Listening to the impeachment testimony last month, I learned a lot about the Russia-Ukraine geopolitical picture and how the United States fits in.
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky was elected this past May. He was a fresh face in Ukraine government, being a non-politician, young, and running on an anti-corruption platform.
The Ukraine administration before Zelensky was corrupt. In 2014, Ukraine rejected moving toward the European Union and began aligning with Russia, but the people protested. Russia has had its sights on clutching Ukraine again, ever since the end of the Soviet Union, and they invaded a few years ago. The hot war wages on now. Ukrainian soldiers are dying daily.
Ukraine is the one thing standing between Russia and Europe, and Russia needs Ukraine to become a powerhouse global force. Russia without Ukraine is a country; Russia with Ukraine is an empire. Ukraine wants desperately to be a part of free Europe. The people are fighting to grow their new democracy and they are eager. They need the support of established, strong democracies, like the United States. Ukraine is now traveling a path toward freedom and democracy. And as such, the new government needed U.S. support to both give it legitimacy to its own people as well as show Russia that it had the backing of the strongest, most powerful nation on the planet. It's in our best national interest, as well as in the interest of the world, that we foster Ukraine's democracy.
The new president Zelensky brought a new commitment to anti-corruption, helped along by United States diplomats like Maria Yovanovitch. You saw her testimony in front of Congress. She was a tough warrior against corruption. So tough that U.S. corrupt forces needed to remove her. Her removal caused a hiccup in Ukraine's path toward democracy.
President Zelensky was vulnerable when the most powerful leader on the planet asked for "a favor." And though he publicly stated that he didn't feel pressure from 45, the very ask from the President* of the United States of America was pressure. The power discrepancy is huge, and Zelensky was put into a situation where he had no choice. He needed the prestige that a White House meeting would give him, and his country desperately needed the $400 in military aid that Congress had promised. They are fighting a war against a very powerful Russia. They need help.
Russia is not only a formidable military adversary, but they are masters of propaganda and manipulation. A large part of the Russia propaganda campaign is to cast Ukraine as an instigator of U.S. election interference. Russia's aim is to throw the United States in to disarray; to create doubts about its own democracy; to pit citizen against citizen. And we are playing right into their hands. Dr. Fiona Hill stated this very plainly to Congress and We the People a few weeks ago.
For the small picture, TЯUMP's actions in Ukraine were illegal and immoral. In the big picture, his actions cost us some national security and may be the start of something much more nefarious, especially when you add in all the other strings Russia is pulling with regard to our elections and our president*. When Republican members of Congress are absolutely and unabashedly party to that, it's maddening, frightening, and dangerous.
Babyman, in his short-sighted, selfish ways, had no interest in looking at the big picture when he decided to demand a political favor.
45 doesn't care about corruption. He didn't mention corruption more broadly, just the "corruption" (read: made-up Biden dirt) with regard to Burisma. As Ambassador Sondland testified, 45 wanted the announcement of investigations, not the actual initiation nor completion of investigations. His only mention of "corruption" was in reference to the Bidens. Again, up is down and cold is hot. The sad irony that the president* himself is deeply corrupt. In fact, United States presidential corruption was the only corruptive force in this whole situation.
In the meantime, U.S. Senators like John Kennedy (R-LA), continue to feed the false narrative. Dr. Fiona Hill was explicit when she talked about the Russian propaganda machine working to shift blame to Ukraine. It's working -- right before our very eyes; U.S. lawmakers are falling under Putin's spell!
Kennedy is not the only one in Congress to buy into the false Russia narrative. The highest ranking Repug on the Intelligence Committee Rep Devin Nunes (R-CA) – my most despised U.S. Representative – actually has his fingers in the pie as well. It's obvious now that he is deeply involved in the scheme to dig up dirt on Biden.
Could this Ukraine/Russia fiasco be the birth of another cold war, or even an eventual hot war with Russia for the United States? I think its possible. It's scary to think about. But what's scarier is the alternative: that our leaders don't consider Russia to be an enemy. Sadly, that is exactly what's happening with Putin's Bitch running the Executive Branch. With the addition of Russian moles seeming to be in the Senate and the House of Representatives, it's a very scary scenario indeed.
The Democrats MUST win all three 2020 elections – Presidency, House, and Senate – so that we can perhaps start to right this ship. The Republicans aren't just impeding the solutions; they are a big part of the problem. What message do we want to send to Russia? Every action with regard to Ukraine telegraphs our willingness to be manipulated by Putin. It's important that we don't become accustomed to the corruption and toxicity, that we mobilize to bring back our government and our democracy!
The message must be clear. Let's impeach, and then let's vote. #RESIST
Next up: Digesting the Intelligence Committee Report and the next phase of impeachment proceedings...
Now that the House inquiry has been wrapped up, with a dozen strong witnesses and mountains of evidence, what do we have in front of us?
We have a very clear picture that the president* of the United States tried to coerce the newly-elected president of Ukraine to announce investigations into a domestic political rival by conditioning a badly-needed White House meeting, as well as $400 million in Congressionally-approved military aid, on the announcement. It's pretty black and white, and there is a lot of evidence to support this, not the least of which is a call memorandum between Trump and Ukraine president Zelensky where 45 clearly asks for the investigation, as well as the televised confession of his chief of staff that there was a hold-up of aid. A dozen witnesses testified that he did it. The witnesses who claim that he didn't are refusing to testify.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) summarized the impeachment inquiry perfectly:
Eric Swalwell
What's next?
Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and the Intelligence Committee, who headed the public testimony, will compile a report of their findings and send it to the Judiciary Committee for review. The Judiciary Committee will decide whether or not to draft articles of impeachment. If they do, the entire House of Representatives will vote on each article.
