Bolten says trump wanted the aid frozen until he had answers to inquires sought

[oxmixmudd]

I'm sure to the Trump support crowd this wont nean anything, but the NYT is reporting that drafts of Bolton's book have him saying the president wanted the aid held till he got answer to the inquires he had requested.

Given these inquiries were about the server and the bidens, well what more does a rational person need to know Trump did what he is accused of. The irrational folks that have sworn fielty will need more of course, but the fat lady just sang.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/26/u...gtype=Homepage

Source: above

President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton.

The president’s statement as described by Mr. Bolton could undercut a key element of his impeachment defense: that the holdup in aid was separate from Mr. Trump’s requests that Ukraine announce investigations into his perceived enemies, including former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, who had worked for a Ukrainian energy firm while his father was in office.

© Copyright Original Source

The opera is over. Trump did it.

[Watermelon]

I'm sure to the Trump support crowd this wont nean anything, but the NYT is reporting that drafts of Bolton's book have him saying the president wanted the aid held till he got answer to the inquires he had requested.

Given these inquiries were about the server and the bidens, well what more does a rational person need to know Trump did what he is accused of. The irrational folks that have sworn fielty will need more of course, but the fat lady just sang.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/26/u...gtype=Homepage

Source: above

President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton.

The president’s statement as described by Mr. Bolton could undercut a key element of his impeachment defense: that the holdup in aid was separate from Mr. Trump’s requests that Ukraine announce investigations into his perceived enemies, including former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, who had worked for a Ukrainian energy firm while his father was in office.

© Copyright Original Source

The opera is over. Trump did it.

All that’s left is ‘so what? It’s not impeachable!’

[seer]

All that’s left is ‘so what? It’s not impeachable!’

I have been saying that from the beginning, it is not impeachable. Not that I believe the NYT story.

[JimL]

I have been saying that from the beginning, it is not impeachable. Not that I believe the NYT story.

And you've been wrong from the beginning. The story claims bribery/extortion for personal gain, an advantage in a U.S. election. How is that not impeachable. No doubt you'd recognize it as impeachable had the perpe-traitor been Obama or some other president that you don't happen to like.

[seer]

And you've been wrong from the beginning. The story claims bribery/extortion for personal gain, an advantage in a U.S. election. How is that not impeachable. No doubt you'd recognize it as impeachable had the perpe-traitor been Obama or some other president that you don't happen to like.

Nonsense Jim, wanting to get to the bottom of corruption in a country that we are giving money to is not bribery. And Joe Biden and his son could just as well been completely exonerated - unless you believe they were guilty.

[Starlight]

It's not impeachable because Trump is a Republican.

[JimL]

Nonsense Jim, wanting to get to the bottom of corruption in a country that we are giving money to is not bribery. And Joe Biden and his son could just as well been completely exonerated - unless you believe they were guilty.

Oh please, Trump couldn't care less about corruption, he's as corrupt as they come himself, seer. His mob was actually working with the removed corrupt Ukrainian officials in their attempt to carry out the scheme. Trump never said a thing to Zelensky about corruption in general in Ukraine, only that he wanted a public announcement by him on CNN regarding an investigation into the Bidens. You're not stupid, seer, but you're making yourself look as though you are.

[JimL]

It's not impeachable because Trump is a Republican.

Exactly. He may be a corrupt president, but he's their corrupt president.

[seer]

Oh please, Trump couldn't care less about corruption, he's as corrupt as they come himself, seer. His mob was actually working with the removed corrupt Ukrainian officials in their attempt to carry out the scheme. Trump never said a thing to Zelensky about corruption in general in Ukraine, only that he wanted a public announcement by him on CNN regarding an investigation into the Bidens. You're not stupid, seer, but you're making yourself look as though you are.

No Jim, that said exactly what he said in his conversation with Zelensky, and yes it was about the Bidens' corruption and Crowd strike and the 2016 election. But so what? If Biden was innocent then that would have been no help to Trump.

