trump impeachment watch thread

[ElNono]

Impeachment isn’t the only way to perform that function though.

Impeachment doesn’t start until it’s voted on by the House. Asserting their duty and power to investigate the executive is, however, something they must do, especially in light of this executive’s apparent disregard for that ability.

[hater]

Impeachment doesn’t start until it’s voted on by the House. Asserting their duty and power to investigate the executive is, however, something they must do, especially in light of this executive’s apparent disregard for that ability.

Impeachment is a political move and it goes nowhere unless you own the senate. Under these circunstances, all this will do is a fun dog and pony show that's it and that's all. Instead of concentrating on important matters, most of the politicians time will be spent on this pointless ordeal.

This is actually something a good congress would never do

[boutons_deux]

Mike Pence called Ukraine president to praise fight against ‘corruption’ days after US sent $250M aid package

Vice President Mike Pence spoke to the Ukrainian president less than a week after the White House finally agreed (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/12/us/politics/ukraine-aid-white-house.html) to release military assistance.

Pence spoke to Zelensky over the phone on Sept. 18, six days after the aid package was released under bipartisan pressure, and

a little more than two weeks after he and then-national security adviser John Bolton met with the Ukrainian president during a visit to Poland (https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/pence-praises-courage-of-polish-people-on-80th-anniversary-of-start-of-world-war-ii/2019/09/01/6231b89e-ccc1-11e9-8c1c-7c8ee785b855_story.html).

“The Vice President commended President Zelenskyy’s administration for its bold action

to tackle corruption (:lol ie, Biden and son :lol)

through legislative reforms, and offered full U.S. support for those efforts.”

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/09/mike-pence-called-ukraine-president-to-praise-fight-against-corruption-days-after-us-sent-250m-aid-package/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1551

"offered full U.S. support for those efforts" eg, Tom Hagen and Julie Annie

[boutons_deux]

Matt Gaetz suddenly clams up after accidentally revealing Trump gave GOP lawmakers a sneak peek at Ukraine call

quickly clammed up after he accidentally revealed that he and his fellow Republican lawmakers got a sneak peek at the White House’s summary of a phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Gaetz said that he “had a chance to review the transcripts and chat with the president about them.”

“Were you at the White House?” Jackson asked.

“Yeah, we went over to the White House,” Gaetz said.

Washington Post reporter Ashley Parker has since confirmed, however, that Republicans were given a preview the call readout before it was released to the public.

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/09/matt-gaetz-suddenly-clams-up-after-accidentally-revealing-trump-gave-gop-lawmakers-a-sneak-peek-at-ukraine-call/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1551

[vy65]

Impeachment doesn’t start until it’s voted on by the House. Asserting their duty and power to investigate the executive is, however, something they must do, especially in light of this executive’s apparent disregard for that ability.

Agreed, but impeachment isn't the only way for the Congress to discharge their "duty and power to investigate the executive." Seems to me there are less risky ways of effectuating their check on the executive.

[Reck]

Impeachment is a political move and it goes nowhere unless you own the senate. Under these circunstances, all this will do is a fun dog and pony show that's it and that's all. Instead of concentrating on important matters, most of the politicians time will be spent on this pointless ordeal.

This is actually something a good congress would never do

Now Hater wants congress to do "things that matter" instead of this :lmao

[boutons_deux]

Trump White House accidentally sends talking points to Democrats –

then demands the email be ‘recalled’ :lol


The Trump White House on Wednesday made a significant blunder when it

accidentally emailed its talking points intended for congressional Republicans

to congressional Democrats.

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/09/trump-white-house-accidentally-sends-talking-points-to-democrats-then-demands-the-email-be-recalled/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1551 (https://www.rawstory.com/2019/09/trump-white-house-accidentally-sends-talking-points-to-democrats-then-demands-the-email-be-recalled/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1551)

[Sheriff Hoyt]

1176931894275051522

[Sheriff Hoyt]

1176933156206862337

[ducks]

Wow! “Ukraine Whistleblower’s lead attorney donated to Biden.”
@FreeBeacon

[Pavlov]

Wow! “Ukraine Whistleblower’s lead attorney donated to Biden.”
@FreeBeaconSo what?

[ducks]

Nancy Pelosi wants narrow probe as caucus debates scope of impeachment resolution
From CNN's Manu Raju
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democrats in a private meeting today that she wants to focus the impeachment inquiry on Ukraine — as Democrats debate how broad to draft articles of impeachment against President Trump, according to several sources involved in the discussions

Despite months of focus on the Mueller findings and allegations of obstruction of justice, Pelosi and top Democrats believe their strongest case for impeachment to the American public is over the President’s ask that the Ukrainians investigate his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.

What this means: If Democrats draft articles of impeachment, it is likely to be focused on the Ukraine controversy — not on allegations that Trump tried to thwart the Mueller probe since a broader resolution could make it more complicated to get the votes on the floor, according to multiple Democratic sources. But discussions about the scope of the articles of impeachment are continuing in the Democratic Caucus.

Sources also told CNN that there is a growing push to keep the probe focused narrowly so the House could take up articles of impeachment as early as this fall.

[ducks]

So what?
What if they were doing Biden and the whistleblower gave money to trump...

[Pavlov]

What if they were doing Biden and the whistleblower gave money to trump...It wouldn't change the facts of the case or the opinion of the Inspector General who determined the complaint should be sent to Congress.

[Reck]

1176933156206862337

Dont know where Djohn is at these days but my boy would be proud of kyle right now.

[spurraider21]

Dont know where Djohn is at these days but my boy would be proud of kyle right now.
why, because he's retweeting and quoting a washington post article? hes not breaking any of this stuff :lol

you could just cut the middle man and follow wapo

[Reck]

why, because he's retweeting and quoting a washington post article? hes not breaking any of this stuff :lol

you could just cut the middle man and follow wapo

I know. I'm just saying Kyle is one of the first dudes retweeting breaking news and Djohns go to guy. lol

[koriwhat]

Dont know where Djohn is at these days but my boy would be proud of kyle right now.

why, because he's the same stupid faggot he was months ago when djohn was pimping him?

[boutons_deux]

GOP senator quoted saying: ’30 Republican senators would vote to impeach Trump’ if it was secret



https://www.rawstory.com/2019/09/gop-senator-quoted-saying-30-republican-senators-would-vote-to-impeach-trump-if-it-was-secret/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1551&recip_id=298460&list_id=1 (https://www.rawstory.com/2019/09/gop-senator-quoted-saying-30-republican-senators-would-vote-to-impeach-trump-if-it-was-secret/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1551&recip_id=298460&list_id=1)

[LkrFan]

1 mo to go
https://twitter.com/Politidope/status/1176940414441537537?s=19

:)

[Blake]

Wow! “Ukraine Whistleblower’s lead attorney donated to Biden.”
@FreeBeacon

That's a "wow" for you? Really? Not Trump tho.

Lol ducks

[DarrinS]

1176933156206862337

Womp womp

1176941004001284100

[Pavlov]

Wow, he's been here a whole six weeks.:lmao

[TSA]

Dont know where Djohn is at these days but my boy would be proud of kyle right now.

:lol proud of pushing fake news

I ran your boy djohn off the board

[DarrinS]

:lol proud of pushing fake news

I ran your boy djohn off the board

But Kyle retweeted it first. :lol

[Pavlov]

:lol proud of pushing fake news

I ran your boy djohn off the boardYou posted Q chillin' outside Air force One.

[boutons_deux]

Lawmakers to review whistleblower complaint on Wednesday

Members of the U.S. House and Senate intelligence committees will be able to read a copy of the whistleblower complaint later on Wednesday that is at the center of an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, a congressional official said.

The official, who requested anonymity, said Congress would receive its own copies on Thursday.

Representative Devin Nunes, :lol the top Republican on the House panel, :lol

said on the House floor that members of the House committee would be able to view the complaint at 4 p.m. (2000 GMT), according to House officials.

“I should make the House aware that ...

at 4 o’clock this afternoon the DNI is going to transmit the complaint to the intelligence committees

where all the Intelligence Committee members will have an opportunity to read it,”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-whistleblower-complaint/lawmakers-to-review-whistleblower-complaint-on-wednesday-official-idUSKBN1WA2OJ?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F +US+%2F+Top+News%29 (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-whistleblower-complaint/lawmakers-to-review-whistleblower-complaint-on-wednesday-official-idUSKBN1WA2OJ?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F +US+%2F+Top+News%29)

[Reck]

Womp womp

1176941004001284100

And tomorrow when this guy starts talking about this you'll do what next?

[Reck]

Wow, he's been here a whole six weeks.:lmao

6 weeks in the Trump admin are like years so I guess he's got some sort of point. People usually get hired than fired within the week over there.

[Pavlov]

Darrin and TSA would've lost their shit if Black President did any of this.

[ElNono]

Agreed, but impeachment isn't the only way for the Congress to discharge their "duty and power to investigate the executive." Seems to me there are less risky ways of effectuating their check on the executive.

I’m not even saying they need to impeach. However, there’s no way they shouldn’t establish clear jurisprudence (which exists, but it’s rarely revisited) that Congress has the power to investigate.

It’s flooring how Congress subpoenas are as good as toilet paper right now, and all these lawsuits attempting to stop Congress to carry out its basic duties will drive its investigative powers the same route.

That’s why, IMO, it’s not an option anymore.

[ElNono]

Impeachment is a political move and it goes nowhere unless you own the senate. Under these circunstances, all this will do is a fun dog and pony show that's it and that's all. Instead of concentrating on important matters, most of the politicians time will be spent on this pointless ordeal.

This is actually something a good congress would never do

It doesn’t have to get there. Withholding full documentation from Congress should be a major offense, however, and Congress should fight it off.

[DarrinS]

1176924800968732673

[DarrinS]

1176937484338565122

[DarrinS]

1176925242436050944

[boutons_deux]

https://images.theweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/tt190925_1_0.gif?itok=74Qa951u


https://images.theweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/73_230076_0.jpg?itok=TpBM0a4N


https://images.theweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/118_230069_0.jpg?itok=2Eaq0Ymd

https://images.theweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/82_230081_0.jpg?itok=LrisSMjz


https://images.theweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/sbr092519dapr_0.jpg?itok=xevG4kD-

https://images.theweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/cjones09302019_0.jpg?itok=wGBOF8Ii

https://images.theweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/mra092419dapr_0.jpg?itok=ABQ2ZSWp

[Pavlov]

1176924800968732673What does Trump actually want investigated, Darrin?

Explain.

[RD2191]

Trump is absolutely fucked. :lol

[Pavlov]

1176937484338565122How many words do the ellipses in the original memo represent, Darrin?

It was a 30 minute call.

[ducks]

Trump Reaps $5 Million After Impeachment Drive

Green said impeachment would stop the money coming in!

[TSA]

1176937484338565122

:lol holy shit

[RD2191]

Why is the retard in chief even asking for dirt on a 2020 rival? I thought he was supposed to have it in the bag? :lol

[TSA]

1176924800968732673


https://mobile.twitter.com/LisaMei62/status/1176927143022026752

He’s dropping crumbs

[Pavlov]

https://mobile.twitter.com/LisaMei62/status/1176927143022026752

He’s dropping crumbs:lmao no he isn't

You're the most gullible Q-tard on the planet.

[CitizenDwayne]

Why is the retard in chief even asking for dirt on a 2020 rival? I thought he was supposed to have it in the bag? :lol
It’s all he knows. He’s made his wealth and lived his entire life being a corrupt conman; it’s as instinctive to him as breathing

[DarrinS]

How many words do the ellipses in the original memo represent, Darrin?

It was a 30 minute call.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9MG9b4mEU0

[Pavlov]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9MG9b4mEU0Aw, Darrin can't answer a question truthfully.

Ever.

:lol

[Reck]

Is trump feeling ok? He seems lethargic. #SleepyTrump

[Pavlov]

Low energy. Can't form sentences.

[ducks]

Why is the retard in chief even asking for dirt on a 2020 rival? I thought he was supposed to have it in the bag? :lol

Biden is the democract nomine?
Warren ahead nation wide last poll

[ducks]

President Trump said during a press conference in New York Wednesday that he wants "full transparency" not only over the "so-called whistleblower" allegations rocking Capitol Hill, but also "from Joe Biden and his son Hunter on the millions of dollars that have been quickly and easily taken out of Ukraine and China."

[Reck]

Biden is the democract nomine?
Warren ahead nation wide last poll

Which poll is this?

[ducks]

Which poll is this?

Quinnipiac: Warren Just Beats Biden in Nationwide Poll

[Pavlov]

President Trump said during a press conference in New York Wednesday that he wants "full transparency" not only over the "so-called whistleblower" allegations rocking Capitol Hill, but also "from Joe Biden and his son Hunter on the millions of dollars that have been quickly and easily taken out of Ukraine and China."As soon as David Dennison is transparent about anything about himself....

[Pavlov]

Quinnipiac: Warren Just Beats Biden in Nationwide PollThen why is Dennison scared of Joe?

[TSA]

Brutal couple days for the WaPo. First the “promise” and today the “DNI threatening to quit” both blow up in their faces.

The dud of the secondhand whistleblower gossip will complete the trifecta this afternoon.

[ducks]

27 percent support Warren
25 percent prefer Biden
16 percent chose Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt
7 percent support South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg
13 percent don’t know or did not respond

[Pavlov]

Brutal couple days for the WaPo. First the “promise” and today the “DNI threatening to quit” both blow up in their faces.

