advertisement

The Latest: Trump to meet Ukraine president at UN

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump and an intelligence official's whistleblower complaint (all times local):

3 p.m.

President Donald Trump is meeting at next week's U.N. General Assembly with the leader of Ukraine amid a blowup in Washington about a whistleblower's complaint that alleges wrongdoing in a private conversation Trump had with a foreign leader - reportedly the president of Ukraine.

The White House says Trump meets Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Trump on Friday dismissed the complaint, saying his conversations with foreign leaders are "appropriate."

Separately, Democrats are looking into whether Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani has pressured Ukraine to investigate the activities of the son of potential political rival Joe Biden, who worked for a Ukrainian gas company.

The White House says Trump and Zelenskiy will discuss anti-corruption, energy, trade, the conflict in eastern Ukraine and Chinese intellectual property theft in Ukraine.

__

2:10 p.m.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says President Donald Trump's administration faces "serious repercussions" if reports are accurate of a whistleblower's complaint reportedly about his conversation with a foreign leader.

Pelosi said in a statement Friday the complaint raises "grave, urgent concerns for our national security."

She warned that if the president has done what is alleged he is "stepping into a dangerous minefield."

The intelligence community's inspector general notified Congress of a whistleblower's complaint that was "serious" and "urgent." It involves series of events reportedly involving Trump's contact with a foreign leader and appears to center on Ukraine.

Trump has denied doing anything wrong.

The contents of the complaint are unknown to Congress because the Trump administration has refused to allow the inspector general to turn it over to the oversight committees.

__

12:40 p.m.

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee says President Trump's attack on a whistleblower who alerted intelligence officials to a serious and urgent matter is "disturbing."

Rep. Adam Schiff says it's also "deeply disturbing" that the White House appears to know more about the whistleblower's complaint than the complaint's intended recipient, Congress.

The Trump administration is refusing to let congressional oversight committees see it.

Schiff says the information "deserves a thorough investigation" and that "come hell or high water, that's what we're going to do."

The California Democrat worries that the president's actions will have a "chilling effect" on other whistleblowers and pose a "real threat" to accountability.

The intelligence agencies' inspector general notified Congress of the "urgent" complaint concerning a series of events, reportedly including Trump's conversation with a foreign leader.

Trump is defending himself against a "partisan whistleblower." He says "it's just another political hack job" and that his conversations with foreign leaders were "totally appropriate."

___

10:45 a.m.

President Donald Trump is defending himself against a "partisan whistleblower" whose complaint included a reported private conversation Trump had with a foreign leader.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday that "it's just another political hack job" and that his conversations with foreign leaders were "totally appropriate."

The government's intelligence watchdog said Thursday that the complaint, which the administration has refused to let Congress see, is "urgent."

Some of the whistleblower's allegations appear to center on Ukraine, according to reports in The Washington Post and The New York Times. Trump said Friday he did not know if that was the conversation in question.

The president, sitting with the prime minister of Australia, said "it doesn't matter what I discussed" and said he did not know the identity of the whistleblower.

__

10:19 a.m.

President Donald Trump defended himself Friday against a whistleblower's complaint, including a reported private conversation with a foreign leader.

The government's intelligence watchdog said Thursday that the complaint, which the administration has refused to let Congress see, is "serious" and "urgent," But Trump says he's done nothing wrong.

Some of the whistleblower's allegations appear to center on Ukraine, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times. In a tweet Friday, Trump did not reference Ukraine or any other country, but said "there was nothing said wrong." He tweeted that there was a "perfectly fine and respectful conversation."

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters just after the House Judiciary Committee approved guidelines for impeachment hearings on President Donald Trump, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) The Associated Press
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speaks to reporters after the panel met behind closed doors with national intelligence inspector general Michael Atkinson about a whistleblower complaint, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.