Advil PM
>>> NOW THAT THE IMPEACHMENT COMMITTEES ARE STARTING TO
RELEASE THE TRANSCRIPTS FROM THE
WITNESS TESTIMONY THEY’VE
ALREADY TAKEN BEHIND CLOSED
DOORS, IT’S STARTING TO SEEM
CLEAR THAT THEY THINK THEY’VE
GOT IT DOWN, THEY’VE GOT THE
BASICS OF WHAT HAPPENED.
THE CORE ALLEGATIONS AT THE
CENTER OF THE IMPEACHMENT THEY
FEEL LIKE THEY’VE GOT THE PLOT.
THEY’VE GOT ALL THESE MUTUALLY
CORROBORATING WITNESSES.
CORROBORATING WITNESSES. HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE DO YOU NEED
TO TELL YOU ALL THE SAME STORY?
WELL, THE HOUSE HAS REQUESTED
TESTIMONY FOR SOME ADDITIONAL
WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS INCLUDING
ONE THAT REALLY PIQUED MY
INTEREST TODAY.
INTEREST TODAY. WE’LL BE TALKING ABOUT THAT ON
TOMORROW’S SHOW.
TOMORROW’S SHOW. BUT AS THE CLOSED-DOOR
DEPOSITION PART OF THE
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS BROADLY
STARTS TO WIND DOWN, THERE OF
COURSE ARE TWO BIG, BIG
QUESTIONS THAT ARE GOING TO
DETERMINE THE PRESIDENT’S
ULTIMATE FATE.
ULTIMATE FATE. ONE IS WHETHER THE PUBLIC
TESTIMONY PART OF THIS MAY SHIFT
PUBLIC OPINION EVEN MORE
DECISIVELY AGAINST THE PRESIDENT
HERE, WHETHER IT MAY ULTIMATELY
SHAKE SOME OF THE REFLEXIVE
REPUBLICAN SUPPORT FOR THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. THE SECOND FACTOR IS EVEN MORE
INSTRUMENTAL TO THE PRESIDENT’S
FATE, WHICH IS WHETHER
REPUBLICAN SENATORS MAY
ULTIMATELY FIND THE BEHAVIOR
THAT HAS BEEN UNCOVERED IN THIS
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY COULD
ULTIMATELY BE TOO MUCH FOR EVEN
THEM TO STOMACH.
>> IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A
CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES WAS
THREATENING THE UKRAINE WITH
CUTTING OFF AID UNLESS THEY
INVESTIGATED HIS POLITICAL
OPPONENT, YOU WOULD BE VERY
DISAPPOINTED.
DISAPPOINTED. THAT DOES NOT EXIST.
>> SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM JUST A
COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.
PHEW.
PHEW. RELIEF.
RELIEF. OBVIOUSLY, IT WOULD BE TERRIBLE
IF WE HAD THE PRESIDENT
THREATENING THE UKRAINE WITH
CUTTING OFF MILITARY AID UNLESS
THEY INVESTIGATED FOR HIM.
LUCKILY NOTHING LIKE THAT HAS
TURNED UP.
TURNED UP. NOW OF COURSE THAT IS ABSOLUTELY
WHAT HAS TURNED UP IN WHAT IS
NOW ESSENTIALLY CONSENSUS
TESTIMONY FROM ALL OF THE
WITNESSES WHOSE TESTIMONY WE’VE
BEEN ABLE TO SEE.
AND SO HERE’S THE HEADLINE IN
THE "NEW YORK TIMES" TONIGHT.
"KEY WITNESS REVISES TESTIMONY,
CITING QUID PRO QUO WITH
UKRAINE.
UKRAINE. AMBASSADOR GORDON SONDLAND SAYS
HE TOLD UKRAINIANS AID WAS HELD
UP OVER INQUIRY DEMAND.
GORDON SONDLAND, THE ENVOY TO
THE EU, SAID HE TOLD THE
UKRAINIANS THEY NEEDED TO COMPLY
WITH INVESTIGATIVE REQUESTS BY
RUDY GIULIANI."
