Page:Impeachment of Donald J. Trump, President of the United States — Report of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives.pdf/454

 President Zelensky Feared Becoming "A Pawn" in U.S. Reelection Campaign

Around this time, senior Ukrainian officials informed U.S. officials that the new Ukrainian president did not want Ukraine to become enmeshed in U.S. domestic reelection politics.

On July 20, Ambassador Taylor spoke with Mr. Danyliuk, the Ukrainian national security advisor, who conveyed that President Zelensky "did not want to be used as a pawn in a U.S. reelection campaign."$545$ Ambassador Taylor discussed President Zelensky's concern with Ambassador Volker and, the next day, texted Ambassador Sondland:

Ambassador Taylor explained that his reference to "Washington domestic reelection politics" was "a reference to the investigations that Mr. Giuliani wanted to pursue."$546$

According to Ambassador Taylor, President Zelensky understood what President Trump and Mr. Giuliani meant by "investigations," and "he did not want to get involved." Specifically, the Ukrainians understood that the "investigations were pursuant to Mr. Giuliani's request to develop information, to find information about Burisma and the Bidens. This was very well known in public. Mr. Giuliani had made this point clear in several instances in the beginning—in the springtime."$547$ Ambassador Taylor also testified that the "whole thrust" of the activities undertaken by Mr. Giuliani and Ambassador Sondland "was to get these investigations, which Danyliuk and presumably Zelensky were resisting because they didn't want to be seen to be interfering but also to be a pawn."$548$

Despite the Ukrainian resistance, Ambassador Sondland said he believed that the public announcement of investigations would "fix" an impasse between the Ukrainian government and President Trump. When asked what he meant by "irrespective of the pretext" in his July 21 text message to Ambassador Taylor, Ambassador Sondland explained, "Well, the pretext being the agreed-upon interview or the agreed-upon press statement. We just need to get by it so that the two can meet, because, again, it was back to once they meet, all of this will be fixed."$549$

Witnesses Confirmed the President Conditioned an Oval Office Meeting on Investigations

Multiple witnesses testified that the conditioning of an Oval Office meeting on President Zelensky's announcement of investigations to benefit the President's reelection campaign came from the very top: President Trump.