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(Thread) Whistleblower Complaint Twitter Cliff notes
This will be a Summary / Timeline + Analysis
Timeline:
Late 2018: Giuliani spoke via Skype with Shokin (former Ukrainian Prosecutor General).
January 2019: Giuliani met Lutsenko (current Ukrainian Prosecutor) in N.Y.
This will be a Summary / Timeline + Analysis
Timeline:
Late 2018: Giuliani spoke via Skype with Shokin (former Ukrainian Prosecutor General).
January 2019: Giuliani met Lutsenko (current Ukrainian Prosecutor) in N.Y.
1/ February 2019: Giuliani met Lutsenko in Warsaw.
[Q: Why is Giuliani meeting with past and current Ukranian prosecutors?]
March 2019: Lutsenko publicly made false allegations about:
💠The Bidens in Ukraine (namely that Biden pressured former president Poroshenko. . .
[Q: Why is Giuliani meeting with past and current Ukranian prosecutors?]
March 2019: Lutsenko publicly made false allegations about:
💠The Bidens in Ukraine (namely that Biden pressured former president Poroshenko. . .
2/ . . . to fire Prosecutor Shokin to quash a purported criminal probe involving a company on whose board his son sat.)
💠That Ukrainian officials "interfered" in the 2016 U.S. elections in collaboration with the U.S. embassy and the DNC.
💠That Ukrainian officials "interfered" in the 2016 U.S. elections in collaboration with the U.S. embassy and the DNC.
3/
💠He criticized U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch (who had criticized Lutensko's poor record combatting corruption).
Lutsenko stated that he wished to communicate directly with A.G. Barr on these matters.
Lutsenko supported Poroshenko in the Ukranian presidental election.
💠He criticized U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch (who had criticized Lutensko's poor record combatting corruption).
Lutsenko stated that he wished to communicate directly with A.G. Barr on these matters.
Lutsenko supported Poroshenko in the Ukranian presidental election.
4/ April 21, 2019: Zelenskyy was elected president of Ukraine. He said he planned to replace Lutsenko as Prosecutor.
April 25: Biden announced campaign for president.
April 25, in an interview with Fox News, Trump called Lutsenko's claims "big" and "incredible" . . .
April 25: Biden announced campaign for president.
April 25, in an interview with Fox News, Trump called Lutsenko's claims "big" and "incredible" . . .
5/ . . . and and said Barr "would want to see this.”
April 29: the Trump administration recalled the ambassador to Ukraine, Yovanovitch, who had previously criticized Lutensko for not doing enough to stop corruption.
April 29: the Trump administration recalled the ambassador to Ukraine, Yovanovitch, who had previously criticized Lutensko for not doing enough to stop corruption.
6/ Meanwhile, Giuliani was trying to make contact with the incoming Zelenskyy team.
May 6: The State Department announced that Ambassador Yovanovitch would be ending her assignment in Kyiv "as planned.”
May 6: The State Department announced that Ambassador Yovanovitch would be ending her assignment in Kyiv "as planned.”
7/ May 9: The NY Times reported that Giuliani planned to travel to Ukraine to press the Ukrainian government to pursue investigations that would help Trump in his 2020 reelection bid.
Giuliani confirmed that he was encouraging Ukrainian authorities to investigate. . .
Giuliani confirmed that he was encouraging Ukrainian authorities to investigate. . .
8/ . . . alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and alleged wrongdoing by the Biden family.
May 10: Trump said in an interview in Politico that he planned to speak with Giuliani about the trip.
May 10: a few hours later: Giuliani canceled his trip.
May 10: Trump said in an interview in Politico that he planned to speak with Giuliani about the trip.
May 10: a few hours later: Giuliani canceled his trip.
9/ He claimed Zelenskyy was "surrounded by enemies of the [U.S.] President... and of the United States.”
May 11: Lutsenko met with Zelenskyy. Later he said he told Zelenskyy that he wished to remain as Prosecutor General.
Mid-May: U.S. officials were concerned that . . .
May 11: Lutsenko met with Zelenskyy. Later he said he told Zelenskyy that he wished to remain as Prosecutor General.
Mid-May: U.S. officials were concerned that . . .
10/ . . . Giuliani was circumventing of national security decision-making, and relaying messages back and forth between Kyiv and Trump.
State Department officials spoke with Giuliani to "contain the damage" to U.S. national security.
State Department officials spoke with Giuliani to "contain the damage" to U.S. national security.
11/ Officials Volker and Sandland met with members of the new Ukrainian administration and tried to help them understand (and respond to) the differing messages they were receiving from official U.S. channels, on one hand, and Giuliani, on the other.
12/ May 14: Trump told Pence to cancel plans to attend Zelenskyy’s inauguration on May 20. Trump Rick Perry instead.
It was ‘made clear’ that Trump didn’t want to meet with Zelenskyy until he saw how Zelenskyy "chose to act" in office.
It was ‘made clear’ that Trump didn’t want to meet with Zelenskyy until he saw how Zelenskyy "chose to act" in office.
13/ Shortly after Zelenskyy' s inauguration, Giuliani met with two other Ukrainian officials: Nazar Kholodnytskyy and Andriy Telizhenko.
Both Kholodnytskyy and Telizhenko are allies of Lutsenko and made similar allegations against the Biden family.
Both Kholodnytskyy and Telizhenko are allies of Lutsenko and made similar allegations against the Biden family.