RUDY GIULIANI." HERE’S THE "WASHINGTON POST"
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. "WITH REVISED TESTIMONY SONDLAND
TIES TRUMP TO QUID PRO QUO.
IN A SUPPLEMENTAL DECLARATION TO
HIS EARLIER TESTIMONY THE
AMBASSADOR TO THE EU SAID THAT
AID WAS LINKED TO THE OPENING OF
AN INVESTIGATION THAT COULD
DAMAGE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE JOE BIDEN."
YESTERDAY THE IMPEACHMENT
COMMITTEES RELEASED TESTIMONY
FROM THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO
UKRAINE MARIE YOVANOVITCH, WHO
WAS FIRED BASICALLY AS PART OF
THIS SCHEME TO TRY AND GET
UKRAINE TO HELP TRUMP WITH HIS
RE-ELECTION EFFORT.
RE-ELECTION EFFORT. THEY ALSO RELEASED TESTIMONY
FROM MICHAEL McKINLEY WHO WAS A
SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL
WHO QUIT THE STATE DEPARTMENT
AFTER MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF
SERVICE IN PROTEST OF THE WAY
THAT SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE
POMPEO AND THE ADMINISTRATION
MORE BROADLY HAS USED AND ABUSED
STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS LIKE
YOVANOVITCH DESPITE THE FACT
THAT THEY’VE DONE NOTHING WRONG
AND DONE NOTHING TO DESERVE IT.
WELL, TODAY WE GOT THE FULL
TESTIMONY RELEASED FROM ANOTHER
SENIOR TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL WHO RESIGNED WHEN THIS
SCANDAL BROKE OUT.
KURT VOLKER WAS PRESIDENT
TRUMP’S ENVOY TO UKRAINE.
HE RESIGNED AS SOON AS HE WAS
SUMMONED TO TESTIFY TO THE
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY. WE GOT HIS FULL TESTIMONY TODAY.
WE ALSO GOT 65 PAGES OF VERY
TINY PRINT PRINTOUTS OF TEXT
MESSAGES FROM AMBASSADOR VOLKER
TODAY.
TODAY. AND THEY WERE FAS STHATING.
WE ALSO TODAY GOT THE FULL
TESTIMONY THAT HAD BEEN
DELIVERED ON OCTOBER 17th BY EU
AMBASSADOR GORDON SONDLAND.
HE HAD BEEN SORT OF TASKED BY
THE PRESIDENT WITH CARRYING OUT
THIS SCHEME IN UKRAINE DESPITE
THE FACT THAT UKRAINE ISN’T IN
THE EU AND THEREFORE WASN’T PART
OF HIS REMIT AS AN AMBASSADOR.
GORDON SONDLAND WAS A MAJOR
TRUMP INAUGURAL DONOR.
THAT PEARS TO HAVE BEEN HOW HE
GOT THIS AMBASSADORSHIP IN THE
FIRST PLACE.
FIRST PLACE. HE PREVIOUSLY TESTIFIED IN A WAY
THAT SEEMED SORT OF POSITIVE FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
PRESIDENT TRUMP. HE TESTIFIED PREVIOUSLY, "LET ME
STATE CLEARLY.
STATE CLEARLY. INVITING A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT TO
UNDERTAKE INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE
PURPOSE OF INFLUENCING AN
UPCOMING U.S. ELECTION WOULD BE
WRONG.
WRONG. WITHHOLDING FOREIGN AID IN ORDER
TO PRESSURE A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT
TO TAKE SUCH STEPS WOULD BE
WRONG.
WRONG. I DID NOT AND WOULD NOT EVER
PARTICIPATE IN SUCH
UNDERTAKINGS."
UNDERTAKINGS." THAT’S WHAT HE SAID IN THE FIRST
INSTANCE.
INSTANCE. BUT IN ADVANCE OF HIS TESTIMONY
BEING MADE PUBLIC TODAY JUST
YESTERDAY AMBASSADOR GORDON
SONDLAND APPROACHED THE
COMMITTEES WITH A REVISION OF
HIS EARLIER STATEMENT.
