Friday appeared to be a slow news day by the impeachment-frenzied standards of the past 10 days, but that just means it only amounted what would have been a month or two worth of bombshell stories during the Obama administration.
● The biggest story of the day actually came late Thursday night with the release of text messages from multiple Trump officials showing how explicit the extortion and attempted election interference had been. “Most important is for Zelensky to say he will help investigation—and address any specific personal issues—if there are any” explicit. “I think POTUS really wants the deliverable” explicit. Those are from special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker and ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, respectively. Deliciously, the texts came out after House Republicans claimed that Volker’s House deposition Thursday had “undercut” the rationale for impeachment.
● Republican Sen. Ron Johnson confirmed that Sondland had told him at the time that military aid to Ukraine was being held up in order to get the country to do Donald Trump’s bidding.
● Also Thursday night, Trump declared his “absolute right” to ask other countries to interfere in U.S. elections. Okay, he claimed he was asking other countries to investigate corruption, but … we all know better.
● Trump is also reportedly considering a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanding a full House vote on whether to proceed with an impeachment inquiry. With support for impeachment rising in the polls, why does he think that is going to frighten Pelosi?
● On Capitol Hill, inspector general of the Intelligence Community Michael Atkinson had a closed-door hearing with the House Intelligence Committee. The chairs of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight and Reform committees are also zeroing in on Mike Pence, requesting documents about his involvement in extorting Ukraine.
● Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, are flailing around trying to figure out how to respond. House Republicans are creating a distraction by attacking Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff. Sen. John Cornyn is peddling conspiracy theories. Sen. Mitt Romney is once again furrowing his brow in disappointment. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is using a campaign fundraising video to pledge that “The way that impeachment stops is a Senate majority, with me as majority leader.”
● And while all of that was going on with the Ukraine investigation, another whistleblower is trying to draw attention to his allegation that the Treasury Department tried to interfere in IRS audits of either Trump or Pence. House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal has finally stopped dragging his feet and asked the IRS inspector general to investigate.
● Oh, and Energy Secretary Rick Perry is resigning, in what’s being claimed is not a Ukraine-related decision but sure looks like it.