On the eve of handing the articles of impeachment against Donald Trump off to the Republican-controlled Senate, House Democrats played the last card they had left in their hand, going public with a cache of documents given to federal investigators by Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, who, as you may recall, was arrested on charges of channelling millions of dollars in illegal foreign campaign donations to U.S. politicians while trying to flee the country this past October. I’m just beginning to make my way through the documents, but there are two things that I wanted to at least mention before getting back to my reading.
First, we have a note in Parnas’s handwriting, written on stationary from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Vienna, which states clearly the objective of Giuliani’s work on the President’s behalf in Ukraine. “Get Zelensky to announce that the Biden case will be investigated,” it says. This, of course, isn’t exactly a new revelation. We knew from Trump-appointed Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, that the President’s objective was never, as we’d been told, to see to it that corruption was rooted out in Ukraine, but to have Zelensky go on CNN to announce an investigation into his primary political opponent in the 2020 presidential campaign, Joe Biden. This is important, though, as it puts Parnas at the heart of the plot, and reminds us once again why it’s so imperative that we have a real, substantive trial in the U.S. Senate, in which actual witness testimony is heard. And, as Lawfare’s Susan Hennessey just said on Twitter, this new evidence from Parnas raises the stakes for Republicans from moderate states who would like nothing better than just to vote with McConnell to end this quickly for the President, without doing what the Constitution demands of them. “Moderate Republicans in the Senate who were hoping to walk away from this with a furrowed brow and a quiet ‘no’ vote have got to be feeling queasy tonight,” she said.
Second, and even more alarming, the information on the cell phone which Parnas handed over to investigators would seem to indicate that, in March 2019, he was working with Republican congressional candidate Robert F. Hyde to surveil U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and note the activities of her security detail. “Can’t believe Trump hasn’t fired this bitch,” Hyde texts to Parnas, before stating that there are people in Kiev “willing to help” for a price. While he doesn’t get into any detail as to what these people might do for this money, it’s chilling as fuck, especially as we know that Yovanovitch was told, when she was pulled out of Ukraine, that there were concerns about her “security.” When you know that, and you read Hyde talking about how she’s “under heavy protection outside of Kiev,” and how you can get people to “do anything in the Ukraine with money,” it makes you wonder just how far these men were willing to go to get “this bitch” out of the way. [As you’ll recall, Yovanovitch had a reputation for being an anti-corruption crusader in Ukraine.] As former federal prosecutor Mimi Rocah just said, “As a former mafia prosecutor, this sure sounds like a mob hit was being planned on a public servant in a foreign country by associates of the President of the United Status.” And let’s also remember that, as all of this was happening, Donald Trump was on the phone with Zelensky, ominously talking about how Yovanovitch was “going to go through some things.”
Um holy sh*t. This certainly makes it sound like Parnas and co. were actively tracking Yovanovitch's movements. This could explain why Yovanovitch was moved out of Ukraine so quickly. https://t.co/4rBRB06ZGN pic.twitter.com/5Gc8WcGPih
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 14, 2020
When you’re done here, if you still want more, there’s a new article over at the Washington Post site titled “Ukraine prosecutor offered information related to Biden in exchange for ambassador’s ouster, newly released materials show.” Check it out, and, if you like it, send a link to your favorite Republican member of the Senate.
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Looks like Robert HYDE, revealed as a texting partner of Lev Parnas during Yovanovitch smear campaign, was at the World Series game with Trump and MCCARTHY: https://instagram.com/p/B4KvliLlKNk/
Instagram suggests he was a regular at Trump hotels/golf clubs w/ access to Trump and his family
QUESTION: Congress needs to ask did the Bureau of Diplomatic Security & Intelligence & Research division of State aware of this surveillance? Was the armed personal protection team upgrade due to countersurveillance/counterintelligence of them? Why was she told flee fm Ukraine?
https://twitter.com/MalcolmNance/status/1217265179764850689?s=20
And how about Elizabeth Warren’s increasingly shameful, desperate hit job on Bernie? What a disappointment.
Bob– 1) it’s not clear if Bernie released that info or Warren’s team.
2) saying ‘odds are against’ one’s opponent being electable (B/c she’s a woman) in a race where electability is the number one concern of the electorate is REALY good strategy for Bernie (HRC did the same to Obama)
3) Warren’s team only loses by emphasizing her gender because Bernie was speaking the truth 4)Bernie was stating the truth but has utterly failed until pressed hard to qualify that reality as unjust. And we all know he rarely misses an opportunity to say anything is unjust unless it involves women candidates.
