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https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/29/politics/vindman-testimony-whistleblower-identity/index.html

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(CNN)Democrats and Republicans got into a shouting match behind closed doors on Tuesday while interviewing a witness in the impeachment investigation, with Democrats accusing Republicans of trying to out the anonymous whistleblower who sparked the impeachment inquiry, according to five sources from both parties.

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff objected to a line of questioning from Republicans during the deposition of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council official in charge of Ukraine policy, charging that the GOP questions were part of an effort to out the whistleblower, sources said.


Republicans pushed back, arguing they were simply asking questions about who Vindman might have spoken with — and that it was not an effort to out the whistleblower.


The back-and-forth led to a heated exchange between Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California and GOP Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, according to multiple sources. Other members joined in.

Lawmakers said Vindman testified he did not know who the whistleblower was.


"What the Republicans are trying to do in there, very clearly in their questioning, is try to front-door or backdoor Lt. Col. Vindman into revealing who the whistleblower is, even though in his testimony, he said he didn't know," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat. "They are trying to, through the back door and through process of elimination by their questions, they are attempting to get him to reveal that, and they have been unsuccessful."


But Meadows pushed back on the Democratic accusations.


"How can we out someone when we don't know he is," Meadows told reporters Tuesday afternoon.


He said that the Democrats' accusations that Republicans are trying to out the whistleblower are "not accurate."


"I've not been on any fishing expedition," he said. "I only ask questions we know the answer to."


One GOP lawmaker, however, who asked not to be named given that the depositions are happening behind closed doors, did not push back that Republicans are trying to figure out who the whistleblower is in the depositions.


"I think we would like to know — with whistleblower protections in mind — we would like to hear from the whistleblower and we would also like to know who the whistleblower talked to," the GOP lawmaker said. "We got one guy who is trying to bring down the President of the United States and we cannot even hear from that person."
In his opening statement, Vindman testified that he was so troubled by Trump's July phone call with Ukraine's President that he reported his concerns to a superior.

i mean, whatever. the republicans are so in the bag for trump, it's really astonishing when one steps back and tries to take it all in.

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2 minutes ago, sachick said:

When do we get televised hearings? Need to know when to get popcorn from Costco.

Maybe I should open a pop up popcorn delivery, "Partisan Popcorn Delivery" or "Impeachment Popcorn." A company where we deliver pop-corn in either a red or blue bag depending n your preference.   Actually I bet if you had a truck and kept a running counter red vs blue on the side of your truck you actually might be able to do some damage. Especially if you got social media rocking or some media coverage.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/29/politics/vindman-testimony-whistleblower-identity/index.html
(CNN)Democrats and Republicans got into a shouting match behind closed doors on Tuesday while interviewing a witness in the impeachment investigation, with Democrats accusing Republicans of trying to out the anonymous whistleblower who sparked the impeachment inquiry, according to five sources from both parties.
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff objected to a line of questioning from Republicans during the deposition of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council official in charge of Ukraine policy, charging that the GOP questions were part of an effort to out the whistleblower, sources said.

Republicans pushed back, arguing they were simply asking questions about who Vindman might have spoken with — and that it was not an effort to out the whistleblower.

The back-and-forth led to a heated exchange between Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California and GOP Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, according to multiple sources. Other members joined in.

Lawmakers said Vindman testified he did not know who the whistleblower was.

"What the Republicans are trying to do in there, very clearly in their questioning, is try to front-door or backdoor Lt. Col. Vindman into revealing who the whistleblower is, even though in his testimony, he said he didn't know," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat. "They are trying to, through the back door and through process of elimination by their questions, they are attempting to get him to reveal that, and they have been unsuccessful."

But Meadows pushed back on the Democratic accusations.

"How can we out someone when we don't know he is," Meadows told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

He said that the Democrats' accusations that Republicans are trying to out the whistleblower are "not accurate."

"I've not been on any fishing expedition," he said. "I only ask questions we know the answer to."

One GOP lawmaker, however, who asked not to be named given that the depositions are happening behind closed doors, did not push back that Republicans are trying to figure out who the whistleblower is in the depositions.

"I think we would like to know — with whistleblower protections in mind — we would like to hear from the whistleblower and we would also like to know who the whistleblower talked to," the GOP lawmaker said. "We got one guy who is trying to bring down the President of the United States and we cannot even hear from that person."
In his opening statement, Vindman testified that he was so troubled by Trump's July phone call with Ukraine's President that he reported his concerns to a superior.
i mean, whatever. the republicans are so in the bag for trump, it's really astonishing when one steps back and tries to take it all in.

