President Donald Trump pressed Prime Minister Scott Morrison to help his Attorney General William Barr investigate the origins of a probe into Russian meddling in the last US election.
The Australian government has confirmed the call, which asked Canberra to support the counter investigation aimed at discrediting the so-called Mueller investigation.
First reported by the New York Times, the news has captured international headlines after Prime Minister Scott Morrison's state visit to the United States went largely unnoticed on the world stage.
But the backstory to this call all starts with a former Australian foreign minister meeting a Trump campaign aide for a "gin and tonic" in a London bar.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and President Donald Trump at a State Dinner in the Rose Garden. Source: AAP
Downer-Papadopoulos meeting
President Trump has continually condemned the Mueller inquiry into possible Russian meddling in the 2016 US election as a “witch hunt”.
But a meeting between former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Trump campaign aid George Papadopoulos in May 2016, is believed to have helped trigger an initial FBI inquiry into the matter.
At a London bar, Mr Downer was allegedly told about Russian material that could damage Donald Trump’s political rival Hillary Clinton - but the Trump campaign aid disputes this version of events.
The Australian government and United States authorities were both informed about the details of this conversation.
Mr Downer has confirmed having the meeting with Mr Papadopoulos.
"I’ve got nothing to say about it beyond what I’ve ever said,” he told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
Former Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer. Source: AAP
Complete and total exoneration?
A year on, former FBI director Robert Mueller was appointed to lead an investigation into the alleged election interference and potential links between the Russian government and Trump’s campaign team.
The Mueller report became a source of hope for President’s Trump’s political rivals believing the investigation could lead to his downfall.
It implicated 34 members of Trump’s campaign team with wrongdoing through indictments, convictions and guilty pleas.
But the final report found insufficient evidence to determine if Trump's campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia.
Its final 448 pages of findings did not reach a conclusion on whether President Trump had committed obstruction of justice through the investigation.
At the time, President Trump said the probe had found “no collusion with Russia” and backed his “complete and total exoneration”.
But Mr Mueller later told reporters: “if we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.”
US Attorney General William Barr with US President Donald Trump. Source: EPA
Counter probe into Mueller inquiry
Attorney General William Barr launched a counter inquiry into the origins of the Russia investigation in May this year.
It came after President Trump urged his attorney general to examine the role of the FBI and intelligence agencies and even Australia in setting off the investigation into alleged Russian links.
“What I’ve done is I’ve declassified everything,” Mr Trump told reporters outside the White House in May.
“He can look and I hope he looks at the UK and I hope he looks at Australia and I hope he looks at Ukraine.”
“I hope he looks at everything because there was a hoax that was perpetrated on our country.”
Three days later, Foreign Minister Marise Payne responded saying Australia would consider such a request.
Marise Payne has reached out to her Bulgarian counterpart. Source: AAP
“We have not been asked to participate,” she told ABC Radio.
“[But] we would, of course, consider such a request were it to be made.”
The next day, Australia’s ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey sent a letter to the Attorney General William Barr dated 28 May 2019 committing Australia to assist in the investigation.
“I note that the President referred to Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Ukraine as potential stakeholders,” the letter reads.
“The Australian government will use its best endeavours to support your efforts in this matter.”
The Trump, Morrison phone call
Donald Trump’s phone call to Scott Morrison was reportedly made in the first week of September, just before his state visit to the United States.
"The Australian Government has always been ready to assist and cooperate with efforts that help shed further light on the matters under investigation,” a spokesperson for the Federal government said.
"The PM confirmed this readiness once again in conversation with the President."
This all comes as the US President faces accusations of using another phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to push his personal political interests.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald J. Trump. Source: UKRAINE PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE
Their conversation is at the heart of an impeachment inquiry launched by the Democrats against President Trump.
Mr Morrison's call with President Trump could be seen in the US as another example of him allegedly using high-level diplomacy for his own political gain.
