Trump is involved in (at least) two crimes in the matter of withholding aid (already appropriated by Congress) from Ukraine to pressure them to investigate a political rival:
SOLICITATION of foreign interference in an election is JUST THE ASK (the “quid”). It does not require anything in exchange. The quid pro quo is irrelevant to solicitation. Just the ask. “I need a favor, though…” and then asking specifically for investigation of a political opponent by name (who has already been cleared of wrongdoing by the Ukrainian prosecutors) while ignoring the many actual corruption suspects is, on its face, solicitation.
EXTORTION is a threat in exchange for the favor (the “quo”). This is the one that requires asking for something in exchange. And while Trump did not come right out and say “you do this and I’ll do this,” he clearly identified U.S. aid that was suspended and could be reinstated, but “I need a favor, though.” This is clearly mob-style extortion: “Nice little country ya got here, shame if you couldn’t get the aid (that congress has already appropriated) that you need to survive a Russian invasion, and something happened to it.”
Clearly there IS an illegal quid pro quo (an exchange in which both sides of the deal violate the law) — asking for a favor (solicitation) in exchange for the military aid being held up (extortion) — but it is not required for the impeachable offense of direct solicitation of foreign interference in our elections.
Trump is involved in (at least) two crimes in the matter of withholding aid (already appropriated by Congress) from Ukraine to pressure them to investigate a political rival:
SOLICITATION of foreign interference in an election is JUST THE ASK (the “quid”). It does not require anything in exchange. The quid pro quo is irrelevant to solicitation. Just the ask. “I need a favor, though…” and then asking specifically for investigation of a political opponent by name (who has already been cleared of wrongdoing by the Ukrainian prosecutors) while ignoring the many actual corruption suspects is, on its face, solicitation.
EXTORTION is a threat in exchange for the favor (the “quo”). This is the one that requires asking for something in exchange. And while Trump did not come right out and say “you do this and I’ll do this,” he clearly identified U.S. aid that was suspended and could be reinstated, but “I need a favor, though.” This is clearly mob-style extortion: “Nice little country ya got here, shame if you couldn’t get the aid (that congress has already appropriated) that you need to survive a Russian invasion, and something happened to it.”
Clearly there IS an illegal quid pro quo (an exchange in which both sides of the deal violate the law) — asking for a favor (solicitation) in exchange for the military aid being held up (extortion) — but it is not required for the impeachable offense of direct solicitation of foreign interference in our elections.