Alex Christoforou
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the transcript release Adam Schiff’s star impeachment witness Wiliam Taylor.
In an exchange with Rep. Ratcliffe, Taylor admits that he was four people removed from the apparent Trump-Zelensky phone call, and the alleged quid pro quo narrative, which has completely fallen apart given the fact that Trump released the phone transcript nearly one month ago.
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Star witness Taylor told of quid pro quo from advisor, told by envoy, told by Zelensky aide by The Duran
The Duran Quick Take: Episode 365. The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the transcript release Adam Schiff’s star impeachment witness Wiliam Taylor. In an exchange with Rep. Ratcliffe, Taylor admits that he was four people removed from the apparent Trump-Zelensky phone call, and the alleged quid pro quo narrative, which has completely fallen apart given the fact that Trump released the phone transcript nearly one month ago.
Impeachment testimony from former US ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor reveals the fatal ’quid pro quo’ at the center of the probe rests on mere hearsay, even as Taylor’s words are held up as a smoking gun by Trump’s enemies.
In the course of his October 22 deposition, made public on Wednesday, Taylor explains it was his “clear understanding” that “security assistance money would not come” until Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “committed to pursue the investigation” of natural gas firm Burisma Holdings, where Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden’s son was a director.
That understanding, however, came from being told by Trump adviser Tim Morrison that another ambassador – US envoy to the EU Gordon Sondland – had informed a Zelensky aide of the condition.
That fateful conversation appears to be the closest Taylor got to the alleged quid pro quo. It’s not clear exactly what was said between them, as Sondland hurriedly revised his own testimony on Tuesday to better match Taylor’s.
“What I know for sure,” Taylor testified, “is what Mr. Morrison told me that he must have heard Ambassador Sondland tell [Zelensky aide] Mr. Yermak. And as I said, this was the first time I’d heard [security assistance and corruption investigations] put together.” (p.189)
Taylor also admitted he was not listening in on the July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky, and that he did not see the transcript until it was released in late September. He acknowledged he had never spoken to Trump, and when pressed by Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-New Jersey), pinned the entire “drug deal” (the words of former national security adviser John Bolton, apparently) on Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani (p.260) – even though Taylor had never spoken to him either.
Giuliani, Taylor said, dominated an “irregular” policy channel alongside the wholesome, bipartisan way of doing things, a channel that ran “contrary to the goals of longstanding US policy” – or at least that was what Taylor “began to sense” (p.28) when the aid was held up.
At one point, Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-New York) attempted to pin down exactly what Taylor’s relationship was to the events in question.
“This isn’t firsthand. It’s not secondhand. It’s not thirdhand. But if I understand this correctly, you’re telling us that Tim Morrison told you that Ambassador Sondland told him that the president told Ambassador Sondland that Zelensky would have to open an investigation into Biden?” Zeldin asks incredulously. (p. 298)
The New York congressman also got Taylor to admit that his sole source for his belief that Trump wanted Biden investigated in order to influence the 2020 election was an article in the New York Times – not exactly known for its accurate or sympathetic portrayals of the president.
Critically, Taylor admitted that no one in the Ukrainian government knew military aid had been suspended until over a month after the Trump-Zelensky phone call, which was the source of the anonymous whistleblower’s complaint.
The ambassador’s opening statement was “leaked” before the House voted to make transcripts public, and has been held up by intelligence committee chair Adam Schiff (D-California) and other pro-impeachment Democrats as ‘proof’ that military aid was withheld “through a shadow foreign policy channel” until Ukraine agreed to follow through with the Biden investigation.
An examination of the transcript, however, reveals nothing of the sort. Taylor’s political convictions – that Russia must be kicked out of Ukraine, lest it blossom into a malevolent empire – appear to motivate his testimony more than any firsthand knowledge of what transpired between the American and Ukrainian heads of state.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
I’d be very wary of becoming a star in Schiff’s universe. It seems such folks have a propensity for committing ‘suicide’ after their usefulness has ended, lest they have second or third thoughts about revealing things they shouldn’t. …………..James Le Mesurier, the man behind support and training for the controversial White Helmets ‘Syrian civil defense’ group, has been found dead in Istanbul, Turkey, according to reports. Le Mesurier’s body was discovered near his home in Istanbul’s Beyoglu district. The circumstances surrounding his death are still being investigated. Turkish Sözcü newspaper, citing his wife, said that Le Mesurier had been taking… Read more »
This link states that there was a knock on the door and his wife found him dead on the street with police at the scene. If he was having depressions ,it was for good reasons.His world was unraveling .
https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/british-founder-of-syrian-white-helmets-found-dead-in-istanbul-20191112-p539mq.html
When the going gets tough, the tough eat their own, as long as it’s kosher.
