Below is my column in the New York Post on new evidence contradicting the account of President Joe Biden on his role in forcing the firing of Ukrainian prosecutor general Viktor Shokin. Biden’s boast about forcing the termination could become a defining moment in the corruption scandal.
Here is the column:
President Barack Obama famously warned fellow Democrats in 2020, “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f–k things up.”
The warning was ignored by many as an almost brotherly reference to Biden’s habit of making false claims (like being arrested when seeking to see Nelson Mandela) or his continual verbal gaffes.
Biden has always had a certain penchant for bragging, whether it’s claiming a dead man told him he reached a million miles on Amtrak, being a cross-country trucker or fighting off some “bad dude” named Corn Pop.
But one of those bravado moments may have revealed more than vanity.
Ironically, it’s the one controversial story that appears entirely true.
In a 2018 interview at the Council on Foreign Relations, Biden bragged that he unilaterally withheld a billion dollars in US aid from the Ukrainians to force them to fire prosecutor general Viktor Shokin.
The Ukrainians balked, but Biden gave them an ultimatum: “I looked at them and said, ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money.’ Well, son of a bitch. He got fired.”
The response from the Washington elite was rapturous, though the story was not only impolitic but embarrassing for an ally.
The Ukrainians were Joe’s new Corn Pop, and he recounted how he stared them down in a “High Noon” diplomatic moment.
A State Department memo is shedding disturbing light on that account and shredding aspects of Biden’s justification for the action.
Indeed, the ultimatum may have been the quid in a quid pro quo agreement as part of the Biden influence-peddling scandal.
The premise of the story is that Biden took this extraordinary stand because there was little hope for the anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine if Shokin remained prosecutor.
That is now questionable.
The Oct. 1, 2015, memo summarizes the recommendation of the Interagency Policy Committee that was handling the anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine: “Ukraine has made sufficient progress on its reform agenda to justify a third guarantee.”
One senior official even complimented Shokin on his progress in fighting corruption.
So Biden was told to deliver on the federal aid but elected to unilaterally demand Shokin be fired.
When the firing occurred, Shokin’s office was investigating Burisma Holdings, an energy firm that paid Hunter Biden a huge amount of money.
The State Department had identified it as a corrupt company engaged in bribery.
Recent testimony from Devon Archer, a business associate of Hunter Biden, revealed that Burisma executives made the removal of Shokin a top priority and raised it with Hunter.
He described how the need to neutralize Shokin was raised with Hunter and how “a call to Washington” was made in response. While Archer also said that “the narrative spun to me was that Shokin was under control,” he and others also heard concerns over Shokin and the risks of the investigation.
President Biden has insisted, “I did nothing wrong. I carried out the policy of the United States government in rooting out corruption in Ukraine. And that’s what we should be focusing on.”
Indeed, that will now be the focus, including the close correlation of the money and demands going to Hunter and the actions of his father.
There is evidence the State Department was alarmed by Hunter’s work and its impact on anti-corruption efforts.
While Joe was portraying his work as fighting corruption, some officials were warning the Bidens could be part of the problem, not the solution, in Ukraine.
Leading diplomat George Kent wrote then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, “The real issue to my mind was that someone in Washington needed to engage VP Biden quietly and say that his son Hunter’s presence on the Burisma board undercut the anti-corruption message the VP and we were advancing in Ukraine b/c Ukrainians heard one message from us and then saw another set of behavior with the family association with a known corrupt figure whose company was known for not playing by the rules.”
As part of the first impeachment of Donald Trump, Democrats largely dismissed earlier accounts of these misgivings and portrayed Shokin as a thoroughly corrupt prosecutor perpetuating corruption.
Biden’s Ukrainian Corn Pop story was celebrated as a gutsy moment of leadership.
During the impeachment, Kent said Biden’s demand was consistent with US policy.
Yet we now know the State Department had found progress was being made on corruption and Shokin was praised in private correspondence.
