The Ukraine Scandal- Part-07
How Shadow Diplomacy Almost Took Down a Presidency.
As the 2020 election approached, Donald Trump faced a growing fear:
Exposure.
- Exposure of his hidden financial ties.
- Exposure of foreign influence.
- Exposure of the legal risks now swirling around his presidency.
To protect himself, Trump’s network launched a desperate shadow operation —
one that would trigger his first impeachment.
📈 Key Points for Part 07
🔵 The Players in the Shadow Diplomacy Operation
Rudy Giuliani (Trump’s personal lawyer)
- Ran unofficial foreign policy missions in Ukraine.
Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman
- Businessmen tied to Russian-Ukrainian oligarchs; ran "back-channel"
pressure campaigns.
Trump Administration Insiders
- Some officials tried to stop it (e.g., National Security Council staff), but
the back-channels continued.
🔵 The Ukraine Plot
Goal: Pressure Ukraine to announce investigations into:
- Joe Biden (Trump’s main political rival).
- Hunter Biden (Biden’s son and his business ties).
Trump personally withheld military aid to Ukraine —
- Attempted to use U.S. taxpayer dollars as leverage for personal political gain.
- Famous Call:
Trump’s July 25, 2019 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"I would like you to do us a favor though…"
🔵 Lev Parnas’s Shadow Diplomacy Revelations
Lev Parnas later provided Congress with:
- Phone records.
- Memos.
- Firsthand testimony confirming Giuliani and Trump’s involvement.
Parnas detailed how unofficial networks — not official diplomats — were steering U.S. foreign policy based on Trump’s personal interests, not American national security.
🔵 The First Impeachment (December 2019)
- Trump became the third president in U.S. history to be impeached by the House of Representatives.
Charges:
- Abuse of Power (using his office to pressure Ukraine for political favors).
- Obstruction of Congress (refusing to comply with lawful subpoenas).
Senate trial (early 2020):
- Trump acquitted along party lines — but the facts of the Ukraine scandal were permanently exposed.
📢 Next up: Trump’s Art of the Deal Chronicles — Part 08:
The Financial Walls Close In: Lawsuits, Subpoenas, and the Hunt for Hidden Assets.