ANALYSIS: What if Trump was right about Ukraine?
by Byron York
November 19, 2019 10:42 PM One of the most important issues in President Trump's impeachment defense is also one of the least explored: To what degree were Trump's concerns about Ukraine valid? It's well documented that the president fixated on Ukrainian activity in the 2016 election and on the Bidens' actions in the Burisma matter. Democrats and many in the media dismiss his concerns as "conspiracy theories." But to what extent were those concerns in fact legitimate?
If they were even mostly legitimate, then Trump defenders could say: "Look, he had a point. Even if one thinks he handled the issue inappropriately, the fact is, what was going on in Ukraine was worrisome enough for a U.S. president to take notice." That would not change minds among those dead-set on impeachment, but among others it would make the case for impeachment and removal much harder to make.
Of Trump's two concerns -- 2016 meddling and Biden/Burisma -- the 2016 part came first and is the foundation for Trump's later concerns about the former vice president. So leave the Biden part for a later article and focus on Ukraine and the 2016 election. Republicans insist Ukraine did, in fact, try to meddle in the American political process in 2016, and they point to five examples:
1) Government ministers attack. During the summer of 2016, candidate Donald Trump was under constant criticism for being insufficiently critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the end of July, Trump stirred up a controversy when, during an appearance on ABC, he insisted that Putin would not invade Ukraine under a Trump presidency. "He's not going into Ukraine, OK," Trump said. "Just so you understand -- he's not going to go into Ukraine, all right?" But seconds later, Trump suggested he might, as president, give U.S. recognition to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea. "I'm going to take a look at it," Trump said. "But you know, the people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were. And you have to look at that, also."
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/analysis-what-if-trump-was-right-about-ukraine
