Day 1,108: DOJ hiding two dozen emails showing Trump’s thoughts on Ukraine aid
Shamefully, Senate Republicans voted to prevent any additional witnesses or evidence from being subpoenaed in the impeachment of Donald Trump. They did this in dereliction of their duty and ensured that Trump’s impeachment trial would be the first in Senate history to not have any witnesses called.
That’s not because of the absence of relevant evidence.
Trump’s former National Security Advisor, John Bolton, is ready to testify about his first-hand knowledge of Trump’s actions. Other witnesses, like Lev Parnas, an associate of Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, and a man who has already released a number of recordings showing his and Trump’s personal discussions about Ukraine, is also ready to testify. Witnesses like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and chief of staff Mick Mulvaney were previously blocked by the White House.
Now, there’s proof that even more evidence is being intentionally withheld.
The Justice Department revealed in a midnight court filing that two dozen emails shielded from Congress detail President Donald Trump’s decision to withhold military aid from Ukraine — an acknowledgment Democrats said further vindicates their unsuccessful push to subpoena those documents in the Senate impeachment trial.
Specifically, the emails reveal Trump’s justification at the time for ordering a hold on nearly $400 million in security assistance to the beleaguered U.S. ally. If made public, they would offer a rare glimpse into the president’s thinking on a central tenet of the House’s impeachment case.
Heather V. Walsh, a lawyer in the White House Office of Management and Budget, wrote in the filing that the emails, which span from June to September 2019, “reflect communications by either the president, the vice president, or the president’s immediate advisers regarding presidential decision-making about the scope, duration, and purpose of the hold on military assistance to Ukraine.”
This evidence is critical because some Republicans insist that Trump should not be impeached because it’s impossible to know if he acted with corrupt intent or not. These documents would shine a bright light directly onto his thinking.
If any of these documents — or the aforementioned witnesses — would exculpate Trump, they wouldn’t be blocked by the White House or Senate Republicans. The obvious implication is that all the evidence being suppressed is incredibly damning to Trump. (In fact, the evidence presented at Trump’s trial has been overwhelming. Trump’s legal team didn’t even put on much of a defense other than claiming he can have dictatorial-like powers if he wants.)
Senate Republicans knew that there was more evidence, including some that showed Trump’s thinking and mindset, and chose to wrap up the farce of a rigged trial anyway. Even as many cowardly Republicans admitted that Trump’s actions were wrong and impeachable, they’re ready to fully acquit him anyway.
1,108 days in, 354 to go
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