Another State Department higher-up comes in from the cold to testify about what actually happened under Donald Trump’s direction with the Ukraine….
Sondland at first tried to be vague….
But will others filling in the blanks?
He has found his memory….
In his sworn statement, Trump’s U.S. Ambassador to the European Union also told the House Intelligence Committee that while he never knew for sure if the White House had frozen nearly $400 million in security assistance as part of the pressure campaign against Ukraine, he operated as if that was the case.
“In the absence of any credible explanation for the hold, I came to the conclusion that the aid, like the White House visit, was jeopardized,” Sondland said. “My belief was that if Ukraine did something to demonstrate a serious intention” to launch the investigations Trump wanted, “then the hold on military aid would be lifted.”….
…
Gordon D. Sondland, the Republican megadonor turned ambassador to the European Union, told the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday that he and other advisers to President Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate Democrats “because the president directed us to do so.”
In much-anticipated testimony opening the fourth day of public impeachment hearings, Mr. Sondland said that he, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Kurt D. Volker, the special envoy for Ukraine, were reluctant to work with Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney, on the pressure campaign and agreed only at Mr. Trump’s insistence.
“Secretary Perry, Ambassador Volker and I worked with Mr. Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine matters at the express direction of the president of the United States,” Mr. Sondland said in his prepared opening statement delivered in writing to the committee as he made his appearance on Wednesday morning. “We did not want to work with Mr. Giuliani. Simply put, we played the hand we were dealt.”
BTW?
POLITICO
@politico
Despite hours and hours of testimony, reams of coverage and enough background briefings to make your eyes bleed, nobody is changing any votes on impeachment. At least not on Capitol Hill, where both sides are dug in and digging deeper…
The President of the United States of America 2016-2019…
Newsweek: “Much of the nearly 260 pages of the anonymous official’s tome, A Warning, which hit bookshelves on Tuesday, has been dedicated to sounding the alarm about Trump’s alarming behavior.”
“While the anonymous author, who is described only as a senior official in the Trump administration admits they are not ‘qualified to diagnose the president’s mental acuity,’ they can say that ‘normal people who spend any time with Donald Trump are uncomfortable by what they witness.’”
Writes the official: “He stumbles, slurs, gets confused, is easily irritated, and has trouble synthesizing information, not occasionally but with regularity.”
Politicalwire…
Bombshell testimony. Trump’s defense of “no quid pro quo” is completely shattered, This is a monumental day in American history yet it is very possible nothing will really change because the action of both political parties have left too many of the American people immune to the concept of lying, cheating, and stealing in the highest office in the land.
Unless there is a dramatic shift in public opinion, Republican elected officials will continue to disgrace their legacies and the rule of law by excusing this conduct, using any means necessary.
They should be called on that and remembered for it. However, if this was a President of the other party, I really do not see them going about this much differently,
As of yesterday, Ken Starr was publicly dismissing the concept of impeachment for Trump.
Today, after the Sondland testimony, he is raising the prospect of Republican Senators asking Trump to resign.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/ken-starr-suggests-on-fox-that-gop-senators-may-need-to-make-a-trip-to-white-house-after-sondland-testimony
There’s no chance of Trump resigning ,nor of there being any major effort by Republicans to have him do so.
I thought you were trying to stay away from the “no chance” declaration as you said in regards to Bernie Sanders winning a general election.
Me?
No, the distinguished member from Palmetto State.
Totally different subject.
As regards Bernie Sanders we are talking about actual voters in primaries.
Here we are talking about cowardly Republican Congresspeople who are scared to death of Donald Trump and his hordes who,despite your wishes to the contrary ,own today’s Republican Party.
Besides who cares what I think?
This is all about a Republican Party which still ,despite all that’s alteady been said, and today’s supposed”bombshell”testimony ,still Overwhelmingly supports Trump.
You yourself have admitted as much.
I think it is more likely Trump resigns the Presidency than it is likely that Bernie Sanders wins a Presidential general election.
I bet Las Vegas odds (or whomever does them) would agree with me
Sine neither will likely happen we will never know.
As we have discussed many times, if public opinion turns sharply against Trump, lots of Republican House and Senate members will jump and they will jump together. Safety in numbers. It will be a quick, dramatic, and overwhelming shift. But that remains to be seen.
Privately, many know what a drag Trump is on the entire party and are hoping for something to occur to get him out of the way, while being afraid to say so publicly.
