Day 1,021: Impeachment transcripts reveal more damaging information; GOP has litany of ridiculous excuses for Trump
Every day the House’s impeachment inquiry is providing more damning information about Donald Trump’s actions related to pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political foes. Republicans have struggled to stick to a consistent story as the drip of information and transcripts have caused constant audibles: blame the whistleblower, claim there’s nothing there, claim there’s no quid pro quo, claim quid pro quo is actually fine.
The latest impeachment transcripts have been brutal for Trump.
“I think you will see throughout the course of the testimony — not only their testimony but many others — the most important facts are largely not contested,” House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said Wednesday.
The transcripts reveal a widespread concern among American diplomats that critical military aid intended to counter Russia’s aggression as well as a meeting between the two country’s presidents was conditioned on the politically motivated investigations sought by Trump and his allies.
In the assessment of the five diplomats at the center of the impeachment inquiry, Giuliani was everywhere. He was texting with State Department officials and directing U.S. foreign policy, all seemingly at the behest of the president. He was Trump’s free-wheeling emissary seeking to push a foreign government to, in effect, publicly tar Joe Biden.
Now, Republicans are trying to spin in ludicrous ways.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is alleging the Trump administration is too stupid to have engaged in quid pro quo.
Others, like Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) are resorting to ad hominem attacks, while ignoring the transcripts entirely.
Yet some, like Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) are literally running through parking lots to avoid answering basic questions.
One tactic some Republicans are taking is trying to throw Rudy Giuliani under the bus as a rogue agent. But Giuliani, seeing the real possibility of facing criminal charges, is openly pushing back on that, referring to Trump simply as “my client”.
Republicans are rattled not only be the impeachment inquiry itself, but by the fact that every day a new transcript or new witness or new report causes them to have to change their story and defense of Trump.
The GOP has previously tried to thread the needle between admitting Trump wrongdoing but denying illegality. Impossibly, the excuses continue to get more inane as more incriminating facts are revealed.
1,021 days in, 441 to go
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