A key Democratic witness against Trump admitted in congressional testimony last month that he was not part of the July 25 phone call between the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents, that he didn’t see a transcript or readout of it until late September when it was declassified and released, and that he has never even spoken to President Donald Trump.
William Taylor, the charge d’affairs of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, told lawmakers in secret testimony two weeks ago that his opinions about an alleged quid pro quo demanded by Trump were formed largely from conversations with anti-Trump staffers within the diplomatic bureaucracy.
“[Y]ou’ve never spoken to Mr. [Rudy] Giuliani?” Taylor was asked.
“No, no,” he replied.
“Has anyone ever asked you to speak to Mr. Giuliani?”
“No,” Taylor said.
“And if I may, have you spoken to the president of the United States?” Taylor was asked.
“I have not,” he said.
“You had no communications with the president of the United States?”
“Correct,” Taylor said.
He also admitted he had never spoken to Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s chief of staff.
When asked who exactly he had spoken to about the brouhaha, Taylor confirmed that his only contacts about the matter were with John Bolton, the former national security adviser who was fired by Trump, Fiona Hill, Alexander Vindman, and Tim Morrison. Both Hill and Vindman are rumored to have been sources for the so-called whistleblower who filed a complaint against Trump in August.
Taylor also testified that his knowledge of the phone call between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky wasn’t first-hand knowledge.
“And this isn’t firsthand. It’s not secondhand. It’s not thirdhand,” Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., said to Taylor. “But if I understand this correctly, you’re telling us that Tim Morrison told you that Ambassador Sondland told him that the president told Ambassador Sondland that Zelensky would have to open an investigation into Biden?”
“That’s correct,” Taylor admitted.
Zeldin noted that the only reference to Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden in Taylor’s opening statement stemmed from that convoluted game of telephone. The New York lawmaker hammered Taylor for relying on third-hand information about the state of mind of an elected official to whom he had never spoken.
“So do you have any other source that the president’s goal in making this request was anything other than The New York Times?” Zeldin asked.
“I have not talked to the president,” Taylor said. “I have no other information from what the president was thinking.”
Under questioning from Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, Taylor also testified that the Ukrainian government wasn’t aware U.S. military funding had been temporarily suspended until late August, and then only after the information was leaked to the news media, meaning an alleged quid pro quo would have been impossible.
Even if he had first hand knowledge..BFD.
Dems just showing us how gossipy those with classified information are. If left go this little game of telephone would have Trump threatening to invade the Ukraine for the servers.
So, where do I send the mustard for the Nothing Burger?
@Boris Badenov:
Representative Nancy Pelosi · Address
1236 Longworth Hob, Washington, DC 20515
Send the king size jar to:
Adam Schiff
Washington, DC
2269 Rayburn House
Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The impeachment defense strategy is to attack the integrity of witnesses rather than the facts that they present, because the facts they present are both consistent and damning; and to attack the impeachment process itself, which in fact rests solidly on constitutional bedrock.
@Greg: No need to attack
heres the real deal:
Zeldin to Taylor:
“You’re telling us that Tim Morrison told you that Ambassador Sondland told him that the President told Ambassador Sondland that Zelensky would have to open an investigation into Biden?”
Taylor: That’s correct.
So you’re telling us that MSNBC told you that Schiff told someone else he has facts?
@kitt, #5:
I’m telling you that what Ambassador Taylor has testified that he heard regarding the setup corresponds with what someone directly involved in the proposition has now unequivocally stated it to have been, and what those who listened in on the conversation understood that conversation to mean. The “transcript” itself indicates a quid pro quo proposition.
Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s addendum to his sworn testimony, added November 5, 2019:
Taylor wasn’t just picking up on circulating rumors. People close to the situation were very disturbed about what they knew was going on. Taylor messaged Sondland when he got wind of the situation; Sondland clearly was aware enough that something wasn’t at all kosher to terminate the conversation so the discussion would go off record.
It has apparently just registered with Sondland, or his legal council, that his original testimony was putting him at risk of perjury.
People aren’t making this stuff up.
@Greg: The “transcript” itself indicates a quid pro quo proposition, lie no aid was mentioned not 1 word. The original guy said the transcript was word for word now because it doesnt fit the lie its not word for word.
His information per deposition was 3rd hand nothing personally witnessed.
Sonland remembers after the call The USA wanted assurance more millions of tax dollars would not vanish into pockets of already very rich Ukrainians. Barrys puppet regime was a pile of crooks, doubling the gas prices for poorly paid people.
Sonland was the one that made a statement to Ukraine, I now recall speaking individually with Mr. Yermak, where I said that resumption of U.S. aid would likely not occur until Ukraine provided the public anti-corruption statement that we had been discussing for many weeks. Trump did not say it he did. So now its Trumps fault? Texts from him just 8 days after that he said no quid pro quo.
Trump doesnt need to prove Bidens a crook we have his confession on video. We do want to sort out Ukraines part in election 2016 interference, by your own posts plenty of Russian connections were in that government after the coup.
Barry refused to arm them as he might have pissed off his buddy Putin, as a reward he got Russian disinformation fed into our IC.
There is tons of chatter I wont believe til I see evidence. Some of that evidence might just be in the IG report.
I dont want to tell you what to think I just want you to think. Should the USA be a piggy bank for foreign oligarchs hiring politicians kids and relatives everywhere, cant buy me love no no no noooo
@Greg:
They don’t, but there is an actual constitutional process that the Dem’s aren’t following, mainly because this is a soft coup.
You’re falling behind the curve, Greg.
Even the Dems have dropped the entire “quid pro quo” narrative.
Get with the program!
What’s the “talking point du jur?”
Yes, it changes almost every day.
So, you have to keep up.
Back during the Vietnam war we used to say the anti-war bunch (John Kerry, et al) waited every day for their “letter from Hanoi.”
You need to stay in closer touch with your handlers.
The full transcript of Fiona Hill’s testimony, released Friday, November 8, 2019.
@Nan G, #9:
That would certainly come as surprising news to them.
November 8, 2019 – Top White House official told Congress ‘there was no doubt’ Trump sought quid pro quo with Ukrainians
Lt. Col. Vindman’s full testimony, also released today.