Thread by @apolyakova

Very useful timeline: Trump, Giuliani, Biden, and Ukrainegate.
justsecurity.org/66271/timeline…

Important to note a few things: 1. Lutsenko (Ukraine's prosecutor general who on March 20 gives an interview to the Hill) says that he will open an investigation...

2/ "into whether his country’s law enforcement apparatus intentionally leaked financial records during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign about then-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort in an effort to sway the election in favor of Hillary Clinton."

3/ this is in the run up to Ukraine's April 21 presidential election, which Poroshenko looks likely to lose, which means that Lutsenko will also lose his job.

In the interview, Lutsenko also alleges that the US ambassador (who Trump calls "the woman" who was "bad news")...

4/ has made disparaging comments about Trump.

Why did Lutsenko say this? Again, it's the run up to the election and the US Ambassador has been publicly (and rightfully) criticizing the Ukrainian gov for not doing enough on corruption

5/ she gave a speech on March 5 calling a recent constitutional court decision a "serious setback in the fight against corruption" ua.usembassy.gov/remarks-by-amb…

this is 15 days before the Hill interview on March 20

6/ Poroshenko/Lutsenko were not happy about this and other criticisms, especially as the election nears. But what to do? This is the US Ambassador, after all

So in a seeming attempt to go around the US Embassy, Lutsenko's seems to decide to go straight the WH through the media

7/ The Hill interview is picked up by Hannity, then Don Jr tweets about the Ambassador on March 24. The Ambassador is eventually dismissed in May.

The Ukrainians couldn't have spun this themselves. Giuliani was likely pulling the strings behind the spin.

8/ Most amazing thing: after Poroshenko loses and Lutsenko knows he will be out, he takes it all back on May 14 when he tells Bloomberg that the is "no evidence of wrongdoing" by either of the Bidens

9/ and here we are.