Trump asked Australian leader to help look into Mueller probe's origins: report

By Justine Coleman - 09/30/19 04:31 PM EDT
 

President TrumpDonald John TrumpLev Parnas implicates Rick Perry, says Giuliani had him pressure Ukraine to announce Biden probe Saudi Arabia paid 0 million for cost of US troops in area Parnas claims ex-Trump attorney visited him in jail, asked him to sacrifice himself for president MORE pressed the Australian prime minister to assist Attorney General William BarrWilliam Pelham BarrParnas: Environment around Trump 'like a cult' Parnas says he's speaking out because of betrayal from associates: 'I felt like my family left me' Overnight Defense: GAO finds administration broke law by withholding Ukraine aid | Senate opens Trump trial | Pentagon to resume training Saudi students soon MORE obtain information about the Russia probe's origins in a recent phone call, The New York Times reported on Monday. 

The White House has limited access to the transcript of the call between the two world leaders to a small group of presidential aids, sources told the Times.

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Echoing another call Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which sparked an impeachment inquiry in the House last week, the conversation with Prime Minister Scott Morrison reportedly involves the president pressuring a foreign leader to look into domestic political matters. 

According to the Times, the president sought out Morrison's help upon request from Barr.
 
Australian officials told the FBI that the Russian government and Trump campaign had been in communication about releasing information about Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonFormer Vermont Governor: Sanders 'will play dirty' NYT: Justice investigating alleged Comey leak of years-old classified info New Hampshire state lawmaker switches support from Warren to Klobuchar MORE, which provoked an FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. 
 
The Australian government passed along the tip once George PapadopoulosGeorge Demetrios PapadopoulosTrump rails against Fox News for planning interviews with Schiff, Comey How to shut down fake Republican outrage over 'spying' on Trump Five takeaways on Horowitz's testimony on Capitol Hill MORE – Trump's campaign foreign policy adviser – told an Australian official about Russia having access to damaging information on Clinton and "thousands" of her emails.
 
Trump is requesting Australia examine their tips to the FBI to see if they were sent for partisan or corrupt reasons, the Times reported. 

This conversation occurred weeks following the controversial call with Zelensky, according to the Times.
 
An Australian government spokesperson told The Hill that the government is always "ready to assist and cooperate with efforts that help shed further light on the matters under investigation."
 
"The PM confirmed this readiness once again in conversation with the President," the spokesperson said in a statement.
 
The Hill has reached out to the White House and the Department of Justice for comment. 
 
Updated: 5:44 p.m.
Tags Donald Trump William Barr George Papadopoulos Hillary Clinton