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 TrumpTrump says he will 'temporarily hold off' on declaring Mexican drug cartels as terror organization House Judiciary Committee formally receives impeachment report Artist behind gold toilet offered to Trump sells banana duct-taped to a wall for 0,000 MORE pressed the Australian prime minister to assist Attorney General William BarrWilliam Pelham BarrSupreme Court denies Trump request to immediately resume federal executions Hillicon Valley: Pelosi works to remove legal protections for tech companies from USMCA | Treasury sanctions Russian group over 0 million hack | Facebook sues Chinese individuals for ad fraud | Huawei takes legal action against FCC Biden gets in testy exchange in Iowa: 'You're a damn liar' 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 ClintonYang expands campaign with senior hires for digital operations Top GOP legislator in California leaves party GOP senators request interview with former DNC contractor to probe possible Ukraine ties MORE, which provoked an FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. 
 
The Australian government passed along the tip once George PapadopoulosGeorge Demetrios PapadopoulosFeinstein endorses Christy Smith for Katie Hill's former House seat What if impeachment fails? Democrat seeking Katie Hill's former seat nabs endorsement from firefighters association 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