U.S. diplomat testifies Trump tied Ukraine aid to politically motivated investigations

[webfact]

cU.S. diplomat testifies Trump tied Ukraine aid to politically motivated investigations

By Patricia Zengerle and Jonathan Landay

 

Acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor arrives to testify at a closed-door deposition as part of the U.S. House of Representatives impeachment inquiry led by the House Intelligence, House Foreign Affairs and House Oversight and Reform Committees on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top American diplomat in Ukraine testified on Tuesday that President Donald Trump made the release of U.S. security aid to Ukraine contingent on Kiev publicly declaring it would carry out politically motivated investigations that he demanded, according to a copy of his statement to lawmakers.

 

William Taylor, a career diplomat and former Army officer who serves as the charge d'affaires in the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, gave closed-door testimony to the three Democratic-led House of Representatives committees leading an impeachment inquiry against the Republican president. The Washington Post posted a copy of Taylor's opening statement online.

 

Taylor's appearance marked another pivotal development in the political drama unfolding in Washington that threatens Trump's presidency even as he pursues re-election.

 

It ran counter to Trump's contention that there was no quid pro quo - a Latin phrase meaning a favor for a favor - related to the $391 million in security assistance approved by the U.S. Congress to help combat Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine that Trump had withheld.

 

"It was the most damning testimony," Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz told reporters.

 

Taylor testified that he was told by Gordon Sondland, the U.S. envoy to the European Union, that Trump had linked release of the aid to public declarations by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy about investigating domestic political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden as well as a debunked conspiracy theory about the 2016 election.

 

Zelenskiy agreed to the request. The aid was later released.

 

In his testimony, Taylor detailed numerous conversations and events and emphasized the strategic importance of Ukraine as it faces Russian aggression.

 

Previously released text messages that Taylor sent to other senior U.S. officials denounced as "crazy" the idea of withholding the security aid to benefit a domestic political campaign. In his testimony, Taylor emphatically reiterated that view.

 

When asked about U.S. President Donald Trump's use of "lynching" criticizing the Democrats' impeachment inquiry, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday said "it's not the language" he would use. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

 

The House inquiry is focusing on Trump's request during a July 25 telephone call with Zelenskiy that he investigate the Bidens. Joe Biden, the former vice president, is a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination to face Republican Trump. Hunter Biden had served on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

 

Taylor said Trump also made a White House invitation to Zelenskiy contingent on announcing to the investigations.

 

The content of the phone call was first revealed by a whistleblower within a U.S. intelligence agency, who submitted a report stating Trump pressured Zelenskiy to advance his personal political interests. Trump also publicly asked China to investigate the Bidens.

 

Federal election law prohibits candidates from accepting foreign help in an election.

 

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and accused Democrats of trying to oust him to prevent him from being re-elected.

 

Trump has denied that there was a quid pro quo, though his acting chief of staff last week acknowledged that the aid was contingent on Ukraine investigating a discredited theory by some Trump supporters that there is a Democratic National Committee (DNC) computer server in Ukraine.

 

'DIRECT LINE'

Referring to Taylor's testimony, Wasserman Schultz added, "I really felt like he drew the most direct line that I've heard from President Trump to the withholding of foreign aid to a vital diplomatic partner that needs those resources to keep Russia at bay - and tying the withholding of that funding and the meeting that President Zelenskiy wanted to President Zelenskiy declaring that he would open investigations into the Burisma Biden issue and the 2016 election."

 

"During that phone call, Ambassador Sondland told me that President Trump had told him that he wants President Zelenskiy to state publicly that Ukraine will investigate Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election," Taylor told lawmakers, according to the copy of his opening statement.

 

The "alleged Ukrainian interference" is a reference to a debunked conspiracy theory that it was Ukraine, and not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. U.S. intelligence agencies and a special counsel investigation concluded that Russia used a campaign of hacking and propaganda to undermine Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and boost Trump's candidacy in 2016.

