The acting ambassador to Ukraine dropped a bombshell Wednesday, testifying to a previously acknowledged conversation the President had that directly implicated Donald Trump in the pressure campaign against Ukraine.
But see? He did it nicely, soâŚ
Looks like another witness will have to be added to the list - the staffer who overheard the phone call. I doubt if Taylor would have brought this up if said staffer is not willing to testify, unless s/he refuses at Trumpâs and Pompeoâs direction.
Although, perhaps Sondland will fess up to it, unless he âdoesnât recall.â
This should make the Republicans quite happy. They might consider printing up another protest sign.
ETA: From WaPo updates:
The public hearings are underway, but two more officials are set to appear in closed-door depositions later this week, according to an official working on the impeachment inquiry.
David Holmes, the counselor for political affairs at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, will testify in closed session Friday, said the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
Mark Sandy, the associate director for national security programs at the Office of Management and Budget, will give closed-door testimony Saturday.
Sandy had originally been scheduled to appear on Nov. 8 but did not show up.
News of the depositions came immediately after Taylor testified Wednesday morning that one of his staffers overheard the phone call between Sondland and Trump.
âWell, Mr. Dean, so good of you to join us today.â
But also loudly!
Is it time for the House GOP to storm in with pizza?
Canât be a Brooks Bros. pizza break because Gym isnât wearing his blazer.
LiEs! It waS Credico Impersonating TrUmP as paRt of thE deep State CouPe of TrUmp!
Ha! Think itâs gonna require breadsticks this time too. And maybe some dipping sauce â BS flavor, of course.
The Deep State is very, very deep, and very, very big. Itâs almost as if the State and the Deep State were the same thingâŚ
Bomb-shell. Hearing it live was fun. A good example of why the Democrats need to keep investigating, and why the Republicans who are digging in are really really stupid. They can dig all they want, they are digging their own grave as a party.
And P.s. Having Dan Goldman (house counsel, recommended to Schiff by Larry Tribe) do the questioning is a huge difference. The contrast with the clown show in Judiciary when they had hearings is massive. This is how you lay out a case, not just move your mouth for 5 minutes to see yourself on TV.
As far as Adam Schiff is concerned, one might describe this phone call as âperfectâ.
Waiting for âthe Democrats donât care about our national security or the troops!!!1!! This should all be closed door hearings!!1!!! How dare they do this!!1!!! What a farce!1!11â
So cool Trumpâs doing this on an unsecured line in a restaurant where random staffers can overhear. Awesome.
Sondlandâs âoops, I forgot but now I rememberâ perjury defense is really taking an asskicking today. Because not only does he have to claim to have forgotten stuff like this call, but also forgot all the things he knew that were behind the call.
Yep. Credible. Very credible.
Heâs put himself into the kind of box that only the not very bright who think they are very clever and smarter than the lawyer questioning them can get themselves into.
He brays because he cares.
Itâs not complicated. He acts like a mobster.
He is going to testify publicly. He has some serious soul searching with his lawyer on what to say, and how much to try to avoid the truth (âI canât rememberâ) or out and out perjure himself. Will be interesting to see what he does. His problem is that he was so un-careful, and clearly so into talking up himself, making himself the big man, that their are likely 25+ witness who can be used to show he committed perjury.
The public hearings are emboldening MS-13 and ISIS, Iran and Al-Qaeda, Jamal Khashoggi and Sharia law.
It was âbeautiful!â