Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tweeted an invitation to Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, an invitation to testify before his committee. In his Twitter invitation, Graham references “corruption in Ukraine and the many improprieties surrounding the firing of former Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin.” Giuliani alleges that when Joe Biden was vice president, he had a Shokin dismissed to stop an investigation into a Ukrainian gas company that Biden’s son Hunter was involved in between 2014 and 2018. Biden has dismissed the claims and no evidence to date has surfaced to support them. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) responded to Graham’s tweets with her own message, “Good. I have questions.”
Have heard on numerous occasions disturbing allegations by @RudyGiuliani about corruption in Ukraine and the many improprieties surrounding the firing of former Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. (1/3)
NBC Newsreports that a dozen House Democrats have called for Donald Trump’s ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, to resign in the aftermath of reports regarding his role in the ongoing Ukraine scandal.
The calls for his ouster come as Sondland prepares to be deposed Tuesday by House committees as part of their impeachment inquiry into the president. The list includes one presidential candidate — Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio.
Sondland, a Trump political appointee, has emerged as a central player in Trump’s bid to persuade Ukraine’s new government to commit publicly to investigate corruption and the president’s political opponents.
Text messages given to Congress show Sondland and another diplomat explicitly tying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s willingness to announce an investigation to whether he would be granted a coveted White House visit.
Sondland, a Republican megadonor, came by his ambassadorship after donating over $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee. He’s spent the bulk of his life developing high-end, luxury hotels. Because, that’s what qualifies you to be an ambassador for the United States, yes? (photo: GordonSondlandPortrait.png” by EdiTHORial is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)
L-R Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani (screen captures) A former Ukraine prosecutor says Hunter Biden ‘did not violate anything’ in regard to Donald Trump’s ongoing allegations about the son of former Vice President Joe Biden. From MSN.com:
“From the perspective of Ukrainian legislation, he did not violate anything,” former Ukrainian prosecutor general Yuri Lutsenko told The Washington Post in his first interview since the disclosure of a whistleblower complaint alleging pressure by President Trump on Ukraine’s president, Volodymr Zelensky.
Lutsenko’s comments about Hunter Biden — which echo what he told Bloomberg News in May — were significant, because Trump and his personal attorney Giuliani have sought to stir up suspicions about both Hunter and former vice president Joe Biden’s conduct in Ukraine in recent weeks. Joe Biden is leading Trump in many opinion polls ahead of the 2020 election.
Hunter Biden has denied any wrongdoing, and there is no evidence he was involved in any lawbreaking in his work in Ukraine with the country’s largest private gas company.
Giuliani has alleged that Hunter Biden was involved in corruption during his nearly five years on the board of Burisma, the Ukrainian gas company. Giuliani has not offered any evidence.
Burisma’s owner came under scrutiny by Lutsenko’s predecessors for possible abuse of power and unlawful enrichment, but Hunter Biden was never accused of any wrongdoing in the investigation.
“Hunter Biden cannot be responsible for violations of the management of Burisma that took place two years before his arrival,” Lutsenko said.
And another shoe is just about to drop… From the New York Times:
A second intelligence official who was alarmed by President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine is weighing whether to file his own formal whistle-blower complaint and testify to Congress, according to two people briefed on the matter.
The official has more direct information about the events than the first whistle-blower, whose complaint that Mr. Trump was using his power to get Ukraine to investigate his political rivals touched off an impeachment inquiry. The second official is among those interviewed by the intelligence community inspector general to corroborate the allegations of the original whistle-blower, one of the people said.
A new complaint, particularly from someone closer to the events, would potentially add further credibility to the account of the first whistle-blower, a C.I.A. officer who was detailed to the National Security Council at one point. He said that he relied on information from more than half a dozen American officials to compile his allegations about Mr. Trump’s campaign to solicit foreign election interference that could benefit him politically.
Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani (screen capture) Via the Washington Post:
The former U.S. special envoy for Ukraine told House investigators on Thursday that he warned President Trump’s personal attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani, that Giuliani was receiving untrustworthy information from Ukrainian political figures about former vice president Joe Biden and his son, according to two people familiar with his testimony.
Kurt Volker, who resigned last week after being named in a whistleblower complaint that sparked the House impeachment inquiry of Trump, said he tried to caution Guiliani that his sources, including Ukraine’s former top prosecutor, were unreliable and that he should be careful about putting faith in the prosecutor’s theories, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting.
Volker’s testimony offers the first inside account of the Trump administration’s efforts to press for a Ukrainian investigation into Biden, who as a leading 2020 Democratic candidate to challenge Trump for the White House has become a fixed target of the president’s attacks.
