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Trump–Ukraine scandal facts for kids

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A request by U.S. President Trump (right) to Ukrainian President Zelensky (left) to investigate Joe Biden and his son sparked the controversy.

The Trump–Ukraine scandal was a political scandal in the United States.

In October 2019, a whistleblower anonymously complained that U.S. President Donald Trump, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and other high-ranking Trump administration members had made phonecalls with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, asking him to have the Ukrainian government investigate Joe Biden, who was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic primaries at the time; as well as his son Hunter Biden, in exchange for keeping U.S. military aid to Ukraine. The complaint raised concerns that Trump was asking for other countries to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.

The controversy led to an impeachment inquiry against Trump. Because of the scandal, Trump was formally impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on December 18, 2019. However, the Senate voted to clear Trump of charges.

Images for kids

  • Volodymyr Zelensky Official portrait

    Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky

  • Volodymyr Zelensky 2019 presidential inauguration 45 (cropped)

    Former Secretary of Energy Rick Perry with Zelensky at Zelensky's inauguration, May 2019

  • Marie L. Yovanovitch

    Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine was prematurely released from her post because of her anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine, and because she disagreed with the shadow diplomacy taking place under Giuliani and President Trump.

  • U.S. Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis greets the National Security Advisor-designate John R. Bolton at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C

    John Bolton (left) with then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in March 2018. Fiona Hill testified that Bolton told her, "Giuliani's a hand grenade who's going to blow everybody up."

  • George Kent US State Dept

    George Kent is Deputy Assistant Secretary in the European and Eurasian Bureau at the U.S. Department of State, overseeing policy towards Ukraine.

  • US delegation at inauguration of Volodymyr Zelensky, May 20, 2019

    Gordon Sondland (far right) at the inauguration of Volodymyr Zelensky on May 20, 2019

  • Pence and US delegation meets with Zelensky in Warsaw

    Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. delegation meet with President Zelensky in Warsaw on September 1, 2019

  • Volodymyr Zelensky 2019 presidential inauguration 37

    Ukrainian President Zelensky with Kurt Volker and Rick Perry, May 2019

  • George Stephanopoulos crop

    George Stephanopoulos described the details of the CrowdStrike conspiracy theory as "both convoluted and false".

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Controversia Trump-Ucrania para niños

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