Anaya Nolan
In July 2019, then-US President Donald Trump urged his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to investigate Joe Biden, a frontrunner to take him on in the 2020 presidential election. This was illegal, as it is forbidden to ask foreign entities for help in winning a US election.
Trump was impeached over allegations that he improperly sought help from Ukraine to boost his chances of re-election. He was accused of breaking the law by pressuring Ukraine's leader to dig up damaging information on a political rival.
However, Trump was acquitted on two charges by a majority of senators at the trial.
What You'll Learn
Trump's Ukraine call
On July 25, 2019, then-US President Donald Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden, a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 election, and his son, Hunter Biden. This was shortly after Trump had blocked the release of military aid to Ukraine. A senior official later testified that Trump had made the release of this aid conditional on Biden being investigated.
The call was reported to authorities by a whistleblower, who described it as "an urgent concern", and alleged that Trump had used "the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country" in the 2020 election.
Trump was impeached by the Democrat-held House of Representatives on two charges: abuse of power and the obstruction of Congress. However, he was acquitted by the Senate, with senators from his own Republican Party voting against his removal.
Trump denied any wrongdoing, claiming that his call with Zelenskyy was "largely congratulatory" and focused on "corruption". He also denied explicitly tying US military aid to Ukraine's corruption investigation involving energy company Burisma Holdings, which had employed Hunter Biden.
Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was central in pushing allegations against the Bidens and was subpoenaed for documents relating to Ukraine.
Despite Trump's claims of innocence, the Government Accountability Office, a non-partisan watchdog, concluded in January 2020 that the White House broke federal law by withholding Congress-approved military aid to Ukraine.
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Trump's impeachment
In July 2019, US President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate one of the frontrunners to take him on in the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden. This was illegal, as it is forbidden by campaign finance laws to ask foreign entities for help in winning a US election.
In August 2019, an anonymous intelligence official filed a whistleblower complaint expressing concern that Trump had used his office to "solicit interference from a foreign country" in the 2020 election. The whistleblower's complaint was corroborated by a transcript of the call between Trump and Zelenskyy, which confirmed that Trump had urged Zelenskyy to investigate the Bidens.
Trump was impeached on charges of abusing the power of his office and obstructing Congress, but was acquitted by the Senate.
The Whistleblower's Complaint
An anonymous whistleblower, reported to be a CIA official, filed a formal complaint on 12 August 2019. The whistleblower had not directly heard the call, but said that accounts shared by other officials painted a consistent picture. The whistleblower alleged that Trump had used "the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country" in the 2020 presidential election, and that White House officials were "deeply disturbed" by the call and had acted to "lock down" all details of it.
The Transcript
A rough transcript of the call between Trump and Zelenskyy, which took place on 25 July 2019, revealed that Trump had urged Zelenskyy to investigate former US Vice-President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. This was significant because Joe Biden was a leading rival for the presidency, and it is illegal to work with a foreign power to influence the election.
Trump also urged Zelenskyy to investigate a conspiracy theory involving a Democratic National Committee server.
The Impeachment
The Democrats launched a formal inquiry into the Ukraine affair, and a number of officials were called to testify. The acting ambassador to Ukraine, Bill Taylor, told the inquiry that Trump had made the release of military aid to Ukraine conditional on Ukraine opening an investigation into the Bidens' dealings. The president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was subpoenaed for documents relating to Ukraine, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was also served with a subpoena.
The US ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, told Congress that he was working at the "express direction" of the president when pressure was put on Ukraine to investigate the Bidens, and that an offer of a White House visit for Zelenskyy was conditional on Ukraine publicly announcing a probe. Sondland also implicated Pompeo and former National Security Adviser John Bolton in the Ukraine dealings.
In December 2019, the House of Representatives impeached Trump on two charges: abuse of power and the obstruction of Congress. Trump was the third US president to be impeached, after Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton.
In January and February 2020, the Senate held a trial, which resulted in Trump being acquitted on both charges. A two-thirds majority was required to convict, and the Republican-controlled Senate voted 52-48 and 53-47 on the two charges, respectively.