The dud of the secondhand whistleblower gossip will complete the trifecta this afternoon.What does Q say about this?

When do the mass arrests of Democrats start this time?

[ducks]

As soon as David Dennison is transparent about anything about himself....


Why not both at same time
And let’s see if Ukraine has that server

[Pavlov]

Why not both at same time
And let’s see if Ukraine has that serverWhat server? What are you actually talking about here?

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/1176960868359266304?s=19

:tu

[SnakeBoy]

https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/1176960868359266304?s=19

:tu

When is the vote?

[Pavlov]

When is the vote?Whenever Nancy says.

[boutons_deux]

Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Ukraine: What you need to know

House Democrats are considering the impeachment of President Donald Trump, who talked with the leader of Ukraine about investigating his political rival Joe Biden. Biden’s son Hunter was a director at a Ukrainian energy company when his father served as vice president.

Trump and his allies have charged that Biden and his son Hunter acted improperly. But PolitiFact and other fact-checkers (https://politifact.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7fcd21cd74d3867be10c01899&id=192a748f02&e=114750e007) have found little substance to these allegations. Hunter Biden did do work in Ukraine, but we found nothing to suggest Vice President Biden acted to help him or discouraged investigations of his son.
Now, Democrats see Trump’s interactions with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as efforts to bully a foreign country into doing something helpful for his own re-election campaign, possibly using U.S. military aid to Ukraine as leverage. Congress found out about the events after news reports of a whistleblower’s complaint.
Here are seven pressing questions and answers about Trump and Biden.


What did Trump allegedly do regarding Biden and Ukraine?

Trump asked President Volodymyr Zelensky to work with Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani on a probe of the Bidens. Democrats have linked Trump’s request in a July 25 phone call to Zelensky with the slow-walking of $400 million in U.S. military aid to Ukraine.


What do we know about the whistleblower?

The whistleblower has not been identified as of this writing. What we do know is that an unnamed intelligence official filed a whistleblower complaint Aug. 12 to Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community. Atkinson found the complaint credible and a matter of "urgent concern." But the director of national intelligence, or DNI, did not turn the complaint over to Congress as the law requires. (The Justice Department advised the DNI that the conduct described in the complaint was outside the scope of the whistleblower statute.) Atkinson said in a letter to Congress that he disagreed with the DNI’s determination but was bound to abide by it.


In what way would Trump’s actions be problematic under the law?

Experts told PolitiFact that Trump’s interactions with the Ukrainian president could be impeachable if they amounted to self-dealing. "If the allegations are true that Trump demanded an investigation into the Biden family in exchange for military aid that was already approved for Ukraine, that could constitute bribery, which is specifically listed in the constitution as a basis for impeachment," said Barbara McQuade, a University of Michigan law professor who was U.S attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan appointed by President Barack Obama.


What was Hunter Biden’s role at a Ukrainian company?

Hunter Biden held a directorship with a natural gas company called Burisma Holdings, beginning in 2014. Reuters (https://politifact.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7fcd21cd74d3867be10c01899&id=340bfa862a&e=114750e007) reported that the company said the younger Biden would help the company with "transparency, corporate governance and responsibility, international expansion," and other issues. The company also retained the law firm where Biden had been working, Boies Schiller Flexner.
Burisma was owned by Mykola Zlochevsky, a minister under Russia-friendly President Viktor F. Yanukovych, who subsequently went into exile after a popular revolution. After Yanukovych was ousted, Zlochevsky faced a variety of corruption-related investigations involving his business.
In 2015, Ukraine’s newly appointed prosecutor general Viktor Shokin inherited some of the investigations into Zlochevsky and Burisima. (Zlochevsky and the company have denied the allegations.) Shokin was ousted as prosecutor in 2016.
In May 2019, Shokin’s successor, Yuriy Lutsenko, told Bloomberg that "Hunter Biden did not violate any Ukrainian laws — at least as of now, we do not see any wrongdoing."


Was the Ukrainian oil company Hunter Biden worked for under investigation?

At times, Burisma has attracted attention from investigators. Despite the Trump camp’s suggestions, however, it’s not clear that Burisma was actively under investigation during the period when Biden was a director. Key figures have said opposing things on that point.
In an interview with the Ukrainian website Strana.ua, Shokin said the cases were indeed active. But Vitaliy Kasko, who had been Shokin’s deputy overseeing international cooperation, produced documents to Bloomberg that under Shokin, the investigation into Burisma had been dormant.


Did Joe Biden act improperly to shield Burisma for his son?

Biden's actions seemed to encourage aggressive investigation of all corruption in Ukraine. Biden said he threatened to withhold aid unless Shokin was sacked, and Biden was hardly alone in calling for Shokin’s ouster. Western leaders and institutions were largely united in seeking Shokin’s removal for ignoring corruption investigations.
In early 2016, for example,International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said (https://politifact.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7fcd21cd74d3867be10c01899&id=da7dbb8fef&e=114750e007) that "it’s hard to see how the I.M.F.-supported program can continue" unless corruption prosecutions accelerate.
Shokin "failed to prosecute anybody of significance,” protecting the Yanukovych circle, said Anders Åslund, a resident senior fellow at the think tank the Atlantic Council, in an interview with PolitiFact in May.


Was Hunter Biden’s position at a minimum a conflict of interest?

Yes. There is wide agreement among Ukraine policy experts that Hunter Biden’s decision to become a Burisma director presented a serious conflict of interest.
"It’s not a crime, but it is a lapse. It’s troubling," said Lincoln A. Mitchell, an adjunct research scholar at Columbia University’s Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies who has written about governance in the former Soviet Union.
Yoshiko Herrera, a University of Wisconsin professor who previously headed the university’s Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia, said Hunter Biden’s hiring echoes a strategy common within Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union, in which powerful interests try to secure influence on foreign policy by leveraging family members and associates of key leaders.
"Conflict-of-interest rules should have applied,” Herrera said. “If Biden is working for the Obama administration on Ukraine, his son should not have been on the board of a company there that could be affected by U.S. policy spearheaded by his father."












How impeachment might work

Many of the rules that have been followed for presidential impeachments have flowed from history, from the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson in the 1860s to that of President Richard Nixon in the 1970s and President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.

How does the impeachment process work?

Impeachment is part of the U.S. Constitution (https://politifact.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7fcd21cd74d3867be10c01899&id=a6fb0b1c57&e=114750e007). It says the U.S. House of Representatives "shall have the sole Power of Impeachment," the Senate "shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments," and when a president is tried "the Chief Justice shall preside." A two-thirds vote for conviction means the person is removed from office.

Generally speaking, once the full House authorizes an impeachment inquiry, the House Judiciary Committee has taken the lead (https://politifact.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7fcd21cd74d3867be10c01899&id=f789659aa3&e=114750e007) in conducting an investigation, holding hearings on proposed articles of impeachment, and voting on whether to approve them. (The House leadership can instead hand-pick a "select" committee to do this.) Articles that pass the committee proceed to the full House.

If the full House approves any of the articles, those articles are sent to the Senate for a trial. The House appoints managers to argue the case to the Senate, with the chief justice of the United States presiding. Eventually, Senators vote on whether to convict — that is, remove — the president. Start to finish, the process could take months.

Could the Senate refuse to hold a trial?

The short answer is yes, the Senate — currently led by Trump’s fellow Republicans — could probably refuse to try an impeachment. While the Constitution stipulates that the Senate has the "sole power to try," it does not force the chamber to do so.

"I would interpret this as authority to try, but not a requirement to try," said Steven Smith, a political science professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Experts agreed that the spirit of the Senate rules on impeachment (https://politifact.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7fcd21cd74d3867be10c01899&id=bae301e1e0&e=114750e007), written in 1986, express an expectation that the Senate would hold a trial if the House approved impeachment articles. But both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Trump have a track record of upending political expectations, experts noted.

Is it necessary to prove a clear-cut quid pro quo?

To impeach Trump, it’s not necessary that Congress conclude Trump explicitly cut an aid-for-Biden-probe deal with Ukraine. This is because impeachment is primarily a political question, not a legal one.

That said, articles of impeachment tend to cluster around a criminal law model, even if they don’t directly accuse the president of having violated a specific law, said Stephen M. Griffin, a Tulane University law professor.

While the legal elements of extortion or bribery need not be satisfied to impeach, the more closely Trump’s behavior resembles criminal conduct, the stronger the case, said Bradley Moss, a national security lawyer.

-- Politifact email

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/CheriJacobus/status/1176966169754050566?s=19

:lol

[LkrFan]

This sumbich has a split personality
https://twitter.com/AynRandPaulRyan/status/1176893838327042048?s=19

[ducks]

Whenever Nancy says.

When

[ducks]

CBS anchor Gayle King wondered on Wednesday whether or not President Trump effectively put to rest legitimate concerns about his call with Ukraine in July by releasing a transcript.

[ducks]

Wall Street Rises as Investors Look Past Impeachment Risk

[spurraider21]

Brutal couple days for the WaPo. First the “promise” and today the “DNI threatening to quit” both blow up in their faces.

The dud of the secondhand whistleblower gossip will complete the trifecta this afternoon.
you think he was gonna come out and confirm he was thinking about resigning? :lmao... you give so much weight to these public denials

its like the rex tillerson stuff, you think he was gonna come out and admit he called the president a fucking moron?

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1176969025160536064?s=19

[ducks]

Resurfaced video from 1998 shows Biden warning against impeaching Bill Clinton based on 'politics

[Pavlov]

WhenWhenever Nancy says.

What part of that do yo not understand?

[CosmicCowboy]

PLEASE impeach him and do it quickly. Trump flat out admitted he asked a foreign government to dig dirt on a political opponent. That's enough. Just do it.

[ElNono]

Brutal couple days for the WaPo. First the “promise” and today the “DNI threatening to quit” both blow up in their faces.

The dud of the secondhand whistleblower gossip will complete the trifecta this afternoon.

Have no preference about WaPo, but they’re batting waaaaay better than fake news... like not even close.

[TSA]

you think he was gonna come out and confirm he was thinking about resigning? :lmao... you give so much weight to these public denials

:lmao... you give so much weight to these reports with unnamed former US officials and their inside knowledge even after they are shot down within hours, time and time again.

[ducks]

Whenever Nancy says.

What part of that do yo not understand?

When is she still afraid of egg on her face
She knows right now she has nothing

[Mitch]

How many pages will this one get before the president walks away with nary a blemish again? It'll pick up once Johnny boy stops jacking off to his Westbrook poster :lol

[Pavlov]

When is she still afraid of egg on her face
She knows right now she has nothingShe knows she doesn't have the votes. It's not now or never.

TSA still thinks the Q arrests are going to happen, for example.

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1176975681529335808?s=19

[TSA]

https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1176975681529335808?s=19

:lol FACT
:lol Abramson

[boutons_deux]

If A of I will include

obstruction from Mueller report

soliciting campaign aid from a foreign country

should also include

secret meetings with foreign active enemy country

Trash University fraud, $25M fine

etc, etc

could go on for pages.

Impeachment is political, not legal.

Set up a trap for Senate Repugs to vote it down, if Dems even send it to the Senate

[boutons_deux]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EFU0r_HXUAAxb4S.jpg

[koriwhat]

If A of I will include

obstruction from Mueller report

soliciting campaign aid from a foreign country

should also include

secret meetings with foreign active enemy country

Trash University fraud, $25M fine

etc, etc

could go on for pages.

Impeachment is political, not legal.

Set up a trap for Senate Repugs to vote it down, if Dems even send it to the Senate

it's awesome watching you cry daily over orange man bad! another 5 years of this will be the cherry on top.

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/brhodes/status/1176887571428909056?s=19

[boutons_deux]

1176845014854438913

[LkrFan]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EFU0r_HXUAAxb4S.jpg

:lol

[koriwhat]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EFU0r_HXUAAxb4S.jpg

lol "founding fathers"... yeah, we needed the obvious because it wasn't clear. well, maybe not obvious to the left because yall are brain dead tbh.

ps: when were glass beer mugs invented?

[in2deep]

lol "founding fathers"... yeah, we needed the obvious because it wasn't clear. well, maybe not obvious to the left because yall are brain dead tbh.

ps: when were glass beer mugs invented?

:lol

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/Deadspin/status/1176972910508068866?s=19

[boutons_deux]

The Trump-Zelensky Phone Call: Key Takeaways From Two New Documents

Both documents should be treated with caution.

A footnote in the five-page reconstructed transcript (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/09/25/us/politics/trump-ukraine-transcript.html?module=inline) says it is not verbatim, and its text contains ellipses.

a footnote in the office of legal counsel memo (https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/1849-doj-olc-memo-on-intelligence-w/61cf25ee2a53c8e52bb4/optimized/full.pdf#page=1) says it is a rewritten version and that “we have changed the prior version to avoid references to certain details that remain classified.”

Notably,

the revised memo talks only about a single phone call,

but the inspector general told Congress the whistle-blower’s complaint concerned more than one action (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/us/politics/intelligence-whistle-blower-complaint-trump.html?module=inline).

1. Trump asked for an investigation into the Bidens.

2. Trump alluded to American aid, while not explicitly linking his request to unfreezing it, the document shows.

3. Zelensky agreed to pursue an inquiry into the Bidens.

4. White House officials, the whistle-blower, and the intelligence community inspector general were concerned that Trump may have broken the law.

