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Yay, Transparency: Trump Donor-cum-EU Ambassador Confirms Quid Pro Quo

Congressman Dusty Johnson said he wanted a transparent impeachment process. Now we have one: the transcript of our EU ambassador and Trump donor Gordon Sondland’s testimony to House impeachment investigators, released yesterday, includes Sondland’s revised statement that there was a quid pro quo:

Sondland, Trump’s ambassador to the European Union, added that he later told Andriy Yermak, a top Ukrainian national security adviser, the aid would be contingent on Trump’s desired investigations.

“After that large meeting, I now recall speaking individually with Mr. Yermak, where I said that resumption of U.S. aid would likely not occur until Ukraine provided the public anti-corruption statement that we had been discussing for many weeks,” Sondland wrote in his addendum, which was released alongside a nearly 400-page transcript of his testimony [Anthony Desiderio and Kyle Cheney, “Sondland Reverses Himself on Ukraine, Confirming Quid Pro Quo,” Politico, 2019.11.05].

Dusty and the other Trump apologists are running out of wiggle room fast. I keep telling you, your lives would be easier if you just impeached and convicted and got back to making policy without an inveterate liar at the head of your party.

55 Comments

  1. mike from iowa

    Wingnuts demanderd transcripts be made public. Now, they dismiss them out of hand. drumpf is guilty. No question. The problem will be wingnuts refusing to take impeachment trial seriously. Word is they will try to drag Bidens into the trial based on made up rumours.

    drumpf deserves a second term….life with no parole on top of original life sentence.

  2. o

    Now is the most dangerous time of the impeachment. In the first phase, Trump et al denied the charges; when that failed in the face of overwhelming evidence, we moved to phase two, where Trump et al attack the process to delegitimize the factual conclusions; now we are in phase three, were Trump et al say “yes, I did it, so what?” The denial of what is wrong being wrong.

    Now is really the most important fight: what is right and wrong; what behavior do we demand from our elected officials (not just this President, but ANY President)? Many of the Senate GOP are on record with STRONG stands against the abuse of power by the President – just not this President. Are ethics situational to partisan concerns? Is patriotism? Can this nation put a partisan blindfold on justice?

  3. Loren

    I see Thune is starting to make public statements (something the GOP establishment does not often do) that he is “concerned.” WOW, but I guess that is progress. You can also bet that he is NOT saying these things without the OK from his handlers. (He must have handlers causing him to say these things because the SD I/we grew up in did not idolize liars, cheats and thieves.) Hopefully, he will get ahold of his jr. partner who seems to have already declared he would not impeach BEFORE seeing the evidence. This is not your father’s GOP. :-(

  4. bearcreekbat

    Trump’s behavior here seems to fit the definition of criminal “extortion” rather than a mere “quid pro quo” transaction. Trump didn’t offer funds from a discretionary executive budget to the Ukraine, which would be the normal “quid” in a quid pro quo type transaction. Instead he refused to comply with his Article 2, Section 3 Constitutional duty to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed” by refusing to faithfully execute the law Congress passed allocating funds to the Ukraine.

    This is much more like the “unfavorable government action” of holding a monetary hostage and demanding a ransom of certain behavior (i.e. a thing of value which would be a type of “property”) not required by Congress. and would fit within the classic definition of extortion than constitute a mere “quid pro quo. ”

    Most states define extortion as the gaining of property or money by almost any kind of . . . unfavorable government action. . . .

    https://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/extortion.html

  5. Chris S.

    While I’ve got nothing against fancy Latin phrases like quid pro quo, a more common word works just fine here: extortion

    P.S. I see bearcreekbat beat me to it.

  6. Steve Pearson

    Did any of you read the transcript of the call? Or do you ignore it like MSM?

  7. Porter Lansing

    The transcript of the call was altered upon Trump’s orders.

  8. mike from iowa

    Do try to keep up, Pearson. drumpf admitted he did it. The watered down version says he did it. Wingnuts say now he did it, but it isn’t a crime.

