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The Impeachment of President Donald J. Trump

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#763

Trump can’t claim ignorance of the law since the FEC chair already reprimanded him back in June on this very issue. Now, minutes after Trump publicly solicited help from two different foreign governments (China and Ukraine) in generating dirt on a political rival, the FEC chair reprimanded him again and she did so using the same letter she had sent in June.

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#764

Cross-posting :pray:

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#765

Two reporters from two different sides of the aisle tell the fundamental truth about the T Impeachment story as they see it. The funny thing is they totally agree…T is grossly misusing his power and dismantling our democratic ideals and laws

Shep Smith Fox

Chuck Todd - NBC

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#766

Buzzfeed got ahold of Volker’s prepared remarks.

Former Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker testified before members of Congress on Thursday. While the meeting was private and a full transcript has not been released, his prepared remarks were obtained by BuzzFeed News.

House Democrats on Thursday night also released text messages that Volker gave to Congress during his testimony that revealed him and other US and Ukrainian officials discussing the quid pro quo at the heart of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

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#767

Mr. Volker spent Thursday on Capitol Hill being questioned by House investigators as Democrats pursued their impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump’s actions.

Late Thursday, House Democrats released a series of texts between Mr. Volker, Mr. Sondland and Andriy Yermak, a top aide to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, that also showed that officials in both countries understood that Mr. Trump would not grant Mr. Zelensky an Oval Office meeting he was seeking until Ukraine agreed to make a public commitment to the investigations being sought by the American side.

The texts also showed the three men discussing language for the proposed statement. On the morning of Aug. 13, Mr. Volker sent Mr. Sondland language they wanted added to an earlier draft sent by the Ukrainians.

“We intend to initiate and complete a transparent and unbiased investigation of all available facts and episodes, including those involving Burisma and the 2016 U.S. elections, which in turn will prevent the recurrence of this problem in the future,” Mr. Volker said in what appears to be the language he was proposing.

Mr. Sondland quickly replied, “Perfect,” adding that they should send it along to an adviser to the Ukrainian president.

Four days later, Mr. Sondland texted Mr. Volker, asking if they still wanted the Ukrainian president “to give us an unequivocal draft” specifically citing the two issues that Mr. Trump has been focused on: Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company that had put Mr. Biden’s younger son, Hunter Biden, on its board, and Mr. Trump’s belief that Ukraine had interfered in the 2016 American elections to benefit Hillary Clinton.

Mr. Volker replied: “That’s the clear message so far …”

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#768

Desperation, delusion, deceit. Next he’ll say Martians are behind his impeachment.
:flying_saucer:

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#769

Three deeply problematic aspects of newly released text messages centered on the Ukraine scandal

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#770

Trump suggests Big Pharma behind impeachment

https://news.yahoo.com/trump-suggests-big-pharma-behind-195543514.html

With video

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#771

The White House is planning to spurn Democrats’ request for documents sought as part of their impeachment inquiry as administration aides scramble to calibrate a legal response strategy.

White House lawyers plan to argue that until there is a formal vote by the House to begin impeachment proceedings, Congress doesn’t have the right to the information, people familiar with the discussions said.

“Well, we’ll be issuing a letter," President Donald Trump told reporters as he departed the White House on Friday. Asked whether he was going to cooperate with any House subpoenas, Trump was noncommittal.

"I don’t know, that’s up to the lawyers," he said. "I know the lawyers think they’ve never seen anything so unfair, never seen anything so unjust."

Trump had said Thursday he would leave the decision up to the lawyers on whether to cooperate with the congressional investigation into whether he used the power of his office to pressure Ukraine to investigate 2020 rival Joe Biden.

House Democrats have said they would subpoena White House officials by Friday if their demands were not met. Democrats said the panels would not consider contempt or any other penalties for noncompliance, and that White House failure to produce the documents would instead be used as evidence of obstruction for impeachment.

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#772

WSJ has it now too.

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#773

:fire:

46% support impeaching and removing Trump from office!!!

The poll numbers are in on impeachment, and it’s not good news for President Donald Trump. A clear plurality of Americans approve of the House’s impeachment inquiry into Trump, and they are split on whether they want to impeach and remove him from office.

Americans are more eager to impeach Trump now than they were at similar points in the impeachment sagas of Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon.

Impeachment actions usually start off as being unpopular with the American public. After the House voted to start an impeachment inquiry of Clinton in October 1998, a CBS News/New York Times poll found that 45% approved and 53% disapproved.

But with Trump, those numbers are reversed. In an average of polls taken since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal inquiry last week, 51% support an impeachment inquiry. A minority, 44%, are against it.

