U.S. Diplomat Testimony Released, Paints A Haunting Of A Shadow Foreign Policy | Deadline | MSNBC

NYT’s Annie Karni, Wash Post’s Robert Costa, former chief spokesman for the Department of Justice Matt Miller, Bloomberg Opinion’s Tim O’Brien, and The Root’s Jason Johnson react to the release of the transcript of Ambassador Bill Taylor’s deposition, where he testified to Trump’s quid pro quo with Ukraine. Aired on 11/06/19.
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U.S. Diplomat Testimony Released, Paints A Haunting Of A Shadow Foreign Policy | Deadline | MSNBC

80 comments

    1. ​@Sleeping Insomiac You have said much here and I have responded I believe to all of it in other posts.
      Every deal has 2 sides, not illegal. China, tariffs and fair trade. Iran, money and no nukes (Obama). Ukraine, money and investigate 2016 election. Again, I think that is a good thing for the USA and in fact investigating Biden is also a good thing. Hunter Biden got money for rendering a service he new nothing about. Actually the service was political influence through his dad.
      You say, “He disintegrated international respect, credibility, power and reach of the US” which is your opinion. I think Trump has done well overseas, no new wars being a big one. I put little stock in what governments say. The joke I see is the UK government, not a funny joke but a bunch of self serving bureaucrats doing what is best for themselves.
      Most bureaucrats line their pockets. Heck, Clinton gave a speech in Russia for $500,000 dollars and you think that was legit? How much is Obama worth? These people make money because of who they are. A president writing a book or giving a speech makes money because of who they are, but $500,000???
      You state “So Joe Biden actually replaced a corrupt guy who didn’t investigate his son with another guy who did” and that makes it ok? Is that sort of like Comey investigating Hillary, listing all her crimes, then saying she will not be charged? So Biden replaced a Ukrainian? What business does he have telling the Ukrainians who to hire and who to fire. Regime change anybody? But you think that is good?

      As for a smear campaign, Trump:
      Tear children from mothers’ arms-no video evidence of Trump doing that.
      Small child looking up at Trump and crying-actual photo of child taken during Obama years
      Collusion with Russia-didn’t happen.
      Deal with Ukraine-perfectly legit.
      Bans immigration from countries on Obama’s list-called Islamophobic.
      Says stars (not himself) can tough women-reported that he said he admitted to doing it…
      The list is endless. These smears are not necessarily by dems but they rolled with it and did not condemn it.

    2. @David Primeau
      If you can’t see a difference between negotiating for the common good versus what’s good for the president personally, you’re beyond reason.
      Again: It was not “just Joe Biden” who pressured Ukraine into firing Shokin!
      It was a concerted effort by the US, the EU and others!
      And what right did we have for that?
      We were going to send millions and millions of euros over there, so we needed to make sure that money went where we intended, and not line the pockets of Russian oligarchs through their puppet Shokin!
      So we *all* said they wouldn’t get the money until they took several steps to fight corruption, *one of which* was to fire Shokin!
      That guy was very well connected, so that threat only worked when, in addition to *all other players* the US, also, said there wouldn’t be any money, as long as Shokin was there.
      Yes, it was Joe Biden who delivered the threat.
      But if he had been ill at that time, even if he had been dead or never had been in the US government, the result would have been the exact same: Shokin would have been fired!

      As for my pinion that the US has suffered internationally, Trump was the first president to be openly laughed at by the whole UN assembly!
      And can you believe Turkey publicly pondered if they’d receive the vice president of the United States, at all?
      When even a second hand wannabe autocrat like Erdoghan thinks he can play the strongman against the f’ing US of A?
      Oh, and there’s nothing wrong with giving speeches for money, or writing books… *after* you left office!
      Trump funneling taxpayer money into his pockets by the millions is a whole different story!

    3. @Sleeping Insomiac 
      I don’t know the story about Shokin and all that so my opinions are just that, opinions. Also I don’t care if the US, the EU, and others wanted him fired. I would guess he was not fired because he was investigating Hunter’s company so what does this have to do with anything I have been talking about? Was Shokin fired for investigating Barista Holdings and that was a corrupt investigation? I really don’t care and I am probably right, he was fired for corruption, not his investigation. When you say the US and the EU I hear the governments wanted him fired, not the people. Again look at what is happening with Brexit. What the governments want and what the people want are not always the same thing. You bring up Shokin, who cares. I think what Joe and Hunter did smells of corruption, nepotism, or whatever you want to call it.

      Thanks you for the information about Shokin. I guess I should read through whole comments before responding. I usually start typing when ad hominem attacks begin, which is how you started your argument, again. I still think that there is something fishy about Hunter being paid a million a year, almost, for doing work he knows nothing about, expet as I said political favours.