Trump keeps Tweeting. “I’m totally cleared.” “Impeachment is over!” , “Great day for Republicans!”
He’s totally in Baghdad Bob mode. This is eating him up inside.
The American people are by and large already against him, but I guess not enough for them for the message to be clear to the frightened
To quote Bob Dole 1996, “Where’s the Outrage?”:
Had Barack Obama done these things in 2011 to get a foreign country to look into the business dealings of Mitt Romney’s sons, of course he would have been impeached (but not without many is not most Democrats saying, “it’s not at the level of impeachment.”)
You mean if Republican opinion turns against him.
That isn’t going to happen.
It is clear that Republican voters will continue to support Trump.Polls consistently show that none of this has had any discernible impact on Republicans.
I guess one can continue to dream about these things.
Have fun with that.
If “independent” public opinion turns on him enough it will happen.
He’s not doing well with Independents now but certainly not as bad as he could be doing. Fear of the Democrats ideologically is a factor in his survival.
I stand by my prediction that this will cause Susan Collins to decide to spendotr time with her family.
You said she would announce this over Thanksgiving, right? so your prediction has a very narrow window…
Just lots of speculation on your part.
Like I said have fun with that.
Until Republicans turn on Trump in a big way ?Nothing is going to happen..
You know this but just won’t concede it.
There is No evidence.None. That this is happening at all.
There aren’t enough Republicans to matter. What matters are Independent/swing voters.
Lots of people who very much dislike Trump and would want to be rid of him but fear that a radically different type of Administration will have adverse effects on their personal finances.
I would be curious what you folks advise I should say to my mother, who very much dislikes Trump but fears what could happen to their 401K/retirement savings that they are dependent on now.
Pretty much the best I can come up with, “the kind of country we are and will be in the future is more important than money.”
Our political system has always been adversarial and as you folks love to point out, based on two parties.
Democrats need to be able to make the case against Trump on these grounds in 15 seconds using clear and precise language.
I think I know what I would say if I was them.
Do you folks who identify as Democrats believe they are effectively communicating the party’s stance on Trump/Ukraine? Is there any room for improvement?
This will eventually reach a point where Republican elected officials will push for some sort of “censure” to avoid a trial. (Same thing happened with Democrats and Clinton)
Like that case, the incumbent will refuse to admit he did anything worthy of that rebuke and there will be a divide over those saying, “what Trump did was wrong, but it should be up to the voters” and the far smaller number who will insist “it was a perfect call. Nothing improper happened.”
Well there’s a bigger chance of that happening than conviction at an impeachment trial .
However,I doubt even that will happen.
I don’t see Trump accepting a censure. Who is going to be the first Republican in Congress to flip and suggest it? None of them even have the backbone of a worm.
It’s already been floated by Republicans and that will increase. He won’t accept the option. (Bill Clinton didn’t either)
Oh you’ll see lots of things floated….
But no action.
They can’t.
Republicans at the grassroots will turn on them and they know it.
The most recent polls are clear.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/11/18/poll-seventy-percent-trump-ukraine-actions-wrong/4227312002/
70 % of Americans think Trump did something wrong. That would obviously include a large chunk of Republicans.
Yet just 51% (still far more than wanted Clinton or Nixon removed at this point) think he should be removed.
Where is the disconnect? How can Democrats play this politically to their benefit? It ought to be easy. This whole, “well, it’s bad but not THAT bad” seems nonsensical.
According to the headlines, Republicans at the hearing have turned on Sonneland dramatically after his testimony.
This morning, in his opening statement, Devin Nunes said to the witness, “you have come here today to be smeared.”
I guess he was telegraphing what his party was going to do, not the Democrats.
I’m 1974 the Republican Party wasn’t completely owned by conservative “news” corporation
FOX News, Breitbart, Rush Limbaugh etc call the shots in the GOP now. The biggest sin is “backing down”. It’s what they now detest in the Bushes, McCain, and Romney.
“Owning the libs” is all the Murdoch-Limbaugh party is about these days. They need more beat downs like the ones started at the midterms and continued in KY and LA this month to cone to their senses.
You have no idea the amount of animosity Trump acolytes have for Fox News now. They blame the Murdochs for this. Rupert has turned the company over to his sons who are believed to be “liberal.”
