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![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lawfare.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/staging\/s3fs-public\/34371148503_a0789b9d59_b%20%281%29.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nPresident Donald Trump, June 2017 (Source: Flickr\/Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)<\/p>\n
As of Sept. 24, the House of Representatives has formally launched<\/a> impeachment proceedings against President Trump. An announcement<\/a> earlier this month from the head of the House Intelligence Committee regarding an anonymous intelligence community whistleblower complaint has snowballed into a scandal encompassing a reported effort by Trump to pressure the president of Ukraine into investigating Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Trump himself has publicly acknowledged elements of the news reports.<\/p>\n
The chain of events leading up to the inquiry is complicated\u2014and the Washington Post has provided<\/a> a helpful timeline of its own. To help sort through the story, we have put together a timeline of how allegations of wrongdoing by the Bidens in Ukraine percolated up through right-wing news circles to the president\u2019s desk, what the president and his lawyer have said and done about it, what the Ukrainian government has said about the situation, and how Congress has reacted.<\/p>\n
Before we launch into the events, it\u2019s important to understand the backdrop of the political situation in Ukraine over the past few years: The country has long struggled to combat corruption, and anti-graft efforts have scaled up in the wake of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution that toppled then-President Viktor Yanukovych. In 2014, then-Vice President Biden\u2019s son Hunter joined<\/a> the board of Burisma Holdings, a large private Ukrainian gas firm. Also in 2014, the firm\u2019s owner, Mykola Zlochevsky (the former Ukrainian ecology minister and a political ally of Yanukovych), came<\/a> under investigation for corrupt business dealings. In 2015, Viktor Shokin was appointed to<\/a> the role of prosecutor general and thus assumed control over the investigation into Zlochevsky and his businesses.<\/p>\n
Following cries<\/a> from observers about Shokin\u2019s own ineptitude and corruption and pressure<\/a> from Vice President Biden, among others, Shokin was fired<\/a> in 2016. Shokin\u2019s firing drew praise from Western observers, including from the European Union\u2019s envoy to Ukraine, who noted<\/a> that the firing of Shokin \u201ccreates an opportunity to make a fresh start in the prosecutor general\u2019s office\u201d and expressed \u201chope that the new prosecutor general will ensure that [his] office … becomes independent from political influence and pressure and enjoys public trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Notably, Ukraine\u2019s then-Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko stated in May 2019<\/a> that he was aware of no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Hunter Biden. The New York Times reports<\/a> that \u201cno evidence has surfaced to support\u201d President Trump\u2019s allegations that the former vice president sought to dismiss Shokin in order to help his son.<\/p>\n
March 20, 2018: <\/strong>Conservative investigative journalist Peter Schweizer publishes<\/a> a book including allegations about corruption surrounding Hunter Biden\u2019s work in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
August 13, 2018: <\/strong>Trump signs<\/a> the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act<\/a> (NDAA), which includes $250 million to extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative\u2014a pot of Department of Defense funds intended<\/a> to help Ukraine deter Russian and purchase weapons. One section of the bill bars funds from the NDAA going to \u201cany activity that recognizes the sovereignty of the Russian Federation over Crimea.\u201d The president indicates in a signing statement<\/a> that this section does not \u201cdictate the position of the United States in external military and foreign affairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
August 27, 2018<\/strong>: Conservative media outlet PJ Media writes<\/a> that the allegations in Schweizer\u2019s book concerning Hunter Biden will be a \u201ccentral issue\u201d in the 2020 election.<\/p>\n