They'll send the approved articles to the Senate, where they will hold a trial. Members of the House of Representatives, called managers, will act as sort-of prosecutors. The Senate acts as jury. Chief Justice Roberts oversees the proceedings.
There is no plan for more witnesses to testify, though that could change. The presumed timeline is that the House will vote on articles of impeachment before Christmas, and the trial in the Senate would start in January.
For now, Congress is on Thanksgiving break.
There is still a chance that other witnesses could testify. There has been tantalizing hints by John Bolton wanting to testify but not wanting to come voluntarily. He wants a court to decide if he can be compelled to testify if subpoenaed. A court ruling could take a very long time.
We need to hear from first-hand witnesses: John Bolton, Rudy Giuliani, Mick Mulvaney, Mike Pompeo, Rick Perry, and Mike Pence. Throw in Lev and Igor, Giuliani's Ukrainian henchman "associates," who have been indicted on campaign finance violations.. They know a lot. In fact, Parnas has tapes!
Roberts, I hope, will be a friend in the endeavor to seek the truth. In fact, I came upon this. It may be an intentional strategy of the Democrats for them to forego waiting for the courts to decide on the compelling of witnesses who have been instructed by 45 not to testify, like Mulvaney and Pompeo, in favor of having Justice Roberts decide during the trial. Yanno, Justice Roberts has felt pressure to restore esteem to the Supreme Court since the Kavanaugh days. He really can't afford to appear anything but absolutely impartial in the impeachment trial.
Instead of preparing a defense, Trump is bribing members of the Senate, and has been for some time.
Back on Halloween day, it was reported that he was filling the coffers of Senators who have tough re-election campaigns coming up next year. This week, it was reported that he was wining and dining Republican lawmakers at Camp David as well as luncheons at the Whitewash House. They are loving it. I am not.
In the meantime, he auditioned – and was cast – for the role of Defendant in the Trial of the Century. Trevor Noah of The Daily Show has the audition tape:
"Well, old man, I will tell you news of your son: give me your blessing: truth will come to light; murder cannot be hid long; a man's son may, but at the length truth will out." -- Launcelot Gobbo, The Merchant of Venice, Act II, Scene 2, William Shakespeare
Word of the week: Truth. Some in bomb form.
Tuesday morning. The Best of America
I wrote a brief fangirl piece earlier on Lt. Col Vindman. A truly American story, he is the best – the absolute best – that America possesses.
Also testified Tuesday: Jennifer Williams, top Russia advisor to President Pence, also did a professional job in testifying. She said enough to make Mr. Pence blanch a little bit more – if it's even possible to blanch that white, white clay face. Williams had listened in to the July 25 phone call, and thought that the call was "unusual and inappropriate." She noted, as Vindman did, that missing from the call memorandum (which many call "transcript") was the word "Burisma," which was substituted by "the company."
After her private testimony transcript had been released, 45 took to Twitter to disparage her. He has personally shame-tweeted only the women who testified. So typical of this pond scum.
Tuesday afternoon. GOP witnesses
In the afternoon on Tuesday, Tim Morrison and Kurt Volker testified. The Republicans had requested their appearance, and they were considered by many to be the witnesses most likely to be friendly to the GOP point of view. But they told the truth, and the truth is not always friendly to the GOP point of view.
Morrison was the third person to testify that he was listening in on the call. The call concerned him, but for political reasons. He was afraid for the political fallout, which has indeed came to pass. Morrison was one witness who downplayed the inappropriateness of the call. All the other witnesses stated clearly that they were there as fact witnesses, not to decide the impeachability of the offenses. But the fact that he testified to was that Sondland brought up "investigations" during an official meeting with Ukranian officials in the White House. He said that he and others present felt that this was inappropriate.
Volker defended his role in the "three amigos," though he "cringes at" the term. He said his role was in a "regular channel," not an "irregular channel." Volker defended the honor of Ambassador Yovanovitch and also defended Joe Biden, saying, "I think the allegations against Vice President Biden are self-serving and not credible." He testified that it was wrong to hold up the aid, and that he worked hard to get 45 to understand the importance of the aid to Ukraine, and by extension, to U.S. national security.
They both defended Ukraine and acknowledged Ukraine's status as an important ally as well as its vulnerability.
You can watch 5 minutes of highlights here:
Wednesday. Threading the needle
Ambassador Gordon Sondland, I believe, got in over his head quickly in Ukraine. His testimony in front of We the People was pretty admirable for the position he got himself into, but it's a little problematic too. It's not surprising. He had to thread the needle between telling the truth and saving his neck. He was the most Trumpian of the witnesses, having donated $1 million dollars to the Trump inauguration fund and being hand-picked for his job as Ambassador to the European Union. He's a hotelier, and his business acumen undoubtedly appealed to 45, but his lack of experience undoubtedly colored his judgement and got him way out of his league in Ukraine.
Sondland, as you recall, was one of the "three amigos" directed by Rudy Giuliani to perform the president's* mission of getting the Ukrainians to dig up dirt on the Bidens and to further the 2016 election conspiracy theory.
During his testimony, Sondland was rather casual, smiling and joking throughout, in contrast to the other witnesses. Now, that alone was not a bad thing, but makes you go "hmmmm." He seemed credible and genuine overall, and clarified the picture on the whole Ukraine situation.
He provided a couple truth bombs. He stated unequivocally that there was a quid pro quo. And he implicated senior officials all the way to the Square Office (remember, up is down and lies are truth, so it's no longer the Oval Office...).
Sondland outright said that there absolutely was an explicit quid pro quo: a White House meeting between Ukraine president Zelensky and Trump in exchange for Zelensky's announcements of investigations into the Bidens. And, Sondland testified, he communicated this directly to Zelensky! Sondland was careful to state that he didn't have direct knowledge that the aid had been withheld as part of the scheme, but he stated that he came to that conclusion. "Two plus two equals four" has become a defining equation in the impeachment of the 45th president* of the United States.
