[AMV] Amerikaanse politiek #682: Righteous Anger

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Op dinsdag 12 november 2019 20:24 schreef kladderadatsch het volgende:

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"Ook"? Welke polls nog meer dan? Lijkt me een typische outlier, want er zijn verder eigenlijk geen aanwijzingen dat dit een realistisch beeld schetst van het speelveld, landelijk gezien dan.

Dit is de enige poll die ik heb gezien waarin Buttigieg bovenaan staat, in alle andere polls staat hij gewoon op een 4e plaats, met enkele cijfers en dus op flinke afstand van de top 3.

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funder twitterde op dinsdag 12-11-2019 om 21:03:26 BREAKING: All major tv networks plan to air impeachment hearings live this week instead of their regular programming. reageer retweet

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Op dinsdag 12 november 2019 21:27 schreef Jojoke het volgende:

twitter:

funder twitterde op dinsdag 12-11-2019 om 21:03:26 BREAKING: All major tv networks plan to air impeachment hearings live this week instead of their regular programming. reageer retweet

Morgen begint het

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Op dinsdag 12 november 2019 21:50 schreef Knipoogje het volgende:

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Vette overkill weer

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Op dinsdag 12 november 2019 21:27 schreef Jojoke het volgende:

twitter:

funder twitterde op dinsdag 12-11-2019 om 21:03:26 BREAKING: All major tv networks plan to air impeachment hearings live this week instead of their regular programming. reageer retweet

Morgen begint het

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Your Trump impeachment viewing guide

What you need to know about the first public impeachment hearings on Wednesday

What will happen

The hearing begins at 10 a.m. ET. Unlike previous hearings, such as those relating to the final report of the special counsel Robert Mueller, this time lawyers, not committee members, will do the bulk of the questioning.

Democratic and Republican lawyers will each get up to 45 minutes to question the witnesses. Committee members from both parties will then have their chance, but with just five minutes available to them.

Who will testify
William B. Taylor, chargé d'affaires, perhaps the highest profile witness listed, was America's top envoy to Ukraine, taking the role after former U.S. ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was ousted in May.

He was asked to take the job by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, which, Democrats argue, adds to his credibility. He was ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009.

George Kent, deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, is a career foreign service officer with more than 27 years of experience. He has served under five presidents, three Republicans and two Democrats. He testified behind closed doors under subpoena, in defiance of the State Department which tried to block his testimony.

What Taylor will say

Taylor's testimony in the closed sessions has been considered among the most damaging to the president.

It gets to the heart of an allegation of a quid pro quo — alleging that Trump ordered that vital military funding and the promise of a meeting with Zelensky be withheld unless Zelensky announced an investigation into the Bidens. Joe Biden was vice-president for over two years when Hunter served on the board of directors of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company.

"That was my clear understanding, security assistance money would not come until the president [of Ukraine] committed to pursue the investigation," Taylor said, according to the deposition transcript.

Taylor also told investigators that the push for the announcement of a Ukrainian investigation — which would benefit Trump, who sees Joe Biden as a top rival in the 2020 presidential race — was spearheaded by Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani was part of a second track of diplomacy, Taylor testified, that worked parallel to career officials, and pushed the president's personal interests over the country's foreign policy goals.

"I had been making, and continue to make, this point to all of my Ukrainian official contacts. But the push to make President Zelensky publicly commit to investigations of Burisma and alleged interference in the 2016 elections showed how the official foreign policy of the United States was undercut by the irregular efforts led by Mr. Giuliani," Taylor told lawmakers.

What Kent will say
Kent is expected to corroborate much of the information provided by Taylor and others. His testimony provided a clear indication that the direction to squeeze Ukraine came directly from Trump.

Summarizing a conversation between U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland and Trump, Kent testified "POTUS wanted nothing less President Zelensky to go to [a] microphone and say investigations, Biden, [Hillary] Clinton."

Kent has also provided testimony about Giuliani's efforts on behalf of Trump, to force out Yovanovitch, the former ambassador to Ukraine. Kent said the effort to smear Yovanovitch was part of a "campaign of lies" by Giuliani.

Yovanovitch, scheduled to testify on Friday, says she was ousted because of her anti-corruption work in Ukraine.

The Democrats' strategy
The Democrats, led by House intelligence committee chair Adam Schiff, want to show that the president used the State Department and other sections of the bureaucracy to advance his personal political goals and undermine U.S. foreign policy.

They're hoping testimony from Taylor, a non-partisan chosen by the Trump administration to work on the Ukraine file, will help bolster their case.

