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The Impeachment of President Donald J. Trump

Just breaking…

Say what? Looks like another head fake – wonder if this one will be as successful as releasing the call summary.

… Even as the impeachment inquiry intensifies in Congress, White House lawyers are leading their own review, the people said. They are seeking to understand White House officials’ actions around Mr. Trump’s July 25 call with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, which is central to the whistle-blower’s allegation that Mr. Trump abused his power.

The lawyers’ inquiry centers on why one of their colleagues, the deputy White House counsel John A. Eisenberg , placed a rough transcript of the call in a computer system typically reserved for the country’s most closely guarded secrets. Mr. Trump later directed that a reconstructed transcript be released amid intensifying scrutiny from House Democrats.

Run, Eisenberg, run for your life! The Trump bus is headed straight for you. :bus:

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Sounds good. I’ll organize. I want to see if a wiki style header is obtainable through this format for quick reference. Sometimes I can’t find all the incredible stories y’all post. :smile:

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:100: He shows up in different parts of the story all over the place. He’d be an easy one to throw under the bus.

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Pence refuses House request to provide documents related to Ukraine call

Vice President Mike Pence’s office said Tuesday it will not comply with a request from the House to turn over documents related to President Donald Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

In a letter to the chairmen of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees, Pence counsel Matthew Morgan called the request part of a “self-proclaimed impeachment inquiry,” noting that the House of Representatives has not yet taken a vote to open the inquiry and asserting that the request was part of a process that “calls into question your commitment to fundamental fairness and due process rights.”

Those chairmen sent Pence a request on Oct. 4 asking for documents and communicationspertaining to the phone call and the withholding of military and security aid to Ukraine.

Guys, the Vice President of the United States refused to comply with a subpoena from Congress. Does he get an article now too?

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Mike Flynn got caught trying to do the exact same thing in season 1. Are we cycling through old plot-lines already?

Giuliani pressed Trump to eject Muslim cleric from U.S., a top priority of Turkish president, former officials say

Rudolph W. Giuliani privately urged President Trump in 2017 to extradite a Turkish cleric living in exile in the United States, a top priority of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to multiple former administration officials familiar with the discussions.

Giuliani, a Trump ally who later became the president’s personal attorney, repeatedly argued to Trump that the U.S. government should eject Fethullah Gulen from the country, according to the former officials, who spoke on the condition on anonymity to describe private conversations.

Turkey has demanded that the United States turn over Gulen, a permanent U.S. resident who lives in Pennsylvania, to stand trial on charges of plotting a 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan. Gulen has denied involvement in the plot.

Giuliani is now under scrutiny for his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political rivals. His earlier attempts to persuade the president to turn over the Turkish cleric represent another instance in which he appears to have been pushing a shadow foreign policy from his perch outside government.

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Mulvaney emerges as a key facilitator of the campaign to pressure Ukraine

In late May, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney organized a meeting that stripped control of the country’s relationship with Ukraine from those who had the most expertise at the National Security Council and the State Department.

Instead, Mulvaney put an unlikely trio in charge of managing the U.S.-Ukraine account amid worrisome signs of a new priority, congressional officials said Tuesday: pressuring the fledgling government in Kiev to deliver material that would be politically valuable to President Trump.

The work of those “three amigos,” as they came to call themselves — diplomats Gordon Sondland and Kurt Volker, plus Energy Secretary Rick Perry — has come to light in recent days through newly disclosed text messages and the testimony of government witnesses appearing before an impeachment inquiry in Congress.

But Mulvaney’s connections to the administration’s troubled interactions with Ukraine are also beginning to surface. Mulvaney’s role in enlisting Sondland and the others to take over relations with Ukraine was revealed Tuesday in testimony by George Kent, the State Department’s Ukraine expert, according to Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), who participated in the closed-door hearing before the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees.

Mulvaney declined requests for comment. Some of his defenders have said he knew very little about the details of the trio’s efforts in Ukraine and was mainly orchestrating meetings for the president.

“I don’t remember any substantive conversation with Mick. I don’t remember him approving, disapproving, getting involved, having an interest,” said Rudolph W. Giuliani, who, as Trump’s personal lawyer, also served as the president’s emissary to Ukraine. “Mulvaney was not a big player in this. I dealt with Volker and Sondland.”

But current and former officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, said Mulvaney contributed substantially to the unfolding political crisis, both through his connection to key events related to the attempt to pressure Kiev and through his general approach to the chief of staff job, which was driven by a perceived reluctance to displease the president.

U.S. officials said Mulvaney met frequently with Sondland and that details of their discussions were kept from then-National Security Adviser John Bolton and other officials who were raising internal concerns about the hidden Ukraine agenda.

Mulvaney also tolerated meetings between Trump and Giuliani at a time when Giuliani was brazenly declaring in interviews his intent to enlist Kiev in efforts to substantiate conspiracy theories about the 2016 election and revive seemingly dormant probes that could prove damaging to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Perhaps most significantly, Mulvaney — at the direction of the president — placed a hold on nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine in the weeks before Trump used a July 25 phone call to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pursue Giuliani’s agenda. The impeachment probe was triggered in August by a whistleblower complaint submitted by a CIA employee to the U.S. intelligence community’s inspector general; the complaint focused in part on the July 25 call.

When some in the White House questioned the legality of blocking funds to Ukraine — funds approved by Congress to help fend off Russian attacks on its sovereignty — U.S. officials said Mulvaney told staff that he had determined that the money could be turned on and off with no legal consequence.

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And one more for the Kent story,

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Never-Before-Seen Trump Tax Documents Show Major Inconsistencies

The president’s businesses made themselves appear more profitable to lenders and less profitable to tax officials. One expert calls the differing numbers “versions of fraud.”

“It really feels like there’s two sets of books — it feels like a set of books for the tax guy and a set for the lender.”

And speaking of interesting implications…

Cuomo signs law aimed at weakening Trump’s pardon power, closes ‘double jeopardy’ loophole

Lawmakers said the measure was necessary to ensure state investigations don’t get derailed by the president.

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FBI Arrests Third Man at JFK Airport in Probe of Rudy Giuliani Associates

A Florida man wanted in a campaign finance case involving associates of Rudy Giuliani is in federal custody.

Spokespersons for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan and the FBI confirm that David Correia was arrested Wednesday morning after getting off a flight at JFK Airport.

Correia is named in an indictment with two Giuliani associates on charges they made illegal contributions to a congressman and a political action committee supporting President Donald Trump. The two associates were arrested last week.

Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, says he had no knowledge of illegal donations.

Prosecutors say Correia conspired with other defendants to make political donations with the aim of trying to get support for a new recreational marijuana business.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Correia would appear in Manhattan federal court Wednesday or Thursday, when his co-defendants are due for a hearing.

A lawyer for Correia is not yet listed in court records.

There’s a third man? :smirk:

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It’s a bit murky, but the fourth man could refer to Pete Sessions!

Giuliani’s business dealings with the men are part of the federal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. A grand jury subpoena has been issued to former congressman Pete Sessions, a Texas Republican, who interacted with Giuliani, Parnas and Fruman.

Giuliani and Sessions have denied wrongdoing. Parnas and Fruman have not formally entered pleas yet to the charges.

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The Trump Impeachment Inquiry: Latest Updates

Two top diplomatic hands — the former top aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the former envoy to Ukraine — are on Capitol Hill as the House’s impeachment inquiry gathers steam.

RIGHT NOW

Kurt Volker, the State Department’s former envoy to Ukraine, has returned to the Capitol to review the transcript of his closed-door testimony earlier this month.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday that the House will not formally vote to begin an impeachment inquiry, but that has not slowed progress on House efforts to gather evidence that could lead to President Trump’s impeachment. Two former diplomatic hands will be meeting with House lawmakers on Wednesday, and others plan to show up this week in defiance of the White House’s blanket rejection of any compromise with House Democrats.

Here’s what you need to know:

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Summary of Impeachment Inquiry into Trump 2019

October 3rd-15th

Calendars:

General Congressional News:

News:

Documents:

Oversight And Reform Committee Investigations into Trump 2019:

News:

Documents:

Intelligence Committee Investigations into Trump 2019:

News:

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Forgeign Affairs Committee Investigations into Trump 2019:

News:

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Other House and Senate Committees:

News:

Documents:

:newspaper: Timeline has been updated. Breaking news starts below. :point_down:

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BIg Thx for all your HARD work and dedication @Pet_Proletariat

You are a whiz…:trophy:

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This rebuke from Congress feels like it would be considered an impeachable offense. It reflects that a majority of the House does not support T.

So am placing it here.

House overwhelmingly condemns Trump’s Syria decision

The House voted 354-60 on Wednesday on a resolution condemning President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for Turkey to lead a military offensive against Kurdish forces who allied with the U.S. in the fight against ISIS.

Why it matters: It’s a significant bipartisan rebuke of Trump’s decision, which he defended at a press conference earlier Wednesday where he said the Kurds are “not angels.” The resolution calls on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to cease his military operation and urges the White House to “present a clear and specific plan for the enduring defeat of ISIS,” which could see a resurgence as the U.S. plans a total withdrawal from Syria.

