Explanation of Why President Trump Was Impeached

Trump Impeachment for Dummies

I’m going to try to keep this as short as possible, because the people that I’m hoping will read it lead ordinary lives and are super busy. Many don’t follow the news closely and if they do, it comes from a Right Wing silo like Fox News. I admit up front, I do the same, but my silo is MSNBC, Huff Post, Washington Post, New York Times, as well as dozens of superb left-leaning independent news organizations like Politico or Daily Kos. In America today, we seem to have two different arrays of what we call facts. It’s one thing to have different interpretations of the same facts, but we can’t agree today on what is fact and what is fantasy or propaganda. Propaganda is dangerous to a democracy. It is seductive and appallingly effective. It leads to slavery, inequality, injustice, oppression, and misery for the general populace. I am betting the future of my kids and grand kids that in this era of Trump, the Democrats are the guardians of actual truth.

First, let’s talk about Ukraine, because although most Americans couldn’t find it on a map and don’t give a hoot about it, it has become central to who we are and where we will end up as a nation. In my former town of Citrus Heights, CA, there were hundreds of Ukrainian immigrants. Quite a few attended the same High School as my boys, so we’re still in touch with some of them. They tell stories of escaping just ahead of the KGB knocking on their doors or of relatives that died after being experimented on by the KGB. They came here to escape horrific oppression perpetrated by Russia during the years of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). Before Russia, it was the Nazis. Ukrainians are devoutly religious. There are Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, Pentecostals, Jews, and Messianic Jews in abundance, and all were hounded like cockroaches, first by the Nazis, then the Communists. And that’s when the various religious groups weren’t tormenting each other.

Ukraine is the second largest nation on the continent, after Russia. It is rich in various resources, too many to name here. It has a southern border on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, including the strategic shipping strait between the two seas. Geographically, it is an important buffer between Russia and the Balkan states. And Russia wants it back. All of it. In 2014, they invaded resource rich Crimea and took it by force. They have invaded eastern regions of Ukraine with soldiers and weapons, and they harass Ukrainian ships crossing the strait to reach their own ports.

A failed revolution

OK, but what does that have to do with us? To avoid writing a turgid book, let’s just focus on the Obama years. But we need some Ukraine history for context. In 1991, the USSR began to dissolve and Ukraine declared independence. They wanted to be a democracy with a president, prime minister, and parliament, but in the 1990’s organized crime and corruption were rampant. From 2002–2005 and 2006 and 07, the prime minister was a man named Viktor Yanukovych who was pro-Russian and was favored by Vladimir Putin. In a presidential election, his opponent, pro-West Viktor Yushenko, became ill from an apparent assassination attempt. He survived, but lost, in spite of strong poll numbers. Yanukovych’s win brought about a protest movement called the Orange Revolution. 

A major leader in that resistance was a woman named Yulia Tymoshenko. A new election in 2004 brought Viktor Yushenko to the presidency, but in 2006, Yanukovich was back with a new party that was so strong, he was appointed prime minister. In 2007, that post went to Yulia T. In 2010, all three of them vied for the presidency. Yanukovych won, and immediately began to demonstrate his pro-Russian sympathies. He implemented policies advantageous to Russia. In 2011, Yulia and her Interior Minister, Yuriy Lutsenko were accused of various corruption charges. Yulia was sentenced to seven years in prison, and Lutsenko was sentenced the following year to four years in prison. Yulia’s supporters and various civil rights group in the Ukraine claimed that the charges were false and politically motivated.

Treaties that were set to be signed with the EU were halted. Yushenko was living like a Russian oligarch in an opulent mansion, and his Prosecutor General was an unpopular man who frustrated many because he was squelching investigations that needed to be pursued.

OK, slap yourself and wake up because we’re getting to how we got involved in all of this. It’s not just about Ukraine and the Bidens. It’s about Ukraine, Russia, and the election of Donald Trump.

One of the investigations that found its way to the back burner was a company called Burisma. Their corrupt dealings occurred in 2010. In 2014 Hunter Biden was accepted onto their Board. Since his father was Vice President of the US at that time, it was a dodgy move for that troubled young man, but no one accused him of any wrongdoing. The EU, Ukrainian anti-corruption groups, and the US wanted Burisma to be investigated. The International Monetary Fund wanted certain investigations to be carried out that were stymied. They claimed that Viktor Shokin would not confront the corrupt elements in Ukraine. He also would not look into the possible corruption that put Tymoshenko and Lutsenko in prison.

At this time, Paul Manafort was in Ukraine working for Yanukovych, the pro-Russian president. According to a mysterious Black Ledger, he received millions to lobby for him in the US and create a positive pubic profile. When Manafort became Trump’s campaign manager in 2016, he hid these funds and his relationship with Yanukovych. He lied to the FBI about it until they revealed that bank records confirmed that he did receive some of these funds. For this and other crimes he was indicted and pleaded guilty and is now in prison.

