If they were so concerned about corruption in Ukraine, why send them weapons?

[The Revolution]

Just heard one of Trump's lawyers lying about how concerned they were about corruption in Ukraine and saying that was the reason they held up the aid. They were just being responsible, see?

But this whole time they've been bragging about sending 'lethal' aid. If you thought Ukraine was so corrupt and untrustworthy, why the fuck did you give them weapons systems? If people there were so corrupt, how do you know they weren't just going to turn around and sell those weapons to terrorists or North Korea or someone else?

I really hope some asks about this.

[IggleDuer]

1. That could be why the Obama administration didn't give the Ukraine weapons.

The Repubicans are mocking the Obama administration for giving “only” blankets and MRE’s. At that time, VP Biden pushed Ukraine to weed out their corruption and withholding weaponry.

[MissMillie]

2. Not just that

but before Zelensky came into office, when the corruption was rampant, The U.S. approved (and Trump sent) a boatload of money to Ukraine. I think I heard Rep. Schiff say it was over $500 million in 2017 and over $500 million in $2018.

What was different in 2019? Joe Biden announced his candidacy for President.

[jmg257]

3. Apparently trump did so reluctantly

"But current and former officials who were privy to the decision in December 2017 to provide the missiles to Ukraine told Foreign Policy that Trump had been reluctant to go ahead with the move and only did so when aides persuaded him that it could be good for U.S. business."
...
In a transcript released this week, Croft testified that in response to a request for Javelins made by then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Trump said that Ukraine should pay for the weapons itself. The U.S. president said that Ukraine was capable of being a wealthy country if it wasn’t for corruption.

Current and former officials told Foreign Policy that only when aides persuaded Trump of the business case to give Ukraine the Javelins did he sign off on the decision. They successfully argued that if the United States provided the missiles first as aid paid for by a U.S. grant, then the Ukrainians would come back later to buy more out of their own pockets.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/11/15/trump-resisted-ukraine-sale-javelin-antitank-missile/

[COLGATE4]

4. Except for the fact that the government had to first certify that

Ukraine was sufficiently corruption-free before the aid could be authorized. It did and it was. This is just silly Trump after the fact excuse #1736.

[Talitha]

5. They didn't seem to be worried until Joe Biden announced.