14/ June 13: Trump told ABC' s Stephanopoulos that he would accept damaging information on his political rivals from a foreign government.
June 21: Giuliani tweeted this⤵️
June 21: Giuliani tweeted this⤵️
15/ July 18: Departments and agencies were informed that "earlier that month" Trump had issued instructions to suspend all U.S. security assistance to Ukraine.
Staff didn't know why the instruction had been issued.
During interagency meetings on July 23 and July 26. . .
Staff didn't know why the instruction had been issued.
During interagency meetings on July 23 and July 26. . .
16/ . . . Office of Management and Budget stated explicitly that the instruction to suspend this assistance came directly from Trump, but they still were unaware of a policy rationale.
Some Ukrainian officials were aware that U.S. aid might be in jeopardy.
Some Ukrainian officials were aware that U.S. aid might be in jeopardy.
17/ The July 25 Zelenskyy-Trump phone call is here: cnn.com/2019/09/25/pol…
Note: During the phone call: Trump praised Lutsenko and dissed Yovanovitch
That evening, a readout was posted on the website of the Ukrainian President that contained the following line. . .
Note: During the phone call: Trump praised Lutsenko and dissed Yovanovitch
That evening, a readout was posted on the website of the Ukrainian President that contained the following line. . .
18/ (Translated)
"Trump expressed his conviction that the new Ukrainian government will be able to quickly improve Ukraine's image and complete the investigation of corruption cases* that have held back cooperation between Ukraine and the United States.”
*the Biden case
"Trump expressed his conviction that the new Ukrainian government will be able to quickly improve Ukraine's image and complete the investigation of corruption cases* that have held back cooperation between Ukraine and the United States.”
*the Biden case
19/ After the phone call, senior White House officials intervened to "lock down" all records of the phone call, especially the official word-for-word transcript produced—as is customary— by the White House Situation Room.
White House officials told the whistleblower that. . .
White House officials told the whistleblower that. . .
20/ they were "directed" by White House lawyers to load the transcript from the call into a separate electronic system used to store and handle classified information of an especially sensitive nature.
21/ July 26: U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland visited Kyiv and met with Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian political figures.
They gave advice how to "navigate" Trump's demands of Zelenskyy.
They gave advice how to "navigate" Trump's demands of Zelenskyy.
22/ August 2: Giuliani reportedly traveled to Madrid to meet with one of President Zelenskyy' s advisers, Andriy Yermak in a "direct follow-up" to the President's call with Zelenskyy about the "cases" they had discussed. (Biden was the only case).
23/ August 9, Trump told reporters: "I think [Zelenskyy] is going to make a deal with President Putin, and he will be invited to the White House. . . . He's a very reasonable guy. He wants to see peace in Ukraine, and I think he will be coming very soon, actually.”
24/ OK, so what the heck happened?
If you want to label it a crime, it's much closer to extortion than bribery.
Recall that the leaked White House talking points instructed surrogates to say "no quid pro quo" ⤵️
If you want to label it a crime, it's much closer to extortion than bribery.
Recall that the leaked White House talking points instructed surrogates to say "no quid pro quo" ⤵️
25/ This morning I cautioned people against falling into the "No Collusion / No Quid Pro Quo" trap⤵️
What was really happening was this:
The President used the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 election.
What was really happening was this:
The President used the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 election.
26/ It's pure corruption and abuse of power.
Calling it extortion, though, will lead us into the same trap.
Behavior does not have to be a statutory crime to be impeachable.
What Trump did in this incident was a microcosm of what he's been doing all his life:
Calling it extortion, though, will lead us into the same trap.
Behavior does not have to be a statutory crime to be impeachable.
What Trump did in this incident was a microcosm of what he's been doing all his life:
27/ Corruptly consolidating wealth and power.
He didn't just say, "Ukraine, if you're listening . . ."
As President, he signalled to Ukraine that to keep the good will of the U.S. (and get the aid) they needed to manufacture evidence against Trump's political opponent.
He didn't just say, "Ukraine, if you're listening . . ."
As President, he signalled to Ukraine that to keep the good will of the U.S. (and get the aid) they needed to manufacture evidence against Trump's political opponent.
28/ It is an easy to understand sequence of corruption and abuse of power. There is no need to connect hundreds of dots.
And he got caught red-handed.
And he got caught red-handed.
Thank you. Will fix when I put on the blog.
Note: I confined my analysis to the info given in the complaint. People are asking why I didn't include other information.
At the same time, I don't want to get facts wrong!
Note: I confined my analysis to the info given in the complaint. People are asking why I didn't include other information.
At the same time, I don't want to get facts wrong!
This was my first thought too.
This was planned out & coordinated for months.
Everyone was worried about hacking into voting machines, while Trump was planning a major disinformation "her emails" type of campaign.
Disinformation is easier and cheaper.
This was planned out & coordinated for months.
Everyone was worried about hacking into voting machines, while Trump was planning a major disinformation "her emails" type of campaign.
Disinformation is easier and cheaper.
Note also the Trump M.O. at work: Trump invents a plot and forces everyone to become actors in the show.
For the 2020 episode, the plot was to be: "The real corruption and lawbreakers are Biden and the DNC in Ukraine."
Here as a blog post:
terikanefield-blog.com/whistleblower-…
For the 2020 episode, the plot was to be: "The real corruption and lawbreakers are Biden and the DNC in Ukraine."
Here as a blog post:
terikanefield-blog.com/whistleblower-…
