White House adviser Kellyanne Conway told reporters they “don’t know” whether Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to the White House, leaving the door open to an explosive meeting as Democrats impeach Trump in part for withholding a visit.
House Judiciary Committee Democrats approved articles of impeachment Friday against Trump, who also withheld about $400 million in military aid in what they say was a “scheme” to force Zelensky to investigate Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden.
Conway told reporters with a smile, hours after the committee vote: “You don’t know that. You don’t know that he hasn’t been invited. You don’t know that he hasn’t been invited.”
A group of journalists in the White House briefing room responded in near unison, “Has he?”
Conway did not answer directly but said: “I know that President Zelensky was very happy to have a meeting with President Trump up at UNGA for the whole world to see. That was September. That was two and a half months ago.”
Zelensky has sought a White House meeting since taking office in May. He has been rebuffed on a request for a specific date, most recently during the United Nations General Assembly meeting with Trump. He sought a specific date during a gaggle with reporters, but Trump avoided giving one.
“I think you forgot to tell me the date,” Zelensky said to Trump in New York. “They’ll tell you the date,” Trump said, motioning to reporters.
Conway combatively engaged reporters on Friday afternoon, suggesting Democrats were wasting time impeaching Trump instead of focusing on legislation to outlaw analogs of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
“I give a shit about people dying from drug overdoses while they’re trying to impeach the president,” Conway said.
Belittling Biden’s candidacy, she said: “He doesn’t even know what state he’s in, except a catatonic state.”