ABC News adds that text messages have come to light that shows two American diplomats discussing the Trump administration withholding military aid. In the texts, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine writes to two other American diplomats that “I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”
Yesterday, I reported on the clash between Donald Trump and Reuters reporter Jeff Mason during a White House press event wherein Mason asked Trump what it was he wanted the president of Ukraine to do in regard to investigating former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. Trump was evasive in the moment and went on a rant about European countries ‘not paying enough.’ Today, Trump was asked the question again – “What exactly did you hope the Ukrainian president would do about the Bidens?” – and this time, Trump not only said (live on TV) that Ukraine should investigate the Bidens but he also invited China to suss out dirt on the Bidens. Basically, Trump not only did what the whistleblower accused him of in his complaint to Congress, but he actually committed a second offense by inviting China, a geopolitical opponent of the U.S., to investigate his possible Democratic opponent in the 2020 presidential election.
REPORTER: What exactly did you hope the Ukrainian president would do about the Bidens?
TRUMP: "I would think that if they were honest about it, they'd start a major investigation … they should investigate the Bidens … China likewise should start an investigation." pic.twitter.com/gLVBjmSs3q
Shep: "For days the president and his allies have been suggesting … that the president didn't really ask Ukraine to investigate his political rival, that the complaint is total fiction. Today, the president did exactly what he's accused of doing, this time on live television." pic.twitter.com/YI1Ghh3irO
During a press conference with Donald Trump and Finland’s President Niinisto, Jeff Mason from Reuters asked Trump what he wanted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to do when Trump brought up the business ties to Ukraine of Hunter Biden, son of Joe Biden? Trump began: “What I want is the following — Why are we the only ones that give the big money to the Ukraine?” And he never actually answered the question, which spurred Mason to followup on the question. Serious props to Jeff Mason for trying to get an answer to his question. The Donald is a bit cray-cray here. And poor President Niinisto for having to be exposed to the Trumpster’s madness.
This latest (much like all the ones that preceded it) Presser was stone cold crazy.
.@jeffmason1 asks Pres. Trump multiple times what he had wanted the Ukrainian president to do regarding the Bidens. Trump dodges his and @jonkarl‘s questions, instead attacking and berating the media, demanding Mason ask a different question. https://t.co/4ZyHcnSuJRpic.twitter.com/vjJvsDNVBo
Mason asks over and over what he wanted Zelensky to do with regard to the Bidens. Trump is pointedly refusing to answer. Eventually, he demands that Mason ask a question to the president of Finland, advising him not to be “rude.”
May be a first of its kind for any presidential news conference:
Jeff Mason repeatedly asks Trump to clarify what he wanted Zelensky to do: “Are you talking to me?” Practically yells at Mason to ask the Finnish leader a question instead; Rips “fake” and “corrupt” U.S. media. — Heidi Przybyla (@HeidiNBC) October 2, 2019
The Donald Trump we saw on TV today is the dishonest, feral, ignorant nut job I’ve known for 31 years.
Donald will become more & more erratic as impeachment proceeds. Expect ever crazier conspiracy theories & ever wilder accusations with no factual basis. — David Cay Johnston (@DavidCayJ) October 2, 2019
Sec of State Mike Pompeo (image via Flickr/WhiteHouse – public domain) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has informed House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel that he plans to defy a congressional subpoena asking to interview five State Department employees. Pompeo writes, “I’m concerned with aspects of the committee’s request that can be understood only as an attempt to intimidate, bully and treat improperly the distinguished professionals of the Department of State.” “Let me be clear: 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 and serve alongside at the Department of State,” he added. On Friday, Engel informed Pompeo that “failure or refusal to comply with the subpoena shall constitute evidence of obstruction of the House’s impeachment inquiry.” A new twist in the ongoing impeachment inquiry occurred yesterday when it was revealed Pompeo was on the now-infamous July 25 call between the president of Ukraine and Donald Trump when Trump pressed the Ukrainian leader to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.
Flashback: Sept. 22
Q: WSJ is reporting Trump pressed the president of Ukraine to work with Giuliani to investigate Biden's son. What do you know about those conversations?
POMPEO: "So, you just gave me a report about a I.C. whistleblower complaint, none of which I've seen." pic.twitter.com/9ytSV3tznb
When asked about the phone call and subsequent investigation last week, Pompeo was evasive and vague during interviews seeming to have little information about the conversation. From Pompeo’s letter today (via Twitter): “This amounts to an attempt to circumvent the Executive Branch’s unquestionably legitimate constitutional interest in protecting potentially privileged information related to the conduct of diplomatic relations. “Therefore, the five officials subject to your letter may not attend any interview or deposition without counsel from the Executive Branch present to ensure that the Executive Branch’s constitutional authority to control the disclosure of confidential information, including deliberative matters and diplomatic communications, is not impaired.”
