Jeftichew Beauregard Jodorowsky Sessions XC is goong to announce a Senate bid which is going to be fun to watch since Donnie really hates him for being too ethical as Attorney General.
American Politics thread: No Nazis Allowed
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[https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/11/06/day-1021/
[h=1]](https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/11/06/day-1021/)Day 1021: A clear understanding[/h]
1/ The top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine told House impeachment investigators that it was his "clear understanding" that military aid would not be sent to Ukraine until the country pursued investigations that could benefit Trump, according to a transcript of his testimony made public. Bill Taylor said he "sat in astonishment" during a July 18 call after a White House Office of Management and Budget official said that Trump had ordered a hold on military assistance to Ukraine. Taylor detailed how U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland had told him that Trump was "adamant" that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly announce the Biden and 2016 investigations. Taylor also testified that Rudy Giuliani was the "originator" of the idea to have Zelensky make the statement. (NBC News / CNN / Associated Press / Washington Post / New York Times/ Politico)- Trump promised "unwavering support" for Kiev in a May 29 letter congratulating Ukraine's newly elected president. The letter also includes an invitation to the White House, held up as a sign of the United States' enduring "commitment" to Ukraine. The letter was sent before the U.S. withheld nearly $400 million in U.S. military aid to Ukraine. (Daily Beast)
- The State Department's third-ranking official testified behind closed-doors before House impeachment investigators. David Hale told Congress that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was reluctant to defend his then-Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch because it would hurt efforts to get Ukraine military aid. Hale is the first administration official to appear as scheduled this week. (CNN / Washington Post / New York Times)
- House impeachment investigators dropped their subpoena to compel a former National Security Council official to testify before Congress. Charles Kupperman served as a deputy to former national security adviser John Bolton. Kupperman was subpoenaed in late October, but he did not appear for testimony because he wanted to wait for the courts to rule on whether he had to comply after Trump directed him to not appear citing immunity. (Talking Points Memo / The Hill)
- Analysis: Four takeaways from Bill Taylor’s full transcript. (Washington Post)
- Read: The full transcript of top diplomat Bill Taylor's impeachment testimony. (NBC News)
2/ The House will begin holding public impeachment hearings next week. Bill Taylor, the top diplomat in Ukraine, and George Kent, a deputy assistant secretary of State, will appear on Nov. 13. Marie Yovanovitch, who was pushed out as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine after a smear campaign backed by Trump, will testify two days later, on Nov. 15. Both hearings are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET. (Politico / CNN / NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times)
- The White House added two staffers to help coordinate a "proactive impeachment messaging" response to the House inquiry. Trump is temporarily bringing in former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and ex-Treasury spokesman Tony Sayegh. (NBC News / New York Times)
3/ Senate Republicans are discussing whether to use the impeachment inquiry to scrutinize Joe Biden and his son. Some of Trump's allies want to call Biden and Hunter to testify as witnesses in the inquiry to counter the Democrats' scrutiny of Trump. Rand Paul and John Kennedy raised the idea at a private lunch last week to summon Hunter Biden to testify. Paul reiterated that call publicly at a rally in Kentucky earlier this week. (Washington Post)
- Mitch McConnell said the Senate would acquit Trump if an impeachment trial were held today. McConnell also warned that the longer the impeachment process takes, the longer presidential candidates who are also senators would have to spend on the Senate floor instead of on the campaign trail. McConnell has yet to speak with Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer about how the Senate would handle an impeachment trial, but he said they would likely model the trial off the Clinton impeachment. (Politico)
- Lindsey Graham is refusing to read any of the transcripts released this week as part of the House impeachment inquiry despite demanding that they be made public. Graham said he has "written the whole [impeachment] process off" as "a bunch of B.S." Graham also downplayed Gordon Sondland's revised testimony, during which Sondland acknowledged that he told a Ukrainian official that the release of U.S. military aid to Ukraine would "likely not occur" unless Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly announced an investigation into Joe Biden and his son. Last month, however, Graham said, "If you could show me that, you know, Trump actually was engaging in a quid pro quo, outside the phone call, that would be very disturbing." Yesterday, Graham reiterated his blanket defense of Trump, adding: "I don't think the president did anything wrong." (Axios / WKYC)
4/ A federal judge overturned the Trump administration's "conscience" rule that would have made it easier for doctors and other health care workers to refuse care on religious or moral grounds. The judge ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services exceeded its authority, "acted arbitrarily and capriciously" in promoting it, and that the agency's "stated justification for undertaking rule making in the first place — a purported 'significant increase' in civilian complaints relating to the conscience provisions — was factually untrue." Under the rule, health care providers that forced workers to perform work, such as abortions, despite their objections would have been subject to having their federal funding withdrawn. (NPR / New York Times / Washington Post)
5/ Roger Stone lied to Congress about his efforts to contact WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign because "the truth looked bad for Donald Trump," a federal prosecutor said in his opening statement at Stone's trial. Prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky said the case wasn't about who hacked the Democratic National Committee, or who communicated with Russians, but "about Roger Stone's false testimony to the House Intelligence Committee in an attempt to obstruct the investigation and to tamper with evidence." (New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News)
6/ Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erodğan will visit the White House next week. The visit comes about a month after Trump withdrew U.S. forces from northern Syria, allowing Turkish forces to attack Kurdish forces – a U.S. ally in the fight against ISIS. (Bloomberg / Axios)
poll/ 56% of voters expect Trump to be reelected next year, including 85% of Republicans, 51% of independents, and 35% of Democrats. (Politico)- A panel of Pennsylvania voters from swing districts said they'd still vote for Trump even "if he shot someone on 5th avenue," because "you'd have to know why he shot him." (Mediate)
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Jeftichew Beauregard Jodorowsky Sessions XC is goong to announce a Senate bid which is going to be fun to watch since Donnie really hates him for being too ethical as Attorney General.
