September 25, 2019

The transcript is released.

Read it here (at NBC).

I haven't read it yet, but I see the line that NBC cherry-picked — presumably the most damning thing — is "I heard you had a prosecutor who was very good and he was shut down, which is really unfair."

Here's the mention of Biden (click to enlarge and sharpen):



Ah! So what Trump was talking about was the way Biden "stopped the prosecution" and "went around bragging about it." Trump wanted Ukraine to look into Biden's interference with an investigation into Biden’s son. [Correction made: I’d originally written “investigation into Ukraine.” Sorry for the confusion!]

368 comments:

1 – 200 of 368   Newer›   Newest»
jaydub said...

Democrats react to release of transcript:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOuycLaJ-_s

Michael K said...

Trump is going to have a presser today with the Ukraine president. That should be interesting.

Lucid-Ideas said...

I perused it - and rather quickly - so I will go back when I have more time and let my legal brain have a bigger portion.

But I saw nothing, absolutely nothing, that suggests to me A) a crime and B) something outside the purview of executive privilege exercised by a sitting president involved in a foreign policy matter.

The Democrats and their supporters pushing this have lost their minds. This will fail and will further bifurcate the country.

Mr. Groovington said...

Kalinskky says immediately he wants to drain his swamp too. They chat about Angela without being porny about her youthful nudism photo online. Nothing else really jumps out.

Infinite Monkeys said...

It sounds horrible to me too.

BJM said...

Where the beef?

rhhardin said...

Noforn means no foreign nationals even if they have clearance, as I recall.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

It's illegal to say anything negative about a holy and precious above-the-law democratic.

Lucien said...

But the transcript must’ve been doctored, because I don’t see the Eight Times President Trump asked for an investigation of Biden.

Darrell said...

No quid pro quo. No mention of Biden 8 times. No evidence of wrongdoing.

Is they any penalty for a false impeachment charge?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

I want to know more about the actual "whistle blower"

Who is this person?

Why does the term "whistle blower" make you above the law and privy to the president's conversions?

Wa St Blogger said...

Wow. This so damning. "If you can look into this.... It sounds horrible to me." ??? Get a rope!

Brian said...

How Dare He!

Biden is untouchable.

Nonapod said...

To me, "Whatever you can do would be great" doesn't really equate to "Do this or you won't get money". But of course people will still want to interpret it that way.

People are saying it technically isn't an exact, word for word transcript, more of a memorandum. So that may give the Dems so wiggle room for their fevered fantasizing.

rehajm said...

It doesn't seem like there's enough for impeachment to me. No campaign violation, either. I'm more curious about what the fuck the Biden's were doing though...

daskol said...

Boastful buffoon Joe Bluster Biden blew it.

pious agnostic said...

I thought the problem was that Trump threatened to withhold aid. That's not in there, that I can see. (And I have read the transcript, but perhaps I missed it?)

Limited blogger said...

Dems and MSM trying to put cheese on the 'nothing burger'.

Big Mike said...

Trump wanted Ukraine to look into Biden's interference with an investigation into Ukraine.

Which is what I, for one, always assumed. The Democrats are already trying to say that this transcript is doctored or inauthentic or something.

They are lying, as usual.

Mark said...

Trump wanted Ukraine to look into Biden's interference with an investigation into Ukraine.

That's what fair-minded people have said all along.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Biden and Obama are holy democratic creatures. Thou shalt not disobey their worldly order and money whoring.

AZ Bob said...

Could this be about taking out Biden?

Spiros Pappas said...

Can you imagine Hunter Biden taking suitcases full of cash onto Air Force 2? It's going to be huge!

Gunner said...

None of this matters. The Deep State is fine with blackmailing less progressive countries into accepting our Gay Tranny Industrial Complex, but looking into Democratic nepotism? Hell no!

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

It's illegal to "look into" or to ask someone to "look into" democratic corruption and democratic insider money whoring.

exhelodrvr1 said...

OK, Nancy, spin this.

cubanbob said...


Ah! So what Trump was talking about was the way Biden "stopped the prosecution" and "went around bragging about it." Trump wanted Ukraine to look into Biden's interference with an investigation into Ukraine.


What we have here is a fundamental breakdown of reality as perceived by the Democrats. Please, please PLEASE! Impeach him now!

Skipper said...

As the current usage goes, a "nothing burger".

Rick.T. said...

This has been the REO Speedwagon impeachment offense:

"Heard it from a friend who
Heard it from a friend who
Heard it from another you been messin' around...

"But I know the neighborhood
And talk is cheap when the story is good
And the tales grow taller on down the line..."

exhelodrvr1 said...

Kim Strassel from the WSJ. Her columns are typically extremely on target:

https://twitter.com/KimStrassel/status/1176865141574340608

PB said...

The Ukraine leader, without prompting, said he wanted to drain his swamp and rid it of corruption. Trump talked about particular corruptions that he hoped the Ukraine would investigate.

Michael K said...

Maybe these comments will appear when the Althouses return.

"Frontpage Magazine is morphing from a right wing site to replace the NY Times as a source of news.

Unlike the average ActBlue donor and San Francisco billionaire, the average voter doesn’t actually want his elected officials spending all their time holding three hundred hearings about Trump every week.

So why the unpopular impeachment push that can’t succeed because of the composition of the Senate?

Voters don’t like impeachment because they want to be the ones to remove politicians from office. Pelosi is asking the Left to let the voters do that just in 2020. But for the Left, that’s exactly the point.

Impeachment isn’t about punishing whatever imaginary crime involving whatever country was hit by a dart thrown at a world atlas this week in the offices of the New York Times and the Washington Post. The same media operatives who claimed that President Trump was a Russian spy are now insisting that he’s working with the Ukrainians, whose country was invaded and partially annexed by Russia. By next month, Trump may be accused of secretly colluding with the Netherlands, Burundi or Australia.

The purpose of Random Treason Accusation #17 has always been justifying the use of surveillance, espionage and secret evidence against the political opposition. Or Watergate to the power of ten.


Like China, the political left is all about surveillance. The Stasi reborn

Dave Begley said...

Biden is finished.

The Clinton corruption model - that the Bidens tried to follow - is to take money from foreigners and wash it through a third party or entity. Then claim that investigating or prosecuting them in the US is wrong because they are the political opponents of the Trump Administration ("That's what they do in Banana Republics.") And, of course, the Obama DOJ would never prosecute Hillary or Joe. They point shaved the whole Hillary email investigation. Moreover, the foreign governments will never prosecute an American.

The Clintons and Bidens aren't immune just because they held high office.

If we ever saw Hillary's emails, it would all be clear. But she destroyed the evidence and the DOJ did nothing.

Let's so Joe Biden's emails. Did he have a private email account like everyone else? Biden, however, is so old and stupid he probably doesn't even know how to do email.

