That's just stupid. Being in the elite class and being politically motivated go hand in hand. "What can you do for me?" regardless of political affiliation. You must have a very narrow view of what "politics" actually is.
ANOTHER WHISTLE BLOWER: CROOKED TRIED TO FIX HIS IRS AUDIT
- Thread starter dherd
- Start date
That's just stupid. Being in the elite class and being politically motivated go hand in hand. "What can you do for me?" regardless of political affiliation. You must have a very narrow view of what "politics" actually is.
That's old school politics with the older politician. New school is about search and destroy the other party first.
You seem dumb enough to believe a lot. He can say anything he wants to a foreign leader.... even “I’ll have more flexibility after the election”.
IF THATS ALL HE SAID NO ONE WOULD HAVE ANY PROBLEM AT ALL.
ODD THAT YOU THINK THAT IS SOME BIG REVELATION BUT GLOSS RIGHT
OVER CROOKED SETTING OFF NATIONAL SECURITY ALARMS ALL OVER THE PLACE.
OF COURSE HE WOULD NEVER BE STUPID ENOUGH TO GIVE SELL SECRETS TO THE
RUSSIANS IN RETURN FOR ELECTION HELP, ESPECIALLY IF THAT WAS THE ONLY PRAYER
HE HAD OF WINNING.
NO WONDER THEY CAN'T WITHOLD THEIR GLEE.
Not firing national security adviser Mike Flynn for 18 days
Using Mar-a-Lago as an al fresco situation room
Using a non-secure Android phone
Leaving a secure document pouch out with the key in it
Trump’s bodyguard revealing the defense secretary’s phone number
Pre-announcing Jared Kushner’s visit to a war zone
Revealing that the CIA had been hacked
Letting a Russian state photographer into the Oval Office
THIS LIST IS 2 YEARS OLD.
ODD THAT YOU THINK THAT IS SOME BIG REVELATION BUT GLOSS RIGHT
OVER CROOKED SETTING OFF NATIONAL SECURITY ALARMS ALL OVER THE PLACE.
OF COURSE HE WOULD NEVER BE STUPID ENOUGH TO GIVE SELL SECRETS TO THE
RUSSIANS IN RETURN FOR ELECTION HELP, ESPECIALLY IF THAT WAS THE ONLY PRAYER
HE HAD OF WINNING.
NO WONDER THEY CAN'T WITHOLD THEIR GLEE.
Not firing national security adviser Mike Flynn for 18 days
Using Mar-a-Lago as an al fresco situation room
Using a non-secure Android phone
Leaving a secure document pouch out with the key in it
Trump’s bodyguard revealing the defense secretary’s phone number
Pre-announcing Jared Kushner’s visit to a war zone
Revealing that the CIA had been hacked
Letting a Russian state photographer into the Oval Office
THIS LIST IS 2 YEARS OLD.
Whistle-Blower’s Complaint Is Said to Involve Multiple Acts by Trump
The complaint goes beyond a commitment that President Trump was said to have made to a world leader.
A potentially explosive complaint by a whistle-blower in the intelligence community said to involve President Trump was related to a series of actions that go beyond any single discussion with a foreign leader, according to interviews on Thursday.
The complaint was related to multiple acts, Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for American spy agencies, told lawmakers during a private briefing, two officials familiar with it said.
Mr. Atkinson’s briefing and renewed their accusation that the Trump administration was orchestrating a cover-up of an urgent and legitimate whistle-blower complaint that could affect national security.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/us/politics/intelligence-whistle-blower-complaint-trump.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
The complaint goes beyond a commitment that President Trump was said to have made to a world leader.
A potentially explosive complaint by a whistle-blower in the intelligence community said to involve President Trump was related to a series of actions that go beyond any single discussion with a foreign leader, according to interviews on Thursday.
The complaint was related to multiple acts, Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for American spy agencies, told lawmakers during a private briefing, two officials familiar with it said.
Mr. Atkinson’s briefing and renewed their accusation that the Trump administration was orchestrating a cover-up of an urgent and legitimate whistle-blower complaint that could affect national security.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/us/politics/intelligence-whistle-blower-complaint-trump.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
It would be wise for POTUS to assume all talks with foreign leaders by phone are listened to, because it is the job of our intelligence agencies to attempt to spy on foreign leaders...and they are pretty damn good at it.
