Trump didn't openly extort Zelensky. He simply made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

ANd you are wrong.

It is simple logic to anyone of reasonable intelligence.

A death threat is specific what you describe is VAGUE

 

It was pretty open and unambiguous.

Trump wanted the Crowdstrike thing (to exonerate Russia in the 2016 hacking) and he wanted a bogus investigation of Biden in return for more missiles

Ghouliani (and possibly others) had been hammering Zelensky for months about those two issues and Trump had just held UP the missiles days before this call

 

It really is this simple. And every Republican on the hill knows this, but they care more about winning the next election than actually serving the greater good.

 

Many who actually know him in person would disagree.

 

I've spent too much of my life dealing with unsavory characters, a few wise guy "friends" included. I've read everything that has come out of this situation to date and find it gut wrenching. This is a classic example of a Mafia shake down. Trump was too smooth by half, but then openly stated "he did it." Whether Trump is too dumb to know when he breaks the law or he really does believe he can shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and not lose a single vote.

This story gets darker by the minute. Guiliani and Barr are into the muck up to their nostrils and the whistle blower report hints more individuals are involved. If Republicans aren't nervous by now (they are) they'd better wise up fast or get caught in an odious net. Much to the administration's chagrin, Biden and son are barely a footnote to Trump's corruption. Trump's autocratic inclinations have thrown him well outside the law into a Constitutional fire pit.

The only questions remaining are who else was involved and when will Republicans finally break away from an obvious thug. It looks like Mitt Romney might be the first to break ranks. He will be plagued by George Romney, his father, looking down on him from heaven and watching his son's reaction and subsequent action. Our friends and allies will never trust America so long as Trump is in the Whitehouse.

 

How can the FBI investigate a Ukrainian matter?

 

What tweet?

 

How do you know that there was a quid pro quo?

 

So let's completely ignore the evidence proving blatant criminal actions committed by democrats and continue harrassing the president with phony accusations. Do you honestly believe that Americans are that stupid? Dem/Lib hypocricy is so flagrant it can be seen from bloody Mars. It's insulting to any American with a modicum of intelligence.


https://thehill.com/opinion/white-h...s-why-dont-you-want-our-evidence-on-democrats

 

Oh, is that in the transcript? Trump talked about helping him win the election? I don't think so!

What part of the transcript?

What information? He just asked if they could investigate Biden.

I'm not saying that Trump wouldn't have a personal interest in having Biden investigated, and wouldn't benefit from any findings against Biden, but don't you think that if an American Congress person such as Biden was involved in corrupt activity, that it would be in the US's interest to know about that?

 

Did Trump say anything REMOTELY like, investigate Biden, or else?

So what if it was delayed? Aren't there multiple reasons that it could've been delayed?

 

Is Trump running with this as his explanation?

 

Joe Biden isn't just Trump's 'political opponent.' He is also Joe Biden, US Senator! If he is involved in corrupt activity then that would be in the nations interest to be uncovered!

 

Yes, that's what's called TAKING CONTROL of a conversation! And what do you mean the investigation is "bogus?" The investigation hasn't happened yet!

 

Wouldn't that require Trump having a properly functioning brain that is fit for office?

DOJ says they learned about what? Biden's involvement in Ukraine and the prosecutor? No, everyone knew about that since it happened in 2016.

Why do we need to hear from them? We have the transcript don't we?

Based on the evidence thus far, I smell a little bit of a rat with BOTH the Trump and the Biden cases. However, do you even smell a LITTLE bit of a rat with the Biden case? If not, are you a "partisan hypocrite?"

 

I wouldn't give @Golem the credit. News networks are MORE than capable of coming up with stupid metaphors.

 

What's your point?

 

How do you know that Trump PERSONALLY held up the missiles?

 

Just realize that most of us think you're barking up the wrong tree. You're free to try and figure out what happened to the Roswell UFOs if you want.

Let us know how it goes.

 

Openly stated that he did WHAT? A quid pro quo?

How exactly do you know that?

 

This one.

https://twitter.com/kenvogel?lang=en

Ken Vogel is an NYT investigative reporter who has been covering events in the Ukraine for quite a while.

Like many aspects of this story it is unconfirmed. How he would know this he has not said but it raises a question. It is a crucial question which is important to the accusations being made.

He is saying the Ukrainian president was unaware that the aid from the US was delayed until a month after his conversation with Trump.

If this is true then the narrative that Trump tried extortion or threats or a qui pro quo is ruined. As it stands , based on the transcript, one can only speculate.

 

Hasn't he been asked by the media if he was aware or not? I've seen him talking to the media since this story broke, although that might not have been in front of any US media, although he spoke in English.

 

Apparently the tweet from Vogel was based on a statement from a Ukrainian Official which makes it more solid.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/23/us/politics/trump-un-biden-ukraine.html

Unfortunately the NYT has a paywall so I am trying to find a better source but they back up what Vogel says.

 

Aren't you in the US? In Australia I use a US proxy server for NY Times articles, so I assumed that meant that people in the US could read it.

 

Dont have one.