Have alllied through in this past year. And, kevin, thats one of the things that, you know, as i was reading this book, which is just, its gripping, but i had to keep reminding myself that it has happened just in the last year. I think for a lot of us, 2020 feels like its been a decade long. And so this fall, two months from now, we are going to be, we are going to be facing an election which will be the First Time Ever that an um peached president impeached president appears on the ballot. So could you talk a little bit about the dynamics that were set into motion by this investigation, by the these subsequent impeachments and the acquittal that are still playing out today as we, as we head into this final stretch before the election . Well, thanks, karen. I think ill just start there. Two big, big things. One is emboldened donald trump. He hates this. Hes angry. He doesnt like the stain, and he wants to win. The very night the house voted to impeach, he flew to michigan, he got a big
Three consecutive days in july tells so much of the story. Three consecutive days in july of 2019. July 24, the day that special counsel mueller testified before congress, and President Trump thought he was finally in the clear, july 25, the day that President Trump got on the phone with ukrainian president and in the context of a discussion about military support for that embattled nation, that the president has recently frozen said, i would like you to do us a favor, though. And asked ukraine to do two investigations to help his reelection efforts in 2020. That was july 25. And then we come to july 26. The day Gordon Sondland called President Trump on his cell phone from a restaurant in ukraine. Gordon sondland, not some anonymous never trumper but a Million Dollar donor to the president s inauguration and handpicked ambassador to the European Union, what does President Trump ask sondland, the day after this call . What does President Trump ask . What does the president want to know
Bringing them. Again we can fact check this all night. Were here to do this. Its just amazing though that after three and a half hours earlier laying out everything that happened. Look being at what went forward. These these actually Going Forward are not what is happening here. So again lets get it one thing clearly for those who may have tuned in after lunch after now the the transcripts are accurate. You know how i know because everybody testified they were. Even fiona hill says the lechlt lpses was not at issue. That talking point lets mark off. Discuss the fact of us as accuracy. Its called he had reading. You read the transcript as its put in. It said you us, not me. These the things simple that go forward. I yield to mr. Jordan process. I thank the Ranking Member for yielding. I want to go back to something the gentle lady from texas mentioned a few minutes ago questioning whether the transcript was complete. Remember what colonel vindman testified to. He said it was complete an
Conditionality. And the reason you know they lack that evidentiary basis is because they have to keep changing their language. When pollsters and pundits told them to call it bribery, that was the message of the week. Bribery was on every one of their lips. We asked the witnesses, did you see any bribery, were you part of any bribery . The answer was no, so they have to keep evolving the claims because there is no factual predica predicate. Also heard my colleague from new orleans say that this hearing would be informed by our understanding of regret, would be this deep sense of regret. My friend is from a deep blue district, so he probably wont be the one regretting it the most. The folks that will be regretting what theyre doing are the democrats in swing districts who probably arent coming back. I tell them for the upcoming year, rent, dont buy here in washington, d. C. And so today, the only question that we are left with when we conclude this hearing is whether or not as we move i
Offense. The counsel will outline the facts and the evidence. Did President Trump abuse his power when he pressured ukraine to investigate joe biden and the democrats . And what about his refusal to cooperate in any way with this impeachment investigation . Mary bruce is there on capitol hill, and after this marathon day of hearings, the democrats will get down to the final drafting of these impeachment articles. Reporter and todays hearing is likely their last chance to try to convince the American Public that the president abused his power and should be impeached before they introduce and vote on those charges. Now democrats have spent the weekend hunkered down here at the capitol preparing for this final push. They will turn this hearing room into a highstakes courtroom. There will be three congressional lawyers and democrats are going to systematically go through their evidence, outlining their case and why they feel the evidence rises to the level of impeachme impeachment. Democra