CHINA/INVESTIGATIONS/JOE BIDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UKRAINE: “President Donald Trump on Friday [10-4-19] defended his brazen call for foreign governments to interfere in the 2020 election by launching investigations into the Bidens, repeatedly claiming he is duty-bound to encourage the probes while insisting his motivations are apolitical…The president has been road-testing such justifications on social media since declaring Thursday [10-3-19] that China and Ukraine should pursue unfounded accusations of corruption by former Vice President Joe Biden and his son — despite facing an impeachment inquiry for urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to do just that during a phone call in July…The president’s latest rationale for his behavior came as Washington awoke Friday to news of damaging text messages exchanged in recent months among top American diplomats. Those communications — which Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine, provided Thursday to congressional Democrats — detailed efforts by the administration to pressure Zelensky to investigate the Bidens and alleged meddling by the Eastern European nation in the 2016 election.”
–Quint Forgey, “Trump tries out new defenses as damaging Ukraine evidence piles up,” Politico, October 4, 2019 1:01 pm