Why Trump's 'no quid pro quo' defense still leaves him vulnerable by writerknowles
Even before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday that Democrats were launching an impeachment inquiry based on allegations that President Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for help in his upcoming reelection campaign, the president was already laying out his defense.
At issue was the revelation that Trump had withheld nearly $400 million in military aid for Ukraine just days ahead of his scheduled call with Zelensky. On Monday, Trump explained his decision to delay that aid was based on his desire to make sure Ukraine’s new administration was honest. “If you don’t talk about corruption, why would you give money to a country that you think is corrupt?”
With House Democrats moving toward impeachment, Trump’s “no quid pro quo” defense was meant to guide his Republican allies and influence how the public viewed the facts about to emerge in the summary of his conversation with Zelensky and a complaint by a whistleblower in the intelligence community. Trump was laying down a marker that anything less than a direct offer of foreign aid in exchange for dirt on Biden proved his innocence.
The President sought to use the powers of the United States government to investigate a political opponent.— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez September 25, 2019
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