It’s going to be a long, tortured week. Thus far, we have witnesses who have not really given anything that’s noteworthy in this impeachment witch-hunt. The quid pro quo allegations are still shoddy. Most of the witnesses are career government officials who simply don’t like President Trump. They disagree with him on policy, so they’re now part of a quasi-coup hatched by Democrats, the media, and members of the anti-Trump deep state resistance. Oh, but don’t call these people Never Trumpers. No. They’re nonpartisan, which is why they’re participating in one of the most partisan political vendettas in recent memory, with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, directing the effort.
Schiff has lied about having contact with the supposed whistleblower, who alleges that Trump threatened to withhold aid from Ukraine during a July phone call with their political leadership unless a corruption probe was opened into Hunter Biden, son of Joe Biden, who held a cushy job at an energy company, despite having zero experience. The allegation is that his $50,000/month board position was used to secure access to Obama officials. Burisma hired him in 2014; around the time daddy Biden was quarterbacking anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine.
Schiff’s staff and the whistleblower worked together and his office knew of the contents of the complaint before it was formally filed. Talk about collusion. This person is reportedly a CIA agent, a registered Democrat, and has worked with a 2020 Democratic candidate. Oh, yeah—this isn’t a partisan fishing expedition at all. And this guy didn’t listen in on the call; someone leaked the details.
During the afternoon session with Kurt Volker, U.S. special representative for Ukraine, and Tim Morrison, an adviser on the White House National Security Council, Schiff lied again when he mischaracterized the morning testimony of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who thought Trump's phone call with Ukraine was inappropriate, but not illegal. Schiff emphasized the latter, which is false.
.@RepAdamSchiff just flat-out lied in his opening statement for Volker/Morrison.
— Joel B. Pollak (@joelpollak) November 19, 2019
He claimed: "Lt. Col. Vindman’s fear was that the president had broken the law, potentially."
Vindman testified he thought the call was "inappropriate," but never "illegal."#ImpeachmentInquiry
The notes from the July 25th call corroborate that it wasn't "perfect." It was evidence of bribery.
— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) November 19, 2019
Republicans in Washington should end their cover up campaign and join the overwhelming 70% of Americans who are relying on us to #DefendOurDemocracy. pic.twitter.com/GalcqfYTpt
After weeks of "quid pro quo," Nancy Pelosi is now claiming "bribery."
— Trump War Room (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TrumpWarRoom) November 19, 2019
The Democrats' star witnesses just debunked that claim! pic.twitter.com/5ycoA940tK
CNN’s Bash: quid pro quo didn’t “cut it”, so Pelosi made “political shift” to briberypic.twitter.com/DBoqrJad6C
— Tommy Pigott (@TCPigott) November 19, 2019
.@PressSec says impeachment hearing produced "nothing new" and neither witness made any allegation of "bribery." She says it shows @RepAdamSchiff and other Dems "are simply blinded by their hatred for Donald Trump and rabid desire to overturn" the 2016 election.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) November 19, 2019
CBS News legal analyst @JonathanTurley: "I have to tell you -- I don't believe [Democrats] have made out a case for bribery either under the modern definition or the framers understood it." https://t.co/lmTBBmoYVV pic.twitter.com/UGSGTE1QVE
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) November 19, 2019
So the first witnesses who actually have some first-hand knowledge say:
— Elizabeth Harrington (@LizRNC) November 19, 2019
No conditions
No quid pro quo
No bribery
No extortion
Aren't you glad the Democrats are wasting our time and hard-earned money on their latest partisan charade? ??
.@DevinNunes: "Did anyone ever ask you to bribe or extort anyone at anytime during your time in the White House?"
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 19, 201
Volker and Morrison: "No" pic.twitter.com/EpusMJgWC9
Pelosi now claims this charade is all about "bribery."°
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) November 19, 2019
The problem with that focus-group-tested narrative? No witness has used the word "bribery" to describe @realDonaldTrump's conduct.
In fact, "bribery" has only ever been mentioned in the context of Biden's alleged conduct. pic.twitter.com/6RZKgFPV48
Top official Tim Morrison said Alexander Vindman's bosses had a lot of concerns about him:
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) November 19, 2019
-Judgement
-Potential leaker
-Did not keep his bosses in the loop on what he was doing
-Went around his bosses' backs
-Was mad he was cut out of working on Ukraine pic.twitter.com/Z9qgSVs9dt
Also, the Democrats threw this Hail Mary into the wind: all of the Trump-Ukraine drama is really grounded in bribery. The July phone call was a bribery exercise? Talk about moving the goalposts (unsuccessfully) and changing the playbook. Oh, and it was for the worse. Like Russian collusion being shot to death for being a total hoax, quid pro quo wasn’t sticking so they moved on to something else. It’s blowing up in their faces. Not once has bribery been mentioned prominently has it been the focal point in this mess of an inquiry. The Democrats’ impeachment clown show gets exposed more with each passing day. They have nothing.