The demand for the replacement of the equivalent of the attorney general in another country is an extraordinary move.
We give massive amounts of money to countries with rampant corruption and authoritarian records.
But Biden decided Shokin had to go and used public money to make that happen.
The memo also highlights the flaws in the Trump impeachment.
When I testified before the House Judiciary Committee at the only impeachment hearing, I told the committee it should not depart from history and proceed to an impeachment without fact witnesses on the grounds for impeachment.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Adam Schiff and others refused.
It now seems there was material evidence that would have been used at the impeachment trial.
Trump was alleging there was a conflict of interest with the Bidens, and the evidence could have challenged Biden’s account and established his son’s interest in the Shokin firing.
I still do not believe Trump should have raised the matter in that call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This evidence may not have made a difference to some senators, but it demonstrates why impeachments should proceed after fact hearings.
Instead, in the second impeachment, the Democrats went one better.
They used what I called a “snap impeachment” without even a hearing on the impeachment standards and articles.
The House could now have little choice but to hold the very hearings the Democrats blocked during the earlier impeachment — with a different president under constitutional scrutiny.
Jonathan Turley is an attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.
Ken Chesebro has filed a demand for a speedy trial in GA.
None of this matters, except to pundits cranking out political columns, because there is no longer any right or wrong. There is only right or left.
Now this is the essence!
Maybe you don’t think perjury is wrong, but I do. According to you, the belief that perjury is wrong is just right versus left. Which side thinks it’s not wrong?
Satire-challenged MORON says what?
Poe’s law.
‘Left and right’ are directional headings.
*right and wrong are intellectual realities. .
NO???? Really? ? ? ?
You people who compulsively need to “reply” for the sake of replying need to find a productive hobby. For you, I suggest collecting aluminum foil and making it into a big ball.
You have no “incontrovertible proof”!!!
And isn’t that a sad state of affairs? (Asking for a friend.)
Yevgeny Prigozhin has been killed in Russia.
Unlike our Democrats, Putin doesn’t wage Lawfare, he wages Airfare.
If Prigozhin was assassinated, I doubt very much Putin did it.
The Wagner Group says Russian air defense shot it down.
I stand by my statement. .. for the time being and subject to change.
*also, thought the recent Prigozhin ‘munity/coup’ in Russia was an orchestrated Russian intelligence op. designed to root out military officials whose loyalty to Russia was questioned.
Dgsnowden,
In the fog of war, especially this one, will we ever really know what is the truth?
I prefer to wait for more information before making an analysis and conclusion.
I feel I may be waiting a long time.
“I carried out the policy of the United States government in rooting out corruption in Ukraine. And that’s what we should be focusing on.” Let that sink in. This statement, coming from a guy who pimped out his crack addicted son to solicit bribes from foreign governments in China, Ukraine, Rusia, and Kazakstan. I’d prefer Corn Pop at this point. Thank you, Jonathan, for an excellent article.
Kent perjured himself. He should face charges, but someone will revise the Bill Clinton defense (it was about sex)
Kent didn’t perjure himself.
He just misremembered the facts.
C’mon Man!
OT
“Yevgeny Prigozhin killed in plane crash says Russia”
– The Telegraph
_____________
Putin took out his opponent, Prigozhin.
De facto, President Obama is attempting to throw his opponent, President Trump, his staff, and his lawyers in prison.
De facto President Obama will attempt to throw all Republican voters in prison.
That should do it, right?
We all certainly hope that things will not deteriorate to that degree in the Banana Republic of the United States of America, don’t we?
2020 wasn’t stolen, right? 2024 isn’t being stolen as we speak, right?
_______________________________________________________
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
– Edmund Burke
Crazy George spews more of his delusions.
Take note of Aninny.
He/she/it is having an inordinate, adverse reaction to facts, to truth.
______________________________________________________
“The flak only gets heavy when you’re over the target.”
– WWII Bomber Pilot
_________________
And thanks again for reading; you’re my greatest fan!
