GOP/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UKRAINE: “President Donald Trump on Thursday [10-31-19] continued courting the Republicans who will determine whether or not he is removed from office, telling a group of nine GOP senators that he was glad he had released the summary of his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Over chicken lunch in the Roosevelt Room, the president repeatedly referenced the summary of his call as exculpatory and touted the opposition of two House Democrats to the House’s impeachment resolution on Thursday, according to attendees. House impeachment inquiry witnesses have asserted that Trump had used aid to Ukraine as a condition for investigating his political rival Joe Biden, but Trump still sees the White House readout of the July 25 call as his best defense…The president and senators did not discuss Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s assertion that some of the transcript of the call was omitted from the summary released from the White House.”
–Burgess Everett, “Trump touts Ukraine call during meeting with Republican senators,” Politico, October 31, 2019 5:02 pm