When Justice Department officials examined whether Trump’s call w/Zelensky violated campaign-finance laws—and concluded it didn’t—they didn’t take into consideration that Trump was withholding aid to Ukraine, officials told @sgurman.https://t.co/w9idcAwT8i— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) September 25, 2019
There seem to be a lot of them on the ground this morning.
The full @PamelaBrownCNN quote continued: "...but he did sort of tee up the request by saying, look, we’re very, the US is very helpful to Ukraine in comparison to European countries." https://t.co/yKJzH0ug6A— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) September 25, 2019
Going down smooth.
The full @PamelaBrownCNN quote continued: "...but he did sort of tee up the request by saying, look, we’re very, the US is very helpful to Ukraine in comparison to European countries." https://t.co/yKJzH0ug6A— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) September 25, 2019
And along the way we find out just what tipped Speaker Pelosi:
EXCLUSIVE, from me: Inside @SpeakerPelosi's pre-impeachment call with @realDonaldTrump. She was once the top Dem on Intelligence Committee. He asked about whistle-blower & impeachment. "Mr. President," she told him, "you have come into my wheelhouse." https://t.co/1DF6ODdFde— Sheryl Gay Stolberg (@SherylNYT) September 25, 2019
But back to the "transcript":
Takeaway:— Charlie Savage (@charlie_savage) September 25, 2019
1. Trump asked for investigation into Bidens, along w/ one to undermine fact that Russia hacked DNC
2. Immediately before asking for this "favor," Trump brought up US aid (which he just froze) & said Ukraine hadn't been as good to US as it couldhttps://t.co/DIlxtOoNx9
As the lawyers say:
Quid, meet quo. https://t.co/agt0oDCvpT— George Conway (@gtconway3d) September 25, 2019
And remember, this is not playing out in a court of law:
SCHIFF: "What those notes reflect is a classic mafia-like shakedown of a foreign leader ... This is how a mafia boss talks. 'What have you done for us? We've done so much for you, but there isn't much reciprocity.'" pic.twitter.com/7rWC0TX2Je— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 25, 2019
This is a laughable defense. Ukraine’s president asked for military aid. Trump asked for a favor in response. The favor was to investigate Trump’s political opponents. It’s as close to a quid pro quo as you can get without Trump literally saying “by the way, I’m blackmailing you” https://t.co/ZHfZeCTW2M— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) September 25, 2019
“Every tax dollar that is spent, every dollar that the American people send in to this government, the president wants to make sure that is spent properly. We spend hundreds of billions of dollars across the globe and the president looks at that all the time. What are we getting back for that?”
If we're not getting dirt on the President's political enemies, what's the point of all the foreign and military aid?
And this isn't, by any stretch, the only new story in town:
News:@RepAdamSchiff just demanded a tranche of documents from the Department of Justice, concerning withholding of whistleblower complaint.— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) September 25, 2019
Importantly, Schiff says this is a demand pursuant to the House's impeachment inquiry:https://t.co/pVB3RLB6y6 pic.twitter.com/rAJsC5lQ2A
I thought this transcript would be sterilized nothing. Instead it’s roughly a gazillion times worse than I thought it would be. Holy shit.— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) September 25, 2019
I thought this transcript would be sterilized nothing. Instead it’s roughly a gazillion times worse than I thought it would be. Holy shit.— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) September 25, 2019
Can we also focus on the fact that they didn't even release an actual transcript but just a *memo* and even the memo implicates this guy in some nefarious shit?— #PeopleAreExhausting (@prisonculture) September 25, 2019
My Criminal Law professor (one of the few things I still remember from law school, which is now 30 years in the past) told us: "They don't catch the smart ones." Rudy Giuliani, ironically, said the same thing on FoxNews today:
“A lot of alleged criminals are not that smart,” Giuliani said. “That’s how we catch them.”
Well, it's true. But the joke is on Rudy. Neither he, nor Trump, are "smart."
It was after that call that Trump made the decision to release an "unredacted" version of the transcript of his July call -- against the advice of aides such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who warned him it would set a risky precedent. Trump wanted to undercut the argument from Democrats that he acted inappropriately, he said, and felt he had nothing to hide.The clients who think they are their own best lawyers, are the worst clients of all. Besides, this is his "defense":
But when the announcement he would release the transcript did little to quell the growing calls for his impeachment, Trump was in disbelief.
Trump, alongside Abe, says that Pelosi is “wasting her time with a manufactured crisis,” suggests she “won’t have time to do any deals” like on guns or the USMCA— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) September 25, 2019
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) September 25, 2019
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