    He’s toast. His goose is cooked. Miss lindsey is back to swearing drumpf isn’t smart enough to have done a quid pro quo.

  9. Porter Lansing

    White House Ukraine Expert Sought to Correct Transcript of Trump Call
    Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, who heard President Trump’s July phone call with Ukraine’s president and was alarmed, testified that he tried and failed to add key details to the rough transcript, Trump administration had left out.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/us/politics/alexander-vindman-trump-ukraine.html

  10. MFI — Miz Lindsey’s moral compass seems to have been buried with John McCain.

  11. Debbo

    Another rat turns. Jue-Lee-ahh-kne’s pal, Lev Parnas, is going to testify. From National Memo:

    Lev Parnas — who was indicted for making illegal straw donations to a Trump super PAC — was formerly represented by a lawyer on Trump’s legal team but is now represented by a new counsel who said Parnas is “willing to comply with the subpoena to the extent that it does not violate any appropriate privilege that Mr. Parnas may properly invoke.”

    “I don’t know them,” Trump said of Parnas and Parnas’ associate Igor Fruman. “I don’t know about them. I don’t know what they do but I don’t know, maybe they were clients of Rudy. You’d have to ask Rudy, I just don’t know.”

    Photos of Trump and Parnas go as far back as 2014 and show that Parnas has had meetings with Trump and members Trump family’s, including first son Donald Trump Jr.

    is.gd/3DNVjb

  12. Steve Pearson

    The transcript was altered? Please show proof of that. Do any of you find it convenient that the Russia collusion and subsequent claims of obstruction are now all gone? Come on, are you all really just sheep to media?

  13. Steve Pearson

    So he tried to add his thoughts???? Even though he wasn’t on the call. The transcript was the actual call. Him adding his beliefs aren’t truth. He didn’t listen in on the call. Come on people.

  14. mike from iowa

    Here is the CAUTION on the first page of the unclassified, alleged perfect phone call. The one drumpf claims was word for word.

    CAUTION: A Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation.· (TELCON) is not a verbatim transcript of a
    discussion. The text in this document records the notes and recollections of Situation Room Duty
    “Officers and-NSC policy staff assigned t_o listen.and memorialize the conversation in written form
    as the conversation takes place. A numper of factors can affect ‘the accuracy of the reco�d,
    including poor telecommunications connections and variations in accent and/or interpretation.
    The word “inaudible” is used to indifate portions of a conversation that the notetaker was unable
    to hear.
    Classified By: 2354726

    This was not the original, complete and verbatim phone call and all your complaints to the contrary will not change that, SP.

  15. mike from iowa

    Steve Pearson2019-11-06 at 14:28

    yer link is behind a paywall. What documents can you produce to show Biden’s guilt since no one else has seen them?

  16. bearcreekbat

    Pearson, here are a couple good faith questions for you. Your comment suggests that you do not trust the “MSM,” which I assume means mainstream media as you follow up with “are you all really just sheep to the media.”

    I also assume you were not present for the call and have no more personal knowledge about the content of the call than other DFP commentors.

    If these two assumptions are correct, can you explain how you have concluded whatever sources you look to for information are more accurate or reliable than the mainstream media?

    How have you ascertained the “transcript” to which you refer is valid or a more accurate representation of the conversation than sworn eyewitness testimony (subject to perjury charges) as reported by the MSM?

  17. Robin Friday

    “Time after time, Trump has falsely claimed that the White House released an “exact word-for-word transcript” or “verbatim transcript” of his July 25 phone call with Zelensky.

    But as we’ve written before, the White House memo of the call includes a “caution” note saying it “is not a verbatim transcript.” It is the “notes and recollections,” it said, of staff “assigned to listen and memorialize the conversation.”

    Ellipses are used three times in the memo, seeming to indicate missing words.

    And we have now learned that there were certain parts of Trump’s conversation with Zelensky that were not documented in the memo.

