Timothy L. O'Brien, Columnist

Don’t Focus on Ukraine Aid. Focus on the Phone Call.

Trump put self-interest above national interest. That’s abuse of power.

September 24, 2019 at 3:48 PM UTC

Timothy L. O'Brien is senior executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion. A former editor and reporter for the New York Times, he is author of “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald.”

It’s the call that counts.
Photographer: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

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The Washington Post unloaded another seminal scoop Monday night in the chronicle of President Donald Trump’s reckless phone calls around the world.

The Post’s reporting, since confirmed by Bloomberg News and other media outlets, revealed that Trump told his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to withhold about $400 million in military aid for Ukraine at least a week before the president phoned his counterpart in the Ukraine in July and asked him to unearth dirt about a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. Per the Post’s reporting, the White House wanted to keep the aid block sub rosa: