Examining Trump’s Claims About Democrats and Ukraine
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“As strong advocates for a robust and close relationship with Ukraine, we believe that our cooperation should extend to such legal matters, regardless of politics,” they wrote, adding, “If these reports are true, we strongly encourage you to reverse course.”
The only direct mention of foreign aid was in relation to The Times’ reporting about the limited cooperation with Mr. Mueller’s investigation: “The article notes that your office considered these cases as too politically sensitive and potentially jeopardizing U.S. financial and military aid to Ukraine.”
What Mr. Trump Said
“Chris Murphy literally threatened the President of Ukraine that, if he doesn’t do things right, they won’t have Democrat support in Congress. So you’re going to look all of this up.”
— at a news conference on Sept. 25
Mostly true.
Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democratic of Connecticut, met with Mr. Zelensky in Ukraine this month as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation.
In interviews this month, Mr. Murphy has said he advised Mr. Zelensky against investigating former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. based on political pressure from Mr. Trump’s aides and allies. He also noted that Mr. Zelensky was worried about the suspension of foreign aid.
The Times reported on Sept. 9 that Mr. Murphy “said he urged Mr. Zelensky not to heed the requests from Mr. Giuliani, warning that to do so could threaten bipartisan support for Ukraine in Washington.”
“So I went there to make it clear to him that the worst thing that he could do for the U.S.-Ukraine relationship was to get involved in an election here in the United States,” Mr. Murphy said in a Sept. 22 appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
In a statement responding to Mr. Trump’s claim, Mr. Murphy said his position was unchanged: “In the meeting Republican Senator Ron Johnson and I had with President Zelensky three weeks ago, I made it clear to him that Ukraine should not become involved in the 2020 election and that his government should communicate with the State Department, not the president’s campaign. I still believe this to be true.”
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