Thread by @kurteichenwald

Witnesses Russian asset @RonJohnsonWI must call to his sham Biden hearings - fiddling while his constituents face a public health threat.

In 2016, these GOPrs praised in congressional hearings *everything* that is now raged about by Johnson & other frauds as "a scandal"...

2...in fact, there was only ONE fact unknown to GOPrs in '16 - including Russian Asset @RonJohnsonWI: That Biden would likely be the democratic nominee in 2020. Which happens to be when this became their "scandal."

So, a trip down memory lane as we find witnesses for Johnson...

3...

Current GOP Senator @SenBobCorker who proclaimed that the offered resignation of Viktor Shokin - the corrupt prosecutor now proclaimed to be a GOP hero - must be accepted by Ukraine for it to show it is attacking corruption....

4...

Next, @RonJohnsonWI, as your constituents face a public health crisis, subpoena John E. Herbst, ambassador to Ukraine under George W Bush. In his testimony, Herbst noted that EU, IMF, reform Ukraine politicians & US (through Biden) ALL pushed for Shoking to be forced out...

5...now, as you know but won't disclose, Russian Asset @RonJohnsonWI, EU & IMF threatened to withhold over $50B in direct aid to Ukraine if corrupt Shokin, your now hero, was not removed. The US, through Biden, said we we'd stop guaranteeing $1B in loans, 1/50th of our allies...

6...now, Bush Ambassador Herbst has much more to say @RonJohnsonWI. While he criticized of a lot of what Obama Admin did on Ukraine, he made one exception: Praising Biden for hard work in joining EU to get your hero, the corrupt Shokin, out of office (You know, your "scandal")..

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...but why oh why did Bush Ambassador Herbst say that getting Shokin out of office was so important, Russian Asset @RonJohnsonWI? Oh, you know. Because his presence served to aid your controllers in Russia in threatening western interests....

8...now, it is clear that Bush Ambassador Herbst has sooo much to say. But you won't call him as a witness, will you, @RonJohnsonWI? No, of course not. Because he won't get you on Fox to spread Russian disinformation.

OH! WAIT! Herbst said so much more about Biden and Shokin...

9...let's take this one paragraph at a time so we make sure, Russian Asset @RonJohnsonWI, that even you cannot disguise and lie about what happened here.

Ukranians fighting corruption were pushing for your hero Shokin to be removed because he was blocking reform....

10...and not only that, Russian Asset @RonJohnsonWI (We're getting to be friends, now. Can I just call you RA? Thanks, buddy.)

Biden joined "a chorus" of others calling for Shokin's removal. BUT - Shokin stayed in office. Biden accomplished nothing, just like the EU didn't...

11...now, I don't know, RA @RonJohnsonWI, if our next witness Victoria Nuland, who also testified at the 2016 hearing, is a GOPr. But she WAS principal deputy foreign policy adviser to Vice President Cheney and GW Bush Ambassador to NATO, so I think that's good enough for Fox...

12...and what, pray tell, did Ambassador Nuland who was a Cheney advisor say about Biden & Ukraine? Why, RA @RonJohnsonWI, she said that Biden did a great job after joining *others who had already been pushing for change* (and the primary goal was getting your hero Shokin out)...

13...now, Nuland was not without criticism of Biden. She was disappointed that Biden was not even MORE direct about what specific acts were required of Ukraine to maintain our aid. Just like everyone else, it was the removal of Shokin. Once he was gone, EU, IMF resumed support...

14...on to my favorite bit of testimony. We have to go back to Ambassador Herbst - remember RA @RonJohnsonWI? The GW Bush ambassador?

In his testimony, Herbst criticized Obama Ukraine policy but made one exception. Guess who? And for what? You know..Biden & anti-corruption...

15...so, Russian Asset @RonJohnsonWI one more person you need to call, although not an American Republican.

That is Christine Lagarde, managing director of the IMF who also told the Ukraine that - if they didn't get rid of Shokin - they would withhold aid....

16...as I said, no testimony. But here is a part of an article that ran the day after the corrupt Shokin - your current hero who is symbol of political corruption in Ukraine - was forced out under international pressure....

17...so, where is your "evidence" RA @RonJohnsonWI? Why, *its from the corrupt Viktor Shokin!* The man who - based on GOP conspiracy theories - is now trying to fight his way back to power for having been a "victim" of US corruption.

Let's see what your pal Vikky has to say...

18...he said - under urging from international buffoon Rudy Giuliani - that there was a Burisma investigation. He implies - sometimes says - that it was a Hunter Biden investigation.

The non-corrupt deputies - ones Trump attacked - said there was never any such investigation...

19...the ONLY thing close to an investigation was of Mykola Zlochevsky, founder of Burisma and former govnt official. The Brits had a money laundering investigation of him based on bribes he was alleged to have taken while Deputy Secretary for Economic and Social Security....

10...this had NOTHING to do with Burisma or Hunter Biden, RA @RonJohnsonWI. It was about the actions of a public official in his own personal capacity.

But guess what? Ukraine didn't investigate. They BLOCKED efforts by the Brits to get info about Zlochevsky, an oligarch.....

11...now, I dont know if Shokin played a role in blocking that information release. But the prosecutor general's office did. And because of that, the British case collapsed...

So, let's review RA @RonJohnsonWI:

12...If you are going to have a hearing and not waste tax dollars on a political sham, here are the witnesses you need to call:

Herbst
Nuland
Corker
Christine Lagarde
Britain’s former attorney general, Dominic Grieve (was involved in Zlochevsky investigation....

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British Serious Fraud Office investigator Richard Gould

Ukrainian Prosecutor in international department of the general prosecutors’ office, Vitaly Kasko, who was blocked in 2014 (before Hunter Biden joined Burisma) from investigating Zlochevsky case.....

14...I think I've made my point, Russian Asset @RonJohnsonWI. If you dont call these witnesses - or people with similar knowledge - it is clear you don't give a DAMN about what happened, but only are playing politics for Fox News.....

15...you are wasting our tax dollars on a political sham when we need every bit of time money by our nation's leaders focused on an exploding pandemic that places your constituents at risk of death.

Or keep pursuing it. Please your Russian masters. In the future....

16...your corruption capture compromised by the Russians, @RonJohnsonWI, as you promote the prosecutor who tried to sell out ukraine to Russia, will all be exposed. It will be a major issue in your reelection. And my hope is that it will end with your prosecution for treason.