And, note well, the use of the letter C in the transcript and recall Hillary's explanation about it. What a liar!

stevew said...

"president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security, and betrayal of the integrity of our elections."

That is a direct quote from Speaker Pelosi as to the justification for launching a "formal" impeachment inquiry in the House. I've read the transcript and tried to find evidence that points to, if not proves, her assertions. So far I cannot find any evidence of wrong doing in this phone call.

Pelosi is usually smarter and more skillful than this. Impeachment is not the goal; she's up to something else. I don't think winning the presidency in 2020 is her goal either. Perhaps forestalling the replacement of Ginsburg with a conservative is the goal. Are there a lot of cases before the Court in which she and the Democrats have significant political interest?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Where is the crime?

Oh right- Corrupt Hillary is still not president.

Freder Frederson said...

The only problem is that the prosecutor was not investigating Biden's son. And everyone (the entire congress and the EU) all wanted that prosecutor fired because he refused to investigate corruption in the Ukraine.

Either Trump is getting all his info from Rush and this blog, is a dumbass because he doesn't understand the issue, or is lying (I guess the three are not mutually exclusive).

And even if you believe this bullshit, how on earth is involving Rudy Guiliani in this "investigation" appropriate. He has no official government position.

Ken B said...

So I read it, and the whole section about the investigations (plural) twice.

Firstly, I don’t see threats, or a quid pro quo. As matters of fact there were neither of those, right? Nothing about delays or cancellations.

As a matter of opinion I see nothing unusual or untoward about the Biden investigation. It appears to me that Trump is saying in effect “look we had bad actors from our side messing you about. I don’t like that. You investigate the corruption and that includes investigating Biden's son whom you were pressured about”.

Nothing.

The media will spin it hard but this looks like a catastrophe for the Democrats.

gilbar said...

Our Beloved Professor Althouse said...
So what Trump was talking about was the way Biden "stopped the prosecution" and "went around bragging about it." Trump wanted Ukraine to look into Biden's interference with an investigation into Ukraine.


And it JUST DOESN'T GET MUCH MORE DAMNING THAN THAT!"
IMPEACH! IMPEACH NOW!
Oh, wait a minute, he (Jo Biden) is Already out of office: Never Mind!

Leeatmg said...

"Ah! So what Trump was talking about was the way Biden "stopped the prosecution" and "went around bragging about it." Trump wanted Ukraine to look into Biden's interference with an investigation into Ukraine."

That is the instinctive and reasonable interpretation. Of course, that is not the one we will talk about ad nauseam for weeks.

effinayright said...

So what Trump was talking about was the way Biden "stopped the prosecution" and "went around bragging about it." Trump wanted Ukraine to look into Biden's interference with an investigation into [sic] Ukraine.
*********************

How DARE he!!!

So the Dems have raced straight over the cliff once again.

I wonder when, like Wiley Coyote, they will look down and realize they're falling into a political abyss--pursued by an anvil.

Why can I not stop LOLZing?

Shouting Thomas said...

My advice to the Democrats is to stop now.

This crap is going to explode in your face.

Biden and his son extorted bribes from the Ukraine.

Trump isn't the problem here. He did the right thing.

The Bergall said...

Yawn.............../s

Mich McCormick said...

Lol, Biden is his own worst enemy. Trump referencing Biden bragging about putting the screws to Ukraine is hardly a bombshell. I'm putting money on Warren being the nominee. I still think Trump wins reelection but I'm definitely looking forward to the debates between the two.

I'm still trying to figure out what exactly the crime is here that warrants actual impeachment. I'm getting really annoyed at this circus when more pressing and useful activities are not being addressed by Congress. I agree with Prof. Althouse, the DNC/Dems are betting this election is not going to go their way. This is effectively admission on their part that they're going to lose in 2020.

I do respect Pelosi, she's an effective Speaker for her side, but she's getting dragged into this impeachment mess and even her move yesterday (best she could do to hold off her screaming left flank) isn't going to last long.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Pretty much everyone in the Ukrainian government is corrupt, including the people whose job is to investigate corruption. I doubt if the new investigator is any less corrupt than the old investigator.

Skeptical Voter said...

Ah well Orange Man Bad! and all that noise.

There are going to be a lot on unintended consequences here. The worst is that foreign leaders won't be forthcoming in telephone conversations with the POTUSA. All of them assume, correctly, that those conversations are (a) recorded, and (b) listened into by legions of spooks both US and foreign. However the working principle is that the contents of the conversation are not going to be spread before the public. That principle is, as Nixon's Press Secretary Ron Zeigler said, "No longer operative." Well, if you don't say anything at all, it can't be spread before the world.

Of course this hoohah is also going to leave Slow Joe Biden and his son more than a little bit dinged up.

Xmas said...

That's a whole lot of...nothing.

He referenced Crowdstrike and the Meuller report saying that the Russian cyber attacks came from a server in Ukraine. And he mentioned Joe Biden bragging about getting the Ukrainian prosecutor sacked and that it looked bad.

I'm not sure where the "there" is there.

henry said...

This may be the only place we see reporting on Trump following up on Biden's own claims. Thank you.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Jason Crow(D) demands that Hillary be installed. NOW!

Leland said...

Seems like a reasonable request.

Krumhorn said...

It has become increasingly clear that our hostess nailed this from the start. This was about pushing Biden’s head into the toilet for the benefit of the leftie womyn in the race. For bonus points, they also get to sling poo at the BadOrangeMan.

Actually, not bad from a game move perspective.

- Krumhorn

Roy Lofquist said...

Interesting: From Thomas Lifson at American Thinker with clips of Rudy Giuliani on the Laura Ingraham show.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/09/rudy_giuliani_tells_dems_theyve_walked_into_a_trap.html

“The Democrats have stepped into something way beyond what they realize.” ... “They have walked into a trap” ... “There’s only one reason the Chinese spent all that money: to buy Joe Biden.” ... He warned, “I have the records,” about the actual corruption of Biden and his son, who he said have provided, ”evidence of guilty knowledge.” ... This impeachment effort is, “Covering up for what will turn out to be massive corruption in the Obama administration.” ... “The Clintons enriched themselves in public office to the tune of hundreds of millions.”

That says two things to me.

1) Some, or maybe a lot, of the "anonymous" leaks were actually disinformaton from the White House.

2) The counter attack by the White House is not going to be about politics as much as it is going to be about financial corruption and influence peddling. This is much easier for the public to understand and follow. It also doesn't look as much like tit-for-tat.

bbkingfish said...

Yeah. There's "a lot of talk" about Biden stopping the prosecution. By that he means that Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump are talking about it a lot. As someone said the other day, Trump has many, many secrets, but there is no mystery at all about the guy.

But who cares about impeachment anyway? Obviously, the Teflon Don will be OK.

What I want to hear about is the latest on Scott Adams, that exemplar of free thinking and free speech.