If you think I’m a fan rather than a detractor, then you’re even stupider than I assume.
But you never fail me; you continue your patronage.
For that I thank you.
Professor Turley neglects to mention this news report from March 29, 2016:
“The motion to accept Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin’s resignation was passed on Tuesday by 289 votes to six by Ukrainian’s parliament, just 13 months after having started the job. His dismissal follows accusations that he failed to look into the reported theft of state funds by the former Russian-backed leadership of Viktor Yanukovych, who was deposed in February 2014.
Shokin’s perceived unwillingness to clamp down on corruption and go after the lawmakers suspected of murky deals has caused public outcry and repeated calls for his resignation. Critics allege that he even blocked investigations into prosecutors who were fired after being discovered hoarding cash and diamonds in their homes.
One of Shokin’s final acts in office on Tuesday was to fire his reformist deputy Davit Sakvarelidze – who had called for his boss’s dismissal.”
He also left out that Archer testified that what both Zlovchevsky and Shokin have said is true. That Shokin was investigating Z, and that Z requested Hunter’s help.
He also left out that Hunter then enlisted the help of Amos Hochstein. who just happened to be a Pedo Joe advisor, who also coincidentally, hopped on AF2 with Briben headed to Ukraine, onboard which the plan for Q-P-Q was cooked up.
“His dismissal follows accusations…” – Accusations are not proof of corruption
“Shokin’s perceived unwillingness to clamp down on corruption…” – Perceived unwillingness? Where is the proof of corruption?
“Critics allege …” – Allegations are like accusations, they don’t amount to much unless there is actual proof to go along with them.
Eric, you obviously think it’s irrelevant that Shokin resigned & Ukrainian’s Parliament overwhelmingly voted to dismiss him. So why do you believe Shokin resigned if, as you claim, there was no actual proof of corruption?
Gigi, if I didn’t know better, I would asy this Dick Head Mac guy is clowning you.
Jonathan
You are pathetic. I can’t back up a single thing I have said with links to actual documents, so I will just drop names and titles I heard on MSNBC and act once again like I know something. My rants are long, tedious, and boring, but it’s easy for me because I just cut and paste them from one of the DNC talking points emails I have.
Texas makes electricity from crude oil, thats a fact, as reported by Rachel Maddow. The economy is better now than ever. Who doesn’t like an aggragate 12.3 percent inflation rate the last 2 years and who doesn’t like paying double for gas and 7% interest rates?
But MSNBC says…look at that job report, wow, although we have 11 million unfilled jobs. God knows we could use some more. I mean just go ask the average democrat on the street, they will tell you that the Inflation Reduction Act and the Chips Act have REALLY improved their lives. No?? Well f them anyway, they don’t know what they are talking about. I am here to tell you the economy is great!!! I dont g-a-s what 80% of the country thinks.
You get paid by Fox, so nothing you say is true.
Besides, Jan Tombinski gave Pedo Joe the authority to coerce the Ukrainian gov’t with American tax dollars!! Rachel Maddow said so!
Blah Blah Blah Keyboard Diarrhea!!!
It’s pathetically trans-parents what’s going on here!!
Oh, and it was Politico that scooped Obama’s quote about Pedo Joe, so that’s lie number 69 for Gigi.
Turley is pathetic. He says, as if it is established and provable fact: “President Barack Obama famously warned fellow Democrats in 2020, “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f–k things up.” The link is to a NY Post article that claims an “unnamed Democrat” told someone at Politico that Obama said this. So, the claim about this “famous warning” can’t even be traced to the alleged source, but does that stop Turley from asserting the statement as if it is a true fact? This is the preamble to today’s Turley word vomit which is to attack Joe Biden, of course, and accuse him of being arrogant and a liar, just like Pirro did last night: “Yet we now know the State Department had found progress was being made on corruption and Shokin was praised in private correspondence.” What is the proof of this amazing statement that “WE now KNOW”? An alleged memo, the author of which is not identified.