IN CONTRAST TO THAT KEY CLAIM BY
HIM IN HIS EARLIER TESTIMONY,
NOW HE DOES RECOLLECTION
ACTUALLY THAT NOT ONLY DID THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT CONDITION
FOREIGN AID TO UKRAINE ON THEM
HELPING THE WHITE HOUSE IN THE
PRESIDENT’S FORTHCOMING
PRESIDENT’S FORTHCOMING RE-ELECTION EFFORT, BUT ACTUALLY
HE WAS PART OF IT.
YEAH.
YEAH. GORDON SONDLAND ABSOLUTELY
ADMITTING THAT YEAH, HE DID
PARTICIPATE IN THAT.
HE HELPED CARRY IT OUT.
"I DIDN’T MEAN WHAT I SAID
BEFORE."
BEFORE." HE TOLD THE COMMITTEE IN THIS
REVISED TESTIMONY, "I’VE
REVIEWED THE OPENING STATEMENT
OF AMBASSADOR WILLIAM TAYLOR.
I’VE ALSO REVIEWED THE OPENING
STATEMENT OF TIM MORRISON.
THESE TWO OPENING STATEMENTS
HAVE REFRESHED MY RECOLLECTION
ABOUT CERTAIN CONVERSATIONS IN
EARLY SEPTEMBER 2019.
THE CONVERSATIONS DESCRIBED IN
AMBASSADOR TAYLOR AND MR.
MORRISON’S OPENING STATEMENTS
HAVE REFRESHED MY RECOLLECTIONS
ABOUT CONVERSATIONS INVOLVING
THE SUSPENSION OF U.S. AID.
I DO NOW RECALL A CONVERSATION
ON SEPTEMBER 1st IN WARSAW WITH
MR. YERMAK," TOP AIDE TO THE
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT.
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT. "THIS BRIEF PULL-ASIDE
CONVERSATION FOLLOWED A LARGER
MEETING INVOLVING VICE PRESIDENT
PENCE AND PRESIDENT ZELENSKY.
AFTER THAT LARGE MEETING I NOW
RECALL SPEAKING INDIVIDUALLY
WITH MR. YERMAK WHERE I SAID
THAT RESUMPTION OF U.S. AID
WOULD LIKELY NOT OCCUR UNTIL
UKRAINE PROVIDED THE PUBLIC
ANTI-CORRUPTION STATEMENT THAT
WE HAD BEEN DISCUSSING FOR MANY
WEEKS."
WEEKS." AND WHEN HE SAYS THE
ANTI-CORRUPTION STATEMENT WE
KNOW FROM THE CONTEXT HERE, WE
KNOW IN PART FROM THE HUGE RAFT
OF TEXT MESSAGES THAT WERE JUST
RELEASED BY THE COMMITTEES TODAY
THAT WHEN AMBASSADOR SONDLAND,
EVEN IN HIS REVISED TESTIMONY
CALLS IT A PUBLIC
ANTI-CORRUPTION STATEMENT, WE
KNOW HE WAS WELL AWARE THAT WHAT
HE WAS DEMANDING OF THE
UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT WAS THAT
THEY ANNOUNCE INVESTIGATIONS
THAT WERE SPECIFICALLY BEING
DEMANDED OF THEM BY RUDY
GIULIANI AND PRESIDENT TRUMP AND
THEY WERE INVESTIGATIONS THAT
WERE DESIGNED TO HELP PRESIDENT
TRUMP’S DOMESTIC POLITICAL
CONSIDERATIONS.
CONSIDERATIONS. HERE FOR EXAMPLE -- IT’S ALL --
WE’VE GOT IT NOW.
HERE’S A THREE-WAY TEXT
CONVERSATION BETWEEN GORDON
SONDLAND AND KURT VOLKER, THE
UKRAINE ENVOY, AND ANOTHER
UKRAINIAN OFFICIAL.
