Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) has a new defense of Donald Trump, which is that Trump sucks at extortion, so he can’t be impeached.
In his opening statement at the Fiona Hill hearing, Nunes said:
It is clear why the Democrats have been forced on to the carousel of allegations. President Trump had good reason for fears of widespread corruption. President Trump didn’t even know aid had been paused and repeatedly said there was nothing wrong with the deserve. The aid resumed without the actions they were supposedly coerced into doing.
Aid to Ukraine under President Trump has been more robust than it was under President Obama. As numerous witnesses have testified temporary holds on foreign aid occur fairly frequently for many different reasons. How do were have an impeachable offense here when there is no misdeed and no one claiming to be a victim. The Democrats have tried to solve this with a simple slogan “He got caught.”
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Nunes’s main point that Trump’s hold on the Ukraine aid is a regular occurrence was debunked by Wednesday’s witness, Laura Cooper, who said that the aid had cleared the congressionally mandated corruption review months before Trump froze it.
Rep. Nunes’s claim that Trump has give more “robust” aid to Ukraine is also not true. Trump didn’t willingly give military aid to Ukraine. Mick Mulvaney tried to block the Javelin missiles because the White House was worried about Russia’s reaction.
The theme of today’s ever-shifting Trump impeachment defense is that Donald Trump can’t be impeached, because he sucks at extortion.
Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