March 20, 2019: <\/strong>John Solomon writes in The Hill<\/a> that, according to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, an ambassador to Ukraine appointed by President Barack Obama gave Lutsenko a so-called \u201cdo not prosecute list.\u201d The State Department calls Lutsenko\u2019s claim \u201can outright fabrication.\u201d<\/p>\n
March 20, 2019: <\/strong>Donald Trump tweets<\/a>:<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/874276197357596672\/kUuht00m_normal.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nDonald J. Trump<\/strong>
![\"✔\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/12.0.0-1\/72x72\/2714.png\")
<\/strong>@realDonaldTrump<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\u201cJohn Solomon: As Russia Collusion fades, Ukrainian plot to help Clinton emerges.\u201d @seanhannity<\/a> @FoxNews<\/a>82.3K<\/a>7:40 PM – Mar 20, 2019<\/a>Twitter Ads info and privacy<\/a>43.8K people are talking about this<\/a><\/p>\n
March 22, 2019: <\/strong>Trump\u2019s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani tweets<\/a>:<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/770784461461950464\/15VnTxLF_normal.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nRudy Giuliani<\/strong>
<\/strong>@RudyGiuliani<\/a><\/a><\/p>\nPay attention to @dbongino<\/a> for an analysis of some real collusion between Hillary, Kerry and Biden people colluding with Ukrainian operatives to make money and affect 2016 election.33.5K<\/a>8:38 AM – Mar 22, 2019<\/a>Twitter Ads info and privacy<\/a>14.9K people are talking about this<\/a><\/p>\n
March 22, 2019:<\/strong> Fox News contributor Dan Bongino tweets<\/a>:<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/1085298427662077952\/G7pyO36A_normal.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nDan Bongino<\/strong>
<\/strong>@dbongino<\/a><\/a><\/p>\nJoe Biden is going to have A LOT of explaining to do regarding Ukraine. A LOT.20.6K<\/a>9:06 AM – Mar 22, 2019<\/a>Twitter Ads info and privacy<\/a>7,366 people are talking about this<\/a><\/p>\n
Bongino later adds<\/a>:<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\nDan Bongino<\/strong>
<\/strong>@dbongino<\/a><\/a><\/p>\nWhat was Joe Biden doing in Ukraine during the month his son Hunter was named to a key board position in an influential Ukrainian company?39.4K<\/a>11:52 AM – Mar 22, 2019<\/a>Twitter Ads info and privacy<\/a>16.8K people are talking about this<\/a><\/p>\n
March 23, 2019: <\/strong> Peter Schweizer, author of the 2018 book, claims<\/a> on Fox News that Hunter Biden had corrupt dealings in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
March 25, 2019: <\/strong>The Kyiv Post, an English-language Ukrainian newspaper, details<\/a> Schweizer\u2019s Fox News segment, writing, \u201cIf Joseph Biden enters the race for U.S. president in 2020, he\u2019ll face renewed questions about his son Hunter\u2019s association with Ukraine\u2019s Burisma energy company during his eight years as U.S. vice president.\u201d<\/p>\n
April 1, 2019: <\/strong>Writing in The Hill, John Solomon calls<\/a> for greater scrutiny into the Bidens\u2019 activity in Ukraine and declares that an investigation into Hunter Biden\u2019s Ukrainian dealings would be a \u201cnightmare\u201d for the elder Biden\u2019s 2020 candidacy.<\/p>\n
April 7, 2019: <\/strong>Giuliani says<\/a> on Fox News that he wants the Department of Justice to look into Biden\u2019s dealings in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
April 18, 2019: <\/strong>Lutsenko, the Ukrainian prosecutor general, retracts<\/a> his claim to the Hill and says he was not given a do-not-prosecute list.<\/p>\n
April 25, 2019: <\/strong>Trump states<\/a> in an interview with Fox News\u2019s Sean Hannity that Attorney General William Barr is dealing with \u201cincredible\u201d and \u201cbig\u201d allegations that sources in Ukraine leaked information about Trump\u2019s then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort to the press to help candidate Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election. Trump\u2019s claim relates to the 2016 disclosure<\/a> by Ukrainian officials of over $12 million in payments to Manafort from the party of former Ukrainian President Yanukovych, who was ousted in the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.<\/p>\n