I guess I could say what most folks said about the Patriot Act: if you have done nothing wrong, what are you worried about?
It's like you think there is no reason the Founders bothered with that whole section on impeachment....
Whistle-Blower’s Complaint Is Said to Involve Multiple Acts by Trump ONE IS UKRAIN AIDING TRUMP RE-ELECTION
A whistleblower complaint about President Trump made by an intelligence official centers on Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the matter, which has set off a struggle between Congress and the executive branch.
The complaint involved communications with a foreign leader and a “promise” that Trump made, which was so alarming that a U.S. intelligence official who had worked at the White House went to the inspector general of the intelligence community, two former U.S. officials said.
Two and a half weeks before the complaint was filed, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,a comedian and political newcomerwho was elected in a landslide in May.
That call is already under investigation by House Democrats who are examiningwhether Trump and his attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani sought to manipulate the Ukrainian governmentinto helping Trump’s reelection campaign.Lawmakers have demanded a full transcript and a list of participants on the call.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/whistleblower-complaint-about-president-trump-involves-ukraine-according-to-two-people-familiar-with-the-matter/2019/09/19/07e33f0a-daf6-11e9-bfb1-849887369476_story.html
A whistleblower complaint about President Trump made by an intelligence official centers on Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the matter, which has set off a struggle between Congress and the executive branch.
The complaint involved communications with a foreign leader and a “promise” that Trump made, which was so alarming that a U.S. intelligence official who had worked at the White House went to the inspector general of the intelligence community, two former U.S. officials said.
Two and a half weeks before the complaint was filed, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,a comedian and political newcomerwho was elected in a landslide in May.
That call is already under investigation by House Democrats who are examiningwhether Trump and his attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani sought to manipulate the Ukrainian governmentinto helping Trump’s reelection campaign.Lawmakers have demanded a full transcript and a list of participants on the call.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/whistleblower-complaint-about-president-trump-involves-ukraine-according-to-two-people-familiar-with-the-matter/2019/09/19/07e33f0a-daf6-11e9-bfb1-849887369476_story.html
Exactly...no matter how much jackass Trump compromises our national security, we should be thankful Bill ain't lyin' about getting BJs.
well hopefully CNN will tell you our national security is o.k. so you can rest easy.
I am resting easy. I love watching the county improve under this administration.
Giuliani admits to asking Ukraine about Joe Biden after denying it 30 seconds earlier
Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, contradicted himself when asked whether he personally asked Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden,
Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, contradicted himself when asked whether he personally asked Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden,
Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, contradicted himself when asked whether he personally asked Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden,
Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, contradicted himself when asked whether he personally asked Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden,
TRUMP PERSONALLY PRESSED UKRAIN PREZ TO INVESTIGATE Biden’s SON 8 TIMES HELPING '20 TRUMP CAMPAIGN
President Trump pressed the leader of Ukraine to investigate the son of former vice president Joe Biden in a call between the two leaders.
Trump used the July 25 conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pressure the recently elected leader to pursue an investigation that Trump believed would help his campaign.
The disclosure comes amid new details about the White House’s role in preventing acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire from complying with the law which says he must turn the information over to congress.
Maguire’s scheduled testimony in open session before the House Intelligence Committee next week could force the White House’s hand. He is almost certain to face questions about any direction he has taken from the White House.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...a39b20-dbdc-11e9-bfb1-849887369476_story.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/us/politics/trump-whistle-blower-ukraine.html
President Trump pressed the leader of Ukraine to investigate the son of former vice president Joe Biden in a call between the two leaders.
Trump used the July 25 conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pressure the recently elected leader to pursue an investigation that Trump believed would help his campaign.
The disclosure comes amid new details about the White House’s role in preventing acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire from complying with the law which says he must turn the information over to congress.
Maguire’s scheduled testimony in open session before the House Intelligence Committee next week could force the White House’s hand. He is almost certain to face questions about any direction he has taken from the White House.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...a39b20-dbdc-11e9-bfb1-849887369476_story.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/us/politics/trump-whistle-blower-ukraine.html
Reminds me of Trump's Stephanopolous interview where he said he would accept info from a foreign power.
