Trump praises Republicans and calls impeachment hearings a "disgrace"
Washington — During the third round of impeachment hearings, two witnesses said they were alarmed by the president's July phone call with the leader of Ukraine. They said it was "improper" and "inappropriate" that President Trump would ask a foreign leader to investigate a political opponent.
Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman and State Department aide Jennifer Williams both listened in on that call. But the president said he doesn't know, and has never seen Vindman.
During a cabinet meeting, that opened with a prayer for his health, the president boasted Republicans are winning the impeachment battle. Still, Mr. Trump continued to seethe about the process and about the witnesses.
"All these people are talking about they heard a conversation of a conversation of another conversation that was had by the president. What's going on is a disgrace," he said.
The White House is dismissing Vindman's criticism of Mr. Trump's July phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky as the personal opinion of a so-called unelected bureaucrat.
"What I do know is that even he said that the transcript was correct," Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump's appearance with his cabinet was the first time he has been seen publicly since Saturday when he traveled to Walter Reed Medical Center for what the White House now says was a routine physical. But it quickly led to rumors he had a heart attack.
"My wife said, 'Darling are you OK, what's wrong? Oh, they're reporting maybe you had a heart attack.' I said, 'Why did I have a heart attack?' 'Because you went to Walter Reed Medical Center," he said.
The president's doctor released a statement denying Mr. Trump had chest pains and said he wasn't treated for any urgent or acute issues.