I’m concerned with aspects of the Committee’s request that can be understood only as an attempt to intimidate, bully, & treat improperly the distinguished professionals of the Department of State, including several career FSOs. pic.twitter.com/QRtMaXlhQM
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: Sure I’ll testify for 11 hours. No problem.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: I will hide behind my staff forever even though I lied to you all and was on the call with Ukraine. https://t.co/iRUrN5mDBO
The Secretary of State cannot lawfully order staff to break the law.
Anyone at State holding a subpoena for a deposition has a choice of whether to join Pompeo in violating the law as well or instead operate within it and show up as required.
Yuri Lutsenko, the former prosecutor general for Ukraine, says he repeatedly rebuffed demands by Rudy Giuliani to investigate Joe Biden and his son, insisting he had seen no evidence of wrongdoing that he could pursue.
In an interview, Yuri Lutsenko said while he was Ukraine’s prosecutor general he told Rudolph W. Giuliani that he would be happy to cooperate if the FBI or other U.S. authorities began their own investigation of the former vice president and his son Hunter but insisted they had not broken any Ukrainian laws to his knowledge.
Lutsenko, who was fired as prosecutor general last month, said he had urged Giuliani to launch a U.S. inquiry and go to court if he had any evidence but not to use Ukraine to conduct a political vendetta that could affect the U.S. election.
“I said, ‘Let’s put this through prosecutors, not through presidents,’ ” Lutsenko told The Times.
“I told him I could not start an investigation just for the interests of an American official,” he said.
The revelations are at the heart of the House impeachment inquiry into whether Trump improperly delayed congressionally mandated military aid to Ukraine while urging leaders there to help find dirt on his political opponents to boost his 2020 reelection bid.
Giuliani had reportedly been pushing Lutsenko to investigate the Bidens for over a year. Lutsenko described Giuliani as “obsessed” with finding dirt on the Bidens.
And then there’s this from Richard Engel, NBC News chief foreign correspondent:
So much disinformation out there. Independent investigators here in Ukraine have told me, repeatedly: Joe Biden did NOT stop an investigation into his son. In fact, US officials, including Biden, were pushing for MORE oversight of the company where Hunter Biden was a board member
Former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker (screen capture) Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, resigned today after being swept up in the ongoing scandal involving Trump asking the Ukrainian president to “do us a favor” in regard to digging up dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden. From the New York Times:
Mr. Volker, who told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday that he was stepping down, offered no public explanation but a person informed about his decision said he concluded that it was impossible to be effective in his assignment given the developments of recent days.
His departure was the first resignation since revelations about Mr. Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine’s president to investigate former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and other Democrats. The disclosures have triggered a full-blown House impeachment inquiry, and House leaders announced on Friday that they planned to interview Mr. Volker in a deposition next week.
Mr. Volker, a former ambassador to NATO who served in the part-time, unpaid position to help Ukraine resolve its armed confrontation with Russian-sponsored separatists, was among the government officials who found themselves in an awkward position because of the search for dirt on Democrats, reluctant to cross the president or Mr. Giuliani yet wary of getting drawn into politics outside their purview.
The unidentified intelligence official who filed the whistle-blower complaint that brought the president’s actions to light identified Mr. Volker as one of the officials trying to “contain the damage” by advising Ukrainians how to navigate Mr. Giuliani’s campaign.
Mr. Volker facilitated an entree for Mr. Giuliani with the newly elected government in Ukraine, acting not at the instruction of Mr. Trump or Mr. Pompeo but at the request of the Ukrainians who were worried that Mr. Giuliani was making the rounds seeking information about Mr. Biden and other Democrats.
ABC News reports that Democrats still expect Volker to show up for his deposition on Capitol Hill on October 3. It’s important to note that not only is the special envoy to Ukraine now gone, but the U.S. has no ambassador to Ukraine since the Trump administration called Marie Yovanovitch home for allegedly being not loyal enough.
Kamala Harris baited Rudy Giuliani’s dumb ass into reading State Department text messages off on an IPad and the very next day, the person involved in those texts (Kurt Volker) resigned lol.
BREAKING: After being dragged into a political scandal by President Trump’s personal attorney, Kurt Volker, the U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, stepped down from his position https://t.co/bWUV6MW82W
Last night Rudy Giuliani started tweeting his text messages with Kurt Volker from the State Department, and today Volker resigned. Everyone involved in the whistleblower scandal is now one Rudy tweet away from going down. That’s a problem for them, because Rudy is fucking nuts.