That cannot be a real name. I refuse to accept it.
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@The:
That cannot be a real name. I refuse to accept it.
Former Attorney General and Racist Hobbit Jeff Sessions' full name is Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III.
It's like his parents knew he was the reincarnation of a racist Confederate private who was an enthusiastic part of both the first and second Ku Klux Klans.
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@The:
That cannot be a real name. I refuse to accept it.
Ubiq exaggerated it only slightly for comic effect.
He is the III, not the XC.
Jodorowsky is in fact a real name, more generally French than racist confederate though. Most notably from french filmaker and artist Alejandro Jodorowsky
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandro_Jodorowsky -
@Cyan:
Former Attorney General and Racist Hobbit Jeff Sessions' full name is Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III.
It's like his parents knew he was the reincarnation of a racist Confederate private who was an enthusiastic part of both the first and second Ku Klux Klans.
Okay, that makes more sense as a name at least. And no offense to any southerners here, but I really think yall overdo it on the names sometimes, lol. Maybe it's an older southern thing though.
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Language is weird.
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English is especially weird.
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Jodorowsky sounds more Slavic to me with that -sky at the end.
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Jodorowsky sounds more Slavic to me with that -sky at the end.
Anything with a W sounds Polish to me
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[https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/11/07/day-1022/
[h=1]](https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/11/07/day-1022/)Day 1022: A campaign of lies[/h]
1/ Trump asked Attorney General William Barr to hold a press conference and say that he didn't break the law during his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Barr, however, declined. Trump's request was made around Sept. 25 – shortly after the Trump administration released a summary of the July 25 call. Trump denied he asked Barr "to hold a news conference," instead saying people "MADE UP the story" and that "the Justice Department already ruled that the call was good." (Washington Post / New York Times / CNN)
2/ Former national security adviser John Bolton is willing to defy the White House and testify in the House impeachment inquiry. Bolton, however, skipped his scheduled deposition today, wanting a federal court to first rule on a lawsuit between the Trump administration and Congress. House impeachment investigators intend to continue their inquiry without delay and plan to use Bolton's refusal to testify as evidence of Trump's attempt to obstruct Congress. (Washington Post / Politico / NBC News)- A national security aide to Mike Pence testified behind closed doors in the ongoing House impeachment inquiry into Trump. Jennifer Williams is the first person from Pence's office to testify and is one of a handful of U.S. officials who listened in on Trump's July 25 call with Zelensky in which Trump asked the Ukrainian leader to open an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The White House tried to prevent Williams from attending the deposition. (Washington Post / NPR / New York Times)
- A State Department official told House investigators that he kept notes of the White House's attempted quid pro quo with Ukraine. George Kent said he witnessed an "effort to initiate politically motivated prosecutions that were injurious to the rule of law." Kent also accused Rudy Giuliani of conducting a "campaign of lies" about the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, that led to her early recall from Kiev. (NBC News / Politico / NPR)
- A senior National Security Council official who attended meetings at the center of the congressional impeachment inquiry will leave his post this week. Earl Matthews traveled with John Bolton to Ukraine in August and Poland in September, sitting in on meetings with Zelensky and senior American officials, including Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, and senior NSC Russia expert Tim Morrison. (Politico)
3/ The Government Accountability Office is reviewing the Trump administration's hold on security assistance to Ukraine to see if the freeze violated appropriations law. At a Senate Budget Committee hearing last week, Sen. Chris Van Hollen asked the U.S. comptroller general if the administration's failure to formally inform Congress about the hold ran afoul of legal notification requirements. The money was released in mid-September after bipartisan pressure on Capitol Hill, but lawmakers and aides never received a clear answer about the reason for the hold. (Wall Street Journal)
- Intelligence officials want CIA director Gina Haspel to protect the whistleblower from Trump. Haspel has avoided making any statements about the whistleblower or the complaint. U.S. intelligence officials, meanwhile, say that while they have taken steps to protect the identity of the whistleblower, neither Haspel nor Joseph Maguire, the director of national intelligence, have urged Trump behind the scenes to stop trying to out the whistleblower's identity. (NBC News)
