It was the summer of 2019. A soon-to-be whistleblower was stunned to learn about a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A White House lawyer, after learning about the president’s remarks, took a step that was at odds with White House policy: He buried the transcript of the call in an encrypted computer system used for national security information, where it was unlikely to come to light.
Today, the Ukrainian president is being lauded as a hero by his people and pundits. He is in close contact with President Joe Biden, and will be speaking with Congress on Wednesday, where he is sure to receive a bipartisan ovation. But many Americans have seemingly forgotten the role Zelenskyy played in the events of Trump’s first impeachment, and how those events foreshadowed today.
If we forget this history, we’re doomed to repeat its mistakes. The first impeachment is pivotal to understanding the current war in Ukraine, and how narrowly we escaped an American presidency that could have readily aligned itself with Russia over our NATO allies.
On July 25, 2019, Trump called Zelenskyy to congratulate him on his recent parliamentary victory. But the call went off script. Trump told Zelenskyy that European allies weren’t doing enough to support Ukraine. Zelenskyy agreed, thanked Trump for past support and said Ukraine was almost ready to acquire more Javelins, a defensive weapon Ukrainians could use against invading tanks....
A state announcement comes amid a congressional inquiry into Medicaid fraud but state officials said the cases are not related to federal pressure This premium article is for members. If you are on...