Newly released testimony puts significant doubt in the impeachment probe against Donald Trump.
Former U.S. Envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker, testified there was no quid pro quo requested by Trump on the Ukraine phone call.
It’s Not What You Think
Far too many of these witnesses are offering their thoughts on the matter rather than what actually took place.
For instance, Acting U.S. Ambassador Bill Taylor testified, “By mid-July, it was becoming clear to me that the meeting President Zelensky wanted was conditioned on the investigations of Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.”
This is an assumption on the part of Taylor, not fact.
When Volker was asked about the quid pro quo, he stated, “The answer to the question is no, if you want a yes-or-no answer.
“But the reason the answer is no is we did have difficulty scheduling a meeting, but there was no linkage like that.”
When Volker was asked about Trump requesting Ukraine to “manufacture dirt on the Biden’s,” he responded, “No. And I’ve seen that phrase thrown around a lot.
“And I think there’s a difference between the manufacture or dig up dirt versus finding out did anything happen in the 2016 campaign or did anything happen with Burisma.
“I think – or even if he’s asking them to investigate the Bidens, it is to find out what facts there may be rather than to manufacture something.”
Changing Testimony
One of the more interesting revelations from this latest set of transcripts is that E.U Ambassador Gordon Sondland changed his testimony to fall in line with the Democrat narrative.
The revised version of his testimony stated that aid to Ukraine would NOT be issued until Ukraine issued a corruption statement.
This goes directly against text messages that were earlier made public by Sondland.
The text exchange by Sondland to Taylor read:
“As I said on the phone, I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.
“The President has been crystal clear: no quid pro quo’s of any kind.
“The President is trying to evaluate whether Ukraine is truly going to adopt the transparency and reforms that President Zelensky promised during his campaign.”
Sondland had also testified that President Trump told him directly, “I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo.
“I want Zelensky to do the right thing.”
For me, the most worrisome aspect of the transcript is the changing of Sondland’s testimony.
We have actual texts offering a completely different view of what he is saying happened, making it appear as though he was convinced to change his testimony to what Democrats wanted rather than what actually happened.
That is pure speculation on my part, but how else can you explain him changing what he said when there is hard evidence to back his original testimony and his revised version conveniently gives Democrats the quid pro quo they have been looking for in these hearings.
I have said it before and I will say it again… this is a lynching, a coup, and Congress is doing it right out in public.
How the media is not even casting doubt on this is simply baffling.