Sondland also admitted that Trump later said "No quid pro quo" in a much later phone call, which you recall he had texted to Bill Taylor. Sondland said that he didn't know if Trump was being truthful, only that he said it. Trump pounced on this last part. In a chopper-side press briefing later that day, Trump referred to his sharpie-scribbled notes and re-enacted the testimony as if that absolved him. (BTW, same day font delivery! Sister Resister Anne pointed me to this free baby-hands sharpie font called Tiny Hands that was designed the day a photographer captured 45's handwritten notes about Sondland's testimony.)
The only trouble is, this later "no quid pro quo" statement happened on the day that Trump was caught. Congress had caught wind of the aid hold-up, the whistleblower had filed his complaint, and the shit was about to hit the fan. Of course Trump would proclaim "no quid pro quo" on September 9.
Another bombshell revealed by Sondland was that he possessed, and he shared with the American public, emails about the scheme. The emails cc'd everyone in Trump's circle: Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and Vice President Mike Pence. Sondland clearly stated, "Everyone was in the loop."
The problems with Sondland's testimony: He had to amend his testimony multiple times since his first closed-door deposition. He explained it as not having vivid memories, compounded by not having the emails and documents from the State Department that would help him refresh his memory. He did not dispute other people's memory, and his memory lapses seemed honest, rather than a hedge against telling the truth.
His contention that he had no idea that "Burisma" was code for "Bidens" was not credible, though, as other witnesses, including Dr. Fiona Hill, pointed out. He was a shady character. He didn't do good things, and though he characterized his role in Ukraine as a proper one in light of his European Union portfolio, I didn't buy it, and neither did other witnesses who characterized his and his other amigos' actions in the "irregular channel." In any case, I'm thankful he came forward with the truth, as he was in direct contact with 45, and was the one Trumpeter who came forward to do the right thing. Yes, he had to thread the needle, but I think he did a pretty skillful job of it.
Here's a snapshot of his appearance:
Wednesday afternoon, Laura Cooper, from the Pentagon, and David Hale, from the State Department, testified. I admittedly only paid half-attention. Full brain and work duties!
Cooper testified that the Ukrainians were asking about the held-up aid on July 25, earlier than previously thought. It became obvious that they knew that it was being held up by the time 45 spoke with Zelensky, contradicting the GOP line of defense that it couldn't have been a quid pro quo if the Ukrainians didn't even know about it. Know about it they did, certainly by the time of the fateful July 25 telephone call.
The GOP had requested that Hale testify, as they viewed him as a possibly favorable witness. He wasn't. He affirmed that holding up aid to the vulnerable Ukraine was wrong, and he defended Ambassador Yovanovitch and condemned the smear campaign waged against her.
Thursday. Hill and Holmes: Professional Shredders. Specializing in shredding GOP Conspiracy Theories and Repug Bully Tactics.
They are also Warrior Diplomats.
Dr. Fiona Hill and David Holmes gave a one-two punch to conclude the public testimony. I was riveted, as they both made the Ukraine story clearer and clearer.
Oh, how I love Dr. Hill. Another strong woman, coming to Capitol Hill to kick ass and take names.
She's another American patriot, another American story. An immigrant to the United States from Great Britain, Dr. Hill came to study at Harvard in the 90s and became an U.S. citizen in 2002. She was raised in poverty in NW England, the daughter of a coal miner and a midwife. She has worked as a Russian expert at the JFK School of Government, the National Intelligence Council, and Brookings Institution, finally being appointed in 2017 to her White House position as senior director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council.
And she showed up to the hearing like. A. Boss.
A true American hero. We are lucky to have her. Smart, capable, and taking no shit. Not one pellet.
Besides confirming the facts that many other witnesses had attested to, that there was a quid pro quo scheme and it was obvious that the White House meeting and the aid were contingent upon Zelensky's announcement of investigations, she also illuminated the problematic "irregular channel" of diplomacy, led by 45's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and implemented by Gordon Sondland.
But more than that: she gave a concise, clear explanation of the whole geopolitical picture in that part of the world. Fiona Hill is a Harvard educated scholar. She is an expert on Russia and particularly Vladimir Putin. She wrote a 500-page book about Putin. She's intelligent and knowledgeable, and she was able to give great illustration about the situation between Ukraine, Russia, and by extension the United States.
And she pushed back hard against Republicans who refuse to acknowledge the truth about Russia. In her opening statement she said,
Some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country—and that perhaps, somehow, for some reason, Ukraine did. This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves.
The unfortunate truth is that Russia was the foreign power that systematically attacked our democratic institutions in 2016. This is the public conclusion of our intelligence agencies, confirmed in bipartisan Congressional reports. It is beyond dispute, even if some of the underlying details must remain classified.
The impact of the successful 2016 Russian campaign remains evident today. Our nation is being torn apart. Truth is questioned. Our highly professional and expert career foreign service is being undermined.
U.S. support for Ukraine—which continues to face armed Russian aggression—has been politicized.
The Russian government’s goal is to weaken our country—to diminish America’s global role and to neutralize a perceived U.S. threat to Russian interests. President Putin and the Russian security services aim to counter U.S. foreign policy objectives in Europe, including in Ukraine, where Moscow wishes to reassert political and economic dominance.
I say this not as an alarmist, but as a realist. I do not think long-term conflict with Russia is either desirable or inevitable. I continue to believe that we need to seek ways of stabilizing our relationship with Moscow even as we counter their efforts to harm us. Right now, Russia’s security services and their proxies have geared up to repeat their interference in the 2020 election. We are running out of time to stop them. In the course of this investigation, I would ask that you please not promote politically driven falsehoods that so clearly advance Russian interests.