When it comes to impeaching and removing Trump from office, the difference is even more dramatic. An average of polls taken since early last week shows that 46% support impeaching and removing Trump from office. That’s about equal with the 45% who are against such an action.

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#774

THIS could explain why Kurt Volker so suddenly resigned and seems willing to play ball with congress.

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#775

@Windthin

Full story from WSJ

Trump, in August Call With GOP Senator, Denied Official’s Claim on Ukraine Aid

Trump, in August Call With GOP Senator, Denied Official’s Claim on Ukraine Aid - WSJ

President Trump denied that he had linked military aid to Ukraine with a commitment by Kyiv to investigate the 2016 presidential elections when pressed on the matter by a Republican senator in August, according to the lawmaker.

In an interview, Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) said he learned of a potential quid pro quo from the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, who told him that aid to Ukraine was tied to the desire by Mr. Trump and his allies to have Kyiv undertake investigations related to the 2016 U.S. elections.

Mr. Johnson raised the issue with Mr. Trump in a phone call on Aug. 31, shortly before the senator was due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In the call, Mr. Trump flatly rejected the notion that he directed aides to make military aid to Ukraine contingent on a new investigation by Kyiv, Mr. Johnson said.

Mr. Johnson, who supports aid to Ukraine and is the chairman of a Senate subcommittee with jurisdiction over the region, said Mr. Trump was adamant on the issue. “He said—expletive deleted—‘No way. I would never do that. Who told you that?” the Wisconsin senator recalled. Mr. Johnson told Mr. Trump that he had learned of the arrangement from Mr. Sondland.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr. Sondland, a former hotel executive and major Trump donor who was confirmed to the ambassador job last year, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment through a spokesperson.

Mr. Johnson’s account, coupled with a release of text messages involving Mr. Sondland by three House committees late Thursday, show Trump administration officials believed there was a link between Mr. Trump’s decision in July to order a hold on nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine and his interest in having Ukraine investigate election interference and Democrat Joe Biden. Mr. Trump ordered the hold a week before he spoke to Mr. Zelensky on July 25, a call in which he pressed Mr. Zelensky to investigate Mr. Biden and election interference.

That July call sparked a whistleblower complaint that has in turn led to an impeachment inquiry by House Democrats.

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#776

WSJ writers who wrote this article discuss this incriminating information, with T’s denial. Thanks @Windthin (am posting similar links plus a tweet!)

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#777

Mike Pence just received a document request from Engel, Schiff and Cummings dated 10/04/19

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#778

Cross-posting :pray:

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#779

:boom:

Intelligence Community Inspector General corroborates whistleblower’s complaint

The Republicans’ “hearsay” defense of Trump has evaporated. The Intelligence Community Inspector General just provided solid corroboration of the whistleblower’s complaint. When are the Republicans going to own up that we have a traitor in the White House?

The intelligence community inspector general provided documents to the House Intelligence Committee showing how he attempted to corroborate a whistleblower complaint alleging President Donald Trump solicited foreign interference to dig up dirt on Joe Biden, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Intelligence community inspector general Michael Atkinson briefed the House Intelligence panel behind closed doors today about the whistleblower complaint, two weeks after he appeared before the same committee prior to the complaint being released.

The sources added that Atkinson’s testimony mostly covered the process of corroborating the complaint.
…
Atkinson is widely regarded as a career non-partisan with little interest in the public limelight, but currently finds himself at the center of the high profile controversy over the whistleblower complaint alleging that the President pressured the Ukrainian president in an effort to “solicit interference” in the 2020 presidential election.
…
Rep. Mike Quigley, an Illinois Democrat on the committee, told reporters as he left the briefing that Atkinson “cemented” how “thorough he was” in corroborating the complaint.
…
"Let’s put this in perspective, folks," he said. "What the inspector general said last time was the whistleblower pulled the fire alarm. We have now seen the smoke and the fire."

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#780

House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings subpoenas White House for Ukraine documents

House Democrats warned Wednesday that they would issue the subpoena by the end of the week if administration officials refused to comply with the request for materials.





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#781

Summary of Impeachment Inquiry into Trump 2019

October 2nd-4th

General Congressional News:

News:

Documents:

Judiciary Committee Investigations into Trump 2019:

News:

Oversight And Reform Committee Investigations into Trump 2019:

News:

Documents:

Intelligence Committee Investigations into Trump 2019:

News:

Documents:

Ways And Means Committee Investigations into Trump 2019:

News:

Forgeign Affairs Committee Investigations into Trump 2019:

News:

Documents:

Financial Services Committee Investigations into Trump 2019:

News:

Other House and Senate Committees:

News:

Documents:

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

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#782

So I realized I should probably be publishing the summary I create when I update the timeline. :woman_facepalming:t2:

This was everything from the last three days!

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