https://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2019/09/26/watch-rep-elise-stefanik-shades-chairman-schiff-at-dni-hearing-n2553774
On Thursday, as the chairman was kicking off an Intelligence Committee hearing with Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, he decided to improvise some parts of the phone transcript.
Rep. Schiff re-writes the call transcript for added drama: "I’m going to say this only seven times, so you better listen good, I want you to make up dirt on my political opponent, understand, lots of it, on this and on that, I’m going to put you in touch with people" pic.twitter.com/1rV7BpEN6o
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 26, 2019Schiff later explained that his version of events was simply a "summary of the president's call was meant to be, at least part, in parody."
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) was having none of it. She didn't wait to call the chairman out until their proceedings had finished. She took him to task right there.
Today’s @HouseIntel hearing with Acting DNI Maguire is extremely important for Americans to hear. I focused on the whistleblower complaint itself & did not recklessly improvise a fake dialogue for parody purposes like Adam Schiff—the head of this committee—did. Watch part 1 ?? pic.twitter.com/5MBeV7XNCd
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) September 26, 2019"On page one - and I'm not going to improvise for parody purposes, like the chairman of this committee did," Stefanik said when she began to read the whistleblower complaint. "I'm going to quote it directly."
She went on to read the whistleblower's confession that he or she "was not a direct witness to most of the events described." Still, officials concluded that even though the complainant was relying on secondhand knowledge, it was "credible" enough to investigate.
So, Schifty Schiff pretty much admits he's full of schitz, and making stuff up? Bolding is mine - but we're going to impeach the president in parody!
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Impeachment-hearing-uncovers-new-evidence-from-14831773.php
Near the start of Tuesday’s hearing, Stefanik pushed Schiff to respond to a list of several witnesses Republicans want to call. Republicans submitted their list of witnesses on Nov. 9 to Democrats, who are reviewing their requests.
On Fox News last week, she said she wanted to call Schiff as the Republicans’ first witness in the impeachment inquiry. She has also supported a resolution to censure Schiff for his comments in an earlier public hearing.
Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, asked for a resolution Wednesday to question the whistle-blower, whose complaint sparked the inquiry, in a closed-door session. Democrats voted down that resolution at the close of the public hearing.
NO NO NO!! YOU CAN'T QUESTION THE WITNESSES!!!!!
WATCH: Rep. Elise Stefanik’s full questioning of Volker and Morrison | Trump impeachment hearings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yZJs5iHLB0
IF YOU QUESTION ANY MORE WITNESSES OUR ENTIRE NARRATIVE FALLS APART!!
Rep. Stefanik Makes Schiff Squirm, Exposes His Hypocrisy on Whistleblower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eip14ZOLro
Oh yeah - Stefanik 2024. She's better looking than Trump, she's smarter, and she has better fashion sense. Not to mention that she looks a good bit like my nieces.
See? Not all millenials are vacuous bubbleheads!
(Score: 2) by Mojibake Tengu on Wednesday November 20 2019, @05:35PM
"summary of the president's call was meant to be, at least part, in parody."
It should be noted the current Ukrainian president is originally an actual a TV comedian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_of_the_People [wikipedia.org]
who by desperation of the People was lifted up as a real president: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_of_the_People_(political_party) [wikipedia.org].
I pity United States for Trump is not a cowboy like Reagan was, that would be even more hillarious.
The edge of 太玄 cannot be defined, for it is beyond every aspect of design
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday November 20 2019, @05:40PM (1 child)
Yeah, see, yeah, nobody ever talks like a 20's gangster in jest, understand?
(Score: 2, Offtopic) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:06PM
The '20's gangstas are still in school, today, for the most part.
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday November 20 2019, @05:48PM (40 children)
That's some defense!
I guess you're conceding that it would be illegal and impeachable for the President to extort election assistance from a foreign Government. But it's OK because Schiff is a meany.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:07PM (36 children)
You didn't read, or listen to, one bit of what is in the links, did you? The two witnesses to the telephone call explicitly state that there was no quid pro quo, no pressuring, nothing of the sort. In fact, the people at the other end of the phone call are asking "WTF?" Because, it never happened.
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:15PM (32 children)
That is a blatant lie.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:25PM (31 children)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yZJs5iHLB0 [youtube.com]
Let us remember: Democrats were promising to impeach Trump as early as October of 2016. Alas, the only way to do so, has been to twist facts beyond recognition. There was no quid pro quo.