They expect Fox News to be propaganda for them and while the morning show and the prime time ones come close, the actual news divisions are being “fair and balanced.”
Yeah, so much that most of them will be glued to Hannity,Ingraham, Carlson and Dobbs tonight.
Their uh “ animosity” ( more like childish pouting )is selectively reserved for certain news reporters like Chris Wallace and the polling unit.
and Baer and Cavuto and Judge Napolitano and Hume and, etc etc.
Big deal.
They will still watch it .
What?Are they gonna watch NBC , CNN. Etc etc.
Look yeah they get pissed at Fox occasionally after their cult leader tedls them to..
But abandon Fox. That’s a joke.
You’ve been reading too many comments ones at HHR.
They will watch OAN and the Newsmax channel.
Trump was supposed to start his own news network after he lost the last time. Maybe that’s in the future for someone.
Those channels aren’t available in many markets.
No ,they will continue to watch Fox as RightWingers tend to rely on television for most of their news and information .
Further, there is no evidence that conservatives are abandoning Fox.
This reminds me of how RightWingers were going to “boycott” the NFL over the great “kneeling” controversy.
That was a big nothing too.
They are available in the conservative markets to be sure.
My cable system (Xfinity) does not carry them but AT&T does.
Let’s get the narrative straight…
Do “right wingers” rely on tv for news or do they rely on Facebook and other dubious online sources?
Most on the left would say the latter.
In regards to Fox News, we all have to admit that mixed opinions on Trump are presented there.
In all seriousness, I ask if during the eight years Obama was President, did anybody on MSNBC ever have a negative thing to say that was not about him not being progressive enough or perhaps Chris Matthews having a nervous stomach after the first 2012 debate?
Was there anyone on MSNBC that was considered anti-Obama?
Yes everyone knows Fox is “fair and balanced.”
Frankly, I couldn’t care less.
Actually it’s amazing that you spend so much time trying to “prove” this.
I guess that why Republicans always seem to watch Fox.
They’re concerned with “fairness” and “balance.”
Yeah,Whatever!
You definitely understand it even as you try to dismiss it. It’s not very complicated.
Yes, there certainly was a market for Fox News and “balance” after decades of television news that slanted left.
Well good now you have your “balance”
Ain’t life great!
Just got home from work and flipped on FOX for the hell of it.
Other than Juan Williams in the thankless Alan Colmes (RIP) spot they are all repeating Trump’s talking points–no quid pro quo, blah blah blah
Isn’t Juan better than nothing?
I don’t know why anyone would watch “The Five.”
I am sure the news coverage (although it may be pre-empted today for live hearing coverage) on Special Report (their main daily news show) will be more fair and balanced.
Trump supporters were all about “Sondland is good. He will vindicate everything” until today. He is of course a lifelong Republican (until they found out today that he was Jeb Bush supporter which makes him even worse than a Democrat.)
Now, Vindman and Sondland are leading a “coup” and are demonstrating their loyalty to some nefarious shadow enterprise.
But of course, the people saying this will insist that they have no idea that Vindman and Sondland are Jewish.
By the same token, had Bill Clinton did what he did in 1974, he never would have survived either.
Bill Clinton did have cable tv talking heads (Geraldo for one, who is consistent enough to think Trump should be allowed to be corrupt to) doing his bidding.
Yes….
Any person presented with the evidence so far about the ‘deal’ Trump wanted to hurt Biden politically and the
clumsy attempt to conceal and cover it up would undoubtedly conclude ‘Guilty’….
But we are talking about an American President ….
One that has a jury afraid to pass judgement against their party leader who has their voters support NO MATTER what he would do against the law…
Yes the lawmakers legacies will be soiled…
But right now?
They just want to keep their jobs….
That means NOT crossing their party leader…
The GOPer’s beat the Democrats for two years….
The Dem’s are giving it back…
But the only thing that matters is Trump’s poll numbers and the electoral college vote next year….
“beat the Democrats for two years?”
Yup….
House/Senate/President
Ken?….We knew this.…
Ken Starr, who headed the investigation that led to Bill Clinton’s impeachment, told Fox News that Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s testimony was a “bombshell” and will lead to President Trump’s impeachment.
Said Starr: “There will be articles of impeachment. I think we’ve known that, it was just confirmed today. Substantively, what we heard from the chairman just now is: It’s over. We now know — this is his position — we now know that the president in fact committed the crime of bribery.”….
