Donald Trump acquitted by Senate in impeachment trial

[MenInG]

US Democrats have opened a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump over allegations he sought help from a foreign power to damage a political rival.

Top Democrat Nancy Pelosi said the president "must be held accountable".

Mr Trump denies impropriety and called the efforts "witch hunt garbage".

While there is strong support from Democrats on impeachment, if the inquiry moves forward it is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Senate.

The row was sparked by reports an intelligence whistleblower lodged a formal complaint about a phone call President Trump made with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

What exactly was said remains unclear but Democrats accuse Mr Trump of threatening to withhold military aid to force Ukraine to investigate corruption allegations against former Vice-President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Mr Trump has acknowledged discussing Joe Biden with Mr Zelensky but said he was only trying to get Europe to step up assistance by threatening to withhold military aid.

What did Ms Pelosi say?
Ms Pelosi said Mr Trump had committed "a violation of the law", and called his actions "a breach of his constitutional responsibilities".

"This week the president has admitted to asking the president of Ukraine to take action that would benefit him politically," she said, adding: "The president must be held accountable."

As House Speaker Ms Pelosi is the most senior Democrat. She has so far resisted calls among her liberal rank-and-file to attempt to remove the Republican president from office as such an effort could bolster his support.

Mr Biden has denied wrongdoing and also backed impeachment proceedings unless the US president complies with investigations.

Impeaching Mr Trump "would be a tragedy", Mr Biden said. "But a tragedy of his making." He is the current frontrunner to take on Mr Trump in the 2020 election.

How has Mr Trump responded?
In a series of tweets Mr Trump said Democrats "purposely had to ruin and demean" his trip to the UN "with more breaking news Witch Hunt garbage".

"They never even saw the transcript of the call. A total Witch Hunt!" he added.

He promised to release a transcript of his conversation with Ukraine's president on Wednesday to show it was "totally appropriate".

In his response, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said: "Speaker Pelosi happens to be the Speaker of this House, but she does not speak for America when it comes to this issue."

"She cannot unilaterally decide we're in an impeachment inquiry," he added.

Meanwhile, the acting director of US national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, has refused to share the whistleblower report with Congress. He is due to testify before a public House intelligence committee hearing on Thursday.

According to the New York Times, the whistleblower has expressed an interest in talking to lawmakers and the White House and intelligence officials are working on a deal to allow the unnamed person to speak to Congress.

The dam has broken
For months now, Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives have been playing a semantics game. They wanted those who supported and those who opposed a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump to both think they were getting what they wanted.

This strategy suggested a fear by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others that heading down the path to impeachment would put moderate Democrats facing tough 2020 re-election fights at risk.

That calculation appears to have changed, after the rapid drumbeat of new revelations about Mr Trump's contacts with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Now even middle-of-the road politicians are coming out in favour of impeachment proceedings.

The dam has broken. The genie is out of the bottle. Pick your metaphor. The simple fact is that Ms Pelosi - a keen judge of the political mood within her caucus - has made the decision to shift from resisting impeachment to - at the very least - being open to it.

The path forward is uncertain. The president has announced that he will release the transcript of his 25 July phone conversation with Zelensky. While that won't be enough for Democrats, perhaps the White House will do more to accede to Congress's requests.

Opinion surveys could show the latest drama is taking a toll on one party or the other, causing political will to crumble. Or, both sides could dig in for a long, gruelling battle that could drag into the darkest days of winter.

Ms Pelosi's announcement gives an official go-ahead for a committee to investigate the US president's phone call with the Ukrainian leader and determine whether he committed an impeachable offence.

In her announcement she said the six other congressional committees investigating Mr Trump on other matters would continue under the umbrella of a formal impeachment inquiry.

What would impeachment take?
If it moves forward the House of Representatives will vote on any charges and with the Democrats in the majority there, it could comfortably pass.

But it would next move to the Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required - and where the Republicans hold sway.

A YouGov poll said 55% of Americans would support impeachment if it was confirmed that President Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine in order to push the country's officials to investigate Joe Biden.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49814927

 

[sweep_shot]

Trump only has about a year before election.

No point in impeaching him now. Better to focus on defeating him in election.

 

[Varun]

Nothing will happen.

Trump is set to serve another 4-year term after this one. Deal with it.

 

[sweep_shot]

Nothing will happen.

Trump is set to serve another 4-year term after this one. Deal with it.

Biden can win it. Trump is not overwhelmingly popular. It can go either way.

 

[USofA]

This is not going to end well for the democratic party. I don't think this impeachment is going to happen. On top of it, it will only help Trump in the re-election campaign.

Looking at the current lay of the land, Trump will win. I believe that a good amount of democrats are going to vote for Trump. I just do not see any of the democratic candidates winning. They are too far to the left. You have to be in center to get the votes. They are no where close to that.

 

[Gilly]

This is not going to end well for the democratic party. I don't think this impeachment is going to happen. On top of it, it will only help Trump in the re-election campaign.

Looking at the current lay of the land, Trump will win. I believe that a good amount of democrats are going to vote for Trump. I just do not see any of the democratic candidates winning. They are too far to the left. You have to be in center to get the votes. They are no where close to that.

Yeah they have screwed up here, if you are going to impeach someone be clear on what law they have broken before you impeach them instead of using mob mentality to make a decision.

 

[Gilly]

I would not be suprised if Trump has arranged this whistleblower story to encourage the dems to impeach him.

 

[Sir-fraz]

Biden can win it. Trump is not overwhelmingly popular. It can go either way.

LOL biden is not winning anything except a bus ticket home..

this is trumps election and its so obvious.

trump right now has a better approval rating then obama.

 

[Robert]

I doubt that this can suceed as the Senate won't back it.

Pelosi must be timing this to be able to damage Trump's re-election chances. Plant the seed of acccusation of treason and let it grow.

 

[Nostalgic]

After promising to release the “transcript” of the call, what they released was a memo stating it is “not a verbatim transcript.”

I haven’t gone through it yet but the reaction suggests it is damning enough, asking the Ukrainians to work with the Attorney General and Trump’s personal lawyer, who last night had a meltdown on Fox that is worth watching.

 

[sweep_shot]

I am anti-Trump but I don't think Trump has broken any election law. Therefore, trying to impeach him is a waste of time and money.

It is better to focus on getting a candidate who can beat Trump in 2020.

 

[Sir-fraz]

I am anti-Trump but I don't think Trump has broken any election law. Therefore, trying to impeach him is a waste of time and money.

It is better to focus on getting a candidate who can beat Trump in 2020.

its the same old dribble they have been shouting. hes gonna win again, and this time by majority.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

If they try to impeach him and don't succeed it will just strengthen Trump politically. It's a big gamble.

 

[cric_man]

I am anti-Trump but I don't think Trump has broken any election law. Therefore, trying to impeach him is a waste of time and money.

It is better to focus on getting a candidate who can beat Trump in 2020.

Look up the Logan Act to begin with...

 

[MenInG]

The White House has released details of a phone call between President Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart that has triggered a US impeachment inquiry.

It shows Mr Trump asked Volodymyr Zelensky on 25 July to investigate Democratic candidate Joe Biden, whose son worked for a Ukrainian gas firm.

Mr Trump denies withholding US military aid to Ukraine as leverage in a bid to smear his political rival, Mr Biden.

The Trump-Ukraine phone call is part of a whistleblower's complaint.

Reacting to the controversy on Wednesday morning at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Mr Trump said it was the "single greatest witch hunt in American history".

"The way you had that built up that call, it was going to be the call from hell," Mr Trump said. "It turned out to be a nothing call."

The Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on Tuesday threw her weight behind an official impeachment inquiry into the president's actions.

A House vote to impeach the president for "high crimes and misdemeanours" under the US constitution could trigger a trial in the Senate on whether to remove Mr Trump from office.

Mr Trump had promised that a "complete, fully declassified and unredacted transcript" of the 25 July call would be released.

But the details disclosed by the White House on Wednesday morning were notes of the conversation taken by US officials who listened in.

The July call occurred days after Mr Trump directed the US government to withhold about $391m (£316m) in military aid to Ukraine.

Dissecting phone call behind Trump impeachment push
But there is no discussion of that money in the memorandum released by the White House.

According to the notes, Mr Trump mentions to Mr Zelensky how Joe Biden, as US vice-president, lobbied Ukraine in 2016 to fire its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin.

Mr Shokin's office had opened an investigation into Burisma, a natural gas company on which Hunter Biden was a board member.

Other Western officials had called for Mr Shokin to be fired because of the perception that he was soft on corruption.

