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The testimony of this 50-year “public service” professional Bill Taylor today, was stunning. Check it out if you get a chance here and here.
Here is the crescendo of that opening statement from the “replacement Ambassador” to Ukraine, William Taylor (after the Rudy-directed firing of the original Ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch):
A "stalemate"
On September 7, Taylor spoke to Morrison, the NSC official. Morrison described a call between Mr. Trump and Sondland, and said the president told the ambassador he was not seeking a "quid pro quo."
"But President Trump did insist that President Zelenskyy go to a microphone and say he is opening investigations of Biden and 2016 election interference, and that President Zelenskyy should want to do this himself," Taylor said.
The next day Taylor spoke to Sondland, who reiterated the president's insistence he was not pursuing a quid pro quo. Nonetheless, Sondland said the president was adamant that Zelensky had to "clear things up and do it in public." Sondland said he relayed that to Zelensky and his aide, warning them that if they did not "clear things up" then they would be at a "stalemate."
"I understood a stalemate to mean that Ukraine would not receive the much-needed military assistance," Taylor said. "Ambassador Sondland said that this conversation concluded with President Zelenskyy agreeing to make a public statement in an interview with CNN."
Taylor followed up with a text message to Sondland saying that his "nightmare is they (the Ukrainians) give the interview and don't get the security assistance. The Russians love it. (And I quit.)."
www.cbsnews.com
Chris Hayes linked this stunning section of Ambassador’s statement, to the earlier section where Sondland had explained to him, the scope of what Trump was personally asking for, from Ukraine:
"'Everything' was dependent on such an announcement, including security assistance. [Sondland] said that President Trump wanted President Zelenskyy 'in a public box' by making a public statement about ordering such investigations," said Taylor.
Upon recapping and linking these 2 section of the opening statement, Chris Hayes quipped there is another word for this kind of “Quid pro Quo” — and that is Extortion.
This is extortion, plain and simple. Time to ditch the stilted Latin, and start calling it what it really is:
Extortion: Definition and Overview
Most states define extortion as the gaining of property or money by almost any kind of force or threat of violence, property damage, harm to reputation, or unfavorable government action. While usually viewed as a form of theft/larceny, extortion differs from robbery in that the threat in question does not pose an imminent physical danger to the victim.
Extortion is a felony in all states. Blackmail is a form of extortion in which the threat is to expose embarrassing and damaging information to family, friends, or the public. Inherent in this common form of extortion is the threat to expose the details of someone's private lives to the public unless money is exchanged.
criminal.findlaw.com
It was international intimidation in the worse possible way. It was the withholding military aid that the Congress had already approved. Approved with No strings attached.
So throw in the charge of usurping the authority of Congress for good measure, too. You know those “separation of powers” explicitly stated in the Constitution — that document that only yesterday Donald Trump called “phony” … (proving only that he has never read it, once again.)
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This conman-crook extortionist Trump should no longer remain in the Office, that he doesn’t respect — and by proxy doesn’t deserve. This failed businessman treats the Constitution, like it was one of his “fake” business contracts, that he can ignore and squelch on — anytime it suits his personal agenda. Or just for spite, when he feels like too.
Likewise, Trump is a failed President as well, even more so, since he has no interest in upholding — or even understanding — the Laws and Documents upon which this nation is based.
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It’s apparently, all just a game to him, still. Trump has no honor. No dignity.
… No business being there.