 

'I THINK IT'S CRAZY'

Taylor had mentioned his concerns over the withholding of U.S. aid on Sept. 9 to Sondland and Kurt Volker, the State Department's former special envoy to Ukraine, in a text message provided to House investigators and later made public.

 

"As I said on the phone, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign," Taylor wrote in the text message.

 

On Tuesday, Taylor told the impeachment inquiry: "Our national security demands that this relationship remain strong. However, in August and September of this year, I became increasingly concerned that our relationship with Ukraine was being fundamentally undermined by an irregular, informal channel of U.S. policy-making and by the withholding of vital security assistance for domestic political reasons."

 

Taylor described this channel as including Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, then-Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Sondland.

 

Taylor also said Sondland told him that he recognized he had made a mistake by earlier telling the Ukrainian officials that Zelenskiy's desire for a White House meeting with Trump was dependent on a public announcement of investigations Trump sought. In fact, Taylor testified, Sondland said "'everything' was dependent on such an announcement, including security assistance.'"

 

Taylor was tapped to serve as charge d'affaires in Kiev, where he had served as U.S. ambassador from 2006 to 2009, after Trump in May abruptly removed Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. Giuliani had portrayed her as resisting his efforts to push Ukraine to investigate the Bidens.

 

Yovanovitch testified in the impeachment inquiry on Oct. 11.

 

Sondland was a wealthy Oregon hotelier and Trump political donor named to his European diplomatic post last year. In his testimony to lawmakers, he expressed concern that Trump had ordered U.S. officials in May to work with Giuliani on Ukraine policy. Giuliani had been working to engineer a Ukrainian investigation of the Bidens.

 

Taylor said Sondland, during a Sept. 8 phone call, "tried to explain to me that President Trump is a businessman.

 

When a businessman is about to sign a check to someone who owes him something, he said, the businessman asks that person to pay up before signing the check."

 

In addition, Taylor said Volker used the same terms days later.

 

"I argued to both that the explanation made no sense: the Ukrainians did not 'owe' President Trump anything, and holding up security assistance for domestic political gain was 'crazy,' as I had said in my message to Ambassadors Sondland and Volker on September 9," Taylor testified.

 

Democratic Representative Gerry Connolly told reporters Taylor's testimony was based on meticulous contemporaneous notes of conversations and meetings, adding to his credibility as a witness.

 

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Jonathan Landay; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Richard Cowan, David Morgan, Doina Chiacu and Mark Hosenball; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Grant McCool)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-10-23

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[Tug]

Well looks like old Donald got the old quid rite up the old pro so to speak definitely was demanding personal political favors to smear a political rival in exchange for aid that was allready agreed to that’s an impeachable offense 

[mtls2005]

Ouch.

 

This will leave a mark.

 

Hard to impugn Mr. Taylor: West Point grad, Harvard MPA, served in Vietnam (101st Airborne), long government service in both Dem and Rep administraitons, Ambassador to Ukraine 2006-2009 <Bush2>, came back to State at the request of pompeo, to replace ousted Ambassador Yovanovitch, as Charge d'Affaires for Ukraine.

 

Quid meet Quo.

 

Boom.

 

 

"When it Ukraines, it pours."

 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2019 by mtls2005

[Sujo]

Wow. That is huge. Expect trump to go more crazy now. In a normal world he would be gone.

[Silurian]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

"During that phone call, Ambassador Sondland told me that President Trump had told him that he wants President Zelenskiy to state publicly that Ukraine will investigate Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election," Taylor told lawmakers, according to the copy of his opening statement.

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

"As I said on the phone, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign," Taylor wrote in the text message.

 

Well, there goes the "no Quid Pro Quo" defense out the door.

 

It looks like all that is left is the "Get Over It" defense.

 

Edited October 23, 2019 by Silurian

[Jingthing]

If he had an ounce of decency he would now resign.

So of course he won't.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[candide]

Trump's supporters must be hopelessly scrutinizing Trump's tweets and alt.right websites in order to find some argument.

