Part of this was about good old fashioned influence buying. According to the indictment, the two were involved in a scheme to “funnel foreign money to candidates for federal and state office so that the defendants could buy potential influence with candidates, campaigns, and the candidates’ governments.” The defendants used a limited liability corporation to hide some of the contributions. Some of this was just about corrupt business, such as getting a recreational marijuana business going in Nevada. (They didn’t necessarily do it well. After using funding from “Foreign National 1” to support a lobbying campaign of state and federal officials to help with their license acquisition efforts, the group missed the deadline to apply for a marijuana license. At this point, one of the defendants allegedly told others of the missed deadline “2 months too late to the game unless we change the rules.”)
But more interesting than the details of the petty influence peddling efforts are the allegations in the complaint that the purpose was to further the bigger political goals of the co-conspirators. According to the Wall Street Journal, the defendants funneled $325,000 to a pro-Trump Super PAC. They then worked with the president’s personal attorney, Giuliani, to remove the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. (They further allegedly sought to lobby an unnamed Congressman to seek the ambassador’s removals.) The apparent goal was to move her out of the way so Giuliani, on Trump’s behalf, could pressure Ukraine prosecutors to dig up or fabricate dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter. All of this is at the center of Congress’ impeachment inquiry of the president, and House Democrats were reportedly due to seek to depose the two men as critical witnesses prior to their arrest.