GIULIANI IS INVESTIGATED BY THE VERY PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE HE USED
TO LEAD, WE HAVE THAT
INFORMATION FROM THE SOUTHERN
DISTRICT OF NEW YORK.
ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE WHO WAS IN
THE ROOM AS DONALD TRUMP’S AIDES
AND FIXERS PLOTTED THE WHOLE
PLOT.
PLOT. HE DENIED OFFERING AID TO
UKRAINE FOR AN INVESTIGATION ON
HIS OPPONENT.
HIS OPPONENT. THIS SCENE TODAY IS CERTAINLY
NOT WHAT DONALD TRUMP WANTED TO
SEE.
SEE. YOU’RE WATCHING MR. TAYLOR GO
THROUGH SECURITY AND MAKE HIS
WAY TO CAPITOL HILL TO TELL HIS
STORY, TO RECOUNT HIS EVIDENCE.
HE SPENT HOURS WITH LAWMAKERS
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
HOW DID IT LAND?
HERE’S HOW ONE DEMOCRAT SUMMED
IT UP.
IT UP. >> IN MY TEN SHORT MONTHS IN
CONGRESS, IT’S NOT EVEN NOON,
RIGHT, AND THIS IS MY MOST
DISTURBING DAY IN CONGRESS SO
FAR.
FAR. VERY TROUBLING.
VERY TROUBLING. >> VERY TROUBLING.
OTHER ACCOUNTS SUGGEST THAT
REACTION WAS SHARED IN THE ROOM.
OTHER HOUSE DEMOCRATS SAID THEY
RECOUNTED DISTURBING DETAILS
THAT MR. TAYLOR SHARED, THAT AS
HE WENT THROUGH METHODICAL
EVIDENCE AND NOTES HE HAD TAKEN,
IT PROVOKED SIGHS AND GASPS AS
HE PREDICTED THE WORKINGS OF THE
ALLEGED CONSPIRACIES AT THE
HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. BEFORE WE BRING IN OUR EXPERTS,
AND WE HAD SOME GREAT ONES
TONIGHT, I WANT TO GO THROUGH
KEY POINTS TAYLOR MADE.
ONE, HE DREW A DIRECT LINE
THROUGH UKRANIANS DOING THIS
POLITICAL FAVOR FOR TRUMP IN
EXCHANGE FOR MILITARY AID.
THAT WAS CONTINGENT ON THE BRIBE
THAT DONALD TRUMP WAS
SOLICITING, FORCING UKRAINE TO
PROBE THE DNC AND THE BIDENS AND
THAT HE WANTED A PUBLIC
DECLARATION THEY WOULD DO IT.
LET’S STOP RIGHT THERE.
THAT IS KEY.
YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO WAS INSIDE
THIS PROCESS SAYING THE PROCESS
WAS TO EXTORT A BRIBE FROM
UKRAINE.
UKRAINE. NOW, CONGRESS AND PROSECUTORS
MAY ULTIMATELY DECIDE IF THAT
EVIDENCE LEADS TO A CRIME OR A
HIGH CRIME.
HIGH CRIME. SO THAT COMES DOWN THE ROAD.
BUT WHAT’S NEW TONIGHT IS THAT
THERE IS AN OFFICIAL ON THE
RECORD ASSERTING IT, WHICH IS
SIGNIFICANT.
SIGNIFICANT. AND IN MR. TAYLOR’S 15-PAGE
OPENING STATEMENT WHICH JUST NOW
HAS BECOME PUBLIC, HE OFFERS A
PEEK INTO WHAT HE TOLD THAT ROOM
OF INVESTIGATORS ON IMPEACHMENT
TODAY.
TODAY. HE LAYS OUT HIS BACKGROUND AS A
DIPLOMAT, HOW HE CAME OUT OF
REQUIREMENT AT THE REQUEST OF
SECRETARY POMPEO ONLY TO GET TO
UKRAINE AND FIND, QUOTE, A WEIRD
COMBINATION OF CONFUSING AND
ULTIMATELY ALARMING
ULTIMATELY ALARMING CIRCUMSTANCES.
CIRCUMSTANCES. AN IRREGULAR FORMAL CHANNEL OF
U.S. POLICY MAKING ON UKRAINE
THAT TURNED ON MR. GIULIANI.
THAT MATTERS BECAUSE IT IS NEW
CONFIRMATION OF WHAT YOU’VE
ALREADY HEARD ABOUT, WHAT WE’VE
BEEN REPORTING ABOUT, THE REASON
THE PRESIDENT IS CLOSE TO
IMPEACHMENT, THAT LS THETHERE IS
ALLEGATION OF A SHADOW FOREIGN
POLICY DOING THE BIDDING OF MR.
TRUMP’S REELECTION.
TRUMP’S REELECTION. IT’S ALSO A CORROBORATION OF
WHAT THE WHISTLEBLOWER ALLEGED,
ON WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE CALL
NOTE SAID, DEPICTING DONALD
TRUMP, ASSIGNING GIULIANI TO
EXTORT POLITICAL FAVORS FROM
UKRAINE.
UKRAINE. GIULIANI, OF COURSE, IS NOW
UNDER CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AS
WELL AND I’LL HAVE MORE ON THAT
LATER TONIGHT.
LATER TONIGHT. HERE’S ANOTHER POINT YOU HAVE TO
UNDERSTAND TO SEE WHY TODAY IS
SO BIG.
SO BIG. TAYLOR TODAY HAS NEW DETAILS OF
INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE AGAINST
TRUMP THAT HE SAYS, THIS
AMBASSADOR, HE PERSONALLY HEARD
AN UNIDENTIFIED VOICE ON THE
PHONE STATING THAT UKRAINE’S AID
WOULD BE HELD UP AT TRUMP’S
DIRECTION.