5. The whistle-blower did not have direct knowledge of the call and may not like Trump, but the Trump-appointed inspector general still found the information credible.

6. Trump said Barr would call the Ukrainian president about another investigation.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/politics/ukraine-phone-call-transcript.html?emc=rss&partner=rss (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/politics/ukraine-phone-call-transcript.html?emc=rss&partner=rss)

[koriwhat]

here's a question to all those up in arms over that call whether or not trump tried to get dirt on his opposition from a foreign leader/nation....

why would yall push so hard for fake news russiagate but not for ukrainegate involving hunter and joe biden? i thought yall wanted more transparency within our gov?

[LkrFan]

Man, this dude is always involved in some shit
https://twitter.com/MartynMcL/status/1176967311825219585?s=19

[boutons_deux]

What Powers Does a Formal Impeachment Inquiry Give the House?

for the purposes of carrying out further investigation, the House’s hand would be strengthened significantly if it initiated impeachment proceedings.

Several experts have argued (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/04/24/how-trump-is-making-his-own-impeachment-more-likely/?utm_term=.7fe79137566a) that the House might have a stronger legal position in disputes with the executive branch over information and witness appearances if it were undertaking impeachment proceedings rather than investigations

“the Supreme Court has contrasted the broad scope of the inquiry power of the House in impeachment proceedings with its more confined scope in legislative investigations.

From the beginning of the Federal Government, presidents have stated that in an impeachment inquiry the Executive Branch could be required to produce papers that it might with‐hold in a legislative investigation.”

today’s judiciary committee may not need the same kind of special powers it was granted as part of previous impeachment inquiries.

the full House of Representatives directing the judiciary committee “to investigate fully and completely whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its constitutional power to impeach” the president in question.

In both cases, the resolution granted several specific powers to the committee for it to use in the course of completing the investigation with which it was charged by the full House.

First, the authorizing resolutions outlined procedures for issuing subpoenas. Second, the measures laid out a process for taking staff depositions.

Since 1998, however, the rules of the House governing staff depositions have evolved to give committees access to the tool more regularly.

Yet while today’s judiciary committee already has some of the useful powers for impeachment proceedings available, it could pursue additional procedural items if the House chooses to specifically authorize impeachment.

the House judiciary committee voted to give the president procedural rights (https://www.congress.gov/105/crpt/hrpt795/CRPT-105hrpt795.pdf) in the committee’s deliberations. The president and his counsel were invited to attend all executive session and open committee hearings,

The current judiciary committee would not be bound by precedents to afford the president these same procedural rights,

Impeachment proceedings may also give the judiciary committee a stronger case for obtaining certain materials protected from disclosure by statute,

like the grand jury materials from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

there is some historical precedent for the House judiciary committee to obtain such information from the court—most notably in the context of the Watergate impeachment proceedings.

the power to impeach is contained in an entirely separate and discrete section of the U.S. Constitution.

The decision of whether to impeach requires the development of a detailed, backward-looking factual record of specific conduct by the president.

We think it is entirely possible—probable even—that judges would recognize the primacy of impeachment proceedings against the president of the United States and expedite consideration of such cases.

https://www.lawfareblog.com/what-powers-does-formal-impeachment-inquiry-give-house

Dems should get the IRS to release Trash's tax returns, which IS THE LAW for nearly 100 years

[Pavlov]

here's a question to all those up in arms over that call whether or not trump tried to get dirt on his opposition from a foreign leader/nation....

why would yall push so hard for fake news russiagate but not for ukrainegate involving hunter and joe biden? i thought yall wanted more transparency within our gov?what are you saying the Bidens did that was illegal?

[TSA]

https://twitter.com/brhodes/status/1176887571428909056?s=19

xtCs-kK2hQU

:cry still with her :cry

[boutons_deux]

Trump attacks whistleblower’s lawyer’s past Biden donations despite also having donated to Biden (https://occupydemocrats.com/2019/09/25/trump-attacks-whistleblowers-lawyers-past-biden-donations-despite-also-having-donated-to-biden/)

Jake Tapper
(https://twitter.com/jaketapper)✔@jaketapper
(https://twitter.com/jaketapper)
(https://twitter.com/jaketapper)You know who else donated to Biden?

Donald J. Trump, in 2001.

https://www.opensecrets.org/search?order=desc&page=5&q=donald+trump++&sort=D&type=donors … (https://t.co/GBu626VTBZ)https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1176922746976178178 … (https://t.co/o6K4pQ03jk)

https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1176221428099821573/mEFfHZh6?format=png&name=144x144_2
(https://t.co/GBu626VTBZ)OpenSecrets
(https://t.co/GBu626VTBZ)opensecrets.org

(https://t.co/GBu626VTBZ)Donald J. Trump

(https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1176922746976178178)✔@realDonaldTrump
(https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1176922746976178178)Wow! “Ukraine Whistleblower’s lead attorney donated to Biden.” @FreeBeacon

(https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1176922746976178178)2:45 PM - Sep 25, 2019 (https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1176945778176212992)

https://occupydemocrats.com/2019/09/25/trump-attacks-whistleblowers-lawyers-past-biden-donations-despite-also-having-donated-to-biden/ (https://occupydemocrats.com/2019/09/25/trump-attacks-whistleblowers-lawyers-past-biden-donations-despite-also-having-donated-to-biden/)

[koriwhat]

https://media1.giphy.com/media/5eE6zYyA3AN0I/source.gif

[Pavlov]

https://media1.giphy.com/media/5eE6zYyA3AN0I/source.gif:lol still replying

too easy

[koriwhat]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1524326036/Tyrone-Biggums_400x400.jpg

[boutons_deux]

Trump's pressuring for an investigation of Biden isn't even the worst part of Ukraine 'transcript' (https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/9/25/1887786/-Trump-s-pressuring-for-an-investigation-of-Biden-isn-t-even-the-worst-part-of-Ukraine-transcript)

Trump telling Zelensky that William

Barr will be calling him up to look for a missing DNC server that Trump thinks is in Ukraine :lol

—even though

there was never any missing server, and

the whole idea is several-letters-after-Q bonkers.

Donald Trump actually believes that there’s a missing DNC server.

And that it’s been hidden in Ukraine.

And he believes it so much, he’s telling the president of Ukraine that he’s going to have the United States attorney general call him up to talk about it.

Forget impeachment; there’s enough to invoke the 25th Amendment in that single paragraph.

the White House has condensed 30 minutes of conversation to just five pages of text (https://twitter.com/AnnieLinskey/status/1176865680089649152),

and there seem to be some clearly dangling bits of conversation that

may reflect sentences or whole paragraphs that are somewhere on the cutting room floor.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/9/25/1887786/-Trump-s-pressuring-for-an-investigation-of-Biden-isn-t-even-the-worst-part-of-Ukraine-transcript?detail=emaildksc

[Reck]

She knows she doesn't have the votes. It's not now or never.

TSA still thinks the Q arrests are going to happen, for example.

She does have it. Or maybe the people who had said they would impeach him are lying of course.

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/DirkSchwenk/status/1176970262211960833?s=19
Another one? Not surprised. There will be more.

[Sheriff Hoyt]

1176987992390549504

[Pavlov]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1524326036/Tyrone-Biggums_400x400.jpg
drug user pictures from kori?

:lol post more!

[koriwhat]

http://i022.radikal.ru/0907/eb/755a64648d3a.jpg

[Pavlov]

http://i022.radikal.ru/0907/eb/755a64648d3a.jpg:lol Let's see how long I can keep him going.

[koriwhat]

https://i.ibb.co/sVKFVT0/755a64648d3a.jpg

[Pavlov]

https://i.ibb.co/sVKFVT0/755a64648d3a.jpgRepeats already?

You're such a weak little girl!

Try again.

[LkrFan]

:lol FACT
:lol Abramson

https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1176994533256519680?s=19

[ducks]

“Joe Biden’s son served on the board of a Ukrainian company.".........why?

[ducks]

The truth MSNBC is that Biden admitted on tape to threatening to withhold aid in the amount of 1 billion dollars unless the investigator looking into his son was fired.

The truth MSNBC is that the Ukrainian government contacted the Obama administration in 2015 about these issues and concerns

The truth MSNBC is that the Ukrainian government contacted the Obama administration twice in 2016 about the DNC trying to obtain any information they could use against Trump

The truth MSNBC is that Hillary herself talked about it during the primaries, the video is from your own networks

And nobody's even talking about how Biden did this same exact thing in China

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1176995305729847296?s=19

[ducks]

New poll: Majority of Americans against impeachment and removal of Trump
Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY,USA TODAY 5 hours ago

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'No one is above the law': Pelosi announces impeachment inquiry against Trump




A new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday shows a majority of Americans do not think President Donald Trump should be impeached and removed from office.
In a clear partisan divide, 4% of Republicans and 73% of Democrats surveyed support impeachment. Those who responded against impeachment include 95% of Republicans surveyed and 21% of Democrats.
The poll was conducted between Sept. 19 and 23, just as Trump was in the thick of a controversy after news of a whistleblower complaint from within the intelligence community surfaced about a phone call with Ukraine's president asking for an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, a 2020 candidate.

[Reck]

Trump immediately classified the whistleblower letter. :lol

Scared shitless right now

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/maddow/status/1177001496854106112?s=19

[LkrFan]

Trump immediately classified the whistleblower letter. :lol

Scared shitless right now

:lol

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/funder/status/1176988723633954816?s=19

:tu

[vy65]

I’m not even saying they need to impeach. However, there’s no way they shouldn’t establish clear jurisprudence (which exists, but it’s rarely revisited) that Congress has the power to investigate.

It’s flooring how Congress subpoenas are as good as toilet paper right now, and all these lawsuits attempting to stop Congress to carry out its basic duties will drive its investigative powers the same route.

That’s why, IMO, it’s not an option anymore.

I’m starting to come around to this. Larry Tribe and other scholars insist a quid pro quo isn’t necessary. And I have problems answering the question of what it would take to impeach a president if not asking for a foreign power to exert pressure on a (potential) rival.

[LkrFan]

Read em and week Trumpettes
https://twitter.com/joncoopertweets/status/1176982686012968966?s=19
:lol

[DarrinS]

Read em and week Trumpettes
https://twitter.com/joncoopertweets/status/1176982686012968966?s=19
:lol

Yaaas. Do it! Please do it!

Should work out well. :lol

[DarrinS]

https://twitter.com/funder/status/1176988723633954816?s=19

:tu


Senate voted unanimously, too. What does that tell you? :lol

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1177016804872458241?s=19

Yep yep. Guilty!

[DarrinS]

Also Ted Lieu

1176985418899886081

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/TheBeatWithAri/status/1177020232059301890?s=19

[Trill Clinton]

1177000181629423616

Okay this is getting spooky. Is this a case of the libs exaggerating or what?

[LkrFan]

Also Ted Lieu

1176985418899886081

Here's a hint: I don't give a shit about Hillary, 45, Biden or his bastard son. Lock them all up for all I care...as long as they convict Don the Con too. Capieche?

[Spurminator]

Perjury and obstruction of justice are not extramarital affairs, Penelope

:lmao

When the perjury and obstruction are on a question of an extramarital affair, it is accurate to say the impeachment was about an extramarital affair.

I don't know why you and boutons are having such a hard time with this. I never said he didn't lie. I'm saying his lies about a blowjob are fairly quaint as compared to the new Presidential standard of truth.

[Reck]

Senate voted unanimously, too. What does that tell you? :lol

Would you like to read this nothingburger?

[ElNono]

I’m starting to come around to this. Larry Tribe and other scholars insist a quid pro quo isn’t necessary. And I have problems answering the question of what it would take to impeach a president if not asking for a foreign power to exert pressure on a (potential) rival.

Clinton got impeached for a blowjob. The bar really is arbitrary and political. In the background there’s a fight for power though. Congress inaction would tacitly admit they’re giving up their check and balances power. I just don’t see how Congress is situated any better by not doing anything. The Russia collusion case at least had a special counsel, and even the conclusions on that one where meddled with by the executive before eventually released to Congress.

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1177021472830869505?s=19

:lol

[UZER]

1177000181629423616

Okay this is getting spooky. Is this a case of the libs exaggerating or what?

Castro is 4’2”. Everything is bigger to him.

[DarrinS]

Clinton got impeached for a blowjob. The bar really is arbitrary and political. In the background there’s a fight for power though. Congress inaction would tacitly admit they’re giving up their check and balances power. I just don’t see how Congress is situated any better by not doing anything. The Russia collusion case at least had a special counsel, and even the conclusions on that one where meddled with by the executive before eventually released to Congress.


Why do people keep repeating that? That's not true.

[koriwhat]

Clinton got impeached for a blowjob. The bar really is arbitrary and political. In the background there’s a fight for power though. Congress inaction would tacitly admit they’re giving up their check and balances power. I just don’t see how Congress is situated any better by not doing anything. The Russia collusion case at least had a special counsel, and even the conclusions on that one where meddled with by the executive before eventually released to Congress.

way more than a blowjob but downplaying bill's impeachment is mainstream to say the least.


Why do people keep repeating that? That's not true.

exactly.

[Pavlov]

Also Ted Lieu

1176985418899886081
Do you think Joe Biden is corrupt because his son sat on this board, Darrin?

Yes or no.

