Trump's attempt to coerce Ukraine into investigating Biden led to his first impeachment on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Key Facts
- Military aid withheld
- $400 million congressionally-mandated package
- Key phone call date
- July 25, 2019
- Impeachment inquiry opened
- September 24, 2019
- Impeachment charges
- Abuse of power and obstruction of Congress
- Senate outcome
- Acquitted
- GAO finding (January 2020)
- White House broke federal law by withholding military aid
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
President Trump sought to pressure Ukraine into announcing investigations targeting Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, motivated by a desire to damage Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. Trump enlisted Rudy Giuliani, Attorney General William Barr, and others to advance this goal, and withheld $400 million in congressionally-approved military aid to compel Ukrainian president Zelenskyy's cooperation.
A whistleblower complaint filed in August 2019 revealed Trump's conduct, including a July 25 phone call with Zelenskyy in which Trump requested investigations into the Bidens and a conspiracy theory about a DNC server. The White House corroborated the allegations, and a call transcript confirmed Trump urged Zelenskyy to work with Giuliani and Barr. The scandal became public in mid-September 2019, prompting congressional action.
The House of Representatives opened a formal impeachment inquiry on September 24, 2019, and voted to impeach Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate acquitted him. The Government Accountability Office separately concluded in January 2020 that the White House had broken federal law by withholding the congressionally-approved military assistance to Ukraine.