WTF Just Happened Today

Thursday, October 17, 2019

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1/ Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney confirmed that Trump blocked military aid to Ukraine to force Kiev to investigate his political rivals. Mulvaney called the quid pro quo exchange "absolutely appropriate" and that "we do that all the time with foreign policy." Mulvaney added: "I have news for everybody: Get over it. There's going to be political influence in foreign policy." Mulvaney also told reporters the funds were withheld in part because of a request to have Ukraine investigate unfounded allegations that foreign countries assisted Democrats in the 2016 election. Trump has repeatedly denied that there was a quid pro quo arrangement linking his demand for an investigation that could politically benefit him to the release of $391 million in military aid to Ukraine. (Washington Post / New York Times / Politico / CNBC)

• ???? Day 978: Trump admitted that he withheld military aid from Ukraine, but blamed it on the United Nations for not contributing more to the Eastern European nation, naming Germany and France among the countries that should "put up money." Trump also suggested he did nothing wrong, because "As far as withholding funds, those funds were paid. They were fully paid." Trump told reporters that in addition to Mulvaney, he also told Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to hold the funds to encourage other nations to pay, but claimed, "there was no quid pro quo. There was no pressure applied, nothing." Trump added that despite trailing the leading Democratic candidates in most polls, "I'm leading in the polls and they have no idea how to stop me. The only way they can try is through impeachment." (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / CNN / Reuters)

• ???? Day 977: Trump admitted that he discussed getting dirt on Joe Biden with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and that he is withholding the whistleblower complaint from Congress. Trump pressed Zelensky to dig up potentially damaging information against Biden during a July 25th phone call, baselessly accusing the former vice president of corruption related to his son Hunter's business dealings in Ukraine and whether they affected his diplomatic efforts. Trump said that "it doesn't matter" what he discussed with Zelensky and that while the he would "love" to release a transcript of the call, "you have to be a little bit shy about doing it." Trump's phone call with Zelensky occurred while Ukraine was awaiting $250 million in security aid, raising the possibility Trump was attempting a quid pro quo arrangement. The phone call led to the whistleblower ...

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