Gavin Howe
In 2019, a whistleblower complaint revealed that then-US President Donald Trump had asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden, Trump's political opponent in the 2020 presidential election, and his son, Hunter Biden. This request was confirmed by a non-verbatim summary of the conversation released by the White House.
Trump was subsequently impeached on charges of abusing the power of his office and obstructing Congress, but was acquitted by the Senate.
The question of whether Trump broke the law centres on whether his request to Zelenskyy constituted soliciting a campaign contribution from a foreign national, which is illegal under US federal law.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of incident | July 25, 2019 |
| People involved | Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rudy Giuliani, William Barr, Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, Marie Yovanovitch, Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, Dmytro Firtash, John Bolton, etc. |
| Nature of the call | Trump asked Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, and their alleged involvement with the Ukrainian energy company, Burisma Holdings. |
| Impeachment | Trump was impeached on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress but was later acquitted by the Senate. |
| Whistleblower complaints | Two whistleblower complaints were filed in August 2019, alleging that Trump abused his power and solicited foreign interference in the 2020 U.S. election. |
| Military aid | Trump withheld $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, which was later released in September 2019. |
| Transcript of the call | A non-verbatim summary of the call was released by the White House, which confirmed Trump's request to investigate the Bidens. |
What You'll Learn
Trump's call with Zelenskyy
On the 25th of July, 2019, US President Donald Trump had a phone call with Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The call was made shortly after Trump blocked the release of military aid to Ukraine. During the call, Trump urged Zelenskyy to investigate former US Vice-President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who was working for a Ukrainian energy company.
Trump's request was based on a conspiracy theory that Biden had abused his power to pressure Ukraine to back away from a criminal investigation that could have implicated his son. However, these allegations were widely discredited, and there was no evidence of wrongdoing by either Biden.
The call was made after Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, had spent months pressuring Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. Giuliani had also been pushing for the removal of the US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who was subsequently abruptly recalled in April 2019.
The whistleblower's complaint about the call, along with a non-verbatim summary of the conversation released by the White House, sparked a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump. The inquiry concluded that Trump had abused the power of his office and obstructed Congress. However, Trump was eventually acquitted by the Senate.
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Trump's request to investigate the Bidens
On July 25, 2019, President Trump asked Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. This request was made during a phone call, which was the subject of a whistleblower complaint filed on August 12, 2019. The whistleblower alleged that President Trump may have abused the power of the presidency by withholding military aid as a means of pressuring Zelenskyy to pursue investigations of the Bidens.
At the time of the inquiry, Joe Biden was the leading presidential candidate in the Democratic Party primary polling, making him Trump's most likely 2020 opponent. The Bidens denied any wrongdoing, and there was no evidence of criminal activity by either Joe or Hunter Biden.
The whistleblower's complaint was released to Congress on September 25, 2019, and the White House corroborated several of the allegations, including that a record of the call between Trump and Zelenskyy had been stored in a highly restricted system. The impeachment inquiry against Trump was initiated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on September 24, 2019.
The legal implications of Trump's request to a foreign power to investigate a political rival are a matter of debate. While some argue that it breaks the law and constitutes an impeachable offense, others claim that it is not unlawful and is simply a matter for the voters to decide.
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Withholding of military aid to Ukraine
In July 2019, US President Donald Trump withheld $391 million in military aid to Ukraine. This was discovered by an anonymous whistleblower, reported to be a CIA official, who filed a complaint in August 2019. The whistleblower alleged that Trump had used his office to "solicit interference from a foreign country" in the 2020 election.
The whistleblower complaint was corroborated by a transcript of a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which confirmed that Trump had urged Zelenskyy to investigate former US Vice-President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Biden was the frontrunner to take on Trump in the 2020 election.
Trump withheld the funds while pressuring Zelenskyy to announce investigations into the Bidens. The funds were only released after the block on the aid became publicly known, sparking a congressional probe which led to Trump's impeachment by the Democratic-controlled House.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that the Trump administration broke federal law by withholding congressionally-approved military aid to Ukraine. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 was violated because Congress's legislated policy had been supplanted by Trump's own policy. The GAO also concluded that the withholding "was not a programmatic delay".
Trump offered inconsistent justifications for withholding the aid. He originally said it was due to "corruption" in Ukraine, but later said it was because other nations, including those in Europe, were not contributing enough aid.
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Whistleblower complaints
On August 12, 2019, an unnamed CIA officer filed a whistleblower complaint with Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the Intelligence Community (ICIG). The complaint was based on both "direct knowledge of certain alleged conduct" and on the accounts of more than "half a dozen U.S. officials".
The complaint alleged that Trump abused the powers of his office for personal gain and put national security in danger. It also claimed that White House officials engaged in a cover-up, attempting to "lock down" records of the call.
A second whistleblower, also a member of the U.S. intelligence community, came forward on October 5, 2019, with "first-hand knowledge" of the allegations. This second whistleblower had not filed a written complaint but had spoken to the ICIG.
The first whistleblower's complaint was eventually released to congressional intelligence committees on September 25, 2019, with a redacted version made public the following day.
The White House corroborated the allegations raised by the whistleblower, and Trump was impeached on charges of abusing the power of his office and obstructing Congress. However, he was later acquitted by the Senate.
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Trump's impeachment
In 2019, US President Donald Trump was accused of improperly seeking help from Ukraine to boost his chances of re-election. This led to his impeachment by the Democrat-held House of Representatives on charges of abuse of power and the obstruction of Congress.
In July 2019, Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden, one of the frontrunners for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, and his son, Hunter Biden. This was illegal, as it is against the law to ask foreign entities for help in winning a US election.
Trump withheld $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, prompting speculation that he was using it as leverage to pressure Zelenskyy into investigating the Bidens. Trump and his supporters alleged that Joe Biden abused his power to pressure Ukraine to back away from a criminal investigation that could implicate his son, who worked for a Ukrainian energy company. However, these allegations were widely discredited, and there was no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe or Hunter Biden.
The scandal came to light when a whistleblower complaint was filed in August 2019 by a CIA officer. The rough transcript of the call between Trump and Zelenskyy confirmed that Trump had urged Zelenskyy to investigate the Bidens.
Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives in December 2019 but was later acquitted by the Senate, with senators from his own Republican Party failing to turn against him.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Trump broke the law by asking a foreign power for help in winning a US election.
Trump asked Ukraine's president to dig up dirt on his political rival, Joe Biden. This is illegal because it counts as soliciting a donation from a foreign national.
Trump was impeached on charges of abusing the power of his office and obstructing Congress, but was acquitted by the Senate.
The scandal led to a formal impeachment inquiry and damaged Trump's reputation, but it did not result in his removal from office. It also had a negative impact on US-Ukraine relations and contributed to tensions between the US and its European allies.