5) Lastly, of course, it’s shameful. Its politics. Grow the fuck up. Bernie is as corrupt and strategic as any of them. And as a populist, his whole schtick is to play to divisiveness. You fall willingly to that every fucking time. His 2016 campaign strategist created the super delagate system that Bernie manipulated and then complained about. And you all fell for it. Stop being so fucking gullible, He’s a candidate for president. He’s no angel. And his supporters are assholes of the first order. Largely because he does nothing to shut them the fuck up.
I’m curious to hear what Frosted Flakes, EOS, HW and the other Trump supporters have to say about the Lev Parnas documents. If all of the details were exactly the same except the name Trump was instead that of Clinton. What would your reaction be?
The last two sentences in my previous comment were supposed to be one, obviously.
Anyway, you get what I’m asking. Are you able to imagine this situation with the key player, the president, not being Trump, and instead being Obama or Clinton? What do you suppose you’d be saying about the situation if that were the case.
Aloha I love how JH just makes things up. It is like she did not even read the CNN article which is totally sourced to Warren campaign folks. Then she starts making shit up about Bernie and super delegates. A system the Dems implemented after the NcGovern nomination. But then JH ignores all reality that does not confirm or biases. I’m certain like a good supporter of our foreign policy she did not read any of the Washington Post reporting on The Afghan Papers. Not a single commentator has mentioned the 19 years of deceit and lies successive administrations have spun for us to justify our continued war making.
Did I mention that we are at war and everything our Government tells us about those wars is propaganda.
How can any Republican member of the Senate justify a vote to ignore what looks like a plot, on the part of people working for the President of the United States, to carry out a mob hit on a U.S. Ambassador?
Statement from Yovanovitch’s lawyer just read on MSNBC:
“Needless to say, the notion that American citizens and others were monitoring Amb. Yovanovitch’s movements for unknown purposes is disturbing. We trust that the appropriate authorities will conduct an investigation.”
If Clinton got a corrupt Obama ambassador out it would have been like “good job.”
I think you have to do the same for Trump accomplishments, iRob. If Clinton blew the economy through the roof, destroyed ISIS, handled lil Kim, etc. what would you say?
One of the other notes from Parnas would seem to indicate that Fox News contributors Joseph DiGenova and Victoria Toensing were on the Trump payroll, being paid to push the Biden conspiracy theory.
https://twitter.com/FridaGhitis/status/1217458112011083776?s=20
Wobblie— the CNN article sites 2 ppl in the meeting with Sanders and Warren and 2 ppl who heard Warren’s account of the meeting right afterwards. At no point does it say the source was Warren’s campaign.
Confirmation bias, indeed.
Read again: https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/13/politics/bernie-sanders-elizabeth-warren-meeting/index.html
That’s pretty wild that Biden bragged about withholding aid until the prosecutor investigating Burisma was fired and it’s a conspiracy theory to think there is something wrong.
“Sanders himself appeared to distance himself from the memo, saying on Sunday that his campaign has “hundreds of employees” and that “people sometimes say things that they shouldn’t.”
Fuck you, Bob. ‘Shameful’— please. Of course presidential campaigns are shameful. Bernie is no saint. He doesn’t even pretend to try to reign in the bro’s. Even those in his employ like his attack dog, Sirota.
Defend him on policy. Quit trying to pretend he’s been mistreated. He’s no martyr or underdog. No one is targeting him more than any other candidate. The media love him. He’s winning for gods sake. His claims to any victimization are populist bullshit that play to white male fragility and rage.
HW no one cares what bs you are spinning any more. You always pivot from hard questions with more bullshit about Biden or HRC. It’s not discourse. It’s boring and predictable and FOX news/RNC generated talking points. Go away.
Aloha I think you need to go back and read the article. The meeting only had Warren and Sanders present. NO ONE ELSE. Warren said something to her staffers after the meeting who then told two other staffers. There is no other source for this accusation than Liz herself. The author of this hit piece is a Warren supporter as is CNN evidently. The author hides the identity of the stafffers by keeping them annoumous, the height of credibility. Confirmation bias not ?
HW, I have never had a problem giving props to opponents when they say something true or accomplish something. The economy is okay, but I certainly wouldn’t describe it as “through the roof.” I am glad ISIS has been all but destroyed in Iraq and Syria. I am relieved that Trump has opened negotiations with North Korea. I also support the tightening of out-of-control illegal immigration. Renegotiating trade deals so that the US isn’t just getting shafted is something I support too.
