Trump reportedly pushed Australia's prime minister to work with Barr and 'discredit' Mueller


President Trump is reportedly asking for favors around the world.
Just weeks after he asked Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky for a "favor," Trump reportedly asked Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison for another one. He wanted Morrison to work with Attorney General William Barr to investigate the origins of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe and hopefully discredit it, two American officials with knowledge of the call tell The New York Times.
Trump "initiated the call" with Morrison "for the purpose of requesting Australia's help in the Justice Department review of the Russia investigation," the two people tell the Times. One of those people also said Barr told Trump to call Morrison in the first place. The request amounted to asking Australia to investigate itself, the Times says, as the FBI probe into Russian election interference started after Australian officials warned the FBI that Russia had offered to help the Trump campaign.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The call is similar to the one between Trump and Zelensky recounted in a White House memorandum released last week. In that case, Trump asked Zelensky to talk with Barr in an effort to investigate the DNC email hack and former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden. The Australia call similarly shows how Trump sees Barr as a "critical partner" to achieve his goals and "shows the president using high-level diplomacy to advance his personal political interests," the Times writes.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment, while spokespeople for the White House and for the Australian prime minister did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Read more at The New York Times.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Cytomegalovirus can cause permanent birth defects
The Explainer The virus can show no symptoms in adults
-
Summer in Seattle: Outdoor dining like nowhere else
Feature Featuring a patio with a waterfront view, a beer garden, and more
-
Ari Aster revisits the pandemic, Adam Sandler tees off again and Lamb Chop gets an origin story in July movies
the week recommends The month's film releases include 'Eddington,' 'Happy Gilmore 2' and 'Shari & Lamb Chop'
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities