I got some time this afternoon to watch this debacle. What a joke.
Much todo about nothing. This is a bunch of crybabies given a platform to b!tch about a new boss.

I thought he sounded like someone who thinks far more of himself than what others do....One of the other witnesses described him as basically a problem. If I’m at a level where I listen in on a Presidential phone call and I think a serious, perhaps criminal conversation took place, I’m immediately telling my boss, and everybody else. He didn’t do that  if I heard his answer correctly. I was in and out of the room.

Wearing a uniform doesn't mean you're above reproach or that you're not a fool. Using a uniform as a shield is cowardly.

Bottom line to this whole debacle is summed up in a couple of simple questions and answers I heard one congressman ask the only guy who, as far as I know, spoke to both Presidents, and that was Volker.

Did Trump say to the President of Ukraine they'll be no aid unless you conduct some type of investigation that implicates Joe Biden's son (in some manner that implicates Joe himself. ) The answer is is a clear no.

Did the Ukraine President understand he was being asked to conduct such aninvestigation or aid would be withheld? The answer is a clear no.

Everything else that's been talked about are opinions from individuals with their own perspectives not just of this event, but a wider view of US foreign policy. Which by the way,  their job is to conduct the policy desires of The President.

The Democratic Party has made attempt after attempt to overturn an election they can't understand losing. This ridiculous impeachment, which  is guaranteed to fail, sets up future scenarios where a House majority will routinely hold impeachment hearings to remove opposition Presidents.

WebsterMark wrote on 11/20/19 at 05:18:03:


Again, this isn't about the election - it's about trump wiping his a$$ with the Constitution.  He is not above the law and he will will be tried.

If pompeo leaves his side, game over.  All his allies will be gone and it'll be a nixon all over again.

‘Everyone was in the loop’

In his opening statement, Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, testified to the House Intelligence Committee that there was a quid pro quo in President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, and that Trump, his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were all in on it.

“I know that members of this committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a ‘quid pro quo’?” Sondland said. “The answer is yes.”
“Everyone was in the loop,” Sondland continued. “It was no secret.”

Sondland specifically called out Pompeo and members of the State Department.

“They knew what we were doing and why,” he said.

Sondland said that Giuliani relayed to officials that Trump “wanted a public statement from President Zelensky committing to investigations of Burisma and the 2016 election. Mr. Giuliani expressed those requests directly to the Ukrainians.  Mr. Giuliani also expressed those requests directly to us. We all understood that these pre-requisites for the White House call and White House meeting reflected President Trump’s desires and requirements.

“Mr. Giuliani’s requests were a quid pro quo for arranging a White House visit for President Zelensky,” he testified. “Mr. Giuliani demanded that Ukraine make a public statement announcing investigations of the 2016 election/DNC server and Burisma. Mr. Giuliani was expressing the desires of the president of the United States, and we knew that these investigations were important to the president.”

@Mavigogun, the meta crime will be watching the Senate throwing out all reason, and going all in with Trump. This is the constitutional crisis that they never wanted to be put into, but the only way out for them now is to wade fully into the fetid swamp corridors of what passes for Trump's mind.

The GOP spin tumbler has already exonerated Trump because Sonderland quoted Trump saying 'no quid pro quo'. Trump exonerated by his own quote, classic insanity. Never mind that Sonderland stated in no uncertain Terms what was required.

I don't think that the Democrats have pushed the fact that it was the announcement of the investigations into the Bidden, not the investigations per se. It has been mentioned but it's more of a big deal than it seems, because the *only* point of an announcement is to use for a campaign advertisement.