Friday, October 4, 2019

This will make it very hard for Sondland to protect his friend Trump, whom he gave $1 million to for inauguration. That's the pesky thing, other witnesses. Contemporaneous witnesses.


UPDATED: House Democrats Demand Ukraine Records From Pence


Amb Sondland informed Sen Johnson that the blocking of military aid by @POTUS was directly linked to Ukraine agreeing to do investigations sought by Trump. Congress will continue to investigate. It's also clear we have enough evidence right now to draft Articles of Impeachment.


CIA's top lawyer made 'criminal referral' on whistleblower's complaint about Trump conduct


House Dems issue subpoena to WH for information in impeachment inquiry


Bernie Sanders Had Heart Attack, His Doctors Say, as He Leaves Hospital.


Bill Taylor says “as I said on the phone, I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.” After a 5 hour delay, Gordon Sondland says there’s “no quid pro quo.”


It comes down to this. We’ve cut through the denials. The deflections. The nonsense. Donald Trump believes he can pressure a foreign nation to help him politically. It’s his “right.” Every Republican in Congress has to decide: Is he right?


Hong Kong's leader has invoked rarely-used emergency powers to ban people from wearing masks during public assemblies. The move is likely to infuriate the thousands of people involved in the city's months-long protest movement.


"If President Trump is going to get impeached for this, it kind of looks like Vice President Pence did the exact same thing."@maddow shares reporting from WaPo that Pres. Trump involved VP Pence in his dealings with Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskiy


"Unprompted, Trump requested that another foreign power inject itself into the election by investigating a political opponent. The suggestion is even more shocking because of the country involved."


NEW: Trump ordered the recall of Ukraine ambassador after Giuliani & other allies outside the administration complained that she blocked Biden-probe efforts.


Lawrence: The smoking guns keep coming on Trump and Ukraine


Two of President Trump’s top envoys to Ukraine, Volker and Sondland, worked on a statement for the Ukrainian President in August that would have committed Ukraine to pursuing investigations into Trump's political rivals.


Facebook just gave Trump permission to lie. Even though Donald Trump's Facebook ads about Joe Biden contain misinformation, a company spokesperson says they did not violate Facebook’s advertising policy because of carveout for politicians.


There's a reason Trump chose him, and it wasn't because of his sharp intellect or iron-willed commitment to principle.


GOP senator says he doesn't remember signing 2016 letter urging "reform" of Ukraine prosecutor's office


JUST OUT: TRUMP's @WhiteHouse signaled that ZELENSKY's Oval Office visit was linked to his ability to convince Trump that Ukraine would investigate the claims that Ukrainians meddled in 2016 to boost @HillaryClinton, according to this text from KURT VOLKER to a top Zelensky aide.


SCOOP: TRUMP's top Ukraine envoys, Kurt Volker & Gordon Sondland, pushed UKRAINE to commit to investigating Trump's rivals -- marking the 1st evidence that the US government effort to push for probes into BIDEN & other rivals was broader than just Trump


Trump just handed Xi all sorts of leverage in the US-Chinese trade negotiations by asking Chinese to investigate Hunter Biden. Horrible diplomacy, underscoring Trump cares only about his personal reelection, not American national interests.


Ambassadors Yovanovitch and Taylor are American heros.


Pence strains credulity with 'obliviousness' defense


Congress refining Trump corruption into impeachment case


McFaul: Why did no one say, 'Mr. President, this is wrong'?


Swalwell: Trump engaged in a 'shadow shakedown' of Ukraine


Trump envoys pushed Ukraine on Biden probe statement: NYT


I've been thinking about this interesting statement from Putin. It can be interpreted as a threat to @realDonaldTrump that Russia can release or leak conversations that occurred between @POTUS and Putin at any time.


Swalwell to reporters: "We have ample evidence now that there was a requirement that President Zelensky investigate the 2016 election and the Bidens if he wanted to get a meeting, that that was in the conversation throughout the time that President Zelensky came into office."


Pence was told about call between Trump and Zelensky the day after it happened


Needless to say, it sure doesn’t seem from these texts like Volker was trying to talk anyone down from this.


Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' security detail is projected to cost $7.87 million from now through the end of September 2020, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service told Politico.


ABANDON SHIIIIIIIP!!


CNN won’t run two Trump campaign ads, citing "demonstrably false" claims


BREAKING: @HouseIntel is investigating Mike Pence.


The fact they had to say it’s “unrelated“ means it’s definitely related.


"This is quite chaotic," the [Chinese] diplomat said. "We do not want to get in the middle of the US politics." China and Ukraine both knew it was wrong to meddle in American elections. And Republicans don't? Are you kidding me?


This is an absolute lie. It was made explicitly clear that they were all allowed to ask questions. So, @RepMarkMeadows, because I actually told this to you in the hearing and *it’s in the transcript* I’m sure you’ll have no problem confirming this. *And, they asked questions!


Breaking- Trump crime wave extends to selling out Hong Kong. He told Xi he'd stay silent a/b Hong Kong in exchange for dirt on Biden & Warren The tell came this morning b4 he staggered to the helicopter. The "investigate corruption" defense is laughable


Everyone needs to read these text messages! They are completely shocking. The crudeness of the quo pro quo are worse than I expected. Bill Taylor is the only one who comes out of this looking like a professional.


Ukrainian casualties in September 2019 while Trump withheld aid: 54 killed and wounded


“During a phone call with Xi on June 18, Trump raised Biden's political prospects as well as those of Warren, who by then had started rising in the polls... Trump also told Xi he would remain quiet on Hong Kong protests as trade talks progressed.”


We are asking dozens of Congressional republicans for their reaction to Trump’s request that authoritarian China investigate his political opponent. We will share responses and non-responses tomorrow.