4/ The $500,000 Rudy Giuliani was paid to investigate Trump's political rivals came from a Long Island attorney investing in Fraud Guarantee, a company owned by a Ukrainian-American businessman. Charles Gucciardo, a Republican donor and Trump supporter, gave the money to Lev Parnas as part of a deal that would make Gucciardo an investor in Parnas' company, Fraud Guarantee, which does not appear to have any customers. Gucciardo paid Giuliani $250,000 in September and October 2018 on behalf of Fraud Guarantee. Giuliani is currently under federal investigation for possible foreign lobbying violations, and Parnas has been indicted for alleged campaign finance and foreign money-laundering violations. (New York Times / Reuters)
- Day 999: Rudy Giuliani was paid $500,000 to consult for a company co-founded by the Ukrainian-American businessman arrested last week on campaign finance charges. Lev Parnas' company – Fraud Guarantee (!) – engaged Giuliani Partners around August 2018 to consult on technologies and provide legal advice on regulatory issues. Giuliani said the money came in two payments made within weeks of each other, but that he couldn't remember the dates. He also said most of the work he did for Fraud Guarantee was completed in 2018, but that he has been doing follow-up work for more than a year. Federal prosecutors have been "examining Giuliani's interactions" with Parnas and Igor Fruman, who was also indicted on campaign finance charges, since at least early 2019. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are also investigating whether Giuliani broke lobbying laws in his efforts to undermine the American ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who was recalled on Trump's orders in May. Giuliani also denied that he was planning to visit Dmitry Firtash, a Ukrainian oligarch who is currently wanted on corruption charges in the U.S., during a trip to Vienna he planned last week. (Reuters / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / USA Today / NBC News / Axios / ABC News)
- Day 1013: An indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani can be questioned under oath about financial transfers he made to Republican political campaigns. Lev Parnas' defense attorney previously argued that some of the evidence gathered in the campaign finance investigation could be subject to executive privilege. Parnas owes a family trust more than $500,000, which alleges that Parnas transferred the money to his corporate accounts, to the Trump PAC America First Action, to the National Republican Congressional Committee, and to Pete Sessions for Congress – defrauding the family trust in the process. (CNN)
5/ Trump must personally pay $2 million in damages for unlawfully coordinating with the Trump Foundation charity to further his 2016 presidential campaign. A New York state judge found that "Trump breached his fiduciary duty to the Foundation" by "allowing his campaign to orchestrate" a televised fundraiser for the foundation in January 2016, and then allowing the campaign to direct the distribution of the money raised from that event "to further Mr. Trump's political campaign." The settlement included an admission of misconduct, including that he used the foundation to settle the legal obligations of his companies, including Mar-A-Lago and the Trump National Golf Club in New York. (New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post / CNN / Wall Street Journal)
6/ A forthcoming book by an anonymous senior Trump administration claims that high-level White House aides were certain that Mike Pence would support using the 25th Amendment to have Trump removed from office. The author of "A Warning" – the same official behind the 2018 op-ed that declared there was a "resistance" within the administration – claimed that White House officials put together a list of Cabinet secretaries who were open to the idea of removing Trump because of mental incapacity and that "there was no doubt in the minds of these senior officials that Pence would support invoking the 25th Amendment if the majority of the Cabinet signed off on it." Pence, meanwhile, said he never heard about any discussion of using the 25th amendment in the White House. (HuffPost / Politico)- Day 1019: The Justice Department is trying to "intimidate and expose" the anonymous author of "A Warning"– the same senior Trump administration official behind a 2018 op-ed who claimed cabinet members discussed removing Trump from office early in his presidency "given the instability many witnessed." The DOJ claimed that the author may be violating "one or more nondisclosure agreements" by writing the book, which is set to come out on November 19. (CNN / New York Times)
7/ Trump and "The Apprentice" creator have discussed shooting "The Apprentice: White House" after Trump leaves office. Trump and Mark Burnett reportedly still keep in touch by phone with Trump confiding to close associates that he misses his job as a reality-TV host. (Daily Beast)
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Anything juicy pop up at the impeachment inquiry hearing yet?(early stages, but still)
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There's been another school shooting. This time in California. And the gun fetishists are already swarming the youtube comments reeeing about gun laws. Shocking.
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Well, no deaths confirmed so far, so that's good at least.
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Well, no deaths confirmed so far, so that's good at least.
That's what I'm hoping we'll continue to see. I just got a little tilted seeing 9 out of 10 comments being about liberals and gun laws. This country truly disgusts me sometimes.