However, what Trump and his administration have done with regard to Yovanovitch was criminal, as was the disgusting attempt to extort a phony announcement of an investigation into Trump’s front-running opponent in the upcoming election.
I wonder if Trump supporters give a shit about the law, ethics or morality at all, honestly.
“The description of that meeting is based on the accounts of four people: two people Warren spoke with directly soon after the encounter and two people familiar with the meeting. “
HW, I hate that Joe Biden’s mentally slow son was given a payoff position in Barisma, and think he should be ordered to donate all the money he made to a charity helping the victims of war in Ukraine, or something to the like.
I’m not working for Biden for that very reason, primarily. If I get a chance to talk to either Biden, I’m going to tell him he should donate the money.
However, what the Biden’s did was not the equivalent of what Trump did. What the Biden’s did should definitely be illegal. What Trump did definitely is.
By the Maytard rules, Wobblie is only disagreeing with Jean because he feels threatened by women. Likewise, Jean is only disagreeing with Wobblie because she’s an imperialist warmonger.
Now, with that settled, what do the two of you think about the Parnas documents?
iRobert— don’t speak for me. Your perspective on my perspective is mired in defensiveness. Wobblie was inaccurate. His inaccuracy speaks to his confirmation bias. I was not thinking his confirmation bias is about women at all but about his superior brand of class-exclusive leftism. I don’t think sexism is wobblie’s issue. He just ignores it completely. You, iRobert, however, love to double down on feminist
Perspectives as a threat to all that is good about establishment Dem politics. You just can’t wait to tell women that their point of view threatens the health, well-being and prospects of the working class. You just want them to shut up like I want HW and Bob to. I feel like I’m on the right side here. You are welcome to your side.
Jean, you are a dumbass. iRobert asked me about Clinton. Biden’s foreign activity along with many other leaders is what this is about (kickbacks from foreign aid/fleecing the public). So what you said there makes no sense as always.
I have answered every single thing for years. You get wasted by me and try to sweep it under the rug. It happens just about every time.
“What Trump did definitely is [illegal].”
What exactly?
Wobblie: Jesus! What part of that says warren’s campaign???
The meeting was with Sanders and Warren. People who talked to warren after she decided to run are not necessarily still in her camp— there has been lots of shuffling of campaign operatives among dem candidates.
Warren does not want attention on her being a woman. She definitely doesn’t want to talk about sexism on the campaign trail. Neither did HRC. Because that kind of talk is a political loser.
Maybe someone wanted to force the issue. But it seems clear it wasn’t Warren or her campaign. Now it must be addressed.
Sanders campaign has been targeting Warren on issues other than policy including electability directly and through surrogates for a while now.
It’s politics. It’s too be expected.
My objection was to Bobs stating it was shameful.
That’s an idiotic word to apply to campaign strategy. Why can’t we be honest about just how corrupting the process of acquiring political power is no matter who the candidate is?
We should be more savvy as voters.
The markets are reaching astonishing numbers, there is historic unemployment, wage growth is up, household income is up… How does “okay” fit that better than through the roof?
Using the power of the presidency to target a specific private US citizen for personal benefit.
The unemployment numbers are based on an ever changing formula that leaves more and more people out of the calculation. There are millions of unemployed adults who are not figured in the calculations at all. Like Wobblie says, your government is lying to you. The economy is good at best. I wouldn’t even say it’s that good. Wages are not keeping up with rising living costs, and like I said the unemployment numbers are almost pure bullshit now.
Regardless, the economy could be booming and I’d still care about the unethical and immoral conduct of the president. It isn’t that hard to be minimally moral and ethical, is it? A normal person has little to no difficulty with that. Trump has a severe personality disorder which apparently renders him incapable of it.
What specifically do you mean by target? Say it in the form of a criminal offense.
If you are worried about targeting all of a sudden then don’t you have a mountain of problems in that area to deal with? Obama spied on Trump and many others to affect the election. How can you harp on whatever you think Trump did wrong but not have a care in the world about Obama’s illegal unconstitutional anti-American spying?
Getting emails and documents from the White House is now more important than ever for a real, fair trial.
What did Trump and/or his top advisors know about the surveillance and harassment of an American Ambassador? And did they order or direct it?
Critical to know this.
“The unemployment numbers are based on an ever changing formula that leaves more and more people out of the calculation.”
