Sen. Ron Johnson: Trump adamantly denied a quid pro quo arrangement for Ukrainian military aid in August

The following is an excerpt from Blaze Media’s Capitol Hill Brief email newsletter:

Over the weekend, top House committee Republicans Devin Nunes and Jim Jordan wrote to Senator Ron Johnson to ask for any firsthand information he might have about “about President Trump's actions toward Ukraine between April and September 2019.”

Johnson attended the inauguration of Ukraine’s current president with Ambassador Sondland, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and former envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker. He explained Sunday that he didn’t expect to be called to testify to House investigators. He responded to the duo’s request Monday in the form of a nine-page statement.

Johnson’s statement described the current impeachment probe as “a continuation of a concerted, and possibly coordinated, effort to sabotage the Trump administration that probably began in earnest the day after the 2016 presidential election,” cast doubt on the credibility of key impeachment witness Alexander Vindman, and also recalled a discussion he had with President Trump on August 31 where the commander in chief “immediately denied” the existence of an arrangement to release military aid in exchange for Ukrainian action — contrary to what he was reportedly told by Sondland.

“As reported in the Wall Street Journal, I quoted the president as saying ‘(Expletive deleted) — No way. I would never do that. Who told you that?’” Johnson wrote. “I have accurately characterized his reaction as adamant, vehement and angry — there was more than one expletive that I have deleted.”

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