House Minority Whip Steve Scalise Stephen (Steve) Joseph ScaliseHouse GOP slated to unveil agenda ahead of election House panel details 'serious' concerns around Florida, Georgia, Texas, Wisconsin elections Scalise hit with ethics complaint over doctored Barkan video MORE (R-La.) did not directly answer questions on Sunday about whether it was acceptable for President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE to ask Ukraine to look into his political opponents.

Asked by ABC’s “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos George Robert StephanopoulosColbert implores Pelosi to update 'weaponry' in SCOTUS fight: 'Trump has a literal heat ray' Murkowski: Supreme Court nominee should not be taken up before election Cruz says Senate Republicans likely have votes to confirm Trump Supreme Court nominee MORE whether he agrees that it is wrong for the president to solicit investigations into political opponents, Scalise said “that’s not what was happening on the phone call.”

“When the president said ‘will you do me a favor’...that wasn’t about Joe Biden Joe BidenPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Hillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns Fox News poll: Biden ahead of Trump in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Ohio MORE,” Scalise said.

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“The transcript clearly shows the president was asking [the] Ukrainian president to investigate his political opponents,” Stephanopoulos said, referring to a rough transcript of Trump’s call with Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, released by the White House.

“Do you think that was appropriate?” the ABC host then asked.

“That wasn’t, first of all, about political opponents,” Scalise said. “The law, George, requires President Trump or any president, when they’re sending foreign aid...to another country, to first ensure that that country’s rooting out corruption. He and Zelensky were talking about that on the phone call.”

“Do you think it’s appropriate for the president to ask the Ukrainians or the Chinese, which he’s also done in public, to investigate his domestic political opponents?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“He was not talking about the 2020 election or political opponents,” Scalise said. “He was talking about corruption relating to the 2016 election.”

Rep. Scalise: "That's not what was happening on the phone call."



"The transcript clearly shows the president was asking the Ukrainian president to investigate his political opponents," @GStephanopoulos says, repeatedly pressing Scalise if it's appropriate https://t.co/GInwp1CUM8 pic.twitter.com/OdQPCNdUuf — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 3, 2019

The July 25 phone call is at the center of the House impeachment inquiry into Trump. On the call, Trump asked Zelensky to "look into" Biden, a Democratic presidential candidate and his son, who sat on the board of a Ukrainian energy company, according to the White House transcript.

Trump has denied wrongdoing.

He has also publicly said China should look into the Bidens.