Ok let’s say the whistle blower is Mickey Mouse and doesn’t exist. Shifty Schiff made him up. We still have what, 5 people and the memo, confirming what the fake whistleblower said. Throw out the statement from the whistleblower, and just listen to the people who testified. Republicans think this is a trial and they have to throw out all evidence because the whistleblower started this but they forget the memo. It wasn’t until the memo was released that an official inquiry started.
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18 minutes ago, sachick said:

i mean, whatever. the republicans are so in the bag for trump, it's really astonishing when one steps back and tries to take it all in.

Ok let’s say the whistle blower is Mickey Mouse and doesn’t exist. Shifty Schiff made him up. We still have what, 5 people and the memo, confirming what the fake whistleblower said. Throw out the statement from the whistleblower, and just listen to the people who testified. Republicans think this is a trial and they have to throw out all evidence because the whistleblower started this but they forget the memo. It wasn’t until the memo was released that an official inquiry started.

Even if it was a trial it wouldn't matter and the evidence wouldn't be thrown out.  No one cares who made the 911 call to report the crime, if the caller was biased against the criminal, or the caller is even human scum.  Hell, once the police arrive and find there was a crime and arrest the murderer, it's unlikely anyone ever is going to give a flying fuck about who called 911 in the first place.  

But the GOP just wants to throw enough shit out there to give their kool aid drinking base some talking points or questions to ask, ala Sheeit.

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13 minutes ago, lemonlime said:

Even if it was a trial it wouldn't matter and the evidence wouldn't be thrown out.  No one cares who made the 911 call to report the crime, if the caller was biased against the criminal, or the caller is even human scum.  Hell, once the police arrive and find there was a crime and arrest the murderer, it's unlikely anyone ever is going to give a flying fuck about who called 911 in the first place.  

But the GOP just wants to throw enough shit out there to give their kool aid drinking base some talking points or questions to ask, ala Sheeit.

not to mention the fact that the whistleblower's report was deemed not only credible, but urgent, by the trump appointee in charge of making that type of assessment.  everything in there was corroborated by several other people.  this isn't some angry-lone-nut never-trumper operating in the shadows.  this is clearly one person who finally said something, and gave cover for everyone else who had been biting their collective tongue.

up until now, there have been numerous "bad for trump" witnesses, and one "sorta maybe who knows" witness.  the second one just came back to straighten out his testimony, and is now a "bad for trump" witness like everybody else.

in fact, they've gotten progressively worse starting with bill taylor.  the thursday vote and move towards public proceedings is starting to make a lot of sense.

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How fitting is this.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/10/29/fundamentally-un-american-attacks-alexander-vindman/

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A documentary crew working for Ken Burns was exploring New York in the early 1980s, working on a feature about the Statue of Liberty as part of Burns’s “America” series. Near Brighton Beach, they found an elderly woman sitting on a bench with twin boys, then about 10 years old.

They'd come from Russia, from Kyiv, the twins told the camera, their explanations overlapping. “Our mother died, so we went to Italy,” one added, “and then we came here."

In the final version of the film, titled, “Statue of Liberty,” the twins begin a section of interviews with other immigrants to the United States: a woman from Austria, a couple from Italy, a man from Cuba who worked at Yankee Stadium. The through-line is obvious, even without historian David McCullough’s introduction to the segment.

“To me, the Statue of Liberty is like the light that’s left on back home,” he said. Being at the statue, he said, made “you feel something I think much more than just being an American. You feel the importance of being human. And you feel a kind of fraternal [bond] with everybody who has come here."

That’s when the film transitions to the twins, identified as having come from the Soviet Union — at that point, the fiercest international rival to the United States.

Above that identifier is the twins’ family name: the Vindmans.

The twins, Alexander and Yevgeny Vindman, both ended up working for the White House under President Trump. Both Vindmans served in the U.S. Army, and both rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Each now works for the National Security Council.
 

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9 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

 

And she definitely didn't marry him for the money.  She looks really in love there. 

She also isn't really a blonde,  but I figure you all weren't looking at her dye job.

 

What is house arrest exactly? Can he go clubbing? Play golf? Take a ride on a yacht? Meet with his pal, Rudy? The teens in our town remove their monitors.

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1 hour ago, Anastasis said:

You can still get first term impeachment shares for 0.80 on PI.  In case you want a little extra christmas money to throw around. 

Does it pay $1 ($0.20 profit)?  What's the vig? 

I've never messed with Predictit.  If it's $80 to make $20 I'd almost take the other side of the trade to hedge my emotional trauma.

