Good luck with all that:
Volker said the problem with Schiff's scenario was that events did not unfold as he said. During the time in question, Ukrainian officials did not know that the U.S. aid was being withheld, Volker said; they learned that in late August, while the notorious Trump phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in late July. In addition, Volker explained, relations with the U.S. seemed to be good even though the Ukrainians did nothing that Trump mentioned in that call — no investigation and no public statement announcing an inquiry.It will be interesting to see how Democrats pin extortion on Trump while excusing Joe Biden's very public threat to withhold $1 billion in aid to the Ukrainians until they fired their prosecutor.
Next up, the crime of "obstortion."
ReplyDeleteRep. Lee Zeldin's vote margin dropped from 16% in 2016 to 4% in last year's not-wave election. Zeldin has bigger things he should be worrying about than nomenclature. Just ask NY Rep. Peter King, one of the other three — or as of today, two — Republican Representatives running for reelection in the state of New York (27 seats).
ReplyDeleteDemocrats’ new word of the day is ‘extortion,’ replacing quid pro quo.
Ah, the new word of the day. But which day?
New Yorker, Sep. 20: Did Trump Try to Extort the President of Ukraine Into Investigating Joe Biden?
The Daily Beast, Sep. 20: If Whistleblower's Right, Trump May Have Committed Extortion
Crooks and Liars, Sep. 20: Reports: Trump Tried To Extort Ukraine Into Investigating Biden
Raw Story, Sep. 24: Pence knew about and actually participated in Trump's apparent extortion plot
Vox, Sep. 27: Trump-Ukraine scandal: 4 possible crimes by Trump and his
Vice, Sep. 28: Here Are 7 Crimes Trump Might Have Committed in This Ukraine Scandal (#4: Extortion)
The Wrap, Oct. 2: Hillary Clinton Says Trump’s Ukraine Phone Call Indicates an Effort to ‘Extort’ the President of Ukraine
Center for American Progress, Oct. 2: Trump’s Extortion of Ukraine: A Complete Government Shakedown
Just Security, Oct. 3: Trump's Extortion of Ukraine Is an Impeachable Abuse of Power
New York Magazine, Oct. 7: Trump's Ukraine Extortion Was Also a Mafia-Style Shakedown
New Civil Rights Movement, Oct. 14: Bolton Blasted Trump’s Ukraine Extortion: ‘I Am Not Part of Whatever Drug Deal Rudy and Mulvaney Are Cooking Up’
Mother Jones, Oct. 23: The Trump-Ukraine Scandal: More than a Quid Pro Quo, It’s Extortion
Slate, Oct. 23: Taylor’s Testimony Goes Way Beyond Quid Pro Quo -- It demolishes Republican excuses for Trump’s extortion.
Newsweek, Oct. 24: FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY SAYS TRUMP'S ACTIONS CLEARLY WERE 'ATTEMPT TO EXTORT OR TO BRIBE' UKRAINE PRESIDENT
Salon, Oct. 29: Press Watch: New evidence that Trump's extortion attempts damaged national security
Daily Kos, Nov. 1: GOP Senators admit reality: Quid pro Quo is real, Trump committed extortion
Raw Story, Nov. 1: Republicans secretly admitting Trump is guilty of extortion in Ukraine
Huffington Post, Nov. 4: Another Term For Trump's Quid Pro Quo? Extortion
Vanity Fair, Nov. 5: Trump Ambassador Suddenly Remembers Extorting Ukraine
etc etc
Oh, my gosh. If the New Yorker, Vice, Mother Jones, Daily Kos, Huffington Post, Vanity Fair, and , especially, the Center for American Progress all say it was extortion, then it really, really must be extortion.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, stupid, it really, really is extortion.
ReplyDeleteBut I didn't post those headlines to convince the stupid. I posted them to contradict the "focus groups"/"new word of the day" claim, as if Trump's Ukraine "extortion" is something liberals only just thought up and started floating this week to gauge reactions.
Mid-September, late September, early October, mid-October, late October, early November... who's conducting this focus group, ICE? Those poor test subjects haven't seen their families in months!
Most interesting extortion/bribery/quid pro quo scheme in history:
ReplyDeleteThe person being extorted/bribed/quided didn't know he was being extorted/bribed/quided and had nothing withheld from him.
And the one doing the extortion/bribery/quoing never got what he was "demanding".
Is this 'moving the goalposts' yet again, or are we in a whole new stadium now?
ReplyDeleteI was going to write what the most recent anonymous wrote.
ReplyDeleteBut wait...the anonymous before that said "really really" so now I'm convinced.
Most interesting extortion/bribery/quid pro quo scheme in history:
ReplyDeleteThe person being extorted/bribed/quided didn't know he was being extorted/bribed/quided and had nothing withheld from him.
And the one doing the extortion/bribery/quoing never got what he was "demanding".
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/world/europe/ukraine-trump-zelensky.html
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/bribery
Attempts to bribe exist at common law and under the Model Penal Code, and often, the punishment for attempted bribery and completed bribery are identical. Solicitation of a bribe also constitutes a crime and is completed regardless of whether the solicitation results in the receipt of a valuable gift.
Don't worry, Schiff and Pelosi will be getting to "attempted bribery" any day now. Right after they focus-group "felony assault".
ReplyDeleteBy "any day now," you mean for the last 2 months?
ReplyDeleteYour ineffectual fixation on focus group word choice is "inappropriate, but not impeachable."
Then up next will be "felony deep-state butthurt".
ReplyDeleteNo, that one's just been scheduled for early next year. And this will be the scenic view:
ReplyDeletehttps://d.newsweek.com/en/full/513211/10-24-rogerstone-02.jpg
"Conspiracy to make Democrats look like fools."
ReplyDeleteSay, how'd you enjoy THAT election?
ReplyDeleteNot the previous one in Kentucky and Virginia --- this past weekend's election in Louisiana?
GOP strategist Tim Miller:
“If you had any doubt that Trump was a human repellent spray for suburban voters who have a conservative disposition, Republicans getting wiped out in the suburbs of New Orleans, Louisville and Lexington should remove it.”