Here’s what USA Today says–excerpted from a piece published on 10/20/20:
:”It’s true that Joe Biden leveraged $1 billion in aid to persuade Ukraine to oust its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, in March 2016. But it wasn’t because Shokin was investigating Burisma. It was because Shokin wasn’t pursuing corruption among the country’s politicians.
As European and American diplomats pressed Ukraine to clean up its corruption, they focused on Shokin’s leadership of the Prosecutor General’s Office, which he took over in February 2015.
Mike Carpenter, who served as a foreign policy adviser to the then-vice president, told USA TODAY that Shokin “never went after any corrupt individuals at all” and “never prosecuted any high-profile cases of corruption.”
Fact check:Claims that Hunter Biden received $3.5M from Russia are unproven, lack context
Charlie Kupchan, who was a special assistant to President Barack Obama and a senior director for European Affairs on the National Security Council, said anti-corruption efforts were “a big part of our diplomacy” with Ukraine, since “it was that corruption that allowed Russia to manipulate the country politically and economically.”
As a result, Biden leveraged $1 billion in aid as “a stick to move Ukraine forward,” Kupchan said. “He was acting alongside our European allies. Everybody was of a single mind that this prosecutor was not the right guy for the job.”
Daria Kaleniuk, the co-founder and executive director of the Anti Corruption Action Centre in Kyiv, Ukraine, credited Biden, the International Monetary Fund — which threatened to delay $40 billion in aid for similar reasons — and others with the prosecutor’s removal.
“Civil society organizations in Ukraine were pressing for his resignation,” Kaleniuk said, “but no one would have cared if there had not been voices from outside this country calling on him to go.”
After Shokin left the Prosecutor General’s Office, Jan Tombinski, the ambassador from the European Union to Ukraine, called it “an opportunity to make a fresh start.”
“I hope,” Tombinski said, “that the new Prosecutor General will ensure that the Office of the Prosecutor General becomes independent from political influence and pressure and enjoys public trust.” ”
So, contrary to Turley’s un-named memo-writer, Biden didn’t act alone, our European allies were in accord and didn’t agree that “progress was being made”. There is no evidence that Joe Biden took action to benefit Hunter, either. To top it off, Turley attempts to resurrect his old argument that Trump shouldn’t have been impeached over Trump’s efforts to leverage aid to Ukraine in exchange for ginning up fake allegations of corruption against his political rival. But, as usual, Turley knows that the gullibles believe whatever he writes, so he creates a piece in line with Fox’s daily attacks on Joe Biden. They have to because the economy is doing so well. the Inflation Reduction Act is working, the CHIPS Act is domesticating computer chip production, and the leading Republican candidate is under four criminal indictments for crimes we’ve all seen. So, they trot out Turley, who uses un-named and unverifiable sources to create a story accusing Joe Biden of corruption. It’s pathetically transparent what’s going on here.
Gigi – As Devin Archer made clear in his tesitimaony, the “narrative” that Shokin was not being tough enough on corruption came from Washington DC, not from anyone in the Ukraine. Check out Glenn Greenwald’s podcast at : https://rumble.com/v38xvj9-system-upd… USA Today was simply repeating the Democratic Party line.
