President Donald Trump reportedly pressured Scott Morrison to help with an inquiry he hopes will discredit Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference.
The New York Times reports that in a recent phone call, President Trump asked the Australian Prime Minister to get involved in Attorney-General William Barr's inquiry which will determine whether Mueller's probe had corrupt, partisan motivations.
- Trump told Russia he wasn't concerned about meddling - report
- Whistleblower's claims about Trump raise concerns - Pelosi
- US Congress want Donald Trump's calls with Vladimir Putin
The White House restricted access to the call's transcript to a small group of presidential aides, according to one of two US officials with knowledge of the call, according to the Times.
It was an unusual decision that is similar to the handling of a July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that is at the heart of a House of Representatives impeachment inquiry into Trump, the paper said.
The Times says that like that call, it could be seen an another example of Trump allegedly using high-level diplomacy to further his own political interests.
Sources told the Times that Barr asked the President to speak with Morrison directly in the hopes that he will get involved in his inquiry.
Mueller's investigation into possible interference in the 2016 election began after Australian intelligence officials told the FBI that the Russian government had hinted about damaging information on Hillary Clinton to the Trump administration.
Reuters/Newshub.
