Bit of a bombshell at the start of the evening impeachment hearing about Ukraine aid.

[MelissaB]

Link to tweet

Bit of a bombshell at the start of the evening impeachment hearing.

Per new disclosure from DOD's Cooper, emails saying the Ukraine Embassy was inquiring about what was going on with the missing security assistance came in on July 25 -- the very same day President Trump asked Zelensky to investigate the Bidens.

Cooper also makes clear that the delay in approving the aid prevented all of the money from being spent before it expired Sept. 30. She thanks Congress for subsequently approving spending the full funding.

Cooper speaks intensely on the important of the aid in defending Ukraine which is at war every day with Russia; also said it's important more broadly as a message to Russia in other places around the world.

Key part of the GOP defense is that Ukraine didn't even know the aid was on hold so they couldn't be feeling pressure to do the investigations to free it up. But now it appears they did inquire about it on July 25.

Cooper says if we had withdrawn support from Ukraine we would have emboldened Russia and validated Russia's violation of international law in Ukraine.

[barbtries]

1. of course the emails have not been produced,

because trump won't let any documents be produced. then the republicans start in with the hearsay defense.

[patphil]

2. Trump figured he had a win-win here.

If Zelensky delivered on the "announced" investigation, he destroys Biden.
If he doesn't, the money isn't delivered and Putin has a green light to push on into Ukraine.

My guess is that the money would not have been forthcoming even if Zelensky did announce an investigation into the Bidens.

Trump has never been a man of his word when it came to making payoffs.

Patrick Phillips

[crickets]

4. *ding!* WINNER!

Seems obvious now - Trump could get his Biden smear from Zelensky and screw Ukraine out of the money. Ew.

[mgardener]

5. Sept. 29th was the deadline

For the money to be dispersed.
If it was not sent by then, the funding would have expired.
The money was sent on 9/11.
It was not released by Trump, it was released by State Dept lawyers who felt it was illegal to withhold it.



Question to Republicans
The POTUS did not notify Congress money was withheld. WHY?
Doe Guiliani have security clearance to run amok in Ukraine?
Who benefits if Trump permanently withheld the money, something that was discussed and there was concern about.

Putin. Putin benefits.
Enough said.

[LiberalLovinLug]

6. If the quid pro quo was agreed to it would serve Trump more if he awarded them their due funding

Zelensky then would've been made to feel indebted to Trump to continue a mysterious investigation into Hunter Biden and the company he works for, stretched out through the 2020 elections. They were planning to "Benghazi" it to death. Hannity was in on it in order to be able to prepare in advance, his exclusive shocking revelation of nefarious deep corruption in the top of the Democratic party establishment reaching into the Ukraine, and in other small countries (they were attempting to rope in with threats, and probably still are)

[William Seger]

7. It was an idiotic argument, regardless

It simply doesn't matter whether Zelensky knew about the hold at the time of the call. He absolutely would know about it soon enough, with no explanation given except "executive review," and if he hadn't yet announced investigations, the message and the pressure would be crystal clear.