May 1, 2019: <\/strong>The New York Times reports<\/a> that conservative media has \u201cfanned\u201d scrutiny of Hunter Biden\u2019s dealings in Ukraine. The Times also writes that Giuliani discussed the Bidens\u2019 involvement in a Ukrainian corruption investigation with then-Ukrainian Prosecutor General Shokin and met with Lutsenko, Shokin\u2019s successor, \u201cmultiple times in New York.\u201d The Times reports that Lutsenko \u201clater told associates that, during one of the meetings, Mr. Giuliani called Mr. Trump excitedly to brief him on his findings.\u201d<\/p>\n
May 9, 2019: <\/strong>The New York Times writes<\/a> that Giuliani plans to go to Ukraine to talk with the Ukrainian administration about looking into \u201cmatters of intense interest to Trump,\u201d including Hunter Biden\u2019s business dealings in Ukraine. Giuliani claims that he and his team are \u201cmeddling in an investigation, which we have a right to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
May 11, 2019<\/strong>: The Washington Post reports<\/a> that Giuliani calls off his trip to Ukraine amid criticism of his plans.<\/p>\n
May 14, 2019<\/strong>: Giuliani tells<\/a> Sean Hannity that Hunter Biden\u2019s dealings in Ukraine are \u201ca case that is crying out to be investigated. If it doesn\u2019t get investigated, we just don\u2019t have equal justice in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n
May 16, 2019: <\/strong>In his capacity as Ukraine\u2019s prosecutor general, Lutsenko announces there is no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe or Hunter Biden, reports<\/a> Bloomberg.<\/p>\n
May 19, 2019: <\/strong>Trump tells<\/a> Fox News that Joe Biden pressured Ukraine to fire Shokin for looking into Hunter Biden.<\/p>\n
June 21, 2019:<\/strong> Giuliani urges Zelensky to investigate \u201cUkrainian interference in 2016 election and alleged Biden bribery of Pres Poroshenko\u201d on Twitter<\/a>. (Petro Poroshenko is the predecessor of President Zelensky and was in office at the time of Shokin\u2019s dismissal.)<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\nRudy Giuliani<\/strong>
<\/strong>@RudyGiuliani<\/a><\/a><\/p>\nNew Pres of Ukraine still silent on investigation of Ukrainian interference in 2016 election and alleged Biden bribery of Pres Poroshenko. Time for leadership and investigate both if you want to purge how Ukraine was abused by Hillary and Obama people.13.9K<\/a>8:04 AM – Jun 21, 2019<\/a> \u00b7 Queens, NY<\/a>Twitter Ads info and privacy<\/a>6,443 people are talking about this<\/a><\/p>\n
June 22, 2019:<\/strong> Ukrainian news outlet Hvylya writes<\/a> that this is not the first time Giuliani has tried to put pressure on Zelensky\u2019s administration, and that Zelensky and his team prefer not to align themselves with either U.S. political party.<\/p>\n
July 6, 2019: <\/strong>Zelensky says<\/a> that he hopes for Trump\u2019s assistance in countering the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline<\/a>\u2014a pipeline under construction from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, which Zelensky has opposed\u2014stating that Trump is the only person who would resolve the issue in Ukraine\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n
July 9, 2019: <\/strong>Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Valeriy Chaly says<\/a> representatives of Ukraine will go to Washington to prepare for a meeting between Zelensky and Trump. The ambassador says the Ukrainian impression that the U.S. expected Zelensky would not go was wrong. He says Zelensky and Trump would find chemistry, and had achieved chemistry in their previous telephone conversations.<\/p>\n
July 22, 2019: <\/strong>Buzzfeed News reports<\/a> that Americans with connections to Giuliani lobbied the Ukrainian government to investigate allegations against Joe Biden. The story states, \u201cIn a whirlwind of private meetings [the two envoys] \u2026 gathered repeatedly with top officials in Ukraine and set up meetings for Trump\u2019s attorney Rudy Giuliani as they turned up information that could be weaponized in the 2020 presidential race.\u201d<\/p>\n
July 22, 2019: <\/strong>Former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin tells<\/a> the Washington Post he was removed from his position because of efforts to investigate Burisma Holdings and Hunter Biden. Ukrainian anti-corruption experts disagreed, stating that Shokin was fired partly because of his refusal<\/em> to investigate Burisma.<\/p>\n
July 24, 2019: <\/strong>Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testifies before Congress. President Trump says<\/a> the testimony is a \u201cgreat day for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
