The Times has learned that two of President Trump’s top envoys to Ukraine drafted a statement for the country’s new president in August that would have committed Ukraine to pursuing investigations into Mr. Trump’s political rivals. The effort is more evidence that Mr. Trump’s fixation with Ukraine drove senior diplomats to bend U.S. foreign policy to the president’s political agenda.
People familiar with the statement told our reporters that the envoys — Kurt Volker, of the State Department, and Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union — believed that Rudolph Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer, was “poisoning” his mind about Ukraine, and that a public commitment to investigate would encourage Mr. Trump to more fully support the new government there.
Mr. Volker was interviewed today as the first witnessin the House impeachment inquiry. He disclosed a set of texts in which Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, told him and Mr. Sondland, “I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.” After speaking with Mr. Trump, Mr. Sondland messaged that there was no quid pro quo, adding, “I suggest we stop the back and forth by text.”
On the South Lawn of the White House this morning, Mr. Trump publicly called on China to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden — flouting Democrats who are already investigating him for seeking electoral assistance from a foreign power in private.
The House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, sent a letterto Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking her to suspend impeachment proceedings until she had answered questions about how she would include Republicans. The move is part of the G.O.P.’s nascent but aggressive impeachment defense of Mr. Trump. In a message sent to Republican lawmakers this morning, Mr. McCarthy accused Democrats of “trying to discredit democracy” and “undo the 2016 election.”
[....]
Is followed by Q&A with Maggie Haberman about Trump and China and other things, and after that, "What We Are Reading" from other sources (with shoutout to WaPo put together a handy calendar to show what comes next in the impeachment investigation.) Finishing up with this re-Tweet today from the chairwoman of the Federal Election Commission:
This President wants everyone not his toady or partner in crime investigated, waht about him?
His taxes, his company bank records, his talks with Putin, his obstruction of justice, his pay-offs to women, his ties to the immigrant prison companies, his stealing from his foundation, his inauguration donors, his hotel revenues from leaders from around the world, his families loans from oligarchs of corrupt countries. He demands that none of that should be open to the public.
He has an Attorney General who acts as if he is his lawyer. The Republicans let him get away with everything. Everyone of them is probably in on the take also. Corruption run wild.
By Jeff Stein, Tom Hamburger & Josh Dawsey @ WashingtonPost.com, Oct. 3, 4:25 pm EDT
The IRS official who filed the complaint told The Post that he is alarmed by recent attacks on government whistleblowers.
Includes this general video as an illustration on the page:
Caption: In May, the Treasury Department refused a statutory and subpoena request for President Trump’s tax returns. Now, it’s unclear whether Democrats will get them. (JM Rieger/The Washington Post)
It's 10:35 EDT pm on Oct. 3 and Adam Schiff and his fellow chairs would like everyone to take a look at some of the docs they've got up on the internet for your viewing pleasure:
After receiving a trove of important documents from the first of the state department witnesses, my fellow chairs and I highlight some of those deserving of the most attention and what is at stake.
Axios' news editor and Katy Tur, for two, find the Volker texts in the docs "explosive":
House chairs investigating Trump and Ukraine just released the full text messages that were leaked today between Kurt Volker, Gordon Sondland and Bill Taylor.
House dems release pages of Volker texts. In last exchanges, Taylor says, “it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”
Sondland (In a marked change of tone from preceding texts) says Taylor is “incorrect” about Trump’s intentions. pic.twitter.com/pc0A4V59BF
Sorry, pun alert - "Katy Tur" - parents were thinking "Katy bar the door"? (German)
Back to your regularly scheduled program.
"Now quit memorializing our quid pro quo - there is no quid pro quo. First rule of Fight Club, amirite? So get off your texts & let's talk this out in a less, er, memorialized subpoenable setting. BTW, ever been to a meeting with a bone saw, Jimmy?"
