Trump insists he was asking Ukraine's Zelensky for a 'favor' on behalf of America, not himself

Trump shown on TV during impeachment hearing
(Image credit: Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

President Trump argued Wednesday night that in his infamous July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky, he was trying to help the United States — not himself or his re-election campaign — by requesting investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and a debunked Kremlin-linked conspiracy theory that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 presidential election, not Russia. After all, Trump noted in his tweet, he asked Zelensky to "do us a favor though" after Zelensky brought up U.S. military aid, not "do me a favor."

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The July 25 phone call — or at least a whistleblower complaint that referenced it — sparked the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry. But Democrats pretty quickly started uncovering evidence of a longer, wider-ranging plot involving Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani — whom Trump also mentioned in the call — to exert various forms of pressure on Ukraine, including withholding nearly $400 million in military, to force the Zelenksy government to announce an investigation into Biden. For America, apparently.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.