Ex-prosecutor said...

As per Elizabeth Warren’s plan, she has highlighted Biden’s felonies and stupidity. So, she should now be the nominee. So, where do moderate Democrats go now?

Beasts of England said...

I’m starting to believe that Trump was the ‘whistleblower’.

Anonymous said...

that's it? where's the link to aid? and he's talking about crowdstrike, that is, interference in the 2016 election.

dow +117.

just to be safe, let's bus inga's racist grandkids to a school in the concordia neighborhood in milwaukee.

Mike Sylwester said...

People need to ask only the right questions about this!!!

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Imagine that. A President who says the same thing in public as he does in private. No wonder Washington doesn't know what to do with him.

Narr said...

So the NPR drone just read exactly the excerpt (bottom if the page) that you post.

Another Nerf arrow straight to Trump's heart.

OTOH the affiliate is back with the Eroica/Norrington/didn't catch which band. Public radio is a very mixed bag.

Narr
Interference schminterference

tim in vermont said...

Called it.

Ken B said...

Right you are. There was no request to just “get me dirt on Biden”. An American official bragged about interfering in a foreign investigation and Trump wants them to investigate that interference. Not just perfectly proper, but responsible. If our people interfere with you improperly we want to know. (Isn’t that what the Democrats claim to be doing?)

cacimbo said...

NPR is reporting that Trump asked Ukraine to investigate Biden's son.They then state that allegations of Biden's son being involved in corruption have been "in some ways debunked".Since Biden got the prosecutor who planned to investigate his son fired -I am puzzled who exactly debunked the allegations.

tim in vermont said...

“It is no longer the position of the US government that we should dictate whom you prosecute or don’t prosecute.

Mike Sylwester said...

Joe Biden should issue a statement providing his side of this matter.

The US State Department should release relevant documents:

* The State Department's reports and position papers about the Ukrainian company and about the prosecutor.

* The State Department's informing of Biden about his son's activities in Ukraine.

* The State Department's briefings to Biden before his meeting with the Ukrainian President.

* The State Department's reports after the meeting.

* Biden's communications and memos after the meeting.

* The State Department's consultations with the European Union about the prosecutor before and after Biden's meeting with the Ukrainian President.

* Expressions of approval or of disapproval about Biden's actions from the European Union, before and after the meeting.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"The only problem is that the prosecutor was not investigating Biden's son. And everyone (the entire congress and the EU) all wanted that prosecutor fired because he refused to investigate corruption in the Ukraine"

Which explains Biden bragging about getting the guy fired. Try again.

tim in vermont said...

The whole premise of 'cui bono’ assumes complete control of the narrative and perfect vision of how events will play out. This is an error in thinking, similar to the error that says free markets can’t work because there is always somebody in control, or that evolution is impossible because somebody must be directing it. One mocks “the invisible hand” and one mocks “natural selection creating new species” but both are impervious to the mountains of evidence that they are wrong.

There is no “illuminati” that can perfectly manage the consequences of any particular action. This “whistleblower” is a fool who acted on his delusions

Mike Sylwester said...

3 Democratic senators ask about Ukraine involvement in Robert Mueller probe, a CNN article published in May 2108.

The article reports that three Democrat Senators -- Menendez, Durbin and Leahy -- pressured the Ukrainian Government to investigate Paul Manafort and other subjects of interest to Robert "The FBI Whitewasher" Mueller.

cypher said...

You haven't read it yet so who cares what your opinion is

PM said...

1. I thought it was a fantastic phone call, really terrific.
2. Isn't the other shoe, the real shoe, whether Trump withheld USDs from Ukraine until the Biden matter was explored and reported on? That's gotta be the Dem focus, tho no 'threat' was made in this initial, tremendous, phone call.

Anonymous said...

keep hope alive freder!!

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

It's going to be a long day in the field defending the Great Pumpkin. I am going to sit back with a beer and watch the ritual torture of facts and logic, until they too confess, this fucker is a total drama queen.

n.n said...

Obama spied, Clinton colluded, Biden obstructed, DNC denied, the press held warlock trials, the media steered, [anti]fascists raged, and more Jews... babies were unearthed. Progress.

Michael K said...

Freder got the DNC memo already, so they are on the ball.

People are saying it technically isn't an exact, word for word transcript, more of a memorandum. So that may give the Dems so wiggle room for their fevered fantasizing.

Some Democrats are demanding the recording be played. Then they will claim it is edited.

I agree with whoever wrote it is about Ginsberg. That, to me, is the only explanation that makes sense. Pelosi is too crafty an old pol to make a blunder like this.

Mike Sylwester said...

The entire House should vote on establishing an impeachment inquiry.

The impeachment inquiry should not be established by Nancy Pelosi alone.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

Looks like Wil E. Coyote(D) got into the Acme dynamite again.

rhhardin said...

It's filled with Ukrainian dog-whistles.

wendybar said...

The Democrats jumped on a loaded bomb...KABOOM....There go the Dems chances!!!!

Big Mike said...

@Roy Lofquist, if Trump succeeds in making the Democrats synonymous with corruption then November 2020 will go very badly for the Democrats up and down the line.

stevew said...

Just a follow-up thought: is Pelosi's turn to focus on this a clever way to expose Biden and take him out of the race for the nomination?

Temujin said...

There should not be another Democrat elected come 2020. They should all be removed from office. Legally. Through elections. Not via....removing the electoral college, cramming the Supreme Court, harvesting ballots, filling in thousands of ballots with the names of dead people, or deep state coups.

wildswan said...

Drain the Swamp. That's what this is. Much of the current corruption in the US traces back to corruption of US citizens, whose relatives have influence, by citizens of foreign countries. The influence isn't just about knowing the regulatory maze or knowing how to get an important interview. It also acts to shut down investigations of corruption in the foreign country which effectively shuts down investigations in this country. So we'll never drain the DC swamp if we think of it as solely American corruption. I guess this is The Big Scary where Trump who has been opposed from the start by the corruptocrats by means of a false investigation aimed at covering up the crushing of real investigations (Uranium 1, betrayal of US negotiating positions and codes by unsecured emails, the source of Hunter Biden's wealth) - take a breath - where Trump removes restrictions imposed by a US politician into one of the real investigations into the abuse of US power by US politicians. Trump knows knows that this is what he was elected to do but that there are US politicians in both parties who will lose big if the truth about how they are operating starts to come out about any one of them. If, for example, it gets established as a fact that Joe Biden used his control over US aid to the Ukraine to crush an investigation into why his son was being paid as an expert when he wasn't an expert but he was a relative of The Man With The Purse, then it also gets established as a fact that US politicians at the highest level have been using US aid to corrupt the law in other countries and it isn't going to be ignored by the US any more. This, when established as fact, would change the climate. Other countries would be able their legal system back out of their own particular swamps. Corruptocrats would stop reinforcing each other, real clear justice would start reinforcing itself in all its parts. There's a lot at stake. Yes, I call this The Big Scary.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Warren is the big winner here. Indeed. As planned.

