New Members
Yesterday was the first day of impeachment hearings. Now, I will no longer be in a small, select group of “geeks” who read transcripts and download opening statements. This was the day when the rest of the nation will see what I see. They will know that the President of the United States uses the powers of his office and our tax money to further his own personal goals.
I know that there will still be many:
“…Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (Matthew 13:13).
They will not believe what is clearly in front of them. Like Senator Lindsey Graham: “…their eyes they have closed” (Matthew 13:14). They are blinded by their commitment to Donald Trump and will not know the truth.
But maybe a lot of undecided Americans will finally see it. And maybe, even those folks who ignored all the previous Trumpian nonsense will be drawn to listen. Now it’s in their face, on every channel: ABC, CNN, CBS, C-SPAN, FOX, MSNBC, NBC, and PBS. It’s live on radio, and streaming on the web. Like Lindsey Graham, they would have to choose to be ignorant.
Ukraine is Important
Vladimir Putin is leading Russia to a “return to empire.” Putin’s goal is to bring Russia back to the “heydays” of the Soviet Union and the Iron Curtain. His first step is to regain the “lost” Soviet states: Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova; and by far the largest and most important, Ukraine.
Ukraine contained the Soviet Union’s access to the Black Sea. Sevastopol, on the Crimean Peninsula, is a main naval base, home of the Soviet-now-Russian, Black Sea Fleet. When the Soviet Union broke apart, Russia maintained a “lease” on the base. In 2014, Putin sent Russian troops to seize the entire region from Ukraine. He still maintains Russian troops there today, and continues to attack the Ukrainian Eastern border.
The United States supports democracy in the former Soviet states, and has countered the Russian forces on their borders. Today, US forces are stationed in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. But Ukraine is the “point of the spear” against Russian aggression, and critical geography for Russian expansion. 14,000 Ukrainians have died defending their nation in the past five years.
US support is critical to Ukraine’s survival as a nation.
Protection
The testimony yesterday, and more importantly, the White House issued summary of President Trump’s conversation with President Zelenskiy on July 25th is clear. President Trump pressured Zelenskiy to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden, and the “CrowdStrike” 2016 election conspiracy. If the conversation didn’t deliver the message, it was later made clear by US diplomats. The Ukrainian government knew that both a White House meeting and Ukrainian military aid were dependent on those investigations.
Reluctantly, President Zelenskiy scheduled an interview with CNN, and prepared to announce investigations of CrowdStrike and the Biden’s. Then the “Whistleblower” report became public, and, surprise, the Ukrainian military aid was delivered.
Republicans made a huge point of saying that President Zelenskiy said there was no “pressure” to investigate. The Republicans’ claim that is proof there was no “offer the Ukrainians couldn’t refuse.”
President Zelenskiy continues to depend on future US aid; assistance that is still under Trump’s control. It should come as no surprise that Zelenskiy isn’t “crossing” Trump now; it is in the best interest of Ukraine to maintain the relationship.
Honorable Service
It was a long day of listening. Ambassador Taylor and Deputy Assistant Secretary Kent told us what happened in Ukraine, and stuck by their guns against misdirection. They were exactly as advertised: non-partisan officials who have spent most of their lives supporting the policies of the United States.
Both Taylor and Kent made it clear that President Trump was asking for a deal, the dreaded “quid pro quo,” for Ukraine to receive military aid. The Republican defense of Trump seems to be: it never happened. The aid was delivered: no investigations were promised.
They’re right. That’s because the Trump Administration is the “gang that can’t shoot straight.”
President Zelenskiy scheduled a press conference with CNN in New York. Before that conference could take place, the whistleblower report was revealed. Soon after, the aid was forwarded to Ukraine. The “quid” was delivered; there was no need for a “quo.”
Attempted Crime is Crime
President Trump was caught offering a bribe to Ukraine for investigations. After that, he gave them the “bribe” anyway. Now he’s saying they got what they wanted, so what’s the offense?
So we are faced with these odd facts once again. As long as the President and his “gang” screws up and gets caught, then supposedly they didn’t do anything wrong. It’s the same defense used in the Mueller Report. They didn’t know talking to the Russians was wrong, they weren’t organized enough to work with anyone. They couldn’t even work with each other.
Special Counsel Mueller even accepted the “we didn’t know” defense. The long-standing phrase, “ignorance of the law is no excuse” actually wasn’t true. Donald Trump Jr. claimed he didn’t know he shouldn’t take information from the Russians, that it violated campaign laws. Mueller noted that, and failed to bring charges.
Now we are being asked to accept it again. The President, used his personal lawyer or fixer or consigliore Rudy Giuliani, and the “Three Amigos,” Volker, Sondland, and Perry. They tried to get Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son, and “Counter Strike,” the fantastical 2016 election conspiracy. He threatened to cut off military aid to do it, and was caught in the act. That doesn’t make him innocent. It’s makes him a poor criminal.
The facts are plain. The President committed bribery – part of the Constitutional reason for impeachment – “treason, bribery, and high crimes and misdemeanors.” Now it’s up to Congress to do their Constitutional duty.