As well, Kent can cover a lot of ground, from the question of influence from the White House, to efforts by the State Department to block testimony and co-operation, which could end up as an article of impeachment for obstructing the investigation.

The Republicans' strategy
The depositions provide a glimpse into possible Republican strategy. They will point out that Taylor and Kent never spoke to Trump directly and their information is second- or third-hand.

They may also try to push a line of questioning that shows the events under investigation were not directly influenced or ordered by the president, and that subordinates like Giuliani and Sondland were acting in their own interest and not Trump's.

A third line of questioning may lead to another defence — that what took place between the Trump administration and Ukraine, while distasteful, doesn't rise to the level of "high crimes and misdemeanours," the constitutional standard for impeachment.

The big picture
With the Democrats holding a majority in the House, many observers believe impeachment is a foregone conclusion. If so, the next step would be a trial in the Senate.

So the challenge is whether the evidence revealed in public hearings is enough to sway public opinion and convince enough Republican senators to vote to remove the president. About 20 would need to cross the aisle to give the two-thirds majority required.

What's next
Yovanovitch will testify on Friday. She will detail how she believes Giuliani and Trump pushed her out to clear a path for their plans in Ukraine.

More witnesses may be announced to testify at public hearings. Among them are Lt.-Col. Alexander Vindman, who listened to the call between Trump and Zelensky and immediately raised red flags. He's also linked Trump's chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to efforts to coerce Ukraine into a politically motivated investigation.

The cast of characters

twitter:

kylegriffin1 twitterde op woensdag 13-11-2019 om 01:40:14 Breaking from House Intel: On the morning of November 20, the Committee will hear from Amb. Gordon Sondland. On the afternoon of Nov. 20, the Committee will hear from Laura Cooper, the Deputy Asst. Sec'y of Defense, and David Hale, the Under Sec'y of State for Political Affairs. reageer retweet

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BradMossEsq twitterde op dinsdag 12-11-2019 om 16:52:21 Trump denied in writing and under oath to Mueller any recollection of ever discussing WikiLeaks with Stone or being aware of Stone discussing WikiLeaks with the campaign.Gates testified he was in the car with Trump when he Trump talked to Stone about it. https://t.co/BEUPfCtyk2 reageer retweet

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Op dinsdag 12 november 2019 22:04 schreef Hyperdude het volgende:

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Passed snackje er bij.

[ afbeelding ]

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Op woensdag 13 november 2019 09:15 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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BradMossEsq twitterde op dinsdag 12-11-2019 om 16:52:21 Trump denied in writing and under oath to Mueller any recollection of ever discussing WikiLeaks with Stone or being aware of Stone discussing WikiLeaks with the campaign.Gates testified he was in the car with Trump when he Trump talked to Stone about it. https://t.co/BEUPfCtyk2 reageer retweet

Meineed.

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Op woensdag 13 november 2019 09:38 schreef klappernootopreis het volgende:

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En op schrift nog wel. Au au

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Op woensdag 13 november 2019 09:47 schreef klappernootopreis het volgende:
https://www.politico.com/(...)rst-iowa-poll-069853

Buttigieg doet het daar aardig.

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Op woensdag 13 november 2019 09:53 schreef Monolith het volgende:

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Zo'n caucus is natuurlijk wel een wat afwijkend format en het is een staat die hem goed ligt, maar het kan ook zeker een katalysator zijn voor zijn campagne als hij daar onverwacht zou winnen.

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Op woensdag 13 november 2019 09:53 schreef Ulx het volgende:

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Yep, als hij zelf was gaan praten met Mueller zou hij in een perjury-trap terecht zijn gekomen. Vandaar schriftelijk.

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Op woensdag 13 november 2019 09:53 schreef Monolith het volgende:

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Zo'n caucus is natuurlijk wel een wat afwijkend format en het is een staat die hem goed ligt, maar het kan ook zeker een katalysator zijn voor zijn campagne als hij daar onverwacht zou winnen.

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Op woensdag 13 november 2019 09:52 schreef xpompompomx het volgende:
En Stephen Miller blijkt een hardcore white supremacy nazi te zijn. Dat zag echt niemand aankomen.

https://www.splcenter.org(...)d-leaked-emails#link

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Op woensdag 13 november 2019 10:01 schreef Hanca het volgende:

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Hmmm, een homofiele katholiek die bij McKinsey heeft gewerkt.

Ik vind het prima, maar ik vrees dat dat in de VS bij teveel verschillende groepen weerstand op roept.