UKRAINIAN OFFICIAL. THE UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT AT THIS
POINT HAS SENT OVER A DRAFT
STATEMENT THEY’RE PROPOSING THAT
THEIR PRESIDENT COULD MAKE
ANNOUNCING VAGUELY THAT UKRAINE
WILL LOOK INTO INTERFERENCE IN
POLITICAL PROCESSES OF THE U.S.
AND A TRANSPARENT AND UNBIASED
INVESTIGATION, THESE SORT OF
GENERAL STATEMENTS.
GENERAL STATEMENTS. KURT VOLKER AND GORDON SONDLAND
THEN INTERVENE AGGRESSIVELY TO
SAY NO, NO, NO, THAT’S NOT
ENOUGH.
ENOUGH. THE STATEMENT HAS TO BE MORE
SPECIFIC THAN THAT.
YOU HAVE TO INCLUDE THAT THE
INVESTIGATIONS YOU’RE LAUNCHING
ARE INTO BURISMA, WHERE HUNTER
BIDEN WAS ON THE BOARD, AND THE
2016 U.S. ELECTIONS WHERE WE’RE
GOING TO CLAIM THAT UKRAINE
INTERFERED IN THE TRUMP-CLINTON
RACE RATHER THAN RUSSIA HAVING
DONE IT.
DONE IT. I MEAN, THEIR TEXT MESSAGE TO
THE GUY IN THE UKRAINIAN
GOVERNMENT LITERALLY SAYS
"FOLLOWING IS TEXT WITH INSERT
AT THE END FOR TWO KEY ITEMS."
MEANING WE ARE MAKING SURE THESE
NAMED INVESTIGATIONS THAT TRUMP
WANTS ARE GOING TO BE IN THE
ZELENSKY STATEMENT.
ZELENSKY STATEMENT. I MEAN, THEY’RE WRITING THE
ZELENSKY STATEMENT FOR THE
UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT, MAKING
SURE THAT THE INVESTIGATIONS ARE
IN THERE BY NAME.
AND SONDLAND’S TRYING TO CLAIM
HE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THE
INVESTIGATION WAS ABOUT?
I MEAN, HERE’S GORDON SONDLAND
AND KURT VOLKER TALKING ABOUT IT
DIRECTLY.
DIRECTLY. AGAIN, GORDON SONDLAND, LOOKS
LIKE POTUS CALL TOMORROW.
I SPOKE DIRECTLY TO ZELENSKY, HE
GAVE HIM A FULL BRIEFING, HE’S
GOT IT.
GOT IT. KURT VOLKER, GOOD.
HAD BREAKFAST WITH RUDY THIS
MORNING.
MORNING. TEEING UP A CALL WITH YERM
KACHLT ON MONDAY.
MUST HAVE HELPED.
MOST IMPORTANT IS FOR ZELENSKY
TO SAY THAT HE WILL HELP
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. AND HERE’S VOLKER AND SONDLAND
TALKING ABOUT IT AMONGST
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. AGAIN, GORDON SONDLAND.
HEY, DID YOU CONNECT WITH
ANDREI?
ANDREI? VOLKER, NOT YET.
WE WILL TALK WITH BILL AND COLIN
LATER TODAY.
LATER TODAY. WANT TO KNOW OUR STATUS ON
ASKING THEM TO INVESTIGATE.
GORDON SONDLAND, GOOD THOUGHT.
SONDLAND, DO WE STILL WANT
ZELENSKY TO GIVE US AN
UNEQUIVOCAL DRAFT WITH 2016 AND
BURISMA?
BURISMA? KURT VOLKER, THAT IS THE CLEAR
MESSAGE SO FAR.
I MEAN, IT’S JUST -- THAT’S IT.
THERE IT IS.
THE POLITICAL IMPACT HERE IS
CLEAR AS DAY, RIGHT?
THE CLOSEST THE PRESIDENT HAD TO
ANY SORT OF DEFENSE, BACKUP, TOE
HOLD IN TERMS OF EXPLAINING WHAT
HE WAS TRYING TO DO IN
LEVERAGING THIS OTHER COUNTRY TO
GIVE HIM POLITICAL HELP, IT
WASN’T GREAT TO BEGIN WITH.