Yes, the Democratic party line, that’s a good way to describe up what you hear on the mater of the pay-offs (bribe is a better word) to Hunter Biden from the Ukrainians from MSNBC and CNN and Rachel Maddow etc., along with these two clowns, Representatives Goldman and Raskin. It’s pretty clear what happened here, Joe Biden was in charge of Ukraine as VP – Obama put him in charge – the money paid to Hunter Biden was paid to get influence with Joe Biden, who, apparently, had a lot of influence Ukrianian matters, notably in the area of foreighn aid. The claims Joe Biden is making, that he new nothing about Hunters Biden’s alleged “business” activities in Ukriane is totally unbelievable. Hunter Biden monetized his fathers influence over Ukranian affairs, Joe Biden let him do that, likely because he was in his waning days as VP and he realized he had no future in politics – it was time to make money, I’m sure that was Joe Biden’s thinking. As I recall in the waning days of the Obama administration the ethics of some of Obama’s key people -Obama was known for his good ethics -, went downhil, key people like Susan Rice, Comey, McCabe, Brenan and Clapper – these folks did some pretty sleazy things, from an ethical standpoint. Joe Biden, I think. also started doing some sleazy things in the waning days of the Obama admistration too, like trying to make money for his relatives, and possibly even for himself as well. I voted for Obama twice, I regret those votes now. When I think of the Obama admisntration I remember Comey, Clapper, Brennan bugging a GOP Presidintial nominee, that was something Richard Nixon tried to do, it started Watergate.
brian \’s office
You make it easier every time. This one took 10 seconds
According to Politico, Obama told another Democrat during the 2020 primary campaign: “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f— things up.”
But we all know you need to see it on MSNBC for it to be true, right Dennis, er, I meant Smeagol, er, I meant Gigi.
Like “Texas makes electricity with crude oil” right?
How many oil fired power plants remain in the US and where are they located?
LIAR
Jonathan
You are pathetic. I can’t back up a single thing I have said with links to actual documents, so I will just drop names and titles I heard on MSNBC and act once again like I know something. My rants are long, tedious, and boring, but it’s easy for me because I just cut and paste them from one of the DNC talking points emails I have.
Texas makes electricity from crude oil, thats a fact, as reported by Rachel Maddow. The economy is better now than ever. Who doesn’t like an aggragate 12.3 percent inflation rate the last 2 years and who doesn’t like paying double for gas and 7% interest rates?
But MSNBC says…look at that job report, wow, although we have 11 million unfilled jobs. God knows we could use some more. I mean just go ask the average democrat on the street, they will tell you that the Inflation Reduction Act and the Chips Act have REALLY improved their lives. No?? Well f them anyway, they don’t know what they are talking about. I am here to tell you the economy is great!!! I dont g-a-s what 80% of the country thinks.
You get paid by Fox, so nothing you say is true.
Besides, Jan Tombinski gave Pedo Joe the authority to coerce the Ukrainian gov’t with American tax dollars!! Rachel Maddow said so!
Blah Blah Blah Keyboard Diarrhea!!!
It’s pathetically trans-parents what’s going on here!!
EVERY word of Gigi’s post is a lie, provable and certain. Previously debunked stories of everyone wanting Shokin out and that he wasn’t investigating Zlovchevsky, even though he AND Zlovchevsky say he was. And so did Hunter Biden, who went looking for help on that very matter.
Tom,
These two article pretty much debunk everything Natasha wrote:
https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/wedas-hunter-biden-struggled-burisma-fallout-his-father-moved-fire
https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/hdfeds-urged-biden-give-ukraine-loan-guarantee-he
EVERYTHING
And Devon Archer, who’s testimony was a “nothing burger”, ALSO said that Shokin was investigating Zlovchevsky. But Gigi would prefer to believe some nebulous tale of unnamed “anti-corruption activists with knowledge”. LMAO
>”So, contrary to Turley’s un-named memo-writer, Biden didn’t act alone, our European allies were in accord and didn’t agree that “progress was being made”. ~ Gigi
I believe there is a kernel of truth here. The EU/NATO countries were mostly on board with whatever U.S. State wanted to do. Including fomenting a violent coup, as well as funding and arming the installed gov in Kiev to wage a violent civil war against ethnic Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the east.
In fact, Germany and France (along with the U.S. and Russia) were signatories to the Minsk agreements, providing security guarantees for ending the civil war, which Ukraine never ratified.
*one must find the good in everything, Tom.
Dgsnowden,
A most excellent point.
Thank you for weeding out our neocon, pro-forever war non-elected bureaucrats, may their sons and daughters get drafted to fight in their WWIII.
