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That condition was: That they would have to discuss Joe Biden.
No Biden dirt, No Trump help.
by Patrick Reevell and Lucein Bruggeman, abcnews — Sep 25, 2019
When Ukrainians voted to elect comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy as their next president in the spring of 2019, the fledgling administration was eager to coordinate a phone call with Kyiv’s most important benefactor -- the United States, according to an adviser to Zelenskiy.
But after weeks of discussions with American officials, Ukrainian officials came to recognize a precondition to any executive correspondence, the adviser said.
"It was clear that [President Donald] Trump will only have communications if they will discuss the Biden case," said Serhiy Leshchenko, an anti-corruption advocate and former member of Ukraine's Parliament, who now acts as an adviser to Zelenskiy. "This issue was raised many times. I know that Ukrainian officials understood."
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That Ukrainian-adviser disclosure kind of put this Trump Ask in the light, in which it was originally conveyed:
No Biden dirt, No Trump help.
nbcnews — Sep 25, 2019
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“I would like you to do us a favor, though, because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it. I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine. They say CrowdStrike … I guess you have one of your wealthy people … the server, they say Ukraine has it,” Trump said on the call, according to the transcript.
Trump goes on to say he would like to have Barr "call you or your people and I would like you to get to the bottom of it." He added, "Whatever you can do, it's very important that you do it if that's possible."
Though it wasn't exactly clear what Trump was referring to, CrowdStrike is the name of the cybersecurity firm that was hired to investigate the hack of the Democratic National Committee in 2016. DOJ officials were not able to shed any light on the matter.
Lawmakers react to text of Trump's Ukraine call: 'A classic mob shakedown'
nbcnews — Sep 25, 2019
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., tweeted: "The transcript of the call reads like a classic mob shakedown: — We do a lot for Ukraine — There’s not much reciprocity — I have a favor to ask — Investigate my opponent — My people will be in touch — Nice country you got there. It would be a shame if something happened to her."
No Biden dirt, No Trump help.
“I would like you to get to the bottom of it," Capiche?
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