    The New York Times, citing three unnamed sources, reported that, in private testimony before House impeachment investigators on Oct. 29, Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, a Ukraine expert on the White House’s National Security Council who listened in on the July 25 call, testified that certain words and phrases were omitted and that his subsequent attempt to have them included was not successful.

    “The omissions, Colonel Vindman said, included Mr. Trump’s assertion that there were recordings of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. discussing Ukraine corruption, and an explicit mention by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, of Burisma Holdings, the energy company whose board employed Mr. Biden’s son Hunter,” the Times said. The newspaper also reported that Vindman “tried to change the reconstructed transcript made by the White House staff to reflect the omissions. But while some of his edits appeared to have been successful, he said, those two corrections were not made.”

    https://www.factcheck.org/2019/10/what-weve-learned-from-impeachment-inquiry/

  18. mike from iowa

    Why drumpf should not be allowed near sharp objects…

    The newspaper reported that Trump had asked the attorney general to hold a news conference absolving him of wrongdoing in his dealings with Ukraine, but the Post reported that Barr refused.

    Trump claimed the report was “fake news” based on nonexistent sources in a Wednesday night tweet, and again attacked the report Thursday morning with an eyebrow-raising claim.

    “Bill Barr did not decline my request to talk about Ukraine,” Trump said, appearing to confirm the request was made.

    Marlboro Barbie and Cardboard cutout Mike…

    Someone near you seriously needs an intervention of guys in white coats. Do it for the good of your country if for no other reason.

  19. Steve Pearson

    Robin. Instead of only including parts of the “Dislaimer” to promote your belief how about you list it all? Because the individuals it references are from the NSC Policy Staff and Situation Room Duty Officers. They are assigned to memorialize the conversation in written form.

  20. Steve Pearson

    Everything Mike types is always Drumpf this or Drumpf that. I just keep picturing this obese white guy sitting at home waiting for his govt check each month while he sits on his computer trolling.

  21. mike from iowa

    Pearson just perfectly described drumpf, except t is twitter for drumpf. Pearson has deep feelings for and wild abandon fantasies about the pathological lying crime wave in the kremlin annex. Little kissy kissy for Donnie?

  22. Robin Friday

    Steve, You wanted some source to support the idea that there were omissions left out of the transcript. I gave it to you. There’s not much out there, but why don’t you go ahead and prove that what I quoted was wrong?

  23. Robin Friday

    Steve, I think you may have a similar disorder to our president’s. You can’t/won’t admit you’re ever wrong, even when it’s proved to you in black and white. You prefer to obfuscate. That’s not ok. And it doesn’t really work.

  24. Robin Friday

    And we know that the transcript of the Zelensky call went to the White House for “approval” and they quickly put it in super-classified so no one could see it before they “reconstructed” it.

  25. mike from iowa

    Pearson, thanks to yer buddy drumpf, Iran is enriching uranium. They weren’t allowed to and had not done so under the agreement Obama and several other nations brokered with Iran. Then along came slow talking drumpf and screwed the whole process up and can’t replace it with anything better as promised because he is the world’s lousiest, biggest lying negotiator ever. You and drumpf deserve each other.

  26. o

    Steve “Everything Mike types is always Drumpf this or Drumpf that. I just keep picturing this obese white guy sitting at home waiting for his govt check each month while he sits on his computer trolling.”

    Funny, that’s how I picture the President too!! Hold it, you were referring to the President weren’t you?

  27. Debbo

    That is the president, an obese white guy, but he’s sitting on the toilet tapping incoherently on his phone.

  28. o

    Steve, “Do any of you find it convenient that the Russia collusion and subsequent claims of obstruction are now all gone?”

    Heck yes, I find that convenient — for President Trump. His political fixer, Attorney General Barr, took care of that with his mis-informative summary of the Muller Report.

  29. mike from iowa

    OT…Seems former Wisconsin Richard-head guv, Snott Wanker, is writing editorials for Washington Times. They must be real desperate.

  30. Debbo

    One of the Wrong’s favorite crazies, Dale’s hero “AJ”, circles the drain faster and faster. The lawsuit brought against that lying scum by the bereaved Sandy Hook families continues going very badly for Jones.