Trump's Federal Election Commission's Director, Ellen Weintraub, released the following statement after that interview:
"I would not have thought that I needed to say this,"
"Let me make something 100% clear to the American public and anyone running for public office: It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election. This is not a novel concept. Electoral intervention from foreign governments has been considered unacceptable since the beginnings of our nation. Our Founding Fathers sounded the alarm about 'foreign Interference, Intrigue, and Influence.' They knew that when foreign governments seek to influence American politics, it is always to advance their own interests, not America's. Anyone who solicits or accepts foreign assistance risks being on the wrong end of a federal investigation. Any political campaign that receives an offer of a prohibited donation from a foreign source should report that offer to the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
Trump's Federal Election Commission's Director, Ellen Weintraub, released the following statement after that interview:
"I would not have thought that I needed to say this,"
"Let me make something 100% clear to the American public and anyone running for public office: It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election. This is not a novel concept. Electoral intervention from foreign governments has been considered unacceptable since the beginnings of our nation. Our Founding Fathers sounded the alarm about 'foreign Interference, Intrigue, and Influence.' They knew that when foreign governments seek to influence American politics, it is always to advance their own interests, not America's. Anyone who solicits or accepts foreign assistance risks being on the wrong end of a federal investigation. Any political campaign that receives an offer of a prohibited donation from a foreign source should report that offer to the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
A whistle-blower’s report has alarmed the intelligence agencies’ watchdog. Why won’t the administration share it with Congress?
Revelations that President Trump pressured Ukraine’s new leader toinvestigate the son of former vice president Joe Bidenhave focused fresh attention on hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid the administration withheld from the countryuntil last week the aid, which remained frozen during Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and for several weeks afterward, was related to the “promise” that sparked the whistleblower complaint and what Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson told lawmakers constituted an “urgent” and “credible” threat.
During August and September, lawmakers were engaged in what Republican and Democratic aides described as an unprecedented struggle with the administration to release nearly $400 million in military assistance for Ukraine to hold off Russian agression— $250 million of it controlled by the Pentagon and $141 million by the State Department.
Trump administration was trying to use that money as leverage over the Ukrainian president, hopeful it would spur an investigation of Biden, who is a leading Democratic candidate for president. Biden on Friday suggested there could be a connection.
“If these reports are true . . . it means he used the power and resources of the United States to pressure a sovereign nation — a partner that is still under direct assault from Russia — pushing Ukraine to subvert the rule of law in the express hope of extracting a political favor,” the former vice president said in a statement.
Revelations that President Trump pressured Ukraine’s new leader toinvestigate the son of former vice president Joe Bidenhave focused fresh attention on hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid the administration withheld from the countryuntil last week the aid, which remained frozen during Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and for several weeks afterward, was related to the “promise” that sparked the whistleblower complaint and what Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson told lawmakers constituted an “urgent” and “credible” threat.
During August and September, lawmakers were engaged in what Republican and Democratic aides described as an unprecedented struggle with the administration to release nearly $400 million in military assistance for Ukraine to hold off Russian agression— $250 million of it controlled by the Pentagon and $141 million by the State Department.
Trump administration was trying to use that money as leverage over the Ukrainian president, hopeful it would spur an investigation of Biden, who is a leading Democratic candidate for president. Biden on Friday suggested there could be a connection.
“If these reports are true . . . it means he used the power and resources of the United States to pressure a sovereign nation — a partner that is still under direct assault from Russia — pushing Ukraine to subvert the rule of law in the express hope of extracting a political favor,” the former vice president said in a statement.
HOW TRUMP BRIBED UKRAINE
When President Trump spoke on the telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in late July, the Ukrainians had a lot at stake. They were waiting on millions in stalled military aid from the United States, and Zelensky was seeking a high-priority White House meeting with Trump.
Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart that his country could improve its image if it completed corruption cases that have “inhibited the interaction between Ukraine and the USA,” according to a readout of the call released by Kiev.
What neither government said publicly at the time was that Trump went even further which is now the subject of an explosive whistleblower complaint.
Days after the two presidents spoke, Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, met with an aide to the Ukrainian president in Madrid and spelled out two specific cases he believed Ukraine should pursue. One was Biden. Another was an allegation that Democrats.
