The President, Joe Biden and Ukraine

<p>Over the weekend, reports of a secret whistle-blower complaint against President Trump turned into allegations that the president had courted foreign interference from Ukraine to hurt a leading Democratic rival, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Mr. Trump called the allegations a “witch hunt” and accused Mr. Biden of corruption.</p><p>Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, who covers national security and federal investigations for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/thedaily" target="_blank">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>President Trump acknowledged that he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/us/politics/trump-impeachment-whistle-blower.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">discussed Mr. Biden during a phone call</a> with Ukraine’s president, but he did not directly confirm<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/us/politics/trump-whistle-blower-ukraine.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> news reports</a> that he had pressured the foreign leader for an investigation.</li><li>Here’s what we know about <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/us/politics/biden-ukraine-trump.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">the role of Mr. Biden and his son</a> Hunter in the controversy.</li></ul>