Donald Trump Is Still ‘Maintaining Pressure On Ukraine’ To Secure Investigation, Says Ben Cardin
At the center impeachment probe into Donald Trump is an alleged pressure campaign on Ukraine that the president is accused of heading along with his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. The campaign was reportedly operated to push Ukraine to dig up dirt on Trump’s Democratic rival, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter.
Speaking on CNN’s Situation Room, Democratic Senator Ben Cardin claimed that Trump is continuing to keep the pressure on Ukraine with the goal of securing an investigation that is for his political benefit, Breitbart reports.
“Well, it’s clear that the president is maintaining pressure on Ukraine to do an investigation to help the president politically. This is outrageous. This is the use of the power of the president to further his political agenda, compromising our national security.”
Cardin noted that Ukraine is a key United States ally and pointed to the current “pressure coming from Russia,” adding that such pressure is a sign that Trump’s pressure campaign is “compromising” U.S. national security.
The 76-year-old politician also expressed “hope” that the United States can “recognize” the “need” to offer Ukraine support, given they’re a “key ally” in their region of the world. Cardin concluded by stating that Trump needs to stop intimidating Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, with his alleged pressure campaign.
The impeachment inquiry into Trump was sparked by a whistleblower that voiced concerns over the president’s July phone call with Zelensky. During the call, Trump is accused of pressuring Zelensky into investigating Biden and his son, Hunter. Specifically, Democrats accuse Trump of using foreign aid as leverage in his reported pressure campaign, while Republicans suggest there was no quid pro quo in the exchange.
Sen. Ben Cardin says reports that Ukrainian officials are trying to improve their standing with Pres. Trump after fallout from the impeachment inquiry suggest "that the President is maintaining pressure on Ukraine to do an investigation to help the President politically." pic.twitter.com/OD29cnh4YZ
— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) November 29, 2019
As The Inquisitr reported, Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman claims that the televised testimony of U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, was bad news for Trump’s prospects in the impeachment probe. Sondland contradicted the claims of Trump and his allies and suggested that there was undoubtedly a quid pro quo between the real estate mogul and Zelensky, with the $400 million U.S. military aid package allegedly being offered only in exchange for an investigation into Hunter.
“There’s no defense to any of it now, there’s nothing. What’s he going to say, the Devil made me do it? That’s what they’re left with. There’s no good defense. There’s no good reason why he did this. It’s purely for personal campaign purposes,” Akerman said, per The Hill.
According to Akerman, Sondland’s testimony confirmed Trump’s involvement in bribery and extortion — the former of which he noted is listed as an impeachable offense in the U.S. Constitution.