DIRECTION. MORE EVIDENCE OF THE PLOT.
THEN HE LATER LEARNED A KEO
FISHL DIRECTLY TOLD UKRANIAN
LEADERS THAT SECURITY ASSISTANCE
MONEY WOULD NOT COME UNTIL THEIR
PRESIDENT CONTINUED TO PURSUE
THE BIDEN PROBE WANTED.
DO YOU THINK, IS THIS THE KIND
OF STUFF WE’VE HEARD BEFORE?
THE ANSWER IS YES, BUT A SPECIAL
KIND OF YES.
THIS INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE IS
REPETITIVE IN THE WORST POSSIBLE
WAY FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP.
THIS IS THE SAME DAMNING PLOT,
MONEY FOR A BIDEN PROBE,
REPEATED BY DIFFERENT PEOPLE AT
DIFFERENT TIMES, WHICH TAYLOR
SAYS ULTIMATELY MADE HIM, QUOTE,
VERY CONCERNED, SO CONCERNED HE
SENT THE TEXT WE ALL KNOW ABOUT
IN THE WHOLE DEBATE THAT
EVERYONE HAS BEEN HAVING ABOUT
WHAT IT MEANS WHEN SOMEONE SAYS
DON’T CONDITION AID ON
REELECTION FAVORS.
REELECTION FAVORS. SO TODAY CONGRESS GETS THE
CONTEXT FOR THAT WHOLE SERIES OF
EXCHANGES, WHICH ULTIMATELY LED
TO A PHONE CALL WITH DONALD
TRUMP’S LOYALIST, HIS APPOINTEE
GORDON SONDLAND.
GORDON SONDLAND. AND HERE’S WHAT TAYLOR TOLD THE
CONGRESS TODAY.
CONGRESS TODAY. QUOTE, DURING THAT PHONE CALL,
AMBASSADOR SONDLAND SAID TRUMP
TOLD HIM HE WANTS HIM TO STATE
PUBLICLY UKRAINE WILL
INVESTIGATE BURISMA AND ALLEGED
INTERFERENCE IN 2016.
THAT’S THE WHOLE BIDEN STUFF.
HE SAID, EVERYTHING WAS
CONTINGENT ON OPPONENT
ASSISTANCE.
ASSISTANCE. QUID PRO QUO.
BIDEN FOR MONEY.
THE PRESIDENT ADMITTED HE WANTED
BIDEN FOR UKRAINE.
THEY TRIED TO WALK IT BACK.
SO IF YOU SAY, ARI, WHAT IS
DIFFERENT TODAY, THIS
REPETITION, IF YOU WILL?
WELL, IT IS WORSE.
BECAUSE THIS IS THE PERSON ON
THE INSIDE DETAILING THE FACTS
AND THE TIME AND THE PLACE OF
THE QUID PRO QUO.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
WE KNOW A LITTLE ABOUT THIS AS
WELL TODAY.
WELL TODAY. TAYLOR THEN TOLD THE CONGRESS
THAT HE ASKED SONDLAND, A TRUMP
LOYALIST, TO PUSH BACK AND TRY
TO STOP THIS WHOLE MONEY FOR
INVESTIGATION IDEA.
INVESTIGATION IDEA. AND SONDLAND ALLEGEDLY SAID HE
WOULD TRY BUT THEN LATER SAID
TRUMP WAS ADAMANT THAT ZELENSKY
HIMSELF HAD TO CLEAR THINGS UP
AND DO IT IN PUBLIC, AND DESPITE
SONDLAND TEXTING A TRUMPIAN
DENIAL, THE PLAN WAS EITHER
TRUMP AND SONDLAND AGREED THIS.
SO IF TRUMP AGREES TO GET MONEY,
AND SONDLAND AGREES TO A QUID
PRO QUO, THEN SOMEONE PREDICTED
THE HOW, THE TIME AND DETAILS TO
GET IT DONE.
THIS IS WHAT MANY EXPERTS
BELIEVE IS A CRIME, OR WHAT
MULVANEY NTSZINSISTS IS FOREIGN
POLICY.
POLICY. GET OVER IT.
AND WHAT’S DIFFERENT BETWEEN
AMBASSADOR TAYLOR AND SONDLAND?
THEY ADMIT TO CRIMINAL THINGS
AND STILL DEFEND THEM.
TAYLOR IS DETAILING SOME OF THE
SAME THINGS.
SAME THINGS. HE’S NOT DEFENDING THEM TODAY.
HE’S AGAINST THEM.
HE’S SOUNDING AN ALARM.
HE IS TRYING TO STOP THAT PLOT.
HE TRIED AT THE TIME IN WRITING,
AND HE’S TRYING TO STOP ANY
FURTHER SUCH PLOTS TODAY.
YOU MIGHT SAY HE’S BLOWING THE
WHISTLE.
WHISTLE. AND FINALLY HERE IS HOW HE TOLD
CONGRESS ABOUT HIS NOW FAMOUS
WARNING IN THOSE TEXT MESSAGES.
QUOTE, I SAID WITHHOLDING
SECURITY ASSISTANCE IN EXCHANGE
FOR HELP WITH A DOMESTIC
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN WOULD BE
CRAZY.
CRAZY. I BELIEVED THAT THEN AND I STILL
BELIEVE THAT.
BELIEVE THAT. HE’S STAKING HIS WHOLE CAREER
AND INTEGRITY ON THAT.
BELIEVE THAT.
BELIEVE THAT. THE DIPLOMAT HAS SPOKEN.