THREAD: Public #ImpeachmentHearings are set to begin at 10 a.m. As we wait, here’s a reminder of what we’ve seen so far:
At least six administration officials—Gordon Sondland, Kurt Volker, Bill Taylor, George Kent, Fiona Hill, and Alex Vindman—have independently confirmed key elements of Trump’s efforts to extort Ukraine to manufacture dirt on his political opponents. themoscowproject.org/dispatch/new-t…
And that's not even counting Mick Mulvaney, who publicly confirmed the quid pro quo before desperately trying to walk his statement back: cnn.com/2019/10/17/pol…
The July 25 call was bad enough on its own: Trump demanded a foreign government interfere in the 2020 election on his behalf. That’s illegal. Here’s the chairwoman of the FEC explaining why:
But there was also extortion: The Ukrainian government knew Trump was withholding vital military assistance, and was about to do what Trump wanted—a public announcement of an investigation into the Bidens—when Congressional pressure forced Trump to relent. themoscowproject.org/dispatch/debun…
Then, there was a cover-up: The White House not only buried records of Trump’s phone call with Zelensky, they also apparently worked to bury the (largely corroborated) whistleblower complaint. themoscowproject.org/dispatch/the-c…
Rather than answer for Trump’s behavior, House Republicans are literally running from the question—or, in one particularly extreme case, headbutting the cameras.
And the ones who are trying to defend him are resorting to conspiracy theories from—you guessed it—Russia to sow doubt and confusion rather than defend his indefensible behavior. nytimes.com/2019/11/11/opi…
Trump’s defenders have spent weeks complaining they’ve been shut out of hearings. Turns out they’ve just been skipping them rather than face the facts about what Trump did.
Most damning of all, Trump himself basically admitted to the crime: The White House released an (edited) transcript of the call in which Trump clearly pressed Zelensky for dirt on his political opponents. themoscowproject.org/dispatch/trump…
Every piece of evidence tells the same story: Trump extorted Ukraine for personal political gain, demanding bogus investigations of his political opponents in exchange for military aid and a White House meeting. themoscowproject.org/dispatch/new-t…
It’s time to finally hold Trump accountable for his corrupt and illegal behavior in office. Today’s public #ImpeachmentHearing is an important step forward in that effort.
