ABC White House ordered aid withheld 91 minutes after Trump-Ukraine call
What an interest coincidence...
What an interest coincidence...
"According to a rough transcript released by the White House, the July 25 call between Trump and Zelenskiy took place between 9:03 and 9:33 a.m.Mostly I just wanted to share this comic... :-)
At 11:04 a.m., an official with the White House's budget office, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Mike Duffey, sent an email to Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist, the chief of staff to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and the Pentagon's chief financial officer telling them to withhold the aid to Ukraine, the documents showed.
"Based on guidance I have received and in light of the Administration’s plan to review assistance to Ukraine, including the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, please hold off on any additional DoD obligations of these funds, pending direction from that process," the email from Duffey said, according to the documents.
"Given the sensitive nature of the request, I appreciate your keeping that information closely held to those who need to know to execute direction," Duffey's email stated. "
fake news.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a source that disputes this timing?
ReplyDeleteEven the Hill Picked it up
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-ordered-delay-military-aid-to-ukraine-shortly-before-call-with-its-president/
ReplyDeleteYour cite is part of a fake news firestorm. It doesn't even make sense, considering the transcript of the call. Even if Trump HAD asked for a quid pro quo, he wouldn't have withheld the "quo" until Zelensky had a chance to deliver the "quid" and 90 minutes is not enough for that. Some people will believe just about anything, so long as it makes Trump look bad.
Well let's see where it fits in the time line.
ReplyDeleteJune 13: In an interview with ABC, Trump says he would accept political help from a foreign government. Trump tells ABC's George Stephanopoulos he would not alert the FBI if foreign governments offered him damaging information about his opponents in the 2020 presidential election. The same day, the chairwoman of the Federal Elections Commission issues a statement that doing so would be illegal.
July 19: U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker and Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, exchange texts about Sondland’s briefing of Zelenky before a scheduled call with Trump.
June 21: Giuliani tweets that Zelensky was "still silent on investigation of Ukrainian interference" in the 2016 US presidential election.
July 10-11: Oleksandr Danylyuk, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, visits the White House, Pentagon and the State Department.
July 16: Leshchenko publicly states that a Ukrainian court had overturned the lower court's decision to uphold Rozenblat's complaint, according to the whistleblower complaint.
July 24: Robert Muller testifies before Congress about his findings.
July 25: In a phone call, Ukraine’s Zelensky asks Trump for Javelin missiles to use in Ukraine’s conflict with Russia. Trump then asks Zelensky to “do us a favor.” Focused on a disproven conspiracy theory, Trump asks Zelensky to investigate Crowdstrike, a cybersecurity company that played a role in uncovering Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 election. After discussing his concerns about fighting corruption, Trump brings up Hunter Biden and says that he believes Vice President Joe Biden “stopped the prosecution and a lot of people.” He asks Zelensky to get in touch with Attorney General Richard Barr and Giuliani. Trump also invites Zelensky to Washington.
Someone in the White House puts notes of the call between Zelensky and Trump into an extra secure system usually reserved for issues of national security.
The White House orders the Ukraine aid put on hold, and asks that it stay hush hush...
July 26: US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker, accompanied by US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, met with Zelensky and other "Ukrainian political figures" in Kyiv, according to the whistleblower complaint. Volker and Sondland reportedly advised the Ukrainian leadership on how to "navigate" Trump's demands of Zelensky.
July 28: Trump announces that Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats will retire.
August: Giuliani says he spoke to a representative for Zelensky by phone and in person.
August 8: Trump announces deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon will depart the administration.
August 9: Trump tells reporters that Zelensky had been invited to the White House.
Remember that in early 2019 Trump and Giuliani thought that the incumbent President and Attorney General would stay in power, therefore they were working with them on this.
ReplyDeleteApril 2nd a surprise happens, Zelensky wins... And Trump and Giuliani needed to start courting a whole new group of Ukrainian officials. And U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was not into this unofficial Trump / Giuliani dealing so they ousted her May 6.
Zelensky and the new officials are not too keen in getting into American politics, and they are setting up a new government. So April, May and June fly by and Trump / Giuliani start getting impatient and start turning up the heat via Sondland, who is not even supposed to be in Ukraine... :-)
Along comes July and Trump decides to go hands on and turn up the heat even further... The request from minions becomes a request / threat by Trump on July 25th.
Then Trump starts to hear that the cat is out of the bag sometime in mid to late August, and the cover up begins...
What does not make sense about this?
Do you truly believe that this does not sound like something Trump and Giuliani would do?
Remember that this is the guy who...
June 13: In an interview with ABC, Trump says he would accept political help from a foreign government. Trump tells ABC's George Stephanopoulos he would not alert the FBI if foreign governments offered him damaging information about his opponents in the 2020 presidential election.
So are you okay with the President trying to pressure the the Ukranian government to announce an investigation into his chief rival for a 4 year old event?
ReplyDeleteI mean they did not even have to follow through from what I understand, he just wanted the noise.
As I have been discussing recently...
The religious right is willing to accept Trump's sins to get what they want...
Is there any limit to what they will over look?
More on the topic
ReplyDeleteSo, what you are desperately trying to prove is that the President, who is responsible for conducting foreign policy, should be impeached for... conducting foreign policy?
ReplyDeleteNow if he as a President was conducting US foreign policy through established official channels that would be fine. Like Joe Biden did for President Obama. Everyone knew what was happening and it aligned with US stated policy.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately he knew what he was doing was questionable at best and illegal at worst. So instead assigning the Secretary of State or Vice President to the task, he delegated it to his personal lawyer. Who is not even an employee of the US Government...
What are you thinking?
Trump Stages of Denial. :-)
He didn't say that.
And if he did, he didn't mean that.
And if he did, you didn't understand it.
And if you did, it's not a big deal.
And if it is, others have said worse."
Please help me understand how investigating the Bidens and the DNC server issues was to the benefit of the USA in 2019?
ReplyDeleteAnd actually I want to have impeached for Obstruction of Congress
You wouldn't tolerate a DEM President stone walling a GOP House...
Why is it okay for Trump to do so?