Why Trump is Going After Zelensky
"Many in professional Washington and the media were shocked this week when the president of the United States began parroting Kremlin talking points and castigating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “dictator.”
But to understand this origin story, you only have to look at the events of the summer of 2019 and the circumstances leading to the first impeachment of Donald Trump.
“He never recovered from the consequences of the ‘perfect’ phone call,” John Bolton, Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, told The Dispatch.
That would be Trump’s July 25, 2019, phone call with Zelensky, just two months after Zelensky came into office. During that call, Trump pressed Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, all while Trump’s administration had placed a hold on congressionally mandated military aid to Ukraine.
This call followed weeks of pressure from Trump allies both privately and publicly trying to get the Ukrainian government to announce an investigation into the Bidens or other Democrats like Hillary Clinton.
The military aid to Ukraine was lifted only after a whistleblower had made a complaint about the July 25 phone call, the news of which started the process that would lead to the House impeaching Trump for abusing power and obstructing Congress.
Trump never let go of his grievance against Zelensky and Ukraine, even holding on to the idea (later deemed the product of Russian-backed propaganda) that the Ukrainian government had interfered in the 2016 election against Trump’s campaign.
This is Trump's personal revenge, pure and simple.
But to understand this origin story, you only have to look at the events of the summer of 2019 and the circumstances leading to the first impeachment of Donald Trump.
“He never recovered from the consequences of the ‘perfect’ phone call,” John Bolton, Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, told The Dispatch.
That would be Trump’s July 25, 2019, phone call with Zelensky, just two months after Zelensky came into office. During that call, Trump pressed Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, all while Trump’s administration had placed a hold on congressionally mandated military aid to Ukraine.
This call followed weeks of pressure from Trump allies both privately and publicly trying to get the Ukrainian government to announce an investigation into the Bidens or other Democrats like Hillary Clinton.
The military aid to Ukraine was lifted only after a whistleblower had made a complaint about the July 25 phone call, the news of which started the process that would lead to the House impeaching Trump for abusing power and obstructing Congress.
Trump never let go of his grievance against Zelensky and Ukraine, even holding on to the idea (later deemed the product of Russian-backed propaganda) that the Ukrainian government had interfered in the 2016 election against Trump’s campaign.
This is Trump's personal revenge, pure and simple.