Rep. Al Green: "I'm Concerned If We Don't Impeach This President, He Will Get Re-Elected"
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/05/06/al_green_im_concerned_if_we_dont_impeach_this_president_he_will_get_re-elected.html#! [realclearpolitics.com]
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 3, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:29PM (18 children)
Sondland acknowledges there was a ‘quid pro quo’ involving Ukraine [washingtonpost.com]
Sondland Acknowledges ‘Quid Pro Quo’ Tying Investigations and Meeting [wsj.com]
'It was no secret': Ambassador says quid pro quo came at 'express direction of the President' [cnn.com]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:34PM (17 children)
I give you video of a hearing in congress, and you offer crap from rags like CNN? There's not much quid pro quo going on here, that's for sure! WaPo and WSJ? Mmmmm - they are less raggy than CNN, but still . . . if they publish the same lies as CNN, they're raggy.
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 3, Touché) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:38PM (15 children)
Every single one of my links has a video of the guy saying it!
Also, that Morrison guy you were so keen to interview:
One of the Republicans’ witnesses (Morrison) confirmed a quid pro quo on TV [vox.com]
(Score: 1, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:46PM (14 children)
Listen directly to Sondland's testimony - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOHd_2dqOW4 [youtube.com]
Stop listening to liberal media "interpreting" the data. Sondland is ARGUING AGAINST Schiff's narrative.
"I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo . . . tell Zalinsky to do the right thing . . . that's all I got from President Trump."
Listen to the man doing the talking, not the googly-eyed munchkin who is all but demanding that Sondland go along with the narrative.
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 20 2019, @07:02PM (2 children)
Off topic? FFS snowflakes, the topic is the congressional hearings, and how the dems are being derailed by facts.
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @08:28PM (1 child)
Runaway is always off-topic, and particularly so in his own journals.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 22 2019, @09:17PM
#ByeByeElise
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @07:24PM
You and Trump have a reputation for veracity.
(Score: 4, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday November 20 2019, @09:03PM (9 children)
Here is the very simple and direct quote you are so desperately trying to ignore:
“I know that members of this committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a ‘quid pro quo?’ With regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.” - Ambassador Gordon Sondland, Nov 20, 2019
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @10:16PM
No no you're buying the FAKE LIBERAL NEWWWWZZZZZ
Seriously, the GOP straight up BROKE Republican brains.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @10:22PM
Heh, framing... Sounds more like grasping...
Still second hand bullshit. Still no evidence. Still all hearsay.
This distraction is a criminal waste of our tax dollars!
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 21 2019, @12:33AM
OK, I hear that particular quote. And, I also hear him, in the testimony that I've linked to, saying that the President was not looking for the quid pro quo. It would seem that Sondland is referring to himself, and to his team mates, in the quote you cite. But, it isn't Sondland's team that is being impeached, it is Trump. Did Trump grant that visit as a form of quid pro quo? Sondland says "no" in this testimoney - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOHd_2dqOW4 [youtube.com]
Everyone involved is playing CYA, but the important people can't say that Trump did what the Dems are accusing Trump of doing.
Dems have been searching for an impeachable offense since October of 2016, and this is the best they can do?
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 21 2019, @01:03AM
Sondland doesn't seem to be especially credible here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK4ESHDhrY0 [youtube.com] He still seems to be doing CYA, but won't point fingers at Trump. It's him, and his team, acting for Trump, and leaving a lot to interpretation. Or, more accurately, interpreting things to his own liking.
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 21 2019, @01:15AM
also - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HaI0fVyFYg [youtube.com]
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 21 2019, @01:33AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHq4U3FbMcE [youtube.com]
Again, Sondland unequivocally states that there was no quid pro quo.
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 21 2019, @02:00AM
Listening to the man talk, and reading up on him, listening to talk about Sondland, I've about concluded that he doesn't stand for ANYTHING. He just goes along, to get along. His purpose is to ingratiate himself with whoever happens to be questioning him, at any given time. He will ingratiate himself with Dems, Reps, friends of Trump, enemies of Trump, it doesn't much matter. He seems to draw the line at outright perjury, but he is willing to be misconstrued, misunderstood, or whatever, if it might make him seem important.
Check out MSNBC's video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgsZFbSZ8-I [youtube.com]
As is observed in the comments, Sondland has paid a lot of money to get himself into the position he is in today, with the nation hanging on his every word.
Some of the D's who are so very vehement about impeaching Trump seem to be more respectable than Sondland. He's just the kid hanging around the big boys, to convince himself that he is one of the big boys.
