Thread by @DomenicoNPR

Here's what we know now that the notes of the Ukraine call have been released:

1. Giuliani, the president’s personal atty working for Trump’s personal benefit, was pressing Ukraine to investigate the Bidens in private, overseas meetings. One, he says, was set up by State Dept

2. The Ukraine president brought up Giuliani to Trump, meaning it got to his level. He says, "...and we are hoping very much that Mr. Giuliani will be able to travel to Ukraine." Ukraine NEEDS U.S. $, and Trump knows that. He criticized Obama this wk for sending pillows & sheets

3. After the Ukrainian president mentions defense aid provided by the U.S. and thanks Trump, Trump then directly asks for a “favor” from the Ukrainian president -- to investigate the Bidens

4. The president has admitted that hundreds of millions of dollars, already allocated by Congress for Ukraine, was held up a week before this call.

5. So, there was no EXPLICIT quid pro quo, but does there really need to be one for the message to be clear? No. And it also misses the point of what’s impeachable and whether this represents an abuse of power

6. Trump’s story has changed on WHY the $ was held up. He said it was about corruption in Ukraine and then at the UN said it was about Europe not paying its fair share to Ukraine.

7. The president encouraged Ukraine to work with Giuliani and Attorney General Bill Barr on this. What exactly has Barr's role been? Barr, per CNN, said he didn't know his name was brought up. But why does Trump think he would be helpful?

8. The FBI appears to never have been contacted by Trump to investigate the Bidens
9. The DOJ WAS contacted about investigating Trump criminally for violating campaign finance law. DOJ determined there was no crime and did not investigate. Why?

10. A president asking a foreign country for help to investigate a political rival is not normal behavior for a president. Full stop.

11. On Biden, the allegations HAVE already been looked into. And there is zero evidence of wrongdoing
12. Now, it was certainly a potential conflict of interest for Hunter Biden to serve on a board of a gas company in Ukraine while Ukraine was part of his father’s portfolio.

13. But Biden’s threat to withhold aid was Obama administration POLICY, vetted through the government apparatus, and he was acting on behalf of Western alliance countries, the IMF and World Bank. He was the messenger and wasn’t freelancing.

14. There are still other shoes to drop in all this:
-The whistleblower complaint
-Potential whistleblower testimony
-The other witnesses to this call who took the contemporaneous notes. Will they be called to testify?
-The State Department's role in helping Giuliani

15. MOST Republicans are circling the wagons. They will focus on an explicit quid pro quo, which is beside the point. They just have to read the notes of the official White House account that's been released in an intellectually honest way. And ask, what if Obama did this?

16. But do all Rs hold the line? Romney has called what's known "troubling." Lindsey Graham has been able to rally the troops when it came to Kavanaugh. Can he do it again?

If some Rs peel off, that might tell you about where the CENTER is - and THAT's what wins elections