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Trump's acquittal
On February 4, 2020, the Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump of the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, brought about by the Trump-Ukraine scandal. The vote fell largely along party lines, with 52 votes to 48 on one count, and 53 votes to 47 on the other.
The scandal centred around a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 25, 2019. In the call, Trump urged Zelenskyy to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden. This was significant as Biden was the frontrunner to take on Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
The call came shortly after Trump blocked the release of military aid to Ukraine, leading to accusations that he was using the aid as leverage to pressure Zelenskyy into investigating the Bidens. Trump denied these accusations, claiming that he had withheld the aid due to corruption in Ukraine.
The scandal came to light in August 2019, when an anonymous whistleblower filed a complaint expressing concern over the call. The complaint was eventually released to congressional intelligence committees, and a redacted version was made public.
The House of Representatives launched a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump on September 24, 2019, and he was impeached on December 18, 2019, on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Trump's impeachment trial took place in the Senate over twenty days from January 16 to February 5, 2020. Ultimately, Trump was acquitted on both charges, with not enough senators voting to convict him and remove him from office.
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Trump's foreign policy
Donald Trump's foreign policy has been described as transactional, neo-isolationist, unilateralist, and protectionist. His approach to foreign policy is often driven by his desire to be seen as a "winner", even when he isn't.
Impact on Alliances
Trump's transactional approach to diplomacy has led to a breakdown in trust with traditional allies, and he has expressed a willingness to withdraw from NATO. His administration has also pulled out of the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization.
Impact on Geopolitics
In Ukraine, Trump withheld military aid in an attempt to pressure the country's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, into investigating his political rival, Joe Biden. This quid pro quo led to Trump's impeachment.
With China, Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 100% on all imports, potentially triggering a trade war. He has also expressed a willingness to walk away from Taiwan, despite the risk of emboldening Chinese aggression in the region.
Impact on Global Markets
Impact on the Global South
Trump's "America First" approach has reduced international engagement with the Global South, particularly in areas of development assistance. This has created a vacuum that other actors, such as Russia and China, have been quick to fill.
Impact on Democracy
Overall Assessment
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Ukraine's military aid
In July 2019, Donald Trump blocked the release of a $400 million military aid package to Ukraine. This was an attempt to obtain quid pro quo cooperation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was asked to investigate Trump's political rival, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden.
The US Congress had mandated increased military aid to Ukraine over the period of Trump's presidency. Congress appropriated $400 million in military aid to Ukraine for the 2019 fiscal year, to be used on weapons and other equipment, as well as programs to assist the Ukrainian military in combating threats from Russia and Russian-backed separatists. The Trump administration notified Congress in February and May 2019 that it intended to release this aid to Ukraine, with the Defense Department certifying that Ukraine had made sufficient progress in fighting corruption.
However, in June 2019, the Trump administration placed military aid to Ukraine on hold. At least a week before his July 25 call with Zelenskyy, Trump directed his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to withhold the aid. This directive was conveyed by the Office of Management and Budget to the State Department and Pentagon, stating that Trump had concerns about whether the money should be spent.
The White House later claimed that the reason for withholding the aid was Ukrainian "corruption related to the DNC server", referring to a debunked theory that Ukrainians framed Russia for hacking into the DNC system. Trump also later claimed that the aid was initially held back due to a lack of similar contributions from other European nations.
In September 2019, a whistleblower complaint was filed by a CIA officer, expressing concern over Trump's July 25 phone conversation with Zelenskyy. The complaint was eventually released to congressional intelligence committees, and a redacted version was made public.
In October 2019, the House of Representatives began a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump, which he was impeached on charges of abusing the power of his office and obstructing Congress. However, he was later acquitted by the Senate.
In January 2020, the Government Accountability Office, a non-partisan watchdog, concluded that the White House broke federal law by withholding Congress-approved military aid to Ukraine.
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Frequently asked questions
It is not clear if Trump broke any laws, but he was impeached on charges of abusing the power of his office and obstructing Congress.
Trump urged the Ukrainian leader to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden.
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, Hunter Biden, who worked for a Ukrainian energy company.
There is no evidence that Joe Biden took any action to intentionally benefit his son, nor is there any evidence of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden.
Trump was acquitted by the Senate on both charges.