Edited October 23, 2019 by candide

[Jingthing]

Trump's supporters must be hopelessly scrutinizing Trump's tweets and alt.right websites in order to find some argument.

No problem. Fox is on it.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Number 6]

10 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

If he had an ounce of decency he would now resign.

So of course he won't.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Because the Democrats have so much 'decency'...

 

Adam Schiff agenda wide open. Already monumental blunders. This is the first issue of any substance to crop up in the witch hunt. Happy Halloween.

[JHolmesJr]

I think the acting ambassador will need to understand that acting alone does not 

constitute evidence....his allegations are only his perspective until he provides 

proof....a text message/memo/email/recording that corroborates his assertion.

[Mavideol]

2 hours ago, Sujo said:

Wow. That is huge. Expect trump to go more crazy now. In a normal world he would be gone.

in a normal world or a normal state of mind person he would resign.... but for that he needs balls

[mtls2005]

House Republicans on the Intelligence Committee looked shell-shocked after Mr. Taylor's testimony.

 

Not much left for them to do except complain about the process, whinge, deflect.

 

Now just a question of who else goes down...pompeo and barr at a minimum.

 

The republican establishment (donors/strategists) is said to have already moved on to pence, after having been privvy to all the bad news about the president.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2019 by mtls2005

[FritsSikkink]

28 minutes ago, Number 6 said:

 Why should he resign? Exactly. Why? There's no smoking gun here. Both the Russian allegations turned out to be Democrat lies, deceit with full cooperation with Deep State and Hillary Clinton. People were prosecuted and there will be more. 

 

If Republicans do impeach it's only because they are exhausted of the clown. Make room for a swamp dweller. 

 

Democrats just staging end run because out of 25 hopefuls none are presidential material save for Warren w/ VP Gabbard. But you could never win with two women on a ticket. Warren has integrity issues. 

troll

[Laza 45]

Bill Palmer puts it succinctly..  https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/house-cards-bill-taylor-donald-trump-down/22222/?fbclid=IwAR0qzF4S9z1LvSytCpW6ST2Gj0xWGKTbp1AMbCgKR5MxgHR4MvpxJdyrFis

[JCauto]

Yeah, just another smoking gun, what else is new?

My prediction - the Republican establishment lets this play out and pulls a surprise vote in the Senate to impeach given that there's simply no way to square rule of law with any of this. Once that domino falls, so does Barr and Pence and they rush back in with Nikki Haley as their nominee for 2020 and rebrand on the fly as the "law and order" Republicans who were trying so hard to restrain the Donald but simply had no choice but to act when the nefarious behaviour was actually revealed to be true. 

At the very least I'll be the only one to get this right if it happens... ????

[Jingthing]

5 minutes ago, JCauto said:

Yeah, just another smoking gun, what else is new?

My prediction - the Republican establishment lets this play out and pulls a surprise vote in the Senate to impeach given that there's simply no way to square rule of law with any of this. Once that domino falls, so does Barr and Pence and they rush back in with Nikki Haley as their nominee for 2020 and rebrand on the fly as the "law and order" Republicans who were trying so hard to restrain the Donald but simply had no choice but to act when the nefarious behaviour was actually revealed to be true. 

At the very least I'll be the only one to get this right if it happens... ????

Could be but I think you probably overestimate the intelligence of the republicans in the senate. 

Edited October 23, 2019 by Jingthing

[Mavideol]

2 minutes ago, Sujo said:

Which has what to do with what trump did?

not only he did but keeps doing....

[klauskunkel]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

"As I said on the phone, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign,"

Well, "crazy" is the new normal.

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, Sujo said:

Dont be too harsh. Hes had reduce his golf games to 4 times a week.

He suffers so much for the people.

[Number 6]

58 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

There is loads of evidence that he created the biggest swamp ever. that you don't want to read it is up to you.

Whatever...

