An impossible position

Mark Sumner of Daily Kos explains that the situation between the nasty guy and Ukraine that is the subject of the impeachment inquiry.

In other words, after decades of being lectured by the United States to clean up their act on corruption, Trump’s team came to town *insisting on corruption* as the price of doing business with the United States. And Trump’s play to pay scheme put the incoming administration in an almost impossible position. To get U.S. military assistance, packages first had to pass a Congress still insisting that Ukraine play by the rules. But the gatekeeper on that assistance was Donald Trump, who made it clear that breaking the rules was his price for delivery.
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Ignore Trump’s demands, and the White House could sit on the current aid package until it expired. Give in, and Congress might be less enthusiastic about directing more funds to Kyiv. And all the while Russian forces were pounding away at Donbass.

After being urged by Rudy Giuliani, Gordon Sondland, and Kurt Volker, Ukrainian President Zelensky was set to make the announcement the nasty guy wanted on September 13.

Then the whistleblower complaint reached Congress and the aid was released on September 12.