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Anything juicy pop up at the impeachment inquiry hearing yet?(early stages, but still)
I think it's mostly just been reiterating publicly what people who keep track already know. Though there was a thing where William Taylor said he thinks Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden" than Ukraine.
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Anything juicy pop up at the impeachment inquiry hearing yet?(early stages, but still)
If you've been paying attention, no.
If you're an average citizen, holy crap have statements been damning.
If you're a republican, it's all just a farce to attack a totally innocent president, how come we're not interviewing the whistleblower, they started all of this..
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What a historic moment. In an impeachment hearing where the former ambassador to ukraine is testifying that Trump ousted her while spreading lies about her and bad mouthing her, Trump live tweets to spread lies about her and bad mouth her. And she was able to respond in real time reading them for the first time in this hearing.
EDIT: Roger Stone has been found guilty on all charges. Naturally Trump has already tweeted that it is unfair, and that instead people like Clinton, Mueller, and Schiff should instead be arrested.
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Mayor Pete surging because Democrats love losing.
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Pete hasn't been making inroads with minority voters so he'll slam into a brick wall called South Carolina a few races in.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Looks like Bel Edwards won a second term in Louisiana. Operation Dumbo Drop seems to have failed for a second time in a row.
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So what is everyone's opinion about Bloomberg running for the White House?
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Hard to see a path for him really since Biden and Buttigieg already have the moderate wing covered and he's definitely not going to pull people from Warren and Sanders.
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I don't see him taking many voters from Warren. Especially as his possible decision to run comes after months of debates between Dem candidates in an already populated field of candidates. Billionaire deciding on a whim to run for President doesn't really strike the Dem base as a good candidate.
He's somebody that would run with the base of this imaginary "fiscally conservative, socially liberal" sect of Democrats that consist of white people who have the privilege to vote in people who will set their cabinet with people with backgrounds from Wall-street and corporate backgrounds with little interest in passing legislation and policy toward popular ideas such as Medicare for all, weeding out corruption such as lobbying and corporate interest in Washington.
He's pretty much striking at a segment of Biden's non existent base that mainstream news keeps insisting he has.
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Eh? If anything, the media keeps wanting to write Biden off when his numbers keep drifting back to first or a close second.
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Eh? If anything, the media keeps wanting to write Biden off when his numbers keep drifting back to first or a close second.
The media and online armchair pundits are united in refusing to understand Biden being the current frontrunner.
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@Cyan:
The media and online armchair pundits are united in refusing to understand Biden being the current frontrunner.
08 John McCain and 12 Mitt Romney
First Time?
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Trump was rushed to the hospital over the weekend. WH claims it was a routine checkup of just getting bloodwork done, but thats BS because that can be done from the whitehouse.
It was unannounced, weekend-occurring, protocol-busting, (the secret service was not ahead of it) motorcade-enabled, more-than-bloodwork trip to the hospital by a man with high cardiovascular risk.
Yesterday's fed meeting took place in the residence, not the oval. Trump was not seen in the West Wing yesterday.
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If only the media was as interested in Trump’s health as they were in Hillary’s.
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So what is everyone's opinion about Bloomberg running for the White House?
I love it, it plays right into Bernie and Warren's narrative of billionares buying elections. It's a boost for them and further divides the establishment vote.
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If only the media was as interested in Trump’s health as they were in Hillary’s.
The complete lack of curiosity about that is infuriating. He's a decrepit old man with the mental status of a baked potato and is held together with duct tape and baling wire with an unannounced trip to the hospital that his people claimed was a physical. That after previously announcing all of his physicals in advance and already having one this year. He then disappears from public view for several days. How has this not been a major news story from Saturday night on?
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Well, when he dies I'm sure that'll be a major new story.
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I've been banking on him leaving office in a coffin since Day 1. His age plus his disastrous habits plus the sheer stress of the presidency does not equal good death saving throws.
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The man is a bag of rats that I can comprehend what is keeping him together still. However, selfishness can sometimes keep people stubborn, especially in the face of death.
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I've been watching the impeachment hearing all day, and from what I understand the afternoon hearings featured witnesses called up by the GOP? Cause while they were a little more generous to Trump than others, they more or less said the same thing every other witness has said. Every day people keep testifying new ways Trump knew about this crime, how he did it to benefit himself, and how incompetent he was in covering it up.
Sondland is tomorrow, so I really wonder how he's going to testify about some of his, well, lies. I assume he'll correct himself?