I hope Hillary stumps for Warren. Show the world that Hillary's stamp of corruption must endure.

mockturtle said...

As this is far more damning to Biden than to Trump, one must look deeper into the actual intent of the whistle-blower.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

It's illegal to ever ask anyone anywhere to look into Democratic corruption.

Right, Fredder?

mockturtle said...

Could Hillary! have been behind this?

wildswan said...

And note that Trump is also accusing California of violating EPA clean air standards and of having done so for years, and saying he will take away Federal money unless California cleans up. Make them abide by their own rules. Oh, the man knows how to tie liberals into pretzels.

Lucien said...

So the favor President Trump is asking for has to do with Crowdstrike and a server that Ukraine May have? What is that about?

Bay Area Guy said...

I liked the phone call. It looks like Trump and Zelensky are pals. Good for international relations and the cause of peace in the world.

Nonapod said...

Sometimes it's interesting to have delayed posts due to moderation. You get people's initial impressions of an event without any influence from other posters. I sometimes suspect that posters sort of pick up on the thoughts of each other too much, but it's interesting to see when people's thoughts about a story like this end up being in parallel.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

How to spin this into a crime. Watch the democrat media and the corrupt democrats in congress do just that.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

@ Roy Lofquist - repeated:

“The Democrats have stepped into something way beyond what they realize.” ... “They have walked into a trap” ... “There’s only one reason the Chinese spent all that money: to buy Joe Biden.” ... He warned, “I have the records,” about the actual corruption of Biden and his son, who he said have provided, ”evidence of guilty knowledge.” ... This impeachment effort is, “Covering up for what will turn out to be massive corruption in the Obama administration.” ... “The Clintons enriched themselves in public office to the tune of hundreds of millions.”

who are the loudest voices calling for impeachment?

Hillary Clinton
Joe Biden

well. well. well.

itzik basman said...

I look forward to your analysis of the transcript after you’ve reviewed it.

Fernandinande said...

Ukrainian kids are just as smart as white kids.

J. D. Canals said...

Trump is playing 3-D, 4 level, Vulcan chess while the Democrats are playing tic-tac-toe.

itzik basman said...

I look forward to your analysis of the transcript after you’ve reviewed it.

Richard Dolan said...

Stand back a bit from the latest fracas and see how Trump has become the transformational president Obama wanted to be. It's hard to think of a major institution or organ of power that hasn't been changed by him. The centers of persuasion on which lefty Dems have relied -- the universities, the MSM, Hollywood -- have been tagged to the point where they are preaching to a reduced choir of true-believers, and have lost the ability to control the narrative or persuade the rest. Both major parties are changed, the Reps becoming more populist, America-first and blue-collar with the Dems becoming just the opposite with a newly heavy socialist tinge. Those changes brought with them a new electoral map at the presidential level (whether it outlasts Trump or falls apart in 2020 remains to be seen). And the permanent bureaucracy is getting serious push-back not only by Trump but by his judicial appointments.

Yesterday AA commented on Trump's skill at turning potentially negative stories to his advantage, and I think we are in the process of seeing that play out again with the Biden-Ukraine episode.

Whatever you think about Trump as a leader, it's hard not to be impressed with his impact across-the-board in ways that are likely to outlast him. He's up there with LBJ and Reagan in that regard (and unlike Clinton, the two Bushes or Obama). Not bad for a reality TV star with no experience in politics and a strong narcissistic streak.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

I hope Hillary stumps for Warren.

Original Mike said...

Well done, jaydub (9:29).

itzik basman said...

I look forward to your analysis of the transcript after you’ve reviewed it.

J. D. Canals said...

Trump is playing 3-D, 4 level, Vulcan chess, while the Democrats play tic-tac-toe.

libertariansafetyguy said...

I’ve said since the beginning of this that this is a trap. I thought maybe Warren set the trap but it’s now very clear the White House did. I wonder if the White House was behind the leak or if the whistleblower was provided false information.

The transcripts of this call (assuming they’re accurate) tell us:

- Trump wanted Ukraine to investigate 2016 election interference. Everyone is still induced to think Trump benefited from the interference but I’m guessing there was significant interference in support of Clinton as well.

- The Ukrainian president begins the discussion on Biden and Trump asks for them to get the bottom of whether Biden used his office to do something corrupt to protect his son.

- There is no quid pro quo regarding military aid.

I think Roy is spot on — Trump is going after the Obama administration, including Clinton and Biden, in a big way, for corruption and influence peddling. If he has the goods, this is going to be a fun ride.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Hillary Clinton is losing her mind over this.

I wonder what's really going on?

tim in vermont said...

You are allowed to investigate Trump, but not Biden.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Daniel Greenfield on what is really going on:

..Impeachment is not just meant to be a trial of President Trump, but of the voters who chose him. Its outcome, whatever the composition of the Senate, is meant to be an argument for remaking the system of elections, whether by abolishing the Electoral College or tampering with the judiciary, that would take the power further out of the hands of the voters and concentrate them with the right sorts of people. The right sorts of people usually being wealthy and influential lefties in California and New York...

... Impeaching Trump isn't about him. It's a Rorschach test that reveals the ugly inkblot of the leftist soul. Its real purpose is for an ugly totalitarian movement to live out its fantasy of casting aside the vestiges of democracy, divesting itself of the illusions of representative government and holding a show trial.

Leftists speak less about equality these days than about justice. This is the justice they have in mind.

Their vision of utopia isn't equality or progress, it's trial after trial, an endless series of proceedings against Trump and you and me, and Bob next door, who votes Democrat, but once used the term "illegal alien" in a conversation. The nightmares of the French Revolution, the Soviet Union, Communist China and Pol Pot's Cambodia weren't accidental misfires: they're the essential truth of what the Left is...

Mr. Groovington said...

Mich McCormick said... I'm putting money on Warren being the nominee.

You and everyone else

electionbettingodds.com

Jupiter said...

Freder Frederson said...

"And even if you believe this bullshit, how on earth is involving Rudy Guiliani in this "investigation" appropriate. He has no official government position."

So, would that be a "high crime", or a "misdemeanor"?

readering said...

Trump plays plays people for idiots. I come here to read where he is succeeding.

Charlie Currie said...

Interesting tease about CrowdStrike and the server (presumably the DNC server) being in the possession of some Ukrainian billionaire.

tim in vermont said...

I now go to Drudge to find out what the lefties are thinking.

Mark said...

As you would expect, it makes no difference to some of the mouth-foaming NeverTrumpers. In fact, it is even more damning! to them. They have lost all touch with rationality.

Drago said...

Noted Bundy Case Liar Freder: "Either Trump is getting all his info from Rush and this blog,..."

