Congressman Jim Jordan, the wrestling hero of St Paris, Ohio, has a favorite phrase. He’s used it every afternoon this week, as he made the same speech three days in a row. It’s always somewhere after a litany that includes Christopher Steele (of the dossier,) Jim Comey, the Mueller investigation, and the fact the President Trump’s gambit in Ukraine failed. Jordan says, “Guess What?”
He does it like it’s a big surprise coming up. “Guess What?” – Ukraine got the aid. “Guess What?” – President Zelenskiy got the meeting. “Guess What?” – President Trump didn’t do anything wrong.
Guess what, Congressman Jordan: the President’s scheme failed. And guess what, Mr. Jordan: a failed crime is a crime nonetheless.
Dr. Fiona Hill, former high-ranking member of the National Security Council testified today. She made it clear that the NSC was blind-sided by the President’s alternate foreign policy. In a meeting with Gordon Sondland, the US Ambassador to the European Union, Dr. Hill was angry with Sondland for running a separate operation without telling her.
But she apologized in the hearing today for her anger. After hearing the testimony, Dr. Hill realized that Sondland was working at the behest of the President. What she thought was a rogue, Rudy Giuliani inspired operation to get dirt on Joe Biden from the Ukrainians was in fact led by the President. She left the NSC soon after (see flowchart below.)
Guess what, Jim: the President was holding back aid from Ukraine to get that dirt. And Jim, that’s against the law.
The Final Witnesses
While Dr. Fiona Hill named all of the players, Foreign Service Officer David Holmes directly linked President Trump to the plot. He overheard Gordon Sondland talking on the phone, and heard the President responding to him. Mr. Trump was checking to see if Sondland got what Trump wanted from Zelenskiy. By the way, Republican Congressman Conaway had the temerity to scold Holmes for “revealing” that “secret” conversation, held on the open terrace of a restaurant in Kyiv. He implied Holmes did it to get attention. I guess obstructing justice by withholding evidence isn’t a problem for Conaway.
The Intelligence Committee ended their public hearings on Thursday. Hill and Holmes where the final fact witnesses, tying up the loose facts left over from the week’s testimony.
And “Guess What” Mr. Jordan: the President is guilty as charged.
What happens next? The Intelligence Committee will write a report, and forward that to the Judiciary Committee. Then the Judiciary Committee, led by Jerry Nadler, will draft and vote on Articles of Impeachment. There may be more hearings, or it may all be internal Committee debate. If they vote out Impeachment Articles, it will go to the entire House of Representatives for a vote.
Need a scorecard – here is my attempt to chart the US players:
