On July 25th of this year, President Donald Trump held a 30-minute phone call with Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky, requesting an investigation of Joe Biden – the leading Democratic candidate for the 2020 presidential election – and his son, Hunter. A month after an unnamed intelligence official (a “whistleblower”) filed a report expressing concerns about the legality of the phone call, House Democrats launched a formal impeachment inquiry against President Trump.
Accusations and Investigations
Just prior to the momentous phone call, Trump abruptly froze nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine. Despite repeatedly denying that the offer was a quid-pro-quo, Trump has been accused of using this seizure of military aid to pressure Ukraine into investigating his opponent. Furthermore, the discovery that Ukraine was allegedly aware of the freeze since early August did not bode well for Trump.
Pelosi Steps Forward
In a speech announcing the inquiry, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi accused the president of “asking the president of Ukraine to take actions which would benefit him politically” in the upcoming election and, in turn, violating the Constitution. “The actions of the Trump presidency revealed the dishonorable fact of the president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security, and betrayal of the integrity of our elections,” she asserted.
The House Responds
In the time since this announcement, the House of Representatives has subpoenaed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Vice President Mike Pence, and President Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, for documents concerning the interactions between Ukraine and the Trump Administration. However, in a letter to the House, the White House insisted that it would not cooperate with these subpoenas or the impeachment probe overall. Within the next few months, House Democrats plan on holding public hearings, but have not yet scheduled an impeachment vote.
Proceedings & Where We Are Now
More recently, a second whistleblower has come forward. So has Bill Taylor, a long-time diplomat who worked under presidents of both parties. Taylor was hired by Pompeo to run the US Embassy in Ukraine, and has also corroborated the quid-quo-pro allegations. As the damning evidence continues to mount, the case of impeachment appears to be gaining momentum. The events of the coming months may ultimately decide the fate of the president and his administration.
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