Leroy N. Soetoro
2019-11-17 23:19:15 UTC
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-11-13/impeachment-hearings-
donald-trump-adam-schiff-ukraine
Day 1 of the public House impeachment hearings on President Trump is in
the books, and nothing that happened will move public opinion in a
meaningful way. The folks who have wanted to impeach Trump since he won
the presidency still do, and the folks who dont still dont.
In other words, its a lost day for Democrats.
The burden of proof is on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and House
Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) to do more than
secure impeachment, which is all but certain. Their job is to conduct
these hearings in a way that moves public opinion to the point that the
Senate will convict the president. That means giving Republican senators
something that changes their impression of Trumps conduct of Ukraine
foreign policy. Whats alleged may make many members of the GOP
uncomfortable, but it doesnt come remotely close to requiring that the
president be removed from office.
The opening-day witnesses diplomatic officials Bill Taylor and George
Kent testified professionally and with honor, but they failed to deliver
a made-for-TV gotcha. Rather, they simply reiterated that they had no
firsthand knowledge of the presidents interactions and had not had
conversations with the president directly.
ADVERTISEMENT
What I can do here for you today is tell you what I heard from people,
Taylor said at one point to the Democratic counsel, which is not exactly
compelling evidence if you are trying to convince the American people that
what happened is worthy of taking down a presidency. In Taylors defense,
he said he did not appear as a witness for either side of this debate, but
obviously Democrats were hoping people would view him as a witness helpful
to their impeachment ambitions.
One of the best defenses Trump has against the allegations at issue is
that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated publicly that he
did not personally feel pressured during his July 25 phone call with
Trump. Under questioning by Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), Taylor said he
had no reason to doubt what Zelensky said.
Ratcliffe also scored points by asking both witnesses if they had come
before the committee to report any offenses stemming from the Trump-
Zelensky call that warranted impeachment. Neither would say yes, which for
Democrats was a deflating moment.
Taylor did offer one significant element to the drama, related to Trumps
Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who is slated to testify
next week. Taylor claimed that a member of his staff overheard Sondland
having a phone conversation with the president (at a public restaurant, no
less!) regarding Trumps desire for an investigation into former Vice
President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
While Sondlands appearance before Congress and the public was always sure
to be must-see TV, Taylors revelation raises the stakes related to his
testimony. It will be interesting to see how the White House attacks the
comments of its own appointee and someone who apparently does have first-
hand knowledge of the presidents conversations and state of mind.
If you listened closely to Wednesdays testimony especially New York
Republican Rep. Elise Stefaniks afternoon questioning of the witnesses
you were perhaps compelled to Google the underlying policy issues at play
between the United States and Ukraine. If you did, you would have been
reminded that Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, during President Obamas
administration.
The invasion was a big deal. The Russians were testing Obama just as they
were also embarking on their successful attempts to meddle in our 2016
presidential election. At home and abroad, Obama dithered when confronted
with Russian aggression.
For two years, Obama and Biden, supposedly a Ukrainian savant, refused to
send our allies lethal aid to beat back the Russians. And we know from the
report of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III that they did nothing to
stop election meddling. Russia beat Obama on both fronts.
An inconvenient truth is emerging for Democrats: if you are worried about
Russian influence, Trump has done a much better job than Obama ever did.
Under Trump, we actually sent the Ukrainians lethal aid, a policy that
Taylor and Kent admitted is better than it was before. And under Trump,
the 2018 midterm election was apparently conducted free from Russian
meddling.
Democrats want to overturn an election based on merely a momentary halting
of military assistance to Ukraine by Trumps White House because Trump
raised questions about corruption in a notoriously corrupt country. But
they never bothered to ask the Obama White House why they held up lethal
aid for two years when it was sorely needed.
Democrats claim Trumps intent was corrupt and an abuse of power, but the
net result of Trumps decisions, by any measure, is a stronger response to
the Russians than Obama ever delivered. Question Trumps judgment in
sending people like Sondland and Rudolph W. Giuliani to Europe all you
want, but impeachment? Give me a break.
--
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Donald J. Trump, 304 electoral votes to 227, defeated compulsive liar in
denial Hillary Rodham Clinton on December 19th, 2016. The clown car
parade of the democrat party ran out of gas and got run over by a Trump
truck.
Congratulations President Trump. Thank you for cleaning up the disaster
of the Obama presidency.
The Obama-led Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)
approved Uranium One in fall 2010. With a little luck, we'll see
compulsive liar Hillary Clinton in jail before she dies.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp.