Mr Trump is quoted as saying in the call: "I heard you had a prosecutor who was very good and he was shut down and that's really unfair.

"A lot of people are talking about that, the way they shut your very good prosecutor down and you had some very bad people involved."

He continues: "The other thing, there's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the [US] Attorney General would be great.

"Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it... It sounds horrible to me."

How the controversy unfolded
18 July - President Trump orders White House aide to hold back almost $400m in military aid to Ukraine, report US media
25 July - President Trump speaks with Ukraine's leader in a 30-minute phone call
9 September - Congress learns of a whistleblower's complaint about the call, but is blocked by the Trump administration from viewing it
11 September - Military aid for Ukraine is cleared for release by the Pentagon and US Department of State
23 September - Trump confirms he withheld Ukrainian aid, saying it was due to concerns about "corruption"
24 September - Trump says the aid was withheld so that other countries would pay more
What's the Trump-Ukraine story about?

Mr Zelensky says in response: "We will take care of that and we will work on the investigation of the case.

"On top of that, I would kindly ask you if you have any additional information you can provide us, it would be very helpful."

Thanking Mr Trump, Mr Zelensky said he stayed in the Trump Tower in New York City during his previous visit to the US.

During the call, the US president also asked Mr Zelensky to work with US Attorney General William Barr and Mr Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, to look into the matter, according to the notes.

The controversy arose after a whistleblower from within the US intelligence community filed a complaint with an internal watchdog about Mr Trump's conversation with Mr Zelenskiy.

The inspector general for the intelligence community referred the whistleblower's complaint to the US Department of Justice.

Federal law requires such complaints to be disclosed to Congress, but the Trump administration has refused to do so.

The US Department of Justice said the whistleblower had heard the information from "White House officials," and did not have firsthand knowledge of the call.

The department's spokeswoman, Kerri Kupec, said it had reviewed a record of the phone call, and determined "there was no campaign finance violation and that no further action was required".

Mr Trump "has not spoken with the Attorney General about having Ukraine investigate anything relating to former Vice-President Joe Biden or his son", Ms Kupec said in a statement.

"The Attorney General has not communicated with Ukraine - on this or any other subject."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49830588

 

[USofA]

If they try to impeach him and don't succeed it will just strengthen Trump politically. It's a big gamble.

It is not going to succeed. The Senate will block this.

Nancy Pelosi I'm sure does not want this. She held off as long as she could. This is a losing situation for the Democrats. What's more, I'm sure this is going to spill into the democratic debates. Which means Trump is going raise a whole lot of $$$ for his campaign.

 

[KingKhanWC]

I listened to Trumps speech at the UNGA, it was the best speech he has ever delivered imo.

It seems the Globalists who are really in charge of US policies have had enough of Trump. One of the reasons imo is his unwillingness to attack Iran which resulted in the sacking of Bolton. Now I think the globalists want him out. Dont be surprised if he is impeached and it's likely he wont win the next election now if still in office.

 

[Nostalgic]

Latest polls suggest support for Biden has dropped enough that Warren is now in the lead. Whether or not the alleged corruption of him and his son led to the drop, this bodes well for the Democrats. It was Biden being the front runner that led to Trump trying to influence the Ukrainians into reopening the investigation. If Biden continues to go down in the polls, the alleged corruption is hardly something the Republicans can milk during the campaign next fall.

 

[Markhor]

If they try to impeach him and don't succeed it will just strengthen Trump politically. It's a big gamble.

You don't refuse to hold a lawbreaker accountable simply because it's politically difficult. You either uphold the rule of law or set a precedent where a President can commit any offence with impunity.

It isn't just this scandal, but a mountain of impeachable offences that Trump must be held accountable for including hush money payments to cover up affairs and ten counts of obstruction of justice Mueller reported.

I also ask impeachment opponents that if Obama was reported to withhold aid from a foreign country in return for dirt on his political opponent John McCain or Mitt Romney - what do you think the Republican reaction would've been ?

 

[Nostalgic]

You don't refuse to hold a lawbreaker accountable simply because it's politically difficult. You either uphold the rule of law or set a precedent where a President can commit any offence with impunity.

It isn't just this scandal, but a mountain of impeachable offences that Trump must be held accountable for including hush money payments to cover up affairs and ten counts of obstruction of justice Mueller reported.

I also ask impeachment opponents that if Obama was reported to withhold aid from a foreign country in return for dirt on his political opponent John McCain or Mitt Romney - what do you think the Republican reaction would've been ?

The Republicans were scandalized by the tan suit he once wore...

 

[MenInG]

Members of US Congress have seen for the first time a whistleblower complaint against Donald Trump that has led to calls for his impeachment.

One Democrat described it as "disturbing" while a Republican said it was "troubling".

The complaint refers to a controversial phone call between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian president, US media say.

The latest developments come as the acting director of US intelligence is due to testify on the issue.

Joseph Maguire's account of the complaint by an unnamed intelligence officer will be closely scrutinised when he appears before members of the House Intelligence Committee later on Thursday.

The content of the complaint is still classified but the most senior Democrat in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, has called for its immediate release.

During a news conference on Wednesday evening, President Trump again dismissed the impeachment proceedings as a "hoax" and a "witch-hunt".

According to notes of the 25 July phone call, President Trump asked his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to look into corruption claims involving the son of Joe Biden, Mr Trump's possible rival in next year's presidential election. There is no evidence of any wrongdoing by the Bidens.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Mr Biden accused President Trump of "an abuse of power".

The complaint against the president was hand-delivered to members of Congress on Wednesday.

It is said to concern not only Mr Trump's call with President Zelensky but also the way that records of the conversation were handled by White House staff, the New York Times reported.

"I found the allegations deeply disturbing. I also found them very credible," said Adam Schiff, Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

"I think that what this courageous individual has done has exposed serious wrongdoing," he said referring to the whistleblower. "We will do everything possible to protect you."

Lawmakers have said they hoped to hear from the whistleblower at some point, but no meeting has been scheduled.

Democrat committee member Mike Quigley called the complaint "deeply disturbing" while Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said there were "real troubling things here".

"Republicans ought not just circle the wagons [to protect Mr Trump]," he said.

However Mike Conaway, a Republican member of the House Intelligence Committee, said he did not think the complaint would compromise Mr Trump, adding: "I haven't seen anything that bothers me."

Mr Schumer, calling for the contents of the complaint to be made public, said: "The public has a right to read the whistleblower's complaint for themselves."

What about the impeachment inquiry?
Democrats accuse Mr Trump of seeking foreign help in the hope of smearing Joe Biden and of using aid as a potential bargaining tool.

Under the US constitution, a president can be impeached for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanours" - a procedure that can lead to removal from office.

In July, Mr Trump froze military aid to Ukraine, but he has insisted that this was not used to put pressure on the new government in Kiev.


Media caption"He's violated so many clauses of the constitution" - US citizens react to impeachment inquiry
A House vote to impeach the president could trigger a trial in the Senate on whether to remove Mr Trump from office.

Congress's investigation focuses partly on whether Mr Trump abused his presidential powers and sought to help his own re-election by seeking the aid of a foreign government to undermine Mr Biden.

Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said such actions would mark a "betrayal of his oath of office" and declared: "No-one is above the law."

But on Wednesday Mr Trump said denied he had put pressure on Mr Zelensky.

"I didn't do it. I didn't threaten anybody," he said. "No push, no pressure, no nothing. It's all a hoax, folks, it's all a big hoax."

What did Trump say about Biden in the call?
Mr Trump discusses with newly elected Mr Zelensky the 2016 removal of a prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, according to notes of their telephone conversation released by the White House.

The US president is quoted as saying in the half-hour call: "I heard you had a prosecutor who was very good and he was shut down and that's really unfair.

"A lot of people are talking about that, the way they shut your very good prosecutor down and you had some very bad people involved."

He continues: "The other thing, there's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution [of Mr Biden's son] and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the [US] Attorney General would be great.

According to ABC News, an adviser to Mr Zelensky has contended that discussing the Biden case was a US precondition to any phone call between the two leaders.

On the call, the US president also asks Mr Zelensky to work with US Attorney General William Barr and Mr Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, to look into the matter, according to the notes.

The Department of Justice said on Wednesday that Mr Trump had not spoken with the attorney general about having Ukraine investigate Mr Biden, and Mr Barr had not communicated with Ukraine.

What is the claim against Joe Biden?
Mr Trump and his conservative allies have focused on how Mr Biden, as US vice-president in 2016, lobbied Ukraine to fire Mr Shokin.