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 21 2019, @04:17AM (1 child)
Holy crap did you trigger the shit out of Runaway! 5 responses!!!
Reality is starting to set in and the suckers are not ready to accept how badly they got conned.
(Score: 1, Troll) by aristarchus on Thursday November 21 2019, @07:17AM
It's not that difficult. Hillbilly, redneck, Trumpster, voted for Gov. Clinton, and then the shit just spews with no control or reason.
*****
*******
(*********
Piled high and deeper, the Runaway is, he is too stupid to know how stupid he is, and we have to deal with his asinine posts as if they were, like, you know, actual rational submissions to a news aggregetion site, when what they are is the spreading talking points of Fox News, The NRA, and Vladimir Putin, the Master of Trump. My gawd, imagine how stupid your average Fox viewer is, and multiply that by the fact that Runaway got hisself banned from commenting on Faux New for being too stupid, uninformed, and really, really dumb, and now he is here on SoylentNews, Replacing aristarchus submissions? Say it ain't so, janrinok! "Say it ain't so!" [wikiquote.org] Oh dear, a reference too American to penetrate the janirockinan skull! Shoeless Joe could have been great, if he had not quid pro quoed Ukraine. Bad Career move.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @07:22PM
"There's not much quid pro quo going on here". Is that like being a little bit pregnant?
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:36PM (4 children)
Get called a liar, fall back on "witch hunt."
You kept trying to distance yourself from Trump as the majority of users around here realize he is a fucktard corrupt idiot, but you continued your partisan support obliquely.
But now shit is finally crimbling and we ser you're just another dumbass who can't admit you backed the wrong horse. Just admit you made a mistake, realize the evidence of Trump's crimes are very clear, realize the Republicans are currently embodied by criminals committing all sorts of crimes, and you will magically become less stupid.
What are you afraid of? Why are you so desperate to maintain Trump's innocence? Is it really so hard to admit you were wrong, or do you truly believe the bullshit fed to you by Fox and other insane rightwing pundits? Are you so tribal that loyalty is more important than the truth?
Trump was a criminal from day one, asking Russia to hack his opponent, even in his shitty mob boss vagueries, showed what he was. He is a joke foisted upon the Republican party. Just man the fuck up and admit you were played.
If it helps, I voted for Obama and I have no problem trashing him for his shitty continuation of the corporate fascism that has taken over the US. You can do it too
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:52PM (3 children)
Trump isn't MY horse. Once again, I'll point out that Trump is a chump, or maybe even a chimp. But that other party is working hard to usurp the proper authority of the office of President. They promised to do so in 2016. They've been working hard to set up an impeachment since November of 2016. The charade of an impeachment you are watching today is staged by enemies of the United States.
O'Bummer? I voted for him the first time. I voted against him the second time. Happy? I gave him a chance, because the alternatives didn't look good. But he fucked up enough, that I couldn't vote for him a second time. TBH, I voted O'Bummer because I thought he was less likely to get us into another war. Turned out, he was as much a warhawk as the also-ran.
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @08:54PM
Blah blah WITCH HUNT blah blah
I serm to recall you opining a LOT about "her emails!!" and such and making a stink about it being illegal. Trump & Co. do the exact same shit and -crickets-
Deflection and lies, you're just a sad sack of disingenuous shit with zero credibility. We KNOW Trump is a criminal now, so crying about an impeachment conspiracy makes you stupid. Even if people were out to get him it turns out it would have been for good reason.
Simple logic, but as usual you deflect and defend while throwing in some "I'm really a moderate reaaaallly and socialism is the DEVIL!"
So much whining in the face of your bad decisions. Grow up you big baby.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 22 2019, @08:39AM (1 child)
At Salon [salon.com], where they cun spell better than Runaway!!
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 22 2019, @09:40AM
Interesting bit from the Salon piece:
And Runaway got his orders to spread the fake news as quickly as possible to SoylentNews, where it did not have the same effect it did on Faux News. Poor Runaway! Such a loyal trooper, but it looks as if the whole crooked House of Trump is going down.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:54PM (3 children)
Alternative Runaway facts, supplied by Russians trying to blame Ukraine for Donald Actually Losing the popular vote.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:59PM (2 children)
*yawn*
I missed that part of the congressional hearings. Can you link us all to it?
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 4, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday November 20 2019, @09:16PM (1 child)
You seem to have missed EVERY part of the hearings.
