatened to resign

3: 38 PM:Joseph Maguire, the acting director of national intelligence, denied a report in The Washington Post that he threatened to resign if the White House tried to block him from testifying frankly to Congress on Thursday .

The Post, citing current and former officials,published a storyWednesday afternoon reporting Maguire had “concerns that the White House might attempt to force him to stonewall Congress” about the whistleblower complaint.

In a statement , Maguire denied th

“At no time have I considered resigning my position since assuming this role on Aug. 16, 2019, “Maguire said.” I have never quit anything in my life, and I am not going to start now. I am committed to leading the Intelligence Community to address the diverse and complex threats facing our nation. “

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham also denied the report on Twitter:

– Stefan Becket

Whistleblower complaint to be sent to Congress soon, Nunes says

3: 21 pm:Congressman Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee, said on the House floor that Congress will receive the whistleblower complaint this afternoon. Nunes said the acting director of national intelligence will transmit the complaint to Congress by 4 pm

The House is debating a resolution calling on the acting director to hand over the complaint. The Senate unanimously passed the resolution on Tuesday. –Stefan Becket

Zelensky says he didn’t push to reopen probe

               

2: 45 pm:Zelensky said he took no action to push to reopen a probe into the Bidens.

“We have an independent country and independent general [secretary]. I can’t push anyone. That is the answer,” the Ukrainian president said. “I didn’t call somebody or the new general [secretary]. I didn’t ask him. I didn’t push him.”

But in the summary of their July call, Zelensky told Mr. Trump that “the next prosecutor general will be 100% my person, my candidate, who will be approved by the parliament and will start as a new prosecutor in September. He or she will look into the situation, specifically to the company that you mentioned in this issue. ” –Stefan Becket

Biden: Trump “put personal politics above his sacred oath”

2: 38 PM:In a statement, the former vice president said the summary revealed that Mr. Trump worked with his personal attorney “to manufacture a smear against a domestic political opponent, using a malicious conspiracy theory.” Biden said the abridged document provided by the White House was not enough, and that Congress was entitled to the full whistleblower complaint.

“It is a tragedy for this country that our president put personal politics above his sacred oath. He has put his own political interests over our national security interest, which is bolstering Ukraine against Russian pressure, “Biden said, adding that Mr. Trump’s conversation with Zelensky was “a national security issue.”

However, Biden stopped short of calling for impeachment, saying simply that “Congress must pursue the facts and quickly take prompt action to hold Donald Trump accountable.”

“In the meantime, I will continue to focus my campaign not on how Donald Trump abused his power to come after my family, but on how he has turned his back on America’s families, “Biden said.

“The House must do its job and hold Donald Trump to account for his abuse of power. I must do mine, and remain focused on making my case for a vision of the American presidency that will mean real help for those in our country who need it most, “he concluded. –Grace Segers

Trump: Pelosi “no longer the speaker of the House”

2: 35 PM:Trump, still seated alongside Zelensky, said he thinks House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has “lost her way” and been taken over by the “radical” members of her party.

Pelosi, the president said, is “no longer the speaker of the House” as far as he’s concerned.

Pelosi had been holding off on formalizing an impeachment inquiry, but announced on Tuesday the House would open an official probe.– Kathryn Watson

Zelensky says call was “normal”

2: 30 PM:Zelensky, asked if he felt pressured to investigate the Bidens, referred reporters back to the summary of the call.

“I think you read everything. I think you read text,” the Ukrainian leader said. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be involved [in] democratic, open elections of USA. We had, I think, good phone call. It was normal.”

Trump then insisted he exerted no pressure on Zelensky, who said “nobody pushed me.” –Kathryn Watson

Trump jokes he’s made Ukraine president more “famous”

2: 21 pm:Trump, during a bilateral meeting with Zelensky at the United Nations, joked that he has made Zelensky more “famous” with the controversy over their call.

“He’s made me more famous and I’ve made him more famous,” Trump said.

“It’s a great pleasure to me to be here, and it’s better to be on TV than by phone, I think, “Zelensky quipped.

Mr. Trump went on to say that other countries in Europe should do a “lot more” to help Ukraine, repeating a defense he’s given for withholding aid from Ukraine earlier this year. –Kathryn Watson

Trump and Zelensky meet at UN

2: 07 pm:The president is set to meet with Zelensky in New York on Wednesday, where he is attending the opening of the United Nations General Assembly. The leaders were set to meet at 2: 15 pm ET.