Obama increased total debt from $10 trillion to $20 trillion in the eight
years he was in office, and sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood queer
liberal democrat donors.
donald-trump-adam-schiff-ukraine
Day 1 of the public House impeachment hearings on President Trump is in
the books, and nothing that happened will move public opinion in a
meaningful way. The folks who have wanted to impeach Trump since he won
the presidency still do, and the folks who dont still dont.
In other words, its a lost day for Democrats.
The burden of proof is on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and House
Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) to do more than
secure impeachment, which is all but certain. Their job is to conduct
these hearings in a way that moves public opinion to the point that the
Senate will convict the president. That means giving Republican senators
something that changes their impression of Trumps conduct of Ukraine
foreign policy. Whats alleged may make many members of the GOP
uncomfortable, but it doesnt come remotely close to requiring that the
president be removed from office.
The opening-day witnesses diplomatic officials Bill Taylor and George
Kent testified professionally and with honor, but they failed to deliver
a made-for-TV gotcha. Rather, they simply reiterated that they had no
firsthand knowledge of the presidents interactions and had not had
conversations with the president directly.
ADVERTISEMENT
What I can do here for you today is tell you what I heard from people,
Taylor said at one point to the Democratic counsel, which is not exactly
compelling evidence if you are trying to convince the American people that
what happened is worthy of taking down a presidency. In Taylors defense,
he said he did not appear as a witness for either side of this debate, but
obviously Democrats were hoping people would view him as a witness helpful
to their impeachment ambitions.
One of the best defenses Trump has against the allegations at issue is
that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated publicly that he
did not personally feel pressured during his July 25 phone call with
Trump. Under questioning by Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), Taylor said he
had no reason to doubt what Zelensky said.
Ratcliffe also scored points by asking both witnesses if they had come
before the committee to report any offenses stemming from the Trump-
Zelensky call that warranted impeachment. Neither would say yes, which for
Democrats was a deflating moment.
Taylor did offer one significant element to the drama, related to Trumps
Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who is slated to testify
next week. Taylor claimed that a member of his staff overheard Sondland
having a phone conversation with the president (at a public restaurant, no
less!) regarding Trumps desire for an investigation into former Vice
President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
While Sondlands appearance before Congress and the public was always sure
to be must-see TV, Taylors revelation raises the stakes related to his
testimony. It will be interesting to see how the White House attacks the
comments of its own appointee and someone who apparently does have first-
hand knowledge of the presidents conversations and state of mind.
If you listened closely to Wednesdays testimony especially New York
Republican Rep. Elise Stefaniks afternoon questioning of the witnesses
you were perhaps compelled to Google the underlying policy issues at play
between the United States and Ukraine. If you did, you would have been
reminded that Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, during President Obamas
administration.
The invasion was a big deal. The Russians were testing Obama just as they
were also embarking on their successful attempts to meddle in our 2016
presidential election. At home and abroad, Obama dithered when confronted
with Russian aggression.
For two years, Obama and Biden, supposedly a Ukrainian savant, refused to
send our allies lethal aid to beat back the Russians. And we know from the
report of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III that they did nothing to
stop election meddling. Russia beat Obama on both fronts.
An inconvenient truth is emerging for Democrats: if you are worried about
Russian influence, Trump has done a much better job than Obama ever did.
Under Trump, we actually sent the Ukrainians lethal aid, a policy that
Taylor and Kent admitted is better than it was before. And under Trump,
the 2018 midterm election was apparently conducted free from Russian
meddling.
Democrats want to overturn an election based on merely a momentary halting
of military assistance to Ukraine by Trumps White House because Trump
raised questions about corruption in a notoriously corrupt country. But
they never bothered to ask the Obama White House why they held up lethal
aid for two years when it was sorely needed.
Democrats claim Trumps intent was corrupt and an abuse of power, but the
net result of Trumps decisions, by any measure, is a stronger response to
the Russians than Obama ever delivered. Question Trumps judgment in
sending people like Sondland and Rudolph W. Giuliani to Europe all you
want, but impeachment? Give me a break.
--
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Donald J. Trump, 304 electoral votes to 227, defeated compulsive liar in
denial Hillary Rodham Clinton on December 19th, 2016. The clown car
parade of the democrat party ran out of gas and got run over by a Trump
truck.
Congratulations President Trump. Thank you for cleaning up the disaster
of the Obama presidency.
The Obama-led Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)
approved Uranium One in fall 2010. With a little luck, we'll see
compulsive liar Hillary Clinton in jail before she dies.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp.
Obama increased total debt from $10 trillion to $20 trillion in the eight
years he was in office, and sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood queer
liberal democrat donors.