LOLOLOL

Even more Freder lying than usual! And that's saying something!

Trump is getting his info directly from Bidens big mouth, the State Dept, the Ukrainians and the Inspector General!!

I simply cannot wait to see what the hoax dossier/hoax collusion/ emoluments!/25th amendment/kavanaugh lies/2 scoops brigade comes up with next!!

wildswan said...

OK, I see it now. Trump has forced the House into trying to impeach him for calling for investigating the exact kind of crime of which many House Dems are guilty - using their office to enrich their relatives and thus themselves. How much money did Nadler have when he came to the House and how much does he have now? How much money did Shelia Lee Jackson's husband have when she was elected and how much does he have now? All of the committee will be scrutinized. And Pelosi. Of course, Pelosi has been trying to plea bargain since she isn't stupid but the others have been a tsunami of stupidity and washed her away, and now - popcorn time.

Drago said...

Krumhorn: "It has become increasingly clear that our hostess nailed this from the start. This was about pushing Biden’s head into the toilet for the benefit of the leftie womyn in the race. For bonus points, they also get to sling poo at the BadOrangeMan.

Actually, not bad from a game move perspective."

Depends on the "game" one is playing.

2 short-lived below tactical level 24 hour news cycle "wins" followed by massive counter reaction strategic losses for dems and media.

I guess the lefties spent all their time reading Zinn and "I Rigoberta" instead of Machiavelli.

Mark said...

This exemplifies the rabid NeverTrumper mentality -- "But even if we're wrong about X, it doesn’t matter. We should still be appalled that Trump did Y . . ."

Gk1 said...

Hilarious so I see the democrat's response is to pretend this is some "excerpt" and that there are more pieces to this transcript?!? Are they really this nuts? And to top it off they want the "whistleblowers" charges released aired even though they have admitted it was based on a 3rd hand account. As Casey Stengel once lamented "Can anyone here play this game?"

Doodad said...

Trump is guilty of ......trying to find out if a Democrat (or a whole lot of them) are crooks. Naughty naughty.

Mark said...

And this is what Bill Weld wants Trump to be executed for.

dreams said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
cubanbob said...

Krumhorn said...
It has become increasingly clear that our hostess nailed this from the start. This was about pushing Biden’s head into the toilet for the benefit of the leftie womyn in the race. For bonus points, they also get to sling poo at the BadOrangeMan.

Actually, not bad from a game move perspective.

- Krumhorn"

I don't doubt yours and our hostess analysis on this as you stated. However these Nimrods apparently have not thought this through. Biden being exposed as a crook ties in to Obama being a crook ( Biden didn't have the juice to act on his own) and reminds everyone once again that Hillary is a crook and that the whole Democrat Party is a criminal enterprise.

readering said...

Next time someone tells you the White House would never be so stupid as to... Remember that it sent the House Democrats its phone call memo talking points in error and then requested they be recalled.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

@ stevew "Pelosi is usually smarter and more skillful than this. Impeachment is not the goal; she's up to something else. I don't think winning the presidency in 2020 is her goal either. Perhaps forestalling the replacement of Ginsburg with a conservative is the goal. Are there a lot of cases before the Court in which she and the Democrats have significant political interest?"

Yes. I also think this is the goal.

Nancy knows that they are going to lose the election to Trump, or at least have a pretty good suspicion.

They also know that Ginsburg is literally on her way OUT. The ability to throw a giant monkey wrench into the appointment of a new Supreme Court justice by DJT (bad orange man) is the goal. Gum up those works. And hope that they can gain some more seats in the House and Senate. Hope is really all they have now....well....except for massive voter fraud and hacking the electronic voting machines.

Unfortunately, the issue of appointing a Constitutional minded Supreme Court Justice is something that will really galvanize the Conservatives and many of the Moderates who are horrified by the far left getting in control.

After the Kavanaugh fiasco, they can't afford to try to publicaly lynch another nominee. Plus, what if Trump (Wiley Coyote) nominates a woman. How can they smear her??? I'm sure they will find a way. BUT...it doesn't look good for them.

So. They throw the impeachment chaff up into the sky to clutter up the radar.

IMO.

readering said...

Folks who say "no quid pro quo" need to brush up on their Latin. If Tony Soprano asks you to do him a favor ....

Yancey Ward said...

I read the entire thing- the part about Biden is the most important part- it is Trump pointedly saying that what Biden did in coercing the Poroshenko government into firing one of its own prosecutors was a corrupt practice. This is for all intents and purposes Trump saying that such coercion is and should be a thing of the past. This is an anti-quid pro quo statement by Trump. The aid decision isn't mentioned one time.

The second most important part is going back to the Russia Hoax investigation- this is a real investigation being carried out by the AG and US Attorney Durham- Trump asked that the Ukrainians help in this investigation because the Ukrainians are in a position to answer some of the question Mueller seemingly never addressed- who hacked the DNC e-mails- Trump mentions that the Ukrainians actually host some of the key servers involved that Crowdstrike supposedly implicated. All this is completely appropriate for this kind of phone call.

Impeachment on this already over, but I suspect Pelosi has already let the horses escape and closing the barn door isn't going to help her at this point. Her best strategy at this point to bring the matter to the House floor for a truly formal vote and try to win it with the last few Democrats who haven't yet take a public stand. I predict that if the vote is held in the next couple of weeks, she might actually be able to win such a vote denying an impeachment inquiry, but she is running out of time. There is zero chance of impeaching Trump and convicting him. The Democrats are riding a tiger right now, and they need to get off if they have any chances of winning next November.

Maillard Reactionary said...

I read it. I agree fully with Lucid-Ideas that everything in the call was not only entirely appropriate, but Zelensyy's obvious respect for Trump makes him look quite "Presidential". So much for being an international pariah and laughingstock!

Which Obama was, incidentally.

The Democrats are going to be sorry they asked for this. This rake is really going to leave a mark.

daskol said...

The only problem is that the prosecutor was not investigating Biden's son.

I've seen this assertion made by several partisan hacks, but it appears to be directly contradicted by Shokin himself in comments he made to reporter John Solomon.

Shokin told me in written answers to questions that, before he was fired as general prosecutor, he had made “specific plans” for the investigation that “included interrogations and other crime-investigation procedures into all members of the executive board, including Hunter Biden.”

You calling Solomon, Shokin or both of them liars?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...



Hillary Clinton

@HillaryClinton

The president of the United States has betrayed our country.

That’s not a political statement—it’s a harsh reality, and we must act.

He is a clear and present danger to the things that keep us strong and free.

I support impeachment.

Yancey Ward said...

Here is a comment from last night:

steve uhr said...

"Some reason trump didn’t ask his AG to investigate allegations that Biden and his son committed a crime?"

We can now answer this question for Steve- he has, and he asked Zelensky to work with Barr in the phone call.

Francisco D said...