How many more people are left out today than four years ago? Is the economy not measurably better now? It’s all relative. I think it is nothing compared to what it will be after Trump wins again. Compared to the past the Trump economy is beating the fuck out of it. Where is the recession? We were assured of a 2019 recession.
I’ll see if I can formulate the targeting in fashion that one night in a criminal trial.
Trying to make sense of that…
Remember when Trump had no idea what he was doing putting tariffs on China?
HW, I have a feeling Senators will be putting together the charge against Trump in the style of a criminal case, saving me the trouble. But I may still give it a shot.
Jean, I wasn’t speaking for you. I was mocking you. I wouldn’t dream of speaking for you. I can’t get into that deranged mindset. Also, you don’t represent women. You represent insane people of all genders. You are the last person and woman would want speaking on behalf of women. You’re the most thuggish man-like degenerate who comments here.
So, what do Imperialist warmonger Jean and threatened-by-strong-women Wobblie think of the Parnas documents?
Too bad POTUS will be able to present evidence about all of this shit at the hearing. You never put together why the USA gives sooo much in foreign aid and how in hell a congressman becomes filthy rich.
NBC is airing Pelosi’s comments one the floor live now.
Here is the live stream from NBC News:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8lUalQNBJjU
I worked for Congressman Willam Ford, HW. He never became filthy rich. He had really good retirement benefits, but retired to a modest condo on Ford Lake in Ypsilanti Township. I’ve seen many congresspeople who don’t get filthy rich. But you’re right that many do. The least ethical seem to get the wealthiest.
Former Presidents always do pretty well. It’s easier for them to make plenty of money in legitimate ways after they leave office. Many have best selling books and give speeches regularly which pay very well. They also are invaluable as consultants and can make big money serving on boards and such.
HW: “Too bad POTUS will be able to present evidence about all of this shit at the hearing.”
I am all for Trump and his legal team getting the opportunity to present evidence and testimony in his defense. The corrupt republicans in the Senate don’t trust he could come out of a trial looking anything but horribly guilty, so they’re refusing to do their duty and conduct a full impeachment trial.
Come on, iRob. You should be able to root out fallacies like that. Did I say “all” congressmen?
The dems ran a kangaroo court not allowing repubs to subpoena. They wouldn’t even allow their star “whistleblower’s” identity to be known let alone allow him to be questioned.
Aloha , HW does not understand how our constitution or justice system works. It is truly a condemnation of Republican and free markets solutions to our educational problems.
Speaking of the Constitution we have a new amendment. Thank you Virginia.
A good article on Robert F. Hyde.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/who-is-robert-f-hyde-the-trump-donor-who-apparently-tracked-marie-yovanovitch
You didn’t say “all” congressmen, HW. No.
A lot of people might assume that is what you meant though. It’s the unethical people that are getting all the attention these days.
JH: “iRobert— don’t speak for me. Your perspective on my perspective is mired in defensiveness.”
I was mocking you, Jean. I wasn’t actually attempting to speak for you.
JH: “Wobblie was inaccurate. His inaccuracy speaks to his confirmation bias. I was not thinking his confirmation bias is about women at all but about his superior brand of class-exclusive leftism. I don’t think sexism is wobblie’s issue. He just ignores it completely.”
I’m not sure, Jean. He does seem to be a little sexist.
JH: “You, iRobert, however, love to double down on feminist Perspectives as a threat to all that is good about establishment Dem politics.”
Not true at all. I prefer feminist perspectives. I don’t see them as a threat or care if they are in fact. Even if feminist perspectives were certain to destroy society, I’d still prefer them.
JH: “You just can’t wait to tell women that their point of view threatens the health, well-being and prospects of the working class.”
That is entirely a product of your imagination. Women are inherently better in every way than men. I’m an enthusiastic supporter. I’ve never once said anything that fits your characterization. Please understand, I oppose everything you say because you’re crazy. No woman wants a crazy freak speaking for women. You don’t speak for women. You speak for insane people of all genders, with a tendency toward the stereotypes of the most disgusting men.
JH: “You just want them to shut up like I want HW and Bob to.
I not only don’t want women to shut up. I want women to speak more often and to dominate discourse. Men should shut up more, and most should never talk. Crazy people should all be institutionalized and should never be heard from, regardless of how they identify.
JH: “I feel like I’m on the right side here. You are welcome to your side.”
You represent no one. No one wants you representing them; Not women, not geezers, not Democrats. You do heavy damage to any group you claim to represent and to any cause you attempt to champion.
