After Zelensky mentioned buying more Javelin missiles, Trump said: “I would like you to do us a favor though.” He went on to ask about CrowdStrike and a server, and then about Joe Biden’s role in the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor: “a lot of people want to find out about that, so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great.” That is from the White House’s own memorandum, not a leak. [1]
Congress had approved the aid. The Office of Management and Budget froze it over the summer of 2019. In January 2020 the GAO, Congress’s auditor, ruled the freeze illegal: “Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law.” The administration disputed the GAO’s view. [2]
Trump said the call was “perfect,” that he wanted Ukraine to fight corruption, and that the aid was released in September without Ukraine announcing any investigation. That release came after a whistleblower complaint had reached Congress. [3]
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