Cedars, November 2019

OFF-CAMPUS Trump’s Impeachment Inquiry Timeline — So Far by Alex Hentschel Russian forces invade Crimea and declare their annexation of the peninsula. The United Nations General Assembly condemns this action. Hunter Biden, son of then-Vice President Joe Biden, joins the board of Burisma Holdings, the largest private oil and gas extracting company in Ukraine. The move draws criticism as Joe Biden is responsible for the Obama Administration’s foreign policy dealings in Ukraine. Hunter Biden played a role in facilitating anti-corruption measures in Ukraine. The Trump Administration notifies Congress that $391 million will be released to Ukraine in military aid, including weapons, training and advisors. The Trump administration fails to explain why the aid has not been sent, despite questions from lawmakers. President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have a brief phone conversation. A transcript released by the White House reveals that Zelensky mentions that the United States is about to send military aid. In response, Trump asks for Zelensky to investigate the Bidens, as Joe Biden is his political rival in the 2020 election. Here are a few lines of that conversation, courtesy of the White House: This instance of potential “quid pro quo,” or “something for something,” was a potential abuse of power in which Trump might have used the office of the President for personal gain. MARCH 2014 APRIL 2014 FEBRUARY 28, 2019 MAY 23, 2019 JULY 25, 2019 November 2019 6 TRUMP “I will say that we do a lot for Ukraine...I wouldn’t say that it’s reciprocal necessarily...I would like you to do us a favor…[t]here’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son [...] a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great.” The Trump Administration recalls United States ambassador to the Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. It’s later revealed that this is because she failed to support Trump and Guiliani’s investigations. MAY 20, 2019