Aside from the headline news about a July 26 phone call, I learned four big things from the impeachment inquiry hearing this morning. First, the specific corruption surrounding Burisma Holidings had to do with self dealing by company founder Mykola Vladislavovich Zlochevsky — issuing oil and gas licences to his own company when he was Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources. In other words, Zlochevsky did exactly what Donald J. Trump attempted to do with his Doral Golf Club and the G7 summit.
The second thing I learned is that President Trump was nursing a grudge against Ukraine because some Ukrainian politicians said some nasty things about him after he made a comment about letting Russia have Crimea. That’s why he felt Ukraine “owed” him. The third thing is that the Ukraine shit made fanfall just about exactly the time that Trump was extemporizing about Hurricane Dorian hitting Alabama. Who knew Trump could multi-task?
The fourth thing I learned is the big one. There was not one quid pro quo but two. One involved Zelensky, the other Putin. That’s the significance of the timing of the Trump-Zelensky phone call — the day after Robert Mueller’s congressional testimony was a dud. Humiliating Zelensky by forcing him to make a public announcement of a politically-motivated investigation of Biden-Burisma-2016 would hand to Putin his reward — a weakened negotiating partner — for the favor of having helped put Trump in the White House. The art of the deal, indeed.
I doubt the second one was planned, but more of a “Hey! We can do two!” kind of thing.
Not sure that I see it suck stark terms.
But the basic logic of asking a new president who ran on an anti-corruption platform to commit corrupt acts as part of an extortion/bribery effort – this signals a planned attempt to undermine the new Ukraine administration. It’s first acts would then have been seen to be corrupt and also fawning.
With the Sondland phone calls recorded by the Russians, the leaks of these transcripts would have had woeful effects, And this would serve Putin’s interests in having the Ukraine administration sullied and Ukraine relations with the US sullied.
Logic tells me we are uncovering a planned effort.
The fact that Zelenskiy appears to have avoided the corrupt acts, is good thinking. Leadership, commendable.
Trumps efforts are unbelievable, truly corrupt in a legal and moral sense, and conviction in the Senate may follow.
Such – stark terms, is what the first sentence was to have said.
Then I wrote even more harsh views I have to admit.
JF,
There is no chance of a Senate conviction. The GOP has sold their souls to the devil, and their electoral lives are in his hands.
It all depends on the public, specifically Trump’s base. I continue to think/hope that an energized Democrat base plus a majority of independents will throw Trump and Republican Senators out of office next November, but if Trump and the Republican’s corruption on behalf of the Russians does not move Trump’s base I think we have to assume nothing will. Among other things it also means that we should approach that base as the enemy with in. I think the Democrats could blow it with Warren or Sanders at the top of the ticket, but there is absolutely no reason to take moderate positions on women’s health, guns, climate change, race relations, immigration or LGBTQ issues.
Terry, that is from a “progressive”. Not many people are like that and don’t want that. Lazy post.
Hey Bert, That is okay. I am old and I am firmly committed to the idea of democracy, but I am fed up with folks who want to cut off their nose to spite their face and keep the average IQ at 100. I have always fought against the bully elite but at some point one has to recognize that the people being bullied deserve it. If that is lazy so be it. I will contribute to the ultimate Democrat candidate and some down ballot Democrats and I will vote and maybe I will knock on some doors and make some calls. At the end of the day, I will be just fine regardless of how the next election turns out as will my kids.
Terry
Nicely said . . .
Trump is a Russian agent.