Mr Shokin's office had opened an investigation into Burisma, a natural gas company on which Mr Biden's son, Hunter Biden, was a board member.

Other Western officials had called for Mr Shokin to be fired because of the perception that he was soft on corruption.

Mr Biden last year told a foreign policy event how he threatened to withhold $1bn in aid to Ukraine unless Mr Shokin was removed.

How the controversy unfolded
18 July - President Trump orders White House aide to hold back almost $400m in military aid to Ukraine, report US media
25 July - President Trump speaks with Ukraine's leader in a 30-minute phone call
9 September - Congress learns of a whistleblower's complaint about the call, but is blocked by the Trump administration from viewing it
11 September - Military aid for Ukraine is cleared for release by the Pentagon and US Department of State
23 September - Trump confirms he withheld Ukrainian aid, saying it was due to concerns about "corruption"
24 September - Trump says the aid was withheld so that other countries would pay more

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49834661

 

[MenInG]

US lawmakers are preparing to question President Trump's top intelligence official over a whistleblower complaint that sparked an impeachment inquiry.

Acting national intelligence director Joseph Maguire initially refused to share the complaint with Congress.

It refers to a controversial phone call between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian president, US media report.

In the call, Mr Trump pushes Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate corruption claims involving the son of Joe Biden.

Mr Biden - the leading Democratic presidential hopeful - says a rough transcript of the conversation released on Wednesday shows the president betrayed his oath of office.

Democrats opened an impeachment inquiry against the president on Tuesday, accusing Mr Trump of seeking foreign help in the hope of smearing Mr Biden and of using military aid to Ukraine as a potential bargaining tool.

President Trump has dismissed the impeachment proceedings as a "hoax" and a "witch-hunt".

Dissecting phone call behind Trump impeachment push
Trump call could embarrass Ukraine's president
The whistleblower's formal complaint was still classified on Wednesday, but some US politicians had been allowed to see it, and senior Democrats called for its immediate release.

A House of Representatives vote to impeach the president could trigger a trial in the Senate on whether to remove Mr Trump from office.

Congress's investigation focuses partly on whether Mr Trump abused his presidential powers and sought to help his own re-election by seeking the aid of a foreign government to undermine Mr Biden.

Mr Trump denies putting pressure on Mr Zelensky.

What did Trump say about Biden in the call?
According to notes of the 25 July phone call, President Trump asked his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to look into corruption claims involving the son of Joe Biden, Mr Trump's possible rival in next year's presidential election. There is no evidence of any wrongdoing by the Bidens.

Mr Trump discusses with newly elected Mr Zelensky the 2016 removal of a prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, according to the notes. He then goes on to discuss Mr Biden's son, Hunter Biden, and the fact that Mr Biden allegedly stopped the prosecution of his son.

On the call, the US president also asks Mr Zelensky to work with US Attorney General William Barr and Mr Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, to look into the matter, according to the notes.

The Department of Justice said on Wednesday that Mr Trump had not spoken to the attorney general about having Ukraine investigate Mr Biden, and Mr Barr had not communicated with Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday
The Ukrainian leader has said he thought only Mr Trump's side of their phone call would be published.

"I personally think that sometimes such calls between presidents of independent countries should not be published," he told Ukrainian media in New York, Reuters news agency reports.

Mr Zelensky also said Hunter Biden's case was "one of many" he discusses with foreign leaders.

"For me, this is one of numerous cases that I talk about with the leaders of other states, if they ask me," he is quoted as saying by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

"Sometimes, these cases are being investigated or have not been investigated for many years - I do not know why," he added.

What is the claim against Joe Biden?
Mr Trump and his conservative allies have focused on how Mr Biden, as US vice-president in 2016, lobbied Ukraine to fire Mr Shokin.

Mr Shokin's office had opened an investigation into Burisma, a natural gas company on which Hunter Biden was a board member.

Other Western officials had called for Mr Shokin to be fired because of the perception that he was soft on corruption.

Mr Biden last year told a foreign policy event how he threatened to withhold $1bn in aid to Ukraine unless Mr Shokin was removed.

How the controversy unfolded
18 July - President Trump orders White House aide to hold back almost $400m in military aid to Ukraine, report US media
25 July - President Trump speaks to Ukraine's leader in a 30-minute phone call
9 September - Congress learns of a whistleblower's complaint about the call, but is blocked by the Trump administration from viewing it
11 September - Military aid for Ukraine is cleared for release by the Pentagon and US Department of State
23 September - Trump confirms he withheld Ukrainian aid, saying it was due to concerns about "corruption"
24 September - Trump says the aid was withheld so that other countries would pay more

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49836285

 

[MenInG]

The whistleblower whose complaint has led to an impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump is a CIA officer, US media report.

The New York Times said the unnamed officer once worked at the White House.

The whistleblower says senior White House officials tried to "lock down" all details of a phone call between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian president.

In the call, Mr Trump pushed Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate his leading Democratic political rival, Joe Biden.

The complaint, released on Thursday, says the call transcript was not stored in the usual computer system. Instead it was stored in a separate system used for classified information.

Democrats accuse Mr Trump of seeking foreign help in the hope of smearing Mr Biden - who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election - and of using military aid to Ukraine as a bargaining tool.

Mr Trump, a Republican, denies any wrongdoing and has dismissed the impeachment proceedings as a "hoax" and "another witch-hunt".

As it happened: US intel director grilled by Congress
What's the Trump-Ukraine story about?
How easy is it to impeach a president?
He acknowledged that he personally blocked nearly $400m in military aid to Ukraine days before he spoke to Mr Zelensky, but denied that it was to pressure the Ukrainian leader into investigating Mr Biden.

Few details about the whistleblower's identity are known. A lawyer for the whistleblower warned that trying to identify the person could place them "in harm's way".

Meanwhile an audio recording has emerged in which Mr Trump demands to know who provided information to the whistleblower - and describes them as "close to a spy".

"I want to know who's the person, who's the person who gave the whistleblower the information. Because that's close to a spy," the president said in private remarks to staff at the UN. The recording was provided to the Los Angeles Times.

In an apparent reference to the execution of spies by the US in the past, he adds: "You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? The spies and treason, we used to handle it a little differently than we do now..."

The remarks were condemned by the Democratic chairmen of three committees in the House of Representatives. In a joint statement they said the comments constituted "reprehensible witness intimidation" and an attempt to obstruct the impeachment inquiry.

One Democrat said he wanted the whistleblower to talk to members of the House Intelligence Committee "at the earliest".

"I am concerned at some of the statements the president has been making about the whistleblower, and whether he's going to retaliate against the guy," said Raja Kirshnamoorthi.

What does the complaint say?
The whistleblower's complaint accuses Mr Trump of "using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the US 2020 election".

The now unclassified document characterises the president's conduct as a "serious or flagrant problem, abuse, or violation of law".

The alleged violation concerns President Trump asking his Ukrainian counterpart on 25 July to investigate unfounded allegations against Mr Biden.

The whistleblower says in the complaint that they had learned from several sources that senior White House officials had intervened to "lock down" all records of the call, particularly an official word-for-word transcript.

What Trump's Ukraine phone call really means
Trump call could embarrass Ukraine's president
"This set of actions underscored to me that White House officials understood the gravity of what had transpired in the call," the whistleblower wrote in the complaint.

The whistleblower says details of the call were stored in a "stand-alone computer system reserved for codeword-level intelligence information, such as covert action".

The whistleblower adds that officials said it was "not the first time under this administration that a presidential transcript was placed into this codeword-level system solely for the purpose of protecting politically sensitive - rather than national security sensitive - information".

The complaint makes clear that the whistleblower was "not a direct witness" to most of the events described, but found their colleagues' accounts to be credible "because, in almost all cases, multiple officials recounted fact patterns that were consistent with one another".

What's happened in Congress?
The release of the whistleblower complaint on Thursday came as lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee began to question President Trump's top intelligence official on the issue.

Acting National Intelligence Director Joseph Maguire had initially refused to share the complaint with Congress. But under questioning by the committee on Thursday, Mr Maguire said he believed the whistleblower had acted in "good faith" and "did the right thing".

Committee chairman Adam Schiff, a Democrat, opened the hearing by accusing President Trump of a "classic organised crime shakedown".


Media captionIntel chief questioned on accusations whistleblower is a "political hack"
But the leading Republican on the committee, Devin Nunes, a Trump supporter, said: "I want to congratulate the Democrats on their latest informational warfare operation against the president and their extraordinary ability to once again enlist the mainstream media in their campaign."

