The public phase of the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump’s extortion of Ukraine begins Wednesday, and Daily Kos will be covering the proceedings all day. The White House’s own ellipses-riddled summary of Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shows that Trump was pressuring Ukraine to dig up or manufacture dirt on his political opponents at the same time as he was withholding aid Congress had already passed. Testimony from career civil servants and Trump’s political appointees alike has showed that this call was part of a broader pressure campaign. Now we’ll hear about that publicly.
As Kerry Eleveld wrote, Republicans bear the burden of proof here, given the facts—facts—already on the record, and the way the Republican response thus far has been to offer conspiracy theories and complain about process rather than offering competing facts.
Stay with us for ongoing coverage.
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Excellent point:
"This is not just any hearing. This is an impeachment hearing. This is the very first time in US history that we've seen a televised retelling of an abuse of power," @TimNaftali says on CNN. He adds: And the "case is being made by patriotic professionals," not partisans.— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 13, 2019
"This is not just any hearing. This is an impeachment hearing. This is the very first time in US history that we've seen a televised retelling of an abuse of power," @TimNaftali says on CNN. He adds: And the "case is being made by patriotic professionals," not partisans.
Devin Nunes using Republican time to respond to the testimony thus far by attacking Democrats.
Nunes now pretending that it was Ukraine who interfered in the 2016 election, not Russia, along with a list of conspiracy theories.
CONTEXT ALERT: @DevinNunes says the âÂÂblack ledgerâ (which revealed payments to Paul Manafort by the Russian-backed former president of Ukraine) was âÂÂdisputed,â but it was good enough for an American jury to convict Manafort of tax fraud. Nunes is implying that Manafort was framed— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) November 13, 2019
CONTEXT ALERT: @DevinNunes says the âÂÂblack ledgerâ (which revealed payments to Paul Manafort by the Russian-backed former president of Ukraine) was âÂÂdisputed,â but it was good enough for an American jury to convict Manafort of tax fraud. Nunes is implying that Manafort was framed
Wow, Republicans managed to get a chief counsel who looks like the love child of Devin Nunes and Gym Jordan. Quite an achievement.— Laura Clawson (@LauraClawson) November 13, 2019
Wow, Republicans managed to get a chief counsel who looks like the love child of Devin Nunes and Gym Jordan. Quite an achievement.
Apparently, Republicans dug up their “counsel” from the QAnon forums. Utter insanity.
Castor is repeatedly, and unsuccessfully, trying to get Ambassador Taylor to vindicate the Ukraine conspiracy theories, and Taylor's not biting. I thought committee counsel was supposed to be really good at this. #ImpeachmentHearings— Brandon (@Brand_Allen) November 13, 2019
Castor is repeatedly, and unsuccessfully, trying to get Ambassador Taylor to vindicate the Ukraine conspiracy theories, and Taylor's not biting. I thought committee counsel was supposed to be really good at this. #ImpeachmentHearings
As the Republican counsel harangued Taylor with conspiracy theories, Kent broke in in tones and content that could be loosely translated as “okay, you moron, let’s go back to the basics of diplomacy, foreign policy, and White House procedure.”
ThereâÂÂs a hilarious implication here that everything Zelensky says to Trump isnâÂÂt just tactical flattery but genuine expressions of how he feels.— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) November 13, 2019
ThereâÂÂs a hilarious implication here that everything Zelensky says to Trump isnâÂÂt just tactical flattery but genuine expressions of how he feels.
(That implication is coming from the Republican counsel.)
Whatever the GOP counsel is doing, it's not working. I don't undertand where he's going.— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) November 13, 2019
Whatever the GOP counsel is doing, it's not working. I don't undertand where he's going.
George Kent refuses to play Republican games, and repeatedly notes that Joe Biden was promoting US policy in Ukraine.
Good point:
IâÂÂm just trying to help here, but Mr. Castor should probably realize that getting Taylor to say heâÂÂd never met Giuliani while the latter was running his backchannel makes that backchannel look guilty as hell.#ImpeachmentHearings— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) November 13, 2019
IâÂÂm just trying to help here, but Mr. Castor should probably realize that getting Taylor to say heâÂÂd never met Giuliani while the latter was running his backchannel makes that backchannel look guilty as hell.#ImpeachmentHearings