SONDLAND HAD ALREADY TESTIFIED
THERE DEFINITELY WAS A QUID PRO
QUO WITH UKRAINE WHEN IT CAME TO
THEM TRYING TO GET A MEETING IN
THE WHITE HOUSE.
THEY COULDN’T GET THAT MEETING
UNLESS THEY ANNOUNCED THESE
INVESTIGATIONS.
INVESTIGATIONS. SONDLAND HAD ALREADY ADMITTED
THAT IN HIS EARLIER TESTIMONY.
THE ONLY PLACE HE TRIED TO DRAW
THE LINE IN A WAY THAT MIGHT BE
MORE HELPFUL TO TRUMP WAS ON THE
ISSUE OF MILITARY AID.
SONDLAND SAID IN HIS EARLIER
TESTIMONY, NO, WHATEVER WE DID
IN THAT MEETING THERE WAS
DEFINITELY NO WITHHOLDING OF
MILITARY AID TO TRY TO GET THESE
INVESTIGATIONS OUT OF THEM.
OF COURSE NOT.
THAT WOULD BE TERRIBLE.
I WOULD NEVER BE INVOLVED IN
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
WELL, NOW RECOGNIZING THAT HIS
ROLE IN THIS HAS BEEN EXPOSED BY
MANY OTHER WITNESSES, AMBASSADOR
SONDLAND’S RECOLLECTION HAS BEEN
REFRESHED AND NOW HE IS
ADMITTING EVEN TO THAT YES, IT
WAS A QUID PRO QUO FOR THE
UKRAINE MILITARY AID.
ALTHOUGH I WILL SAY EVEN IN HIS
REVISED STATEMENT IT APPEARS
THAT MR. SONDLAND IS STILL NOT
TELLING THE WHOLE TRUTH.
IN HIS REVISED TESTIMONY TODAY
SONDLAND IS STILL SORT OF TRYING
TO BE CUTE ABOUT HIS OWN
CULPABILITY HERE AND MAYBE THE
PRESIDENT’S.
PRESIDENT’S. HE SAYS IN HIS REVISED STATEMENT
TODAY, "WITH RESPECT TO THE
SEPTEMBER 1st WARSAW MEETING THE
CONVERSATIONS DESCRIBED IN
AMBASSADOR TAYLOR AND MR.
MORRISON’S OPENING STATEMENTS
HAVE REFRESHED MY RECOLLECTION
ABOUT CONVERSATIONS INVOLVING
THE SUSPENSION OF U.S. AID,
WHICH HAVE BECOME PUBLIC ONLY
DAYS EARLIER.
DAYS EARLIER. I ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT
SUSPENDING AID TO UKRAINE WAS
ILL-ADVISED ALTHOUGH I DID NOT
KNOW AND STILL DO NOT KNOW WHEN,
WHY, OR BY WHOM THE AID WAS
SUSPENDED."
SUSPENDED." REALLY?
REALLY? YOU DON’T KNOW WHO SUSPENDED THE
MILITARY AID?
MILITARY AID? NEVER HEARD A SINGLE THING IN
THE COURSE OF YOUR GOVERNMENT
SERVICE AS TO WHO HAD ORDERED
THE MILITARY AID SUSPENDED?
DIDN’T HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE THAT
CAME FROM OR WHY THAT WAS BEING
DONE?
DONE? YOU SURE?
YOU SURE? I MEAN, YOU JUST ADMITTED THAT
YOU TOLD UKRAINE WHY IT WAS
BEING DONE.
BEING DONE. YOU TOLD UKRAINE THAT WHY IT WAS
HAPPENING WAS BECAUSE THEY
HADN’T COMMITTED TO THOSE
INVESTIGATION THAT’S GIULIANI
HAD ASKED THEM FOR.
IN TERMS OF WHO DID IT AND
WHETHER OR NOT YOU KNEW WHO
ORDERED THE WITHHOLDING OF THE
MILITARY AID, GO BACK TO THOSE
TEXT MESSAGES.