Mr Schiff asked Mr Maguire why he had sought advice from the White House before deciding to release the whistleblower's report.

"It just seemed prudent to check," Mr Maguire responded, saying he had sought the advice of White House counsel to determine if the report included information protected by presidential executive privilege.

He added: "I believe everything in this matter is totally unprecedented."

During further questioning by Mr Schiff, Mr Maguire said he believed the whistleblower had acted in "good faith".

He continued: "I think the whistleblower did the right thing. I think he followed the law every step of the way."

What is the claim about Joe Biden?
During the call, Mr Trump discussed with newly elected Mr Zelensky the 2016 removal of a Ukrainian prosecutor, Viktor Shokin.

He then went on to discuss Mr Biden's son, Hunter Biden, and the unsubstantiated allegation that Mr Biden - then the US vice-president - stopped the prosecution of his son by lobbying Ukraine to fire Mr Shokin.

Mr Shokin's office had opened an investigation into Burisma, a natural gas company on which Hunter Biden was a board member.

During the call, Mr Trump also asked Mr Zelensky to work with US Attorney General William Barr and Mr Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, to look into the matter.

There is no evidence of any wrongdoing by the Bidens.

Mr Biden, along with other Western officials, had called for Mr Shokin to be fired because of the perception that he was soft on corruption.

When Mr Shokin was replaced, his successor continued to investigate Burisma for 10 months before the inquiry ended.

The Department of Justice said on Wednesday that Mr Trump had not spoken to the attorney general about having Ukraine investigate Mr Biden, and Mr Barr had not communicated with Ukraine.

Speaking at a fundraising event in San Marino, California, on Thursday, Mr Biden said: "This isn't about me. It's a tactic that's used by this president to try to hijack an election so we do not focus on the issues that matter in our lives."

How the controversy unfolded
On or before 18 July - President Trump orders White House aide to hold back almost $400m in military aid to Ukraine, report US media
25 July - President Trump speaks to Ukraine's leader in a 30-minute phone call
9 September - Congress learns of a whistleblower's complaint about the call, but is blocked by the Trump administration from viewing it
11 September - Military aid for Ukraine is cleared for release by the Pentagon and Department of State
23 September - Mr Trump confirms he withheld Ukrainian aid, saying it was due to concerns about "corruption"
24 September - Mr Trump says the aid was withheld so that other countries would pay more.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49848103

 

[Lonewarrior]

looks like all Modi's friend got kicked out, first NS, then Natanyahooo, now Trump in hot waters.

 

[Sir-fraz]

looks like all Modi's friend got kicked out, first NS, then Natanyahooo, now Trump in hot waters.

trump is going nowhere, majority win coming soon

 

[sweep_shot]

trump is going nowhere, majority win coming soon

Poll is telling something else: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_biden-6247.html.

I know poll got it wrong last time but Trump is not overwhelmingly ahead. It is still 50-50.

 

[troodon]

Democrats are a bunch of crybabies. Seriously, they cannot respect and peoples mandate. Barely an year left for next elections and they still are whining and whinging about Trump.

If Biden comes out as Trump's opponent, expect Trump to trounce him.

 

[sweep_shot]

Democrats are a bunch of crybabies. Seriously, they cannot respect and peoples mandate. Barely an year left for next elections and they still are whining and whinging about Trump.

If Biden comes out as Trump's opponent, expect Trump to trounce him.

I think Biden has higher chance of beating Trump than Hillary did.

It is because Biden is a very feisty guy just like Trump. Hillary was a polite woman and hence it didn't work.

With Trump, you have to play fire with fire.

 

[Sir-fraz]

Poll is telling something else: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_biden-6247.html.

I know poll got it wrong last time but Trump is not overwhelmingly ahead. It is still 50-50.

Yea dont go by polls.. when it comes to voting things change quickly

 

[Sir-fraz]

I think Biden has higher chance of beating Trump than Hillary did.

It is because Biden is a very feisty guy just like Trump. Hillary was a polite woman and hence it didn't work.

With Trump, you have to play fire with fire.

Well killary was a lier, and a warmongerer. Also basically a failure while she was in office.

She an evil disgusting women, who only acts in her own benefit.

 

[sweep_shot]

Well killary was a lier, and a warmongerer. Also basically a failure while she was in office.

She an evil disgusting women, who only acts in her own benefit.

Hillary was indeed evil and deceptive but she was still quite polite externally.

Biden, on the other hand, is naturally feisty.

Trump is a liar just like Hillary. He makes up facts. You need someone like Biden to call him out.

 

[Nostalgic]

Biden milks his proletarian roots for all they are worth, but he’s the quintessential machine/establishment politician, and won’t inspire much passion come election time. One of the fringe benefits of this impeachment drama is that he’s dropping in the polls. This is great news, because the Republicans will keep harping on his and his son’s supposed corruption whether it exists or not. If he isn’t the eventual nominee, they can keep doing that and it won’t harm someone like Sanders or Warren if they get the nomination. However if Biden is the candidate, the allegations will hurt. It’s imperative that he continue to drop in the polls and eventually lose.

 

[mustang]

Biden milks his proletarian roots for all they are worth, but he’s the quintessential machine/establishment politician, and won’t inspire much passion come election time. One of the fringe benefits of this impeachment drama is that he’s dropping in the polls. This is great news, because the Republicans will keep harping on his and his son’s supposed corruption whether it exists or not. If he isn’t the eventual nominee, they can keep doing that and it won’t harm someone like Sanders or Warren if they get the nomination. However if Biden is the candidate, the allegations will hurt. It’s imperative that he continue to drop in the polls and eventually lose.

Absolutely agree with this and also with the above post of Hillary being corrupt and inept. Trump's 2016 victory was basically a result of DNC being corrupt and nepotistic in terms of how they chose their candidate. If things were represented in a fair manner, Hillary probably lost to Bernie (whether Bernie would be an effective leader is another debate altogether). Many of the votes for Trump (especially from the swing states) were actually votes against Hillary.

Makes us wonder if some of the conspiracy theories are true and if there is more to it than meets the eye as in the picture below (from back in the day when both these groups were open about their friendships).

 

[The Viper]

Trump impeachment inquiry: Ukraine ex-minister rejects Biden claim

Ukraine's former Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has categorically rejected claims by Donald Trump concerning Mr Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden.

Mr Trump has alleged, without evidence, that Mr Biden pressed for the sacking of a Ukrainian prosecutor to protect a business that employed his son.

Mr Klimkin told the BBC that the prosecutor was sacked for corruption.

A number of Western bodies, including the EU, had pushed for the prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, to be sacked, he said.

Mr Trump faces impeachment proceedings for using his position as president to push the Ukrainian President, Vladimir Zelensky, to investigate Mr Biden, who was at the time leading polls to be his Democratic opponent in the 2020 election.

Meanwhile, it was revealed by US media that the whistleblower whose complaint led to the impeachment inquiry was a CIA officer who once worked at the White House.

And 300 former US national security officials signed a letter supporting the impeachment. They described Mr Trump's actions as a "national security concern", and said he appeared to have committed "an unconscionable abuse of power".

Mr Trump's Democrat opponent in the 2016 elections, Hillary Clinton, also backed impeachment, saying the president "poses a clear and present danger to our future, to our democracy".

Mr Trump dismissed the impeachment proceedings as a "witch-hunt".

Impeachment is a two-stage political process, rarely exercised, by which a US president can be removed from office for wrongdoing.

Even if President Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives, he is unlikely to be forced out of the White House because Republicans control the Senate.

What did Mr Klimkin say?
Mr Klimkin, who was serving as foreign minister when Mr Shokin was sacked in 2016, said there was "definitely" no evidence that his removal was for anything other than corruption.

"The whole sense of this push was to sort out, to deliver on reforms in Ukraine," he said. "It was not about the prosecutor general. It was about prosecutor offices which were systemically corrupt."

He said it was important to have a full reshuffle of the offices, and pressure was coming from the whole international community, not just Mr Biden or the US individually.

The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Kiev says Mr Klimkin's words serve to reinforce what has been the almost universal reaction from credible voices in Kiev, namely that Mr Shokin had been an obstacle to fighting corruption.

What is the claim about Joe Biden?

On 25 July Mr Trump raised Mr Shokin's removal during a phone call with newly-elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, details of which were released by the White House this week.

He went on to discuss Mr Biden's son Hunter and the unsubstantiated allegation that his father - then the US vice-president - stopped an investigation into his son's employer by lobbying Ukraine to fire Mr Shokin.

