In remarks to reporters on the White House's South Lawn this morning, Donald Trump confirmed key reporting about his own efforts to pressure Ukrainian leaders to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. In somewhat incoherent speech, Trump told reporters that he personally made the request to the Ukrainian president.
"The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, was largely corruption, all of the corruption taking place. It was largely the fact that we don't want our people, like Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in the Ukraine."
Trump's White House and Department of Justice continue illegally block a "whistleblower" report from being shared with Congress; that whistleblower report allegedly asserts a "pattern of behavior" from Trump speculated to involve Trump withholding urgently needed military aid from allied Ukraine, facing an invasion of Russian troops, to pressure Ukrainian authorities to muster up "dirt" on his possible Democratic election opponent.
But corruption allegations against Hunter Biden had already been investigated, and Biden had long ago been cleared; Trump and Giuliani's narrative of events has been thoroughly debunked. Critics therefore allege that Trump and Giuliani have used the withholding of military aid to pressure Ukrainian officials not to "investigate" charges against Biden, but invent them.
Trump also claimed he would have "no problem" with lawyer Rudy Giuliani testifying to Congress about Giuliani's own interactions with Ukrainian leaders—almost certainly a lie, given his ongoing efforts to block Congress from receiving testimony from anyone with information about potential Trump wrongdoing via claims of an invented "absolute" immunity.
Trump's appearance was also noteworthy for his appearance and demeanor; though early morning, Trump was flushed and seemed to be sweating profusely.