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Today's and Yesterday's What the Fuck Just Happened Todays, for help with catching up
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/11/18/day-1033/ Day 1033: "Unusual and inappropriate."1/ The House is investigating whether Trump lied to Robert Mueller. Former Trump deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates testified in last week's trial that Roger Stone spoke with Trump in a July 2016 phone call, and that Trump then told Gates that "more information would be coming." Trump, however, told Mueller in written answers that he did not recall discussing WikiLeaks with Stone. The House Judiciary Committee is seeking grand jury testimony from the redacted version of Mueller's report into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. House General Counsel Douglas Letter told a federal appeals court that investigators have an "immense" need for the material, because it will help House members answer the question, "Did the president lie? Was the president not truthful in his responses to the Mueller investigation?" (CNN / Washington Post / New York Times / Axios / Associated Press / Politico)
- Day 678: Trump told Robert Mueller that Roger Stone did not tell him about WikiLeaks and that he was not told about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Trump Jr., campaign officials, and a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton. Trump added a caveat that his responses were to the best of his recollection. For comparison, Trump also does not "remember much" from the meeting with George Papadopoulos, where Papadopoulos offered to arrange a meeting with Putin. Trump, however, has previously claimed to have "one of the great memories of all time," using it as justification for not using notes during his meeting with Kim Jong Un, and blaming Sgt. La David Johnson's widow when he stumbled over the solider's name during a condolence call. (CNN)
- Day 664: Roger Stone claimed multiple times during the 2016 presidential race that he was in communication with Trump and his campaign. Stone and Trump spoke weekly, which is now being scrutinized by Robert Mueller. Stone repeatedly said during the campaign that he had communicated with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange through a "backchannel," "intermediary" or "mutual acquaintance." Mueller's office is also exploring whether Stone tried to intimidate and discredit a witness who is contradicting his version of events about his contacts with WikiLeaks. (CNN / Wall Street Journal)
2/ A U.S. official from the embassy in Kiev confirmed that Trump asked if Ukraine was going to move forward with "the investigations." David Holmes testified privately that he was at the restaurant in Kiev with Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, when he overheard Trump ask if Ukraine's president was "going to do the investigation?" Sondland told Trump that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "loves your ass," would conduct the investigation, and would do "anything you ask him to." (New York Times / CNN)
- READ: David Holmes' opening statement
- Day 1028: The top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine testified that Trump asked about "the investigations" during a call with the U.S. ambassador to the European Union on July 26 – the day after Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Biden and his son while he was holding U.S. military aid from Ukraine. Bill Taylor told the House Intelligence Committee that a member of his staff overheard Trump mention "the investigations" to Sondland, and that "Sondland told President Trump that the Ukrainians were ready to move forward." Taylor called Trump's decision to withhold "security assistance in exchange for help" with investigations to benefit his personal political interests both "alarming" and "crazy," because Ukraine is a "strategic partner" and supporting them against Russian aggression is "clearly in our national interest." Taylor also testified that "Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden" than Ukraine. The staffer who heard the conversation, David Holmes, will testify behind closed doors Friday in the House's impeachment probe. (New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / NBC News)
- Day 1029: A second U.S. official overheard the July 26 phone call between Trump and the ambassador to the European Union discussing the need for Ukrainian "investigations." Suriya Jayanti, a U.S. foreign service officer based in Kiev, was sitting at the table in a Ukraine restaurant when Sondland called Trump to tell him that "the Ukrainians were ready to move forward" on the investigations. Yesterday, Bill Taylor, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, testified that one of his staffers, David Holmes, could hear Trump on the phone asking Sondland about "the investigations." Trump, meanwhile, claimed he doesn't recall the July 26 conversation – "not even a little bit." (Associated Press)
3/ A former top White House national security aide told impeachment investigators that Gordon Sondland was acting at Trump's behest and spoke to a top Ukrainian official about exchanging military aid for political investigations. Tim Morrison testified that between July 16 and Sept. 11, Sondland had spoken to Trump about half a dozen times, and Sondland's "mandate from the president was to go make deals." Trump has claimed he doesn't know Sondland well. (Washington Post / Politico)
4/ A top national security aide to Mike Pence told House impeachment investigators that Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political opponents were "unusual and inappropriate," and "shed some light on possible other motivations" for Trump's order to freeze military aid to the U.S. ally. Jennifer Williams also told investigators that she took notes while she listened in on Trump's July 25 phone call with Zelensky from the White House Situation Room and that she viewed Trump's requests for investigations to be for his "personal political agenda." Trump later tweeted that Williams – "whoever that is" – is a "Never Trumper." (Politico / CNN / Politico)- U.S. State Department officials were informed that Zelensky felt pressure from the Trump administration to investigate Joe Biden before the July phone call. In early May, officials at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev were told Zelensky was seeking advice on how to navigate the situation as Trump and his associates were pressing him to take action that could affect the 2020 U.S. presidential race. (Associated Press)
5/ Trump ignored Pentagon advice and pardoned three service members convicted or accused of war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. Trump ordered the full pardon of Clint Lorance, who was serving a 19-year sentence for the murder of two civilians, and Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, who was facing murder charges for killing an unarmed Afghan he believed was a Taliban bomb maker. Trump also reversed the demotion of Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murder charges but convicted of a lesser offense. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy argued that the pardons would undermine the military code of justice and serve as a bad example to other troops in the field. (CNN / Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News)
6/ Trump delayed his ban on flavored e-cigarettes following pushback from his political advisers and lobbyists over concerns of political fallout among voters. In early November, Trump refused to sign the one-page "decision memo" to move forward with the ban intended to curb teenage vaping after advisers warned that it could hurt the economy and lead to job losses. (Washington Post / New York Times)
7/ Trump had a "very good" and "cordial" meeting with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell about the economy, who he previously called a "bonehead," a "terrible communicator" and an "enemy." Trump claimed they discussed interest rate policy, among other things. Trump has repeatedly attacked the Fed, arguing that the economy and stock market would be performing better if rates were lower or even negative. The Federal Reserve, however, issued a statement saying Powell told Trump that the Fed will set interest rates "based solely on careful, objective and non-political analysis." (Washington Post / CBS News)
8/ Trump made an unscheduled visit Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to "begin portions of his routine annual physical exam" that included a "quick exam and labs," according to the White House. The two-hour appointment wasn't on Trump's weekend public schedule and medical staff at Walter Reed didn't receive a staff-wide notice about the presidential visit. (Associated Press / Politico / CNN / New York Times)
poll/ 70% of Americans believe Trump asking the Ukrainian president to investigate his political rivals was wrong. 51% believe Trump's actions were both wrong and he should be impeached and removed from office. (ABC News)https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/11/19/day-1034/ Day 1034: Duty.
