Connect with us

OBSTRUCTION

Revealed: State Dept. Ordered Ukraine Ambassador to Not Testify

Published

on

The former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine who delivered a stunning statement just hours ago has just delivered a new one: the State Dept., at the direction of the Trump White House, ordered her to not appear or testify before Congress.

House Democrats then issued a subpoena to ensure she could testify as planned Friday morning, which she did, dropping several bombshells.

Among them, Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch says President Donald Trump ordered her removed from her post. She was told to get “on the next plane” and return to Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Yovanovitch also says she believes she was recalled because she was getting in the way of plans made by the president’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and his associates.

“With respect to Mayor Giuliani,” Ambassador Yovanovitch said in her qwrittten statement, “I have had only minimal contacts with him—a total of three that I recall. None related to the events at issue. I do not know Mr. Giuliani’s motives for attacking me. But individuals who have been named in the press as contacts of Mr. Giuliani may well have believed that their personal financial ambitions were stymied by our anti-corruption policy in Ukraine.”

In other words, she appears to suggest they were trying to make money and she was blocking those efforts.

Yovanovitch also explains the decision-making process that led to her removal.

“I met with the Deputy Secretary of State, who informed me of the curtailment of my term. He said that the President had lost confidence in me and no longer wished me to serve as his ambassador. He added that there had been a concerted campaign against me, and that the Department had been under pressure from the President to remove me since the Summer of 2018. He also said that I had done nothing wrong and that this was not like other situations where he had recalled ambassadors for cause. I departed Ukraine for good this past May.”

House Democrats have issued a statement warning the Trump administration that their continued ewfforts to obstruct may be added to the articles of impeachment.

 

Image by U.S. Embassy Kyiv Ukraine via Flickr

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment
 
 

Enjoy this piece?

… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.

NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.

Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.

OBSTRUCTION

Watch: Trump Brags About Obstructing Congress During Remarks About His Impeachment Trial for Obstructing Congress

Published

5 years ago

on

January 22, 2020

By

President Donald Trump is now bragging about his blatant obstruction of Congress – while discussing his impeachment trial for obstruction of Congress. Speaking to reporters at the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland Trump boasted about having all the documents – and that the House has none – because he’s blocked them from being released.

Trump is being impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. He has refused to hand over to Congress hundreds if not thousands of documents, has blocked at least nine administration officials from testifying, and even refused to comply with lawful House subpoenas.

First, Trump lied about releasing the “transcript” of his call with Ukraine President Zelensky. He has not released the transcript. He has released a call summary, which even says it is not a transcript. He told reporters that “all hell broke loose” among Democrats when he released the “transcript,” which is also false. The call summary was what convinced even those Democrats who had been unwilling to support impeachment to support impeachment.

After praising his impeachment attorneys, who lied over and over again while speaking before the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during Tuesday’s Senate impeachment trial, Trump moved on to bragging about obstruction.

“But honestly we have all the material,” Trump proclaimed. “They don’t have the material,” he said, referring to House prosecutors.

Watch:

 

Continue Reading

OBSTRUCTION

McConnell Forced to Change Egregious Impeachment Rules Resolution After Even GOP Senators Balked at How Extreme It Was

Published

5 years ago

on

January 21, 2020

By

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell early Tuesday afternoon was forced to change the resolution outlining the rules that will govern the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, after even Republican Senators balked at how extreme the rules were.

Over recent years Leader McConnell has been accused of stealing a U.S. Supreme Court seat, flooding the federal bench with extremist and even unqualified judges, forcing the confirmation of a judge accused  of sexual assault to the nation’s top court, and now, orchestrating an illegitimate impeachment trial.

Tuesday afternoon, McConnell quietly let it be known that the most extreme and restrictive rules that appeared in his original resolution had changed.

The resolution now will allow all evidence that the House presented will be included in the Senate trial. The original resolution required that votes be taken on whether or not to allow the evidence to be submitted.

The other resolution many found egregious was an attempt to hold the hearings under cover of darkness, even well past midnight. Originally the arguments would have been compressed in to two 12-hour days, That has been changed to three 8-hour days.

Regardless, little chance remains critical Trump administration witnesses, like former National Security Advisor John Bolton, will ever be allowed to testify.

Continue Reading

OBSTRUCTION

House Republicans Stonewalling Impeachment by Forcing Sham Votes

Published

5 years ago

on

December 18, 2019

By

House Republicans know that there are far more votes than they had hoped to pass Articles of Impeachment against President Donald Trump but that is not stopping them from taking a stand to stonewall the reason Wednesday’s session was gaveled in at 9 AM.

On Tuesday the Rules Committee agreed to six hours of debate, but Republicans began the day today by forcing sham votes they know have no chance of passing. Their goal is apparent: delay the impeachment vote into the dark of night – perhaps midnight – so they can further condemn what the majority of Americans believe is the correct course of action.

Republicans have already forced a vote to adjourn, which did not succeed – except to eat up time. Next up: a vote to formally condemn the top two Committee chairs who have managed the impeachment inquiry: Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY).

That motion also failed, 226-191:

These spurious motions have already stolen an hour of the House’s time: currently 431 Members of Congress, plus their staffs, and of course, the entire nation, many of whom are watching today’s historic events.

Next up: a debate on a rule setting terms of today’s debate, and then, finally, the six allotted hours of debate, which will in real time be closer to eight or more hours.

Stay tuned.

EARLIER: What to Expect on Wednesday When Trump Is Impeached: What Time Does the Voting Start and How to Watch or Stream

 

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2020 AlterNet Media.