The big picture: AP notes that the House debate on the resolution was “extraordinary for the intensity of lawmakers’ opinions.” In the Senate, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) plan to introduce a bill as early as Thursday that would introduce crippling sanctions against Turkey for its military operation.

  • Trump has already authorized sanctionsagainst some Turkish officials, but he made clear on Wednesday that he does not regret the decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria.
  • “Our soldiers are not in harm’s way, as they shouldn’t be, as two countries fight over land that has nothing to do with us,” Trump said at a press conference with Italian President Sergio Mattarella. “And the Kurds are much safer now. The Kurds know how to fight, and as I said, they’re not angels.”
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Statement from Pelosi

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Going back to the story about the 4th Giuliani associate being arrested, it turns out to be Andrey Kukushkin, who somehow we all missed.

And suddenly John Bolton’s “drug deal” comment gets interesting… cause this guy’s a marijuana kingpin!

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Cross-posting :pray:

Day 1000, yikes but go @matt !

Day 1000

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U.S. House Intelligence chairman says impeachment transcripts to be public

U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on Wednesday the committee will make public transcripts of interviews conducted with witnesses in the impeachment probe of President Donald Trump.

In a letter to House colleagues, the Democratic chairman said the transcripts would be made public, subject to redactions, at some points in the future. Some Republicans have been complaining they have been unable to see transcripts.

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The Trump Impeachment Inquiry: What Happened Today

Another official spoke with investigators, and Congress settled in before a big day of testimony.

  • Michael McKinley told investigators he resigned last week as a top aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo out of frustration with an increasingly politicized State Department — particularly the way the Trump administration wrestled Ukraine policy away from career diplomats. He warned that efforts to pressure Ukraine “to procure negative information on political opponents” would “have a serious impact on foreign service morale and the integrity of our work overseas.”
  • Senator Mitch McConnell , the majority leader, outlined the next few months of impeachment at the Senate Republicans’ weekly lunch. He said House Democrats wanted to move expeditiously, possibly approving articles of impeachment by Thanksgiving. Chief Justice John Roberts would then preside over the Senate trial, which Mr. McConnell hoped would be completed by Christmas.
  • At a private meeting in the Capitol on Tuesday night, Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked her caucus whether the House should take a formal vote to authorize the impeachment investigation. The idea was quickly shot down, according to a Democratic aide in the room. Representative Anthony Brindisi of New York said a vote was not required by the Constitution and warned it would play into Republicans’ hands. “You said it perfectly,” Ms. Pelosi told him.
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Perry pins in on Giuliani who is directed by T…and so on…everyone looking for their ‘out.’ Guliani is being investigated up to his eyeballs…so yeah, pin it on him.

WASHINGTON—Energy Secretary Rick Perry said he sought out Rudy Giuliani this spring at President Trump’s direction to address Mr. Trump’s concerns about alleged Ukrainian corruption, a sign of how closely the president’s personal lawyer worked with the administration on Ukraine policy.

Mr. Perry, in an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal, said he contacted Mr. Giuliani in an effort to ease a path to a meeting between Mr. Trump and his new Ukrainian counterpart. He said Mr. Giuliani described to him during their phone call several concerns about Ukraine’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. election, concerns that haven’t been substantiated.

Mr. Perry also said he never heard the president, any of his appointees, Mr. Giuliani or the Ukrainian regime discuss the possibility of specifically investigating former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democratic presidential contender, and his son Hunter Biden. Mr. Trump’s request for a probe of the Bidens in a July 25 call with Ukraine’s president has sparked the impeachme

Mr. Giuliani, in an interview, confirmed the spring phone call and said he was telling Mr. Perry to be careful with regards to the new Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. “Everything I said there I probably said on television 50 times,” he said.

Mr. Giuliani has repeatedly accused Ukraine of interfering in the election on Democrat Hillary Clinton’s behalf, allegations that Democratic lawmakers and others say are a way to undermine U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election on Mr. Trump’s behalf—a finding about which the president has repeatedly expressed skepticism.

Mr. Perry’s phone call to Mr. Giuliani came after a May meeting at the White House following the inauguration of the Ukrainian president. U.S. officials at that meeting, including Mr. Perry and Kurt Volker, the U.S. envoy for Ukraine negotiations, urged Mr. Trump to meet his new counterpart. Mr. Trump told officials there that they needed to work with Mr. Giuliani to resolve his concerns before he would agree to such a meeting, according to people familiar with the matter.

Mr. Trump said he wasn’t comfortable that the Ukrainians had “straightened up their act,” a concern that Mr. Perry later understood to be related to Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign, Mr. Perry said, quoting Mr. Trump. “Visit with Rudy,” Mr. Perry said the president told him.

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