1/ Two national security officials testified publicly that Trump's July 25 call with the Ukrainian president was "improper," "unusual," and overtly political. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine specialist on the National Security Council, and Jennifer Williams, an adviser to Mike Pence on Russia and Europe, both listened in on Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump ignored official talking points about fighting corruption to instead "demand" an investigation tied to Joe Biden. Vindman told the House Intelligence Committee that "What I heard was inappropriate and I reported it […] out of a sense of duty," because "the connection to investigate a political opponent was inappropriate and improper." Vindman also testified that he interpreted Trump's request that Zelensky open investigations as a demand, saying "the power disparity between the two leaders – my impression was that in order to get the White House meeting, President Zelensky would have to deliver these investigations." In her opening statement, Williams said she found the call "unusual" because it "involved discussion of what appeared to be a domestic political matter." Vindman and Williams are the first White House officials to testify in public as part of the impeachment inquiry. (Politico / Wall Street Journal / The Guardian / Washington Post / CNN / Bloomberg)
- Who testified today: National Security Council staffer Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, former NSC staffer Tim Morrison, and former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker.
- Who testifies on Wednesday: Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian Affairs, and David Hale, the undersecretary of state for political affairs.
- Who testifies on Thursday: Fiona Hill, the former NSC senior director for Europe and Russia, and David Holmes, U.S. Embassy in Ukraine official.
- Live blogs: New York Times / Washington Post / The Guardian / Politico / CNN / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / Bloomberg
- ANALYSIS: Six takeaways from Vindman's and Williams's testimony
- BRIEFING Who is Alexander Vindman?
- BRIEFING Who is Jennifer Williams?
- READ: Alexander Vindman's opening statement
- READ: Jennifer Williams' opening statement
- READ: Adam Schiff's opening statement
- READ: Devin Nunes' opening statement
2/ The former special envoy to Ukraine testified that he didn't realize the push for a probe into a Ukrainian gas company was connected to Joe Biden and his son. Kurt Volker attempted to reconcile his previous closed-door testimony, which conflicted with subsequent witness testimony, saying "I have learned many things that I did not know at the time of the events in question." Specifically, Volker said he "did not know of any linkage between the hold on security assistance and Ukraine pursuing investigations" while he was working with Rudy Giuliani and a Zelensky aide to pressure Ukraine into launching an investigation into Burisma, the gas company that employed Hunter Biden. Volker said that "In retrospect, I should have seen that connection differently," and that he now understands an investigation into Burisma was intended as an investigation into the Bidens. Volker called the allegation that Biden acted corruptly with Ukraine while he was vice president a "conspiracy theory" that is "self-serving and not credible." Separately, Fiona Hill, then the senior director for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council, and Vindman, previously testified that John Bolton, then the national security adviser, abruptly ended a July 10 meeting when Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, brought up the investigations. Volker never mentioned the exchange in his original testimony, but told lawmakers today that "as I remember," Sondland made a comment about investigations into Trump's political rivals, which "all of us thought it was inappropriate." (New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / The Guardian / CNN / New York Times / Politico / Vox)
3/ Tim Morrison testified that he was "not concerned that anything illegal was discussed" during Trump's July 25 call with Zelensky, but worried it would cause a political storm if the transcript became public. Morrison, the former senior director for Europe and Ukraine at the National Security Council, told the committee that "I feared at the time of the call on July 25 how its disclosure would play in Washington's climate." He continued: "My fears have been realized." Morrison also said Sondland told him that "the Ukrainians would have to have the prosecutor general make a statement" about investigations as a "condition" for receiving security aid. When asked if he agreed that pressuring "a foreign government to investigate a domestic political rival [was] inappropriate," Morrison replied: "It is not what we recommend the president discuss." (Politico / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CNN / New York Times)- Morrison approached White House lawyers after Trump's July 25 call about restricting access to the rough transcript, because he feared that a leak of the conversation could be politically damaging. Morrison spoke to the top lawyer on the White House National Security Council, John Eisenberg, and his deputy, Michael Ellis, about closely guarding the transcript, but said it was a mistake that it wound up on the highly secure server. The whistleblower complaint references an effort within the White House to "lock down" access to the transcript of the call shortly after it ended. (Wall Street Journal)
Impeachables.