Watch live on (CBSN) .

• Date: Wednesday September 25, 2019
• Time: 2: 15 PM ET
• Who: President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky
• Location: United Nations in New York
• Online stream: Watchlive on CBSNin the player above

Trump calls the summary “fantastic”

               

1: 50 pm:Trump, speaking at a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in New York, described the summary of his phone call as “fantastic.”

Trump previously described the call as very positive and doubled down on Wednesday, insisting that Democrats have created a “manufactured crisis.” The president used part of his Wednesday retweeting Republican allies who backed up his interpretation of the phone call.

So far, Senator Mitt Romney is the only Republican voicing concern over Mr. Trump’s interactions with Zelensky. Asked why he’s a lone voice, Romney responded with a backhanded criticism of his colleagues.

“Well, there’s such enormous power associated with being the party in power, both in the White House as well as in the Senate and the House,” Romney said at The Atlantic Festival in Washington on Wednesday. “I think it’s very natural for people to look at circumstances and see them in the light that’s most amenable to their maintaining power, and doing things to preserve that power.” –Kathryn Watson

Schumer calls memo “far more damaging” than expected

1: 30 PM:Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned Mr. Trump’s call with Zelensky, and called the “quote-unquote document” released by the White House “far more damaging to the president’s case than any of us anticipated.”

“In this telephone conversation, the president of the United States made an extraordinary request to the president of Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political opponent and aid Trump’s campaign, “Schumer said.

He also called on Republicans to question whether they truly believe “this phone call reflect a president pursuing the national interest.”

Schumer also noted the White House has a history of “doctoring” public documents “to save the president from embarrassment,” citing a White House transcript seemingly doctored in 2017 to make it seem as if Mr. Trump had a stronger golf game. Schumer suggested the document provided by the White House may not provide all of the information regarding the call with Zelensky. –Grace Segers

House committee chairs say no “quid pro quo” necessary for impeachment

1: 15 pm:The Democratic chairs of four House committee issued a joint statement over the president’s call summary, insisting no “quid pro quo” is necessary for impeachment. A key White House talking point obtained by CBS News asserted there was no explicit quid pro quo discussed in the call.

“Let’s be clear: no quid pro quo is required to betray our country,” the leading Democrats wrote. “Trump asked a foreign government to interfere in our elections – that is betrayal enough. The corruption exists whether or not Trump threatened – explicitly or implicitly – that a lack of cooperation could result in withholding military aid.”

The joint statement came from Adam Schiff, chairman of the Intelligence Committee; Jerry Nadler of the Judiciary Committee; Elijah Cummings of the Oversight and Reform Committee; and Eliot Engel of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

“Ukraine depends on the US for economic, military, and diplomatic support – especially in its attempts to push back against Russian aggression – and is particularly vulnerable to pressure from any US president. For a country so reliant on the United States, nothing more was needed, “they continued. –– Kathryn Watson

White House accidentally sends talking points on call summary to congressional Democrats

1: 10 pm:The White House accidentally sent talking points defending Mr. Trump to congressional Democrats, and then tried to recall the email broadcasting these talking points once it was apparent Democrats had been included on the email.

The document, which was obtained by CBS News and titled “What You Need to Know,” included talking points asserting that “the transcript clearly shows there was no quid pro quo or anything else inappropriate. ” The document also said the “real scandal” is “that leaks about a second-hand account of the President’s confidential telephone call with a foreign leader triggered a media frenzy of false accusations against the President.” –Grace Segers

Trump defends himself over Ukraine call

1: 00 pm:Trump, when asked about the transcript summary during a meeting with other world leaders, claimed he exerted “no pressure whatsoever” on Ukraine’s president, though in the call summary, the president mentioned no less than four times that the attorney general and Giuliani would be calling Zelensky to discuss the probe of Biden that he was requesting.

He also turned the tables on the Democrats, insisting their conduct is what’s questionable.

“The Democrats, they went down to see the president of Ukraine and they asked him for all sorts of things and ‘don’t go with the Republicans’ and’ stay with us, ‘like it’s a political war. They shouldn’t have done that. That should be an impeachable event. “

The president also took to Twitter to defend himself, tweeting out incomplete snippets of journalists’ quotes on television that in some way backed up his narrative from t he call. “You don’t see a direct quid pro quo in this,” Trump quoted Fox News’ Bret Baier as saying.

