That is what the American President was proposing to the President of Ukraine—that an American citizen, or two, be subject to the mercies of a foreign judicial system known to be corrupt.
Extraordinary rendition, the secret transfer of suspected terrorists to foreign countries for “enhanced interrogation” was first initiated, as far as we know, under Clinton/Gore and then Bush/Cheney relied on it so the U.S. could claim, “we don’t do torture.”
Roger Ebert had a nice summary in his review of the 2007 movie, “Rendition.”
Given that the official U.S. policy justifying our refusal to participate in the International Court of Justice at the Hauge is that our legal system is so superior no American should be subject to any other, Donald John Trump offering to hand over the Bidens to Ukraine is really beyond the pale. No wonder the U.S. Senate was reluctant to go into more detail.
Bush/Cheney, of course, had the excuse that as Commander-in-Chief prosecuting a war under the aegis of the Congressional Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF), the President could not be charged with violating the law.
Donald John Trump has been impeached, not because, true to form, he managed to make the extraordinary ordinary in the interest of serving himself, but because so many people participated in a really gross violation of the national interest.
It wasn’t, as John Bolton referred to it, a “drug deal,” but it was a plot by a bunch of idiots to commit a high crime. President Zelensky had the good sense to smell a rat. What his predescessor did to secure the acquisition of defensive weapons is, so far, unknown. We only know that Lev Parnas claims to have knowledge of prior quid pro quos.
Given that Pence, Perry, Sondland and others were all willing participants in a witless enterprise that was ultimately foiled, removing Trump hardly seems worth while.
The next administration will have a hell of a job cleaning out the stables and it won’t be done in a day.