Originally posted by firstfloor
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First, it's Slate, something I'll read occasionally, but won't cite, on the basic principle that I prefer to stick with outlets that do actual investigative reporting. And second, because the name of the podcast essentially announces a menu of red meat for anti-Trump hyperpartisans. I wouldn't have paid this any attention at all were it not for the description in the Google podcasts link, (which is missing from the Slate link I looked up to provide here.)
Urgent Concern: This Unambiguously Constitutes an Impeachable Offense
Virginia Heffernan talks to Susan Hennessey of Lawfare blog and the Brookings Institution about why President Donald Trump’s reported pleas to Ukraine to help him rough up Joe Biden constitute an impeachable offense.
The Lawfare blog is highly credible, featuring a legal and constitutional expertise that is simply unmatched. Nominally non-partisan, in practice it's Republican-lite, à la David Brooks, to cite a better-known, mass media comparison.
With that in mind, and having listened to this podcast, I can recommend this episode, especially for those who haven't the time or paywall investments to follow this issue from its primary media sourcing, e.g. ...
Trump Repeatedly Pressed Ukraine President to Investigate Biden’s Son
Interactions under focus amid whistleblower complaint on U.S. president’s dealings with a world leader
President Trump in a July phone call repeatedly pressured the president of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden ’s son, according to people familiar with the matter, urging Volodymyr Zelensky about eight times to work with Rudy Giuliani on a probe that could hamper Mr. Trump’s potential 2020 opponent.
“He told him that he should work with [Mr. Giuliani] on Biden, and that people in Washington wanted to know” if his lawyer’s assertions that Mr. Biden acted improperly as vice president were true, one of the people said. Mr. Giuliani has suggested Mr. Biden’s pressure on Ukraine to fight corruption had to do with an investigation of a gas company for which his son was a director. A Ukrainian official this year said he had no evidence of wrongdoing by Mr. Biden or his son Hunter Biden.
Mr. Trump in the call didn’t mention a provision of U.S. aid to Ukraine, said this person, who didn’t believe Mr. Trump offered the Ukrainian president any quid-pro-quo for his cooperation on any investigation.
“He told him that he should work with [Mr. Giuliani] on Biden, and that people in Washington wanted to know” if his lawyer’s assertions that Mr. Biden acted improperly as vice president were true, one of the people said. Mr. Giuliani has suggested Mr. Biden’s pressure on Ukraine to fight corruption had to do with an investigation of a gas company for which his son was a director. A Ukrainian official this year said he had no evidence of wrongdoing by Mr. Biden or his son Hunter Biden.
Mr. Trump in the call didn’t mention a provision of U.S. aid to Ukraine, said this person, who didn’t believe Mr. Trump offered the Ukrainian president any quid-pro-quo for his cooperation on any investigation.
Yes, if, if, if ... this is as serious as it gets for the president, but those who are willing to wait should note we're certain to see a transcript of this call soon enough, and quite possibly even an audio recording.
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