Giuliani Is a Sideshow. Trump's Abuse of Power Is the Main Event.

The news that two associates of Rudy Giuliani have been charged with funneling illegal campaign contributions from Ukraine to the United States is inevitably intriguing to Democrats leading an impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. But it’s important to avoid going down a rabbit hole of Ukraine-Trump connections. That could distract the public from the core issue: That Trump pressured the president of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in exchange for releasing military aid.

To be sure, the dirty details that are beginning to emerge from the indictment of Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman are fascinating in their own right. Prosecutors say that these two naturalized U.S. citizens — one born in Ukraine, the other Belarus — were trying to buy a U.S. congressman as a well as state officials in Nevada. At more or less the same time, the men seem to have been telling people in Ukrainian political circles that they could speak on behalf of President Trump. Crucially, they may have helped lay the groundwork for Giuliani to deliver the message that Ukraine should investigate Biden. (The indictment does not name Giuliani or Trump, who have both defended their behavior in the Ukraine matter.)