    “Jones has lost every single motion in all the Sandy Hook cases filed in Texas. He’s been through 7 lawyers, including the loud and temperamental California lawyer who was apparently paid to scream all the Texas law he didn’t know.”
    is.gd/8HsR0i

    In the article is a link to the Texas Court of Appeals decision. They don’t have much time for the “AJ” team’s stupidity.
    😆😆😆

  31. leslie

    Pearson, oh gee! That wash times article is inaccurate, at least here:

    “Mr. Schiff has launched a full-length investigation into nearly every aspect of Mr. Trump’s life. The committee chairman enthusiastically supported the 2016 Democratic Party-financed dossier filled with anti-Trump allegations that have since been discredited.”

    1) nearly every aspect of Trump’s life! Hardly. “The resolution, together with the separate procedures outlining the Judiciary Committee’s proceedings, is a substantive document. It puts Adam Schiff officially in the lead on the impeachment investigation, alters the House rules for questioning of witnesses in both the Intelligence Committee and the Judiciary Committee to allow the chairs and ranking members to develop their lines of questioning with witnesses more fully, clarifies whether and how the minority can subpoena witnesses and documents, and offers a road map for how the impeachment inquiry will proceed.” *

    2) discedited russian dossier? Hardly. 2016 reporting.

    *https://m.https://www.lawfareblog.com/whats-house-resolution-impeachment

    youtube.com/watch?v=5exiuko3-nQ

    2017 reporting accuracy. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fB1vM1tCz7Y

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5exiuko3-nQ

    2018 reporting accuracy. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FVSeU3yeOCQ

    https://www.newyorker.com By Jane MayerMarch 5, 2018

    2019 reporting accuracy.

  32. leslie

    (Cont) 2019 “MSM” reporting accuracy: “The calendar calls for Democrats to proceed apace in the House, and for the Republicans to slow things down there and speed them up again in the Senate. The timing of the Carter Page and Barr-Durham inquiries is a critical factor. What the Republicans are able to make of the results of those inquiries is still unknown. But then also far from clear, and ominous for the Republicans, is the evidence of misconduct emerging from the congressional investigation and from investigative news reporting.

    The Republicans have one heavy burden to carry, which may in the end catch up to them: Donald Trump, and all that comes with him—the ignorance about the matters within his official responsibility, his inability to distinguish the legal from the illegal, his habitual disregard for even basic norms and for rudimentary standards of truth-telling, and the obsessional and crudely self-referential tweeting and personal commentary. Politiics and law of impeachment may eventually converge. Enough Republican senators may conclude that Trump should not be president and that, in defending him, they are putting themselves and their party at fatal political risk.” https://www.lawfareblog.com/strategic-underpinning-and-limits-republican-due-process-defense-donald-trump

  33. Debbo

    “they are putting themselves and their party at fatal political risk.”

    The GOP is there, teetering and out of control. There is an insane president and a sociopathic Senate majority leader at the head. Neither cares one whit about the other, except as the other is a useful tool. Neither are they concerned about the welfare of their political party, Americans or the USA. As long as they get out of this wealthy and powerful, they feel victorious.

  34. Debbo

    From today’s Axios AM by Mike Allen:

    Confronted with a mountain of damaging facts heading into tomorrow’s opening of the public phase of impeachment, House Republicans plan to argue that “the President’s state of mind” was exculpatory, according to a strategy memo obtained by Axios’ Jonathan Swan and narrated by Zach Basu.

    “To appropriately understand the events in question — and most importantly, assess the President’s state of mind during his interaction with [Ukrainian] President Zelensky — context is necessary,” says the 18-page staff memo, circulated to committee members last night.
    “The evidence gathered does not establish an impeachable offense,” the memo concludes.
    Why it matters: By focusing their defense on intangibles like impeachability and President Trump’s mindset, House Republicans don’t depend on undercutting a narrative that has been bolstered by witness after witness.

