Okay, America. From sea to shining sea: Let's do this.
Schiff emphasizes that this is not just about election influence but a shakedown conspiracy and the betrayal of a US strategic geopolitical ally. #ImpeachmentHearings #TrumpBribery
Key line we will all keep coming back to over & over:
"I would like you to do us a favor, though."
#ImpeachmentHearings #TrumpBribery
"I would like you to do us a favor, though."
#ImpeachmentHearings #TrumpBribery
Nunes is now up. Time to gaslight America. He is using Trumpian phrases like "Russian hoax" and "Steele dossier" and OMG "nude pictures of Trump." I really didn't need that visual this early in the am.
If you're an "independent" or undecided and you're still undecided after hearing the contrast between the sobriety of Schiff's opening and Nunes' shit show, you may not be too bright.
Good God, Nunes is now insulting Amb Taylor and other witnesses as reality cast show members in the "low rent" impeachment drama. There is no low to which the Republican Party will not sink.
Republicans are quite shameless with their point of order interruptions. But Schiff is using the time wisely to reinforce the importance of protecting the identity of the whistleblower.
George Kent is up and presages his address by emphasizing his public service and nonpartisan credibility. Nunes should be ashamed by trying to paint these witnesses as witless reality tv/ crisis actors. That should be reserved for the president.
As a reminder: 
It cannot be sufficiently emphasized that support for Ukraine is in the interests of the US. As per George Kent: “Ukraine’s success is very much in our national interest, in the way we have defined our national interests broadly in Europe for the past 75 yrs.”#ImpeachmentHearing
"I do not believe the US should ask other countries to engage in selective, politically associated investigations or prosecutions against opponents of those in power... regardless of country." - George Kent #ImpeachmentHearings
"In mid-August, it became clear to me that Giuliani’s efforts to gin up politically-motivated investigations were now infecting US engagement with Ukraine, leveraging President Zelensky’s desire for a White House meeting." - George Kent #ImpeachmentHearings
Amb Taylor begins by emphasizing the fact that Ukraine is a strategic ally under fire from (Trump's favorite country): Russia.
"As the Committee is aware, I wrote that withholding security assistance in exchange for help with a domestic political campaign in the United States would be crazy. I believed that then & I believe it now." - Amb Taylor
Amb Taylor says: "I worried about the role of Rudy Giuliani."
Rest of sane America: "We know what you mean."
Rest of sane America: "We know what you mean."
Amb Taylor is a masterclass in note-taking. Every sentence is one devastating fact after the next. Trump-GOP cannot pretty this up.
Honestly, I wish I had DVR-ed or taped this just for Amb Taylor's velvet voice + facts. I can see myself listening to this on a rainy weekend in the future with a good bottle of Scotch.
"I encountered an irregular, informal channel of U.S. policy-making with respect to Ukraine, unaccountable to Congress" ... subsequently learned Giuliani that "operated mostly outside of official State Department channels." - Amb Taylor
"By mid-July it was becoming clear to me that the meeting President Zelensky wanted was conditioned on the investigations of Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections." - Amb Taylor
Devastating: "Also on July 20, I had a phone conversation with Alexander Danyliuk, President Zelensky’s national security advisor, who emphasized that President Zelensky did not want to be used as an instrument in a U.S.
re-election campaign."
re-election campaign."
Taylor says in call with Sondland, it was made clear that everything -- including Ukrainian security assistance -- was dependent on Zelensky's compliance with Trump's demands of public investigations; wanted Zelensky "In a public box."
As we know from the texts, and as stated by the ambassador himself, he quit.
Let that be a lesson to every single person in Trumpworld. or the Republican Party You don't have to work for a corrupt monster. You. Can. Quit.
Let that be a lesson to every single person in Trumpworld. or the Republican Party You don't have to work for a corrupt monster. You. Can. Quit.
Amb Taylor seems to be implicating Trump as a direct participant in the coordination of the Ukraine shakedown and the desired investigation into Bidens.
DEVASTATING. What more do we need? Impeach the motherfucker.
DEVASTATING. What more do we need? Impeach the motherfucker.
New info from Taylor today -- his staffer overheard Trump on the phone with Sondland, asking about "investigations" and that term means matters related to the 2016 election, Burisma, and the Bidens.
Amb Taylor clearly replies to Schiff's question agreeing that Trump cares more about investigations into the Bidens that the fate of Ukraine.
