Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019 | 2 a.m.
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One of the core issues of the impeachment hearings concerns the release of military aid to Ukraine in exchange for fighting corruption inside that country.
In 2017, the United States spent over $46 billion in foreign aid. Over 38.5% of that went to 10 countries, including Afghanistan ($4.89 billion), Jordan ($1.38 billion), Ethiopia ($943 million), South Sudan ($922 million), Kenya ($899 million), Pakistan ($892 million), Nigeria ($644 million), Uganda ($608 million) and Iraq. Any corruption there?
The U.S. has committed more than $1.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since 2014. In providing this aid, did President Donald Trump ever make it contingent on investigating Joe Biden or corruption in general? Of course not. So, why now? Simple: because now Biden could be his political opponent.
The Constitution lays out three reasons for impeaching a president or other official: “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving or soliciting of something of value for the purpose of influencing the action of an official in the discharge of his or her public or legal duties.
The purpose of that call to Ukraine was to extort dirt on Trump’s political enemy in exchange for money. It had nothing to do with our national interests.
