AGREEMENT WITH RUDY. >>> AND WHY IVANKA TRUMP IN
INADVERTIN AD
INADVERTIN AD VERT
VERT ADVERT
ADVERT ADVERTENTLY PULLS A DE NIRO.
>>> ONCE AGAIN, DAY 165 OF THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. THE NEWLY IMPEACHED 45th
PRESIDENT IS NOW IN FLORIDA FOR
THE CHRISTMAS BREAK, AND IN AN
AIR FORCE HANGAR PRIOR TO TAKING
OFF, HE AND THE FIRST LADY
EMPLOYED HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE AT
ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE AND
ATTENDED AN EVENT DESIGNED TO
HIGHLIGHT HIS ROLE AS COMMANDER
IN CHIEF TO END THE MOST
TURBULENT WEEK OF HIS
ADMINISTRATION BY ANY STANDARD.
AS A MILITARY CROWD LOOKED ON,
HE SIGNED THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
AUTHORIZATION ACT.
AUTHORIZATION ACT. AS THE PRESIDENT FLEW SOUTH, NEW
REPORTING TONIGHT ABOUT AN ISSUE
CENTRAL IN HIS IMPEACHMENT,
MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE.
"THE WASHINGTON POST" REPORTS
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
DEMANDED THAT A PORTION OF
YEAR-END SPENDING LEGISLATION
THAT REFERENCED UKRAINE BE
REMOVED.
REMOVED. "THE POST" REPORTS IT THIS WAY.
SENIOR TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIALS IN RECENT DAYS
THREATENED A PRESIDENTIAL VETO
THAT COULD HAVE LED TO A
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IF HOUSE
DEMOCRATS REFUSED TO DROP
LANGUAGE REQUIRING PROMPT
RELEASE OF FUTURE MILITARY AID
FOR UKRAINE.
FOR UKRAINE. THE REPORT GOES ON TO SAY, THE
LANGUAGE ULTIMATELY WAS INDEED
LEFT OUT OF THE SPENDING PACKAGE
THAT WAS SIGNED TONIGHT.
WHILE THAT ISSUE MAY BE
RESOLVED, A STANDOFF CONTINUES
IN THE CAPITOL OVER A SENATE
TRIAL FOR THE PRESIDENT WHO HAS
NOW BEEN IMPEACHED BIT HOUSE.Y T
THE SPEAKER, NANCY PELOSI, SAYS
THE HOUSE IS WAITING TO SEND
IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES TO THE
SENATE UNTIL THERE IS CLARITY ON
THE RULES OF THE SENATE TRIAL.
SHE WANTS TO KNOW IF THERE WILL
BE WITNESSES, AND OF COURSE SHE
AND THE OTHER DEMOCRATS ARE
HOPING THAT REPUBLICANS GET
PRESSURED INTO CALLING WITNESSES
LIKE ONE JOHN BOLTON.
TODAY THE SPEAKER RESPONDED TO
THESE COMMENTS FROM SENATE
MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL.
>> SPEAKER PELOSI SUGGESTED THAT
HOUSE DEMOCRATS MAY BE TOO
AFRAID, TOO AFRAID TO EVEN
TRANSMIT THEIR SHODDY WORK
PRODUCT TO THE SENATE.
>> WHILE SPEAKER PELOSI TOLD
POLITICO, QUOTE, FEAR IS NEVER A
WORD USED WITH ME.
YOU SHOULD KNOW RIGHT AWAY, I’M
NEVER AFRAID AND I’M RARELY
SURPRISED.
SURPRISED. MEANWHILE, WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL
PAT CIPOLLONE AND WHITE HOUSE
LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS DIRECTOR
THERE ON THE RIGHT, ERIC EULAND,
WHO WAS GREAT IN "GROUNDHOG
DAY," WERE ON CAPITOL HILL TODAY
FOR A WALKTHROUGH TO PREPARE FOR
A SENATE TRIAL.
THE TWO MET WITH SENATE MAJORITY
LEADER IN HIS OFFICE.
LAST WEEK McCONNELL SAID HE WAS
COORDINATING THE SENATE TRIAL
WITH THE WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL.
INDEED HE IS.
TODAY THE MAJORITY LEADER SAYS
HE HAS NO MEETINGS SCHEDULED
WITH CIPOLLONE OVER THE
CHRISTMAS BREAK.
CHRISTMAS BREAK. MEANWHILE "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
HAS NEW REPORT TONIGHT ON HOW
THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN HANDLING
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. "THE TIMES" REPORTS THAT BY
THURSDAY MORNING TRUMP WAS EAGER
FOR INFORMATION, WATCHING TV FOR
CLUES ABOUT WHAT PELOSI MIGHT BE
UP TO, QUOTE, ALMOST AS SOON AS
PELOSI SAID SHE MIGHT DELAY
SENDING THE ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT OVER TO THE SENATE,
MR. TRUMP STARTED SURVEYING
ADVISERS ABOUT WHAT IT COULD
MEAN.
MEAN. WHY DO YOU THINK SHE’S DOING
THAT, HE ASKED ONE PERSON AFTER
THE PRESIDENT WAS IMPEACHED,
QUOTE, SOME OF MR. TRUMP’S
ADVISERS TRIED TO CONVINCE HIM
AND THEMSELVES THAT SPEAKER
NANCY PELOSI DID NOT HAVE THE
VOTES AND MIGHT NOT EVEN BRING
THE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT TO
THE FLOOR, DESPITE WARNINGS FROM
THE WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF
LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS, MR. EULAND,
THAT THE VOTES WERE THERE.
WHEN IT COMES TO WHO THE
PRESIDENT HAS BEEN LISTENING TO
ABOUT UKRAINE, "THE WASHINGTON
POST" REPORTS THAT AFTER
SPEAKING WITH PUTIN IN JULY OF
’17 IN HAMBURG, GERMANY,
INCLUDING A MEETING WITH NO
AMERICAN INTERPRETER PRESENT,
JUST THE OTHER TEAM, TRUMP GREW
MORE INSISTENT THAT UKRAINE HAD
WORKED TO DEFEAT HIM IN 2016.
ACCORDING TO OFFICIALS WHO SPOKE
ANONYMOUSLY TO "THE POST,"
QUOTE, THE PRESIDENT’S INTENSE
RESISTANCE TO THE ASSESSMENT OF
U.S. INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES THAT
RUSSIA INDEED SYSTEMATICALLY
INTERFERED IN OUR 2016 CAMPAIGN,
AND THE BLAME HE CAST INSTEAD ON
A RIVAL COUNTRY LED MANY OF HIS
ADVISERS TO THINK THAT PUTIN
HIMSELF HELPED SPUR THE IDEA OF
UKRAINE’S CULPABILITY.
UKRAINE’S CULPABILITY. ONE FORMER SENIOR WHITE HOUSE
OFFICIAL SAID TRUMP EVEN SAID SO
EXPLICITLY AT ONE POINT, SAYING
HE KNEW UKRAINE WAS THE REAL
CULPRIT BECAUSE, QUOTE, PUTIN
TOLD ME.
TOLD ME. "THE POST" ALSO SAYS
INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS TOLD
LAWMAKERS THAT RUSSIAN SECURITY
SERVICES PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN
SPREADING THE FALSE CLAIM, THE