Page:Impeachment of Donald J. Trump, President of the United States — Report of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives.pdf/102

 in this scheme or course of conduct for corrupt purposes in pursuit of personal political benefit."

To evaluate whether President Trump acted in pursuit of personal political advantage, the Committee has carefully considered the full evidentiary record, as well as arguments put forth by the Minority in its "Report of Evidence in the Democrats' Impeachment Inquiry in the House of Representatives" (the "Minority" or the "Minority Report") seeking to demonstrate that the President acted in pursuit of legitimate policy goals. Consistent with past practice and constitutional requirements, the Committee has focused not on reasons that could have motivated the President's conduct, but rather on what the record shows about his actual motives. After all, "[t]he Framers designed impeachment to root out abuse and corruption, even when a President masks improper intent with cover stories." The question is therefore whether "the evidence tells a story that does not match the [asserted] explanation."

a.The July 25 Call and its Background

On President Trump's July 25 phone call with President Zelensky, President Trump referenced two very specific investigations. Then, in describing who he wanted Ukraine to investigate, President Trump mentioned only two people by name: former Vice President Biden and his son. He also referred more generally to investigating the 2016 United States Presidential election, but reserved specificity for the Bidens. He used their name three times on the call.

Any presumptions of good faith that the President might normally enjoy must be suspended when he calls a foreign leader and asks that leader to investigate a United States citizen who is also an announced candidate in the primaries for the next Presidential election. To be sure, the call summary "contains no reference to 2020 or President Trump's reelection bid." But for good reason, multiple officials on the call immediately understood that President Trump was soliciting President Zelensky to announce an investigation into his political opponent. As Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman testified, "I thought it was wrong. I thought it was wrong for the President of the United States to call for an investigation of—call a foreign power to investigate a U.S. citizen." Jennifer Williams, an