Trump Issues Preemptive Defense Shortly Before Impeachment Inquiry Hearing Begins
President Donald Trump issued a fiery defense in the hours leading up to the first public impeachment hearing in the House.
Two U.S. officials were set to kick things off with testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday: William Taylor, a U.S. diplomat for the Ukrainian embassy, and George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.
In a tweet on Tuesday night, Trump quoted Fox Business host Lou Dobbs, who called House Democrats’ impeachment push “a travesty.”
“This ridiculous Impeachment is a travesty, it’s not an inquiry. Just read the transcript,” Trump tweeted, citing Dobbs.
“This ridiculous Impeachment is a travesty, it’s not an inquiry. Just read the transcript.” @LouDobbs
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2019
The transcript in question refers to a summary of a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Democrats have accused Trump of suggesting a quid pro quo, claiming he planned to withhold military aid from Ukraine until that nation’s government investigated former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
While he was vice president, Joe Biden pressured Ukraine to fire a prosecutor who had investigated Burisma Holdings, an energy company where Hunter served on the board.
But the U.S. military aid to Ukraine was released in September without Ukraine launching an investigation into the Bidens.
Next, Trump cited comments made by Fox News host Sean Hannity on his show Tuesday night that lambasted House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff and his allies.
“This is a phony showtrial. There is zero due process, none,” Hannity said on his show, according to a transcript posted by Fox. “It is yet another fraudulent hoax, conspiracy theory.”
….This is a phony showtrial. There is zero due process, none. It is yet another fraudulent hoax conspiracy theory. It is another Witch Hunt. This is what the Socialist Doemocrat Party has become. There’s not one thing the Democrats have done in the past 3 years except try…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2019
….to hurt Donald Trump and we, the people that support him. The Left has never accepted the results of the 2016 Election. They never saw this coming. This is not just about President Trump. They hate everyone he is representing.” @seanhannity @FoxNews Sean the amazing warrior!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2019
Trump continued on Wednesday morning, citing conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh.
“Millions of Americans will see what a partisan sham this whole thing is,” Trump tweeted, citing Limbaugh.
The Democrats have stacked the deck against President Trump and the Republicans. They have leaked out everything. @SteveDoocy @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2019
In his next post, the president claimed the deck has been “stacked” against him.
“The Democrats have stacked the deck against President Trump and the Republicans. They have leaked out everything,” Trump tweeted, tagging “Fox & Friends” host Steve Doocy.
The Democrats have stacked the deck against President Trump and the Republicans. They have leaked out everything. @SteveDoocy @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2019
Trump proceeded to quote Charles Hurt, the opinion editor for The Washington Times who appeared Wednesday on “Fox & Friends.”
“When you hear Adam Schiff and Democrats use all these squirrely words like ‘quid pro quo,’ bribery, all these things, it’s all because they can’t specify exactly where Donald Trump broke any law or did anything particularly wrong,” Hurt said, according to Mediaite.
…the most powerful tool the legislative branch has, Impeachment, & they’ve turned it into a political cudgel, which is not at all what the Founders intended. When you hear Schiff use all these words like quid pro quo, it is because they can’t specify that Donald Trump broke..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2019
….any laws or did anything wrong, and they have to move away from quid pro quo because there was no quid, and there was no quo. Ukraine got it’s money (3 weeks early), and there was no investigation.” @CharlesHurt @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2019
For good measure, Trump penned two tweets with a pair of simple messages.
“NEVER TRUMPERS!” the first read.
NEVER TRUMPERS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2019
“READ THE TRANSCRIPT!” the second said.
READ THE TRANSCRIPT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2019
While House Democrats push impeachment, a memo released by House Republicans on the Intelligence, Oversight and Government Reform and Foreign Affairs committees laid out the other side.
“Stripping away the hyperbole and hysteria, these indisputable pieces of evidence show that there was no ‘Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors,’ as required by the U.S. Constitution,” the memo reads.
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