The President wrote a six page letter to Speaker Pelosi about impeachment.
Here are the parts that deal with Ukraine, and important context.
whitehouse.gov/wp-content/upl…
Here are the parts that deal with Ukraine, and important context.
whitehouse.gov/wp-content/upl…
1. Yes, he said "us," our country. But it's not true that Ukraine's launch of a partisan political investigation is in the national security interest of the US. It makes Ukraine weaker and by extension weakens our national security. 
2. The President said he "then mentions the attorney general," but before that he dives deep into the rabbit hole of the CrowdStrike / Ukrainian election interference conspiracy theory, which has been roundly debunked, including by me on @FareedZakaria: cnn.com/videos/tv/2019…
@FareedZakaria 3. For the millionth time, it was *international consensus* that Shokin be fired. Aid is often conditioned this way. By firing Shokin, Biden was inviting more scrutiny of his son, not less.
I discussed this w/
@JudyWoodruff
before impeachment began. pbs.org/newshour/show/…
I discussed this w/
@JudyWoodruff
before impeachment began. pbs.org/newshour/show/…
@FareedZakaria @JudyWoodruff 4. Zelensky is in an extraordinarily tough position, attempting to walk a fine line between Ds and Rs without upsetting anyone or the monetary and rhetorical support Ukraine needs. Of course he isn't going to accuse POTUS of wrongdoing. More on that here: politico.com/magazine/story…
@FareedZakaria @JudyWoodruff 5. What Zelensky *has* said (in an interview with @shustry) is that Trump has done enormous reputational damage to Ukraine. He added "If you’re our strategic partner, then you can’t go blocking anything for us. I think that’s just about fairness."
time.com/5742108/ukrain…
time.com/5742108/ukrain…
@FareedZakaria @JudyWoodruff @shustry 6. Re: the Johnson claim, Congressional staffers who visited Ukraine told me otherwise (from the @POLITICOMag piece linked a few tweets up).
Sworn testimony of our civil servants also casts doubt on Johnson's claim.
Sworn testimony of our civil servants also casts doubt on Johnson's claim.
@FareedZakaria @JudyWoodruff @shustry @POLITICOMag 7. Likewise for Ukrainians not expressing concern about the pressure campaign and withholding of aid.
And as for Sondland: it's pretty clear that he *revised his sworn testimony* to include the fact that there was a quid pro quo. Not sure why the WH letter mentioned him.
And as for Sondland: it's pretty clear that he *revised his sworn testimony* to include the fact that there was a quid pro quo. Not sure why the WH letter mentioned him.
@FareedZakaria @JudyWoodruff @shustry @POLITICOMag The letter continues for another five pages, and I'm sure some legal experts like @benjaminwittes will look at the rest of the eyebrow raising claims there in detail. But these three Ukraine paragraphs are enough for me to need a drink, stat.