As Republicans and Democrats have agreed for decades, Ukraine is a valued partner of the United States, and it plays an important role in our national security. And as I told this Committee last month, I refuse to be part of an effort to legitimize an alternate narrative that the Ukrainian government is a U.S. adversary, and that Ukraine—not Russia—attacked us in 2016.
During questioning, she stood her ground against loud, obnoxious "questioners" and she pointedly made the record show that two GOP members left the room after their filibustering 5-minute diatribes, prompting her to again make the case that these are vitally important matters.
Here's more from her remarkable testimony. She's worth the time to view.
Dr. Hill's steely testimony will reverberate in our nation's history. We are indebted to this Truth Warrior.
David Holmes described the portion of the July 26 phone call that he overheard and gave a lengthy opening statement. His statement didn't stick with just the material part, the phone call he witnessed, but he continued to educate Americans about the vulnerability of a nascent democracy in Ukraine. Ukrainians depend on the support of the U.S. – the most powerful nation in the world – not only for increasing its cachet in Europe, but in fighting the real-life hot war against Russia.
Mr. Holmes stated he and another of Ambassador Taylor's staff overheard the initial part of the call between Gordon Sondland and the president* of the United States on July 26. Holmes's memory of the conversation on a Kyiv restaurant terrace was vivid, and Sondland didn't dispute it.
Grasping at defense, SCROTUS tweeted this:
I have been watching people making phone calls my entire life. My hearing is, and has been, great. Never have I been watching a person making a call, which was not on speakerphone, and been able to hear or understand a conversation. I’ve even tried, but to no avail. Try it live!
Seriously. This is the president* defending himself in an impeachment inquiry. WTF?
David Holmes had a very testy back-and-forth with Rep. Jim Jordan, who was trying to filibuster the time with loud, bellicose hypotheticals, but Mr. Holmes would have none of it, and Chairman Schiff shut Jordan down. Watch.
Watching Jordan makes me want to go take a shower.
Here's a little more from their day of testimony:
The dirty underbelly of revealing the truth: Backlash Unfortunately, the other side of the coin, the witnesses' brave appearance and truth-telling gave rise to America's worst. Smear campaigns and threats abound.
Lt. Col. Vindman and his family were relocated to an Army base for their protection.
Trump has also publicly disparaged Ambassador Yovonovitch (potentially setting himself up for an article of impeachment for witness tampering) and Jennifer Williams on Twitter.
I wish there was some way to directly support all the witnesses who put themselves in peril for their testimony. As it stands, they are pretty much on their own, to find ways to take shelter from the storm with friends and family.
The worst of America: Jordan and Nunes
These two men are despicable.
Jim Jordan was not a member of the House Intelligence Committee until a week before the televised hearings began, added to the roster for the express purpose of using him as a bully and a bulldog. He is an odious human being. His voice, demeanor and body language all scream "tormentor!" He is sarcastic, demeaning, and mocking. He relished his performance for his pimp, DJT.
If you look up irony in the dictionary, there will be a picture of Devin Moo-nes. He droned on and on, characterizing the impeachment inquiry as a "drama." He demeaned witnesses by calling them characters from Democrat central casting in "secret auditions." But in truth, he is clearly play-acting himself for an audience of one, that of Donald Drumpf.
Nunes recited the same litany of conspiracy theories at every opening and closing statement. Whistleblower; "storytime;" "landslide electoral college;" 2016 victory; but Obama!; but Hillary!; whistleblower; Steele dossier; secret basement dungeon hearings; whistleblower; Hunter Biden; Ukraine meddling; whistleblower, and more than once: nude photos of Donald Trump. Ewww to be in his mind! By the end, Nunes seemed as tired of his recitations as we were hearing it. All of this to appease the Mango Mussolini. Glad you sold your soul to the Devil, Mr. Poo-nes. Heaven don't want your kind.
The irony was rich when, addressing Mr. Sondland, presumably a friendly witness, Nunes warned him, "You are here today to be smeared." Huh. Wonder why he decided to give away the GOP playbook.
And then, during Sondland's opening statement, Nunes gave a list of proven true charges. "Trump had a diabolical plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. (True) Trump changed the Republican National Committee platform to hurt Ukraine and benefit Russia. (True) Trump's son-in-law lied about his Russian contacts while obtaining his security clearance. (True)" They are all demonstrably true! Sir, simply reciting them in a sarcastic tone doesn't make them untrue. Idiot.
I'm ashamed Nunes is from California. I am ashamed that any American feels that he is an honorable man. Forget irony. He's the very definition of sycophant.
(Late-breaking news: Nunes himself may be implicated in a Ukraine scandal of his own. Seems like one of Giuliani's henchmen is willing to tell Congress that Nunes himself met Ukrainian officials about dirt on the Bidens.)
Other observations:
Who else will find it a challenge to now order "Chicken Keev" instead of "Chicken Key-ev"?
Of the dozen witnesses, four were women, four were immigrants or children of immigrants, and two served in the military. All were intelligent, credible, truthful citizens. Again, truly, the best of America.
Rudy Giuliani rose from the road flattened, with bus tire marks deeply embedded. Just about every witness excoriated Giuliani for his role. Those tire marks rightly belong to his client, 45 himself. Remember, Giuliani is Trump's personal attorney. He was acting at the direction of the president* of the United States!
One more time about the whistleblower: the whistleblower's testimony is not needed at this time. The whistleblower complaint has been corroborated by many witnesses. His or her anonymity is legally protected. The only reason to out the whistleblower is to retaliate against the individual. Law enforcement agencies from coast to coast have anonymous crime tip lines. Perhaps we should have a line devoted to White House activities. 1-800-45-CRIMES
Pulling back the lens.