[koriwhat]

Castro is 4’2”. Everything is bigger to him.

him and his brother both need high heels and booster seats because they're both little bitches.

[Pavlov]

Why do people keep repeating that? That's not true.What did he lie about?

A blowjob.

[DarrinS]

Do you think Joe Biden is corrupt because his son sat on this board, Darrin?

Yes or no.


What were his qualifications? He was just discharged from service for being a cokehead. :lmao

[Pavlov]

What were his qualifications? He was just discharged from service for being a cokehead. :lmaoDo you think Joe Biden is corrupt because his son sat on this board, Darrin?

Yes or no.

[hater]

What were his qualifications? He was just discharged from service for being a cokehead. :lmao

Lol

[Pavlov]

LolDid you ever find the news source saying Hunter was actually under investigation?

Lol

[benefactor]

him and his brother both need high heels and booster seats because they're both little bitches.
And you need about 17 chicken fried steak dinners to get to a healthy weight

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/dcherring/status/1177025798911381504?s=19

[ducks]

Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., after reviewing the complaint tweeted: "I do not support impeachment of President Trump. I have just read the whistleblower complaint made available to House Intelligence Committee Members. I believe strongly in transparency and it should be immediately declassified and made public for the American people to read

[LkrFan]

Would Faux News ever do this?
https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1176961019685605376?s=19

Probably not :lol

[Blake]

here's a question to all those up in arms over that call whether or not trump tried to get dirt on his opposition from a foreign leader/nation....

why would yall push so hard for fake news russiagate but not for ukrainegate involving hunter and joe biden? i thought yall wanted more transparency within our gov?

But you're so not a republican

[koriwhat]

And you need about 17 chicken fried steak dinners to get to a healthy weight

whatever you facebook stalking snitch!

ps: you must have a hardon for those hobbits or else you'd stfu and mind your own damn biz snitch.


But you're so not a republican

i know what i'm def not and that's you cuckles. :tu

[ducks]

Lol congress is about to go on a two week recess
The will be polls backing trump and congress will hear from them

[ducks]

Would Faux News ever do this?
https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1176961019685605376?s=19

Probably not :lol

She is lying

[benefactor]

can someone shoot ducks in the head already tbh.. ?

[Pavlov]

Actually, ducks' being in long term recovery from a gunshot wound to the head explains pretty much everything.

[boutons_deux]

Critics Say Only Full Whistleblower Complaint Will Do as Trump White House Signals 'Redacted Version'

"Congress must be allowed to view the whistleblower report and assess the situation in totality,

not in terms that Trump decides on—

and which he obviously finds favorable."

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/09/25/critics-say-only-full-whistleblower-complaint-will-do-trump-white-house-signals?cd-origin=rss (https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/09/25/critics-say-only-full-whistleblower-complaint-will-do-trump-white-house-signals?cd-origin=rss)

[boutons_deux]

Trump Is Now Trying To Get Mike Pence Impeached

During a press conference, Trump said that if he is going to be investigated,

Vice President Pence’s phone calls with Ukraine should also be investigated.

https://www.politicususa.com/2019/09/25/trump-pence-impeached.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+politicususa%2FfJAl+%28Politi cus+USA+%29 (https://www.politicususa.com/2019/09/25/trump-pence-impeached.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+politicususa%2FfJAl+%28Politi cus+USA+%29)

[boutons_deux]

https://49f6rfjar763vnsgn1y42mip-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/danzcolorplus9390.jpg

[hater]

:lmao they already kicked the 1st whistle blower to the curb and now moved on to the next one :lmao :lol :lmao

https://twitter.com/felliniquilter/status/1177043612930138118?s=19

Any minute now demoretards :lmao

With any luck we will take down Trump at whistle blower #467 on July 2024 :lmao

[Blake]

Trump Is Now Trying To Get Mike Pence Impeached

During a press conference, Trump said that if he is going to be investigated,

Vice President Pence’s phone calls with Ukraine should also be investigated.

https://www.politicususa.com/2019/09/25/trump-pence-impeached.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+politicususa%2FfJAl+%28Politi cus+USA+%29 (https://www.politicususa.com/2019/09/25/trump-pence-impeached.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+politicususa%2FfJAl+%28Politi cus+USA+%29)




Almost reads like the onion

[Spurminator]

Trump Is Now Trying To Get Mike Pence Impeached

During a press conference, Trump said that if he is going to be investigated,

Vice President Pence’s phone calls with Ukraine should also be investigated.

https://www.politicususa.com/2019/09/25/trump-pence-impeached.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+politicususa%2FfJAl+%28Politi cus+USA+%29 (https://www.politicususa.com/2019/09/25/trump-pence-impeached.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+politicususa%2FfJAl+%28Politi cus+USA+%29)




I support this.

Hello, President Pelosi. :lmao

[Sheriff Hoyt]

1177049030486122496

[ducks]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/whistleblower-gofundme-seeking-100g-possible-testimony

[Sheriff Hoyt]

1177061878805270530

[ducks]

Investigative reporter John Solomon said on Wednesday night that he has obtained over 450 pages of legal documents that could spell serious problems for Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden regarding the ongoing Ukraine scandal.

“Listen there were three attempts in 2016 by the Democratic Party, in the Democratic establishment, to get Ukraine involved in our elections so Democrats were for Ukraine interference in our election before they were against it, that is an irrefutable fact that documents and the statements on the record have been reported in my column,” Solomon began. “You can download the documents, don’t trust me, go read them yourselves.”

[ElNono]

Why do people keep repeating that? That's not true.

Because that’s what everybody remembers. Again, political processes are about looks, not law.

[ducks]

Impossible to justify $50k/month for Hunter Biden serving on a Ukrainian energy board w zero expertise unless he promised to sell access

[ElNono]

way more than a blowjob but downplaying bill's impeachment is mainstream to say the least.

He lied about getting a blowjob? I mean, spell out the charges for me.

[ElNono]

Investigative reporter John Solomon said on Wednesday night that he has obtained over 450 pages of legal documents that could spell serious problems for Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden regarding the ongoing Ukraine scandal.

“Listen there were three attempts in 2016 by the Democratic Party, in the Democratic establishment, to get Ukraine involved in our elections so Democrats were for Ukraine interference in our election before they were against it, that is an irrefutable fact that documents and the statements on the record have been reported in my column,” Solomon began. “You can download the documents, don’t trust me, go read them yourselves.”

This could be a win-win for Democrats...

[DarrinS]

This could be a win-win for Democrats...

Or not

[ElNono]

Or not

Getting rid of Biden would be a huge win, IMO

[boutons_deux]

Trump Suddenly Changes His Story On Withholding Ukraine Aid

Donald Trump admitted on Tuesday that he held up aid to Ukraine before asking that country’s leaders to dig up dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden.

But in the process of making that admission, Trump offered up a new excuse and a shift from his rhetoric the day before.

In Trump’s latest recounting of events, the aid to Ukraine was withheld because other countries did not offer to help

— but then he decided to go ahead with the aid, even though the other funds didn’t come through.

“I want other countries to put up money, I think it’s unfair that we put up the money. The people call me, they say ‘oh, let it go,’ and I let it go,” Trump told reporters outside the United Nations.

“But, we paid the money. The money was paid, but very importantly: Germany, France, other countries, should put up money, and that’s been my complaint since the beginning.”

On Monday, Trump said (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/giuliani-says-he-can-t-be-100-percent-sure-trump-n1057561) the money was withheld because he was concerned that the Ukrainian government was corrupt.

https://www.nationalmemo.com/trump-suddenly-changes-his-story-on-withholding-ukraine-aid/ (https://www.nationalmemo.com/trump-suddenly-changes-his-story-on-withholding-ukraine-aid/)

yet another move as Trash plays 4-D chess :lol

[ducks]

Democrats' demand for Ukraine call transcript sets 'dangerous precedent,' former acting attorney general says

[ducks]

CNN's Chris Cuomo admits Biden 'absolutely' engaged in quid pro quo with Ukraine, but not for 'personal advantage

[Sheriff Hoyt]

1177073279758192640

[Sheriff Hoyt]

1177069305357381632

[boutons_deux]

He lied about getting a blowjob? I mean, spell out the charges for me.

"I did not have sex with that woman"

[hater]

He lied about getting a blowjob? I mean, spell out the charges for me.

Lying to a grand jury and obstruction, nancy

You can lie to a grand jury about eating a vanilla ice cream and you still usually go to jail for it. Of course unless you are the president and own the senate :lol

I will spell it out for you. He was impeached for lying not the subject of his lying

[hater]

Getting rid of Biden would be a huge win, IMO

Agree with this. Unless you end up with Warren which would be a loss whether she beats Trump or not

[TSA]

Have no preference about WaPo, but they’re batting waaaaay better than fake news... like not even close.

https://mobile.twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1177011884047896577

:lol

[ElNono]

This sums up what I’m expressing here pretty well, and why the House really has no alternative now.

Without an impeachment process to check the White House, ‘the office of the presidency will morph into one with virtually unlimited power’
Kimberly Wehle is a professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, and author of How to Read the Constitution — and Why.

Was this an impeachable offense? Democrats in Congress seem to increasingly believe the answer is yes, and this is a political judgment, not a legal one. Accordingly, the Constitution’s standard for an impeachable offense—“High Crimes and Misdemeanors”—does not require proof of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt.

But based on the phone call meeting notes alone, it is clear that President Trump asked the Ukrainian president to “look into” his political opponent and—in that connection—he served up the assistance of the attorney general of the United States. This is after the Ukrainian President brought up Senate-authorized military aid that we now know Trump was holding up, to the apparent dismay of a key supporter in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. This is not to mention the cumulative effect of this news in addition to the other concerns about this president.

Whether Trump is ultimately impeached is beside the point. This issue is that, absent invocation of some impeachment process to check the White House, the office of the presidency will morph into one with virtually unlimited power. This is bad for regular people, regardless of political party.

[ElNono]

Lying to a grand jury and obstruction, nancy

You can lie to a grand jury about eating a vanilla ice cream and you still usually go to jail for it. Of course unless you are the president and own the senate :lol

I will spell it out for you. He was impeached for lying not the subject of his lying

:lol so did this guy, according to Mueller... (at least on the obstruction side)

The point being, we’re not dealing with law, but a political bar.

[ElNono]

https://mobile.twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1177011884047896577

:lol

What’s so funny? That’s what serious news outlets do, print corrections when they’re wrong.

Where’s the QAnon correction :lol

[ElNono]

Let’s put this in context:

The actual POTUS asking for a personal favor (his own words) to a foreign president, directing him to talk to his Attorney General and his *personal* lawyer, about digging dirt on one of his political opponents is not serious and no big deal, but an alleged pedo ring running off the inexistent basement of a pizza parlor is serious business? :lol Are you guys listening to yourselves?

I get hater’s angle that without the Senate they can’t remove him. Reasonable, but misses the larger point, IMO.

[ducks]

AOC dismisses polls showing disapproval of impeachment, suggests Dems should be willing to lose reelection

[LkrFan]

She is lying

So David Dennison has more credibility? :lol

[hater]

:lol so did this guy, according to Mueller... (at least on the obstruction side)

The point being, we’re not dealing with law, but a political bar.

Trump never spoke to a gran jury :lol

[hater]

What’s so funny? That’s what serious news outlets do, print corrections when they’re wrong.

Where’s the QAnon correction :lol

:lmao using serious news outlet to refer to wapo

They are like the wilt chamberlain of fake news. And rarellg correct their fake stories. Most of th efake news of last few years have been parroted by other outlets starting with "according to the wapo". :lmao

This is just yesterday for christsakes :lol

https://twitter.com/neal_katyal/status/1176937132323221505?s=19

You really should pay attention more or just stick to commenting on Manu and video games nig :lol

[pgardn]

:lmao using serious news outlet to refer to wapo

They are like the wilt chamberlain of fake news. And rarellg correct their fake stories. Most of th efake news of last few years have been parroted by other outlets starting with "according to the wapo". :lmao

This is just yesterday for christsakes :lol

https://twitter.com/neal_katyal/status/1176937132323221505?s=19

You really should pay attention more or just stick to commenting on Manu and video games nig :lol

Name ONE news outlet you use that is better than WaPo.
Just one.
You can’t.

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1177196722075918337?s=19

Facepalm :lol

[pgardn]

Remember that hater is convinced The NY Times an arm of the CIA even though this news outlet brought up much of the work done by the CIA in Central and South America to help undermine democracy. The same Banana Republics Hater considers home. Also The NY Times help tell the story of the big fruit companies and their massive role.

But, But, But....

Fckn idiot....

[CosmicCowboy]

https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1177196722075918337?s=19

Facepalm :lol

Geez, Pence needs to go too. Someone with integrity PLEASE primary Trump.

[baseline bum]

Geez, Pence needs to go too. Someone with integrity PLEASE primary Trump.

So they can get their teeth kicked in by Trump in the primary? Trump is exactly what assholes like Limbaugh and Hannity have taught the right wing electorate of this nation to desire, and there will be many more in Trump's image leading the way for the GOP in the future. It's his party and GOP voters love him. He wasn't lying when he said he could shoot someone and not lose any votes from his base.

[koriwhat]

hahaha wapo lied, pelosi lied, all the dems lied, and the show goes on... same ol tune. the party of retards that cry wolf.

