I have read the letter released by the whistleblower addressed to Senate Intelligence Select Committee Chairman Richard Burr and House Intelligence Select Committee Chairman Adam Schiff dated August 12, 2019. The letter can be summarized in five steps:
1. The whistleblower states that White House officials relayed concerns to him or her that President Trump's July 25th phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "to advance his personal interests" and "witnessed the President use his office for personal gain". The personal gain in question is Trump's re-election next year through the gathering of information against former Vice-President Joe Biden, his most likely opponent.
2. Efforts were made by White House lawyers to conceal the content of the phone call despite the fact it did not contain any information pertaining to national security.
3. Following the phone call, Kurt Volker, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations and Gordon Sondland, U.S. Ambassador to the EU met with Zelensky to advised him how to "navigate" Trump's request. Subsequent to this meeting, Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani met with one of Zelensky's top advisers in Madrid as "a direct follow-up" to the "cases" discussed, namely Biden and son.
4. In May 2019, shortly after Zelensky's election, U.S. officials informed the whistleblower that the Ukrainian leadership was led to believe that a phone call or meeting between Zelensky and Trump was contingent on Zelensky's willingness to "play ball" concerning the allegations publicly leveled by Giuliani and former prosecutor general Yuriy Lutsenko that Biden had sought the termination of his predecessor Viktor Shokin in order to quash an investigation against Burisma Holdings, Inc. because his son Hunter sat on the board of directors.
5. In July 2019, there was an abrupt change in U.S. policy concerning military aid to Ukraine. The whistleblower learned of this development from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) notifying departments and agencies that all security assistance to the Ukraine had been suspended. OMB did not indicate why this about face had occurred other than it came directly from President Trump.
Let me simply it even further:
1. The President spoke with the head of a foreign government for the purposes of advancing his re-election by asking them to procure damaging information about his likely presidential rival.
2. The White House concealed the content of this conversation.
3. The President had government officials and his personal attorney instruct said head of foreign government and his advisers how to proceed with #1.
4. The leadership of the foreign government upon taking office was advised that access to President Trump was contingent on "playing ball."
5. There was a subsequent change in U.S. policy towards said foreign government.
Based on the above, it is clear that President Trump has committed an impeachable offense by directing a foreign leader to act against one of his potential political opponents. But Trump's Republican allies in Congress have no problem with this behavior. As the whistleblower notes, Trump told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News back in June that he would accept damaging information on a political opponent by a foreign government and Republicans didn't say boo about it.
My guess is that Trump and his cult will move Heaven and Earth to a) unveil the identity of the whistleblower and b) see if the whistleblower or his/her family has ties to Biden or the Democratic Party. Trump plays for keeps and he will keep his support. If Trump's cult doesn't care if he shoots someone on Fifth Avenue they certainly won't care if he gets dirt on Joe Biden, any other Democrat or anyone else who dares to cross him from a foreign government.
Naturally, I hope I am wrong. The sad part is that I know I'm not wrong.
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