    Republican senators, who would vote on whether to remove President Trump if the House impeached him, are also thinking this way.
    Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told the WashPost 10 days ago: “To me, it all turns on intent, motive. … Did the president have a culpable state of mind?”
    The memo points to “four key pieces of evidence” to try to undermine Democrats’ arguments for why the president should be impeached:

    “The July 25 call summary — the best evidence of the conversation — shows no conditionality or evidence of pressure.”
    “President Zelensky and President Trump have both said there was no pressure on the call.”
    “The Ukrainian government was not aware of a hold on U.S. security assistance at the time of the July 25 call.”
    “President Trump met with President Zelensky and U.S. security assistance flowed to Ukraine in September 2019 — both of which occurred without Ukraine investigating President Trump’s political rivals.”
    Between the lines: The memo fails to consider counterarguments that Democratic members have been making for weeks.

    It cites witnesses like Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, to argue that Ukraine was not aware of the hold on military aid. It doesn’t, however, address the core claims at the heart of several explosive depositions.
    Chief among them is the fact that top officials involved in Ukraine policy, including Taylor and EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland, were under the impression that there was a quid pro quo involving aid, and that they communicated that understanding to their Ukrainian counterparts.
    What’s next: Look for Democrats to begin using the phrase “cheating our democracy.”

  35. Debbo

    Axios lays out the entire process graphically, in case you need a refresher.

    is.gd/zWKheI

  36. mike from iowa

    Put drumpf under oath, he’ll perjure himself and perjury got Clinton impeached. Case over.

  37. Debbo

    Rep. Schiff is adding another well deserved count to the list for consideration. Bribery.

    Oh yeah. That’s what Traitorous Toddler does for breakfast. NPR has the story.
    is.gd/aGZOaU

  38. Debbo

    Rancid Racist’s slime boy, Stephen Goebbels Miller, is just as evil as we thought. A collection of his racist emails has been leaked to SPLC.

    is.gd/w1E5lV

  39. Debbo

    In another bit of fun for those of us with good hearts, Bankrupt Bloviator has to pay $290,000 to Scotland for being such a PITA. He sued them to stop a wind farm near his golf course. Lost. Again. He’s the biggest loser. Wapo has the story but I don’t have a link because I don’t have a subscription.

  40. bearcreekbat

    On Fox’s Hannity program Lindsey Graham asserted that two facts justify ignoring all evidence of Trump’s abuse of power: (1) The Ukraine did not publish any report saying they would investigate the Bidens; and (2) the allocated funds were distributed to the Ukraine, i.e. not actually withheld.

    As to Graham’s argument, do we have information on the timing of any actual transfer of funds to the Ukraine? For example, was the allocated money paid over to Ukraine before or after the adminstration learned about the whistleblower’s complaint? And who made the decision to go forward with the transfer and when was the dcision actually made in relation to the complaint and the ultimate transfer of funds to the Ukraine?

  41. Debbo

    Today’s impeachment hearing via CNN:

    Sondland then called Trump and informed him of the nature of the meeting and an aide to Taylor heard Trump ask of “the investigations.” Following that call, the Taylor aide asked Sondland what Trump’s thoughts were on Ukraine. Sondland replied that Trump cares more about the Biden investigation than anything else.

    “It’s one thing to try to leverage a meeting in the White House,” said Taylor. “It’s another thing — I thought — to try to leverage security assistance. … It’s much more alarming.” Bill Taylor

    There is no evidence that Ukraine played any role in the 2016 US presidential election. Kent said as much during his testimony — under oath — earlier on Wednesday. Former National Security Council Russia expert Fiona Hill said the same during her closed-door testimony to House investigators.

    Right around the time that the aid was released fully — September 11 — Congress had begun to ask questions (on a bipartisan basis) about why the aid was being withheld. And there was already talk about a whistleblower complaint, which had been formally filed on August 11, alleging wrongdoing by Trump on that call with Zelensky among other things.

    is.gd/o8Fvpd

  42. Debbo

    From National Memo:

    A foreign service officer with nearly three decades of experience, [Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George] Kent was deputy chief of mission in Kyiv, Ukraine, from 2015 to 2018, then moved to a State Department post where he oversaw U.S. foreign policy in Ukraine.

