众议员斯蒂芬·林奇抨击唐纳德·特朗普周二针对乌克兰的压力运动,但坚称总统无法“掩盖”丑闻,因为“有太多证人”
代表马萨诸塞州第八区的民主党人林奇在一次采访中说:“这里有多层次的不当行为,看,总统打给乌克兰总统的电话里有12个人。”有线电视新闻网。他解释道:“本周,我们收到了实际上在通话中的个人以及直接与通话中的人交谈的人的来信。
这位代表说:“对于总统来说,这里发生的事情有太多的目击者来掩盖这一点。”
上月,民主党对特朗普发起了正式弹劾调查,此前一名匿名举报者对总统对乌克兰的行为表示担忧。特朗普和他的私人律师鲁迪·朱利安尼一再向乌克兰官员施压被揭穿的阴谋民主党与乌克兰人合作干涉2016年选举的理论,以及对民主党总统候选人和前副总统乔·拜登的未经证实的指控。
调查的中心是特朗普和乌克兰总统沃洛迪米尔·泽兰斯基之间的电话。特朗普特别要求泽兰斯基“帮忙”和朱利安尼一起工作调查对他的政治对手的指控。民主党人和一些共和党人一直对总统的行为持高度批评态度,认为他的行为明显是滥用权力,因为他在利用自己的办公室鼓励外国政府干涉美国选举。
特朗普和他的支持者认为调查纯粹是“党派”和“政治迫害”,尽管许多共和党人也表示严重关切。总统非但没有远离压力运动,反而加倍努力,坚持乌克兰应该调查他的政治对手,并呼吁中国展开类似的调查。拜登的儿子亨特·拜登在乌克兰和中国有商业往来,特朗普声称,这位前副总统为了让他的儿子受益而腐败,但没有证据。
9月25日,在联合国大会期间,美国总统唐纳德·特朗普和乌克兰总统沃洛迪米尔·泽兰斯基在纽约举行的一次会议上握手。特朗普和泽兰斯基之间的电话一直是众议院弹劾调查的核心。
TRUMP CAN'T 'COVER UP' UKRAINE SCANDAL BECAUSE THERE ARE 'FAR TOO MANY WITNESSES,' CONGRESSMAN SAYS
Congressman Stephen Lynch slammed Donald Trump for his pressure campaign targeting Ukraine on Tuesday, but asserted that the president wouldn't be able to "cover up" the scandal because there are "far too many witnesses."
"There are multiple levels of misconduct here and look, there were 12 people on that call that the president made to the Ukraine president," Lynch, a Democrat representing Massachusetts' 8th District, said in an interview with CNN. "Now we're hearing from individuals, this week, who were actually on the call and people who talked directly to people who were on the call," he explained.
"There are far too many witnesses to what went on here for the president to cover this up," the representative said.
Last month, Democrats launched an official impeachment inquiry against Trump, after an anonymous whistleblower came forward with concerns about the president's actions toward Ukraine. Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani repeatedly pressured Ukrainian officials to open investigations into a debunked conspiracy theory that Democrats worked with Ukrainians to interfere in the 2016 election, as well as unsubstantiated allegations against Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden.
At the center of the inquiry is a call between Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump specifically asked Zelensky for "a favor" and to work with Giuliani to investigate the allegations against his political opponent. Democrats, and some Republicans, have been highly critical of the president's actions, arguing that his actions were a clear abuse of power as he was using his office to encourage a foreign government to interfere in an American election.
Trump and his supporters have dismissed the inquiry as purely "partisan" and a "witch hunt," although numerous Republicans have also expressed serious concerns. Instead of distancing himself from the pressure campaign, the president has doubled down and insisted that Ukraine should investigate his political rival, also calling on China to open a similar probe. Biden's son Hunter Biden had business dealings in Ukraine and China, and Trump has claimed, without evidence, that the former vice president acted corruptly to benefit his son.
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands during a meeting in New York on September 25 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. A call between Trump and Zelensky has been at the center of an impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives.