Trump call to Ukrainian president re Biden might be what the intel whistleblower reported

[highplainsdem]

From The Hill, a story about a George Conway tweet linking to a Laura Rozen thread and an Independent story on this:


https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/462209-george-conway-if-trump-pushed-ukraine-to-investigate-biden-he

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway's husband George Conway said Thursday that if a report detailing President Trump's involvement in pressuring Ukraine's government to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden is true, Trump should be impeached "without delay."

The conservative lawyer and frequent critic of the president tweeted out a report from The Independent that detailed a phone call between Trump and Ukraine's president suggesting that U.S.-Ukraine relations would improve if the Biden investigation was launched.

The Independent reported Thursday that House lawmakers are looking into a July phone call between Trump and Ukraine's new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Trump allegedly pressured Zelensky to launch the probe.

-snip-

The Washington Post first reported late Wednesday evening that a whistleblower had filed a complaint with the intelligence community's inspector general after Trump allegedly made a troubling "promise" to a foreign leader.

-snip-

Conway's tweet:

Link to tweet

Laura Rozen's tweet, part of a thread:

Link to tweet

From that article in the Independent:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-ukraine-joe-biden-military-aid-zelensky-kiev-a9111106.html

The house committees’ chairs say they will scrutinise a telephone call between the US president and Mr Zelensky on 25 July, during which Mr Trump allegedly told the Ukrainian president to reopen the Biden investigation if he wanted to improve relations with the US.

They claim that Kurt Volker, the US special representative for Ukraine, was told to intercede with President Zelensky by the White House, and they are looking into the activities of Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trump’s personal lawyer.

[lapfog_1]

1. THIS is the most likely

a series of phone calls with quid pro quo (military support in exchange for dirt on Biden, even made up dirt)

[saidsimplesimon]

2. "The Worm Turns", stay tuned

more to follow, imo

[Firestorm49]

3. My bet is that it's the top level spy who had to be extracted.

The Goofball In Chief already gave top intel to the Russians shortly after the fiasco of an election.

[greatauntoftriplets]

4. That's entirely plausible.

[emmaverybo]

5. I have had the feeling that the promise was in exchange for some kind of election help as that

is what Trump is focused on. Ghoulani’s dealings with Ukraine should have been proof of election meddling alone.

[Tarheel_Dem]

6. Great find. I never thought of that. It makes perfect sense. n/t

[OKNancy]

7. I thought this at first, but changed my mind when I realized

I realized that it would be in the Ukrainian interest to rat Trump out.
They could tell about the call and it would strengthen their hand IMO.
To me it has to be someone who would want to keep the secret.
MBS or Putin is my guess now.

[highplainsdem]

8. Seth Abramson: Yeah, this is impeachable. Instantly impeachable.

Link to tweet

[dalton99a]

39. Absolutely.

[highplainsdem]

9. Trump and Giuliani's Quest for Fake Ukraine "Dirt" on Biden: An Explainer. Link:

https://www.justsecurity.org/66101/trump-and-giulianis-quest-for-fake-ukraine-dirt-on-biden-an-explainer/

[highplainsdem]

17. Jennifer Rubin says the info at this link suggests Pence needs to be impeached as well:

Link to tweet

[Cha]

18. Here's some of Ghoul's thoughts on his Ukraine "investigation"..

Link to tweet

[highplainsdem]

28. Rudy's meltdown on CNN this evening is all over Twitter.

[Cha]

30. I bet! Were you watching live?

[highplainsdem]

29. Here's a tweet with 10 minutes of the interview:

Link to tweet

The tweet says it's the complete interview, but apparently it isn't. I'll keep looking for a longer clip.

[Cha]

31. Thanks.. this will be good for those who

missed it.

I saw as much meltdown as I wanted to in that little clip..

"..let me finish, Chris.. let me finish!"

I hope he's "finished".

[highplainsdem]

36. Mediaite article with 3 video clips totalling nearly half hour, complete Giuliani interview/meltdown

https://www.mediaite.com/news/must-watch-giuliani-says-he-asked-ukraine-to-probe-biden-seconds-after-denying-it-in-trainwreck-cnn-interview/

[Cha]

37. lol@trainwreck interview!

From the outset of his appearance, Giuliani was on the offense, throwing out rhetorical chaff to distract the conversation away from a blockbuster whistleblower complaint against President Donald Trump.

“You don’t think there’s a deep state?” Giuliani responded,

“I think there’s a little deep state going on now,” a clearly frustrated Cuomo said.

“I’m a deep state? I go on television and answer questions!” Giuliani bellowed.

“Not so great tonight, I’ve got to be honest,” Cuomo responded. “You’ve been very insulting, very circumspect.”

“Why would I give the enemy the documents?” Giuliani asked.

“Now I’m the enemy,” Cuomo noted.

“You are not fair and impartial. You are totally biased and your network is a creature of a Democratic National Committee!” Giuliani claimed.

Thanks! I'd much rather read it than listen to the Gaslit Ghoul one more second!

[Kahuna7]

10. I do believe it has to do with getting help with 2020 election mischief. nt

[Cha]

11. Thank you, highplains for all

this information.

[renate]

12. that's Wonkette's top theory, and I am consistently impressed by Wonkette's analysis

(They're so funny, but they are also a great source of information.)

Donald Trump just the other day finally stopped holding up $250 million in already approved military aid to Ukraine, aid specifically to help Ukraine fight against Russia, which he was trying to strangle in its crib for what we imagine were pro-Putin bullshit reasons. He only unfroze it because Congress -- Dick Durbin and Lindsey Graham in particular -- forced him to, just like in the past he's only signed Russian sanctions because Congress forced him to. He finally lifted the hold last Wednesday, which was September 11, two days before Adam Schiff went public with the existence of the whistleblower complaint. (And reportedly the State Department is sweetening the pot for Ukraine with another $140 million in aid, maybe!)

Trump does not generally support Ukraine's resistance efforts against Russia, and he does generally support Putin's "annexation" (what a stupid euphemism that is for INVASION) of the Crimean peninsula. He runs around all the time, including at the recent G7, talking about how Putin was only kicked out of the G7 (then the G8) because he "outsmarted" Obama, when it actually was international punishment for the Crimean invasion. At other times, he's essentially argued that Putin has a right to that land, because after all, those people speak Russian, so Putin must be the real boss of them.

So what might Ukraine be able to do for Trump? Have you heard of ... UKRAINIUM ONE? AKA the fake "scandal" Rudy Giuliani has been traveling the world trying to encourage Ukraine to "investigate," as Trump has been essentially demanding the Ukrainian government open a fake investigation in order to prove "corruption" by Joe Biden? (It is such a complicated and convoluted and stupid story, but if you need to crash-course, Liz has been writing about that too. It's a made-up claim that Biden somehow forced Ukraine to stop an investigation and fire the prosecutor looking into a company his idiot son Hunter was on the board of.) Also Giuliani wants Ukraine to FESS UP and say its government only paid Paul Manafort blood money in order to do Deep State plots against Trump, God, who even knows what that senile old shitstain is talking about.

snip

Oh, another thing: Remember all that money Trump wants to steal from the military to pay for WALL? Rachel Maddow reported two weeks ago on how a lot of the money Trump wants to steal is specifically money allocated as part of the European Deterrence Initiative, formerly known as the European Reassurance Initiative, which the Obama administration started in 2014 to protect NATO members and Eastern European allies from the Russians.

https://www.wonkette.com/what-did-trump-promise-to-the-president-of-ukraine-or-russia-or-you-know-whoever

How crazy is it that the damn wall is connected to Putin's dreams of weakening NATO?!?! And that Ukraine has anything to do with Trump's potential opponent in 2020? It's been said so many times, but if this were a novel nobody would believe a word of what we are living through.