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I think what the GOP really wanted was the power to subpoena witnesses.  The Resolution gives the minority chairs the right to request subpoenas, but this requires either the chair to concur, or for there to be a majority vote in the committee.  In other words, they need Democrats to subpoena witnesses.  

I think their end-game in the process challenge was to get the ability to call in witnesses for distraction and to slow the process.  They want to call the Bidens and Comey and the tooth fairy, and whoever else they can think of to derail the process.  The Democrats told them to slurp shit and die.  I approve that message. 

Edited by Tuco
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The resolution puts a couple of big buzzsaws in motion for trump and friends:

(1) Dem leaders issued a statement indicating public hearings will be held by the Intelligence Committee. So D questioning will be led by their strongest questioner by far (former federal prosecutor Adam Schiff), while Rs will be led by a bananapants insane conspiracy theorist who sues fake cows and is personally implicated in the matter under inquiry.

(2) Hearings will begin with up to 90 minutes of questioning from professional legal counsel, not politicians. To get an idea of how significant this is, look no further than Barry Berke's questioning of Corey Lewandowski last month regarding his role in the Mueller Report. Lewandowski had ensured the hearing was a clown show up to that point, but in just a short interview, Berke methodically extracted admissions from Lewandowski of multiple public lies, that he pled the fifth to Mueller to avoid testifying, that he was offered a bribe by the White House to talk to Sessions about unrecusing, and tried to meet privately with Sessions so there would be no record. Incidentally, Berke was just seen taking the elevator down to the Intelligence Committee SCIF.

Buckle up, buckaroos. It's gonna be an unproductive morning whenever there's a hearing on

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4 hours ago, Mdhorn said:

I wish I shared in your optimism but I simply can't believe that polling stations aren't rigged in some way.  They'll just shut down more stations, discredit ballots or purge voters but by hook or crook, it will not be a fair election.

They couldn’t stop Hillary from pulling in 3 million more votes.  

They couldn’t stop Obama from winning.  Twice.   

It’s far cheaper, easier, and less illegal to simply target your voting audience with fake news and tailor-made ads.   

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4 hours ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

He, um, misunderstood the question. Yeah, that's it. That's the ticket:

 

Trump is discovering that others are about as loyal to him, as he is to them.  And that millionaires and billionaires give no fucks about protecting him if it jeopardizes their freedom.  

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Wait, if there were two Aggies in the same room at the same time...even if one was walking out...then whatever happened in there is officially A&M tradition.  

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1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

In the minds of some Trumpkins, they probably picture him with a Ukrainian flag, or perhaps a yellow star.....

Half of them will probably see the picture and think he's wearing a Ukrainian military uniform. 

You see, these people are not very bright.

Edited by DixonHur
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6 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

Falsification of documents?

 

This seems like a bombshell. The transcript has been held out to be an accurate record of the call, some say "perfect," and those are usually precise readouts. Hasn't it been reported that these are usually created from a recording? 

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4 minutes ago, horncyclist said:

This seems like a bombshell. The transcript has been held out to be an accurate record of the call, some say "perfect," and those are usually precise readouts. Hasn't it been reported that these are usually created from a recording? 

Nobody thought the Trump memo was an accurate transcript.  For one thing, it was highly redacted.  Only Trump has been claiming its veracity.  

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Here's the explanation of the omissions. 

The omissions, Colonel Vindman said, included Mr. Trump’s assertion that there were recordings of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. discussing Ukraine corruption, and an explicit mention by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, of Burisma Holdings, the energy company whose board employed Mr. Biden’s son Hunter.

 

The rough transcript also contains ellipses at three points where Mr. Trump is speaking. Colonel Vindman told investigators that at the point of the transcript where the third set of ellipses appear, Mr. Trump said there were tapes of Mr. Biden.

The relevant part of the transcript with the third ellipses:

The other thing, There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it... It sounds horrible to me.

 

 

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2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

They couldn’t stop Hillary from pulling in 3 million more votes.  

They couldn’t stop Obama from winning.  Twice.   

It’s far cheaper, easier, and less illegal to simply target your voting audience with fake news and tailor-made ads.   

But each time they have upped the cheating. With Trump they began pulling out all the stops.  Trump has continued to break laws and I don't see any reason why he'd stop.  

Edited by Mdhorn
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25 minutes ago, Mdhorn said:

But each time they have upped the cheating. With Trump they began pulling out all the stops.  Trump has continued to break laws and I don't see any reason why he'd stop.  

It’s still easier to target the incels, MAGAs, etc. with the socialism crap in ads, fake news, etc,

There is a reason why so many Rs in Congress, and Trump, have talking points that seem to line up with Fox News.   

Edited by atomheartbevo
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