What he's referring to is the fact that announcing an investigation trying to disprove the FBI, CIA, NSA, etc. wrong about Russian election interference was one of the extortion demands.
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, November 19, 2019 called that conspiracy ""a Russian narrative that President [Vladimir] Putin has promoted." yesterday.
Vindman calls Ukrainian election interference conspiracy theory "a Russian narrative" [axios.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @09:47PM
Let's not forget Vindman is of Ukranian background.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @09:43PM
Even if they impeach the President, he will get re-elected.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday November 21 2019, @12:27PM (1 child)
I believe Trump does quid pro quo every day.
I think that's his job.
If you're not quidding, you're not doing anything on the world stage, and if you get no quo in return, you're a lousy negotiator. Why has diplomacy suddenly become a bad thing?
I notice the Dems have stopped calling it 'quid pro quo' now.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 21 2019, @10:00PM
So you're an idiot with zero clue about the law and why it exists. You prefer shitty generalizations thst let you keep your compromised emotional state intact instead of growing as a person. People such as yourself are literally the precursor to Nazi Part 2.0
(Score: 3, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:26PM (2 children)
'The answer is yes': Sondland affirms 'quid pro quo' in Ukraine dealings [politico.com]
Senior U.S. diplomat (Sondland) says he followed Trump's 'orders' on pressuring Ukraine [reuters.com]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:36PM
That sounds a bit like an admission of guilt. "If the world finds out that we're crooked, they won't vote for us!!"
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 0, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @10:28PM
You know that's all DNC bullshit. He even said he heard no such thing directly. All second hand. Cough up some real evidence.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Arik on Wednesday November 20 2019, @08:02PM (2 children)
It's specifically impeachable (bribery) for an official to use the power of their office to solicit let alone extort valuable gifts personally. The Schiff narrative is that Trump was using the power of his office to extort something valuable to him politically - an investigation to dig up dirt on Biden.
It's not a specifically impeachable offense for an official to use the power of their office to solicit or extort compliance with US Foreign policy, however. (Though perhaps it should be.) The Trump narrative is that Trump wasn't even doing the latter, though it comes closer to that; the Trump narrative is that he merely requested his foreign counterpart comply with the US Foreign policy goal of reducing the level of corruption in Ukrainë. Given how much "aid" both lethal and sublethal the US is passing out that isn't such a nefarious motive. And the act itself is quite mild compared to many others committed not only by Trump but Obama, Clinton, or either Bush.
So it comes down to which narrative do you think comes closer to the truth? Both seem credible on their face, both are possible, it even seems likely to me that the truth is a bit of each.
But what's most aggravating about these hearings is not that there are two sides with two narratives, but that both sides seem to be completely oblivious to what the other side are actually saying. They just keep talking past each other, reïterating their talking points again and again but rarely showing any appreciation for the possibility that the explanation they favor for political reasons might not be completely true in fact. It's a House full of NPCs.
An impeachment is supposed to resemble a grand jury in function, but so far this impeachment seems more a series of campaign speeches.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @10:36PM (1 child)
The entire hearing is a giant rumor mill, all innuendo [hearsay], nothing else. Not one shred of actual evidence has been shown to the public.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 22 2019, @06:35PM
Troll
*sigh* So many democrat moderators trying to poison the forum. How do we protect ourselves?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @06:50PM (4 children)
OK, Boomer!
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 20 2019, @07:01PM (1 child)
Well, I'll have to repeat my observation. I've met more than my share of vacuous bubblehead boomers. But, not all boomers are vacuous bubbleheads, or dopehead hippies, or draft dodgers, or any of those other things they were painted to be.
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @10:23PM
Trust me, we know. "Ok boomer" is used when a boomer baby shows a complete lack of awareness for reality and tries to replace it with some weird bullshit while sounding like a condescending authoritarian.
People have simply gotten tired of arguing with self-righteous crazies who refuse to accept verifiable facts and/or who push outdated cultural norms.
Carlin was before your time and he nailed you selfish pricks (as a generalization) quite perfectly. The irony is jackasses like you probably fixated with your typical lack of self-awareness on the yuppy aspects of his sketch. How're your soybean fuuuutures?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @07:27PM (1 child)
OK Butthead.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 20 2019, @08:29PM
OK, Runaway1956!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 23 2019, @07:49PM
Ok conservatives, here is the best public figure you've got https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/21/business/media/shepard-smith-fox-news.html [nytimes.com]
Realign yourselves before its too late.