Thread by @HeathMayo

Some observations after re-reading the documents that have surfaced so far in the Ukraine scandal.

Let’s start with the TELCON of the July 25 call between Trump & Zelenskyy, which ends up being only one piece of evidence in this puzzle.

First, this isn’t even the complete transcript—it’s a summary of what was said; a recollection. It may be missing things said that were even more incriminating and lend additional evidence to the presence of pressure on Zelenskyy by Trump.

Second, this is the very first conversation between the POTUS & Zelenskyy after his election. Presumably, the US and Ukraine would have any number of pressing issues to discuss. That the entire call is quickly focused on “reciprocality” is a tell about Trump’s overall motive.

Once Trump raises the issue of “reciprocality,” Z quickly brings up US aid for Ukraine, specifically access to Javelins. The very next words out of Trump’s mouth are: “I’d like you to do us a favor though..”

This strongly suggests Trump is conditioning aid on everything else.

The whole Crowdstrike thing is literally a bogus and unsubstantiated conspiracy theory. (See the WB complaint in FN 3.) Even still, it’s unclear how it relates to the source of Russian interference in our election. In context, it’s more clearly also an effort to get dirt on Dems.

Then, of course, there’s the blatant abuse of the presidency to procure an investigation into Trump’s primary 2020 political opponent. As the WB complaint notes, these investigations were ended and no evidence was found against the Bidens. (See FNs 5,6, & 7 discrediting Lutsenko)

Then, there’s this whole reality that foreign leaders think they can win the favor of the US government in foreign policy negotiations by noting they’ve stayed in Trump’s properties. Also—the way Trump talks about our own Ambassador. Absolutely disgusting.

In its totality, the call summary paints a negotiation of asks—Trump lording US leverage over Ukraine to pressure Zelenskyy into doing several things for Trump, almost all of them connected to Trump’s personal interests rather than the interests of the US.

Next: the WB complaint

This whole intro is worth reading. A couple of notes: more than six US government officials separately relayed the info to the WB in the course of interagency business. No leaks. No spies. Just day-to-day sharing of info—contrary to Trump’s hysterics today. It also all ties.

The WB defends their belief that the info raises an “urgent concern” which requires that it be sent to the IG and Congressional committees. They also note that the actions “pose risks to US national security and undermine efforts to deter foreign interference.”

And now for the most important point about the WB complaint: why it’s credible. Everything that the WB describes about a call he did not hear checks out with the TELCON we just reviewed. That the WB complaint is so accurate reinforces its credibility on the *other* misdeeds...

The officials who accurately relayed the contents of the call to the WB also said there were “ongoing discussions” in the WH about how to treat the call b/c the President had likely “abused his office for personal gain.” This is from the officials—not the WB. Email trail?

Then—a new allegation about the mishandling of politically damning info by the WH: the knowing mis-storage of transcripts into top secret computers to hide the info from the public. Again—if the officials were so accurate about the call contents, why would they be off here?

Several other meetings occur before & after the July 25 call where Giuliani meets directly with Ukrainian officials, sometimes without briefing the State Dept. WB notes that this “circumvented national security decisionmaking processes.” What was said in *these* meetings?

Then there’s this: where Giuliani basically admits that he was meddling to get an investigation into the Bidens in his role as the President’s personal lawyer. Did he misrepresent himself as an agent of the US in these conversations to procure a personal benefit for Trump?

This is another biggie in the Appendix: the same WH officials who are so far batting 1000 in terms of accuracy, say that it was “not the first time” WH info was mishandled for the purpose of “protecting politically sensitive—rather than national security sensitive—information.”

Finally—the withheld aid. No one in OMB or NSC staff knew about the policy shift. It came directly from the President just 7 days before the July 25 call...

All told, the big takeaway from the WB complaint is its incredible accuracy about a call the WB was not even on, suggesting the sources are solid & everything else likely occurred. It also alleges even more events beyond the July 25 call that presumably also have a paper trail.

...which brings us to the ICIG Letter, where Trump’s own hand-picked IG finds the WB complaint credible and that its allegations raised issues of “urgent concern” and potential illegality.

Those saying that nothing Trump did raises any formal legal issues are off base. The IG himself notes that the conduct raised by the WB may have run afoul of the federal bribery statutes, specifically 52 USC Sec. 30121(a)(2). So, yes, a formal crime may have been committed.

This is rich. Critical to the IG’s finding of jurisdiction over the WB complaint was Trump’s own Executive Order giving the DNI powers to look into election interference from abroad. Trump is breaking his own rules.

Then this: the IG notes that in his preliminary review of the complaint’s veracity, “other information” presumably beyond the four corners of the complaint, supported not just the complaint, but the claim that the President pressured Ukraine for political gain. What info?