"Filled to the Brim With Quid Pro Quo": Explosive Texts Shine New Light on Trump Effort to Push Ukraine to Open Biden Probe by Jake Johnson!
(2019-10-04 at 14:45:35 )

"Filled to the Brim With Quid Pro Quo": Explosive Texts Shine New Light on Trump Effort to Push Ukraine to Open Biden Probe by Jake Johnson

"I never expected anything this explicit in writing. It is truly astounding."

House Democrats Thursday night released a trove of explosive text exchanges between top United States diplomats that provides a closer look into United States President Donald Trumps months-long effort to pressure Ukraines leader to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

The text messages, provided to House committees by then special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, show that the Donald Trump administration attempted to use a possible meeting between the United States president and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to pressure Kyiv to launch an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

In which Mr. Volker informs Mr. Zelenskys aid that a Mr. Zelensky visit to Washington,D.C. is predicated on convincing President Trump that he will "get to the bottom of what happened" in 2016. pic.twitter.-Natasha Bertrand October 4, 2019

The messages also showed Bill Taylor, the top United States of American diplomat in Ukraine, raising alarm about President Trumps attempt to withhold aid to Ukraine for electoral purposes.

"Are we now saying that security assistance and White House meeting are conditioned on investigations?" Mr. Taylor asked Mr. Volker and United States Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland on Sept. 1, before the whistleblower complaint about President Trumps call with Mr. Zelensky went public.

Sondland replied simply, "Call me."

Eight days later, Mr. Taylor wrote to Mr. Volker and Mr. Sondland, "As I said on the phone, I think it is crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign."

Mr. Sondland insisted that President Trump "has been crystal clear no quid pro quos of any kind."

"Mr. Sondland taking five hours to respond, talking to President Trump, and then replying "no quid pro quo" shows 1) they knew what they were doing 2) knew it was wrong 3) settled on the "no quid pro quo" defense before it ever became public," wrote MSNBCs Chris Hayes.

Read the text messages:

Observers said the text messages thoroughly undermine President Trumps claim that he was not seeking a quid pro quo with Ukraine.

"These Kurt Volker text messages are FILLED to the BRIM with quid pro quo," said Brookings Institution fellow Scott Anderson. "I never expected anything this explicit in writing. It is truly astounding."

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) directed a tweet at President Trumps Republican defenders.

"If you are a Republican who hung your hat on "no quid pro quo!", what do you do tomorrow?" Mr. Murphy wrote. "The texts make 100 percent clear: 1. Our top diplomat in Kiev says there was an "investigation for aid" quid pro quo. 2. Everyone knew there was a "investigation for meeting" quid pro quo."

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