Trump aides quickly regretted publishing the Ukraine call that has intensified calls for his impeachment, report says
- Some of President Donald Trump's aides quickly regretted releasing details of his call with Ukraine's president, when they realized it did little to absolve him.
- Trump had authorized the release of the call, which he called "perfect," after House Democrats announced an impeachment inquiry based on a whistleblower complaint about the call.
- It shows him encouraging Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, who has business links to Ukraine.
- Aides now think the release makes Trump seem guilty, while also setting a precedent for calls between world leaders - previously private - to be published, Axios reported.
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Some of President Donald Trump's advisers reportedly regret the public release of details about his call with Ukrainian President President Volodymyr Zelensky because the contents make Trump look bad.
According to a report from Axios reporter Alayna Treene, some advisers believe the release of the memo was a mistake, less than 24 hours after it was made public.
One told Treene that that its contents look worse than anything else he has seen in his career.
The release, Axios reported, has "produced internal tension in the White House."
It was made public Wednesday after reports of a whistleblower complaint about the call spurred Democrats to launch an impeachment inquiry against Trump.
Trump has characterized the call as innocent. He said it was a "very friendly and totally appropriate call, and, later, "perfect."
The memo - which is based on staff records rather than being an exact transcript - shows Trump asking Zelensky to investigate Biden and his son. He asks that Zelensky work with Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and Attorney General William Barr in doing so.
During the call, Trump said: "I would like you to do us a favor."
Democrats say that it strengthens their case against the president. Some called it a "smoking gun."
The reaction prompted officials to say privately that the release was a mistake, Axios reported.
Some thought that the memo could help Trump, but instead have found that it has deepened suspicion of his actions with Ukraine.
Other aides also expressed concern that the White House releasing the details of a call between two world leaders sets a bad precedent that would make other leaders doubt the privacy of their calls with the president.
Trump said Wednesday that he "hated" to release the memo due to national security concerns, but that he was forced to do so because "folks were saying such lies, such horrible things about a call that was so innocent and so nice."
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that Trump privately did not believe that there was anything damaging in the call, but that senior officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, were hesitant to release it.
Controversy about the call came to light after a whistleblower complaint from an intelligence official filed in August.
The compliant - which has already been seen by members of Congress - is expected to be made public on Thursday.
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