{"slug":"trump-ukraine-military-aid-withheld-election-interference","title":"Ukraine Quid Pro Quo: Withheld $391 Million in Military Aid to Extort Investigation of Biden","date":"2019-07-25","lastUpdated":"2020-02-05","description":"In July 2019, Trump withheld $391 million in congressionally approved military assistance to Ukraine — aid Ukraine needed to defend itself against ongoing Russian aggression — while pressuring Ukrainian President Zelensky to announce investigations into Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Trump made the quid pro quo explicit in an Oval Office call on July 25, 2019. A White House official blew the whistle; Congress obtained the call summary; Trump was impeached by the House for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate acquitted him largely along party lines in February 2020.","summary":"Ukraine had been under Russian military pressure since 2014. The $391 million in security assistance — congressionally appropriated bipartisan aid that had nothing to do with Biden — was withheld by Trump's Office of Management and Budget while the White House sought a Ukrainian announcement of investigations. The July 25 call between Trump and Zelensky documented the pressure: Trump told Zelensky he needed a 'favor' — an investigation of the 2016 election and of Biden — before the U.S. would proceed. A White House national security official filed a whistleblower complaint. The aid was eventually released in September 2019 after the whistleblower complaint became public.","category":"foreign-policy","severity":"critical","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/politics/ukraine-transcript.html","title":"Read the Transcript: Trump's Call With Ukraine's President","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-impeachment-ukraine/2019/09/25/5de12e36-df8a-11e9-b2d2-1f37c9d82dbb_story.html","title":"Trump impeached by House for Ukraine quid pro quo","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://www.gao.gov/products/b-331564","title":"GAO Decision — Withholding Ukraine security assistance violated Impoundment Control Act","publisher":"Government Accountability Office"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-ukraine-quid-pro-quo","title":"Trump impeached by House in first Ukraine trial","publisher":"The Associated Press"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["Ukraine","military-aid","impeachment","first-term","quid-pro-quo","Biden","Zelensky"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2019-07-18","title":"Ukraine military aid hold begins","summary":"The Office of Management and Budget notifies relevant agencies to hold the $391 million in Ukraine security assistance. Congressional staff become aware of the hold; Ukraine has not been informed of the reason."},{"date":"2019-07-25","title":"Trump-Zelensky call — 'I need you to do us a favor'","summary":"Trump calls Ukrainian President Zelensky. He tells Zelensky he needs a 'favor' before the U.S. can proceed with military aid: an investigation of CrowdStrike and an investigation of Biden. Zelensky responds positively without explicitly committing."},{"date":"2019-08-12","title":"Whistleblower complaint filed","summary":"A White House national security official files a formal whistleblower complaint with the Intelligence Community Inspector General describing the July 25 call and the quid pro quo. The ICIG finds the complaint credible and urgent."},{"date":"2019-09-11","title":"Aid released after whistleblower story breaks","summary":"The Ukraine military aid is released after news reports about the whistleblower complaint become public. The aid was released under congressional pressure; its withholding had lasted approximately 55 days."},{"date":"2019-12-18","title":"House impeaches Trump on abuse of power and obstruction","summary":"The House votes to impeach Trump on two articles: abuse of power (230-197) and obstruction of Congress (229-198). No Republicans vote to impeach on either article."},{"date":"2020-02-05","title":"Senate acquits — Romney votes to convict","summary":"The Senate acquits Trump on both articles largely along party lines. Mitt Romney votes to convict on the abuse of power article — the only Republican senator to do so and the first senator in U.S. history to vote to convict a president of his own party."}],"location":{"name":"Washington, D.C. / Kyiv, Ukraine","lat":50.4501,"lng":30.5236},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"judicial-finding","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[{"statute":"Impoundment Control Act (U.S. domestic law)","article":"Section 1341","provision":"The GAO found the withholding of Ukraine security assistance violated the Impoundment Control Act — the president does not have authority to unilaterally withhold congressionally appropriated funds"}],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Ukraine's national security and ability to defend against Russian aggression; American national security through undermining anti-Russia alliances; democratic electoral process through foreign election interference solicitation","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President; withheld military aid; made explicit quid pro quo demands in July 25 call","institution":"White House"},{"name":"Mick Mulvaney","role":"Acting Chief of Staff; acknowledged at a press conference that aid was withheld for political reasons","institution":"White House"},{"name":"Rudy Giuliani","role":"Personal attorney; led the pressure campaign on Ukrainian officials before and after the call","institution":"Trump personal legal team"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2020-02-05","summary":"Updated with Senate acquittal and Romney vote."}]}}