At a NATO in London, President Donald Trump inevitably faced questions about the July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that spurred the ongoing impeachment inquiry against him.
As usual, the President claimed that the call was "perfect," and that unnamed legal scholars with whom he consulted said the same.
Watch below.
President Donald Trump: "I had legal scholars looking at the transcripts the other day and they said 'these are abs… https://t.co/zfPdfufYNs— Bobby Lewis (@Bobby Lewis) 1575374626.0
Now, a Republican legal scholar is saying the opposite.
J.W. Verret, a professor at the Scalia Law School offered his two cents—and they weren't congruent with Trump's narrative.
Hi, legal scholar here at Scalia Law School. Not that it matters but I’m also a Republican. The call wasn’t perfe… https://t.co/iVxlsqsWne— J.W. Verret (@J.W. Verret) 1575389709.0
Responding to former U.S. attorney Joyce White Vance's call for the legal scholars to be interviewed, Verret echoed claims from House Democrats that the summary of the July 25 phone call released by the White House itself indicates that Trump used crucial congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine as a bargaining chip for investigations into his political opponents.
Others agreed with Verret's take.
Trump is lying. Again. https://t.co/ZY2xCKk8LI— Joe Walsh (@Joe Walsh) 1575384854.0
@JWVerret @gtconway3d Hi - prosecutor here, and a democrat - but I agree that leanings are irrelevant here. Easy conviction - even criminal— colino (@colino) 1575391861.0
The use of the word "perfect" is so disjointed from how any person describes a phone call that one suspects Trump i… https://t.co/D4tGyEDS1Q— Jesse Lee (@Jesse Lee) 1575389747.0
@JWVerret Any lawyer worth a damn will say the same thing. Always. It's so clear to all of us with a law degree. I… https://t.co/nKAvG5M6bW— Lisa (@Lisa) 1575394607.0
If the Trump Administration has nothing to hide and if they did nothing wrong and if the phone call was perfect the… https://t.co/phZrJpUtXu— Wajahat "Abu Khadija" Ali (@Wajahat "Abu Khadija" Ali) 1575247925.0
People had an idea of the people Trump considers legal scholars as well.
Noted legal scholars John Miller, John Barron, and Jeanine Pirro https://t.co/JkntmEzacD— Angry Staffer (@Angry Staffer) 1575388594.0
Judge Janine is not a “legal scholar.” https://t.co/irThICwpRv— Renato Mariotti (@Renato Mariotti) 1575381111.0
It doesn’t matter what Rudy says. https://t.co/B8xKlWpViL— Julia Davis (@Julia Davis) 1575383175.0
I suspect he's referring to his Fox friends Mark Levin and Gregg Jarrett again... https://t.co/yaOM2E6Jka— Brian Stelter (@Brian Stelter) 1575384971.0
In the same exchange, Trump called House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA), who oversaw last month's impeachment hearings, "a maniac," "a deranged human being," and "a very sick man" who "lies."
The House Judiciary Committee will be overseeing the next wave of public impeachment hearings beginning on Wednesday.