COTW: She Said, He Said

Breaking: Gordon Sondland the Trump gumba who essentially bought his ambassadorship with a million dollar donation to Don Veto's campaign dropped the dime on his boss today in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee. Faced with contrary testimony from multiple witnesses who had knowledge of the extortion conspiracy against Ukraine, Sondland answered the sixty-four thousand dollar question with a "yes": there was a "quid pro quo" and everyone was in the corrupt loop, including the V.P. The impeachment case against #45 can be considered closed. Only a partisan vote in the Senate, which risks the senators' own political future, can save the occupant of the Very White House from being the first US president to be removed from office for impeachable offenses. Yes, Il Douche, you may finally get a chance to make history!  Chairman Schiff asked his own pregnant question at the end of a long day of testimony: if America does not stand for the Constitution, what does it stand for?  You tell me.

{15.11.19} In a private Saturday deposition, a US budget bureaucrat detailed how the military aid was held up on presidential orders. This evidence is a significant addition to the mass of evidence piling up against King Orange. A congressman on the House Oversight Committee said Mark Sandy's testimony will help trace how the money that was appropriated by Congress to help Ukraine fight the Russians on their eastern border was stopped by the 'King' to extort political dirt on Joe Biden. This evidence has been a concerning chink in the wall of "high crimes" being erected by House Democrats. All other agencies in the Executive branch with jurisdiction had signed off on the aid, except OMB, a highly politicized bureau.

The hold was announced to State Department officials in a video conference ion July 18th by, "a senior OMB official".  A legal document with Sandy’s signature directed a freeze of the security funds, according to testimony from Defense Department official Laura Cooper.  Democrats want to know how the hold was implemented and the persons involved. Previous testimony, not first hand, indicates the order came directly from acting White House Chief of Staff Mulvaney, who was instructed by King Orange to issue thje directive. Once again, the witness was instructed by the White House not to appear pursuant to subpoena.

credit: Steve Sack, Star Tribune

The racist cult that used to be the GOP is sticking with their criminally inclined leader, which is the norm for authoritarian personality cults.  No matter what the evidence, they will defend a man who has no idea what it means to function in a republican government as chief executive. His business modus operandi and personality disorder are what put him in these dire straits, not a Democrat coup.

The evidence did matter in the case of Roger Stone, the political provocateur who acted as a go-between the Trump campaign and Wikkileaks.  He was convicted on all seven felony counts including lying to investigators, witness tampering, and obstructing Congress today.  A piece of significant evidence that came out during his trial is the testimony of Rick Gates, former deputy campaign manager who said he overheard Trumpillini telling Stone that there would be more Wikkileaks information coming out, In his written statement to the Special Counsel Don Veto "did not recall" ever talking to Roger Stone about Wikkileaks, nor was he aware that any of his campaign officials talked to Stone about Wikkileaks. Gates told the jury  Stone requested in June 2016 Jared Kushner’s contact information so he could “debrief” Trump's son-in-law about Wikileaks. Stone also detailed a July strategy meeting to go over a Wikileaks response plan with campaign director Paul Manafort and senior aides Jason Miller and Stephen Miller.

credit: Dana Summers

Former Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch testified to the House Intelligence Committee today, but her evidence was largely tangential, related to her ouster from her post at the insistence of unofficial envoy Rudy 'Ghouly'.  So far, Democrats are hard pressed to present direct evidence of Trumpillini's obsession with political smear tactics--the so called 'drug deal'--due to the regime's complete stonewall and legal filibuster of the House investigation.  Hearsay is admissible in these proceedings, but the fine legal distinction may be completely lost on the public.

One firework worth noting is that while the Ambassador was testifying, King Orange live tweeted his contempt for her abilities--“Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad...”  Chairman Schiff promptly paused her testimony to read out his tweet, and accuse Don Veto of witness intimidation.  While technically that may not be accurate, Il Douche's thuggish tweet certainly changed the atmosphere of the hearing, putting always Trumpists on the defensive.

*David Holmes, a political counselor stationed in Kiev, said in his opening statement at a closed hearing today that he overheard King Orange  loudly ask Sondland in a cell phone call at a Kiev restaurant if President Zelensky had agreed to investigating the Bidens.  After Sondland got off the phone call, he commented that the President does "not give a shit about Ukraine" but only the "big stuff", which Sondland explained as Trump's quest for dirt on a political opponent. Two other American officials were present during the call, including Suriya Jayanti.