TRUMP IMPEACHMENT DAY 1: WASHINGTON, USA- William Taylor laughs at GOP question if Giuliani channel was ‘as outlandish as it could be’
Castor, the lawyer who questioned diplomat William Taylor on behalf of House Republicans during the public impeachment hearing, asked about what Taylor had previously described as a “confusing and unusual arrangement for making U.S. policy toward Ukraine” in the Trump administration, with there being a secondary, “highly irregular” channel including Rudy Giuliani operating outside of formal diplomatic processes.
BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
But Castor’s apparent defense of this irregular channel is that it could have, in theory, been more irregular.
“In fairness, this irregular channel of diplomacy, it’s not as outlandish as it could be,” Castor said to Taylor. “Is that correct?”
Taylor laughed at this question while agreeing that, well, sure, it “could be” more outlandish. But the line of questioning didn’t go quite as Castor likely planned. After Castor tried to get Taylor to say that U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland’s involvement in the secondary channel also was “certainly not outlandish,” Taylor didn’t exactly agree, responding that it’s “a little unusual for the U.S. ambassador to the EU to play a role in Ukraine policy.”
BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
“Okay,” Castor said, making one more attempt by asking, “It might be irregular, but it’s certainly not outlandish.” This time, a seemingly baffled but amused Taylor just smiled.
“This irregular channel of diplomacy is not as outlandish as it could be, is that correct?” GOP counsel asks William Taylor.
Taylor agrees, but adds, “It’s a little unusual for the US ambassador to EU to play a role in Ukraine policy.” https://t.co/YHsiIaIXhs pic.twitter.com/Vp6mO6PhvF
— ABC News (@ABC) November 13, 2019
BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
RELATED:
Taylor testimony on Trump-Sondland call brings president deeper into extortion scheme
“READ THE TRANSCRIPT!”
President Donald Trump has been pounding that message for weeks. During the first public impeachment hearings regarding Trump’s conduct toward Ukraine, we learned a damning new fact that explains why.
At issue in the inquiry, of course, is whether Trump committed impeachable conduct toward Ukraine when he allegedly withheld military aid and a White House meeting in exchange for investigations into two subjects: interference in the 2016 presidential election and Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, one of Trump’s potential presidential rivals in 2020. Under pressure after a whistleblower complaint, the White House released a summary of a July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
Trump has focused on what he calls that “transcript,” suggesting that it contains the totality of the evidence in the case against him. In deposition testimony from career State Department officials, we have learned that other members of the Trump administration might have been involved in other conduct to extort Ukraine to conduct investigations that would assist Trump in his reelection campaign, and testimony that the military aid was withheld at the president’s direction. But we had not yet heard additional evidence about Trump’s direct involvement.
BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
A deliberate strategy Trump pursued
That changed during the hearing on Wednesday. During his opening statement, acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor disclosed that he had recently learned from a staff member about a phone call between Trump and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland. Taylor said this call occurred in a restaurant on July 26, the day after Trump’s call with Zelensky.
According to Taylor, his staff member — later identified by several news organizations as David Holmes, who was just added to the schedule to testify privately Friday — could hear Trump ask Sondland about “the investigations” into the 2016 elections and the Bidens. After the call, Sondland told the staff member that Trump “cares more about the investigations of Biden” than about Ukraine. In other words, Trump was putting his personal interests ahead of the interests of our country by using a strategic partner as a pawn in his own political campaign.
BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
