Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland confirmed publicly on Wednesday that Ukraine announcing investigations advantageous to President Trump’s political interests was more important than the investigations themselves.
some wise person here, name escapes me, rhymes with Mosh Jarshall laid this out weeks ago.
looks like the fascistgop will be reduced to the snarling ‘we do it all the time, get over it’ defense.
they’ll embrace that defense and goosestep into the senate impeachment trial belligerently determined to protect Dear Leader at all costs. and they will shamelessly refuse to convict the abomination of his abundantly obvious corruption and criminality.
at least it will all be in the open for the 2020 election season.
I’m trying to imagine a more damning statement on this matter, but I really can’t. Still, Trump hasn’t shot anyone on fifth avenue yet so…
I’ve been thinking of Josh all morning. You don’t get them all right, but you got this one!
“He had to announce the investigations, he didn’t actually have to do them, as I understood it,” Sondland said."
THIS! I’ve been saying this all along. "IF investigations were supposedly the motivation - then they’d ask for investigations and release the RESULTS - however biased and rigged.
It was never about results - always about OPTICS.
Just as there were never any ‘results’ from Benghazi - only the optics and loud chorus from the echo chamber.
That which is called “quid pro quo” … by any other name … is still an impeachable offense.
Meanwhile, we are observing the three stages of GOP denial about Trump’s illegal, unethical, and unconstitutional shenanigans:
Early days yet…
An announcement was all tRUMP needed to tweet about forever more.
“But he had to get these two investigations if that official act was going to take place, correct?”
Straight out of 18 US Code §201(b) - Bribery of public officials and witnesses.
“(b) Whoever— . . . 2) being a public official . . . corruptly demands, seeks, receives, accepts, or agrees to receive or accept anything of value personally or for any other person or entity, in return for: (A) being influenced in the performance of any official act . . .”
“And you of course recognized that there would be political benefits to a public announcement, as opposed to a private confirmation, right?” Goldman asked.
See above re: “anything of value personally or for any other person or entity,”
Good lawyers building a case.
Indeed. An actual investigation would have quickly cleared Joe Biden of any wrongdoing.
Kaboom!!! Now on to the this is not an impeachable offense argument. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Sondland screwed Trump so badly, he’s going to send in a check for $130k later today.
Is Volker going to ‘revise’ his testimony again?
Not even the pornstars he paid fucked Donnie this thoroughly.
God, I cannot wait to hear the excuses the GOP Coc–er, Republicans in the Senate will come up with for finding the Dime Store Mussolini not guilty.
I love the smell of "PIZZAZZ" in the morning.
“But Judge, we didn’t insist they actually perform the investigations. Nooooooo… that would be illegal, which any moog worth his pinstripes knows. We only insisted they announce the investigation, which you’ll agree is not impeachable, I mean illegal.”
I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a whole meme coming out of the White House trying to split the hair (or threat the needle) between threatening and acting… as long as we forget they actually withheld the payments until after the public announcement.
As Horshack would say Ooo, Ooo, Ooo that gotta hurt,. So much for actually doing something re:corruption, again all smoke and mirrors because they don’t actually give a shit about anything but trying to hurt a perceived opponent.