[CosmicCowboy]

So they can get their teeth kicked in by Trump in the primary? Trump is exactly what assholes like Limbaugh and Hannity have taught the right wing electorate of this nation to desire, and there will be many more in Trump's image leading the way for the GOP in the future. It's his party and GOP voters love him. He wasn't lying when he said he could shoot someone and not lose any votes from his base.

I dunno. I run with a pretty conservative crowd. A lot that loved him two years ago are pretty embarrassed by him now.

[TSA]

Let’s put this in context:

The actual POTUS asking for a personal favor (his own words) to a foreign president, directing him to talk to his Attorney General and his *personal* lawyer, about digging dirt on one of his political opponents is not serious and no big deal, but an alleged pedo ring running off the inexistent basement of a pizza parlor is serious business? :lol Are you guys listening to yourselves?

I get hater’s angle that without the Senate they can’t remove him. Reasonable, but misses the larger point, IMO.

That wasn’t the favor he asked for. Did you not read it in full for yourself?

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/CheriJacobus/status/1177354959983132672?s=19

[Pavlov]

TSA still spinning.

Tough day for the poor fella

It's all over but your shouting now.

[CosmicCowboy]

TSA still spinning.

Tough day for the poor fella

It's all over but your shouting now.

Did you get the DTs today chump? I could just see you staring at the screen hitting refresh after refresh and finally curling up in a fetal position trying to argue with yourself.

[baseline bum]

I dunno. I run with a pretty conservative crowd. A lot that loved him two years ago are pretty embarrassed by him now.

I do too. They all love him because he hits back against the media that Limbaugh and Hannity have poisoned them against for the last 20+ years. I don't know a single Trump voter who is embarrassed or who wouldn't vote for him again. And I know a lot of Trump voters. About the worst I have heard is the typical "I wish he would stop tweeting".

[baseline bum]

The way every conservative I know sees it:

Trump:GOP :: Duncan:Spurs

[Pavlov]

Did you get the DTs today chump? I could just see you staring at the screen hitting refresh after refresh and finally curling up in a fetal position trying to argue with yourself.Thank you for thinking about me in multiple threads. I could just see you posting about me in multiple threads like so much derp.

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/Woodyman502/status/1177358067886899206?s=19

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/RepSwalwell/status/1177297957252718592?s=19

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/ZackBornstein/status/1177340925518860288?s=19

:lol

[DarrinS]

https://twitter.com/RepSwalwell/status/1177297957252718592?s=19


Congresswoman. :lmao

[Pavlov]

Congresswoman. :lmaoHey Darrin, do you think Trump did anything wrong in these dealings with Ukraine?

Yes or no.

[boutons_deux]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EFY4cZwXYAUtFwO.jpg:large

[LkrFan]

Trump's dumbass kids tryna overthrow VP?
https://twitter.com/DearAuntCrabby/status/1177371578595774464?s=19

[TSA]

Complaint From So-Called ‘Whistleblower’ Is Riddled With Gossip, Blatant Falsehoods

The formal complaint from an anti-Trump “whistleblower” alleging various crimes by President Donald Trump is riddled with third-hand gossip and outright falsehoods. The document was declassified by Trump Wednesday evening and released to the public Thursday morning. The complaint, which was delivered to the chairmen of the House and Senate intelligence committees, follows the same template used in the infamous and debunked Clinton campaign-funded Steele dossier.

Rather than provide direct evidence that was witnessed or obtained firsthand by the complainant, the document instead combines gossip from various anonymous individuals, public media reports, and blatant misstatements of fact and law in service of a narrative that is directly contradicted by underlying facts. A footnote in the document even boasts about its use of “ample open-source information.”


Contrary to news reports asserting that the complaint included volumes of information incriminating Trump, it is instead based entirely on the president’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and various public media reports.

“I was not a direct witness to most of the events” characterized in the document, the complainant confesses on the first page. Instead, the complainant notes, the document is based on conversations with “more than half a dozen U.S. officials.” Those officials are not named, and their positions are not identified anywhere in the letter.

The complainant begins by falsely characterizing a July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky, the transcript of which was released by the White House on Wednesday.

Trump made a “specific request that the Ukrainian leader locate and turn over servers used by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and examined by the U.S. cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike,” the complainant alleges. A review of the transcript of the call shows that while Trump mentioned Crowdstrike once during the call, he never made such a request about locating and turning over multiple servers to the U.S.

The complainant also falsely alleges that Trump told Zelensky that he should keep the current prosecutor general at the time, Yuriy Lutsenko, in his current position in the country.

“The President also praised Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, Mr. Yuriy Lutsenko, and suggested that Mr. Zelensky might want to keep him in his position,” the complainant alleges, based on gossip he says he heard from unnamed White House officials.

Trump made no such suggestion to Zelensky, according to the transcript of the phone call. While Trump did say that it was “unfair” that a prosecutor who was “very good” was “shut down,” it’s not clear that Trump was even referring to Lutsenko, as a previous prosecutor named Viktor Shokin was fired after he opened investigations into a Ukrainian energy company that placed Hunter Biden, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son, on its board.

Trump directly references Shokin later in the conversation.


“There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that,” Trump said.

In 2018, Joe Biden bragged on camera that his threats to withhold a billion dollars in loan guarantees from Ukraine directly led to Shokin’s firing.

The complainant then alleges, without evidence, that efforts to secure the records of the call to prevent unauthorized access to classified information are themselves proof of corruption.

The transcript was “loaded into a separate electronic system that is otherwise used to store and handle classified information of an especially sensitive nature,” the complainant claims. “One White House official described this act as an abuse of this electronic system because the call did not contain anything remotely sensitive from a national security perspective.”

The complainant provides zero evidence beyond the opinion of an anonymous official that phone conversations between world leaders do not contain “anything remotely sensitive.” Trump formally declassified the transcript of the phone call, which had previously been classified as “SECRET/NOFORN,” meaning the information could not be shared with uncleared U.S. individuals or any foreign nationals, earlier this week.

In a footnote, the complainant even alleges that the mere classification of phone calls between world leaders was itself a corrupt act.

Following the section on Trump’s phone call with Zelensky, the complainant then devotes several pages to summaries of various news articles as proof of the underlying allegations in the complaint. The complainant quotes George Stephanopoulos (an ABC News employee who previously served in President Bill Clinton’s White House), The Hill, Bloomberg News, Politico, Fox News, the New York Times, and even Twitter.

The document itself is riddled not with evidence directly viewed by the complainant, but repeated references to what anonymous officials allegedly told the complainant: “I have received information from multiple U.S. Government officials,” “officials have informed me,” “officials with direct knowledge of the call informed me,” “the White House officials who told me this information,” “I was told by White House officials,” “the officials I spoke with,” “I was told that a State Department official,” “I learned from multiple U.S. officials,” “One White House official described this act,” “Based on multiple readouts of these meetings recounted to me,” “I also learned from multiple U.S. officials,” “The U.S. officials characterized this meeting,” “multiple U.S. officials told me,” “I learned from U.S. officials,” “I also learned from a U.S. official,” “several U.S. officials told me,” “I heard from multiple U.S. officials,” and “multiple U.S. officials told me.”

A review of the entire complaint shows it is not so much an example of whistle-blowing, an act that can only be done by the individual holding the whistle, but an elaborate gossipy game of telephone between unnamed individuals whose motives and credibility are impossible to ascertain.

In fact, the Department of Justice (DOJ) found in its review of the complaint from the anonymous official that the intelligence community inspector general found “indicia of an arguable political bias on the part of the Complainant in favor of a rival political candidate.”

“The complaint does not arise in connection with the operation of any U.S. government intelligence activity, and the alleged misconduct does not involve any member of the intelligence community,” the DOJ legal opinion noted. “Rather, the complaint arises out of a confidential diplomatic communication between the President and a foreign leader that the intelligence-community complainant received secondhand.”

DOJ officials determined that the complaint was statutorily deficient since the president is an independent constitutional officer who is not subordinate to unelected intelligence agency bureaucrats. The DOJ opinion also determined that the complaint, which was based almost entirely on hearsay, was not “urgent” as required by statute and therefore not required to be submitted to congressional intelligence committees.

https://thefederalist.com/2019/09/26/complaint-from-so-called-whistleblower-is-riddled-with-gossip-blatant-falsehoods/

[TSA]

Former CIA official on whistleblower: ‘How could this be an intelligence matter?’

I am troubled by the complaint and wonder how an intelligence officer could file it over something a president said to a foreign leader. How could this be an intelligence matter?

It appears likely to me that this so-called whistleblower was pursuing a political agenda.

I am very familiar with transcripts of presidential phone calls since I edited and processed dozens of them when I worked for the NSC. I also know a lot about intelligence whistleblowers from my time with the CIA.

My suspicions grew this morning when I saw the declassified whistleblowing complaint. It appears to be written by a law professor and includes legal references and detailed footnotes. It also has an unusual legalistic reference on how this complaint should be classified.

From my experience, such an extremely polished whistleblowing complaint is unheard of. This document looks as if this leaker had outside help, possibly from congressional members or staff.

Moreover, it looks like more than a coincidence that this complaint surfaced and was directed to the House Intelligence Committee just after Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), an outspoken opponent of President Trump, expressed numerous complaints in August 2019 accusing President Trump of abusing aid to Ukraine to hurt Joe Biden. This includes an August 28 tweet that closely resembled the whistleblowing complaint.

House Republicans need to ask the whistleblower under oath whether he spoke to the press or Congress about his complaint.

Also very concerning to me is how the complaint indicates intelligence officers and possibly other federal employees are violating the rules governing presidential phone calls with foreign leaders.

The content and transcripts of these calls are highly restricted. The whistleblower makes clear in his complaint that he did not listen to a call in question, nor did he read the transcript — he was told about the call by others. If true, intelligence officers have grossly violated the rules as well as the trust placed on them to protect this sensitive information.

I refuse to believe that the leaking, timing and presentation of this complaint is coincidence. I don’t think the American people will buy this either.

I’m more worried, however, that this latest instance of blatant politicization of intelligence by Trump haters will do long term damage to the relationship between the intelligence community and US presidents for many years to come.

https://nypost.com/2019/09/26/former-cia-official-on-whistleblower-how-could-this-be-an-intelligence-matter/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

[boutons_deux]

the federalist is an extremist rightwing stink tank, terrorizing the Constitution and fucking the Federal judiciary towards oligarchical one-party rule

Leonard Leo is fucking Catholic

[TSA]

Solomon: These once-secret memos cast doubt on Joe Biden's Ukraine story

Former Vice President Joe Biden, now a 2020 Democratic presidential contender, has locked into a specific story about the controversy in Ukraine.

He insists that, in spring 2016, he strong-armed Ukraine to fire its chief prosecutor solely because Biden believed that official was corrupt and inept, not because the Ukrainian was investigating a natural gas company, Burisma Holdings, that hired Biden's son, Hunter, into a lucrative job.

There's just one problem.

Hundreds of pages of never-released memos and documents - many from inside the American team helping Burisma to stave off its legal troubles - conflict with Biden's narrative.

And they raise the troubling prospect that U.S. officials may have painted a false picture in Ukraine that helped ease Burisma's legal troubles and stop prosecutors' plans to interview Hunter Biden during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

For instance, Burisma's American legal representatives met with Ukrainian officials just days after Biden forced the firing of the country's chief prosecutor and offered "an apology for dissemination of false information by U.S. representatives and public figures" about the Ukrainian prosecutors, according to the Ukrainian government's official memo of the meeting. The effort to secure that meeting began the same day the prosecutor's firing was announced.

In addition, Burisma's American team offered to introduce Ukrainian prosecutors to Obama administration officials to make amends, according to that memo and the American legal team's internal emails.

At the time, Shokin's office was investigating Burisma. Shokin told me he was making plans to question Hunter Biden about $3 million in fees that Biden and his partner, Archer, collected from Burisma through their American firm. Documents seized by the FBI in an unrelated case confirm the payments, which in many months totaled more than $166,000.

Some media outlets have reported that, at the time Joe Biden forced the firing in March 2016, there were no open investigations. Those reports are wrong. A British-based investigation of Burisma's owner was closed down in early 2015 on a technicality when a deadline for documents was not met. But the Ukraine Prosecutor General's office still had two open inquiries in March 2016, according to the official case file provided me. One of those cases involved taxes; the other, allegations of corruption. Burisma announced the cases against it were not closed and settled until January 2017.

After I first reported it in a column, the New York Times and ABC News published similar stories confirming my reporting.

Joe Biden has since responded that he forced Shokin's firing over concerns about corruption and ineptitude, which he claims were widely shared by Western allies, and that it had nothing to do with the Burisma investigation.

Some of the new documents I obtained call that claim into question.

In a newly sworn affidavit prepared for a European court, Shokin testified that when he was fired in March 2016, he was told the reason was that Biden was unhappy about the Burisma investigation. "The truth is that I was forced out because I was leading a wide-ranging corruption probe into Burisma Holdings, a natural gas firm active in Ukraine and Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, was a member of the Board of Directors," Shokin testified.

"On several occasions President Poroshenko asked me to have a look at the case against Burisma and consider the possibility of winding down the investigative actions in respect of this company but I refused to close this investigation," Shokin added.

Shokin certainly would have reason to hold a grudge over his firing. But his account is supported by documents from Burisma's legal team in America, which appeared to be moving into Ukraine with intensity as Biden's effort to fire Shokin picked up steam.

