The knives came out for former President Donald Trump the day he launched his 2016 presidential run and continued to follow him throughout his presidency. First came the Russia hoax that, despite its ultimate failure, managed to inflict irreparable damage on his presidency.

Demoralized that their efforts to prevent Trump from taking over the White House had failed, and desperate to find a new plan to remove him from office, Democrats then seized upon a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. They accused Trump of engaging in a quid pro quo with Zelensky, promising financial aid to Ukraine if Zelensky agreed to investigate then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s role as Ukraine’s “point man” for the Obama administration. Believing he had nothing to hide, Trump voluntarily released a readout of their conversation.