The chief prosecutor's office had an open inquiry into Burisma, a natural gas company on which Hunter Biden was a board member.

There is no evidence of any wrongdoing by the Bidens.

When Mr Shokin was replaced, his successor continued to investigate Burisma for 10 months before the inquiry ended.

Why is the phone call controversial?
Democrats accuse Mr Trump of illegally seeking foreign help in the hope of smearing Mr Biden - who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election.

The US president called on the Ukrainian leader to talk to US Attorney General William Barr and Mr Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani about investigating Hunter Biden's past business dealings.

Mr Trump is accused of using military aid to Ukraine as a bargaining tool. The package - which has since been released - was aimed at supporting US interests in a friendly country.

Mr Trump, a Republican, denies any wrongdoing and has dismissed the impeachment proceedings as a "hoax" and "another witch-hunt".

He acknowledged that he had personally blocked nearly $400m (£324m) in military aid to Ukraine days before he spoke to Mr Zelensky, but denied that it was to pressure the Ukrainian leader into investigating Mr Biden.

Who is the whistleblower and what do they say?
Few details are known. A lawyer for the whistleblower warned that trying to identify the person could place them "in harm's way".

The New York Times, Washington Post and Reuters news agency identified the whistleblower as a CIA officer.

Their complaint accuses Mr Trump of "using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the US 2020 election".

The declassified document characterises the president's conduct as a "serious or flagrant problem, abuse, or violation of law".

The whistleblower says they had learned from several sources that senior White House officials had intervened to "lock down" all records of the call, particularly an official word-for-word transcript.

"This set of actions underscored to me that White House officials understood the gravity of what had transpired in the call," the whistleblower wrote in the complaint.

How the controversy unfolded

Mid-July - President Trump orders White House aide to hold back almost $400m in military aid to Ukraine, report US media

25 July - Mr Trump speaks to Ukraine's leader in a 30-minute phone call

9 September - Congress learns of a whistleblower's complaint about the call, but is blocked by the Trump administration from viewing it

11 September - Military aid for Ukraine is cleared for release by the Pentagon and Department of State

23 September - Mr Trump confirms he withheld Ukrainian aid, saying it was due to concerns about "corruption"

24 September - Mr Trump says the aid was withheld so that other countries would pay more.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-49856788

 

[MenInG]

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been ordered by Democrats to turn over documents relating to the Trump administration's dealings with Ukraine.

In a letter, the heads of three House committees subpoenaed Mr Pompeo to produce the documents within a week.

It is the latest move in rapidly escalating impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.

He is being scrutinised for allegedly pressuring Ukraine's president to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden.

In a separate development on Friday, the US special envoy for Ukraine negotiations, Kurt Volker, resigned, US media reported.

What's the Trump-Ukraine story about?
How easy is it to impeach a president?
Mr Trump has denied putting any pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call in July, when Mr Biden was leading polls to win the Democratic nomination for the White House race in 2020.

Mr Trump has alleged that Mr Biden pressed for the sacking of Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin in 2016 to protect a business that employed his son, Hunter Biden.

Mr Biden did call for the sacking of Mr Shokin, even threatening to withhold $1bn (£813m) in aid to Ukraine. But so did a number of other Western officials who saw Mr Shokin as a hindrance to anti-corruption investigations.

Impeachment is a two-stage political process, rarely exercised, by which a US president can be removed from office for wrongdoing.

Even if President Trump were impeached by the House of Representatives, he is unlikely to be forced out of the White House because Republicans control the Senate.

What is the Pompeo subpoena about?
It was issued in the joint letter by the House's Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight committees.

The committees are headed by Elliot Engel, Adam Schiff and Elijah Cummings respectively.

Media captionDid Trump ask for "a favour" in return for aid to Ukraine?
The letter says the subpoena was issued because Mr Pompeo had failed to comply with the demand to provide requested documents.

"Your continued refusal to provide the requested documents not only prevents our committees from fully investigating these matters, but impairs Congress' ability to fulfil its constitutional responsibilities to protect our national security and the integrity of our democracy," the letter said.

The three committees also informed Mr Pompeo that they planned to request testimonies from five officials, including Mr Volker and the former US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, in the next two weeks.

Mr Pompeo has so far made no public comments on the subpoena.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49860079

 

[Markhor]

https://www.npr.org/2019/09/27/7647...es-use-of-secret-system-is-unusual-disturbing

According to the complaint, senior White House officials intervened to "lock down" records of the July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. To do this, the whistleblower said, the rough transcript was loaded into an electronic system meant for classified information "of an especially sensitive nature."

Wait, I thought Trump said it was a "beautiful" and "perfect" phone call ? If it was so, then why would WH officials immediately hide the transcript ?

So now there's three aspects to this scandal.

1) Asking a foreign leader to investigate your political opponent. Already that's illegal even without a quid pro quo.

2) A quid pro quo whereby military aid was withheld in exchange for the investigation into Biden.

3) A cover up.

 

[Abdullah719]

Trump impeachment: Whistleblower 'endangered' by Trump criticism

The lawyers for a whistleblower whose complaint triggered a US presidential impeachment inquiry say Donald Trump's words are endangering their client.

Since the transcript of his call with the president of Ukraine was revealed, Mr Trump has called for the anonymous whistleblower to be unmasked.

Democrats say the whistleblower will testify to Congress "soon" once steps are taken to protect their identity.

Mr Trump has suggested his opponents could be arrested for treason.

A transcript of a call Mr Trump made to Ukraine's new President Volodymyr Zelensky shows he urged him to investigate discredited corruption allegations against former vice-president and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden as well as his son.

The call is now at the centre of an effort by Democrats that could see Mr Trump expelled from office, but doing so would require members of his Republican party to turn against him.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49881847

 

[IMMY69]

If the case against Trump is damning enough then the Republicans will have to decide whether they continue to support him.
If it looks like the senate have lost faith then best course for Trump would be to resign.

If the Republicans continue their support in the face of overwhelming evidence they could very well end up losing the election next year.

So Trump talking about traitors etc is not just pandering to his base but the republicans too.

 

[AdamM97]

So when Clinton asks Ukraine for evidence for Trump-Russia collusion, it’s Trump’s fault
but if Trump asks Ukraine for dirt on Biden, it’s not Biden’s fault?


Gotta love the logic, US media!

 

[IMMY69]

So when Clinton asks Ukraine for evidence for Trump-Russia collusion, it’s Trump’s fault
but if Trump asks Ukraine for dirt on Biden, it’s not Biden’s fault?


Gotta love the logic, US media!

Difference being that in Trump's case, it involved holding back congress approved funds and the favour was to assist in eliminating a candidate.

 

[IMMY69]

By the way it may be no coincidence that Mohammad Bin Salman came out admitting guilt for Khasoggi's murder shortly after the rumours that there is another tape of Trump's conversation with Salman.

 

[Gilly]

Difference being that in Trump's case, it involved holding back congress approved funds and the favour was to assist in eliminating a candidate.

After reading the transcript supplied on the conversation I couldent find where Trump said he would hold back funds unless Biden was investigated. Could I ask for some reference as to where I can find it please.

 

[IMMY69]

After reading the transcript supplied on the conversation I couldent find where Trump said he would hold back funds unless Biden was investigated. Could I ask for some reference as to where I can find it please.

Sorry I should have said “if it’s proven”.

 

[Gilly]

Sorry I should have said “if it’s proven”.

The conversation transcript is out there.

I would like you to do us a favor though
because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a
lot about it. I would like you to find out what happened with
this whole si�uation with Ukraine, they s_ay Crowdstrike ... I guess
you have one of your weal thy people... The server, they say
Ukraine has.it� There- are a lot. of things that went on, the·
:whole situation .. I think you 1 re _surrounding yourse·lf with some
of the same people. I .

would like to have the Attorney General
call you or your people and I would like you t� ·get to the
bottom of it�. As you sa� yest�rday, that whole nonsetise ended
with a very poor performance by a man named Robert Mue�le_r, an
incompetent performance-, _but they. say a lot of it started with
Ukraine. Whatever you can do, ·it's very important that· you. do it
if that's possible.

I just cant see where it involved holding back congress approved funds and the favour was to assist in eliminating a candidate.

Maybe I'm missing something here.

 

[USofA]

What a waste of time and resources this is going to be. Going through the transcript, I do not see any impeachable offense here. Not even close.

But things are going to go on and on and on. Only result in my opnion is, this is taking the democrats further away from the White House come 2020. Also, dare I say, away from a majority in the House and Senate.

 

[IMMY69]

The conversation transcript is out there.