“EVERY word of Gigi’s post is a lie”
One should not be surprised by that statement. The only times Gigi is correct is when she makes a mistake.
What if the GOP candidate wins and Democrats cry foul like they’ve done previously can local prosecutors indict them? Like ol’ Saul says “let them live by their own rules”.
Will they introduce face masks, back to the basement, tons of mail in ballots, 2020 2.0?
“I still do not believe Trump should have raised the matter in that call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky..”
Why the hell not? Isn’t the President entitled to know what his predecessor’s Administration did? Especially after what it did to the President. This is the problem, Professor, you demand that everyone play by your prissy rules, but you only scold when they are not followed. If you say a prosecution is fundamentally corrupt (which you’ve all but done) and then say that the process must be respected, you are sending the message that people just have to take it. But you don’t articulate why . . . .
I believe the appropriate action for Trump to have taken would have been through the U.S. Dept of Justice, the State Department, etc.
*although I don’t think Barr or Pompeo, in particular, would have pursued the matter with any gusto .. . hence Trump’s ‘perfect’ phone call.
There’s that word, “appropriate”–he’s the executive branch–why would he have the state dept, which hid the relevant document from the American people.
Viktor Shokin was corrupt and the bulk of the west, including the US government, wanted him out. As a representative of the US government, it was well withing Biden’s role to demand his ouster. It had nothing to do with Hunter. A fact that Turley leaves out.
Biden wasn’t representing jack, and he did NOT have the authority to unilaterally leverage $1B dollars to meddle in Ukraines affairs. He wasn’t dsent their to coerce them or solicit a quid pro quo. He did that on his own. Show one piece of documentary evidence that he was given that authority? If it existed, he would already have produced it,a dn put an end to this nonsense.
Why was the guy Hunter contacted to help get Shokin off Zlovchevsky’s back, on that trip to Ukraine with Pedo Joe?
Educate yourself a little and stop quoting long ago debunked tales of “everybody wanted Shokin gone” BS.
. Show one piece of documentary evidence that he was given that authority
He wields the authority, until its challenged. Ukraine could have, maybe did, call the State Dept and challenged Biden. Ukraine chose to fire the prosecutor.
Bluffs are deployed constantly is diplomatic talks.
Not sure what you mean. The VPOTUS has no authority to control government spending. That authority would need to be in writing. The State Department also has no such authority.
@Tom , @ Iowan2,
Uhm actually that’s not correct.
First, Biden is Obama’s proxy when he goes to visit Ukraine.
So he has some authority until Obama corrects the issue. If Biden saw something wrong… he could call an audible and that would stand until Obama either agreed or vetoed it.
Second, Congress authorizes the money. State Department then has control on how the money is ‘spent’. So Congress says we’ll give 1B USD to Ukraine… State Dept is responsible for it being sent. They can delay the xfer of funds for a number of reasons. It happens all the time. (But not like this or at this scale.)
The point is that while Biden went off script and blackmailed Ukraine as part of his quid pro quo… If Ukraine wanted the money, they would have to fire the prosecutor. Why risk it?
Congress approved the aid, but that doesn’t mean that Obama’s WH can’t say that they changed their mind and stop the aide package. So Biden bluffed. If you were Ukraine would you risk 1B USD of free money by not firing a single person? No. You don’t want to risk pissing off the US.
The really, really important thing to remember… this is why Hunter was able to get millions to sell the Biden brand. Why he had to just show his immediate connection to Daddy and Daddy would be willing to help whomever paid Hunter.
-G
No powers are vested in the vice president other than those either specifically enumerated in the constitution or specifically delegated to him by the President. Obama didnt pull him aside on the tarmac and say “you go do joe, whatever that is, in ukraine”. The administration had a game plan. It was written down. It did not include Joe coercing the ukranians. He deviated from the admins game plan on his own, after consulting with Amis Hochstein, who was enlisted by Hunter to help him help Zlovchevsky with his Shokin problem.
