Why we're unlikely to get a smoking gun in Trump-Ukraine saga
by Tom Rogan
| September 24, 2019 06:34 PM
There are two possible scandals in the Trump-Ukraine-Biden phone call saga, but we're unlikely to get evidence of a smoking gun on either of them.
These scandals being; first and foremost, whether Trump withheld nearly $400 million in military aid in order to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into investigating the business dealings of Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden. (There is a strong and I'd add reasonable presumption that such an investigation might damage Joe Biden's 2020 presidential bid.) The second possible scandal is whether as vice president, Joe Biden illegitimately pressured Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor in order to prevent him from pursuing evidence of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden.
Let's start with the accusations against Trump.
While it's smelly that Trump suddenly withheld nearly $400 million of congressional appropriations just as Rudy Giuliani was upping his pressure on Ukraine to reinvestigate Hunter, thus far, there is no compelling evidence of a quid pro quo. Speaking on Tuesday, Trump suggested he held the appropriations in order to pressure Europe into matching America's aid effort. This is perfectly consistent with Trump's burden-sharing approach to NATO. That said, Trump also noted that "there was pressure put on with respect to Joe Biden. What Joe Biden did for his son, that's something they should be looking at."
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/why-were-unlikely-to-get-a-smoking-gun-in-trump-ukraine-saga
