In a rare statement on a private conversation with the president, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff on Monday said that President Trump never asked the vice president to raise the issue of former Vice President Joe Biden’s family or their connections with the natural gas company Burisma in conversations with the president of Ukraine last year. “As matter of policy we don’t typically share or discuss conversations between the President and Vice President, but given the journalistic fury over alleged conversations, the President has given me permission to set the record straight,” Marc Short, Pence’s chief of staff, said in a statement. LEAKED BOLTON CLAIMS FUEL FIERY NEW CLASH OVER IMPEACHMENTShort added: “At no time did I hear him tie aid to Ukraine to investigations into the Biden family or Burisma. As White House Counsel presented today, based upon testimony provided by Democrat witnesses in the House hearings, these were the only issues that the Vice President discussed with Ukrainian officials.”Burisma is a Ukrainian gas company, and Joe Biden's son Hunter had been on the board of that company. Fox News’ John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News January 27, 2020 23:03 UTC