TEXT MESSAGES. JULY 18th, 2019.
10:19 A.M.
10:19 A.M. TEXT FROM BILL TAYLOR TO GORDON
SONDLAND.
SONDLAND. "OMB, THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT
AND BUDGET AT THE WHITE HOUSE,
ON A SECURE VIDEO TELECONFERENCE
JUST NOW SAID THAT ALL SECURITY
ASSISTANCE TO UKRAINE IS FROZEN,
PER A CONVERSATION WITH MULVANEY
AND POTUS."
AND POTUS." AND THEN BILL TAYLOR COMPLETES
HIS TEXT, "OVER TO YOU, GORDON."
WHEREUPON GORDON SONDLAND
RESPONDS, "ALL OVER IT."
SO HERE HE IS NOTIFIED IN
WRITING AND HE RESPONDS IN MID
JULY THAT PER POTUS, PER THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
ALL SECURITY ASSISTANCE TO
UKRAINE IS BEING WITHHELD.
AND EVEN NOW WITH REVISED
TESTIMONY TRYING TO SAY, HMM, I
STILL DON’T KNOW WHEN, WHY, OR
BY WHOM THE AID WAS SUSPENDED,
WE’VE SIMULTANEOUSLY GOT THE
EVIDENCE THAT SHOWS HE KNOWS
EXACTLY WHO SUSPENDED THAT AID.
AND HE KNEW WHY.
WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE HE TOLD THE
UKRAINIANS WHY.
UKRAINIANS WHY. THIS GUY WAS THE BEST HOPE
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD AMONG THE
HIGH-LEVEL WITNESSES IN THE
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY. HE DIDN’T DO MUCH GOOD FOR THE
PRESIDENT WHEN HE TESTIFIED A
COUPLE OF WEEKENDS AGO THAT
YEAH, RUDY GIULIANI WAS ASKING
FOR INVESTIGATIONS, UKRAINE
WASN’T GOING TO GET A WHITE
HOUSE MEETING UNLESS THEY
ANNOUNCED THOSE INVESTIGATIONS.
IT ALREADY WASN’T GOOD FROM THIS
GUY A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.
NOW TODAY ANY LAST THING HE
MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE
THE PRESIDENT IS ALSO GONE, WITH
HIM NOW ADMITTING THAT HE ALSO
PERSONALLY CONVEYED TO THEM THEY
WEREN’T GOING TO GET THEIR
MILITARY AID OR THEIR WHITE
HOUSE MEETINGS UNLESS THEY
COUGHED UP THOSE INVESTIGATIONS.
AND HE PUT IT IN WRITING AND GOT
SPECIFIC AS TO WHICH
INVESTIGATIONS THEY SPECIFICALLY
HAD TO ANNOUNCE INCLUDING
DEFINITELY LET ME SPELL IT OUT
FOR YOU, THE ONE LINKED TO JOE
BIDEN’S SON.
BIDEN’S SON. THIS IS REALLY BAD.
THIS FEELS COOKED.
SERVING TOP U.S. DIPLOMAT IN
UKRAINE BILL TAYLOR TESTIFIES
THIS WAS A CORRUPT QUID PRO QUO.
THE HARD-LINE SUPER HAWK
NATIONAL SECURITY GUY WHO CAME
IN TO REPLACE FIONA HILL, AS
FRIENDLY AS HE TRIED TO BE TO
TRUMP, HE ALSO CONFIRMED THAT
YES, THIS WAS A CORRUPT QUID PRO
QUO
QUO QUO.
QUO. NOW THE SERVING AMBASSADOR TO
THE EU, THE GUY WHO’S NOT BY ANY
STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION DEEP
STATE, THIS GUY WHO’S BEEN A
GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE FOR AWFUL
FIVE MINUTES SINCE HE COUGHED UP
A MILLION DOLLARS TO THE TRUMP
INAUGURAL, THIS GUY WHO’S ONLY
IN HIS JOB BECAUSE HE GAVE MONEY
TO TRUMP AND IS A LOYAL TRUMPY,
HE TOO IS NOW CONFIRMING THIS
WAS A CORRUPT QUID PRO QUO AND
IF I’D GIVEN THE IMPRESSION
EARLIER THAT IT WASN’T IT’S JUST
BECAUSE I FORGOT.
