What’s up with the whistleblower scandal?

Alice Webster, student editor

By now, most people have probably heard about the conversation between Donald Trump and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Most have also probably heard that the House of Representatives is beginning an impeachment inquiry because of it. But what does all this really mean?

First, it is important to detail why the phone call between Trump and Zelensky was a breach of conduct. Trump was trying to dig up dirt on Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden, who used to work on the board of a Ukranian energy company. This is not just corrupt but illegal as well. The chair of the Federal Election Committee tweeted, “I would not have thought I needed to say this… it is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election.” 

It is also important to discuss what exactly Trump was trying to learn from Zelensky. It was apparently Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s lawyer since the Mueller investigation, who believed there was much to be gained from soliciting Ukraine. Although he did want to know other things, Giuliani was mostly focused on Hunter Biden. Although the board he worked on was prone to scandal, there is no evidence of his involvement and much less his father’s. 

The last question many are asking is whether impeachment is actually possible, to which the answer is maybe, but not necessarily in the way one may think. The impeachment process only occurs in the House, which is currently in Democratic control, but the removal of the President is done by the Senate, which while being majorly Republican is becoming increasingly anti-Trump. There is no guarantee that either impeachment or removal will be completed at this point, especially because many Trump supporters are disputing the fact that he broke the law. It is safe to say, however, that if enough access to White House documents and goings on is granted to impeach, the majority of the Trump Administration will go down with him as accomplices. 

The United States has been in a state of political turmoil since the first months of the Trump presidency. Even if his known crimes are enough to impeach and remove him, it is unlikely that this state will die down quickly or easily.