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THE IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS

Taylor Staffer Overheard Trump Impatiently Asking Sondland About ‘The Investigations’ Day After Infamous July 25 Call

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The acting ambassador to Ukraine said he has learned since his closed-door testimony that President Donald Trump appeared keenly interested in the status of an investigation into Joe Biden by Ukraine.

Bill Taylor, the president’s top diplomat in Ukraine, testified Wednesday that he learned last week from a staffer, after he was deposed in a closed-door hearing, about an incident that took place a day after Trump’s call to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Last Friday, a member of my staff told me of events that occurred on July 26,” Taylor testified.

Taylor was visiting the front of Ukraine’s war with Russia at the time with Kurt Volker, then a special envoy to the country, and a member of the ambassador’s staff accompanied EU ambassador Gordon Sondland to a meeting with Andrey Yermak, an aide to Zelensky.

“Following that meeting, in the presence of my staff at a restaurant, Ambassador Sondland called President Trump and told him of his meetings in Kyiv,” Taylor testified. “The member of my staff could hear President Trump on the phone, asking Ambassador Sondland about ‘the investigations.’”

“Ambassador Sondland told President Trump that the Ukrainians were ready to move forward,” Taylor added.

Taylor’s staff member asked Sondland what the president thought about Ukraine, and the acting ambassador was troubled by his State Department colleague’s response.

“Ambassador Sondland responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden, which Giuliani was pressing for,” Taylor testified. “At the time I gave my deposition on October 22, I was not aware of this information. I am including it here for completeness.”

Taylor said he first reported that new information through the State Department’s legal adviser, and then through attorneys for both House Republicans and Democrats.

 

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THE IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS

‘I Am Not Yielding!’ Rep. Pramila Jayapal Shuts Down Jim Jordan’s Attempt to Hijack Impeachment Hearing

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Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) stood her ground at an impeachment hearing on Thursday after Republicans tried to derail her arguments in favor of removing President Donald Trump.

Jayapal began her remarks by pointing out that Florida Republican Matt Gaetz was wrong to suggest that President Donald Trump was invested in Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

“Why then did he decide he was so concerned about ‘corruption’ that he was not going to release military aid?” Jayapal said, prompting Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio to demand that she yield the floor.

“I am not yielding!” Jayapal exclaimed. “I am not yielding. I am not yielding.”

“They got a new president!” Jordan shouted, referring to Ukraine.

“The gentlelady has the time!” Chairman Jerry Nadler said, bringing down the gavel. “People will not interrupt.”

“That argument has no weight whatsoever!” Jayapal fired back at Jordan. “No where between the time that Donald Trump withheld aid and the time that he released that aid was there an additional assessment [on Ukraine corruption] required or done.”

“Forget about President Trump,” she said. “Will any one of my colleagues on the other side say that it is an abuse of power to condition aid on official acts?”

“Not a single one of you has said that so far,” Jayapal noted.

Watch the video below from CNN.

 

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THE IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS

MSNBC Legal Analyst Blows Up Jonathan Turley’s ‘Deeply Illogical’ Trump Defense Against Impeachment

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MSNBC’s Chuck Rosenberg blew up the legal arguments put forth by Jonathan Turley to defend President Donald Trump from impeachment.

The former U.S. Attorney and head of the Drug Enforcement Agency told “Morning Joe” that Turley, also an MSNBC contributor, made no sense when he complained that the impeachment process was moving too fast.

“One of the complaints that professor Turley had yesterday, and I thought it was deeply illogical, is that this process is moving fast and too narrow,” Rosenberg said. “If something bad happens you move quickly. Law enforcement, if someone does something wrong, we arrest them and move quickly. This is ongoing so it’s a threat.”

“But the narrow part is what irked me,” he continued. “Here’s why: It’s narrow because the White House has blocked access to subpoenas and witnesses. It’s narrow by design, but not by the Democrats but by the White House.”

“So to criticize Democrats for being too narrow in their inquiry misses the entire point,” he added. “It’s narrow because they have been blocked from getting access to these people that … we would like to hear from.”

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‘Like the Gestapo’: GOP Congressman Blasted for Asking Sworn Witnesses if They ‘Actually Voted for Donald Trump’

‘Literally Just Making Things Up Right Now’: Legal Analyst Wallops Turley’s Testimony Against Impeachment as ‘Nonsense’

GOP’s Legal Expert Insisted Clinton Had to Be Impeached to Protect the ‘Existence of Government’ and Prevent ‘Anarchy’

 

 

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THE IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS

‘Literally Just Making Things Up Right Now’: Legal Analyst Wallops Turley’s Testimony Against Impeachment as ‘Nonsense’

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“A tap dancing exercise in intellectual dishonesty”

George Washington University Law School Law professor Jonathan Turley was the GOP’s only witness during Wednesday’s Judiciary Committee impeachment hearings, and based on the reactions of legal experts, it did not go well for him or the Republicans.

Professor Turley made many claims, with MSNBC hosts at one point declaring what he was really doing was offering new amendments to the U.S. Constitution, suggesting his arguments against impeaching President Trump did not hold up.

CNN National Security and Legal Analyst Susan Hennessey is calling Turley’s claims “nonsense,” and says Democrats should turn their attention to him to “demolish” his arguments.

Hennessey, who is also the Executive Editor at the highly-respected Lawfare blog, goes on to say, “Turley is literally just making things up right now.”

Turley had argued that House Democrats were guilty of abuse of power for attempting to impeach Trump for using the courts as a shield to refuse to hand over any subpoenaed materials and to block key witnesses from testifying.

Related: GOP’s Legal Expert Insisted Clinton Had to Be Impeached to Protect the ‘Existence of Government’ and Prevent ‘Anarchy’

Hennessey clearly disagreed:

She was not yet finished, accusing Turley of engaging in “a tap dancing exercise in intellectual dishonesty.”

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