 

Thanks for the links and citations.

[Number 6]

20 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Thanks for sharing with us that report about Hillary Clinton rumors. That you find them believable tells any reasonably objective observer all that's needed to know about where you're coming from.

Yes, I absolutely believe that if asked Hilary would announce her candidacy tomorrow. Further, if not asked given the right moment she will force herself into the race. Finally even if both do not occur there is still some moderate probability that she will find her way into the race.

 

I'd bet money on it.

[Ramdas]

I can’t wait to see that corrupt punk  pathological liar in a jail suit, it will match perfectly with his messed up face ????

The White House has been hijacked by his mob, especially by the lick <deleted> dodgy Guliani.. I just can’t wait for these corrupted criminals to get hand cuffed! I long for a clean and transparent White House.

Get rid of this global disaster super-fast before he causes more damage at home and in the international community !!!

Disgraceful and shameful to say the least ????????‍♂️

Edited October 23, 2019 by Ramdas

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, Ramdas said:

I can’t wait to see that corrupt punk  pathological liar in a jail suit, it will match perfectly with his messed up face ????

The White House has been hijacked by his mob, especially by the lick <deleted> dodgy Guliani.. I just can’t wait for these corrupted criminals to get hand cuffed! I long for a clean and transparent White House.

Get rid of this global disaster super-fast before he causes more damage at home and in the international community !!!

Disgraceful and shameful to say the least ????????‍♂️

Well, it's technically possible at this point for 45 to eventually be criminally convicted and incarcerated (not while being president and impeachment then conviction doesn't do that though) but personally I think you're fantasy is unlikely. I think there is a deep feeling among American people that incarcerating any president even one well deserving that, is somehow degrading to the office of the president. Yes presidents aren't supposed to be above the law but in practice they are to at least some degree.

[Sujo]

23 minutes ago, Number 6 said:

Yes, I absolutely believe that if asked Hilary would announce her candidacy tomorrow. Further, if not asked given the right moment she will force herself into the race. Finally even if both do not occur there is still some moderate probability that she will find her way into the race.

 

I'd bet money on it.

Thats nice dear. So how about we stick to the topic. Trumps impeachment.

[Srikcir]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

"I really felt like he drew the most direct line that I've heard from President Trump to the withholding of foreign aid to a vital diplomatic partner that needs those resources to keep Russia at bay - and tying the withholding of that funding and the meeting that President Zelenskiy wanted to President Zelenskiy declaring that he would open investigations into the Burisma Biden issue and the 2016 election."

Taylor's testimony raises the possibility that U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland may have broken the law in his previous testimony to Congress. He may be facing a criminal referral for perjury. 

https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/trump-ambassador-gordon-sondland-could-face-a-criminal-perjury-referral-after-bombshell-testimony/

and

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/gordon-sondland-caught-red-handed/22201/

[Mavideol]

4 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Taylor's testimony raises the possibility that U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland may have broken the law in his previous testimony to Congress. He may be facing a criminal referral for perjury. 

https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/trump-ambassador-gordon-sondland-could-face-a-criminal-perjury-referral-after-bombshell-testimony/

and

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/gordon-sondland-caught-red-handed/22201/

that was expected from a guy who BOUGHT his ambassadorship position and his willingness/eager to testify, no political / international experience and was given the post ambassador in EU 555

[IAMHERE]

The USA actually asked for something for their money given to a country. About time.

[Becker]

9 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

The USA actually asked for something for their money given to a country. About time.

Yes, dirt on the political opponent of the president. That's called abuse of power and clearly treason.

[sirineou]

11 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

The USA actually asked for something for their money given to a country. About time.

The US did not ask,trump did, for his own personal purposes. 

[Solinvictus]

All you establishment republican conservatives need to get a clue and support the impeachment of this ex-reality tv show star with a history of financial misdoings. Trump's impeachment inquiry is not only deserving of someone of such character but particularly important for truly making America great again rather than dividing the country such as he has.