Ukraine rebells against Russian corruption

2014:  The Ukrainian people had had enough of corruption. They rebelled to the point that Yanukovych disappeared, to reappear later safely in Russia. He had thousands of documents and papers dumped into a river in Kiev. Ukrainian journalists got wind of that and started fishing the material out of the cold water. They hired divers to retrieve that which had sunk. In all, they recovered over 25,000 documents. The people had the opportunity to swarm the mansion and see the opulent lifestyle that the president had lived while so many lived a life of poverty.

The new president was Petro Poroshenko. He was basically pro-West, but the battle against corruption still waged in the country. Besides that, there was a shooting war with separatists in the east, who were supported by Russian troops and weapons. In 2014, one of those weapons fired a missile at Malaysian MH17, a civilian airliner flying at 33,000 ft. All aboard were killed. Thousands of Ukrainians have died in the shooting war with separatists.

Because of that war, Ukraine cherishes its relationship with the US. We sell them weapons and grant them funds to carry on the war. Without our aid, Russia might roll into Kiev and retake the country. Ukrainians here in the US are divided about Russian influence. Many identify as Russian, but others hate Russia and the oppression it has wrought in their nation.

So, Joe Biden met with Poroshenko somewhere outside of Ukraine and told him that the billion dollars they were waiting for would not be released unless Shokin was fired. He eventually was, and when it happened, everyone rejoiced. A USA Today article written by Courtney Subrananian (Oct 3, 2019) puts it this way: “Without pressure from Biden, European diplomats, the International Monetary Fund, and other international organizations, Shokin would not have been fired,” said Daria Kaleniuk, co-founder of and executive producer of the Anti Corruption Action Center in Kiev. “Civil society organizations in Ukraine were pressing for his resignation,” Kaleniuk said, “but no one would have cared if there had not been voices from the outside of this country calling for him to go.”

Trump's betrayal

Notice, Right Wingers: Biden was acting officially and openly as a representative of the government of the US, not a secret civil side show sidelining the State Department. Biden’s threat was in agreement with many other national and international organizations. His action was for the benefit of Ukraine, and thus the US, and not for any personal gain by anyone. So in spite of what Mulvaney said in a speech once, “We do this all the time. Get over it,” extorting a nation in need so that a US president can cheat in an election is not what we do all the time. Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom in the west and east. They want to maintain their democracy. They want to join NATO. Trump stabbed them in the back with his “We need you to do us a favor, though.” In this quid pro quo, Trump and his appointees were demanding a public announcement by the newest Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, that Ukraine was going to be investigating Joe Biden and his son Hunter. After all, that’s one of the ways they defeated Hillary Clinton. Never ending investigations about everything. Lots of smoke. The actual fire is unnecessary.

The funds held up were approved by Congress, and holding them up was so illegal that some in the OMB (Office of Management and Budget) actually resigned over it. People high in his administration tried to talk Trump out of it, but he insisted and the order came down the line, perplexing everyone who was involved in releasing the funds. It was only when the press got involved due to a very alarmed whistleblower that the money finally got released. There was no investigation of the Bidens. There was no need for one, and Ukraine does not want to be involved in our divisive politics. Now the Trump administration is determined to destroy that whistleblower.

Zelensky ran on the premise that he would fight the endemic corruption in the country, but as soon as he took office, the pressure was on him to comply. If he didn’t make a public announcement about investigating the Bidens, Vice President Pence would not attend his inauguration, there would be no visit to the White House, and there would be no money. Pence was scheduled to attend, but when Zelensky said no, Pence immediately canceled.

Trump associates were also in Ukraine trying to make private deals in the energy market. Ambassador Marie Yovanovych was run out of Ukraine by these conspirators as a favor to a Russian-connected oligarch who promised that he could produce dirt on the Bidens. Trump is recorded as having said she was a bad person and “she’s going to go through some things.” According to Lev Parnas, who was central to the conspiracy, “everyone was in the loop.” Everyone close to Trump knew about it, and Trump was running the show through Rudy Giuliani. That includes Pompeo, Pence, Mulvaney, Duffy, Rick Perry, and the White House attorneys.

The Trump effect

Every Trump supporter has learned to look the other way about his crimes and crudeness. Evangelicals need to understand that Trump is not creating mischief. He’s not a bad boy. He’s a crime boss. He infects everyone around him. He corrupts them with threats and intimidation and revenge against his opponents. Recently, I saw a video of him when he was younger. He was talking about his belief in revenge. He doesn’t believe in forgiveness or turning the other cheek. He enjoys hurting those who don’t help him when he wants it.

Evangelicals, this man is evil. He is everything he accuses others of being. He has totally snookered you, and the only people who can remain in his good graces are those he can corrupt because they are determined to join him in power and wealth. The good ones resign or are crushed and humiliated. Look up narcissistic personality disorder. Google fascism. Get educated to recognize what is happening to us as a nation. Trump is a Russian asset, a law breaker, a liar, a cheat, a crime boss, and he doesn’t care about our Constitution one whit. Wake up and smell the rotten fish.