Tag Archives: Quid pro quo

Off the Rails, Republicans

House Republicans, lacking a viable defense of the President, throw a tantrum

Quote of the day:

“But none of the 13 Republicans who spoke defended Trump on the central allegation that he had pushed Ukraine to investigate Democrats while blocking military aid that had been approved for Kyiv.” — “Republicans storm closed-door impeachment hearing as escalating Ukraine scandal threatens Trump,” Washington Post

A group of Republican Congressmen, led by Matt Gaetz (“I led over 30 of my colleagues into the SCIF where Adam Schiff is holding secret impeachment depositions. Still inside — more details to come.”), put on a “dramatic protest,” made “process arguments,” “sidestepped the substance” of the case against Trump, and complained about “the private nature” of the hearings.

But “none of the 13 Republicans who spoke defended Trump on the central allegation ….”

After Ambassador William Taylor’s testimony at yesterday’s hearing confirmed Trump’s demand to Ukrainian President Zelensky of a quid pro quo before release of military funds, a diversionary circus was the best ‘defense’ Republicans could offer. Reminiscent of the Brooks Brothers riot (the inspiration for the spectacle perhaps?), today’s performance piece may please the President, but — though it generated a 5 hour delay (and offered an occasion for the restive Congressmen to order out for pizza) — it is unlikely to derail the impeachment inquiry. And what do Republicans, unable to embrace Trump’s treachery, do tomorrow?

(Image: Fox News video.)

Democracy, Donald Trump, Off the Rails

Quid Pro Quo? “Absolutely. No question about that….That’s why we held up the money.” — Mick Mulvaney

Exchange of the day as White House Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney renders inoperative weeks of denials of a quid pro quo — Congressionally-approved military aid would go to Ukraine only if Ukraine agreed to dig up dirt on Trump’s political opponents — first revealed in a ‘transcript’ released by the White House.

Mulvaney: “Did he also mention to me in the past the corruption related to the DNC server? Absolutely. No question about that.

But that’s it. That’s why we held up the money.”

. . .

Reporter: But to be clear, what you just described is a quid pro quo. Funding will not flow unless the investigation into the Democratic server happens as well.

Mulvaney: “We do that all the time with foreign policy.”

Video from C-Span. Exchange begins at 21:07.

Two days ago the Washington Post reported on Mulvaney’s central role in this scheme. Each day, in spite of the White House’s blanket refusal to provide witnesses or documents to Congress, the testimony of witness after witness for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has been filling in additional details on the hijacking of American foreign policy to undermine free and fair elections in the United States and politically benefit Donald Trump.

But — so says Mulvaney — Trump’s concern in directing this quid pro quo wasn’t to implicate the Bidens! It was to prove (contra the Mueller report) that it was Ukraine, not Putin’s Russia, that interfered with the 2016 election and that a Ukrainian company had absconded with the Democratic National Committee server containing Hillary Clinton’s missing emails. (Check out Vox’s explainers regarding Ukraine conspiracy theories.)

So there, Nancy Pelosi, all roads don’t lead to Putin (or so the Trump White House wished to ‘prove’). And ignore the White House memo on Trump’s call to Zalensky, wherein Trump says: ” The other thing, There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it… It sounds horrible to me.“