Another slant to "saying it on TV", I followed the thread from this tweet. And it seems to me this Fox News Los Angeles TV reporter is going round asking all the Dem Senator candidates if they'd convict now and making sure he gets attribution from more liberal media, for no right wing reason but because he wants to get off of damn FOX, hoping for a job offer from CNN or NBC?
Comments
Here's the NYTimes version:
The Trump Impeachment Inquiry: What Happened Today
By Noah Weiland, Oct. 3, 8:13 pm ET
Is followed by Q&A with Maggie Haberman about Trump and China and other things, and after that, "What We Are Reading" from other sources (with shoutout to WaPo put together a handy calendar to show what comes next in the impeachment investigation.) Finishing up with this re-Tweet today from the chairwoman of the Federal Election Commission:
by artappraiser on Thu, 10/03/2019 - 9:18pm
edit to add:
by artappraiser on Thu, 10/03/2019 - 9:24pm
This President wants everyone not his toady or partner in crime investigated, waht about him?
His taxes, his company bank records, his talks with Putin, his obstruction of justice, his pay-offs to women, his ties to the immigrant prison companies, his stealing from his foundation, his inauguration donors, his hotel revenues from leaders from around the world, his families loans from oligarchs of corrupt countries. He demands that none of that should be open to the public.
He has an Attorney General who acts as if he is his lawyer. The Republicans let him get away with everything. Everyone of them is probably in on the take also. Corruption run wild.
by NCD on Thu, 10/03/2019 - 9:27pm
Not true, NCD, I haven't seen him target the chef at the Library of Congress' cafe yet:
by artappraiser on Thu, 10/03/2019 - 10:21pm
Exclusive: IRS whistleblower said to report Treasury political appointee might have tried to interfere in audit of Trump or Pence
By Jeff Stein, Tom Hamburger & Josh Dawsey @ WashingtonPost.com, Oct. 3, 4:25 pm EDT
The IRS official who filed the complaint told The Post that he is alarmed by recent attacks on government whistleblowers.
Includes this general video as an illustration on the page:
Caption: In May, the Treasury Department refused a statutory and subpoena request for President Trump’s tax returns. Now, it’s unclear whether Democrats will get them. (JM Rieger/The Washington Post)
by artappraiser on Thu, 10/03/2019 - 9:51pm
It's 10:35 EDT pm on Oct. 3 and Adam Schiff and his fellow chairs would like everyone to take a look at some of the docs they've got up on the internet for your viewing pleasure:
by artappraiser on Thu, 10/03/2019 - 10:40pm
Axios' news editor and Katy Tur, for two, find the Volker texts in the docs "explosive":
by artappraiser on Thu, 10/03/2019 - 11:24pm
Sorry, pun alert - "Katy Tur" - parents were thinking "Katy bar the door"? (German)
Back to your regularly scheduled program.
"Now quit memorializing our quid pro quo - there is no quid pro quo. First rule of Fight Club, amirite? So get off your texts & let's talk this out in a less, er, memorialized subpoenable setting. BTW, ever been to a meeting with a bone saw, Jimmy?"
by PeraclesPlease on Fri, 10/04/2019 - 1:52am
NYTimes, The Editorial Board, 3 hrs. ago:
Trump, the Self-Impeaching President
Now he wants China to investigate the Bidens and help his re-election big.
Give him this, he's not subtle.
by artappraiser on Fri, 10/04/2019 - 1:04am
Kim Jong Un Told Trump He Was Too Busy Developing Ballistic Missiles to Help Him with Biden Thing (@ NewYorker.com)
by artappraiser on Fri, 10/04/2019 - 4:33am
Biden his time...
by PeraclesPlease on Fri, 10/04/2019 - 4:43am
Another slant to "saying it on TV", I followed the thread from this tweet. And it seems to me this Fox News Los Angeles TV reporter is going round asking all the Dem Senator candidates if they'd convict now and making sure he gets attribution from more liberal media, for no right wing reason but because he wants to get off of damn FOX, hoping for a job offer from CNN or NBC?
by artappraiser on Fri, 10/04/2019 - 6:41pm