Burisma's own accounting records show that it paid tens of thousands of dollars while Hunter Biden served on the board of an American lobbying and public relations firm, Blue Star Strategies, run by Sally Painter and Karen Tramontano, who both served in President Bill Clinton's administration.

Just days before Biden forced Shokin's firing, Painter met with the No. 2 official at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington and asked to meet officials in Kiev around the same time that Joe Biden visited there. Ukrainian embassy employee Oksana Shulyar emailed Painter afterward: "With regards to the meetings in Kiev, I suggest that you wait until the next week when there is an expected vote of the government's reshuffle."

Ukraine's Washington embassy confirmed the conversations between Shulyar and Painter but said the reference to a shakeup in Ukrainian government was not specifically referring to Shokin's firing or anything to do with Burisma.

Painter then asked one of the Ukraine embassy's workers to open the door for meetings with Ukraine's prosecutors about the Burisma investigation, the memos show. Eventually, Blue Star would pay that Ukrainian official money for his help with the prosecutor's office.

At the time, Blue Star worked in concert with an American criminal defense lawyer, John Buretta, who was hired by Burisma to help address the case in Ukraine. The case was settled in January 2017 for a few million dollars in fines for alleged tax issues.

Buretta, Painter, Tramontano, Hunter Biden and Joe Biden's campaign have not responded to numerous calls and emails seeking comment.

On March 29, 2016, the day Shokin's firing was announced, Buretta asked to speak with Yuriy Sevruk, the prosecutor named to temporarily replace Shokin, but was turned down, the memos show.

Blue Star, using the Ukrainian embassy worker it had hired, eventually scored a meeting with Sevruk on April 6, 2016, a week after Shokin's firing. Buretta, Tramontano and Painter attended that meeting in Kiev, according to Blue Star's memos.

Sevruk memorialized the meeting in a government memo that the general prosecutor's office provided to me, stating that the three Americans offered an apology for the "false" narrative that had been provided by U.S. officials about Shokin being corrupt and inept.

"They realized that the information disseminated in the U.S. was incorrect and that they would facilitate my visit to the U.S. for the purpose of delivering the true information to the State Department management," the memo stated.

The memo also quoted the Americans as saying they knew Shokin pursued an aggressive corruption investigation against Burisma's owner, only to be thwarted by British allies: "These individuals noted that they had been aware that the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine had implemented all required steps for prosecution ... and that he was released by the British court due to the underperformance of the British law enforcement agencies."

The memo provides a vastly different portrayal of Shokin than Biden's. And its contents are partially backed by subsequent emails from Blue Star and Buretta that confirm the offer to bring Ukrainian authorities to meet the Obama administration in Washington.

For instance, Tramontano wrote the Ukrainian prosecution team on April 16, 2016, saying U.S. Justice Department officials, including top international prosecutor Bruce Swartz, might be willing to meet. "The reforms are not known to the US Justice Department and it would be useful for the Prosecutor General to meet officials in the US and share this information directly," she wrote.

Buretta sent a similar email to the Ukrainians, writing that "I think you would find it productive to meet with DOJ officials in Washington" and providing contact information for Swartz. "I would be happy to help," added Buretta, a former senior DOJ official.

Burisma, Buretta and Blue Star continued throughout 2016 to try to resolve the open issues in Ukraine, and memos recount various contacts with the State Department and the U.S. embassy in Kiev seeking help in getting the Burisma case resolved.

Just days before Trump took office, Burisma announced it had resolved all of its legal issues. And Buretta gave an interview in Ukraine about how he helped navigate the issues.

Today, two questions remain.

One is whether it was ethically improper or even illegal for Biden to intervene to fire the prosecutor handling Burisma's case, given his son's interests. That is one that requires more investigation and the expertise of lawyers.

The second is whether Biden has given the American people an honest accounting of what happened. The new documents I obtained raise serious doubts about his story's credibility. And that's an issue that needs to be resolved by voters.

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/463307-solomon-these-once-secret-memos-cast-doubt-on-joe-bidens-ukraine-story?amp&__twitter_impression=true

[DarrinS]

the federalist is an extremist rightwing stink tank, terrorizing the Constitution and fucking the Federal judiciary towards oligarchical one-party rule

Leonard Leo is fucking Catholic


Oh shit! For reals?

So is Joe Biden


:lmao

[boutons_deux]

Trash moved a lot of into to his own top secret server

Many of Trash's communications with foreign powers have not been documented, noted, whatever, and certainly not the contents.

One understands why Santino wanted an extra-government encrypted channel from WH to Moscow.

[boutons_deux]

Levandowski rumored to become Trash's point man of his impeachment defense.

[boutons_deux]

Trump Unloads on Whistleblower 'Spy' and 'Scum' Reporters to Room Full of Friends (https://splinternews.com/trump-unloads-on-whistleblower-spy-and-scum-reporters-t-1838491195)

Faced with his most pressing threat of impeachment (https://splinternews.com/reports-it-s-finally-happening-1838407871) yet and the real possibility that he’ll actually have to deal with the consequences of his actions (https://splinternews.com/trump-reportedly-cant-believe-this-isnt-working-1838451543) for the first time,

President Trash on Thursday demonstrated the dignity and serenity that’s made him such a respected statesman during his time in office.

Lol, just kidding, he’s absolutely freaking the fuck out over this whole thing.

During a private breakfast in New York City following his entirely (https://splinternews.com/trump-brain-status-noble-peas-1838368213)pointless (https://splinternews.com/only-trumps-unyielding-love-for-modi-could-get-him-to-t-1838378521) appearance at the United Nations General Assembly this week, the president

raged against “scum” reporters whom

he also deemed “animals” and

“some of the worst human beings you’ll ever meet,”

Trump also joked (??) about executing the still-unidentified whistleblower

"I want to know who’s the person, who’s the person who gave the whistleblower the information?

Because that’s close to a spy.

You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right?

The spies and treason, we used to handle it a little differently than we do now."

https://splinternews.com/trump-unloads-on-whistleblower-spy-and-scum-reporters-t-1838491195?utm_source=splinter_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2019-09-26 (https://splinternews.com/trump-unloads-on-whistleblower-spy-and-scum-reporters-t-1838491195?utm_source=splinter_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2019-09-26)

If this person gets doxxed, I expect some of the Trash cult mob to try to kill the person.

[pgardn]

Trump's dumbass kids tryna overthrow VP?
https://twitter.com/DearAuntCrabby/status/1177371578595774464?s=19

This is actually quite interesting.
I think they want a female VP so daddy has an icicle's chance in hell 2020.
Female better be evangelical as well.

They have indeed put Pence is some ultra tough situations that Orange man should have been in himself.

[spurraider21]

:lmao sean davis articles

whats next, hannity?

[boutons_deux]

Trump Has Lost Hannity As Fox Host Privately Admits Whistleblower Allegations Are Really Bad


the Fox News host and #1 Trump defender has told friends privately that the Ukraine whistleblower allegations are “really bad.”

Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch is already thinking about how to position the network for a post-Trump future.

Sean Hannity will be a good soldier.

He knows where his ratings bread is buttered.

He is going to go on his Fox News show every night and defend Trump and be the shepherd for the true believers of the Trump unwashed cult,

but the shepherd is having doubts, and for the first time in four years, there are clear signs that cult of Trump is cracking.

https://www.politicususa.com/2019/09/26/hannity-trump-whistleblower.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+politicususa%2FfJAl+%28Politi cus+USA+%29

yep, Hannity will keep the faith for his flock of Trash sheeple

[LkrFan]

https://twitter.com/TeaPainUSA/status/1177384752422277125?s=19

:lol

[TSA]

:lmao sean davis articles

whats next, hannity?

holy shit you really took his article to task :bobo

[spurraider21]

holy shit you really took his article to task :bobo
sarah carter next pls

[SnakeBoy]

sarah carter next pls

yeah that bitch spent two years saying mueller report would show there was no collusion

[TSA]

sarah carter next pls

What did you take issue with in the Sean Davis article?

Why target that article with nothing more than a quip when there are at least 5 articles in this thread with major claims that turned out to be completely false?

[Pavlov]

sarah carter next plsthen sundance

[boutons_deux]

All communications from Pres to foreign powers are of interest to IC, that's why Trash has stashed so many on his private server, or not documented them at all.

Trash compromised himself by committing a crime that Voldemort Z could have used to blackmail Trash

Russia, if you are listening ...

[hater]

Lol the whistle-blower quotes the New York Times as a source fos his/her suspicions of Trump

:lmao this is worse than the Steele dossier

[TSA]

Lol the whistle-blower quotes the New York Times as a source fos his/her suspicions of Trump

:lmao this is worse than the Steele dossier

“I have received information from multiple U.S. Government officials,” “officials have informed me,” “officials with direct knowledge of the call informed me,” “the White House officials who told me this information,” “I was told by White House officials,” “the officials I spoke with,” “I was told that a State Department official,” “I learned from multiple U.S. officials,” “One White House official described this act,” “Based on multiple readouts of these meetings recounted to me,” “I also learned from multiple U.S. officials,” “The U.S. officials characterized this meeting,” “multiple U.S. officials told me,” “I learned from U.S. officials,” “I also learned from a U.S. official,” “several U.S. officials told me,” “I heard from multiple U.S. officials,” and “multiple U.S. officials told me.”

:lmao

[SnakeBoy]

“I have received information from multiple U.S. Government officials,” “officials have informed me,” “officials with direct knowledge of the call informed me,” “the White House officials who told me this information,” “I was told by White House officials,” “the officials I spoke with,” “I was told that a State Department official,” “I learned from multiple U.S. officials,” “One White House official described this act,” “Based on multiple readouts of these meetings recounted to me,” “I also learned from multiple U.S. officials,” “The U.S. officials characterized this meeting,” “multiple U.S. officials told me,” “I learned from U.S. officials,” “I also learned from a U.S. official,” “several U.S. officials told me,” “I heard from multiple U.S. officials,” and “multiple U.S. officials told me.”

:lmao

:lol

[Pavlov]

“I have received information from multiple U.S. Government officials,” “officials have informed me,” “officials with direct knowledge of the call informed me,” “the White House officials who told me this information,” “I was told by White House officials,” “the officials I spoke with,” “I was told that a State Department official,” “I learned from multiple U.S. officials,” “One White House official described this act,” “Based on multiple readouts of these meetings recounted to me,” “I also learned from multiple U.S. officials,” “The U.S. officials characterized this meeting,” “multiple U.S. officials told me,” “I learned from U.S. officials,” “I also learned from a U.S. official,” “several U.S. officials told me,” “I heard from multiple U.S. officials,” and “multiple U.S. officials told me.”

:lmaoEasy enough to talk to those people.

And where's the actual transcript?

[Pavlov]

:lolDo you think Trump did anything wrong RE: these dealings with Ukraine?

Yes or no.

[TSA]

Solomon: These once-secret memos cast doubt on Joe Biden's Ukraine story

Former Vice President Joe Biden, now a 2020 Democratic presidential contender, has locked into a specific story about the controversy in Ukraine.

He insists that, in spring 2016, he strong-armed Ukraine to fire its chief prosecutor solely because Biden believed that official was corrupt and inept, not because the Ukrainian was investigating a natural gas company, Burisma Holdings, that hired Biden's son, Hunter, into a lucrative job.

There's just one problem.

Hundreds of pages of never-released memos and documents - many from inside the American team helping Burisma to stave off its legal troubles - conflict with Biden's narrative.

And they raise the troubling prospect that U.S. officials may have painted a false picture in Ukraine that helped ease Burisma's legal troubles and stop prosecutors' plans to interview Hunter Biden during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

For instance, Burisma's American legal representatives met with Ukrainian officials just days after Biden forced the firing of the country's chief prosecutor and offered "an apology for dissemination of false information by U.S. representatives and public figures" about the Ukrainian prosecutors, according to the Ukrainian government's official memo of the meeting. The effort to secure that meeting began the same day the prosecutor's firing was announced.

In addition, Burisma's American team offered to introduce Ukrainian prosecutors to Obama administration officials to make amends, according to that memo and the American legal team's internal emails.

At the time, Shokin's office was investigating Burisma. Shokin told me he was making plans to question Hunter Biden about $3 million in fees that Biden and his partner, Archer, collected from Burisma through their American firm. Documents seized by the FBI in an unrelated case confirm the payments, which in many months totaled more than $166,000.

Some media outlets have reported that, at the time Joe Biden forced the firing in March 2016, there were no open investigations. Those reports are wrong. A British-based investigation of Burisma's owner was closed down in early 2015 on a technicality when a deadline for documents was not met. But the Ukraine Prosecutor General's office still had two open inquiries in March 2016, according to the official case file provided me. One of those cases involved taxes; the other, allegations of corruption. Burisma announced the cases against it were not closed and settled until January 2017.

After I first reported it in a column, the New York Times and ABC News published similar stories confirming my reporting.

Joe Biden has since responded that he forced Shokin's firing over concerns about corruption and ineptitude, which he claims were widely shared by Western allies, and that it had nothing to do with the Burisma investigation.

Some of the new documents I obtained call that claim into question.

In a newly sworn affidavit prepared for a European court, Shokin testified that when he was fired in March 2016, he was told the reason was that Biden was unhappy about the Burisma investigation. "The truth is that I was forced out because I was leading a wide-ranging corruption probe into Burisma Holdings, a natural gas firm active in Ukraine and Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, was a member of the Board of Directors," Shokin testified.