- A counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine testified that the Ukrainians "gradually came to understand that they were being asked to do something in exchange" for a White House meeting or military aid. David Holmes overheard a call between Trump and Gordon Sondland, in which Sondland assured Trump that Zelensky "will do anything you ask him to," including conduct the investigation that Trump wanted. (Washington Post)
- Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman privately met with Rudy Giuliani and Trump at the White House last December. Parnas confided to two acquaintances after the meeting that "the big guy" (aka Trump) tasked him and Fruman with "a secret mission" to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate Biden and his son. Trump publicly stated that he did not know Parnas and Fruman when the two men were arrested at Dulles International Airport last month and charged with conspiring to violate campaign finance laws that prohibit foreign nationals from contributing to U.S. campaigns. (CNN)
- An executive at Ukraine's state-owned gas company is scheduled to meet voluntarily with the Justice Department as part of an ongoing probe into the business dealings of Giuliani, and his two associates Parnas and Igor Fruman. Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating Giuliani and whether he failed to register as a foreign agent. (Associated Press)
- John Bolton met privately with Trump in August as part of an effort to release the $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine. Trump's national security adviser attempted to convince Trump that it was in the United States' best interest to unfreeze the funds so Ukraine could defend itself against Russia. (New York Times)
- More than $35 million of the roughly $400 million in aid to Ukraine has not been released. The defense funding for Ukraine remains in U.S. accounts, according to a Pentagon spending document. (Los Angeles Times)
- poll/ 65% of Americans said the impeachment hearings won't change their position on impeachment. 30%, meanwhile, said it's possible. (NPR)
- poll/ 48% of voters support the impeachment inquiry into Trump, while 50% oppose. (Politico)
️ Notables.
- A New York state judge denied Trump's request to throw out a defamation lawsuit by former "Apprentice" contestant Summer Zervos. Trump's legal team argued that a stay is necessary to prevent "irreparable harm" "given the novel and important Constitutional issues involved." Zervos was among the more than 10 women who came forward during the 2016 presidential campaign and accused Trump of sexual assault and misconduct. Trump called Zervos and the other women "liars," prompting Zervos to file a defamation lawsuit in 2017. (CNN)
- The Supreme Court temporarily blocked a ruling requiring Trump's accounting firm from turning over his tax returns to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Trump's attorneys petitioned the justices last week in a separate case involving his tax returns, seeking to overturn the ruling of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals requiring Trump's accountants to provide his returns to the Manhattan district attorney. (CNBC / CNN)
- The U.S. broke off talks with South Korea over the cost of the military alliance. Trump demanded that South Korea pay nearly $5 billion to station 28,500 U.S. troops in the country – a fivefold increase in funding. The top U.S. negotiator, James DeHart, cut negotiations short, blaming South Korea for making proposals that "were not responsive to our request for fair and equitable burden sharing." South Korea responded by agreeing to a bilateral defense agreement with China. (Washington Post / Telegraph / Reuters)
- Trump's decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria allowed the Islamic State to strengthen its position, the Pentagon's inspector general said in a new report. The withdrawal combined with Turkey's subsequent assault on Kurdish forces, allowed ISIS to "reconstitute capabilities and resources within Syria and strengthen its ability to plan attacks abroad." (Politico)
- The House passed a short-term spending resolution to keep the government funded through Dec. 20. Mitch McConnell said the Senate will pass a stopgap measure and the Trump administration said it supports the continuing resolution. Government funding runs out after Nov. 21. (Politico / Wall Street Journal / New York Times)
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Is trumpy actively trying to destroy our position on the world stage? I mean, I know we're not really the good guys, but still. Demanding 5 billion from S. Korea for one of our own bases? Shouldn't we be paying them to have a military base in their country?
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We are close allies with South Korea, and having a military base there is extremely beneficial for both of our countries. No, we should not be paying them to have a base there, since its primary purpose is for the defense of South Korea.
But that doesn’t discount just how valuable that base is for national defense of the United States, either. With a base there, we are able to significantly expand our information gathering capabilities on not only the North Korean military, but also on the Chinese and Russian ones, too.
