Trump impeachment scandal emails released, moments before midnight deadline

The Trump administration has released a stash of heavily redacted documents about the withholding of military aid to Ukraine just two minutes before the deadline.

As the Senate continued to block attempts to subpoena official records for Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, 192 pages of emails were disclosed under a Freedom of Information request.

They include communications between budget officials on the day of the president’s phone call to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenksy to press for an investigation into his Democrat rival Joe Biden.

American Oversight, the non-profit organisation that requested the documents, said that some of the records have not been given to the US Congress for its impeachment investigation.

“President Trump’s lawyers stood in the Senate on Tuesday arguing that documents are totally unnecessary for the impeachment trial, but these documents give lie to that entire position,” said executive director Austin Evers.

“Despite the Trump Administration’s obstruction and the rhetoric at the trial, the public can now see even more evidence of the president’s corrupt scheme as it unfolded in real time.

CPO1

Article URL : https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-impeachment-emails-ukraine-aid-omb-american-oversight-a9296006.html