Former top diplomat to Russia suggests 'Putin has the transcript' of Trump's Ukraine call
'You make any call on an unclassified cell phone in Ukraine, that means Vladimir Putin has the transcript'
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Your support makes all the difference.New reports suggesting Donald Trump called his EU ambassador on an unsecured line while he was visiting Ukraine could mean that “Vladimir Putin has the transcript”, according to the former top US diplomat to Russia.
Michael McFaul, who served as the US ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, slammed the White House for its “incredibly sloppy” dealings involving Ukraine.
He spoke the day after key impeachment witness William Taylor revealed in public testimony that a mobile phone call between the president and EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland allegedly occurred the day after Mr Trump’s 25 July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr Sondland apparently took the call in a restaurant while dining with other US diplomatic staff.
“You make any call on an unclassified cell phone in Ukraine, that means Vladimir Putin has the transcript,” Mr McFaul told MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace. “I hope they didn't talk about anything compromising in that call.”
“Is there anything more compromising than holding military aid over an American ally for dirt on the Bidens?” the anchor asked.
“Maybe they wanted Putin to hear that, I don’t know. I’m trying to be generous here”, the former ambassador replied.
“We do have secure [communications] at the embassy. If Ambassador Sondland wanted to go over and call the Situation Room on a secure telephone it would have been made readily available to him,” he added. “Not only did he not do that, but even talking about it in front of other diplomats … incredibly sloppy. Just underscores that Mr Sondland is in way over his skis, way above his pay grade in what he was doing here.”
Mr Taylor said during his testimony before House investigators on Wednesday that one of his staff members who was in the restaurant with Mr Sondland overheard Mr Trump on the other end of the line. Mr Sondland was in Ukraine the day after the president had spoken to Mr Zelensky.
That staff member heard Mr Trump ask about “the investigations”, and Mr Sondland reportedly said the Ukrainians were ready to move forward.
“Following the call with President Trump, the member of my staff asked Ambassador Sondland what President Trump thought about Ukraine," Mr Taylor said in his opening statement.
He added: “Ambassador Sondland responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden, which [Rudy] Giuliani was pressing for."
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