I Had My Doubts - Yesterday. Today, It Might Be On.

Those Whom the Gods Would Destroy

They First Make Mad

Imagine sweeping up Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and Bill Barr in one web of corruption.

Upwards of a dozen spooks were listening in as Donald Trump asked Ukranian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, for a favour - dig up dirt on Joe Biden's kid. A dozen.

A key claim showed how Trump’s attempts to apply pressure on Zelenskiy extended beyond just withholding nearly $400m in military and other aid to Ukraine. According to the report, Trump also directed vice-president Mike Pence to cancel travel to Ukraine to attend Zelenskiy’s inauguration in May and “made clear” to other officials he did not want to meet with Zelenskiy until he saw how the Ukrainian president chose to act in office. Zelenskiy has been eager to meet one-on-one with Trump and this week invited Trump to Ukraine for what would be the first visit by a US president to the country since 2008. 

US diplomats charged with aiding Ukraine’s reform process and facilitating negotiations over the conflict with Russia were also sucked in. The whistleblower reported that Kurt Volker, a special envoy to Ukraine, as well as U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, met with Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian political figures the day after the call to help them “navigate” the demands made by Trump. Volker has been a key intermediary between Ukraine and Russia in managing the conflict in eastern Ukraine and his work has largely risen above partisan politics to focus on peace and security issues. 

The report also sheds more light on Giuliani’s lobbying efforts in Ukraine, including his attempts to reach not only Zelenskiy and Ukrainian diplomats, but also officials like Chief of Staff Andiry Bohdan and Acting Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov, both of whom are longtime confidants of the Ukrainian president. In the whistleblower complaint, Giuiliani’s meeting with Zelenskiy aide Andriy Yermak was described as a “direct follow-up” to Trump’s call with Zelenskiy.

Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, acting director of National Intelligence, Joseph McGuire, described the efforts of the White House to block the whistleblower's complaint from reaching Congress as "unprecedented." McGuire said the whistleblower will be available to testify before the House committee. The acting DNI also defended the whistleblower who Trump has dismissed as a 'political hack.'

I'm guessing that Donald Trump must be wondering why he ever fired John Bolton. I doubt the House Dems would be holding today's hearing if Bolton was still in that job.

Hubris, believed the ancient Greeks, often precedes Nemesis.