Let me take this moment to note that all you folks who were keyed up for MuellerTime and thought Mueller would save us were wrong. Should have saved your breathlessness for the REAL heroes: George Kent and my favorite American Eagle (he even looks like one), Amb Bill Taylor.
Responses by Taylor and Kent at this point make clear that if Trump continued to withhold assistance from Ukraine, the beneficiary would be Russia (and Putin).
"It's one thing to try to leverage a meeting in the White House, it's another thing, I thought, to leverage security assistance, security assistance to a country at war ... It was much more alarming." - Amb Taylor
Less than two hours into these #ImpeachmentHearings and we have heard enough to impeach the motherfucker. But we have a Republican Party prepared to be human shields for a criminal cabal.
Taylor explains the "public box" as follows: "I understood that to mean that President Trump through Amb. Sondland was asking for President Zelensky to very publicly commit to these investigations, that it was not sufficient to do this in private."
This staff lawyer Goldman is good. I need to take him on dates with me to interrogate prospective future ex husbands.
I need more coffee to deal with Nunes.
That display from Ratcliffe was quite a display. He withdrew the question but I am sure the Criminal in Chief and the idiots who vote for him will appreciate it.
The stupidity of claiming that Zelensky is a liar should be obvious. I mean -- he's the new president of a country under fire (literally) and he needs security assistance.
So the Republicans tactic is to emphasize that testimony from Taylor and Kent is all hearsay because they do not have direct communications with Trump.
Gym Jordan is wrong. Aid to Ukraine was released because the State Department & NOT the White House, based on legal determination & DESPITE Trumpworld's attempt at extortion.
* because OF the the State Department
Give HD a break; she's tired
Give HD a break; she's tired
Powerful line by Kent: "Rudy Giuliani's smear campaign was ubiquitous"
Here is the clip -- via Oliver Willis -- of Kent saying he has never seen a president participate in anything like the smear campaign against Amb Yovanovitch, & that Giuliani's smear campaign was ubiquitous.
Quigley points out Republicans screaming about hearsay would have direct testimony if they folks in the administration actually showed up to testify.
Swalwell references Mulvaney saying"we do that all the time with foreign policy" with reference to conditioning foreign assistance & asks Taylor is that is true. The ambassador says that is not true.
In questioning by Castro, Taylor agrees that attempted murder a crime but is not sure if attempted bribery and attempted extortion are crimes.
Swalwell using polite procedure to save us from bullshit by Ratcliffe. Thank you, Swalwell!
Oh God, one of my pet peeves is being repeatedly triggered. Please members of Congress, stop calling it THE Ukraine. The country's name is Ukraine.
Gym Jordan is always yelling. And he's lying again because the president did not release the aid for Ukraine. The State Dept did - based on legal judgement and despite Trump.
Gym Jordan says we'll never know who the whistleblower is while he describes the whistleblower using a male descriptor and as a supporter of Biden. But even as he tries to out the whistleblower, we all know we are 100 exits past the whistleblower needing to give testimony.
Gym Jordan laments that we'll never get to question the person who started all this: the whistleblower. But Rep
Welch gets the line of the day as he says the person who started all this is President Trump and he's "welcome to come to this hearing and sit right there."
Welch gets the line of the day as he says the person who started all this is President Trump and he's "welcome to come to this hearing and sit right there."
Welch gets the line of the day as he says the person who started all this is President Trump and he's welcome to come to this hearing and sit right there. Clip via John Aravosis.
Nunes is a clown. He's saying the hearings should ACTUALLY be about the whistleblower, Ukraine meddling in the 2016 election & Burisma/Bidens. A fucking certifiable clown.
Schiff is closing it down with a sober summary of the broad landscape of the shakedown of Ukraine by Trump and his administration. #TrumpBribery
My late cat would make quick work of that leather chair occupied by Chairman Schiff. But it should be stated that she was a Democat.
Here's the bottom line from today's testimony: Taylor & Kent confirmed the inappropriate leveraging of foreign policy & attempted extortion of Ukraine by Trump to investigate his rival for personal gain. It is damning & worse than Watergate. Impeach the motherfucker.
As a reminder, Taylor and Kent showed up for testimony because they were legally obligated to do so in response to subpoenas. Everyone ignoring subpoenas is a hack for Trump and ignoring the law.
