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Pence Says Would Not Object to Releasing His Transcripts of Calls With Zelensky

© AP Photo / Petr David JosekUkraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, left, gestures next to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, left, gestures next to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence - Sputnik International
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Vice President Mike Pence told reporters he would not object to releasing transcripts of his past phone calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and is something the White House counsel is considering.

"I’d have no objection to that and we’re discussing that with White House counsel as we speak", Pence said on Wednesday.

Democrats are pressing the White House over a call during which President Donald Trump asked Zelensky to probe Joe Biden and his son Hunter’s business dealings in Ukraine.

Pence added that he never discussed the issue of the Biden family with Zelensky and emphasized that his communications with the Ukrainian government were regarding the lack of European support and corruption in the country.

On Friday, US Congressmen Eliot Engel, Adam Schiff and Elijah Cummings - chairmen of three US House of Representatives committees - requested in a letter that Pence provide documents as part of the committees’ impeachment inquiry of US President Donald Trump.

The congressmen said they requested Pence provide all records of communications or meetings related to the impeachment inquiry by 15 October. They include communications between Trump administration officials and Zelensky or other Ukrainian government officials that took place since January.

On 24 September, congressional Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry into Trump’s 25 July telephone call with Zelensky.

The inquiry was initiated after a whistleblower sent a complaint to Congress, saying Trump pressed Zelensky to investigate possible corruption by 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden and allegedly threatened to withhold US aid to Ukraine.

Trump denied the allegations calling them another attempt at a political witch hunt to reverse the outcome of the 2016 US presidential election, and published the transcript of the telephone call with Zelensky, which did not contain any signs that the US president overtly threatened to withhold financial assistance to Ukraine.

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