July 25, 2019: <\/strong>The Ukrainian government releases<\/a> a statement saying that President Trump called Zelensky to congratulate him on his electoral victory and on \u201csuccessfully holding free and democratic parliamentary elections.\u201d The press release also reports that \u201cDonald 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
July 29, 2019<\/strong>: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo states<\/a> that the U.S. position is that Crimea must be returned to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
July 30, 2019<\/strong>: In an interview, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavel Klimkin says<\/a> he believes that Trump and Zelensky will have \u201cnormal personal contact.”<\/p>\n
July 31, 2019<\/strong>: Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko meets<\/a> with Giuliani in New York. Klitschko writes on Facebook<\/a> that the meeting was held at the invitation of his \u201cold friend and one of the world\u2019s most respected mayors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aug. 12, 2019: <\/strong>The Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (ICIG) receives a whistleblower complaint, which ICIG Michael Atkinson judges to be \u201ccredible\u201d and of \u201curgent concern\u201d to congressional intelligence committees. This is memorialized in a letter<\/a> sent to House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff and Ranking Member Devin Nunes. <\/p>\n
Aug. 21, 2019:<\/strong> The New York Times details<\/a> renewed efforts by Giuliani to urge the Ukrainian government to investigate the Bidens, including a meeting in Madrid with Andriy Yermak, a representative of the Ukrainian president, shortly after the July 2019 call between Trump and Zelensky. During that meeting, Giuliani reportedly urged that Ukraine investigate the connections between the Biden family and Burisma and whether Ukrainian officials tried to interfere with Trump\u2019s 2016 campaign. The Times reported that the president\u2019s lawyer was acting \u201cas a private citizen, with the knowledge and assistance of the State Department.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aug. 22, 2019: <\/strong>Rudy Giuliani confirms<\/a> to NBC News that the State Department connected him with Yermak.<\/p>\n
Aug. 28, 2019:<\/strong> Politico reports<\/a> that Trump refused to dispense $250 million in funds for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and that he had requested that his national security team review the funding \u201cin order to ensure the money is being used in the best interest of the United States.\u201d Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and then-National Security Adviser John Bolton were among the officials asked to review the funding.<\/p>\n
Aug. 28, 2019: <\/strong>Oleksandr Danyliuk, the head of Ukraine\u2019s National Defense and Security Council, meets with Bolton in Kyiv prior to the publication of the Politico story. Danyliuk later tells<\/a> Time magazine that Bolton never mentioned the withholding of funds and, instead, talked about ways to expand cooperation between the U.S. and Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Aug. 29, 2019: <\/strong>Ruslan Riaboshapka replaces<\/a> Yuriy Lutsenko as Ukraine\u2019s prosecutor general. He is a former deputy chief of staff for Zelensky and also served at the National Agency for Preventing Corruption until 2017, when he resigned in protest of ex-President Petro Poroshenko\u2019s influence over the agency.<\/p>\n
Sept. 1, 2019:<\/strong> The Ukrainian government releases<\/a> a statement about meetings that day between Vice President Mike Pence and Ukrainian officials, including Zelensky. The statement notes, \u201cZelenskyy discussed military-technical assistance for Ukraine and cooperation in the energy sphere with the U.S. Vice President.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sept. 2, 2019<\/strong>: In response to a question from the Associated Press, Pence denies<\/a> discussing Biden during his meeting with Zelensky the previous day. Pence says the two talked about \u201cthe upcoming decision the President will make on the latest tranche of financial support in great detail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sept. 3, 2019: <\/strong>Members of the bipartisan Ukraine Caucus in the Senate express<\/a> \u201cdeep concern\u201d to Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney over the reports<\/a> that funds for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative were not obligated.<\/p>\n