      I believe investigating Biden for corruption is a good thing, opinion, and many believe the same. Hunter was used politically and e-mails are coming out affirming that.
      The comment you make also applies to you, in my opinion, “If you can’t see a difference between negotiating for the common good versus what’s good for the president personally, you’re beyond reason.”. Almost always a good deal for a country also benefits the leader. What I hear from you is that investigating Biden for corruption is not good for the USA but investigating Trump is good for the USA. I also hear you say that investigating the DNC for paying foreign governments for dirt on Trump is bad for the USA but investigating Trump for the same thing is ok, since it is good for the USA. That is what I hear from you, your opinion.

      I thought what he said at the UN assembly was funny too.

      “Oh, and there’s nothing wrong with giving speeches for money, or writing books… after you left office!” You caught that, I did dance around my words on that one, however presidents do profit while in office also.

      You are correct when you say it is your opinion that the US has suffered internationally. We are told that daily, however after all the lies told about Trump it is hard to believe anything negative about him anymore.

      When you talk about Trump funelling money to his pockets you mean sort of like the Clinton Foundation when Hillary was secretary of state?

      It is early morning here, 7AM, and I need to prepare for a party here tonight, Have a nice day of whatever is left there, in Europe I think you said or maybe that was someone else.

    4. ​@Sleeping Insomiac My party went well.
      I am a sleepless insomniac also and something you wrote has bothered me all day, and at 10:50PM I decided to re-read what you wrote.

      You wrote, “So Joe Biden actually replaced a corrupt guy who didn’t investigate his son with another guy who did!”

      I won’t dispute the fact that firing the guy was a bad thing. You do know more about this issue I already admitted. I am not a memory guy but a logic guy with a mathematics, electronics, physics, and geophysics background.

      You say Joe replaced the guy with one who did investigate his son. This means Joe put someone in power who investigated Joe’s son, however that someone found nothing wrong.

      Joe put an investigator in power who exonerated his son.

      That logic has been on my mind now for more than 14 hours.

      Maybe what you wrote was not accurate, and maybe Joe did not put anybody in power to exonerate his son. Everybody makes mistakes.

      If what you wrote is true it is more ammunition to investigate Joe.

    1. @Paul Belardo Not a chance. Already doomed by his own mouthy confession to the world of his criminal activity. Only his brain dead cult of zombies are left of which I assume you are one of them. Facts and truth seem to be beyond you and your sycophantic ilk but your numbers are shrinking fast. Bye Bye Felicia. Your slimy rock is calling for you to come home now.

  1. Big Congrats to Kentucky and Virginia on their victories. The blue wave continues. Fascist Trump will never end our Democracy.

  2. The *GOP:* With fingers In their ears, singing ♪♬♩♫♪ “La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La!” The real “Trump derangement syndrome”

    1. @3LD I wouls say Jared Kushner’s blackmail of our ally, Qatar, which had strategic American air bases, until they bailed Jared Kushner’s 666 Fifth Avenue building out of foreclosure and now possibly involved in the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist is the worst. I hope he goes to jail but I think Trump & company will get away with all of it. If Trump goes down. so does Dirty Pence. Then the 3rd inline, Nancy Pelosi becomes president. The GOP won’t let that happen. So they will protect Trump at all cost. Right now they are trying to fill the courts with GOP Biased judges. So they need Trump for that too.

  3. Trump has messed up relationships with the rest of the world, abused American allies, sided with the dictators, increased the deficit massively, and now has crashed the economy, all the while, (like a true conman) touted how smart he was.

    1. When Trump sides with dictators it just reaffirms the saying “you sleep with dogs you get fleas.” We have a massive flea bitten president if there ever was one.

    2. @surely you joke, mein failüre Wish you know what is really going on in the world right now and who is going to be our biggest threat soon, if Trump is not putting an end to it.

  4. Watching Trump and his mob over the past few years is like watching a plane crash in super slow motion

    1. To me it’s more like watching a tape loop of a plane crash sped up to five times normal speed. The plane crashes over and over again. The sheer volume of corruption, scandal and idiocy that emerge from this Administration on a daily basis has been overwhelming and exhausting. The very essence of “fire-hosing.”

  5. Trump was running a shadow foreign policy that amounted to bribery, and would benefit himself and Putin. He withheld military aid to Ukraine for approximately 7 months, and only released that aid 2 days after the whistleblower story broke.

