Arkansas governor says Trump's call with Ukraine leader was 'unwise conversation'

FILE - In this April 10, 2019 file photo, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks to reporters in his office at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo, File)
FILE - In this April 10, 2019 file photo, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks to reporters in his office at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo, File)

President Donald Trump’s phone conversation with the president of Ukraine “was an unwise conversation” and “needs to be looked at more,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Thursday night.

“The allegations raised should be taken seriously,” the Republican governor and former federal prosecutor said.

“The president should have wide latitude in conversations with global leaders, but we need to probe into that,” Hutchinson said, referring to questions raised by the July 25 conversation between Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Hutchinson, who served in 1998 as a congressional impeachment manager in the case of then-President Bill Clinton, made the comments to reporters before a meeting in Rogers involving opponents of legalizing recreational marijuana.

“It was an unwise conversation the president has had,” Hutchinson said. “All we’ve seen is a loose transcript of the conversation. There is not enough in it to say there was a quid pro quo.

“The facts have to be developed,” he said. “Hopefully this can be resolved quickly. No one wants another Mueller-like investigation.”

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 elections lasted almost two years.

Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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