"On several occasions President Poroshenko asked me to have a look at the case against Burisma and consider the possibility of winding down the investigative actions in respect of this company but I refused to close this investigation," Shokin added.

Shokin certainly would have reason to hold a grudge over his firing. But his account is supported by documents from Burisma's legal team in America, which appeared to be moving into Ukraine with intensity as Biden's effort to fire Shokin picked up steam.

Burisma's own accounting records show that it paid tens of thousands of dollars while Hunter Biden served on the board of an American lobbying and public relations firm, Blue Star Strategies, run by Sally Painter and Karen Tramontano, who both served in President Bill Clinton's administration.

Just days before Biden forced Shokin's firing, Painter met with the No. 2 official at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington and asked to meet officials in Kiev around the same time that Joe Biden visited there. Ukrainian embassy employee Oksana Shulyar emailed Painter afterward: "With regards to the meetings in Kiev, I suggest that you wait until the next week when there is an expected vote of the government's reshuffle."

Ukraine's Washington embassy confirmed the conversations between Shulyar and Painter but said the reference to a shakeup in Ukrainian government was not specifically referring to Shokin's firing or anything to do with Burisma.

Painter then asked one of the Ukraine embassy's workers to open the door for meetings with Ukraine's prosecutors about the Burisma investigation, the memos show. Eventually, Blue Star would pay that Ukrainian official money for his help with the prosecutor's office.

At the time, Blue Star worked in concert with an American criminal defense lawyer, John Buretta, who was hired by Burisma to help address the case in Ukraine. The case was settled in January 2017 for a few million dollars in fines for alleged tax issues.

Buretta, Painter, Tramontano, Hunter Biden and Joe Biden's campaign have not responded to numerous calls and emails seeking comment.

On March 29, 2016, the day Shokin's firing was announced, Buretta asked to speak with Yuriy Sevruk, the prosecutor named to temporarily replace Shokin, but was turned down, the memos show.

Blue Star, using the Ukrainian embassy worker it had hired, eventually scored a meeting with Sevruk on April 6, 2016, a week after Shokin's firing. Buretta, Tramontano and Painter attended that meeting in Kiev, according to Blue Star's memos.

Sevruk memorialized the meeting in a government memo that the general prosecutor's office provided to me, stating that the three Americans offered an apology for the "false" narrative that had been provided by U.S. officials about Shokin being corrupt and inept.

"They realized that the information disseminated in the U.S. was incorrect and that they would facilitate my visit to the U.S. for the purpose of delivering the true information to the State Department management," the memo stated.

The memo also quoted the Americans as saying they knew Shokin pursued an aggressive corruption investigation against Burisma's owner, only to be thwarted by British allies: "These individuals noted that they had been aware that the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine had implemented all required steps for prosecution ... and that he was released by the British court due to the underperformance of the British law enforcement agencies."

The memo provides a vastly different portrayal of Shokin than Biden's. And its contents are partially backed by subsequent emails from Blue Star and Buretta that confirm the offer to bring Ukrainian authorities to meet the Obama administration in Washington.

For instance, Tramontano wrote the Ukrainian prosecution team on April 16, 2016, saying U.S. Justice Department officials, including top international prosecutor Bruce Swartz, might be willing to meet. "The reforms are not known to the US Justice Department and it would be useful for the Prosecutor General to meet officials in the US and share this information directly," she wrote.

Buretta sent a similar email to the Ukrainians, writing that "I think you would find it productive to meet with DOJ officials in Washington" and providing contact information for Swartz. "I would be happy to help," added Buretta, a former senior DOJ official.

Burisma, Buretta and Blue Star continued throughout 2016 to try to resolve the open issues in Ukraine, and memos recount various contacts with the State Department and the U.S. embassy in Kiev seeking help in getting the Burisma case resolved.

Just days before Trump took office, Burisma announced it had resolved all of its legal issues. And Buretta gave an interview in Ukraine about how he helped navigate the issues.

Today, two questions remain.

One is whether it was ethically improper or even illegal for Biden to intervene to fire the prosecutor handling Burisma's case, given his son's interests. That is one that requires more investigation and the expertise of lawyers.

The second is whether Biden has given the American people an honest accounting of what happened. The new documents I obtained raise serious doubts about his story's credibility. And that's an issue that needs to be resolved by voters.

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/463307-solomon-these-once-secret-memos-cast-doubt-on-joe-bidens-ukraine-story?amp&__twitter_impression=true

Affidavit link

https://www.scribd.com/document/427618359/Shokin-Statement

[Pavlov]

Affidavit link

https://www.scribd.com/document/427618359/Shokin-StatementYeah, the guy who was fired for being soft on corruption was really coming down on the pro-Russian oligarch's corruption.

You're falling for it again.

[LkrFan]

Oh snap
https://twitter.com/CheriJacobus/status/1177403370015002624?s=19

:lol

[pgardn]

Trump has asked the president of a foreign country to look for dirt on a political opponent.
And the orange man admits it. This in itself is enough. If the Senate was a (D) he'd be gone.

Now if they go further and tie in withholding of funds... Then they find an attempt to cover up... (Dont think they will, he used intelligence level encryption for political purposes; And he can be intransigent again and refuse to give anything up for some sort of presidential super hero status that requires and will add another court date to his over 3300 law suits in the past few years)

Crazy that we have a president who has a job and he thinks his job is to focus attention on himself. He has done a bang up job in this respect.

No way in 2020, the red team must decide how they go down. This is now the interesting part for me.

[vy65]

“I have received information from multiple U.S. Government officials,” “officials have informed me,” “officials with direct knowledge of the call informed me,” “the White House officials who told me this information,” “I was told by White House officials,” “the officials I spoke with,” “I was told that a State Department official,” “I learned from multiple U.S. officials,” “One White House official described this act,” “Based on multiple readouts of these meetings recounted to me,” “I also learned from multiple U.S. officials,” “The U.S. officials characterized this meeting,” “multiple U.S. officials told me,” “I learned from U.S. officials,” “I also learned from a U.S. official,” “several U.S. officials told me,” “I heard from multiple U.S. officials,” and “multiple U.S. officials told me.”

:lmao

Was good enough for the ICIG

[vy65]

DJT is the boss of the DOJ. The ICIG is independent.

[boutons_deux]

DJT is the boss of the DOJ. The ICIG is independent.

and the ICIG concluded the wb's complaint was legit, it's Trash's non-independent sycophant Maguire who "broke the law" by taking the wb info directly to Trash, instead of Congress. And Trash stashed it on his super-secret server.

[vy65]

A review of the entire complaint shows it is not so much an example of whistle-blowing, an act that can only be done by the individual holding the whistle, but an elaborate gossipy game of telephone between unnamed individuals whose motives and credibility are impossible to ascertain.

In fact, the Department of Justice (DOJ) found in its review of the complaint from the anonymous official that the intelligence community inspector general found “indicia of an arguable political bias on the part of the Complainant in favor of a rival political candidate.”

“The complaint does not arise in connection with the operation of any U.S. government intelligence activity, and the alleged misconduct does not involve any member of the intelligence community,” the DOJ legal opinion noted. “Rather, the complaint arises out of a confidential diplomatic communication between the President and a foreign leader that the intelligence-community complainant received secondhand.”

DOJ officials determined that the complaint was statutorily deficient since the president is an independent constitutional officer who is not subordinate to unelected intelligence agency bureaucrats. The DOJ opinion also determined that the complaint, which was based almost entirely on hearsay, was not “urgent” as required by statute and therefore not required to be submitted to congressional intelligence committees.

https://thefederalist.com/2019/09/26/complaint-from-so-called-whistleblower-is-riddled-with-gossip-blatant-falsehoods/

Who is a "Whistleblower"?
A Whistleblower is any individual who provides the right information to the right people. Stated differently, lawful whistleblowing occurs when an individual provides information that they reasonably believe evidences wrongdoing to an authorized recipient. Once that right information has been given to the right people, the whistleblower has made a Protected Disclosure and is afforded whistleblower protections.

What is the "Right Information"?
The "Right Information" is any information an individual reasonably believes evidences wrongdoing. Wrongdoing is a a violation of law, rule, or regulation; gross mismanagement; a gross waste of funds; an abuse of authority; or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety. Wrongdoing is not policy disputes, management disagreements or other de minimis or trivial issues.

Who are the "Right People"?
The "Right People" are those known as "authorized recipient(s)". Authorized recipients include: 1) a government supervisor in the employee`s chain of command, up to and including the head of the employing agency; 2) the IG of the employing agency or IC Element; 3) the Director of National Intelligence (DNI); 4) the ICIG; 5) an employee designated by any of the above officials for the purpose of receiving such disclosures. Authorized recipients are those individuals who can correct the wrongdoing that is reported to them. Inherent in that concept is that anyone without a clearance, or who is not in government, would not be an authorized recipient.

[DarrinS]

The call transcript was so damning, that Schiff had to go full improv. :lmao

[ElNono]

Trump never spoke to a gran jury :lol

:lol obstruction of justice has nothing to do with a grand jury. Then again, I'm not djohn, I'm fine with whatever happened with muh Russia. This is a different thing altogether.

[ElNono]

:lmao using serious news outlet to refer to wapo

They are like the wilt chamberlain of fake news. And rarellg correct their fake stories. Most of th efake news of last few years have been parroted by other outlets starting with "according to the wapo". :lmao

This is just yesterday for christsakes :lol

https://twitter.com/neal_katyal/status/1176937132323221505?s=19

You really should pay attention more or just stick to commenting on Manu and video games nig :lol

I said on the original post I don't give two craps about WaPo, but they are batting a much better average than the QAnon, Breibart, Ryan Saavedra fake news... that much is clear.

How about you go back to declaring WW3 for the 2400 time :lol

[benefactor]

Let's call a spade a spade on this...even if he isn't impeached both sides have to admit this was a next level stupid decision by Trump. After spending basically your whole presidency dealing with the Russia bullshit you decide it's a good idea to call a foreign leader and have them investigate a political opponent heading into your re-election. That seems like a whole new tier in the lack of self awareness category.

[ElNono]

That wasn’t the favor he asked for. Did you not read it in full for yourself?

I read the transcript released by the White House. It doesn't need much spinning, it's all laid bare.

Now tell me how that's any less credible than PizzaGate... :lol

[ElNono]

Let's call a spade a spade on this...even if he isn't impeached both sides have to admit this was a next level stupid decision by Trump. After spending basically your whole presidency dealing with the Russia bullshit you decide it's a good idea to call a foreign leader and have them investigate a political opponent heading into your re-election. That seems like a whole new tier in the lack of self awareness category.

Pretty much.

Completely self inflicted wound. I don't know if Rudy got him on his meds or what, completely unnecessary too.

[Winehole23]

The call transcript was so damning, that Schiff had to go full improv. :lmao

So, to be completely clear you're cool with Trump using US foreign policy as a lever to get a foreign country to help him with reelection?

[vy65]

Let's call a spade a spade on this...even if he isn't impeached both sides have to admit this was a next level stupid decision by Trump. After spending basically your whole presidency dealing with the Russia bullshit you decide it's a good idea to call a foreign leader and have them investigate a political opponent heading into your re-election. That seems like a whole new tier in the lack of self awareness category.

I mean, this. You can obfuscate all you want, but it’s pretty fucking soviet to ask a foreign power to exert pressure on a political rival. This is real life, not game of thrones.

[ElNono]

Complaint From So-Called ‘Whistleblower’ Is Riddled With Gossip, Blatant Falsehoods

The formal complaint from an anti-Trump “whistleblower” alleging various crimes by President Donald Trump is riddled with third-hand gossip and outright falsehoods. The document was declassified by Trump Wednesday evening and released to the public Thursday morning. The complaint, which was delivered to the chairmen of the House and Senate intelligence committees, follows the same template used in the infamous and debunked Clinton campaign-funded Steele dossier.

Rather than provide direct evidence that was witnessed or obtained firsthand by the complainant, the document instead combines gossip from various anonymous individuals, public media reports, and blatant misstatements of fact and law in service of a narrative that is directly contradicted by underlying facts. A footnote in the document even boasts about its use of “ample open-source information.”


Contrary to news reports asserting that the complaint included volumes of information incriminating Trump, it is instead based entirely on the president’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and various public media reports.

“I was not a direct witness to most of the events” characterized in the document, the complainant confesses on the first page. Instead, the complainant notes, the document is based on conversations with “more than half a dozen U.S. officials.” Those officials are not named, and their positions are not identified anywhere in the letter.

The complainant begins by falsely characterizing a July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky, the transcript of which was released by the White House on Wednesday.

Trump made a “specific request that the Ukrainian leader locate and turn over servers used by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and examined by the U.S. cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike,” the complainant alleges. A review of the transcript of the call shows that while Trump mentioned Crowdstrike once during the call, he never made such a request about locating and turning over multiple servers to the U.S.

The complainant also falsely alleges that Trump told Zelensky that he should keep the current prosecutor general at the time, Yuriy Lutsenko, in his current position in the country.

“The President also praised Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, Mr. Yuriy Lutsenko, and suggested that Mr. Zelensky might want to keep him in his position,” the complainant alleges, based on gossip he says he heard from unnamed White House officials.

Trump made no such suggestion to Zelensky, according to the transcript of the phone call. While Trump did say that it was “unfair” that a prosecutor who was “very good” was “shut down,” it’s not clear that Trump was even referring to Lutsenko, as a previous prosecutor named Viktor Shokin was fired after he opened investigations into a Ukrainian energy company that placed Hunter Biden, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son, on its board.

