Mick Tsikas/AAP
❝ Donald Trump pressed the new leader of Ukraine this summer to investigate Joe Biden, multiple reports say, as Democrats condemned what they saw as a clear effort to damage a political rival.
It was the latest revelation tied to an explosive whistleblower complaint that sparked a showdown between congressional Democrats and the Trump administration. Trump officials have refused to turn over the complaint by a national security official or even describe its contents.
❝ Trump spoke to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, on 25 July, about two weeks before the complaint was filed. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump repeatedly pressured Zelensky to investigate Biden’s son, Hunter. In the July phone call, Trump urged Zelensky about eight times to work with Giuliani on the investigation, the Journal said…
❝ Serhii Leshchenko, an investigative journalist and former MP who advised Zelensky on foreign policy during the campaign, said: “There is nothing it could be besides this Biden stuff. It’s clear what they were talking about.”
He cited a Ukrainian readout of the 25 July phone call between the two leaders: “Donald Trump is convinced that the new Ukrainian government will be able to quickly improve image of Ukraine, complete investigation of corruption cases, which inhibited the interaction between Ukraine and the USA.”
Trump’s criminal behavior, his lies and deceit, are overlooked persistently, constantly, by his so-called base. The pejorative meaning of “base” obviously applies since his loyal followers don’t give a damn about the Fake President’s absence of ethics or principle.
Leshchenko also did an opinion piece published by the Washington POST behind a paywall. Which is why I referenced the GUARDIAN’s article for easier access.
Eideard 
“Five iron-clad reasons Trump should not be impeached for committing — and admitting to committing — an impeachable offense.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/rex-huppke/ct-trump-impeach-ukraine-whistleblower-biden-democrats-huppke-20190923-tfemkklrcndn7bvdxmoqbwrfda-story.html
An Unaccountable Office Crafted a Secret Law to Conceal the Whistleblower Complaint https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/09/whistleblower-complaint-office-of-legal-counsel-secret-law.html
The Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) is a small office that rarely garners much attention but holds extraordinary power, as the whistleblower episode illustrates. Its opinions are binding on the executive branch, yet they can be kept secret from everyone except high-ranking administration officials. The unfolding story of the whistleblower complaint may well be another chapter in the lengthy narrative of how the OLC has quietly facilitated some of the worst overreaches of executive power in recent history.
By law, the OLC’s job is to help the attorney general provide legal advice to the president and federal agencies. It is intended to exercise its judgment independently, not to serve as a rubber stamp for the administration. In recent years, however, the office has crafted dubious theories that seem designed to let the administration do whatever it wants.
(10/4/19): Russians Praise Trump, Taunt Zelensky, as Ukraine Signs On to Peace-Plan Proposal : “Trump let Zelensky down. Three times he told him: ‘Go meet with Putin,’” gloated one prominent Russian TV host. https://www.thedailybeast.com/russians-praise-trump-taunt-zelensky-as-ukraine-signs-on-to-steinmeier-formula-peace-plan-proposal
“Having lost more than 13,000 people in an ongoing conflict with its belligerent neighbor, Ukraine was now being told to make a deal with the aggressor, because—according to President Trump—“President Putin would like to do something.”
During the same conference, Zelensky pleaded with Trump for help with returning the territories occupied and annexed by Russia, and, egged on by Trump—and contrary to the facts—complained that Europe wasn’t doing as much as the United States to help Ukraine. In reality, European institutions spent nearly double the amount supplied by the United States: $425.2 million in 2016-2017, as compared to $204.4 million spent by the U.S.
Backed into the corner and seeming to stand alone there, Zelensky made a step toward a deal with Putin by officially signing up Ukraine to the Steinmeier Formula. The agreement provides the pathway to a summit that would bring Zelensky face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Russia demanded written codification of the Steinmeier Formula by Ukraine as a key precondition to the next Normandy summit. It interprets the clauses of the Minsk “accords” (agreements between the Ukrainian authorities and Russia-backed separatists) in line with Russia’s preferences and therefore enjoys the Kremlin’s seal of approval.”
“Unraveling the tale of Hunter Biden and $3.5 million from Russia” (Washington Post) https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/08/unraveling-tale-hunter-biden-35-million-russia/
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Addresses Joint Meeting of U.S. Congress, December 21, 2022