FWIW, the federal bribery statute says it is a crime if the President (or any public official):
“directly or indirectly, corruptly demands, seeks, receives, accepts, or agrees to receive or accept anything of value personally or for any other person or entity, in return for being influenced in the performance of any official act.”
Here, it would be seeking information or other assistance with his presidential campaign in exchange for agreeing to release military aid to Ukraine. The transcript has Zelensky talking about the need for the US aid that Trump himself suspended and Trump saying, “I would like you to do us a favor though,” before asking for information in two categories: (1) related to his conspiracy theory that the DNC framed Russia for the 2016 email hack, to help him counter the narrative of the Mueller Report; and (2) derogatory information about Joe Biden.
The main question is whether the assistance sought from Ukraine is “anything of value.” It is an unsettled question. The Mueller Report said this on the subject:
"Trump is bribing the President of Ukraine with the Taxpayer’s money.
As a taxpayer, I find this bribery impeachable. And bribery is defined as such in the Constitution under Article 2, section 4.
Do you need anything else? Thank you."
Just keep it simple - this isn’t a criminal investigation, it’s a political one, and what they’re truly investigating is whether The American People (meaning… us) is going to stand up for this. And the best way to let them understand the answer is “yes, we will not let this stand!” is to call your Reps and Senators and say the above.
No point in diffusing the Ukraine problem that way. If that is going to be an impeachment article, it’s a much more direct link to the Trump Hotel in DC. The routine direction of USAF crews, and funds, to Turnberry is just ordinary low-grade corruption.
Yeah, my point is that fitting this into a federal crime box at all is a mistake. It is obviously an egregious abuse of power to even ask for foreign assistance in a US election, much less withhold military aid to achieve that end.
Hey I’m just spitballing trying to figure out what actual official defense we will hear in the end:
“I was not bribing anyone. They (The Ukranian govt.) broke their own laws by squelching the investigation into Biden. All I did was demand they follow their own laws before i would release the taxpayers money that has been allocated to them.”
Edit: That’s not gonna work is it? Sorry Donnie…I did my best. You’re on your own.
Bo: That’s what it should be, sure. However, one other thing the Republicans did in the Clinton case is get it widely accepted that impeachment is simply how the criminal justice system operates for Presidents (so, you see, they *had *to do it, it was required by law. :rolleyes:). That was even though the Constitution explicitly says the opposite. A corollary, also bullshit but still out there, is the notion that impeachment is *not *permissible if the conduct is *not *criminal, but is simply political spite. That all needs to be cleared away.
I doubt it. It was sent by Tori Symonds, Special Assistant to the President and Director of Government Communications. Er, EX-Special Assistant to the President and Director of Government Communications, that is.
Watching Trump and a couple Republicans on Fox, it appears they’re going to play the “Democrats are wasting time and blocking important legislation on gun control, infrastructure, and drug prices.” When the Senate acquits they are going to go fucking nuts about his “innocence.” We are truly fucked. This was an impetuous move that changes nothing regarding the investigation, but opens us up to look like idiots.
