Former official at the National Security Council who specializes in Soviet, Russian and European affairs Fiona Hill testified in Thursday’s impeachment hearings, “It became very clear that the White House meeting itself was being predicated on other issues, namely investigations and questions about interference in 2016.”
QUID. PRO. QUO.
Video:
Fiona Hill testifies that the Ukraine quid pro quo goes back to May of this year. pic.twitter.com/niLW2OXTsx
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) November 21, 2019
Q: You also testified that you were concerned that this call was turning a White House meeting into some kind of asset. Do you recall that testimony?
Hill: I don’t think it was specifically about that call, but I recall the testimony because this was clearly the discussion preceding the call. I left July 19th, the call took place the following week. In the months leading up to that from May onwards it became clear that the White House meeting itself was being predicated on other issues, namely investigations and the questions about the election interference in 2016.
Attorney for the Democrats Daniel Goldman asked Hill about previous testimony that she was concerned that this call was turning a White House meeting into some kind of “asset.”
Fiona Hill said, “In the months leading up to that from May onwards it became clear that the White House meeting itself was being predicated on other issues, namely investigations and the questions about the election interference in 2016.”
Trump has used “No quid pro” as his “See Jane Run” mantra to the point of putting it on his notes in what appears to be large sharpie for his “re-enactment” for reporters of his talks with Ambassador Sondland.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds what appears to be a prepared statement and handwritten notes after watching testimony by U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland as he speaks to reporters prior to departing for travel to Austin, Texas from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott
Republicans, and plenty of large news outlets, keep saying there has been no proof of quid pro quo, when in fact it has been testified to repeatedly. Fiona Hill laid it out clearly and concisely and with great credibility.
Hill said the meeting itself was “predicated upon” getting something in exchange, namely two political favors, one to help Trump win in 2020 and the other to help Russia get off the hook for “successfully interfering” in 2016. The impeachment hearings are making it crystal clear that Republicans and Trump are pushing policies that help Russia and hurt the United States.
However, quid pro quo is not even necessary to establish in order to impeach. All that is necessary to impeach is to prove that President Trump abused his powers. If anyone is unsure about if that happened or not, they haven’t been paying attention.
Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
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