It's bigger than the "dirt on Joe Biden".

[kentuck]

Although that may have been a side benefit for Donald Trump's re-election, it was not the main goal in Ukraine, in my opinion.

The main goal is one that benefits Vladimir Putin. Just as it has been since Donald Trump's first day in office.

Why did Trump withhold the money from the Ukrainians? Who does that benefit? What did it have to do with Joe Biden? Was he attempting to get the leader of Ukraine to go on CNN and say that they were investigating Hunter Biden, and by insinuation, Joe Biden?

At the same time, Trump was negotiating with Kelenskiy for a trip to the White House. It would be very important if the US showed its support for Ukraine in such a way. So far, he still has not been invited to the White House?

Was Trump requested by Putin not to deploy the Javelin anti-tank missiles anywhere near the Donbass region? Is that why the Trump Administration agreed to keep the anti-tank missiles hundreds of miles from the tanks?

It does appear that Putin knows Trump's every move? Why is that?

[gab13by13]

1. Yes, Yes, Yes,

but you left out the big one that no one talks about. If Trump convinces people that Russia didn't attack our election, if he can convince people that it was Ukraine that is worth half a trillion dollars. Russia has gas and oil deposits in the arctic that it doesn't have the technology to get at. People like Rex Tillerson who was the CEO of Exxon Mobil have that technology. One small problem, the sanctions we put on Russia forbids companies like Exxon Mobil from doing business with Russia. If Trump convinces people that Russia didn't hack our election he can remove those sanctions.

Basically Trump wanted to hurt Biden so that he could have a better chance of getting re-elected and convince people that Russia didn't hack our election.

I can imagine that if Trump could get sanctions removed he would get a cut of that half trillion dollars.

[kentuck]

2. There may be "kompromat"?

Trump's businesses would collapse around the world if they were not financed by Putin and Russia.

And now it appears that he has been following orders in Syria, and now, Ukraine?

With Trump, it is always about money$.

[Perseus]

6. Is there any doubt about that? Why did he give the green light to Turkey?

His Istanbul trump Tower was in jeopardy...This MotherF%^& doesn't care about anything but himself and he owes his daddy Vlad a lot of money, he knows that if he doesn't deliver he may eat some poison. All this eating McDonald's its not because he is afraid of USA people poisoning him, he is afraid of Putin doing it. I am sure he, and other republicans have been warned about that, they are all compromised.

[2naSalit]

3. +100000000000000000000000000!!!

[yardwork]

5. It's always been about lifting the sanctions. That's why Putin is investing in US elections.

[lastlib]

7. Rosneft stock deal, December 2016......

...very possibly figures into it...

[Ingersollman]

19. Exactly

what I was thinking. Sounds like you might have read "Blowout" as well. Rachel nails it. It's all about the petro-dollars.

[Texin]

20. Actually, it was a threefer: benefit Putin, share in the plunder of the oil fields, and

try to rig the election by persecuting the Bidens - one of whom was (at that time) the most probable Democratic candidate. The most critical part of this, though, is to demonstrate his obeisance to his master Vlad.

[OhNo-Really]

29. Zelensky is President of Ukraine

And it is a 3-fer

[2naSalit]

4. K&R

[kentuck]

8. His son, Eric, said they got all the financing they needed from Russia...

...when talking to someone on one of their golf courses.

[Eyeball_Kid]

9. Most of us know why. So your question is entertaining and rhetorical.

The GOPer White House has decided to co-opt the terms "coup" and "pro-Putin" by accusing the Dems of both. All they did was get out in front of the characterizations made by the "libs" and accuse them of what Trumpy and Putin are actually doing. It's a clever trick. But only his base enjoys the lie. What's really happening is that Trumpy has participated in a pro-Russian coup of Putin's own making, and Trumpy is Putin's stooge. That's all we need to know.

[kentuck]

11. Is the "coup" almost complete?

Or already completed? And just waiting for a few nails to close the coffin?

[Botany]

10. This "Ukraine stuff" goes back to before the 2016 election when Manafort was working for a ...

.... pro Putin President and then onto the 2016 RNC where "they" changed the platform to
make it more Putin/Ukrainian thug friendly. And at that meeting where they rewrote the
platform Kislyak, Manafrot, the Trump campaign people, other Russians/Ukrainians, and
God only knows who else Mr. Mitch McConnell was there or close by too. @ that point Moscow
Mitch knew the fix was in.

[kentuck]

12. Manafort gave all his connections to Rudy and Donald...

...but when the election happened, and Zelensky won in a landslide, they were stuck with used merchandise. The old leaders and prosecutors were no longer much value to them.