It has become increasingly clear that our hostess nailed this from the start. This was about pushing Biden’s head into the toilet for the benefit of the leftie womyn in the race.

I did not buy that analysis at first. Now, when you surf above the hysteria and look at the transcript, it is clear that the kerfuffle was not directed at Trump, but at Biden. Althouse was right!

Things got out of control for Pelosi because dumb lefties in her party saw the opportunity to impeach without thinking much about the facts. The Dems look just as bad as they did at the Kavanaugh hearings.

question: Will this matter at all to the hive mind Democrats?

Jeff Brokaw said...

Wel played, Pelosi! Rock solid.

Wave bye bye to the 2020 elections and Senate and House!

“Everyone wave goodbye to Juicebox! Literally wave!” https://youtu.be/ry1tNGC6npg

Drago said...

Seen at Ace of Spades HQ re: the NeverTrumpers and fake conservative GOPe-ers:

"Russia hoax made them look stupid.
Ukraine hoax exposes them as complicit."

etbass said...

Drudge has really gone off his rocker in the past couple years. His headline includes, "Republican Cracks Emerge." No mention of the HUGE gaps of the Donks.

Kevin said...

2020 contender Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said the notes represented a "smoking gun."

Once again demonstrating Democrat politicians don't know anything about guns.

Rory said...

Trump's voice in the transcript sounds remarkably similar to the Trump we hear every day.

Hagar said...

"Not the while thing; a consolidation of the notes several listeners typed down while listening and later recollections. There was more; a 30 minute conversation but only 5 pages. Etc."

Perhaps so, but was Zelinsky speaking in English or Ukrainian? This kind of official conversations can take up a lot of time with waiting for the translations on both sides.

I think an article said that for this kind of thing, there are 9 White House and "intelligence community" staffers listening in. If the Democrats had a mole that remembers more damning things said, it will be up against the other 8 not remembering any such thing.

(Why is there no recording? Is there some convention not to "record"?
This is sort of like FBI agents not recording, but writing up 302 notes after they get back to their offices, and we have seen how much trouble that can cause when challenged by a proper lawyer for the defense.)

iowan2 said...

How much deeper are the dems going to dig this hole? The deeper they dig, the more is going to cave in on them. Dems are demanding more read outs. This is flattly wrong, and congress has no power to access White House communications with foreign agents. Article 2 powers rest foreign relations with the executive. Congress can check that power by withholding money and treaties. That's it.

Sam L. said...

What????? We've been LIED to? The HORROR!! The horror...

Tyrone Slothrop said...

I'm pretty happy with the current situation. As a lifelong NRA member and an admitted one-issue voter, I'm pleased that gun bans, red flags and universal background checks are distant in the rear view mirror.

JPS said...

"If you could speak to him that would be great."

This is the most dastardly extortion I've heard since he committed obstruction of justice by telling Comey, "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go."

Rep. John Lewis said, "The future of our democracy is at stake." Then again, he once told his constituents that their very life might depend on voting Democrat for the Fulton County Commission, so a sense of proportion is not his strongest suit.

Tom T. said...

Note that the only defense of Biden's arm-twisting and threat to withhold aid that Freder can offer is that lots of people like the result. Trump opponents aren't exactly arguing from principle here.

hombre said...

So Democrats are only interested in “obstruction of justice” if they can accuse Trump of doing it. Big surprise. Time for Barr to move on the “scandal free” Obama administration with the indictments for offenses that have become part of the public record, e.g., Hillary, Clapper, McCabe, Rice, felons all

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

I just heard Adam Schitt on NPR saying that the transcript represents; "a mafia-like shakedown" of a foreign government "desperate" for financial and military aid.

Contrast that with Biden's video taped bragging to the Council on Foreign Relations!

This is going to boomerang back on Pelosi and destroy her. I only hope it obliterates Schitt and Fat Jerry in the process.

Craig said...

In today's RoadRunner episode, the Wile E. Democrats run off the cliff with an impeachment inquiry, then are handed an official transcript and begin to drop. They hit the ground, and a ring of smoke fills the air.

Bay Area Guy said...

A dissenting voice from the Commentariat writes:

"Trump plays plays people for idiots. I come here to read where he is succeeding."

Funny, but if the idiots keep whipping your political butt, what does that make you?

Mike Sylwester said...

I just walked by a television showing CNN. The scroll at the bottom said that a "rough transcript" of the telephone conversation was being discussed.

Yancey Ward said...

Nonapod:

"Sometimes it's interesting to have delayed posts due to moderation. You get people's initial impressions of an event without any influence from other posters. I sometimes suspect that posters sort of pick up on the thoughts of each other too much, but it's interesting to see when people's thoughts about a story like this end up being in parallel."

This is one reason I make my main comment first, then read the comments (that, and the fact I might forget what I wanted say in response to the post if I don't do it immediately). I do like to see and compare my off the cuff thoughts to those of the other commenters. The moderation, though helping that, does break up the conversation afterwards.

Yancey Ward said...

I recommend Richard Dolan's comment at 10:18 a.m.

Mike Sylwester said...

I am puzzled who exactly debunked the allegations.

Freder Frederson debunked them.

bbkingfish said...

The report linked here by Ann Althouse IS NOT a transcript of the call.

It IS a description of the call as edited by the "White House." (approved by Trump)

How the blogger could describe it in her headline as a transcript is an explanation I would like to hear.

tim in vermont said...

"I am going to sit back with a beer and watch the ritual torture of facts and logic,”

I don’t blame you for quitting the field, it’s not your day.

"Either Trump is getting all his info from Rush and this blog, is a dumbass because he doesn't understand the issue, or is lying (I guess the three are not mutually exclusive).”

How much effort to you put in to avoid reading news accounts that contradict the beliefs you cling to?

Again for the bitter clingers:

Shortly after the Ukrainian prosecutors returned from their Washington meeting, a new round of Democratic pressure was exerted on Ukraine — this time via its embassy in Washington.

Valeriy Chaly, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States at the time, confirmed to me in a statement issued by his office that, in March 2016, a contractor for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) pressed his embassy to try to find any Russian dirt on Trump and Manafort that might reside in Ukraine’s intelligence files.

The DNC contractor also asked Chaly's team to try to persuade Ukraine’s president at the time, Petro Poroshenko, to make a statement disparaging Manafort when the Ukrainian leader visited the United States during the 2016 election.


https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/462658-lets-get-real-democrats-were-first-to-enlist-ukraine-in-us-elections

I would be very interested if somebody with the balls to use Aristotle as his avatar, (Why not Einstein?) could explain to me how The Hill is twisting facts and logic.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"I'm pretty happy with the current situation. As a lifelong NRA member and an admitted one-issue voter, I'm pleased that gun bans, red flags and universal background checks are distant in the rear view mirror."

That's a good point. Not much statist bullshit is going to get accomplished in the next year.

Ken B said...