This business is the epitome of insanity. What in hell is the difference between a Vice President threatening in person to withhold a billion in ‘aid’ unless an investigation into Burisma was dropped (of course that’s what it was, Mr. Biden) and a President ‘intimating’ that money would be withheld if an investigation into why the investigation into Burisma was dropped?
I’ll tell you what the difference is. The first threat by the VP was fact. The second, wishy washy at best. Maybe a misdemeanor in pursuit of a possible felony, I’d say at worst.
Giuliani made his bones going after the NYC mafia. He even gave birth to the RICO Act, in their pursuit. Sending him into Ukraine to look into Burisma/Biden was like sending a kid into a candy store.
In what way does investigating possible foreign government interference in US elections, and the actions of senior US government personnel seeking to influence foreign governments for personal gain, differ from investigating possible foreign government interference in US elections and the actions of senior US government personnel seeking to influence foreign governments for personal gain?
There is a huge difference. Biden acted as a US rep. Not personally. He never said anything about the Burisma case, but the EU, IMF(who said they would cut off 40 billion) the Ukraine parliament and US rep( who signed a letter asking for the samething as Biden) all wanted the corrupt prosecutor to be gone. Firing the prosecutor doesn’t stop the prosection. The actual case was closed 1n 2017. Trump asked a foreign president to investigate a political rival. He did this for personal and political reasons. Plus it was illegal to withhold aide without telling Congress. See the… Read more »
C’mon. Get serious. The US acted in 2014 to replace one corrupt president with another Poroshenko, who was arguably more corrupt than the one he replaced, but in Washington’s pocket, the crucial factor. Biden did exactly the same with prosecutors. Biden’s an old style union bag man and corrupt to the core himself and acts accordingly. Time to grow up and look in the mirror. You want to get rid of Trump? Fibe, but Using arguments equivalent to Iraqi WMDs isn’t going to get you into anywhere but more hot water and your skin’s peeling as it is. Vote him… Read more »
Here’s an excellent example of how propaganda through yellow journalism works”
MSN News: “Co-founder of White Helmets found dead days after Russia claimed he was a spy”
See? Russia killed him off. Case closed.
…. and don’t you dare doubt it, lest you become one of Russia’s useful idiots.
(Yes, I see how that works now. Quite an ingenious fellow that Goebbels was. Just one thing I don’t understand though. Why bother claiming he was a spy when his entire career at MI6 was as a spy? Was it just semantics, like the janitor vs. building supervisor thing?)
Indeed. But I thought everyone always knew he was a “spy”. I know I did and I am nobody special. Does that suggest that the mass media have a very low opinion of their viewers’ and readers’ awareness of political realities?
“Giuliani, Taylor said, dominated an ‘irregular’ policy channel alongside the wholesome, bipartisan way of doing things, a channel that ran ‘contrary to the goals of longstanding US policy'”
And there it is, in plain english. The President and his team are traitors to the deep state. Thats literally what he is saying. Get with the progrom or else people, the mask is off.
To be fair I think they have been out in the open for some time. The question I have is how long this “longstanding US foreign policy” has been in effect? I would have guessed at least since Bretton Woods but even before that one could say that Woodrow Wilson launched it in 1917 when he sent the US to war in Europe. Indeed it seems to have been a nascent policy since the founding of the Republic since the US has always been expansionist and interventionist from at least the time of the Monroe doctrine. The United States has… Read more »
I think you are missing the point. They are now opening telling the “unwashed masses”, the “CNN watchers” that they are in charge. This marks a VERY distinct and ominous shift.
https://soundcloud.com/guns-and-butter-1/the-alchemical-processing-of-humanity-through-public-psychodrama-michael-hoffman-400
No, actually its a very positive shift. They’ve always been ‘in charge’ from behind the curtain and now, they feel threatened and compelled to come out in the open, revealing themselves. It’s a desperate act and a gamble.
Let’s count the lies here. The aide was released in May. They knew about it then. The phone call hasn’t debunked anything, as the other testimony states that on July 10th Sondland told Ukraine officials that they had to announce these investigations or no meeting. Then Trump, asked for the same favors. Also, Morrison’s testimony states that Taylor was accurate. The Ukraine’s knew about the freeze in early August or even sooner as we have now learned and that there was going to be an interview on CNN to publicly announce theses investigations.
Get rid of the dump via impeachment. Let the stupid dems get into the oval office and watch the collapse of america as we know it on the world stage. Couldn’t happen soon enough.