“This is requesting assistance from a foreign government to tarnish your political rival and opening the door to outside interference in our politics and elections,” said David Kramer, a former State Department official responsible for Russia and Central Europe during the George W. Bush administration.
U.S. officials and members of the Trump administration wanted the meeting to go ahead, but Trump personally rejected efforts to set it up, according to three people familiar with the discussions.
By the time Trump and Zelensky spoke during the July 25 telephone call, the meeting at the White House still hadn’t been set. Soon after, it was disclosed that the White House had put a hold on $250 million in military aid for Ukraine after Trump ordered a review of the assistance package.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-trump-and-giuliani-pressured-ukraine-to-investigate-the-presidents-rivals/2019/09/20/0955801c-dbb6-11e9-a688-303693fb4b0b_story.html
When President Trump spoke on the telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in late July, the Ukrainians had a lot at stake. They were waiting on millions in stalled military aid from the United States, and Zelensky was seeking a high-priority White House meeting with Trump.
Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart that his country could improve its image if it completed corruption cases that have “inhibited the interaction between Ukraine and the USA,” according to a readout of the call released by Kiev.
What neither government said publicly at the time was that Trump went even further which is now the subject of an explosive whistleblower complaint.
Days after the two presidents spoke, Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, met with an aide to the Ukrainian president in Madrid and spelled out two specific cases he believed Ukraine should pursue. One was Biden. Another was an allegation that Democrats.
“This is requesting assistance from a foreign government to tarnish your political rival and opening the door to outside interference in our politics and elections,” said David Kramer, a former State Department official responsible for Russia and Central Europe during the George W. Bush administration.
U.S. officials and members of the Trump administration wanted the meeting to go ahead, but Trump personally rejected efforts to set it up, according to three people familiar with the discussions.
By the time Trump and Zelensky spoke during the July 25 telephone call, the meeting at the White House still hadn’t been set. Soon after, it was disclosed that the White House had put a hold on $250 million in military aid for Ukraine after Trump ordered a review of the assistance package.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-trump-and-giuliani-pressured-ukraine-to-investigate-the-presidents-rivals/2019/09/20/0955801c-dbb6-11e9-a688-303693fb4b0b_story.html
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It appears Trump's using tax dollars in an attempt to make the Ukraine his campaign's agent.
Are we just going to ignore the other part of the story which involves a former vp and current democrat presidential nominee threatening to withhold money to Ukraine in order to get an investigation shut down?
IF CROOKED IS DOING THIS WITH UKRAINE IMAGINE WHAT THOSE SECRET MEETINGS WITH PUTIN MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE.
Deny, divert, discredit: Trump turns to his scandal playbook once again
Analysis: The president has a canned approach for trying to fend off bad news. This time, it's a whistleblower report.
President Donald Trump is turning to what's become a tried-and-true pattern of defending himself against scandal in the latest controversy over awhistleblower's accusationthat he made a disturbing promise to a foreign leader.
It goes like this:
Step one: Deny the reports while arguing that even if true, there is nothing wrong with what was done.
Step two: Divert attention to a subplot that implicates political rivals.
Step three: Discredit investigators by accusing those involved of a deep state or partisan witch hunt
The playbook has been used by Trump and his surrogates repeatedly against various accusations, including whether his campaign held an improper meeting with Russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton, that he paid hush money to an adult film actress, and that he is profiting off the presidency through his private businesses.
The strategy played out in the Oval Office on Friday when Trump was pressed about awhistleblower reportby an intelligence officer who raised concerns after learning of analleged promise Trump madeduring a phone call to a foreign leader. Ukraine is at the center of the complaint,The Washington Post reportedon Thursday evening.
Trump denied knowing who the whistleblower is or the date of the conversation in question — but said he never did anything wrong anyway. "It was a totally appropriate conversation, it was actually a beautiful conversation," Trump told reporters.
When Trump was asked about speculation he asked the Ukrainian president to investigate Joe Biden, the president deflected. He tried to shift to his own accusation that Biden had been involved in a quid pro quo with Ukraine connected to the former vice president son's involvement in a Ukrainian gas company.
It was the same pattern of defense Trump used when media reports came out about a meeting arranged between his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and a Russian lawyer, whom he believed had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton.
