Print this post.DISPATCHES FROM MOON OF ALABAMA, BY "B"
This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches from Moon of Alabama
The impeachment circus continued today with a refreshingly candid opening statement from Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the EU. Sondland was involved in diplomatic efforts in Ukraine. Instead of stonewalling Sondland just let it all out:
Gordon D. Sondland testified that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed off on the pressure campaign, and that he told Vice President Mike Pence about an apparent link between military aid for Ukraine and investigations of Democrats. Mr. Sondland confirmed there was a “clear quid pro quo” for a White House meeting between President Trump and Ukraine’s president.
The anti-Trump media see this as another "bombshell" that will hurt him.
But it is more likely that Sondland's testimony will help President Trump and those involved on his side.
The President of the United States thought it to be in the interest of the United States to press Ukraine's government into publicly announcing investigations into two issues:
- The successful meddling by Ukrainian officials in the 2016 U.S. election.
- The evident intervention by then Vice President Biden into Ukrainian politics to the benefit of the owner of a company that paid his son more than $50,000 per month.
Sondland and other U.S. officials were negotiating with the Ukrainians about these demands. There were two potential points that they could use to pressure the Ukrainians into announcing investigations:
- The Ukrainian request for a visit by President Zelensky to the White House.
- The Ukrainian desire to receive military aid that Congress had allocated for that purpose.
It is not clear at all that Trump wanted those issues to be used to pressure Ukraine. Trump never told Sondland that these issues were connected:
Aaron Maté @aaronjmate - 15:58 UTC · Nov 20, 2019
Sondland's testimony is not as damning as it's being portrayed. He says Trump never told him that money for US weapons ("security assistance") was conditioned on investigations. Sondland says that such a condition is what he came to believe based on his own inference.
His interpretation may well be correct (I'd bet it was). But his own interpretation is not direct evidence -- it's an interpretation. Given he's the star witness who spoke to Trump -- & he says Trump never even mentioned "security assistance" -- it's actually an evidentiary hole.
Sondland: "I've never heard from Trump that the aid was conditioned on the investigations." Also says Trump never mentioned “security assistance.” This is the star witness who spoke to Trump, & who relayed conditions to Ukraine — which he now says was based on his interpretation.
Sondland: “President Trump never told me directly that the aid was conditioned on the meetings. The only thing we got directly from Guiliani was that the Burisma and 2016 elections were conditioned on the White House meeting. The aid was my own personal, you know, guess.”
The negotiators, including Sondland, presumed that the demands and pressure points were linked. But Trump had never said so.
The negotiations around the Ukraine issues were going slow. It was not clear to the negotiators what Trump actually wanted. Sondland said that at one point he called up Trump and asked an open questions: "What do you want from Ukraine?".
According to Sondland Trump responded: "I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. Tell Zelensky to do the right thing."
Trump is a crook. It is fair to presume that he wanted his aides to use all potential pressure points to deliver the desired results from the Ukrainians. But Trump is also a smart enough crook to never say that.
Today he read the above quote from Sondland's testimony to the press. Some photographer took a picture of his notes.
Zelensky got the meeting with Trump, though it was in New York not in the White House. The Ukraine received the military aid. The Ukrainians never announced an investigation into the election interference or into the Biden affair.
It will be difficult for the Democrats to claim that Trump wanted a quit pro quo or wanted to bribe the Ukrainians when, according to one of there main witnesses, Trump said the opposite. Not only that - Trump did not get what is claimed what he wanted while the Ukraine got everything that it had asked for.
And this was not even the last line of Trump's defenses.
For two years the Democrats insisted on investigating alleged Russian interference in the U.S. election. What is wrong with Trump requesting an investigation into well documented Ukrainian interference?
Ukrainian corruption has been a concern of several administrations. What is wrong with Trump asking the Ukrainians to investigate a well know case that may have involved U.S. officials?
The U.S. is not a welfare organization. Official political White House meetings with the president are only granted if the U.S. hopes that it is to its advantage. Aid or loans are only granted by the U.S. when it is to its own advantage. The granting or withholding of such items are part of most international deals, as are threats. They are part of political deals between nations, not personal bribery.
It is beyond me why the Democrats think they can bring Trump down over this.
Posted by b on November 20, 2019 at 20:08 UTC | Permalink
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From Jim Stone:
"The CEO of Burisma in Ukraine was arrested. He started talking. As it turns out, Biden's kid, Hunter, was not getting paid $50, 000 a month, his base salary was closer to $200, 000 a month, and now that someone is talking, Hunter received several payments "in the millions" totaling $16.5million OUTSIDE of his regular pay.
Here is a quote from the original source at CD media
"In our extensive discussions with Onyshchenko, CD Media can report that he confirmed Hunter Biden took 'off the books' payments totally millions from Burisma.
