Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is demanding Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry turn over details of his trip to Ukraine for President Volodymyr Zelensky’s inauguration in May, which was mentioned in a partisan CIA officer’s so-called “whistleblower” complaint about President Donald Trump’s July 25th telephone call with Zelensky, according to Politico.
“Given your role as the leader of the official United States delegation to the inauguration, and the White House’s recent release of evidence that President Trump requested that Ukraine’s government investigate his domestic political opponent, your insight into the U.S. delegation’s trip is of particular interest to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” Menendez reportedly wrote to Perry.
In his letter, Menendez also pressed the Trump cabinet member on whether he discussed corruption with Ukrainian government officials during the trip. Further, the New Jersey Democrat asked the official if he is aware of records between President Trump and world leaders held in a classified electronic system, reports Politico.
Menendez has asked Perry to comply with the request no later than October 4th.
The letter comes a week after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced an official impeachment inquiry into President Trump accusing him of “seriously” violating the Constitution based on a whistle-blower complaint stating that he tried to pressure Zelensky to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, during a phone call.
As Breitbart News reported earlier this year, Biden forced out former Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin as he was investigating an energy company called Burisma Holdings, which was paying Biden handsomely as a member of its board. The former vice president even boasted to the Council of Foreign Relations last year that he had threatened to withhold $1 billion in U.S. aid unless the prosecutor was fired. (He did not tell the audience about his son’s role.) Conservatives claim Biden obstructed justice to protect his son — who enriched himself using his father’s prestige.
Appearing together at the United Nations last week, President Trump and Zelensky dismissed the Deep Stater’s complaint — chalked full of second-hand information — affirming that no pressure was applied to examine the Biden family’s ties to the eastern European country.
“I think you read everything. I think you read text. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be involved to democratic open elections, elections of USA. No, sure, we had I think good phone call. It was normal. We spoke about many things, and I — so I think and you read it that nobody pushed me,” Zelensky told reporters.
On Monday, President Trump told reporters that the White House is trying to find out the whistle-blower’s identity.
The president added that the whistle-blower reported “things that are incorrect” about his phone call with Zelensky, which he has described as “perfect” and congratulatory.
“The whistle-blower reported a totally different statement,” Trump said. “When the whistle-blower reported it, he made it sound terrible.”
The UPI contributed to this report.
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