[seer]

Exactly. He may be a corrupt president, but he's their corrupt president.

Just as Obama was your corrupt president... Or just as Hillary whom you voted for...

[Sam]

This reflects why not only Trump but his lawyers have been pushing so hard on the "perfect phone call" argument: it's important to get as many Republican senators on record as saying that Trump wasn't making a mistake or wasn't wrong to trade investigations for government resources precisely because the truth would come out between now and November.

It may well still be a "winning" strategy but only by corrupting every single person who adopts it, politician or no.

--Sam

[Sam]

The "So what, it's legal" argument fails on two fronts:

Abuses of power involve using government resources and power for personal gain and Trump's effort here went against all of his agencies, diplomats, and national security officers' agreement on policy for his nakedly personal benefit.

And, of course, it wasn't legal.

--Sam

[JimL]

No Jim, that said exactly what he said in his conversation with Zelensky, and yes it was about the Bidens' corruption and Crowd strike and the 2016 election. But so what? If Biden was innocent then that would have been no help to Trump.

Right, the phone call made it clear that it wasn't about corruption in Ukraine, that it was a quid pro quo having to do only with investigations into the Bidens for his political advantage, and into crowdstrike in order bolster the Russians denial of their being responsible for interference in the 2016 election. So, he helps the Russians in 3 ways, he aids them in their military aggression with our ally and struggling democracy on Russia's border by withholding military aid, he tries to exonerate them of the charge of interfering in U.S. elections in an attempt to get Trump elected, and it helps them to keep their puppet in the White House another four years, at least!

[lilpixieofterror]

I'm sure to the Trump support crowd this wont nean anything, but the NYT is reporting that drafts of Bolton's book have him saying the president wanted the aid held till he got answer to the inquires he had requested.

Given these inquiries were about the server and the bidens, well what more does a rational person need to know Trump did what he is accused of. The irrational folks that have sworn fielty will need more of course, but the fat lady just sang.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/26/u...gtype=Homepage

Source: above

President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton.

The president’s statement as described by Mr. Bolton could undercut a key element of his impeachment defense: that the holdup in aid was separate from Mr. Trump’s requests that Ukraine announce investigations into his perceived enemies, including former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, who had worked for a Ukrainian energy firm while his father was in office.

© Copyright Original Source

The opera is over. Trump did it.

“There’s this new book that will finally tell us all we wanted to hear!”

Hummm, hasn’t this script already been used before? What happened to the last book that was finally going to, ‘bring Trump down’?

[Mountain Man]

I'm sure to the Trump support crowd this wont nean anything, but the NYT is reporting that drafts of Bolton's book have him saying the president wanted the aid held till he got answer to the inquires he had requested.

Given these inquiries were about the server and the bidens, well what more does a rational person need to know Trump did what he is accused of. The irrational folks that have sworn fielty will need more of course, but the fat lady just sang.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/26/u...gtype=Homepage

Source: above

President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton.

The president’s statement as described by Mr. Bolton could undercut a key element of his impeachment defense: that the holdup in aid was separate from Mr. Trump’s requests that Ukraine announce investigations into his perceived enemies, including former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, who had worked for a Ukrainian energy firm while his father was in office.

© Copyright Original Source

The opera is over. Trump did it.

Article is paywalled, so it's hard to know what to make of this. The portion you cited contains no direct quotes and no context. Was Bolton describing an actual offer to the Ukrainian government, or an internal discussion? Because Trump's phonecall made no reference to linking aid to the investigations, the Ukrainian government was not aware that aid had been suspended until many weeks after the fact when it was reported by, I think, Politico, and Zelensky and his advisers have repeatedly said they never felt any pressure, and they were never under the impression that release of the aid was linked to their willingness to undertake investigations.

So even if Bolton is telling the truth, it would appear somebody forgot to tell Ukraine.