So, Rudy is commissioned to go into Ukraine and recruit new help to continue Manafort's and Putin's ambitions. Rudy and Donald are good soldiers.

[Botany]

14. This "Ukraine stuff" also goes to the oil and natural gas that is in the Donbass region in ...

.... the Ukraine which Putin sees as his and Donny wants to "wet his beak" with too. Ambassador
Yovanovitch was in the way for all the schemes that Trump/Rudy/Devin/Ukrainian thugs/Putin wanted
to work out.

[SayItLoud]

13. Agree but will add: Follow the $$$$

tRUMP is a grifter. He started running as a PR stunt to boost his international business.

The natural resources in Ukraine ARE the reason, OIL for one, that tRUMP and the crime family including Ghouliani, Parnas, PERRY (Oil State/Texas) et al were self dealing in Ukraine.

YES, Putin has tRUMP's ear and his ass. But $$$$ has tRUMP's soul (if he has one).

Just sayin.. IMO

[Farmer-Rick]

15. So Trump making strategic foreign policy decisions in favor of Putin is still NOT treason?

Traitor Trump represents shorty Putin's needs in almost all US strategic foreign policy decisions. Even when those decisions are at the expense of the US. But we aren't calling this treason.

Whatever alligance Traitor Trump and his Slovenian sex worker have to shorty Putin, it is much more alligance than he has for this country or our constitution. Why did he bother to take his oath of office?

And filthy rich Americans like Bill Gates, who has almost weekly meetings with Traitor Trump, are perfectly fine with this because they make more money off it.

See how the profit motive of capitalism infects and corrupts our democracy.

[kentuck]

17. I'm convinced greed and corruption are at the bottom of this.

When Trump calls Ukraine the "the third most corrupt country in the world", maybe he knows something that we don't know?

[Farmer-Rick]

22. So true.

[Demsrule86]

23. It is treason...he betrayed his country to an enemy...don't care what his motives are.

He went after Biden in order to take down the guy who will beat him...and Put wants the sanctions lifted. Both are true...and Trump wants to make money on the presidency...some sort of deal was made at the Mayflower Hotel during the election.

[machoneman]

16. More amazingly, if Hillary had won, even the early attempts to enlist the aid of Putin's associates

would have fallen flat. No Muller report needed, no House investigations, no indicted WH staffers, no sleazy Cabinet members and more.

Sure, some FBI and criminal investigations into Trump and others (like Manafort, Stone, et al, who still may have been jailed) and maybe even Trumpy at some point. But a lot of the damage, cover-ups, the 'pull' of so, so many of his affiliates into this massive obstruction of justice would have never happened, let alone all the bone-headed policies he's instituted.

Btw, I really do hope Stephen Miller does get thrown in jail.

[kentuck]

18. It looks like he has pulled the entire Republican Party into this cesspool with him?

Did anyone see John Kennedy (R-LA) on FOX News?

He is almost proud of being in the cesspool.

"What? Me worry?"

[Farmer-Rick]

24. Maybe, Hillary would have had more votes in key electoral college states

If Comey had not done that stupid letter in October. Then he got fired by the guy he helped get elected. Stupid is as Stupid does. Comey was really, really stupid.

[MontanaMama]

21. Kick kick kick kick.

Organized crime to be sure. How many member of congress are involved?

[MarianJack]

25. It's easy to explain why Putin knows Dolt45's every move.

Like any good boss he keeps an eye on the employees at all times. Especially the stupid ones.

RESIST!

[world wide wally]

26. To Trump, EVERYTHING is about the money in it for him

[UniteFightBack]

27. It benefited both of them and dump is easily manipulated. nt

[Turbineguy]

28. Indeed

The Joe Biden dirt scam was just an extra that trump cooked up. Like stealing the bank's pens on the chain during a bank robbery.

[Enoki33]

30. Worth repeating. Putin has a geopolitical plan to restore the old USSR

sphere of influence and expand it. To begin to institute that plan he first had to spend years seeking out the weaknesses in our political system here. He finally found the mother lode in the GOP and tRump. Lifting sanctions is at the top of his list, along with worldwide damage to the reputation of the US. The real magnitude of betrayal by those that swore allegiance to this country and what it stands for has yet to be exposed. Putin is a fanatic that has to be again contained.

[Chemisse]

31. I wondered if Ukraine would have received the money even after a CNN announcement.

Trump is certainly not above coercion and then failing to live up to his end of the deal.

[disndat]

32. Zelensky would have

he to read from a script with lies about Biden on CNN.