“HW does not understand how our constitution or justice system works.”
Rationale? To flatly state something like that is supposed to mean something? You need to play devil’s advocate with your own arguments. Until then you are only adding noise.
“A lot of people might assume that is what you meant though.”
Too bad for a lot of people then. To me it is a given we need to choose our words wisely and understand the words of others the best we can. Otherwise it’s mental masturbation. They are all trying to get themselves off instead of constantly increasing their knowledge.
I noticed you still haven’t answered the question: massive foreign aid/kickbacks to US politicians, conspiracy theory or reality?
Aloha, your characterization of the Congressional impeachment hearing as a kangaroo court. The House is the Grand Jury of the people. Accused have only their 5th amendment rights when the state marshals the evidence of crimes being committed. Never any kind of trial or adversarial proceeding. Please go back to jr high and take a decent civics course.
I’m assuming that now that Pelosi has moved impeachment over to the Senate for trial ( get it HW now comes the trial) she will put the ratification of the ERA at the top of the confessional calendar. Every Republican needs to be explaining to the people why they oppose Equal Rights. The House needs to amend the original enabling legislation, and then only 3 Republicans in the Senate will need to defect.
HW: “I noticed you still haven’t answered the question: massive foreign aid/kickbacks to US politicians, conspiracy theory or reality?”
Reality.
Aloha, iRobert, my flight is 8 am. Since it is an international flight I need to be at Metro by 5 am. So you will have to pick me up about 4:30 am. Hope that works for you.
Is that tomorrow morning?
End of month 30th I figure the real shit won’t hit fan till March -April so was not in that much of hurry. It usually takes 3 or 4 months to get a war going.
Well, I’m bugging out tomorrow morning.
If you live in Ann Arbor, you can take the Michigan Flyer to DTW for $12. http://www.michiganflyer.com
Live impeachment proceedings:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqw2znr8sW0
I am very happy about the ERA becoming a real possibility!
I have stopped arguing with the Bernie Bros or at least often I am able to resist. Now I just screenshot what they say and post it in my FB groups where such things tend to motivate people to get out to the polls. The blood of the martyrs and all that. It seems to be working some.
I think Trump supporters “are going to go through some things.”
Bernie Bros. You two are pathetic. Check out Michael Moore’s podcast today. “The Downfall of Elizabeth Warren.” She embarrassed herself and hurt our chances at removing Trump.
#MoscowMitch plans to restrict broadcast of impeachment trial.
Cover-up.
I’m guessing one of those thousands of sealed indictments has #MoscowMitch’s name on it.
HW, can I get you to do a welfare check on Frosted Flakes and EOS? I’m worried about them.
Michael Moore is a very smart man and also a fraudulent propagandist.
I have a question for you, Bob.
If it had been leaked that Elizabeth Warren had said that odds are against a self-proclaimed socialist being elected president in the USA would you believe that Bernie’s team had leaked it?
I’m remembering Bob and any number of Berner’s saying they would support a woman for president if it were someone like Elizabeth Warren…
JH, that was only when she wasn’t running.
I haven’t had time to try to watch Maddow but apparently her interview with Parnas tonight was quite something.
https://www.msnbc.com/the-beat-with-ari/watch/lev-parnas-tells-maddow-trump-knew-exactly-what-was-going-on-76841029928
I’m glad we finally got Ukraine to announce they’re opening an investigation into someone/something.
I think Rudy Giuliani and Devin Nunes “are going to go through some things.”
Aloha iRobert, typical Democrat. Promise to help me pack and drive me to the airport to get rid of me. When the rubber meets the road, your too busy and tell me how I can spend my own money. Promises promises, obviously any progress I make in extraditing myself from these problems will be through my own efforts. Kinda like “our revolution”. Best fund raising hour Bernie ever had (100000 individual contributions) the hour after Warren called him a liar.
I used to be a Democrat, Wobblie. I’m an independent there days.
You’re not leaving until the 30th. I haven’t failed you yet. Trust me, I do not want you to miss that flight.
Even if it turns out that I can not be there for you on the 30th, I’m sure I can get you a ride to the airport, especially if you don’t plan to return. You could probably just ask anyone you know, if that is the case.
From a reporter quoted online;
FBI investigators went to the home and the business of Robert Hyde on Thursday. The agents were seen by CNN and confirmed by a law enforcement official. They were at the home early Thursday morning in Weatogue, CT before going to Hyde’s business in Avon, CT.
What reporter, anonymous?