Thread by @sethjlevy

1/ Initially, @RepAdamSchiff said it was an abuse of power specifically if there was a quid pro quo that required Ukraine to open an investigation on the Bidens (Including Joe), your 2020 opponent, in order to get military aid.

We now know none of that happened.

2/ Holding the release of aid that by statute must be released or it is lost, as Mulvaney explained yesterday, to see if your partner will follow through on items important to US interests, including cooperation with an active DOJ investigation, is completely appropriate.

3/ Mulvaney gave you a clue. He said yesterday that they realized the aid needed to be released by a certain date. He implied that internal documents would show they always intended to release the funds by that date once the internal review of the Ukraine issues was complete.

4/ This is where the fact that Trump didn’t want to make the call is important. It reveals that Trump was not trying to strong arm anyone. If anything it was Yelensky that was looking to push Trump on the WH invitation.

Guess who mentioned Biden?

Yelensky.

5/ It was a ploy to curry favor that Yelensky perceived Trump wanted. Except Trump neither directly nor through his diplomatic staff, had ever indicated any interest in Ukraine investigating Joe Biden.

It was not pressure being exerted by Trump.

6/ In regard to investigating the Bidens, Democrats want it both ways. Joe says he never talked to his son about his work with Burisma and that his son’s job never affected US policy or Joe’s actions while at the same time they argue an investigation into Burisma targets Joe.

7/ If an investigation of Burisma connected to Joe Biden or does Joe Biden have nothing to do with Burisma?

Is it Trump’s fault that Hunter chose to work for Burisma? Should that shield them from the focus of the US government? Wouldn’t that prove why they would hire Hunter?

8/ Now let’s discuss the main trigger from the Mulvaney press conference. The idea that Trump is seeking to get access to and answers about the DNC server. Keep in mind access to the server has literally nothing to do with 2020. Its evidence. In an investigation focused on 2016.

9/ Now if the fundamental piece of evidence that ties Trump and Russia together resides in Ukraine, evidence the FBI was never given access to, is Trump not allowed to use every aspect of Presidential power in order to gain access to it?

10/ Which brings us to the heart of what this entire fight is truly about. This is the establishment fighting to ensure nothing is ever known about what happened in 2016 beyond Comey, McCabe and Brennan’s description of it.

11/ Let’s be clear, about a month ago there was a sudden story about the Russian asset that confirmed Putin ordered the election interference. That wasn’t random. The media and Democrats know this person and what he actually knew is being investigated.

Now why would DOJ do that?

12/ Well you would investigate the reliability of that Russian informant because when you whittle it down, he’s the only reason the IC believes that the Russians hacked the DNC server. Like literally. Like the technical analysis provided by Crowdstrike is bunk.

13/ The origins of a type of malware is a completely unreliable basis to say who hacked something. Relying on IP addressees is likewise completely unreliable. Then relating to a report written by a DNC vendor, Crowdstrike, with political ties to Hillary is also not reliable.

14/ “Ah but” they say “we had an asset in the room who heard the Russians ordering this intervention!”

Oh?

Well now that he lives in DC in his real name it seems it won’t be hard to confirm if he’s reliable.

Odd that Putin isn’t trying to kill him to hide all the secrets...

15/ If the source’s information is unreliable then analyzing the server may prove useful.

But Democrats scream, “How dare he! It’s political!”

Well yes. Of course it’s political!

They’ve spent three years attacking POTUS with a fake conspiracy that was debunked by Mueller!

16/ Look where we’ve ended up. Look where Mulvaney pointed things. Schiff is now left to argue that Trump cannot as POTUS demand the key piece of evidence in the most important American investigation before we provide a foreign country with aid.

17/ Keep in mind, that we know of, Ukraine didn’t open any new investigations on Burisma after 7/25/19 and before we released the aid. They also have not turned over the server.

So they never gave the quid but we still gave the pro.

This case will never hold up to scrutiny.

18/ But Democrats have all the evidence of the thing they claim is impeachable. So how do they justify not impeaching?

It’s getting harder and harder.

And it’s getting clearer and clearer what this impeachment will include. Whether the Democrats like it or not.

19/ To be clear, I have long desired a Senate trial where these matters would be hashed out but until recently I still believed Pelosi would avoid that disaster. Now I think Trump may have forced them into a position where it can’t be avoided.

https://twitter.com/sethjlevy/status/898383457126154240?s=20

20/ Mulvaney didn’t make a mistake in his press conference. It was designed to be just as it was. Bait and a shift in the Overton window. Now the DNC server is front and center along with Ukraine, 2016 election interference and the scope of Democrat corruption. (Not just Hillary)

21/ As I said as the WB story was breaking this was bait designed to be the opening of #Phase2. Now we know they have Misfud’s phone. My guess is we soon find out more of the evidence Durham has compiled. What is now a trickle will become a river. /end

https://twitter.com/sethjlevy/status/950551125148753920?s=20

22/ Today @KenDilanianNBC writes about the expanding Durham probe.

You’ll never guess what he’s now focused on?!?

The veracity of the IC conclusions of Russian interference and the actions by DOJ/FBI following Trump’s inauguration.

Been tellin’ y’all!

nbcnews.com/politics/justi…