"There were 'official' and 'unofficial' payments to the Biden family, " Onyshchenko stated.
Onyshchenko also confirmed that former FBI agent Karen Greenaway, who oversaw the Obama administration's anti-corruption efforts in Eastern Europe, directed the coverup of the Biden scandal at the time, in concert with the U.S. embassy in Kyiv, and other Deep State American government assets 'in-country'.
In Onyshchenko's former oversight role over Ukrainian energy security, he was in a unique position to acquire information on Burisma and their dealings with the Biden family.
My comment: The impeachment hearing is not going well. They keep chugging along with absolute blowouts that should end their trip down the road to lunacy, but keep on going like criminal nut cases that have nothing to lose, hoping the cops never catch up despite all the flat tires, among which this report was a serious one. It is shocking that this report relates directly to one of their guys they have in the race against Trump. It does not seem to matter to them at all if they get revealed time after time after time for what they are, it is becoming evident that the only thing that will stop them in their impeachment efforts is a long overdue arrest."
And recall Guliani said that Romania and China pay to play deals are far worse than what happened in Ukraine
Posted by: frances | Nov 20 2019 20:35 utc | 2
...and Joe Biden convicts himself..., quid pro quo out of the pie hole under the nose!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCSF3reVr10
Posted by: Taffyboy | Nov 20 2019 20:36 utc | 3
In a riff on the D's line of questioning, they're trying to carry out their end of a quid pro quo with their sponsors in the MIC. That idea came as a result of comments made during the Keiser Report I linked to on the open thread, that the D-Party is the War Party doing the MIC's bidding against Trump's move from being militantly Geopolitical to wanting to resume being the dominant Geoeconomic power the Evil Outlaw US Empire was once. As I suggested earlier, listen twice to the entire show.
IMO, the change in direction/emphasis on what needs to be the basis of the Evil Outlaw US Empire's power is what's driving the schism between the factions in the Current Oligarchy and thus the Duopoly. One can also see the rationale for Gabbard and Sanders's political-economic positions in the materials I've linked to that justify my line of reasoning.
Posted by: karlof1 | Nov 20 2019 20:40 utc | 4
Why has Trump done the stupid things that have contributed to Russiagate and Ukrainegate?
Russiagate
'America First' Trump hired Manafort as campaign manager of his 2016 Presidential election - despite Manafort having been working in Ukraine for many years (thus having little, if any, recent experience with US politics), and despite Manafort's having been warned (by people that were likely connected to CIA) that Manafort's political work for pro-Russia parties was not appreciated.
Aside: IMO Deep State wanted to settle scores with Manafort, Flynn, and Assange.
Ukrainegate
Trump made an issue of Biden on the phone call with Zelinsky. The fact that Trump sought no quid pro quo is irrelevant. It's Trump's inadvisable mentioning of Biden that got Ukrainegate started.
Lastly, in the Spring, Pelosi and Hillary had both come out strongly against impeachment hearings, saying that an election was near and impeachment would be counter-productive. But they both support impeachment hearings now - over the nonsensical Ukrainegate allegations that lead nowhere except to a Democratic loss in 2020 after these 'witch hunt' hearings.
^5000The arch-hypocritical corporate media are our worst enemies.
They shamelessly block truth, peace, equality, and true democracy.
They are shills for those who murder the environment with impunity.
It's time you embrace YOUR media, the citizens' press.
Be sure to support the Greanville Post. If not you, who will?
"b" is Moon of Alabama's founding (and chief) editor. This site's purpose is to discuss politics, economics, philosophy and blogger Billmon's Whiskey Bar writings. Some time ago, the commenting at Billmon's Whiskey Bar became a bit excessive. Billmon therefore closed the comments at his place on June 29, 2004. The community of commentators was left behind to search for a new place. Moon Of Alabama was opened as an independent, open forum for members of the Whiskey Bar community. Bernhard started and still runs the site. Once a while you will also find posts and art from regular commentators. The name of the original Whiskey Bar was taken from Bertolt Brecht's Alabama Song where the first line goes: "Show me the way to the next whiskey bar". The name Moon of Alabama was taken from the first line of the chorus of that song: "Oh, moon of Alabama ...". You can reach the current administrator of this site by emailing Bernhard at MoonofA@aol.com.
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b- I suspect the reason the Dems have thrown themselves into this impeachment circus is because they knew this investigation was in the works and possibly others as well:www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ukrainian
I shortened the link, if anyone has a problem with it please refer to zerohedge.com
This Ukraine investigation will take down Biden, Hunter, Kerry, Kerry's stepson and probably Pelosi and her son. Although their scam is via a different Ukraine energy company. The link mentions several other people from the Obama admin, Obama himself may be at the bottom of this well.
Posted by: frances | Nov 20 2019 20:29 utc | 1