I would like you to do us a favor though
because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a
lot about it. I would like you to find out what happened with
this whole si�uation with Ukraine, they s_ay Crowdstrike ... I guess
you have one of your weal thy people... The server, they say
Ukraine has.it� There- are a lot. of things that went on, the·
:whole situation .. I think you 1 re _surrounding yourse·lf with some
of the same people. I .

would like to have the Attorney General
call you or your people and I would like you t� ·get to the
bottom of it�. As you sa� yest�rday, that whole nonsetise ended
with a very poor performance by a man named Robert Mue�le_r, an
incompetent performance-, _but they. say a lot of it started with
Ukraine. Whatever you can do, ·it's very important that· you. do it
if that's possible.

I just cant see where it involved holding back congress approved funds and the favour was to assist in eliminating a candidate.

Maybe I'm missing something here.

You are missing something...

 

[Gilly]

You are missing something...

There is so much happening its hard to keep up, can you fill me in on what I'm missing please.

 

[IMMY69]

The full extract includes Trump asking the Ukraine President to cooperate with his personal lawyer, Rudi Giuliani. Is this not Slightly inappropriate?

There is also talk about corruption, the sacking of the previous Ukraine prosecutor.

Besides the entire transcript has not even been released but makes interesting reading when you take the delayed payments into account. Here is a recap of that by CNN or “fake” news if you are a Trump supporter.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cn...tics/ukraine-military-aid-congress/index.html

 

[kk1992]

A sitting president threatening civil war if Congress exercises its constitutionally authorized power is itself an independent basis for impeachment.

But you can't expect Trump supporters to understand this basic concept of democracy while his supporters actively criticize dictators in other countries.

Amazing, isn't it?

 

[Gilly]

The full extract includes Trump asking the Ukraine President to cooperate with his personal lawyer, Rudi Giuliani. Is this not Slightly inappropriate?

There is also talk about corruption, the sacking of the previous Ukraine prosecutor.

Besides the entire transcript has not even been released but makes interesting reading when you take the delayed payments into account. Here is a recap of that by CNN or “fake” news if you are a Trump supporter.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cn...tics/ukraine-military-aid-congress/index.html

Once again the transcript does not appear to match what is alleged, Trump did not ask the Ukraine president to cooperate with Giuliani and it was the Ukraine president that mentioned Giuliani

Here is what was said :I just recalled our.ambassador from United States and
he will be replaced by a very competent and very experienced
ambassador who wtll work hard on making sure that our two
nations are getting clciser. I would also like and hope to see
him having your trust and y9ur .confidence and _ have persona·1
relations·with you so we c�n cooperate even �ore so. I·
wili.
personally tell you that one· of my assistants· spoke with Mr.
Giuliani just.recently and we are hoping very much that Mr.
G1uliani will be able to travel to Ukraine and. we will meet once
· he co�es to Ukraine.


There is no mention of Giuliani when discussing Biden, that is just a red herring.

The ot�er thing,
There's a lot 6f. talk about Biden's son,. that Eiden stopped the
prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so
whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great.
Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if
you ·can look into it ... It sounds horrible to me.

Nothing is matching up to the actual call. Trump never asked the Ukrainium President to cooperate with Giuliani.

 

[Gilly]

A sitting president threatening civil war if Congress exercises its constitutionally authorized power is itself an independent basis for impeachment.

But you can't expect Trump supporters to understand this basic concept of democracy while his supporters actively criticize dictators in other countries.

Amazing, isn't it?

Some of crooked Hilarys supporters dont understand english.

 

[kk1992]

Some of crooked Hilarys supporters dont understand english.

Why Trump supporters always end up calling anyone who rightly criticizes Trump, Hilary supporters?

lol

 

[Gilly]

Why Trump supporters always end up calling anyone who rightly criticizes Trump, Hilary supporters?

lol

No I criticized you because you used a quote Robert Jeffress made as a reason to impeach Trump. That is something that a deranged trump syndrome person would do.

 

[Gilly]

Something else that no one here seems to know is that Bidens son also received millions of dollars from the Chinese which came from the security system used to spy on chinese muslims. Joe Biden was the vice president at the time.

 

[Gilly]

Just keep looking at Trump

Government Accountability Institute President Peter Schweizer in an exclusive interview with Hill.TV called for former Vice President and 2020 White House contender Joe Biden's son to testify before the U.S. Senate about business dealings with Ukraine and China.
.........
Schweizer's op-ed also details Hunter Biden's alleged dealings with China, noting how the former second son accompanied his father on an official trip to Beijing in 2013 only to then have his company ink a $1 billion private equity deal with the Chinese government two weeks later.
"Hunter Biden at the time had no background in China and had little background in private equity," he wrote.
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/4...en-needs-to-testify-on-ukraine-china-business

 

[Markhor]

What a waste of time and resources this is going to be. Going through the transcript, I do not see any impeachable offense here. Not even close.

But things are going to go on and on and on. Only result in my opnion is, this is taking the democrats further away from the White House come 2020. Also, dare I say, away from a majority in the House and Senate.

Except you didn't read the full transcript but a partial readout. The actual word for word call transcript was immediately stored in a separate secure database by WH staffers, which is instructive as that's not normal protocol. If it was a "perfect phone call" then why conceal it ?

Park the quid pro quo aside for a moment - simply asking a foreign leader to investigate your political opponent is illegal.

As for quid pro quo not being evident in the transcript, Trump like most mafia bosses isn't dumb enough to make it explicit, but the inference is clear. Firstly, the military aid was withheld a week before the call.

The call starts off with Trump noting while the United States has been “very good” to Ukraine, he “wouldn’t say” that Ukraine has been “reciprocal” to the United States. Zelensky then asks for the Javelin missiles to defend his country from Russia. And what is Trump’s response ?

"I would like you to do us a favor" and talks about investigating the Crowdstrike server and investigating the Bidens. One must be WILFULLY blind if they don't see a quid pro quo, but the whistleblower as well as the WH officials who covered this up did. Zelensky himself told a Senator he was worried aid was withheld because he wasn't investigating Biden.

Finally let's deal with numbers not armchair forecasts. CBS, Qunnipiac and other polls show a majority of Americans support an impeachment inquiry. I know impeachment will die in the Senate - but if you don't investigate a President over this then you're saying that a leader is above the rule of law.

 

[Gilly]

Except you didn't read the full transcript but a partial readout. The actual word for word call transcript was immediately stored in a separate secure database by WH staffers, which is instructive as that's not normal protocol. If it was a "perfect phone call" then why conceal it ?

Park the quid pro quo aside for a moment - simply asking a foreign leader to investigate your political opponent is illegal.

As for quid pro quo not being evident in the transcript, Trump like most mafia bosses isn't dumb enough to make it explicit, but the inference is clear. Firstly, the military aid was withheld a week before the call.

The call starts off with Trump noting while the United States has been “very good” to Ukraine, he “wouldn’t say” that Ukraine has been “reciprocal” to the United States. Zelensky then asks for the Javelin missiles to defend his country from Russia. And what is Trump’s response ?

"I would like you to do us a favor" and talks about investigating the Crowdstrike server and investigating the Bidens. One must be WILFULLY blind if they don't see a quid pro quo, but the whistleblower as well as the WH officials who covered this up did. Zelensky himself told a Senator he was worried aid was withheld because he wasn't investigating Biden.

Finally let's deal with numbers not armchair forecasts. CBS, Qunnipiac and other polls show a majority of Americans support an impeachment inquiry. I know impeachment will die in the Senate - but if you don't investigate a President over this then you're saying that a leader is above the rule of law.

Can you point to where you got the information about Zelensky telling a senator he was worried.

When President Donald Trump asked his counterpart in Ukraine to help investigate Trump’s political opponents, the Ukrainian President and his team did not see the request as linked to the release of U.S. military aid, a senior Ukrainian official tells TIME on Wednesday.

“I’m telling you – no, there was no such connection,” says the official, who took part in the call between Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25 but would only discuss it on condition of anonymity.
But the official was adamant that the Zelensky administration, which took office in May, did not interpret Trump’s requests as a form of blackmail aimed at releasing U.S. aid money in exchange for help with investigations of Biden. “We actually had a different suspicion,” the official says.

Zelensky and his advisers believed that the White House may have frozen the aid package to Ukraine because of the proposed sale of Motor Sich, a Ukrainian factory that produces engines for missiles and jets, to a Chinese company. The U.S. has objected to that sale on national security grounds, and Trump’s then-National Security Adviser John Bolton urged Zelensky and his government to stop the sale during a visit to Kiev in August. “At the time China was more acute,” as an issue in U.S.-Ukrainian relations, than was the question of investigating Biden, says the official.

