Recent events, including President Donald Trump’s own admissions, show that the president of the United States used his position to try to extort the government of Ukraine for assistance investigating an American citizen connected with his political rival with the goal of obtaining information that would be helpful to his reelection efforts. In doing so, he invited foreign interference in the U.S. presidential election. These actions violate U.S. national security in five ways:
- Trump violated his oath of office and abused his power.
- Trump undermined U.S. national security interests for his own personal gain.
- The Trump administration has attempted to hide its wrongdoing by abusing classified systems and threatening whistleblowers, which is illegal and undermines U.S. national security.
- The threat is ongoing. If he is not held accountable, Trump will continue to corrupt U.S. foreign relations and put the country’s national security interests at grave risk.
- Trump’s actions are inflicting lasting damage to American alliances, security partnerships, and standing in the world.