Trump Mulls Ending Staff Monitoring Of Calls With Foreign Leaders - Interview

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th February, 2020) President Donald Trump said in a radio interview that he may halt the practice of having White House and other administration officials listen in when he speaks by telephone with foreign leaders after a telephone conversation with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lead to his impeachment.

Trump told iHeart Radio host Geraldo Rivera on Thursday that he inherited the practice from former administrations.

"That's what they've done over the years. When you call a foreign leader, people listen. I may end the practice entirely," Trump said.

The US president explained that sometimes up to 25 people have monitored his calls with foreign leaders, ranging from staff apprentices to the secretary of state.

Trump's July 2019 call with Zelenskyy prompted allegations by an unnamed whistleblower that the call was inappropriate and possibly illegal because of the conversation's political nature.

Trump promptly made the transcript of the call public, pointing out he had done nothing wrong and characterizing the call as "perfect" and "completely appropriate."

The whistleblower complaint nevertheless prompted Democrats in the House of Representatives to conduct an impeachment inquiry, leading to the impeachment of Trump on partisan basis. The senate then acquitted Trump during the Trump's impeachment trial.