Yancey
Steve Uhr might not have noticed you took his scalp but I did.
This is a useful exercise: who jumped to conclusions and made pronouncements before looking at the evidence? Which of them will retract?

Mike Sylwester said...

Dust Bunny Queen at 11:20 AM
what if Trump (Wiley Coyote) nominates a woman. How can they smear her??

Somebody will claim that she said the word nigger at a party when she was a teenager.

Yancey Ward said...

This is a transcription, not note driven- there is certainly a recording. The conversation was probably carried out with interpreters even if Zelensky speaks some English, and both sides would have had interpreters listen to each sides' statements. This is why a 30 minute phone call reduces to 5 pages- you remove all the Ukrainian language parts of the call.

Why wasn't the recording released, too? I have a supsicion as to why, and it ain't going to make ARM or readering very happy I suspect, but we will see. Trump is playing this by looking ahead to the next attack, and it doesn't take much of an IQ to figure out what that attack is going to be (we already are seeing it, so can you guess why the recording is being held back?)

Michael K said...

readering said...
Trump plays plays people for idiots. I come here to read where he is succeeding.


Fair enough. How do you like how Pelosi is doing ? She is sure looking like one.



Good try, though

Roy Lofquist said...

Donald John Trump is a snake. An American rattlesnake.

“[The rattle-snake’s] eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids. She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance. She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. As if anxious to prevent all pretensions of quarrelling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenseless animal; and even when those weapons are shewn and extended for her defence, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal. Conscious of this, she never wounds till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her." ~ Benjamin Franklin

The full text can be found here: https://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/the-rattlesnake-as-a-symbol-of-america-by-benjamin-franklin.html

Michael K said...

As per Elizabeth Warren’s plan, she has highlighted Biden’s felonies and stupidity. So, she should now be the nominee. So, where do moderate Democrats go now?

Hillary, of course. Riding to the rescue of her party.

Ask readering. Right from the horse's mouth.

Quaestor said...

Trump is playing 3-D, 4 level, Vulcan chess while the Democrats are playing tic-tac-toe.

Incorrect. Trump is playing Vulcan chess (somebody, maybe me, ought to photoshop this) while the Democrats are masturbating. This is almost literally true, BTW.

Whither the so-called investigation? If it's more than Pelosi pleasuring herself with a cheap vibrator, it should discover whether Biden used his billion-dollar strong-arm tactic with Obama's approval.

tim in vermont said...

This could be Bernie’s big moment. It’s a perfect time for a Democrat to say “I don’t give a damn about Trump’s phone calls.” It’s a sinking ship, and some rat has to jump off! I mean a rat with an actual chance. Not Tulsi Gabbard.

M Jordan said...

That Dems used this as an impeachment predicate reveals the depths of depravity to which they've fallen. They will never recover from the Trump era. Neither will the Republicans but that's another issue.

tim maguire said...

gilbar said...IMPEACH! IMPEACH NOW! Oh, wait a minute, he (Jo Biden) is Already out of office: Never Mind!

Let's pause a minute over this. Is there any reason Biden can't be impeached after his term is up? Because, you know, if he's impeached and convicted, he loses his pension.

Just sayin.

tim in vermont said...

Trump 47%, Biden 43%

It’s over for Joe, the last plausibly moderate Democrat.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2020/trump_47_biden_43

BJM said...

Ha! Just when Hillary thinks it's safe to re-enter campaign waters; Moby Dick breaches.

Were one a cynic, one might suggest that the Dems are purging both the Clintons and Biden.

Vance said...

Don't forget the 2016 letter that Democrat senators wrote to the president of Ukraine explicitly asking him to investigate Trump.

This is impeachable, punishable criminal activity on the part of the Democrat senators. Isn't it? If it's illegal for Trump to suggest investigating corruption of Democrats, then certainly Democrats demanding foreign powers interfere in our politics by investigating their political rival must also be illegal and punishable.

Bill Weld suggested execution. Not a single leftist said that was too much. So shouldn't we execute all of those Democrat Senators who signed that letter?

rehajm said...

By biggest takeaway from all this: How archaic is our government infrastructure? I mean look at the font on those pages. Was that document punched out on an IBM Selectric or something? Teletype? Gutenberg press?

effinayright said...

If Ginsburg dies, the Dems will place her body in a cryonic freezer and claim she's just gone on a temporary leave of absence, that she'll be returning some day soon, along with Ted Williams.

So...no replacement!!

rehajm said...

Equity markets gain back losses from yesterday. Investors taking long positions in nothingburgers...

Jim at said...

Feed the left more rope. If they continue to hang themselves, it saves us the trouble of doing it for them later.

mccullough said...

Hopefully Barr got FISA warrants on Cokehead Son and Kerry’s Wife’s Kid. $1 billion from China.

Then open up files on Romney’s 5 Stepford Sons. Those useless tools also make money off Dads Name. And then Lobby Dad.

Bidens kid absolutely needs to be investigated. Useless Cokehead selling influence to our Adversaries.

He’s such a piece of shit he’d roll over on his Dad right away. So would Romney’s Sons

BJM said...

Perfect. Rude, but perfect.

Craig Howard said...

The big news in this transcript is the mention of StrikeForce.

Strikeforce, you will recall, was the private company hired by the DNC to "investigate" the email hacking [rather than turn them over to the FBI]. It is a Ukrainian company funded by a Ukrainian billionaire who has donated lots of money in the past to Hillary Clinton.

It was StrikeForce that determined that the Russians had hacked the server though there is absolutely no proof of that.

Trump talks as if Strikeforce might still be in possession of the server.

I think the Democrats are much more desperate to stop that investigation than they are worried about the dispensable Biden.

Gusty Winds said...

What is even more interesting is that in the video, Biden brags that President Obama was is support of his efforts to withhold the $1 Billion unless the prosecutor was fired.

Seeing Red said...

Clinton-Shumer-CIA partisan HACK is the attorney.

Not partisan at all.

These are our Best and Brightest and want to rule us.

narciso said...

Counterstrike, connected to atlantic council like burisma

Seeing Red said...

Make the case, readering.

That’s all you have to do.

Laslo Spatula said...

Since Weld has recently brought up execution for possible treasonous offenses I suggest we discuss this seriously.

I have a list.

I am Laslo.

Mike Sylwester said...

Trump is playing 3-D, 4 level, Vulcan chess while the Democrats are playing tic-tac-toe.

I stole this from a commenter at Ace.

Trump doesn't play 4D chess with the Dems.

He ties a string on a stick, props up a cardboard box with it, then puts in some chum.

He simply waits for the fools to walk in then he pulls the string.

Cardboard box manufacturers are working overtime.

Seeing Red said...

I have to start reading Rantburg again.

narciso said...

Burisma has a deep state player in cofer black fmr?? Vp at blackwater, head of counter terror section, chief of latin american divisiom

Leland said...