I wanna see the document officially giving joe that authority, which he would not otherwise have. We can talk semantics, but the qpq is the problem here.
Sammy just happens to forget that Shokin was investigating the company that hired Biden’s son just as a piece of insurance in order to protect them. Archer even said that without Hunter Burisma would have failed so tell us Sammy, what talent dod Hunter have for saving an energy company in Ukraine.
My word, it is so stupid, so transparent, so corrupt and so darn aggravating trying to deal with idiots that tell you 2 + 2 is 5. But these are the same morons that let KJP tweet out a statement claiming to be from Biden that American’s are paying less thanks to Bidenomics. WE KNOW WHAT WE SEE you lying morons.
“Just a month earlier, a task force of top State, Treasury and Justice Department officials had decided that Ukraine and its new top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, had made enough progress on anti-corruption reforms for the country to receive a new $1 billion U.S. loan guarantee.”
Sammy – please substantiate the claim that Biden was carrying out U S policy in demanding the ouster of Shokin. Who gave him these instructions or even said at any time that “Shokin must go”? Incidentally, what evidence is there that Shokin was corrupt by American standards.? If we are entitled to demand the ouster of corrupt officials of other countries, they must have the right to demand the ouster of our corrupt officials, e.g.: Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, David Weiss, and much of the FBI and federal judiciary.
“please substantiate the claim that Biden was carrying out U S policy in demanding the ouster of Shokin.”
Not just that he must go….that’s a subtle red herring they know they conflate the issue with. More importantly, who gave him the authority to leverage $1B US dollars? Thats the real question they can’t answer. The VPOTUS has no such authority.
OT
Is de facto president Obama crazy?
Was Abe Lincoln crazy?
You are crazy.
We give massive amounts of money to countries with rampant corruption and authoritarian records.
Trump was alleging there was a conflict of interest with the Biden’s, and the evidence could have challenged Biden’s account and established his son’s interest in the Shokin firing.
I still do not believe Trump should have raised the matter in that call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
So a QPQ to protect the Biden crime family is celebrated as a ballsy move. A QPQ to protect the American taxpayer from funding a corrupt government is an impeachable offense. And we’re still pumping billions of taxpayer dollars into Zelensky’s pockets and the oligarchs in Ukraine, thanks to the work of the Biden crime family and the oligarchs in our own country.
$700 to Maui residents and $2500 to those in Ukraine. $1400 average monthly social security benefits after a lifetime of employment in this country. $2500 monthly income for illegal immigrants Afghani refugees just entering our country.
It really is fascinating to see how easily the demoralized and hypnotized are made to dance to the tune of the Democratic party. It’s like they walked in on the great and powerful Oz as the curtain was pulled back and they still dropped to their knees in awe.
Damn, at least the slaves knew they were slaves. These idiots cannot even qualify to lick the bare feet of slaves.
“It really is fascinating to see how easily the demoralized and hypnotized are made to dance to the tune of the Democratic party.” What’s even more interesting (sad?), Olly, is how vigorously they defend their own Stockholm Syndrome while their captors laugh (quite heartily I might add) at them.
I Want To Go Home
On this date in history (August 23rd, 1973, a bank robbery in Sweden led to the term “Stockholm Syndrome.”
👍
Joe Biden has given up, you can see it in his demeanor, you can see it in his schedule and you can see it by just watching him stumble along. Biden is staying in office because he needs his team to have the juice to try to squelch investigations into his son, himself and his family. Biden needs to stay in power (his team, not him) to try to get another sweetheart deal for his kid and he needs a few more months of enjoying the perks of office. Of course being a selfish pig he will harm the party by not announcing early enough for a true nominating process, but he doesn’t care…or even know.
The fools on TV, in Congress and on this site will be left in the lurch when it is announced, but the Biden team doesn’t care.
Let “Anonymous” spout his garbage, let Dennis rant, let Gigi make a fool of herself daily, they will all forget all they have said and just move on to defending Newsome or Harris next.