Sept 5, 2019: <\/strong>The Washington Post Editorial Board writes<\/a> that President Trump is holding up military aid to Ukraine in order to compel Ukrainian President Zelensky to investigate leading Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.<\/p>\n
Sept. 9, 2019: <\/strong>Three House committees launch<\/a> investigations into Trump and Giuliani\u2019s efforts to pressure the Ukrainian government to assist with Trump\u2019s reelection campaign by investigating the Bidens. The chairmen of the House Foreign Relations Committee, House Intelligence Committee and House Oversight Committee send letters to the White House<\/a> and State Department<\/a> announcing their investigation.<\/p>\n
Sept. 9, 2019: <\/strong>The ICIG sends<\/a> a letter to Schiff and Nunes, alerting them to the existence of an \u201curgent\u201d and \u201ccredible\u201d whistleblower complaint. The letter discloses that, despite the ICIG\u2019s assessment, Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Joseph Maguire does not believe he is required to transmit the complaint to Congress.<\/p>\n
Sept. 10, 2019: <\/strong> Schiff requests<\/a> the whistleblower complaint from the acting DNI.<\/p>\n
Sept. 11, 2019: <\/strong>TheTrump administration releases the previously withheld $250 in military assistance to Ukraine, reports<\/a> Politico.<\/p>\n
Sept. 13, 2019:<\/strong> Schiff issues<\/a> a subpoena to Maguire to compel the production of the whistleblower complaint.<\/p>\n
Sept. 13, 2019:<\/strong> Jason Klitenic, the general counsel for the ODNI, releases<\/a> a response to Schiff, stating that Maguire has a statutory obligation to share information with the intelligence committees.<\/p>\n
Sept. 17, 2019: <\/strong>The ICIG sends<\/a> another letter to Schiff and Nunes indicating his disagreement with Maguire\u2019s determination that no disclosure to Congress was needed.<\/p>\n
Sept. 17, 2019: <\/strong>Klitenic issues<\/a> another letter expressing disappointment that the House subpoenaed documents and demanded Maguire\u2019s testimony.<\/p>\n
Sept. 18, 2019: <\/strong>The Washington Post reports<\/a> the whistleblower complaint concerns communications between Trump and a foreign leader, as well as a \u201cpromise\u201d involved in those communications. <\/p>\n
Sept. 18, 2019<\/strong>: Trump tweets<\/a>:<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\nDonald J. Trump<\/strong>
<\/strong>@realDonaldTrump<\/a><\/a><\/p>\nAll Polls, and some brand new Polls, show very little support for impeachment. Such a waste of time, especially with sooo much good that could be done, including prescription drug price reduction, healthcare, infrastructure etc.93.6K<\/a>6:42 PM – Sep 18, 2019<\/a>Twitter Ads info and privacy<\/a>44.8K people are talking about this<\/a><\/p>\n
Sept. 19, 2019: <\/strong>The House Intelligence Committee conducts a closed-door hearing with ICIG Atkinson, who does not provide specifics on the complaint<\/a>. Schiff later tells<\/a> reporters that the U.S. Department of Justice played a role in influencing the decision to withhold a whistleblower complaint from Congress.<\/p>\n
Sept. 19, 2019<\/strong>: Trump tweets<\/a>:<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\nDonald J. Trump<\/strong>
<\/strong>@realDonaldTrump<\/a> \u00b7 Sep 19, 2019<\/a><\/a><\/p>\nAnother Fake News story out there – It never ends! Virtually anytime I speak on the phone to a foreign leader, I understand that there may be many people listening from various U.S. agencies, not to mention those from the other country itself. No problem!<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\nDonald J. Trump<\/strong>
<\/strong>@realDonaldTrump<\/a><\/p>\n….Knowing all of this, is anybody dumb enough to believe that I would say something inappropriate with a foreign leader while on such a potentially \u201cheavily populated\u201d call. I would only do what is right anyway, and only do good for the USA!88.3K<\/a>7:47 AM – Sep 19, 2019<\/a>Twitter Ads info and privacy<\/a>60.7K people are talking about this<\/a><\/p>\n
Sept. 19, 2019: <\/strong>The Washington Post reports<\/a> that the whistleblower complaint involves a conversation between Trump and the president of Ukraine. The Post notes that the only call on record between Trump and Zelensky occurred on July 25.<\/p>\n
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