Trump directly references Shokin later in the conversation.


“There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that,” Trump said.

In 2018, Joe Biden bragged on camera that his threats to withhold a billion dollars in loan guarantees from Ukraine directly led to Shokin’s firing.

The complainant then alleges, without evidence, that efforts to secure the records of the call to prevent unauthorized access to classified information are themselves proof of corruption.

The transcript was “loaded into a separate electronic system that is otherwise used to store and handle classified information of an especially sensitive nature,” the complainant claims. “One White House official described this act as an abuse of this electronic system because the call did not contain anything remotely sensitive from a national security perspective.”

The complainant provides zero evidence beyond the opinion of an anonymous official that phone conversations between world leaders do not contain “anything remotely sensitive.” Trump formally declassified the transcript of the phone call, which had previously been classified as “SECRET/NOFORN,” meaning the information could not be shared with uncleared U.S. individuals or any foreign nationals, earlier this week.

In a footnote, the complainant even alleges that the mere classification of phone calls between world leaders was itself a corrupt act.

Following the section on Trump’s phone call with Zelensky, the complainant then devotes several pages to summaries of various news articles as proof of the underlying allegations in the complaint. The complainant quotes George Stephanopoulos (an ABC News employee who previously served in President Bill Clinton’s White House), The Hill, Bloomberg News, Politico, Fox News, the New York Times, and even Twitter.

The document itself is riddled not with evidence directly viewed by the complainant, but repeated references to what anonymous officials allegedly told the complainant: “I have received information from multiple U.S. Government officials,” “officials have informed me,” “officials with direct knowledge of the call informed me,” “the White House officials who told me this information,” “I was told by White House officials,” “the officials I spoke with,” “I was told that a State Department official,” “I learned from multiple U.S. officials,” “One White House official described this act,” “Based on multiple readouts of these meetings recounted to me,” “I also learned from multiple U.S. officials,” “The U.S. officials characterized this meeting,” “multiple U.S. officials told me,” “I learned from U.S. officials,” “I also learned from a U.S. official,” “several U.S. officials told me,” “I heard from multiple U.S. officials,” and “multiple U.S. officials told me.”

A review of the entire complaint shows it is not so much an example of whistle-blowing, an act that can only be done by the individual holding the whistle, but an elaborate gossipy game of telephone between unnamed individuals whose motives and credibility are impossible to ascertain.

In fact, the Department of Justice (DOJ) found in its review of the complaint from the anonymous official that the intelligence community inspector general found “indicia of an arguable political bias on the part of the Complainant in favor of a rival political candidate.”

“The complaint does not arise in connection with the operation of any U.S. government intelligence activity, and the alleged misconduct does not involve any member of the intelligence community,” the DOJ legal opinion noted. “Rather, the complaint arises out of a confidential diplomatic communication between the President and a foreign leader that the intelligence-community complainant received secondhand.”

DOJ officials determined that the complaint was statutorily deficient since the president is an independent constitutional officer who is not subordinate to unelected intelligence agency bureaucrats. The DOJ opinion also determined that the complaint, which was based almost entirely on hearsay, was not “urgent” as required by statute and therefore not required to be submitted to congressional intelligence committees.

https://thefederalist.com/2019/09/26/complaint-from-so-called-whistleblower-is-riddled-with-gossip-blatant-falsehoods/


Former CIA official on whistleblower: ‘How could this be an intelligence matter?’

I am troubled by the complaint and wonder how an intelligence officer could file it over something a president said to a foreign leader. How could this be an intelligence matter?

It appears likely to me that this so-called whistleblower was pursuing a political agenda.

I am very familiar with transcripts of presidential phone calls since I edited and processed dozens of them when I worked for the NSC. I also know a lot about intelligence whistleblowers from my time with the CIA.

My suspicions grew this morning when I saw the declassified whistleblowing complaint. It appears to be written by a law professor and includes legal references and detailed footnotes. It also has an unusual legalistic reference on how this complaint should be classified.

From my experience, such an extremely polished whistleblowing complaint is unheard of. This document looks as if this leaker had outside help, possibly from congressional members or staff.

Moreover, it looks like more than a coincidence that this complaint surfaced and was directed to the House Intelligence Committee just after Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), an outspoken opponent of President Trump, expressed numerous complaints in August 2019 accusing President Trump of abusing aid to Ukraine to hurt Joe Biden. This includes an August 28 tweet that closely resembled the whistleblowing complaint.

House Republicans need to ask the whistleblower under oath whether he spoke to the press or Congress about his complaint.

Also very concerning to me is how the complaint indicates intelligence officers and possibly other federal employees are violating the rules governing presidential phone calls with foreign leaders.

The content and transcripts of these calls are highly restricted. The whistleblower makes clear in his complaint that he did not listen to a call in question, nor did he read the transcript — he was told about the call by others. If true, intelligence officers have grossly violated the rules as well as the trust placed on them to protect this sensitive information.

I refuse to believe that the leaking, timing and presentation of this complaint is coincidence. I don’t think the American people will buy this either.

I’m more worried, however, that this latest instance of blatant politicization of intelligence by Trump haters will do long term damage to the relationship between the intelligence community and US presidents for many years to come.

https://nypost.com/2019/09/26/former-cia-official-on-whistleblower-how-could-this-be-an-intelligence-matter/amp/?__twitter_impression=true


Solomon: These once-secret memos cast doubt on Joe Biden's Ukraine story

Former Vice President Joe Biden, now a 2020 Democratic presidential contender, has locked into a specific story about the controversy in Ukraine.

He insists that, in spring 2016, he strong-armed Ukraine to fire its chief prosecutor solely because Biden believed that official was corrupt and inept, not because the Ukrainian was investigating a natural gas company, Burisma Holdings, that hired Biden's son, Hunter, into a lucrative job.

There's just one problem.

Hundreds of pages of never-released memos and documents - many from inside the American team helping Burisma to stave off its legal troubles - conflict with Biden's narrative.

And they raise the troubling prospect that U.S. officials may have painted a false picture in Ukraine that helped ease Burisma's legal troubles and stop prosecutors' plans to interview Hunter Biden during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

For instance, Burisma's American legal representatives met with Ukrainian officials just days after Biden forced the firing of the country's chief prosecutor and offered "an apology for dissemination of false information by U.S. representatives and public figures" about the Ukrainian prosecutors, according to the Ukrainian government's official memo of the meeting. The effort to secure that meeting began the same day the prosecutor's firing was announced.

In addition, Burisma's American team offered to introduce Ukrainian prosecutors to Obama administration officials to make amends, according to that memo and the American legal team's internal emails.

At the time, Shokin's office was investigating Burisma. Shokin told me he was making plans to question Hunter Biden about $3 million in fees that Biden and his partner, Archer, collected from Burisma through their American firm. Documents seized by the FBI in an unrelated case confirm the payments, which in many months totaled more than $166,000.

Some media outlets have reported that, at the time Joe Biden forced the firing in March 2016, there were no open investigations. Those reports are wrong. A British-based investigation of Burisma's owner was closed down in early 2015 on a technicality when a deadline for documents was not met. But the Ukraine Prosecutor General's office still had two open inquiries in March 2016, according to the official case file provided me. One of those cases involved taxes; the other, allegations of corruption. Burisma announced the cases against it were not closed and settled until January 2017.

After I first reported it in a column, the New York Times and ABC News published similar stories confirming my reporting.

Joe Biden has since responded that he forced Shokin's firing over concerns about corruption and ineptitude, which he claims were widely shared by Western allies, and that it had nothing to do with the Burisma investigation.

Some of the new documents I obtained call that claim into question.

In a newly sworn affidavit prepared for a European court, Shokin testified that when he was fired in March 2016, he was told the reason was that Biden was unhappy about the Burisma investigation. "The truth is that I was forced out because I was leading a wide-ranging corruption probe into Burisma Holdings, a natural gas firm active in Ukraine and Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, was a member of the Board of Directors," Shokin testified.

"On several occasions President Poroshenko asked me to have a look at the case against Burisma and consider the possibility of winding down the investigative actions in respect of this company but I refused to close this investigation," Shokin added.

Shokin certainly would have reason to hold a grudge over his firing. But his account is supported by documents from Burisma's legal team in America, which appeared to be moving into Ukraine with intensity as Biden's effort to fire Shokin picked up steam.

Burisma's own accounting records show that it paid tens of thousands of dollars while Hunter Biden served on the board of an American lobbying and public relations firm, Blue Star Strategies, run by Sally Painter and Karen Tramontano, who both served in President Bill Clinton's administration.

Just days before Biden forced Shokin's firing, Painter met with the No. 2 official at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington and asked to meet officials in Kiev around the same time that Joe Biden visited there. Ukrainian embassy employee Oksana Shulyar emailed Painter afterward: "With regards to the meetings in Kiev, I suggest that you wait until the next week when there is an expected vote of the government's reshuffle."

Ukraine's Washington embassy confirmed the conversations between Shulyar and Painter but said the reference to a shakeup in Ukrainian government was not specifically referring to Shokin's firing or anything to do with Burisma.

Painter then asked one of the Ukraine embassy's workers to open the door for meetings with Ukraine's prosecutors about the Burisma investigation, the memos show. Eventually, Blue Star would pay that Ukrainian official money for his help with the prosecutor's office.

At the time, Blue Star worked in concert with an American criminal defense lawyer, John Buretta, who was hired by Burisma to help address the case in Ukraine. The case was settled in January 2017 for a few million dollars in fines for alleged tax issues.

Buretta, Painter, Tramontano, Hunter Biden and Joe Biden's campaign have not responded to numerous calls and emails seeking comment.

On March 29, 2016, the day Shokin's firing was announced, Buretta asked to speak with Yuriy Sevruk, the prosecutor named to temporarily replace Shokin, but was turned down, the memos show.

Blue Star, using the Ukrainian embassy worker it had hired, eventually scored a meeting with Sevruk on April 6, 2016, a week after Shokin's firing. Buretta, Tramontano and Painter attended that meeting in Kiev, according to Blue Star's memos.

Sevruk memorialized the meeting in a government memo that the general prosecutor's office provided to me, stating that the three Americans offered an apology for the "false" narrative that had been provided by U.S. officials about Shokin being corrupt and inept.

"They realized that the information disseminated in the U.S. was incorrect and that they would facilitate my visit to the U.S. for the purpose of delivering the true information to the State Department management," the memo stated.

The memo also quoted the Americans as saying they knew Shokin pursued an aggressive corruption investigation against Burisma's owner, only to be thwarted by British allies: "These individuals noted that they had been aware that the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine had implemented all required steps for prosecution ... and that he was released by the British court due to the underperformance of the British law enforcement agencies."

The memo provides a vastly different portrayal of Shokin than Biden's. And its contents are partially backed by subsequent emails from Blue Star and Buretta that confirm the offer to bring Ukrainian authorities to meet the Obama administration in Washington.

For instance, Tramontano wrote the Ukrainian prosecution team on April 16, 2016, saying U.S. Justice Department officials, including top international prosecutor Bruce Swartz, might be willing to meet. "The reforms are not known to the US Justice Department and it would be useful for the Prosecutor General to meet officials in the US and share this information directly," she wrote.

Buretta sent a similar email to the Ukrainians, writing that "I think you would find it productive to meet with DOJ officials in Washington" and providing contact information for Swartz. "I would be happy to help," added Buretta, a former senior DOJ official.

Burisma, Buretta and Blue Star continued throughout 2016 to try to resolve the open issues in Ukraine, and memos recount various contacts with the State Department and the U.S. embassy in Kiev seeking help in getting the Burisma case resolved.

Just days before Trump took office, Burisma announced it had resolved all of its legal issues. And Buretta gave an interview in Ukraine about how he helped navigate the issues.

Today, two questions remain.

One is whether it was ethically improper or even illegal for Biden to intervene to fire the prosecutor handling Burisma's case, given his son's interests. That is one that requires more investigation and the expertise of lawyers.

The second is whether Biden has given the American people an honest accounting of what happened. The new documents I obtained raise serious doubts about his story's credibility. And that's an issue that needs to be resolved by voters.

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/463307-solomon-these-once-secret-memos-cast-doubt-on-joe-bidens-ukraine-story?amp&__twitter_impression=true


:lol walls of text... spin machine working overtime

[vy65]

So, to be completely clear you're cool with Trump using US foreign policy as a lever to get a foreign country to help him with reelection?


Expressly using and then admitting to such while acting like it’s no biggie.

[ElNono]

I mean, I'm not even going djohn on this, tbh... don't even care how it ends. My biggest issue is actually with pussy dems getting railroaded and basically destroying the little power Congress has left.

[TSA]

I read the transcript released by the White House. It doesn't need much spinning, it's all laid bare.

Now tell me how that's any less credible than PizzaGate... :lol

If you read the transcript why would you falsely claim that was the favor he asked for?

[DarrinS]

So, to be completely clear you're cool with Trump using US foreign policy as a lever to get a foreign country to help him with reelection?

If you read the transcript, it sounds like he's trying to get to the bottom of the 2016 election interference by Ukraine. Is that not legitimate?

[Reck]

Do you think Trump did anything wrong RE: these dealings with Ukraine?

Yes or no.

All this guy does is post smileys and look like a retard. Literally the only reason he logs in.