By MICHAEL TAVOLIERO
Two key moments in US-Ukraine relations involving President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have defined American politics and foreign policy.
The first, a phone call in 2019 between President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy, led to the impeachment of a sitting US president.
The second, a 2025 meeting between Democratic lawmakers and Zelenskyy, allegedly led to the rejection of a peace agreement, prolonging the war and ensuring thousands more deaths.
Yet only one event was treated as a national scandal—while the other remains ignored by the media and unexamined by Congress.
Remember the infamous Trump-Zelenskyy phone call of 2019. This was the foundation of Trump’s first impeachment.
On the July 25, 2019, phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Trump requested that Ukraine investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, regarding their involvement with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
Specifically, President Trump stated:
“The other thing, there’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution, and a lot of people want to find out about that, so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it. It sounds horrible to me.”
The call was leaked, framed as an abuse of power, and used as grounds for Trump’s first impeachment in December 2019.
Trump was impeached by House Democrats on charges of “abuse of power” and “obstruction of Congress.” The call was portrayed as a pressure tactic to influence U.S. elections. Trump was acquitted in the Senate, but the event was weaponized politically against him.
What do we know about the February 28, 2025, meeting between Senator Chris Murphy, other unnamed Democrats, and Zelenskyy?
On Feb. 28, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met privately in Washington, D.C., with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and other unnamed Democratic lawmakers. This meeting occurred just before Zelenskyy was scheduled to finalize a mineral deal with President Trump—a deal widely viewed as a steppingstone toward a ceasefire with Russia.
Following this closed-door meeting, Zelenskyy abruptly reversed course, rejecting the agreement and engaging in a heated public confrontation with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance. As a result, the deal collapsed entirely, prolonging the war and ensuring the continuation of U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
While details of what was discussed remain undisclosed, the timing and immediate consequences of this meeting raise serious concerns about whether Democratic lawmakers deliberately influenced Zelenskyy to sabotage the potential peace process. The full list of attendees and what was said behind closed doors remain critical questions that demand further investigation.
Sen. Murphy later admitted the meeting took place, posting on X (formerly Twitter):
“Just finished a meeting with President Zelensky here in Washington. He confirmed that the Ukrainian people will not support a fake peace agreement where Putin gets everything he wants and there are no security arrangements for Ukraine.”
This failure orchestrated by Murphy and other unnamed Democrats promulgated the continuation of the Ukraine-Russia war. This failure will plainly lead to thousands of additional deaths, the potential of U.S. after the midterms to continue funneling billions in military aid, and benefiting defense contractors.
It also denied Trump a diplomatic win, keeping Ukraine a political pawn.
But now the question remains: Who else was there?
Which Democratic lawmakers attended the meeting with Zelenskyy?
Did any intelligence officials or members of Biden’s administration play a role?
Was classified information used to steer Zelenskyy away from peace?
Did any of these officials have financial ties to defense contractors profiting from war?
If Trump’s phone call was treated as an impeachable offense, why has Murphy’s closed-door meeting, which allegedly derailed peace, not faced the same scrutiny?
The Double Standard: Why was Trump impeached but the Murphy gang walks free?
We all know Trump’s call with Zelenskyy was a diplomatic conversation in which he inquired about Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine and then-Vice President Joe Biden’s involvement with Burisma. The call also aimed to investigate potential corruption related to US-Ukraine relations at the time.
Senator Murphy’s meeting, along with other unnamed Democrats, directly interfered with a president’s diplomatic efforts to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine. This interference contributed to the continuation of the war, leading to further deaths and displacement, with approximately 15.23% of Ukraine’s pre-war population directly impacted by casualties and forced migration.
Trump’s 2019 phone call was a request for an investigation.
Murphy’s 2025 secret meeting may have manipulated a foreign leader into rejecting a peace deal.
One was considered an impeachable offense, the other ignored entirely.
Trump’s call did not lead to war—the Murphy gang’s actions ensures more deaths and destruction
No one died because of Trump’s phone call.
Murphy’s meeting contributed to thousands of additional deaths in Ukraine and Russia.
Trump was accused of political pressure—the Murphy Gang’s meeting was overt political sabotage
Trump was accused of “pressuring” Zelenskyy for political gain.
Murphy and other Democrats allegedly influenced Zelenskyy to reject a peace deal, prolonging war for political leverage.
What must Republicans do?
Grow a set!
If Trump was impeached for a diplomatic phone call, then Murphy and any other Democratic lawmakers involved in the 2025 meeting must face consequences for undermining diplomacy and prolonging war.
Demand a full Congressional investigation
- Identify every Democratic lawmaker present at the Zelenskyy meeting.
- Determine if classified intelligence was used to pressure Zelenskyy.
- Investigate whether this meeting violated diplomatic protocols.
Invoke the Logan Act (18 U.S.C. § 953)
- The Logan Act prohibits unauthorized individuals from negotiating with foreign governments in disputes involving the U.S.
- Did Murphy and others illegally interfere in official U.S. diplomacy?
Introduce a motion to censure or expel Murphy and other officials
- If Trump was impeached for a phone call, Murphy and others should face congressional censure or expulsion for backroom sabotage.
Expose the financial connections to defense contractors
- Who in Congress profits from prolonging the war?
- Did anyone involved in the meeting have financial stakes in military aid and arms production?
- Is Ukraine a complex money laundering operation designed to perpetuate campaign support for a select group of politicians?
Final question: Will Republicans act, or will this be buried?
If Trump’s phone call warranted an impeachment, then Murphy’s meeting, which allegedly torpedoed peace and cost lives, is a national scandal that demands equal or harsher consequences.
Will Republicans demand accountability and expose who else was involved?
Or will this, like so many Beltway crimes, be swept under the rug?
If Republicans fail to act, they send a clear message which will end their control of Congress in 2026:
Political power is above justice.
War is more valuable than peace.
The establishment will protect its own—at any cost.
The American people deserve answers. Who was in that room, and why did they block peace?
Senator Murkowski’s public reaction to that meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy’s was a mere copy from the predictable democrat media release. Either she did not analyze the video for herself to find out what actually happened or her pathological TDS kicked in to fuel her typical Trump vitriol. Probably both. She was totally off base from what took place. Zelenskyy is now apologizing for his insulting behavior at that meeting. Unfortunately this is what we routinely get from Alaska’s senior senator. Alaska deserves better.
maybe Dems should listen to John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” & pay attention to the lyrics.
“ALL we are saying is give peace a chance” …… Go Trump.