Trump initially denied knowing about the meeting and his lawyer denied he knew anything about his son's response to the media reports. When it was later reported, and eventually confirmed by Trump’s lawyers, that Trump helped his son write a misleading statement about the purpose of the meeting, the president and his lawyers shifted their defense to saying that there was nothing wrong with having such a meeting.
Throughout the Russia investigation, Trump and his allies sought to discredit any findings saying they were a politically motivated "witch hunt," accusing Robert Mueller's investigators of being "angry Democrats." White House lawyers have since stonewalled subpoenas by House Democrats into the Trump campaign's connections with Russia.
And now Trump's used a similar tactic to attempt to discredit the intelligence community whistleblower. "It’s ridiculous, it's a partisan whistleblower," he said.
Like with the Russia investigation, where Trump tried to push a counter-narrative about Obama administration spying and rogue Justice Department officials, he is using the controversy to try to further his accusations that Biden was involved in nefarious deals in Ukraine.
It was a pattern he also followed when reports came out that Trump paid hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an affair days before the election.
In that case, Trump denied knowing about the payments, but as more reporting came out suggesting he likely was aware of them, the president told Fox News that there was nothing illegal because no campaign funds were used. A few weeks later, Trump lawyerRudy Giuliani told Fox News that Trump had indeed reimbursed Cohen for the payments, which were "perfectly legal." Trump then shifted the blame to Cohen, saying as his lawyer he should have known better.
Giuliani on Thursday night dusted off the playbook he used for months defending Trump against accusations his campaign coordinated with Russian election interference efforts and that the president obstructed justice.
Giuliani appeared to both admit and deny asking the Ukraine officials to launch an investigation into Biden. And he tried to change the subject by alleging without evidence that there was wrongdoing by the former vice president and 2020 presidential candidate.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/deny-divert-discredit-trump-turns-his-scandal-playbook-once-again-n1057181
Analysis: The president has a canned approach for trying to fend off bad news. This time, it's a whistleblower report.
President Donald Trump is turning to what's become a tried-and-true pattern of defending himself against scandal in the latest controversy over awhistleblower's accusationthat he made a disturbing promise to a foreign leader.
It goes like this:
Step one: Deny the reports while arguing that even if true, there is nothing wrong with what was done.
Step two: Divert attention to a subplot that implicates political rivals.
Step three: Discredit investigators by accusing those involved of a deep state or partisan witch hunt
The playbook has been used by Trump and his surrogates repeatedly against various accusations, including whether his campaign held an improper meeting with Russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton, that he paid hush money to an adult film actress, and that he is profiting off the presidency through his private businesses.
The strategy played out in the Oval Office on Friday when Trump was pressed about awhistleblower reportby an intelligence officer who raised concerns after learning of analleged promise Trump madeduring a phone call to a foreign leader. Ukraine is at the center of the complaint,The Washington Post reportedon Thursday evening.
Trump denied knowing who the whistleblower is or the date of the conversation in question — but said he never did anything wrong anyway. "It was a totally appropriate conversation, it was actually a beautiful conversation," Trump told reporters.
When Trump was asked about speculation he asked the Ukrainian president to investigate Joe Biden, the president deflected. He tried to shift to his own accusation that Biden had been involved in a quid pro quo with Ukraine connected to the former vice president son's involvement in a Ukrainian gas company.
It was the same pattern of defense Trump used when media reports came out about a meeting arranged between his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and a Russian lawyer, whom he believed had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton.
Trump initially denied knowing about the meeting and his lawyer denied he knew anything about his son's response to the media reports. When it was later reported, and eventually confirmed by Trump’s lawyers, that Trump helped his son write a misleading statement about the purpose of the meeting, the president and his lawyers shifted their defense to saying that there was nothing wrong with having such a meeting.
Throughout the Russia investigation, Trump and his allies sought to discredit any findings saying they were a politically motivated "witch hunt," accusing Robert Mueller's investigators of being "angry Democrats." White House lawyers have since stonewalled subpoenas by House Democrats into the Trump campaign's connections with Russia.
And now Trump's used a similar tactic to attempt to discredit the intelligence community whistleblower. "It’s ridiculous, it's a partisan whistleblower," he said.