So yeah, it’s pretty ridiculous that we are now insisting that South Korea now pay five times what they were paying previously, especially when the justification for such a rate hike comes down to essentially “readiness” of military not stationed there in case of emergency.
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Trump ignored Pentagon advice and pardoned three service members convicted or accused of war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. Trump ordered the full pardon of Clint Lorance, who was serving a 19-year sentence for the murder of two civilians, and Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, who was facing murder charges for killing an unarmed Afghan he believed was a Taliban bomb maker. Trump also reversed the demotion of Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murder charges but convicted of a lesser offense. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy argued that the pardons would undermine the military code of justice and serve as a bad example to other troops in the field
I don't get this power. Is it correct that the president can just pardon anyone no matter the nature of the crime and no governing body can tell him no it ain't gonna happen? Like imagine if it was the boston marathon bomber or someone else whos victims the American public would give a shit about, would he just get to press undone after he has been given a trial and found guilty? This seems like some dictator shit, so i hope i am misunderstanding something.
@The:
Is trumpy actively trying to destroy our position on the world stage? I mean, I know we're not really the good guys, but still.
Good or bad aside a lot of things happening now point toward the US stepping back in ways that would've been unheard of a few years ago. Like the US leaving walk over in Syria and ceding the region to the Russian influence sphere marks the first time a point of interest area has been given up without any expectations of quid pro quo by a major power since the fall of the berlin wall. Like who would've guessed that 30 years after the soviet implosion the tables would start to turn like this. Interesting times ahead when the US pulls out of its leadership role and just falls in line with the rest.
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I don't get this power. Is it correct that the president can just pardon anyone no matter the nature of the crime and no governing body can tell him no it ain't gonna happen? Like imagine if it was the boston marathon bomber or someone else whos victims the American public would give a shit about, would he just get to press undone after he has been given a trial and found guilty? This seems like some dictator shit, so i hope i am misunderstanding something.
Back When the Republicans Were Good, Bush Sr. pardoned everyone involved with Iran Contra to kill that investigation once and for all. And Ford infamously pardoned Nixon as his first act in office. Clinton also pardoned some corrupt personal friends of his.
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The presidential pardon sounds good on paper IF (and this is a gigantic IF) the president is not corrupt and sane. And the pardonee's crime is in that magical grey area where it's lawfully bad, but morally justified (?).
Maybe there shouldn't be presidental pardons at all.
Didn't Obama pardon turkeys once?
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Didn't Obama pardon turkeys once?
The Turkey pardoning goes back to the 40's. Reagan and Bush Sr. turned it into an official tradition. That wasn't an Obama thing.
Not sure if Trump has done it, they've messed up a lot of the traditions like the easter hunt and Christmas.
Obama DID have a really large number of commutations and pardons, close to 2000, but largely for those that were over-sentenced during the war on drugs and had already spent decades in prison.
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I misunderstood "Didn't Obama pardon turkeys once?" as Obama pardoning turkeys as in the birds
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@Medical:
I misunderstood "Didn't Obama pardon turkeys once?" as Obama pardoning turkeys as in the birds
You didn't misunderstand. Presidents pardoning turkeys, as in the bird, is a Thanksgiving tradition.
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The Turkey pardoning goes back to the 40's. Reagan and Bush Sr. turned it into an official tradition. That wasn't an Obama thing.
Not sure if Trump has done it, they've messed up a lot of the traditions like the easter hunt and Christmas.
Obama DID have a really large number of commutations and pardons, close to 2000, but largely for those that were over-sentenced during the war on drugs and had already spent decades in prison.
I see. What a strange tradition that is.
Kudos to Obama though, those other pardons seem to be quite sensible.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
@Medical:
I misunderstood "Didn't Obama pardon turkeys once?" as Obama pardoning turkeys as in the birds
!
This is kinda hilarious, actually. -
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The turkey Trump will pardon this year will be a notorious war criminal.
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We shouldn't be leading anything anyway. I used to think the U.S was the greatest country on earth…and then I grew up. We're actually pretty shit compared to the rest of the first world countries.
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In more promising news, Sondland is throwing a bunch of Trump cronies under the bus, is generally providing damaging testimony, and Mike Pompeo announced plans to resign a few hours ago. What a day so far.
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@Cyan:
The turkey Trump will pardon this year will be a notorious war criminal.
Turklosevic is a great guy says Trump.
@The:
We shouldn't be leading anything anyway. I used to think the U.S was the greatest country on earth…and then I grew up. We're actually pretty shit compared to the rest of the first world countries.
Hong Kong probably wishes the US still held all the cards. Honestly we all shit on the US alot but it comes from a point of high expectations. Like the US arbitrarily frees war criminals from facing justice pisses me off because that isn't what America is supposed to be, not because the other big dogs would do better.