Thread by @HeidiNBC

Trump is about to become the third president in U.S. history to be impeached.

👉These facts are firsthand or recorded: THREAD

Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate the son of his political rival, Joe Biden (in a call -- and later on camera).

His chief of staff said on live TV the $$ was held because Trump wanted investigations and “to get over it.”

Giuliani on Fox admitted he “forced” aside anti-corruption U.S. ambassador Marie Yovanovitch because she was “going to make the investigations difficult for everybody.”

A day after Trump asked Zelensky for "a favor" in his July 25 call right after Zelensky asked for javelins, Kiev Embassy staffer David Holmes said he heard Trump “loudly” over a cell phone confirming “he's (Zelensky) gonna do it (the investigations)” (call w Sondland).

Trump approved the same aid in 2017/18 (except the javelins) with no mention of Burisma or the Bidens.

In April, Joe Biden announces he’s running for president.

In May, the Dept of Defense certifies Ukraine's new president, who ran on an anti-corruption platform, met all anti-corruption standards and Congress approved the aid.

July 25, after Giuliani was pressuring Ukraine for investigations, Trump has call w Zelensky, who asks for javelins.

Trump, in next breath, asks for a “favor,” defining it as looking into Crowdstrike, a discredited conspiracy theory, and Biden’s son.

NOTE: No Latin was used.

ONE DAY LATER, EU Amb. Gordon Sondland is overheard by embassy staffer David Holmes during a cell phone convo in which Trump “loudly” asks “so he’s (Zelensky) gonna do the investigation?” Sondland says, yes “he’ll do anything you ask him to.”

Laura Cooper, a Russia expert at Defense, testified the same day Trump asked for a “favor” Ukraine started inquiring what was going on with their aid. Officials including Vindman were so disturbed by the call they went to White House lawyers, who told him not to discuss it.

2 DAYS after the House began investigating a whistleblower report and 1 DAY after the national security adviser John Bolton quit the aid was released.

Late that night, and without explanation, it was released.

House Intel Chair Adam Schiff called this “getting caught.” Ukraine was 19 days from getting NOTHING, Bill Taylor testified, and Congress had to scramble to disburse the funds.

$20 million of which has still not been released.

latimes.com/politics/story…

Zelensky says he felt no pressure and this is a good read on that:

businessinsider.com/zelensky-didnt…

Trump’s premise for wanting investigations, because Joe Biden helped his son by getting a prosecutor fired, has been discredited:

Shokin was NOT actively investigating Burisma and his ouster was supported by Republican senators Rob Portman and Ron Johnson, the IMF and …

pretty much all of Western democracy. The Ukrainian parliament voted him out. Also, there is NO evidence Joe Biden advocated for his son’s placement on the Burisma board.

bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

irishtimes.com/news/world/eur…

Finally, this week Biden told NPR that HUNTER admits he “made a mistake” by joining Burisma board because “the appearance looked bad” and gave Giuliani “an excuse” for a “Trumpian defense.”

Rep. Rooney, R-FL, who is voting against impeachment today but wants WH aides to testify in the Senate:

On if a future Pres. Biden could call for China to investigate Ivanka, who got a bunch of patents there right after 2016, he said:

“All these are very bad precedents.”