I have to put my live-thread on hold. Bolton just confirmed the damn quid pro quo—and says it came directly from a conversation with Trump. This (if America were a real country, if this were a real investigation, if we were in the middle of a real trial) would be THE smoking gun.
NEW YORK TIMES: "Secretary of State Pompeo acknowledged privately that there was no basis to claims by the president’s lawyer Rudolph Giuliani that the ambassador to Ukraine was corrupt and believed Mr. Giuliani may have been acting on behalf of other clients, Mr. Bolton wrote."
NEW YORK TIMES: "Trump told Bolton in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser."
NEW YORK TIMES: "Trump's statement as described by Bolton could undercut a key element of his impeachment defense—that the holdup in aid was separate from Mr. Trump’s requests that Ukraine announce investigations into his perceived enemies, including former Vice President Biden."
NEW YORK TIMES: "Over dozens of pages, Bolton described how the Ukraine affair unfolded over several months until he departed the White House in September. He described not only the president’s private disparagement of Ukraine but also new details about senior cabinet officials."
NEW YORK TIMES: "Bolton said after Trump's call with Zelensky, Bolton raised with Barr his concerns about Giuliani—who was pursuing a shadow Ukraine policy encouraged by Trump—and told Barr Trump mentioned him on the Zelensky call. Barr denies learning of the call from Bolton."
NEW YORK TIMES: "[Bolton says] Mulvaney was present for at least one phone call where the president and Giuliani discussed Yovanovitch. Mulvaney ha[d] told associates he would always step away when the president spoke with his lawyer to protect their attorney-client privilege."
NEW YORK TIMES: "[Bolton says] during a May 23 meeting where top advisers and Sen. Ron Johnson briefed him about their trip to Kyiv for the Zelensky inauguration, Trump railed about Ukraine trying to damage him and mentioned a conspiracy theory about a hacked Democratic server."
NEW YORK TIMES: "Bolton's submission of his book to the White House may have given White House lawyers insight into what Bolton would say if called to testify at Trump’s trial. It also intensified concerns among some of his advisers that they needed to block him from testifying."
NEW YORK TIMES: "Bolton would like to testify for several reasons. He believes he has relevant information, and he has also expressed concern that if his account of the Ukraine affair emerges only after the trial, he will be accused of holding back to increase his book sales."
NEW YORK TIMES: "Key to Bolton's account is an exchange during a meeting with Trump in August after Trump returned from vacation at his golf club. Bolton raised the $391 million in congressionally appropriated assistance to Ukraine for its war against Russian-backed separatists."
NEW YORK TIMES: "In his discussion with Bolton, Trump focused on the theories Giuliani shared with him...he preferred sending no aid to Ukraine until officials had turned over all materials they had about the Russia probe that related to Biden and Ukrainian Clinton supporters."
NEW YORK TIMES: "Bolton also described Pompeo's private acknowledgment that Giuliani's claims about Yovanovitch had no basis, and Giuliani may have wanted her removed because she might have been targeting his clients who had Ukraine dealings as she sought to fight corruption."
NEW YORK TIMES: "Since Bolton's statement, White House advisers have floated...go[ing] to court to try to obtain a restraining order to stop him from speaking. Such an order would be unprecedented, but any attempt to secure it could succeed in tying up his testimony..."