[highplainsdem]

13. Dan Pfeiffer: If this is true, Congress needs to begin impreachment proceedings immediately.

Link to tweet

[highplainsdem]

14. Jennfer Rubin: If true, this is bribery & a high crime and misdemeanor, & impeachment is imperative.

Link to tweet

[crazytown]

15. Lock, stock and 21 smoking barrels

Wapo reporting the whistleblower complaint concerned the president's dealings with the Ukraine.

[Cha]

19. Well, there ya go.

Thanks for the report, crazytown.

[highplainsdem]

21. Laurence Tribe calls it a smoking howitzer:

Link to tweet

[crazytown]

25. "in return for dirt on a political opponent's family"

real Richard Milhous Nixon territory, isn't it?

[highplainsdem]

27. Yes, it is.

[Cha]

35. "Smoking howitzer, anyone?"

Well said, LT! Thank you, !

[highplainsdem]

16. Rachel Maddow is discussing this now.

[Cha]

20. Thank you.. please let us

know what her thoughts are.

[highplainsdem]

24. She didn't really have anything new to add. She had one of the WaPo reporters on,

but first ran through the timeline of the Ukraine story, then asked the reporter if it was correct, and then he basically just talked about WaPo reporting the whistleblower report is about the Ukraine.

Which the Times and ABC have also confirmed now.

[Cha]

26. So you were right!

[highplainsdem]

22. Joe Lockhart: If true, this is a hundred times worse than Watergate.

Link to tweet

[Cha]

23. And, if true and very proveable.. this

Could be why the Universe has delayed any impeachment proceedings to date.

[Thekaspervote]

33. This!!

[Cha]

34. ..

[dalton99a]

38. +1

[Hassin Bin Sober]

32. I just don't understand how the Mrs. Conway keeps her job knowing how thin skinned trump is.

[Cha]

40. Kick for George Conway and all who

are reporting on this Ukraine story.

[highplainsdem]

41. This is the lead story on Morning Joe this morning, along with Giuliani's insane CNN appearance.

[Cha]

42. Good morning and Thank you!

I bet it's interesting!

[highplainsdem]

43. They're asking if what Trump did is bribery or extortion. The word "treason" was used, too.

[Cha]

45. Wonder if the traitor is

watching.:huke:

Thanks!

[highplainsdem]

44. And Elise Jordan said Giuliani needs to be "pulled off to hospice." Last night she tweeted that

Giuliani's family needs to get him help now:

Link to tweet

[Cha]

46. Wow.. From what I saw and

read he seemed like the usual ghouliani but I guess he was more excitable and insulting than normal for him!

Good on ya, rudy.. keep digging!

[highplainsdem]

47. Almost every tweet I saw about Rudy's interview described it as a meltdown.

[Cha]

48. Yeah, "meltdown" was definitely

the operative word.

I guess reading about it didn't quite have the same effect and watching him "squeal" at Chris Cuomo! Who seemed to handle it quite well from my perspective.

[highplainsdem]

50. Benjamin Wittes just said if this is true, it's extortion.

[Cha]

51. Benjamin Wittes sounds like he should know..

He works principally on issues related to American law and national security.

Wittes brings a non-lawyer's perspective to legal journalism, which has been his primary pursuit. After a stint covering the U.S. Justice Department and federal regulatory agencies for Legal Times,[1] he was an editorial writer (1997–2006) for The Washington Post, concentrating on legal affairs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Wittes

Thank you, !

[DrFunkenstein]

49. Promises of Big Money to a Foreign Nation in Exchange For Hurting a Political Rival

Don't see what's the problem with that. Simple response: lock him up.

Kinda catchy, now that I think of it.

[beachbumbob]

52. Biden was always going to be 2020 nemisis for trump and GOP, they had 4 years to crucify

Hillary, not so much with Joe. So any and all efforts were and are being made to hamstring the strongest democratic candidate. Looks like their fingers were caught in the cookie jar on this one. We can be proud of the whistleblower stepping up but need to see how this handled. So far, we been let down in Washington with whats been revealed for past 2 1/2 years.