Trump questions whistleblower report

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump on Friday tweeted that the whistleblower report about his July phone call with the Ukrainian president was “so inaccurate” that a “partisan operative” might have been behind it. He added that if what he said “isn’t considered appropriate, then no future President can EVER again speak to another foreign leader!”

Where do things stand now? The whistleblower report, which sparked a House impeachment inquiry, said Trump tried to “solicit interference from a foreign country” in the upcoming presidential election. Trump said he just wanted President Volodymyr Zelensky to address corruption in his country, including allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden and his son. Trump is not the only one speculating about the identity of the whistleblower. Anonymous sources have told news outlets the report came from a CIA officer. Others have said the way the White House handled and filed the complaint constitutes a cover-up, though much of the complaint and a memo describing the call have been made public. Congress was scheduled to take a two-week recess starting Friday, but members of the House Intelligence Committee said they might stick around during the break to work on the impeachment inquiry.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Stew about what is at stake for both parties in the impeachment process.