Anyone who does not see what the 7/25 phone call was all about (given the full context) is either a rube or just a blind partisan loyalist.
Trump is a transactional guy, and has no ethical boundaries. Not even clear whether he understands that Barr is not his personal lawyer, or that Guliani is not a government lawyer.
In the wake of what happened in 2016 and the subsequent Mueller investigation, it is beyond the pale that Trump would even think of treading into "collusion" waters, especially given the ongoing concerns by the nation of election tampering or hacking in 2020.
Obviously, Trump believes he is bullet proof, especially with Barr running DOJ, and the fiercely loyal GOP majority in the Senate.
Ukraine is a vulnerable country, frightened of Putin (next door), and very dependent upon the US. Zelinsky is newly elected. He is vulnerable to pressure. Trump knew all that.
Trump dangled Congressional approved military aid as leverage to get Ukraine to stir up a criminal investigation against Biden. [Putin does this all the time in Russia, to eliminate challengers]. Even assuming arguendo some of you do not see a direct quid pro quo, the "do me a favor" pitch coupled with "the United States is very good to Ukraine" is an implied threat, at a minimum. And don't for a second think that Trump was speaking on behalf of the United States. He was using his presidential powers to secure a personal favor.
There is a reason why red flags went up immediately in the West Wing, causing a cover up. No one would have known of this phone call, but for the whistleblower -- someone who actually understands what an oath means.
When the WB complaint surfaced, the West Wing and Barr endeavored to block it. It backfired. Trump's story changed hourly.
We cannot have a President asking a foreign sovereign to cook up an investigation against a political rival (using his personal lawyer as the "bag man"), and worse, using military aid (earmarked by Congress as part of our national security) as additional pressure to "play ball."
Witnesses need to be vetted. Of course.
But, it goes to the Senate. I do not care if Trump is acquitted. He stands trial, and he understands he is not immune from these type of shenanigans. Let the GOP vote to acquit. Show us your true colors.
Edits: Typos and poor writing