  6. you know trump, hannity, dobbs, limbaugh, levin, savage, conway and the rest will decry, demean, discredit and insult this man, LtCol. Vindman or anyone else who has the audacity to dare defy the “god” trump that they worship. The grovelling, blathering and delight that have basking in his “righteous glory ” only serve to bolster trumps fragile ego. Sadly this poisonous sickness has swept, infected and infested too many dimwitted people in this country. They are oblivious to the obvious. 🙏✌❤🇺🇲

    1. @Karin Meyer
      I am a Christian, but do not pressure people, only gently share. I remember trump was asked if he has ever done anything he needs to ask God to forgive him for..he said “no”. That told me a lot about him.
      If trump was annointed by God, then so were every other world leader. I don’t know though.

    1. The quid is the bribe and the quo is the extortion The quo is not even necessary. If the bribe demanded is a personal “favour” then the demand becomes an impeachable offense. Easy peasy.

  7. Balance the evidence of an ambassador who earned his position through a long career of public service, trying to protect his country against that of an ambassador who bought his position, trying to protect his investment.

    1. john smith … I call them
      EvenGenital KKKristian RepublicKKKlans….
      Believe in Prosperity Gospel… Oy vey

  8. A vote for ANY Republican is a vote against the Constitution, a vote against the Rule of Law, and a vote against American democracy!

  9. Replace “quid pro quo” for exactly what this is: bribery; extortion, a shakedown. Then let this criminal and his enablers explain that.

    1. @Daekj32 Bawhaha! Are you being serious? This is actually satire, right? Wow.

      But just in case you’re not being willfully disingenuous, and you actually dont understand the concepts involved in all of this, here are just some reasons why using Rudy in this secret backchannel shake down scheme is not legal:

      1. The obvious one is the Logan Act (1 Stat. 613, 18 U.S.C. § 953). This is federal law that criminalizes negotiation by unauthorized persons with foreign governments. (You know… Like a personal lawyer who has NO standing in the government operating as the official contact in Ukraine.)

      (Im sure that if you were really a lawyer, you would know this one. Right?)

      2. Various FEC laws. Take your pick from these.

      But let’s pick one: 52 USC 30121: Contributions and donations by foreign nationals.

      §30121. Contributions and donations by foreign nationals
      (a) Prohibition
      It shall be unlawful for-

      (1) a foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make-

      (A) a contribution or donation of money or *other thing of value* , *or to make an express or implied promise* to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State, or local election;

      (2) a person to solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) from a foreign national.

      3.  In addition, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act makes it illegal for a U.S. citizen to corruptly offer “anything of value” to a foreign official. Like, perhaps, aid that *was already lawfully allocated & promised by Congress* , therefore which trump had no standing to withhold.

      4. Federal criminal bribery and extortion conspiracy. It is a crime under the federal bribery statute for a public official to demand anything of value in exchange for performing an official act. Again… Like demanding a public statement about an already DEBUNKED conspiracy theory, in return for aid that *was already lawfully allocated & promised by Congress* .

      5. The Hatch Act prohibits employees in the executive branch of the federal government, except the president, vice president, and certain designated high-level officials,from engaging in forms of political activity. So, if trump involved Pompeo and Barr in a scheme to dig up dirt to be used politically, they are in violation of federal law.

      There are many others. I’m not going to go into all of them, because let’s face it… You aren’t interested in facts. You are a troll. And just like trump & his supporters, you’d rather stick your fingers in your ears and stomp your feet and yell “Nuh Uh!” like a small child.

      I’m not sure if you are actually a lawyer, or if you are lying (again). If you are really a lawyer though… You may want to find a new profession. Because you clearly aren’t a good one.

    2. chris marraro, Rudy was authorized…….

      The rest, none of those laws were broken.

      Dirt on Joe? Nevermind Joe was holding the shovel.

  10. Think of how many true Patriot’s careers have either been replaced (for not being mindless lap-dogs) or destroyed by this ‘administration.’ It is truly sickening.

    1. @Daekj32 Oh but it does..it sure does……don’t forget little Rudy was conspiring for months to get the dirty deed set up. Can’t wait for the weasel to be tried.

  11. So Bill got a BJ and the GOP launches investigations and Impeach him, but Trump does crime after crime, time after time and the GOP says it’s wrong to investigate and definitely no impeachment. At the same time they want to investigate Biden for ALLEGEDLY doing what Trump is being PROVEN to have done. GOP has lost all credibility!

    1. Pcb Fine …never forget. Do not let this go unpunished. We need the equivalent of military
      trials for traitors.

  12. The founding fathers of our democracy must be spinning like pinwheels in their graves. Thanks GOP for being willing accomplices in the attempted murder of truth and honesty.

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