THE PRESIDENT’S HAND-SELECTED
PERSONAL ENVOY TO UKRAINE KURT
VOLKER, WE CAN SEE HIM
COMMITTING THE QUID PRO QUO IN
WRITING, IN COMMUNICATIONS THAT
HE TURNED OVER TO THE
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS.
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS. RIGHT?
RIGHT? HERE’S VOLKER, "HEARD FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE.
WHITE HOUSE. ASSUMING PRESIDENT ZELENSKY
CONVINCES TRUMP HE WILL
INVESTIGATE, WILL GET TO THE
BOTTOM OF WHAT HAPPENED IN 2016,
WE WILL NAIL DOWN A DATE FOR OUR
VISIT TO WASHINGTON.
GOOD LUCK."
GOOD LUCK." HE’S TEXTING THE UKRAINIAN
GOVERNMENT, BY THE WAY, YOU’RE
ONLY GETTING YOUR VISIT IF YOU
COUGH UP THOSE INVESTIGATIONS.
AND THERE IT IS IN BLACK AND
WHITE.
WHITE. AND OF COURSE THERE’S THE
PRESIDENT’S OWN WORDS HIMSELF.
HE’S GOT PEOPLE WEARING THESE
"READ THE TRANSCRIPT" T-SHIRTS
AT HIS RALLIES NOW.
THE TRANSCRIPT SHOWS THE
PRESIDENT ASKING FOR
INVESTIGATIONS INTO HIS
POLITICAL RIVALS AND OTHER
POLITICALLY CONVENIENT WEIRD
CONSPIRACY THEORY TOPICS.
HE ASKED FOR THOSE THINGS AS THE
FAVOR THAT HE NEEDS, THOUGH,
WHEN THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT
ASKS HIM ABOUT SENDING HIM SOME
JAVELIN MISSILES.
JAVELIN MISSILES. I MEAN, IT’S COOKED.
ALL OF THE EVIDENCE SAYS THE
SAME THING.
SAME THING. ALL OF THE WITNESSES SAY THE
SAME THING.
SAME THING. THERE’S ONLY ONE STORY HERE, AND
IT’S BEEN CORROBORATED FROM
EVERY POSSIBLE ANGLE.
IN TERMS OF WHETHER THE
PRESIDENT DID IT, IT’S DONE.
I MEAN, AT LEAST HERE ON EARTH
ONE IT IS DONE.
>> IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A
CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES WAS
THREATENING THE UKRAINE WITH
CUTTING OFF AID UNLESS THEY
INVESTIGATE HIS POLITICAL
OPPONENT, YOU WOULD BE VERY
DISAPPOINTED.
DISAPPOINTED. >> NO ONE WHO WAS LOOKING FOR
THAT IS DISAPPOINTED ANYMORE.
BECAUSE NOT ONLY IS THERE A RAFT
OF ALL UNANIMOUS EVIDENCE ALL
SUPPORTING THAT NOW, EVEN THE
PEOPLE TRYING TO HELP THE
PRESIDENT HERE PLAINLY ARE
HAVING TO ADMIT THAT ACTUALLY,
YEAH, WHAT YOU JUST DESCRIBED
THERE, LINDSEY GRAHAM, THAT IS
EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
CONFRONTED WITH THAT REALITY
TODAY FROM THIS TESTIMONY THAT
WAS JUST RELEASED FROM VOLKER
AND SONDLAND, SENATOR LINDSEY
GRAHAM ANNOUNCED THAT HE IS NO
LONGER READING THE TRANSCRIPTS
OF THESE WITNESSES FROM THE
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS, HE’S
JUST REFUSING TO HEAR ANY OF
THIS ANYMORE.
THIS ANYMORE. HE’S JUST DONE WITH IT.
AND THAT IS ONE WAY TO HANDLE
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A