Pentagon Says Secretary Esper Wasn't On July 25 Ukraine Call

Defense Department Spokesman Jonathan Hoffman responds to a question about whether any Pentagon officials were on the July 25 phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky. "No. To my knowledge, no one from the Department of Defense was on the call." Hoffman goes on to say that he asked Secretary Mark Esper directly if he was on the call and that the secretary told him he wasn't. When asked about a claim from GOP Senator Lindsey Graham that there was opposition in the Pentagon to giving aid to Ukraine, Mr. Hoffman says he can't explain the senator's comments and can only say that the Pentagon was focused on getting the aid out the door by the end of the fiscal year (September 30). close