Politicalwire…
So, just in terms of the landscape after the 2016 election?
Republicans didn’t really get a lot done and as we know, Democrats had a good midterm (though not so much in the Senate)
Ah?
on the GOPer got nothing done 2016-2018
tax cut?
blow out budget?
dem’s go screw urself?
Obamacare remained in place
Massive losses in 2018
No illegal immigration solution
They sure didn’t get what they promised for one thing or what a party in that situation should have been expected to achieve and it’s all due to an incompetent and disloyal President.
Had they repealed ObamaCare as promised GOP losses would have been far worse in 2018.
maybe without a sellable replacement but still, they did not deliver on what they wanted to do and promised to do and by all means should have had the votes to do.
We all saw how passing Obamacare hurt Democrats in 2010 and 2014, but still they thought it was worth it.
(Right-wingers claim that Republicans lost because they did not repeal Obamacare. It’s a completely ridiculous theory. The votes against Republicans on health care clearly were coming from their left. It’s like claiming that PETA was going to increase protests at McDonalds when they *stopped* Supersizing Big Macs.)
Republicans also pissed away what should have been a completely safe Senate seat in Alabama..
However, Democrats did suffer from self-inflicted wounds over those two years. They really could not blame this on Republicans but have to look in the mirror.
What comes to mind are the futile and counterproductive efforts they made to oppose Gorsuch and Kavanaugh.
Not only did they ruin the “nuclear option” for themselves, but their behavior (besides from Manchin who voted Yes and won) in opposing Kavanaugh certainly caused Republicans to win at least two or three Senate seats they probably would have lost otherwise.
As the Dem’s showed in 2008-2010 even if u DO have majorities across the board u have issues..,.
But during the 2016-2018 years Dem’s where virtually locked outside the room…
Also today, Giuliani is really angry at the House GOP lawyer, since they are throwing Rudy under the bus and blaming him for all this (what other choice do they have?) Rudy is looking at prison time and if he thinks Trump is going to pardon him…..(I cannot help but find the Saga of Giuliani incredibly sad based on what he once represented to the country.)
I will watch for Trump to turn on Pence now and say whatever was done was done against his knowledge by Pence and that if he (Trump) gets impeached, that means Pelosi will become President.
Trump is having Mitt Romney and Susan Collins over to the White House today .
That’s nice.
Trump scolded FOX News on Twitter this morning for interviewing Eric Swalwell.
The Cult expects to only hear reassuring voices. “Fair and Balanced”. That’s just a tagline for suckers.
Obviously, Laurie Metcalf will be cast as Fiona Hill in the movie version of this Impeachment.
Who will play Sondland?
Maybe comedian Jeff Ross
http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Jeff+Ross/Comedy+Central+Live+2016+Upfront+After+Party/wfWUJfqFOuc
A Gaping Asshole in a Pin Strip Suit as Devin Nunes
Scott Baio needs work
So does Jaime Kennedy. He could play Jim Jordan.
I was thinking Will Forte as Jim Jordan.
Yeah a better pick.
If Jeffrey Talbot were younger (and wasn’t a harrasser) he could play Adam Schiff
Jeffrey Tambor
I would see Tambor more as Sondland. I don’t the resemblance to Schiff.
(I am allowed to say that I do not think Schiff even looks like one of my people at first glance.)
Meryl Streep I suppose has to get Maria Yonyovich (or however its spelled)
My Congressman Raja Khrisnamoorthi is contacting me to demand Kal Penn.
I saw a photo and I get the young Tambor reference now for Schiff.
Who would play Vindman?
Rachel Dratch for Laura Cooper
Matthew Broderick as Lt. Col. Vindman.
Former Congressman Blake Farenthold as the Day 1 Drag Queen.
Julia Roberts as Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL)?
(who will get this reference?)
Jenna Fischer as Elise Stefanik
Justin Trudeau as Will Hurd
U guys ARE brutal …..
He, he , he
Chris Pine as Eric Swalwell
Speaking of Will Hurd, wouldn’t you think if Republicans were going to flip he’d be one of the first?
Sure doesn’t look like it.
They don’t need his vote.
He will have to live with it though whatever he does.
So why is this vote any different than other votes? Republicans have to live with borrowing money to pay for a tax cut that they gave to the wealthy too and for their role in global warming. If you can justify ignoring global warming, then why would yhen be offended by obvious corruption?