    During his testimony, Kent laid out four meritless Ukraine storylines that played out in right-wing media: attacks on the U.S. embassy in Ukraine over its anti-corruption efforts; the allegation that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 election; the narrative that Biden had forced Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor to protect his son; and attacks on Ukrainian civil society organizations.

    As Kent explained, the stories were “started off” by Solomon in a series of March columns in The Hill, then “extensively” covered by Fox, even though they were based on “non-truths” largely originating with Yuriy Lutsenko, a sourcethe U.S. embassy considered a “corrupt prosecutor general” and one Kent believed was “bitter and angry at the embassy.”

    is.gd/j72ZVz

  43. Debbo

    From Pro Publica via National Memo:

    After John Solomon ran columns in The Hill that touched off a disinformation campaign against Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, the publication had discussions with Rudy Giuliani about a business venture.

    Less than four months after Solomon’s reporting, Giuliani and The Hill actively pursued a deal to create a podcast together, with Solomon acting as an intermediary, according to emails obtained by ProPublica.

    Internal records show The Hill’s higher-ups were concerned about Solomon’s mixing of journalism and business. At one point in 2017, the then-publisher warned in an internal memo that Solomon was engaged in “reputation killing stuff.”

    While Solomon has left The Hill, he continues to publish stories about Ukraine and the Bidens on his personal blog. He is also a Fox News contributor.

    is.gd/tWnzaX

  44. mike from iowa

    https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/14/politics/exclusive-trump-hotel-investor-pitch/index.html

    Sales pitch confirms the millions of emoluments drumpf has made from the hotel he is now selling to avoid appearing like he is violating emoluments clause.

    His three eldest lying sibs claimed last week they make no money from the drumpf name and Ivanka claimed they made all their money before daddy went into politics, except for possibly the 85 mil she and hubby Jared made since being unqualified WH staffers.

  45. mike from iowa

    Debbo, drumpf state department warned Hannity about Solomon’s propensity for making stuff up . That had to hurt.

  46. Porter Lansing

    Evidence that President Trump was not in the dark about the investigations he used to blackmail President Zelenski of Ukraine (as asserted by Republican apologists).
    ~ In a new detail, Mr. Taylor testified that one of his aides had overheard a phone call involving Mr. Trump and Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, in which the president asked about “the investigations.” When the aide asked about Mr. Trump’s thoughts on Ukraine, Mr. Sondland said the president cared more about “investigations of Biden.”
    #DeepState – Psychologists say that even a five minute exposure to Jim Jordan significantly increases Democratic viewer’s self esteem. “No matter what, at least we ain’t that guy”.

  47. Debbo

    Jordan is all about putting on a show. He’s got nothing else.

  48. mike from iowa

    Here is a new and interesting development from the Hill…. They are going to recheck everyone of John Solomon’s hit pieces on Dems. They claim to be non political in reporting, but Solomon wasn’t.

  49. Debbo

    I thought The Hill was nonpartisan, but after reading about Solomon, I guess I thought wrong. It will be interesting to see what comes of this “rechecking.” Thanks for the heads up Mike.

  50. Debbo

    GOP crooks en masse lack the courage of that individual whistleblower. Shame on them.

  51. Robin Friday

    “Appearing before the House Intelligence Committee, Mr. Sondland said there was indeed “a quid pro quo” – a White House meeting made conditional on Ukraine’s president launching specific investigations. He said President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani “emphasized that the President wanted a public statement” about investigations into the 2016 election and Burisma, the Ukrainian company where Hunter Biden, Vice President Joe Biden’s son, served on the board. Mr. Sondland also said this was not a secret: “Everyone was in the loop.”

    https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/Politics-Watch/2019/1120/Bombshell-testimony-Or-just-another-Wednesday?

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