WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE TONIGHT TO HAVE "NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTER
JESSE DRUCKER BRING US THAT
STORY.
STORY. LATER IN THIS HOUR WE BEGIN WITH
THE HEADLINE THAT APPEARED IT ON
THE FOLD OF THE "NEW YORK TIMES"
TODAY.
TODAY. INSIDE THE UKRAINE FREEZE THE
84-DAY CLASH OF WILLS.
THE 84-DAY DRAMA IN METICULOUS
AND INCRIMINATING DETAIL.
HABER
HABER HABERMAN AND MARK YOZETTI, THE
ARTICLE READ, QUOTE, INTERVIEWS
WITH DOZENS OF CURRENT AND
FORMER ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS,
CONGRESSIONAL AIRDS AND OTHERS,
PREVIOUSLY UNDISCLOSED EMAILS
AND DOCUMENTS, AND A CLOSE
READING OF THOUSANDS OF PAGES OF
IMPEACHMENT TESTIMONY.
IMPEACHMENT TESTIMONY. A DRAMA OF THE 1960s WRITTEN BY
ROD STERLING AS IT RELEASED NEW
SCENES OF THE DRAMA WHEN DONALD
TRUMP FIRST ASKED FOR UKRAINE,
AND HE WAS ASKED TO RELEASE HIS
HOLD ON THAT AID TO UKRAINE
BECAUSE AS THE VERY LAST LINE OF
THE "NEW YORK TIMES" ARTICLE
SAYS, QUOTE, HE GOT CAUGHT.
PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION WORRY THAT IT WAS
ILLEGAL TO HOLD UP THE AID.
SOME OF THE PERMANENT STAFF AND
THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND
BUDGET AND THE DEFENSE
DEPARTMENT WERE ALMOST CERTAIN
IT WAS ILLEGAL, AND THEY DID
EVERYTHING THEY POSSIBLY COULD
TO FORCE THE RELEASE OF THE AID.
THE PEOPLE WHO WERE HOLDING IT
BACK WERE ALL POLITICAL
APPOINTEES ALIGNED WITH THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. THEY WERE ALL POLITICAL AND
GOVERNMENTAL INCOMPETENCE WHO NO
OTHER PRESIDENT WOULD PUT IN
THEIR POSITIONS, INCLUDING WHITE
HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF MICK
MULVANEY WHO SENT THIS EMAIL TO
A TRUMP APPOINTEE AT THE OFFICE
OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET,
SAYING, I’M JUST TRYING TO TIE
UP SOME LOOSE ENDS.
DID WE EVER FIND OUT ABOUT THE
MONEY FOR UKRAINE, WHETHER WE
CAN HOLD IT BACK?
THAT WAS ON JUNE 27th.
THE PERSON SOOEFLGRECEIVING THAT
WAS ROBERT BLAIR, WHO SAID THAT
IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO HOLD
BACK THE AID, BUT HE ADDED,
EXPECT CONGRESS TO BECOME
UNHINGED.
UNHINGED. OF COURSE, CONGRESS DID NOT HAVE
TO BECOME UNHINGED TO BREAK UP
THAT SCHEME THAT THE THEN-TRUMP
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER JOHN
BOLTON WAS CALLING A DRUG DEAL.
ALL CONGRESS HAD TO DO TO
UNRAVEL THE WHOLE THING WAS TO
ANNOUNCE IN A RELATIVELY LOW
VOLUME AT THE TIME THAT IT WAS
GOING TO INVESTIGATE THE
SITUATION AFTER "POLITICO"
REPORTED AT THE END OF AUGUST
THAT THE ASSISTANCE TO UKRAINE
HAD BEEN FROZEN.
THAT IS WHEN DONALD TRUMP GOT
CAUGHT PUBLICLY, AND NOT LONG
AFTER THAT, THE AID WAS RELEASED
RELEASED.
RELEASED. BUT DONALD TRUMP HAD ACTUALLY
BEEN CAUGHT A MONTH BEFORE THAT,
ON AUGUST 12th.
AND THE PRESIDENT AND ALL THE
PRESIDENT’S MEN KNEW THAT.
BECAUSE IT WAS AUGUST 12th WHEN
A WHISTLEBLOWER IN THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY FILED A
REPORT DESCRIBING IN GENERAL
TERMS WHAT WAS GOING ON.
THE PRESIDENT WAS HOLDING UP AID
TO UKRAINE WHILE ASKING UKRAINE
FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO JOE
BIDEN.
BIDEN. IT TOOK 30 DAYS BUT THAT
WHISTLEBLOWER DEBATE ACTUALLY
FORCED THE PRESIDENT TO RELEASE
THE AID.
THE AID. IN THE MEANTIME, A SCENE
OCCURRED IN THE WHITE HOUSE THAT
WILL BE CENTRAL TO THE
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL IN THE SENATE
OF THE UNITED STATES.
THE SCENE IS DESCRIBED IN THIS
WAY.
WAY. ON A SNINUNNY, LATE AUGUST DAY,
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER JOHN
BOLTON, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
MARK ESPER AND SECRETARY OF
STATE MIKE POMPEO ARRAYED
THEMSELVES AROUND THE RESOLUTE
DESK IN THE OVAL OFFICE TO
PRESENT A UNITED FRONT.
THE LEADERS OF THE PRESIDENT’S
NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM SEEKING
TO CONVINCE HIM FACE TO FACE
THAT FREEING UP THE MONEY OR
UKRAINE WAS THE RIGHT THING TO
DO.
DO. ONE BY ONE THEY MADE THEIR CASE.
THIS IS IN AMERICA’S INTEREST.
MR. BOLTON AGREED.
UKRAINE IS A CORRUPT COUNTRY,
THE PRESIDENT SAID.
WE ARE PISS ING OUR MONA WAYEY A
AND THE AID REMAINED BLOCKED.
IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE
A SENATE TRIAL WITHOUT THE
TESTIMONY OF THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
WHO WERE STANDING AROUND THE
DESK IN THE OVAL OFFICE PLEADING
WITH THE PRESIDENT TO RELEASE
MILITARY AID TO AN ALLY IN THE
MIDDLE OF COMBAT, AND THE
PRESIDENT REFUSED.
PRESIDENT REFUSED. REFUSED ONCE AGAIN TO DELIVER
THAT AID.
THAT AID. WE ALL KNOW THAT DONALD TRUMP IS
A VERY TALKATIVE MAN.
IN A MEETING LIKE THAT, HE
WASN’T GOING TO LIMIT HIMSELF TO
JUST THE TWO SHORT SENTENCES
THAT "NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTERS
HAVE MANAGED TO EXTRACT FROM
THEIR SOURCES ABOUT THAT SCENE.
WHAT ELSE DID DONALD TRUMP SAY
IN THAT ROOM THAT DAY, AND WHAT
ELSE WAS SAID TO HIM?