HullBobby,
USA Today is reporting the Biden campaign is unwilling to commit to debating Trump next fall if Trump is the Republican candidate.
Newsome looks more like he is trying to run as a candidate. So far, does not appear to be very successful.
Harris? Where is she?
Polls show even Democrats, 60%, do not want Biden to run.
His trip to Maui was a disaster.
Dear Prof Turley,
Excellent. Can hardly find a jot or tittle I would change .. . but, as usual, the article rife with misspellings (e.g. Corn Pop is one word I believe ‘Kornpop’ .. . and he was a bad dude.)
Looking back on the 1st impeachment, thought you were the only functional-functioning attorney on either side. fyi
Have several video clips of Vicktor Shokin more recent sworn testimony that he was investigating Burisma and the Biden’s involvement, and that he had recently impounded the assets Burisma’s owner, had Hunter in his sights and time was of the essence. . . and that’s why VP graciously ‘gave’ Ukraine 6 hours to fire him.
How Shokin was not central to the 1st impeachment is beyond me.
And now. .. we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
* M. Arnold, ‘Dover Beach’ 1867
“But Biden decided Shokin had to go and used public money to make that happen…I still do not believe Trump should have raised the matter in that call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.”
Wait, are you calling, “Bygones” on the sequence of events surrounding the VP’s unauthorized behest, and ‘Orange Man Bad’ for asking, “Can you look into that?”, Professor?
As Hunter Biden struggled with Burisma fallout, his father moved to fire prosecutor probing firm
https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/wedas-hunter-biden-struggled-burisma-fallout-his-father-moved-fire
“A U.S. intervention into the domestic affairs of an ally like Ukraine was rare and intrusive, and the meddling has had years of fallout. And it turns out, according to documents obtained years later by Just the News, that Joe Biden and his son Hunter were both intensely focused on the same prosecutor at that same moment.” ~ story
The ‘fallout’ from Joe Biden’s involvement in Ukraine, both as VP and President, will be far-reaching and severe, I fear.
Dgsnowden,
I fear in an attempt to either deflect from his corruption or need to stay in power he/they will get us into WWIII.
While all this is interesting, its all old information. Never made the NYT or CNN, but it was out there.
First, the State Dept is more corrupt that the CIA and DoJ put together. Remember when Vindeman took Trumps phone call public? He stated the infraction was Trump going against the “working group” planned actions. Vindman acturally believed the State Dept was in charge not the President.
Care to square this State Dept testimony at Trumps impeachment 1.0? Then Trump was the evil one for looking into Ukraine Coruption. Now all of a sudden there was coruptions.
Why?
Yesterday was a NYT fount page takedown of Biden,
Today the State Dept turns on Biden
After Biden bows out the 2024 race to spend more time with his pudding, there will be more state actors discovering news not so good for Biden. The quiet campaign to rid themselves of Biden has officially kicked off.
But hey, that whole deep stated thing….just a rightwing conspiracy.
@iowan2
Nah.
No need for the conspiracy…
You can only carry a leaky water bucket so long before you realize that its not worth it.
Ok, that analogy falls flat.
The point is that Biden was damaged goods. He was the best option / only option against Trump.
Looking at the DNC lineup… they have no one but old aging leaders with no next gen who could win. Just a bunch of communist progressives who seek to only line their pockets at our expense.
You’re seeing the NYT and other DNC backers turn on Biden because they know he can’t beat Trump.
And even if Trump doesn’t get the nod… there are several other candidates who will still do a better job than any DNC candidate.
The pendulum is swinging back right and it looks to be a blood bath… so your deep state folks are joining the anti-Joe crowd because they can’t cover for him anymore. Those that continue to support him will end up going down with the ship.
(Is that a better analogy? Rats fleeing a sinking ship?)
-G
Anonymous, just curious. Did O J find the real killer yet?
Hey, they dont have “incontrovertible proof”