Trump is playing Vulcan chess while the Democrats are masturbating. This is almost literally true, BTW.

No kidding.

Jim at said...

Trump plays plays people for idiots. I come here to read where he is succeeding.

Maybe you could specifically point out where we're wrong.

Bay Area Guy said...

Last week, the idiot brigade was salivating about impeaching Kavanaugh:

On 9.17 - Sen. Kamala Harris is asking House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler to form an outside task force to investigate the sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh and whether he lied to Congress during his testimony, according to a letter first given to Axios.


Well, that quickly went up in smoke.

So, this week, the idiot brigade is calling for impeaching the President based on second-hand interpretations of a phone call to the Ukranian President? Umm, yeah, right.

A few questions:

1. Why was Hunter Biden hired by Ukranian energy company, Burisma?

2. Did Hunter Biden have any experience in the energy sector?

3. Was Burisma trying to "garner" favor with Vice President Joe Biden by hiring neer-do-well son, Hunter?

4. Why was Burisma being investigated by the Ukranian Prosecutor?

5. Why did VP Joe Biden want to have the Ukranian Prosecutor fired?

Inquiring minds wanna know.....

Nonapod said...

Once RBG shuffle's off her mortal coil, I'm guessing Trump will nominate Amy Coney Barret. Doubtless the Dem dirt diggers are almost certainly working overtime on her at this very moment. If she ever was rude to a meter maid, wore white after labor day, or stood up her prom date, we'll know about it.

tim in vermont said...

"Make the case, readering. “

That’s not what readering does. For all his claimed elite education, he can’t clearly explain his positions any better than Steve Uhr, who claims to have been a Federal prosecutor, but can’t do anything but throw mud either. What is the point of making such claims if you can’t bring any expertise to the discussion? IDK, I went to State U.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

The media lie. They lied about what the phone call contained and they are now spinning their lies.

There is no quid-pro-quo in the Trump/Ukrainian prez phone call.

All while Biden IS ON FREAKING TAPE bragging about his BRIBERY over his son's money grubbing connections to a gas company and the withholding of funds until the prosecutor is fired.

Unreal.

Once again - the bigger story is the corrupt press.

Yancey Ward said...

I had missed the disclaimer at the bottom of the first page- this is, apparently, not from a recording, but from notes taken by White House Staff. I had forgotten my White House history- I didn't immediately remember Alexander Butterfield. There may not be recording devices allowed in key parts of the White House.

I do wonder, though, if the staff includes actual stenographers? I bet it does since the construction of Trump's dialogue captures perfectly the way the man speaks.

Drago said...

readering: "Folks who say "no quid pro quo" need to brush up on their Latin. If Tony Soprano asks you to do him a favor ...."

LOLOLOLOL

Remember, readering is still a passionate believer in the hoax dossier, hoax collusion, hoax gang rape accusations against Kavanaugh as well as the hoax everything else that has occurred over the last 3 years. If you don't believe me, just ask her.

Meanwhile, back in the real world we have Biden openly bragging about his quid pro quo on video and Obama openly, on video, caressing the inner thigh of Russian President Medvedev promising more flexibility on intermediate nukes after obama's next election so please, please Vladimir, help obama fool the American public into believing that all is quiet on the Russian front until after the election when obama will reward Putin for his patience by undermining the US nuke arsenal.

The lefties like readering actually believe they can continue to wave their hands while attempting their childlike Jedi Mind Trick to fool us into believing that we don't see the dems doing exactly what they are doing.

Mark said...

Sure enough, the junior senator weasel is being his usual self --

“It remains troubling in the extreme. It’s deeply troubling.”
— Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), when asked about the rough transcript

tim in vermont said...

If you had bought stock in ACME Torpedos you could retire rich right now.

rcocean said...

This just in. Per WaPo, Officials familiar with the situation state the transcript has been doctored and altered. The following was left out of the copy released today:

Trump: What have I ever done to Ukraine to make you treat me so disrespectfully? If you’d come to me in friendship and gone after Biden, Russia and Putin would be suffering this very day. And if by chance an honest country like the Ukraine should make enemies, then they would become my enemies. Here's an offer you can't refuse: Get Biden.

heyboom said...

Some Democrats are demanding the recording be played. Then they will claim it is edited.

Apparently, there are no audio recordings of these conversations. There are four intelligence transcribers who write everything down and then compare each others writings for accuracy. The Dems probably know this, but want to make the administration look suspicious on this.

rcocean said...

Never trumpers are "reading between the lines". So, Trump is still finished!

heyboom said...

Apparently, the audio recording issue was dealt with up thread.

David53 said...

Any bets on which media outlet will dox the whistle blower?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Adam schitt is needs to be removed from office. He has abused his position of power long enough.

Michael K said...

The Crowdstrike thing is the biggest news from this. I guess I posted that on Facebook while the Althouses were out for a walk.

Maybe Trump can ask the Ukraine PM to return it so the FBI, not the DC gang, can get a look at it.

Mark said...

One aspect of the transcript little remarked on so far is Trump asking Ukraine to look into interference into the 2016 U.S. election. Which is what the Dems have been harping on the last two years.

Mark said...

Worth noting this is not an official transcript of the call, it is labelled a 'recollection' officially.

So there may be liberties taking in phrasing to make it sound innocuous.

Smart way to get ahead of the actual transcript.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

The media(D) are saying the Ukrainian prosecutor (the one Biden insisted be fired in order for the billion dollars to go thru) is "corrupt" - really? How so?

Do we just take the MSM(D)'s word for it?

Rosalyn C. said...

I'm looking forward to hearing more about Hunter Biden's appointment to the board of that corrupt Ukrainian energy company, how he managed to collect a salary ($50K or more) for two years for what exactly, nothing? Was the prosecutor was being paid off to prevent an investigation? Maybe he wanted more money to keep the investigation on ice? That sounds about right: paying someone to not investigate someone who is getting paid a lot more for doing nothing. I can see where a corrupt prosecutor would think it's only fair to get paid more when the crooks are getting paid so much more. (Truth or fiction?) Only the Ukrainians can fully uncover all that and Trump gave them the green light to look into it, as a favor.

Also I'm looking forward to learning who are the whistleblower(s).

I think releasing the transcript took a lot of steam out of the impeachment hysteria. Really was nothing. I read it and was impressed by Trump's focus and graciousness.

readering said...

Seeing Red: Lots of people are making the case. Here's the address for one:

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-trump-ukraine-transcript-contains-evidence-of-a-quid-pro-quo/

M Jordan said...

I still object to the Trump is playing 4D chess meme. What he's doing is playing checkers while the rest of the political world insist on chess.

Trump just pulls the mask off the supposedly Machiavellian checkers moves the left try to make (reality: they're nothing more than children's taunts and responses to taunts). It isn't deep strategy. It's just calling their bluff again and again and again.

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