In another tweet,Mr. Trump wrote, “Will the Democrats apologize after seeing what was said on the call with the Ukrainian President? They should, a perfect call – got them by surprise! ” –Kathryn Watson

Pelosi says Justice Department acted in “rogue fashion”

12: 46 pm:In a statement responding to the release of the transcript summary, Pelosi said the memorandum “confirms that the President engaged in behavior that undermines the integrity of our elections, the dignity of the office he holds and our national security. “

“The President has tried to make lawlessness a virtue in America and now is exporting it abroad,” Pelosi also said. “The transcript and the Justice Department’s acting in a rogue fashion in being complicit in the President’s lawlessness confirm the need for an impeachment inquiry. Clearly, the Congress must act.”

She also reiterated a call for the whistleblower who raised concerns about the call with Zelensky to be protected. –Grace Segers

Lindsey Graham describes Trump’s mood as “stunned” regarding impeachment

12: 30 pm:Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, staunchly defended Trump over the Ukraine call, and questioned the sanity of anyone who would impeach him over it.

“If you’re looking for a circumstance where the president of the United States was threatening the Ukraine with cutting off aid unless they investigated their political opponent, you would be very disappointed that does not exist, “he told reporters. “So, from my point of view to impeach any president over a phone call like this would be insane.”

The South Carolina senator revealed he had spoken to the president this morning. When asked about Mr. Trump’s mood regarding impeachment, Graham replied he was “stunned more than anything else.”

He said he advised the president to try to govern as Bill Clinton did during his impeachment and work on legislation on guns and on immigration.

He reiterated an invitation he made last night on Fox News to the whistleblower to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee. –Alan He and Emily Tillett

Romney says Trump call was “troubling in the extreme”

12: 09 PM:One of the few Republicans who has criticized Mr. Trump regarding the Ukraine call is Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney. After the call summary was released, he told reporters, “I did read the transcript. It remains troubling in the extreme. It’s deeply troubling.”

He went on to say “there’s a process that the House is pursuing,” and he noted “the Senate is also looking at the testimony of the whistleblower, so there is an evaluation of gathering more facts. ” –Alan He and Grace Segers

Schiff says call notes “far more damning” than he Imagined

11: 44 am:Even before the call summary was released, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schifftold “CBS This Morning”that what President Trump has admitted publicly about his conversation wit h the Ukrainian president was “damning enough” to justify impeachment proceedings.

After its release, Schiff said he was “shocked” by the notes.

“I’m shocked by the notes of the call … They’re far more damning than I and many others had imagined,” Schiff told reporters after the summary report release.

He added, ” It is shocking at another level that the White House would release this – these notes – and felt that somehow this would help the president’s case or cause – because what those notes reflect is a classic mafia-like shakedown of a foreign leader. “

Schiff said that while the president maintains there was no “quid pro quo” discussed in the call, “there’s no quid pro quo necessary to betray your country … Ukraine understood what this president wanted. They knew what they needed to do if it needed military assistance. “

While his committee does not yet have access to the initial whistleblower complaint, Schiff said it’s “telling” that the Justice Department released its opinion on the matter even though the intelligence community inspector general takes issue with it.

“This is Bill Barr’s Justice Department trying to put out misleading spin,” Schiff said

The president’s call is the subject of a whistleblower complaint from the intelligence community that was supposed to be turned over to Schiff’s committee. It has not been submitted because the acting national intelligence director is blocking it.

The anonymous whistleblower has reached out directly to the intelligence committees, according to the whistleblower’s attorneys, and Schiff said Tuesday the whistleblower would like to testify about the complaint. –– Emily Tillett

Trump transcript summary released

10: 30 am:The Trump administration has released the much -anticipated transcript summary of President Trump’s phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, after Mr. Trump announced he had authorized publishing the transcript.

In the call the president said that he would like to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine and he said his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani would be traveling to Ukraine. Zelinsky said he would meet with Giuliani when he visited.

Zelinsky pledged that his new prosecutor would look into the case, and he asked Mr. Trump for additional information.

Read the transcript.

Trump tweets that his conversation with Zelensky was “a perfect call”

9: 30 am:Trump tweeted on Wednesday that his conversation with Zelensky in July was “a perfect call,” and mused whether Democrats would apologize once they saw the transcript of the call.

“Will the Democrats apologize after seeing what was said on the call with the Ukrainian President? They should, a perfect call – got them by surprise! ” Mr.