The last two weeks of testimony was a short-course in Ukraine-Russia relations and U.S. national security interests. I'll explore that in a post coming soon. But a couple quick takeaways. Ukraine is an important ally. They are vital to the United States' and the world's national security. But more than that, we are their ally. They are an adversary of the world's adversary, Russia. It is important that we support them. Our hulking power in the world gives our support great weight. 45 either doesn't understand this gravity, or doesn't care. But his little dalliance to get a personal political favor from this nascent democracy hurt them, hurt us, and has the potential to hurt the world. Our position in the world is still esteemed and important, in huge part due to the people who make up our country, including the 12 brave witnesses brought that to light this week. And that is the biggest truth of all.
....And finally, Randy Rainbow elegantly gets to the meat of the matter.
Just a quickie about today's testimony. I was able to really only watch the morning testimony with Jennifer Williams and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. I listened in a little bit to Morrison's and Volker's testimony in the afternoon.
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman: American hero.
His opening statement gave me chills, and I was crying by the end. Here is his opening statement. Transcript here.
He was nervous but resolute, and what he said at the end brought all kinds of patriotic feelz up to spill over. I'm heartened and encouraged by the patriots who are stepping up and telling the truth, even at personal peril.
It was shameful for the GOP to try to call his loyalties into question. Here is an impeccable American, purple heart recipient, who bravely appears before the nation to tell the truth. Stephen Castor, keep your slimy smear attempts to yourself.
This man is the quintessential American story. He and his family came as immigrants from the Soviet Union, he rose through the military ranks, and then rose through the ranks of the foreign service, finally joining the National Security Council and is a senior advisor. He deeply loves the United States and takes seriously his oath to support and defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Mr. Castor, and the rest of you GOP maligners, when you have gone to battle, led troops, taken shrapnel from an IED, and rose through the ranks of the National Security Council with honor, then come back and talk.
Lt. Col. Vindman described the July 25 phone call and his concerns about the "demands" that 45 made upon Ukraine president Zelensky. He and Ms. Williams painted a crystal clear picture of the extortion attempt and the potential repercussions that withholding aid had to our national security. The facts are plain: it's really an open-and-shut case.
The stronger the witness, the more shameful the attack from the Repugs. But fierce American warrior that he is, Vindman was able to hold strong.
His words:
I also recognize that my simple act of appearing here today, just like the courage of my colleagues who have also truthfully testified before this Committee, would not be tolerated in many places around the world. In Russia, my act of expressing my concerns to the chain of command in an official and private channel would have severe personal and professional repercussions and offering public testimony involving the President would surely cost me my life. I am grateful for my father’s brave act of hope 40 years ago and for the privilege of being an American citizen and public servant, where I can live free of fear for mine and my family’s safety.
Dad, my sitting here today, in the US Capitol talking to our elected officials is proof that you made the right decision forty years ago to leave the Soviet Union and come here to the United States of America in search of a better life for our family.
Do not worry, I will be fine for telling the truth.
At the end of his testimony, he reminded us all that, "This is America. And here, right matters."
Thank you for your truthfulness and your service to a grateful nation, Lt. Col. Vindman!
Christmas Day came to all resisters this week. Public impeachment hearings! Hip hip hooray!
And the wisest and strongest of Santa's elves? Former Ambassador to the Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, patriot extraordinaire.
You can be sure Little Sister Resister was watching and listening to both days of hearings, as much as she was able, which was actually quite a bit!
On Wednesday, New Mexico-born Ambassador Bill Taylor and bow-tie-rockin' Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent testified together.
I became emotional listening to both of their opening statements. They truly are patriots who served our country for decades. Taylor has been in public service for 50 years, since he started at West Point, and George Kent for 27 years. Both served admirably under presidents of both political parties. They each laid out the facts and were not shy about characterizing the circumstances in moral and ethical terms. Hearing them talk, it is obvious that their loyalty, first and foremost, is to Country. There is no way of knowing what party they belong to, and it doesn't matter. There was absolutely no "us" vs. "them" in their testimony, and this fact alone brings great hope to our Nation. There are patriots out there who put country above all else, and they shall be our salvation.
Chairman Schiff's opening statement was a recitation of the facts as we know them. There wasn't much editorializing, and, like a good prosecutor, laid out the facts as we know them, facts to be illustrated in depth by the witnesses. Presidential Impeachment: Cliff Notes version.
Ranking committee member Rep. Devin Moo-nes was udderly idiotic. A cow farmer from Fresno, California, he's obviously well-versed in bullshit. He was off the rails from the get-go, snidely reciting every Repug conspiracy theory during his opening statement, whining about the 2016 election (will they please let it go?!), and generally throwing handfuls of shit on the wall to see what sticks. He said absolutely nothing in defense of the president* but instead brought up every and all talking point from the last 3 years about how everything Democrats do is bad, bad, bad. There was nothing of substance about the issue at hand. His first sentence was about the Russia investigation, and I thought HUH?! Did he walk into the wrong hearing? And what's this? Nudie pics of SCROTUS? **shudder** It's gonna take a while to scrub that image out of my head. And how utterly insulting to reduce these esteemed gentlemen to performers by saying, "Ambassador Taylor and Mr. Kent—I’d like to welcome you here, and congratulate you for passing the Democrats’ Star Chamber auditions held for the last six weeks in the basement of the Capitol. It seems you agreed, wittingly or unwittingly, to participate in a drama. But the main performance—the Russia hoax—has ended, and you’ve been cast in the low-rent Ukrainian sequel." How to describe this clown? Shit shoveler, I guess.
It's true that they can not impugn the facts nor the witnesses, so the GOP strategy is, once again, to put on a dog-and-pony show.
There wasn't anything really surprising from the nearly six hours of testimony. I thought the Dem counsel who helmed the 45-minute questioning session was quite effective in his inquiry, but the GOP counsel seemed unsure of himself and a bit bumbling. But yanno, I'm biased! The witnesses were somber, credible and compelling.