Like with the Russia investigation, where Trump tried to push a counter-narrative about Obama administration spying and rogue Justice Department officials, he is using the controversy to try to further his accusations that Biden was involved in nefarious deals in Ukraine.
It was a pattern he also followed when reports came out that Trump paid hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an affair days before the election.
In that case, Trump denied knowing about the payments, but as more reporting came out suggesting he likely was aware of them, the president told Fox News that there was nothing illegal because no campaign funds were used. A few weeks later, Trump lawyerRudy Giuliani told Fox News that Trump had indeed reimbursed Cohen for the payments, which were "perfectly legal." Trump then shifted the blame to Cohen, saying as his lawyer he should have known better.
Giuliani on Thursday night dusted off the playbook he used for months defending Trump against accusations his campaign coordinated with Russian election interference efforts and that the president obstructed justice.
Giuliani appeared to both admit and deny asking the Ukraine officials to launch an investigation into Biden. And he tried to change the subject by alleging without evidence that there was wrongdoing by the former vice president and 2020 presidential candidate.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/deny-divert-discredit-trump-turns-his-scandal-playbook-once-again-n1057181
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ByGeorge T. Conway IIIand Neal Katyal
Simply put, the framers viewed the president as a fiduciary, the government of the United States as a sacred trust and the people of the United States as the beneficiaries of that trust. Through the Constitution, the framers imposed upon the president the duty and obligationto “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed” and made him swearan oath that he would fulfill that duty of faithful execution. They believed that a president would break his oath if he engaged in self-dealing— if he used his powers to put his own interests above the nation’s. That would be the paradigmatic case for impeachment.
So it appears that the president might have used his official powers — in particular, perhaps the threat of withholding a quarter-billion dollars in military aid — to leverage a foreign government into helping him defeat a potential political opponent in the United States.
So it appears that the president might have used his official powers — in particular, perhaps the threat of withholding a quarter-billion dollars in military aid — to leverage a foreign government into helping him defeat a potential political opponent in the United States.
If Trump did that, it would be the ultimate impeachable act.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-has-done-plenty-to-warrant-impeachment-but-the-ukraine-allegations-are-over-the-top/2019/09/20/51eff90c-dbf1-11e9-bfb1-849887369476_story.html
Simply put, the framers viewed the president as a fiduciary, the government of the United States as a sacred trust and the people of the United States as the beneficiaries of that trust. Through the Constitution, the framers imposed upon the president the duty and obligationto “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed” and made him swearan oath that he would fulfill that duty of faithful execution. They believed that a president would break his oath if he engaged in self-dealing— if he used his powers to put his own interests above the nation’s. That would be the paradigmatic case for impeachment.
So it appears that the president might have used his official powers — in particular, perhaps the threat of withholding a quarter-billion dollars in military aid — to leverage a foreign government into helping him defeat a potential political opponent in the United States.
So it appears that the president might have used his official powers — in particular, perhaps the threat of withholding a quarter-billion dollars in military aid — to leverage a foreign government into helping him defeat a potential political opponent in the United States.
If Trump did that, it would be the ultimate impeachable act.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-has-done-plenty-to-warrant-impeachment-but-the-ukraine-allegations-are-over-the-top/2019/09/20/51eff90c-dbf1-11e9-bfb1-849887369476_story.html
So here’s where things stand: We have a president who not only abuses the power of his office but flaunts it, and a political system incapable of doing anything about it.
That President Trump would coerce — and possibly extort — a foreign power to launch an investigation aimed at damaging his leading political opponent takes his misconduct to an entirely new level. Yet leading Republicans remain silent. Once again, we are left wondering what, exactly, he would have to do to draw any sort of condemnation from a party that still marches behind him in lockstep, no matter where he takes them.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/09/21/yes-there-is-something-house-can-do-punish-trump-right-now/
That President Trump would coerce — and possibly extort — a foreign power to launch an investigation aimed at damaging his leading political opponent takes his misconduct to an entirely new level. Yet leading Republicans remain silent. Once again, we are left wondering what, exactly, he would have to do to draw any sort of condemnation from a party that still marches behind him in lockstep, no matter where he takes them.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/09/21/yes-there-is-something-house-can-do-punish-trump-right-now/