By the way when is it normal for Presidents to publish calls to other leaders?.

 

[Gilly]

Finally let's deal with numbers not armchair forecasts. CBS, Qunnipiac and other polls show a majority of Americans support an impeachment inquiry. I know impeachment will die in the Senate - but if you don't investigate a President over this then you're saying that a leader is above the rule of law.

Ahh the polls, OK how many people believed that Trump colluded with Russia in the elections, that should give you an idea how useless polls are.

 

[shaz619]

[MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION] the raging bull had some choice words for mr. orange did you catch them, not PG for PP so can't post the tweet

 

[troodon]

Ahh the polls, OK how many people believed that Trump colluded with Russia in the elections, that should give you an idea how useless polls are.

I lean left when it comes to my political preference, but the Dems are a bunch of cry babies. Trump this, Trump that... waaaa... waaaa!! Just let the guy finish his term and then let the people decide if Trump was any good. But No!!! We want him to be gone right away. They are making a mockery of a democratically elected President.

 

[Gilly]

I lean left when it comes to my political preference, but the Dems are a bunch of cry babies. Trump this, Trump that... waaaa... waaaa!! Just let the guy finish his term and then let the people decide if Trump was any good. But No!!! We want him to be gone right away. They are making a mockery of a democratically elected President.

I think the demoncrats are scared the people will re elect him.

 

[kk1992]

No I criticized you because you used a quote Robert Jeffress made as a reason to impeach Trump. That is something that a deranged trump syndrome person would do.

Discuss the content.

Stop trying to diagnose people with fake disease.

What are you Trump supporter where you have to call names? Lol

 

[IMMY69]

Republicans will remove Trump themselves.
They will have to otherwise they may not win another election for two decades.

 

[Markhor]

Can you point to where you got the information about Zelensky telling a senator he was worried.



By the way when is it normal for Presidents to publish calls to other leaders?.

Those being exorted aren't going to admit to being so publicly.

BTW there were about eight Congressional hearings instigated by Republicans into the non-existent scandal that was Benghazi. Now that there is ONE Congressional investigation into a far more substantive scandal in Ukraine and suddenly Republicans don't like investigations.

And they accuse others of using investigations for partisan means, irony died a thousand deaths.

 

[Markhor]

I lean left when it comes to my political preference, but the Dems are a bunch of cry babies. Trump this, Trump that... waaaa... waaaa!! Just let the guy finish his term and then let the people decide if Trump was any good. But No!!! We want him to be gone right away. They are making a mockery of a democratically elected President.

You have a funny idea of democracy because democracy doesn't mean once somebody is elected you don't hold them accountable for anything during their term.

By that logic, US should've allowed Nixon to complete his term even after Watergate !

 

[Gilly]

Discuss the content.

Stop trying to diagnose people with fake disease.

What are you Trump supporter where you have to call names? Lol

Its not a fake disease, its in the urban dictionary.

Trump derangement syndrome
term for criticism of, or negative reactions to United States President Donald Trump that are alleged to be irrational and have little regard towards Trump's actual positions or actions taken. T.D.S. does not allow people to see the facts clearly. For example if President Trump cured cancer in children it would be reported negatively to somehow make the President look bad. Everyone with T.D.S. Would then start protesting and spreading the false negative information while forgetting that children no longer would have cancer. Hating trump would be more important.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Trump derangement syndrome

 

[Gilly]

Those being exorted aren't going to admit to being so publicly.

BTW there were about eight Congressional hearings instigated by Republicans into the non-existent scandal that was Benghazi. Now that there is ONE Congressional investigation into a far more substantive scandal in Ukraine and suddenly Republicans don't like investigations.

And they accuse others of using investigations for partisan means, irony died a thousand deaths.

But we deal in facts and the fact is Ukraine have stated that Trump did not try to extort them, that is a fabrication and lie.

Yes irony has dies a thousand deaths.

 

[Gilly]

You have a funny idea of democracy because democracy doesn't mean once somebody is elected you don't hold them accountable for anything during their term.

By that logic, US should've allowed Nixon to complete his term even after Watergate !

Democracy is where the voters decide who is President, he will be voted out next year if that is what the voters want. We all know the democrats are still buthurt from the last election.

 

[kk1992]

Its not a fake disease, its in the urban dictionary.

I guess for Trump supporters Urban dictionary equals to medical dictionary.

Lol.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Democracy is where the voters decide who is President, he will be voted out next year if that is what the voters want. We all know the democrats are still buthurt from the last election.

It doesn't work like this. Those in positions of power are 'installed' but it seems like democracy in motion.

The problem for Trump is he has annoyed those who helped him to power because he is not willing to go to war with Iran and therefore (as I wrote earlier) he is in real trouble to being removed now. Do you know who Adam Schiff is? This man has a great record of war mongering. He was an open supporter of the Iraq war ,even though now he says he regrets it. He is also a great helper to the Saudis for their war on Yemen, his next target being Iran. Schiff is going after Trump now, everyone should be able to work this out.

Im no fan of Trump but people are just jumping on the bandwagon against him without thinking things deeper. If Trump surives impeachment and if he wins the next election, he may well be in danger of assasination.

 

[IMMY69]

Democracy is where the voters decide who is President, he will be voted out next year if that is what the voters want. We all know the democrats are still buthurt from the last election.

You sound like a deranged Trump supporter.
Trump should drop Guiliani and look to hire you.

 

[MenInG]

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused Democrats of bullying his staff as a part of an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

He said in a tweet that requests for five officials to appear before a committee were "not feasible".

Democrats are investigating whether President Trump improperly pressured Ukraine's leader for personal gain.

They have been issuing summonses as part of the inquiry, which centres on a phone call between the two.

The phone call sparked a formal complaint from a whistleblower which in turn led to formal impeachment proceedings beginning.

A rough transcript emerged last week indicating Mr Trump urged the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate discredited allegations against former vice-president Joe Biden, a 2020 Democratic frontrunner, and Mr Biden's son.

On Monday, it emerged that Mr Pompeo was present during the Ukraine call.

In other developments:

Mr Trump asked Australian officials to assist with the ongoing investigation into the origin of the Mueller inquiry, Australia confirmed
US Attorney-General William Barr reportedly held private meetings with Italian and British intelligence officials to ask for their help with his probe into the Mueller inquiry
Two subpoenaed officials, including former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, confirmed that they would give evidence to Congress
The president's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, was subpoenaed for documents relating to Ukraine by three House committees
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley - who is third in the order of succession if Mr Trump is removed - defended the whistleblower, saying they "ought to be heard out and protected"
Regarding his call with Mr Trump, Ukrainian leader Mr Zelensky told the Reuters news agency: "I cannot be influenced"
Mr Pompeo said the request from the House Foreign Affairs chairman Eliot Engel could be "understood only as an attempt to intimidate, bully and treat improperly the distinguished professionals of the Department of State".

"I will not tolerate such tactics and I will use all means at my disposal to prevent and expose any attempts to intimidate the dedicated professionals whom I am proud to lead."

The secretary of state was served with a subpoena by House Democrats last week.

House Democrats have demanded that five department officials - including the former US ambassador to Ukraine and Mr Trump's special envoy to the country - appear for depositions in October as they "have direct knowledge of the subject matters".

Mr Pompeo said Mr Engel's request raised questions about the authority of his committee to "compel an appearance for a deposition solely by virtue of these letters" and without a subpoena.

The secretary of state also accused Mr Engel of not providing witnesses and the department with adequate time to prepare.

He said the committee appeared to be attempting to circumvent the White House's "unquestionably legitimate constitutional interest in protecting potentially privileged information related to the conduct of diplomatic relations".

In response to Mr Pompeo's letter, three Democratic committee leaders said failure to comply with their interview request was illegal and "will constitute evidence of obstruction".

"He should immediately cease intimidating Department witnesses in order to protect himself and the President," said the letter signed by Congressmen Eliot Engel, Adam Schiff, and Elijah Cummings.

Quick facts on impeachment
Impeachment is the first part - the charges - of a two-stage political process by which Congress can remove a president from office
If the House of Representatives votes to pass articles of impeachment, the Senate is forced to hold a trial
A Senate vote requires a two-thirds majority to convict - unlikely in this case, given that Mr Trump's party controls the chamber
Only two US presidents in history - Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson - have been impeached but neither was convicted and removed
President Nixon resigned before he could have been impeached

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49899090

 

[MenInG]

US President Donald Trump has lashed out at congressional Democrats after they vowed to summons the White House to produce documents this week.