The loudest defense the GOP had was to characterize Kent and Taylor as having second- and third-hand information. I was struck by the bellicosity of the questioning by the GOP congressmen. They were caustic, sarcastic, and loud. The witnesses remained unfazed.
There was an awesome burn from Democrat Rep. Peter Welch (VT), who, after greasy Jim Jordan (R-OH) lamented that they wouldn't get to question "the guy who started it all," meaning the whistleblower, Rep. Welch retorted, ...well, just watch:
The biggest bit of news was the revelation that a member of Ambassador Taylor's staff, David Holmes, overheard 45 and Ambassador Gordon Sondland speaking on the telephone while at a restaurant the day after the fateful July 25 conversation with President Zelensky. In the phone call, the staff member reportedly overheard 45 asking about "the investigations."
Multiple problems here: how hard would it have been to wait for an official, secure telephone line at the embassy before conducting sensitive phone calls? Secondly. OK, Boomer. Everyone in the restaurant can hear ya talking on your cell phone. Seriously, no need to yell.
So, this individual – and it turns out there are two who overheard the call – was immediately called to testify, which he did in a Friday deposition behind closed doors. From the New York Times Impeachment Briefing:
Mr. Holmes said that on the call, Mr. Trump asked Mr. Sondland: “So, he’s gonna do the investigation?” Mr. Sondland replied, “He’s gonna do it.” After the call ended, Mr. Holmes asked Mr. Sondland if was true that the president did not care about Ukraine. The ambassador replied that Mr. Trump cared only about the “big stuff,” like investigations that Mr. Giuliani was pushing for, because they affected him personally.
As usual, Stephen Colbert brilliantly summarizes Wednesday's testimony:
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On Friday, we were treated to a cool, collected conversation with the unflappable Marie Yovanovitch. The smeared and ousted Ambassador to the Ukraine sat in front of the committee and America and quietly, but strongly, told a crystal-clear story about her battles against corruption, a fight that threatened not only corrupt forces in Ukraine, but corrupt individuals right here in the United States of America, at the highest – the very highest – level of government. She described the groundwork of corruption laid out by the president* and his minions: Rudy Giuliani, henchmen Igor and Lev, and the three amigos working the channel of shadow diplomacy. Their corrupt acts worked to smear her, intimidate her, and summarily remove her from her post so that they may more easily move about with their plan to recruit an unwitting President Zelensky to further SCROTUS's personal political goals.
It was angering to learn the width and depth of Cheeto Benito's smear campaign. It was a campaign that not only besmirched a fine, well-respected and effective diplomat, but a campaign that has potentially harmed United States' national security. She described the intimidation factor and morale-busting chill that has permeated the State Department, causing many career diplomats to question their roles and leave the service. The implications are frightening.
The smear campaign was designed to not only to damage Yovanovitch but to threaten her, and inconceivably, the thuggish intimidation continued in real time during her actual testimony! Just as the second hour of the hearing had begun, 45 had the audacity to tweet, "Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad. She started off in Somalia, how did that go? Then fast forward to Ukraine, where the new Ukrainian President spoke unfavorably about her in my second phone call with him. It is a U.S. President’s absolute right to appoint ambassadors."
Chairman Schiff gave her an opportunity to respond. What effect did his remarks have on her? "It’s very intimidating. I can’t speak to what the president is trying to do, but I think the effect is to be intimidating,” she said.
Leave it to the 45th president* of the United States to write his own articles of impeachment as the very impeachment testimony is happening. Chairman Schiff pointedly stated that “Some of us here take witness intimidation very, very seriously.” Go, Adam!
Even those at Faux News thought SCROTUS's behavior was abominable. A quote from Fox Business Network host Lisa Kennedy: "It makes him look like a big dumb baby."
As this, and as all of the shameful smears were happening earlier this year, Yovanovitch's boss, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, stayed silent. There was no act or even word of support for her.
I was listening to MSNBC in the car when the committee took a break. This was a powerful moment, spoken by an emotional Chuck Rosenberg, former chief of staff of the FBI.
Before Ambassador Yovanovitch testified, Devin Poo-nes in his opening statement included a reading of the *yawn* transcript from 45's first congratulatory call to President Zelensky. I'm not sure what it was meant to illustrate but...ZZZZzzzzz.
The GOP didn't make more of a defense on Friday than they did on Wednesday. It was more of the same from the congress members: conspiracy theories. Yovanovitch remained unflappable, even during the questioning of GOP counsel, Stephen Castor, which actually helped promote the truth telling. It goes to Yovanovitch's strength; there was no impugning the truth no matter who questioned her.
A nation was moved by her testimony. I couldn't have said it better than those at Faux News:
"That was a turning point in this hearing so far. She was already a sympathetic witness and the President’s tweet ripping her allowed Schiff to point it out real-time characterizing it as witness tampering or intimidation — adding an article of impeachment real-time." (Brett Baier)
"If you were not moved by the testimony of Marie Yovanovitch, you don't have a pulse... I think that the really dramatic moment is that this wasn't just testimony about the past, this played out in real time with the President attacking her... that does raise the possibility of witness intimidation and witness tampering as a new charge here." (Chris Wallace)
I'm sad that Yovanovitch was born in Canada and therefore ineligible to run for President herself. Marie Yavonovich is a goddam American hero.
There were more transcripts from closed-door hearings released on Friday, that of of former presidential adviser on Russia and Europe on the White House National Security Council Tim Morrison and Jennifer Williams, Vice President Mike Pence's special adviser on Europe and Russia. Both of these individuals had listened in on the call. You want first-hand witnesses, Republicans? Meet Mr. Morrison and Ms. Williams.
