President Trump expressed disgust with the explosive whistleblower complaint, slamming the intelligence officer and those White House aides who helped him or her as “almost a spy” and suggested it was treason, the Los Angeles Times reports.

“Buried in the controversy over President Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was an effort by the Ukrainian leader at currying favor with Trump through his business,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Zelensky: “Actually, last time I traveled to the United States, I stayed in New York near Central Park, and I stayed at the Trump Tower.”

“Zelensky’s comments mark the first known example of an interaction Democrats and government ethics experts warned about when Trump took office: that foreign leaders would try to influence Trump by spending money at his properties and telling him about it.”

“Questionable rapid-pace decisions spurred by President Trump himself have left some allies wondering if there’s a cogent strategy in place to counter Democrats in the wake of the fast-moving impeachment inquiry,” CNN reports.

“Some people close to him believe the President is in denial about the gravity of his predicament.”

The Washington Post reports that at least two Cabinet officials advised against release the readout of Trump’s phone call with Ukraine’s president: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who “vociferously argued against it.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was asked by the Boston Globe to describe what he thinks would be “an inappropriate quid pro quo scenario” in relation to President Trump’s phone call with Ukraine’s president.

Said Graham: “‘Uh, hey pal, you know, you need to like, go after the Bidens or I ain’t gonna give you any money.’ He’d be really, like, thuggish about it.”

The House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday released the whistleblower complaint at the heart of a controversy over President Trump’s efforts to have the government of Ukraine investigate Joe Biden and his son.

The complaint cites President Trump’s call with Ukraine’s president, efforts to hide the call records inside the White House, concerns about Rudy Giuliani from many U.S. officials and an abrupt stoppage of foreign aid, among other things.