Committees are demanding documents relating to the administration's dealings with Ukraine, which is now at the heart of an impeachment inquiry.

The president accused Democratic leaders of dishonesty and even treason.

Democrats have defended the inquiry - which focuses on a phone call between Mr Trump's and the Ukrainian president.

Warning: this report contains strong language

What did President Trump say?
During a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Mr Trump called Mr Biden and his son, Hunter, "stone-cold corrupt".

Mr Trump directed much of his anger towards House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, calling him "shifty Schiff, "a lowlife" and saying he "should resign from office in disgrace".

He added: "Frankly, they should look at him for treason."

Mr Trump also stated that he believed Mr Schiff had "helped write" a complaint about the call filed by a whistleblower, without offering evidence.

The US president told reporters that only "legitimate" whistleblowers should be protected.

"This country has to find out who this person was, because that person's a spy, in my opinion," Mr Trump said.

He labelled the entire inquiry a "hoax" and a "fraudulent crime on the American people" while maintaining he would "always co-operate" with Congress.

The US president also sparred at the White House with a Reuters correspondent, who asked him what he considered treasonous.

As the Finnish leader looked on, Mr Trump said "there are those who think I'm a very stable genius" and said he "probably will be bringing a lot of litigation" against those who participated in the Russia investigation.

When the reporter pressed Mr Trump, the US president cut him off, saying: "Don't be rude."

Earlier, Mr Trump raged at the most powerful elected Democrat, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Mr Schiff on Twitter, accusing Democrats of focusing on "********".

Mr Trump said Mrs Pelosi should focus on her own city, San Francisco, which he described as a "tent city" of homeless people.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49914704

 

[Gilly]

With a lot of the stuff coming out now the dems are on thin ice, I know its all about politics but the dems seem to have lost their collective minds.

 

[MenInG]

US President Donald Trump has publicly called on Ukraine and China to investigate Joe Biden and his son.

Ex-Vice President Joe Biden is a Democratic frontrunner in the 2020 race to be president, and central to a new push by Democrats to impeach Mr Trump.

"China should start an investigation into the Bidens," said Mr Trump, referring to Biden Jr's business there.

The Democrats accuse the US president of dangling military aid as a way to press Ukraine to dig dirt on Mr Biden.

A phone call between Mr Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky triggered an intelligence community whistleblower complaint and the impeachment inquiry.

But Mr Trump says he has done nothing wrong and the inquiry is a witch hunt.

He has accused Mr Biden and his son Hunter of corruption in their political and business dealings in Ukraine and China, but offered no specific evidence.

What are the allegations against the Bidens?
When Hunter Biden joined Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma in 2014, questions were raised about a potential conflict of interest for his father.

Ukraine was undergoing a political transition after its pro-Russia president was forced out of office, and the elder Biden was making frequent trips to the country.

In 2016, Joe Biden pushed the Ukrainian government to fire its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, whose office had been investigating the oligarch owner of Burisma.

In a speech last year at a think tank, Mr Biden boasted of having threatened to withhold a billion-dollar loan guarantee to successfully force Mr Shokin out.

"I looked at them and said 'I'm leaving in six hours: if the prosecutor is not fired, you're not getting the money'," he said.

Mr Trump and his allies accuse Mr Biden of having acted to protect his son. However, several western governments and major financers of Ukraine's government also wanted Mr Shokin dismissed because he was seen as a barrier to anti-corruption efforts.

Mr Shokin had also shown little appetite for pursuing Burisma.

In May this year, Ukraine's then prosecutor general said there was no evidence of wrongdoing by Joe or Hunter Biden.

Joe Biden has said he has never spoken to his son about his business dealings.

The president was speaking to reporters on the lawn of the White House.

When asked what Mr Trump sought as a "favor" from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the July phone call, Mr Trump responded: "Well I would think that if they were honest about it, they'd start a major investigation into the Bidens. It's a very simple answer.

"They should investigate the Bidens," he said.

"Likewise, China should start an investigation into the Bidens because what happened to China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine," he continued.

"So I would say that president Zelensky, if it were me, I would recommend that they start an investigation into the Bidens because nobody has any doubt that they weren't crooked. That was a crooked deal one hundred percent."

What about the Bidens in China?
In 2013, then vice-president Mr Biden went to China on an official visit, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials.

Hunter Biden and his daughter joined the vice-president, who had travelled with family members before.

During the two-day visit, Hunter met a Chinese banker, Jonathan Li, who would eventually become a business partner.

Mr Li founded a private equity fund shortly after the trip, and Hunter was on the board, although a spokesman for the younger Mr Biden told NBC News they did not discuss any business during the trip.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49924579

 

[sweep_shot]

With a lot of the stuff coming out now the dems are on thin ice, I know its all about politics but the dems seem to have lost their collective minds.

I am strongly anti-Trump but I agree with you that Democrats are playing this wrong.

Trying to impeach Trump is unlikely to work. If there was any real offense, he would've been impeached a long time ago. Mueller cleared Trump and everyone should move on. Democrats are wasting time and tax money.

Democrats should try to get proper candidates who can take on Trump.

 

[Indiafan]

With a lot of the stuff coming out now the dems are on thin ice, I know its all about politics but the dems seem to have lost their collective minds.

Imagine this level of cognitive dissonance and delusion. Imagine if a Pak PM tries to get India's help to discredit a Pak national and Pak intelligence agency and vice versa. That person will be lynched even if they are the PM

Imagine thinking in a democratic country the president can ask for the enemy's help to investigate its own citizens. My IQ just dropped a bit by reading you say its politics

Being a Trump supporter must come with a mandatory drop in IQ I guess. Today Trump called for China help on air. to investigate his election rival in Biden. Imagine you thinking their is nothing wrong with a President using his presidential power to ask an enemy nation to investigate his own citizens

Seriously some of you guys will be studied in history as the prime example of delusions and low IQ. And out of all people of the world you got only Trump to support and be in a delusional cult of? It's ridiculous

 

[Indiafan]

I am strongly anti-Trump but I agree with you that Democrats are playing this wrong.

Trying to impeach Trump is unlikely to work. If there was any real offense, he would've been impeached a long time ago. Mueller cleared Trump and everyone should move on. Democrats are wasting time and tax money.

Democrats should try to get proper candidates who can take on Trump.

So if tomorrow Nawaz Shariff asks Modi's help to put down Imran and to put down ISI and Pak army what will you do? And you cant even deny it as today Trump asked for China's help on air.

This is the US law on the subject

Law & Order 52 U.S. Code § 30121

It shall be unlawful for a person to solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation or other thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State, or local election, from a foreign national. (law.cornell.edu)

Trump is on tape promising Ukraine aide in return of help in investigating his election rival

Democrats are not fighting for a win at this stage, they are literally trying to save their constituent, laws and democracy. This is not wasting time, this is setting an example

The reason removal of Trump is important is that otherwise it will set an example that even if a President cheats to win, and is a criminal, he cannot be removed for 4 years even if he commits crime after crime. I have a feeling a lot of US laws about presidents are going to change because of Trump

 

[sweep_shot]

So if tomorrow Nawaz Shariff asks Modi's help to put down Imran and to put down ISI and Pak army what will you do? And you cant even deny it as today Trump asked for China's help on air.

This is the US law on the subject

Law & Order 52 U.S. Code § 30121



Trump is on tape promising Ukraine aide in return of help in investigating his election rival

Democrats are not fighting for a win at this stage, they are literally trying to save their constituent, laws and democracy. This is not wasting time, this is setting an example

The reason removal of Trump is important is that otherwise it will set an example that even if a President cheats to win, and is a criminal, he cannot be removed for 4 years even if he commits crime after crime. I have a feeling a lot of US laws about presidents are going to change because of Trump

Don't get me wrong. I want Trump gone. He is an idiot and a complete joke of a president. He is a pathological liar and is not fit to be head of a state.

However, this impeachment thing is not working. It is costing millions of Dollars. That Dollar should be spent in something better.

If they want to change certain laws, they should do so through Congress. US is drowning in debt ($22-trillion+) and they shouldn't waste money like this.

 

[Markhor]

I am strongly anti-Trump but I agree with you that Democrats are playing this wrong.

Trying to impeach Trump is unlikely to work. If there was any real offense, he would've been impeached a long time ago. Mueller cleared Trump and everyone should move on. Democrats are wasting time and tax money.

Democrats should try to get proper candidates who can take on Trump.

You didn't read the Mueller Report.