We'll hear from both of them in person next week, along with a few others. Patriot Lt. Col. Vindman will testify on Tuesday morning, along with Jennifer Williams. We'll hear from Kurt Volker and Tim Morrison on Tuesday afternoon.
I'm really looking forward to hearing from Ambassador Gordon Sondland on Wednesday morning. He was a crony of Don the Con, and has the most first-hand evidence of anyone. He's also at risk of incriminating himself, but if he tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, the nation will be better for it.
Wednesday afternoon we'll hear from Pentagon official Laura Cooper and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale. Finally, on Thursday we'll hear from Former NSC senior director for Russian and Eurasian affairs Fiona Hill.
There may be more public hearings yet to come. I'd love to hear first-hand about the overheard phone call in the restaurant!
I offer a few morsels while we wait for tomorrow's main course of public hearings.
A little impeachment amuse-bouche:
The New York Times outlined the real story of Biden's work in Ukraine during the Obama administration. To remind you, there is no evidence – and yes, it's been researched – that Hunter Biden had any wrongdoing while he was working for the Ukrainian energy company. You can make the legitimate argument that it's stinky to ride on papa's coattails to advance your career, but he did nothing illegal and was not part of the corruption that was swirling around in Ukraine. Read the NYT article. Vice President Joe Biden was working hard in Ukraine to bring it along, and to help it resist Russia. Comfort food from days gone by:
Remember the old days of the Russia investigation? You'll delight in the Roger Stone trial. Dig your fork into the seedy underbelly of mob-style dealings. Stone is charged with lying under oath about his WikiLeaks dealings. Get this: the judge actually instructed the jury not to download "The Godfather" after there were multiple references and comparisons to characters in the movie. From NBC News:
Prosecutors said that he threatened Credico to make sure he didn't cooperate with investigators, urging him to "do a Frank Pentangeli." Pentangeli is a character in "The Godfather: Part II" who is pressured to lie to a congressional committee to avoid implicating the head of the fictional Corleone crime family. Pentangeli lies to Congress and then kills himself afterward.
Delicious side dishes from the courts:
The Supreme Court is going to decide if 45 acted properly to dismantle DACA. You may recall that during the campaign, one of his campaign promises was to protect the Dreamers' status. That went by the wayside, of course, as racism won out over compassion and he moved to cancel the program. Lower courts blocked his action, and SCOTUS is now deciding Dreamers' fate.
Court after court has ruled that TЯUMP must turn over his tax returns to New York state. SCROTUS is asking SCOTUS to get involved. It's not clear that they will take up the case, but if they do, it will be decided before the 2020 election.
And finally, today's dessert:
A lovely Trigger Pudding, whipped up by Chef Junior. You'll savor the rich layers of gooey irony. Junior is promoting a book, titled "Triggered," in which he rails against the "snowflake" left, all the while whining about how bad he and his family has it. And richest of all, the cherry on top: He was booed off stage by the alt-right, no less. I guess the right and the left can agree on one thing: Junior is an asshole.
"Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it." – Thomas Jefferson
Firstly, I want to thank my readers for following along with me. I'm a political news junkie these days, and I am truly compelled to follow this story and record it. I depend on our journalist warriors to give me the truth, which I simply pass along to you. I'm not at all unbiased in my mission, but I do try to be truthful. Journalism, even my version, is essential for preserving our liberty. Thanks for sharing my journey!
We're barreling toward impeachment! Tomorrow, Monday November 11, is Day 49 of the Congressional impeachment inquiry, started just a few days after the public learned about the whistleblower complaint filed about 45's behavior. The House is hoping to vote on articles of impeachment by Christmas.
By way of contrast, it took a year and four months after the Watergate break-in for Congress to begin an impeachment inquiry on Richard Nixon, and another ten months before Nixon resigned. Bill Clinton's impeachment process took more than a year from the time Ken Starr began his investigation until the Senate voted to acquit.
The 116th Congress's desire to finish this quickly is shaping some of the investigation. There are material witnesses that Congress would like to question, but many are defying subpoenas, preferring to defer to 45's prohibition of testimony.
There was a bit of testimony since I last wrote. Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Pence had listened in on the phone call and was expected to testify about the phone call itself and also Pence's involvement and knowledge. But last week, committees had more no-shows than witnesses.
Former national security advisor John Bolton did not show up to testify, and the committees have decided not to force compliance from him or any of the other witnesses who are defying subpoenas. Congress wants to move ahead quickly and does not want to take the time to have a court decide on whether witnesses can be compelled to testify. But tantalizingly, Bolton's attorney issued a letter to Congress saying Bolton "was personally involved in many of the events, meetings, and conversations about which you have already received testimony, as well as many relevant meetings and conversations that have not yet been discussed in the testimonies thus far." Yet he wants to be subpoenaed. And he has stated he will not comply with a subpoena, preferring to have a court decide. Dude, come on. Just go and tell them what you know. This is our country at stake. Geez.
Acting Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of Management and Budget (the office, by the way, that disperses funds such as the Ukraine aid) Mick Mulvaney was also a no-show. He was at the center of the scheme and he knows a lot, but he ain't talkin'. Don't forget, though. We do have public admittance from him that "there was a quid pro quo and get over it!" Mulvaney also wants to have the court decide on his obligation to testify.
More transcripts were released, and I'm thankful that Chairman Schiff is releasing them in drips, because as it is, it's hard to keep up with all of the information that is emerging from them. Thank you, Founding Fathers, for the First Amendment guaranteeing a free press, so that we may have many ears and eyes on the government.
On Wednesday we got Bill Taylor's testimony transcript and that of George Kent, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, one of the officials who was supposed to be overseeing Ukraine but was pushed aside by the "second channel." Both of these gentlemen will testify in public on the first day of televised hearings.
