There was no quid pro quo
"There was no quid pro quo" was a phrase frequently employed by Donald Trump and his supporters in reference to the Trump–Ukraine scandal during the first impeachment of Donald Trump, denying that a quid pro quo extortion attempt had taken place.[1][2]
History
[edit]After Bill Taylor wrote to then-ambassador Gordon Sondland,"...I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign" on September 8, 2019, Sondland asked Trump "What do you want from Ukraine?", to which Trump responded by saying "Nothing. There is no quid pro quo."[3][4][5]
Trump first publicly used the term on September 22, 2019, speaking to reporters about his phone call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.[6] On September 25, at a press conference in New York, Trump again denied extortion of Ukraine by saying "I didn’t do it. There was no quid pro quo."[7]
On October 17, 2019, Mick Mulvaney, then-White House Chief of Staff, said in a press meeting: "Let me be clear, there was absolutely no quid pro quo between Ukrainian military aid and any investigation into the 2016 election."[8]
Press interpretation
[edit]Some newspapers, including NBC[3] and CNN,[6] have characterized Trump's use of the phrase as a means of sidetracking the charges actually levied against him: abuse of power. A quid pro quo was established early in the first impeachment trial of Donald Trump.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Santucci, Jeanine (18 October 2022). "How the Trump White House's messaging evolved on whether there was a Ukraine quid pro quo". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ^ Martin, Rachel (October 26, 2019). "From Simple Exchange To Shakedown: The Evolution Of 'Quid Pro Quo'". NPR. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ^ a b Kanefield, Teri (23 October 2019). "Opinion | 'No quid pro quo?' Why Trump's impeachment defense sounds a lot like his Mueller defense". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ^ Davis, Aaron; Hudson, John. "Trump's envoy to testify that 'no quid pro quo' came from Trump". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Graham, David A. (2019-10-22). "William Taylor Delivers the Smoking Gun". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ^ a b Wolf, Zachary B. (2019-10-23). "'No quid pro quo': How Trump wants to sidetrack impeachment | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ^ Stracqualursi, Veronica (2019-09-26). "Quid pro quo: What it means | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ^ Wu, John Fritze, David Jackson and Nicholas. "Mick Mulvaney acknowledges Trump held up aid to pressure Ukraine, then rows back". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Phillips, Amber. "Ambassador Taylor lays out how he understood the quid pro quo". Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020.
- Qiu, Linda (2019-10-18). "15 Times Trump and His Allies Claimed 'No Quid Pro Quo". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-15. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022.