By Brigid McCabe '21
On September 24th, Nancy Pelosi, the sitting Speaker of the House, announced to the press that an official impeachment inquiry would be opened against President Donald Trump. This inquiry comes in the wake of whistleblower reports that accused President Trump of withholding roughly $400 million in government aid to the Ukraine, in exchange for a Ukrainian investigation of his potential Democratic political opponent Joe Biden and his son. This would seem to suggest a “quid pro quo”, a political strategy in which an individual offers a favor or gift in exchange for something in return, which could possibly be used an argument for political corruption.
The whistleblower report included a synopsis and quoted material from a phone call that took place on July 25th between Trump and the newly elected of Ukraine, President Zelensky. Besides President Trump, the document also targeted the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has already been subpoenaed by the House of Representatives, and has publicly admitted to being included on the July 25th call. Also under fire is Rudy Giuliani,
President Trump’s personal lawyer, who the New York Times reports is currently under investigation for specific aspects of work he did in Ukraine. Earlier this month, the House subpoenaed the White House for related documents as well. Though the whistleblower openly stated that they had not heard the conversation, they claimed their sources (anonymous White House employees) who reported first hand recounts of the phone call after they were left particularly concerned. Reporting suggests the whistleblower to be a CIA official, but their identity remains anonymous.
Currently, 97% of House Democrats support Impeachment, and roughly half the country as well. Even if the case for Impeachment is voted into action by the House, the process will be long and complicated, and we will likely be dealing with story updates for many months, especially as there are ongoing hearings and investigations regarding this historical controversy.
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