Mr. Taylor will be the first to testify in public on Wednesday, November 13. We learned a lot from his bombshell opening statement, which was released in advance of his private testimony to the committees. In his testimony, he outlined the shadow diplomacy led by 45's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and described his "clear understanding, security assistance money would not come until the president (of Ukraine) committed to pursue the investigation (into the Bidens)." He described Rudy Giuliani's role and the fact that John Bolton tried to derail the second channel's efforts to establish a quid pro quo. He also describes a possible nightmare scenario where Ukraine commits to the quid pro quo but has the aid denied anyway, to the great benefit of Russia. See? This, pupils, is why we depend on seasoned, knowledgable diplomats to steer foreign relationships, and not insane presidents, whack-job lawyers, and mega-donors. See a summary of Taylor's testimony here.
Mr. Taylor is a compelling witness. A career public servant, he has served in the foreign service under every administration since 1985. He has a lifelong habit of making detailed extemporaneous notes for every meeting and phone call. He is well-respected in the foreign service world. I look forward to welcoming this patriot into my living room on Wednesday.
Mr. Kent is also poised to be a star witness. He is another long-time foreign service official, serving in the State Department since 1992. We can trust George Kent. You can always trust a man who wears a bow tie.
On Friday we received the transcripts of the private testimony of Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who served on the National Security Council as a Ukraine expert, as well as Fiona Hill, 45's former advisor on Russia and Europe. Ms. Hill will testify in public on Friday, November 15. (SCROTUS, save your "Never Trumper" diatribe. These people were in YOUR administration). You can read about the highlights of their testimony in the New York Times. Hill described harassment towards her and Ambassador Yavonovich from within the department and the fact that she has received death threats. It's really distressing that this sort of behavior was conducted against devoted public servants. I guess he really did drain the swamp. Now we're left with a festering, rancid, putrid pile of poo-ooze that flows throughout the Executive Branch offices.
It was reported that Zelensky was indeed going to do TЯUMP's bidding. He was poised to do an interview on CNN, but word got out about the held-up funds in the American press at the last minute. Remember: Ukraine is a vulnerable country. They needed the aid to fight Russia! People were at risk of dying. Zelensky was conflicted but ultimately decided that the aid was too important to lose, and he had an interview scheduled with Fahreed Zakaria. Two days before the interview was able to be completed, word leaked out about the aid being held up. Congress became angry, and the aid was released in early September.
And a little food for thought. Here's the original story about the aid being held up, before the whistleblower filed his report. Holding up the aid for any reason was enough to make us worried about the benefit to Russia of such a hold-up.
And interestingly enough, it has come to light that the aid was released earlier than the "president" said it was. He said that he himself released the aid on September 11, but it was actually released a few days earlier after lawyers determined that it was illegal to withhold the aid- for any reason, quid pro quo or not. This fact may be an extra nail in 45's coffin.
In the meantime, Benedict Donald's "defense" continues to inexplicably be, "READ THE TRANSCRIPT!" He has even outfitted the flunkeys at his rallies with T-shirts saying the same. Am I in another universe? We DID read the transcript and it DOES implicate you in a crime!
If he means the entire transcript, not just the summary that he provided, well, we'd love to read that, too, so hand it over!
And if you still don't understand why the transcript is the strongest piece of evidence pointing to 45's guilt, watch this:
Attacks and calls to out the whistleblower continue. The whistleblower's attorney sent a cease and desist letter to Baby Fingers's lawyer saying, "I am writing out of deep concern that your client, the President of the United States, is engaging in rhetoric and activity that places my client, the Intelligence Community Whistleblower, and their family in physical danger.... I am writing to respectfully request that you counsel your client on the legal and ethical peril in which he is placing himself should anyone be physically harmed as a result of his, or his surrogates', behavior." BOOM!
This attack on the whistleblower is part of his – I'm still struggling to call it defense. What is it? His argument? His song-and-dance? His whitewash? His bullshit? The other part of it is pretty much head-in-the-sand defense. His lackeys in Congress won't read the testimony, and all he can do is proclaim the call "perfect" and use the tired "phony witch hunt" phrase ad nauseam. There has really been no defense at all. Witnesses from the SCROTUS camp have given overwhelming evidence – under oath in front of Congress – of the president's wrongdoing. Other witnesses have been obstructing the processes by not complying with subpoenas to appear. No one is clamoring to give exculpatory evidence. No one has been able to defend the actions one iota. It's pretty open-and-shut.
Devin Nunes – probably the man I dislike the most – has a list of potential witnesses that the GOP wants at the inquiry. The witnesses have to be approved by Chairman Schiff. One of the witnesses is Hunter Biden. Gah. Hunter Biden is irrelevant! The "dirt" that 45 wanted was to be manufactured. There is no evidence of wrong-doing from the Bidens. Nunes also wants to call the whistleblower. For the last time. The whistleblower's identity is protected by law. The individual's testimony has been corroborated by first-hand witnesses. Leave the person alone!
What's next? We move to the next phase. There are no more private hearings scheduled. SCROTUS says he will "probably" release the transcript of an earlier phone call to Zelensky on Tuesday. Public hearings begin on Wednesday. I've got my schedule clear that day. I can't miss this historic event!
And finally, a pitch. You may notice that I use a lot of links from the New York Times and the Washington Post. I subscribe, because a free press is vitally important to our Republic, and these two esteemed publications are hands-down the best source of political news out there. If you're frustrated by not being able to access all of my links, I encourage you to subscribe to one or both. WaPo has a special deal for Amazon Prime members, including one month free. NYT is only $1 a week with this link. And please please subscribe to your local newspaper! If you are in Santa Barbara, pick up the Independent each week, and read EdHat and Noozhawk online, and subscribe to the LA Times. I don't recommend the Santa Barbara News-Suppress!