The call , the whistleblower complaint and the impeachment inquiry

Mr. Trump has admitted he talked about Joe Bidenin the July call with Zelenskyin the context of fighting “corruption” in the country. Mr. Trump and his allies, in particular personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, have accused Biden of pushing for the ouster of a Ukrainian prosecutor while he was vice president in order to benefit his son. The prosecutor was widely seen as corrupt, and no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden has yet emerged.

In August, an anonymous member of the intelligence community filed a whistleblower complaint with the intelligence community inspector general, who determined it constituted an “urgent concern” requiring congressional notification under federal law. However, after consulting with the Justice Department and White House, the acting director of national intelligence came to a different conclusion, and has refused to provide the complaint to congressional committees.

Pelosi announced Tuesday the House of Representatives would move forward with an official impeachment inquiry. This marks just the fourth time in American history a president has faced a viable threat of impeachment.

The speaker has long resisted calls from many progressive lawmakers to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president, but Democrats appear to have reached a breaking point over the administration’s refusal to hand over a whistleblower complaint related to Mr. Trump’s interaction with a foreign leader.

“This week, the president has admitted to asking the president of Ukraine to take actions which would benefit him politically,” Pelosi said. “The actions of the Trump presidency revealed dishonorable facts of the president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections.”

Pelosi said the administration’s refusal to provide the complaint was a “violation of the law” that “undermine [s] both our national security and our intelligence. “

One after another on Monday and Tuesday, Democrats from conservative and moderate H ouse districts who had been resisting previous calls for impeachmentcame out in favorof initiating impeachment proceedings, citing concerns over Mr. Trump’s potential pressuring of a foreign leader to investigate a domestic political opponent.

The president directed his acting chief of staff tohold off on releasing nearly $ 400 millionin military aid to Ukraine shortly before the call in July, according to a senior administration official with direct knowledge of the administration’s actions.

Trump, who is in New York for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, reacted angrily to Pelosi’s statement, calling it a “total Witch Hunt!”

“You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call. No pressure and, unlike Joe Biden and his son, NO quid pro quo! ” the president tweeted Tuesday afternoon.

That concession, however, did nothing to temper Democrats’ demands for the complaint itself. Congressman Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said theWhistleblower wants to testify before the committee, and wrote a letter to attorneys representing the individual to request a voluntary interview on Thursday. –Stefan Becket

Whistleblower wants to talk to Congress directly, lawyer says

The anonymous whistleblower intends to reach out directly to the intelligence committees, according to the whistleblower’s attorneys, who wrote to the acting director of national intelligence (DNI) seeking guidance about how to do so securely.

In aLetterreleased Tuesday, attorney Andrew Bakaj wrote to the DNI in accordance with federal statute to provide “formal notice of our intent to contact the congressional intelligence committees directly.” He requested “direction on doing so in accordance with appropriate security practices.”

In a response (letter) , Jason Klitenic, general counsel for the DNI, said the office was “consulting with other Executive Branch stakeholders” and would provide guidance soon.

“Please know that the DNI’s highest priority is ensuring that the women and men of the Intelligence Community have everything they need to carry out their mission in support of our nation’s security, “Klitenic wrote. “This includes supporting the rights of whistleblowers to provide information to Congress.”

Klitenic wrote the office has “every reason to believe that your client – our IC colleague – has acted in good faith and fully complied with the law.”

The White House and the intelligence community are discussing ways to allow the whistleblower who made the complaint last month to share information with Congress, CBS News learned.

The House Intelligence Committee sent a letter to Department of Justice Tuesday night objecting to the way in which it appears to have arrived at the conclusion that the complaint falls outside the DNI’s jurisdiction and is requesting documents underlying that conclusion. –Stefan Becket

Senate unanimously passes resolution demanding whistleblower complaint

The Republican-led Senate unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday calling on the acting director of national intelligence to provide the whistleblower complaint to the intelligence committees.

The administration has so far refused to provide the complaint to Congress, saying the report does not constitute an “urgent concern” requiring congressional notification.

The upper chamber adopted the resolution introduced by Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer by voice vote on Tuesday afternoon.

The resolution says the House and Senate Intelligence Committees “should be allowed to evaluate the complaint in a deliberate and bipartisan manner consistent with applicable statutes and processes in order to safeguard classified and sensitive information. ” –Stefan Becket