The White House’s memorandum of the July 25 call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky put words in the Ukrainian president’s mouth that he never said, a White House official testified this week.
The official was Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Vindman testified some of the conversation between the leaders had been ommitted in the memorandum of the call released by the White House.
But the Post’s report goes further: Not only did the record omit words of Zelensky’s regarding the natural gas company on whose board Joe Biden’s son sat, it also included a new phrase in its place that the Ukraininan President never said.
During the call, according to Vindman’s reported testimony, Zelensky referred to the natural gas company by its name, Burisma, and acknowledged that Trump wanted the Bidens to be investigated.
Instead, the White House memorandum reflects the leader saying to Trump, “the company that you mentioned in this issue.”
If they were going to fabricate a conversation, they might at least have left the Bidens out of it entirely. As Charles Pierce wrote at the time, “Jesus H. Christ on work-release, this is what they thought they could put out there?” Only Trump could be inept enough to fabricate evidence and still implicate himself.
I’m still suspicious of a lot of the words the memo of the July 25 attribute to Zelensky. I wrote when the memo was released that “It sounds too much like what Trump would have wanted Zelensky to say.” Passages like this …
I just wanted to assure you once again that you have nobody but friends around us. I will make sure that I surround myself with the best and most experienced people. I also wanted to ·tell you that we are friends. We are great friends and you Mr. President have friends in our country so we can continue our strategic·partnership. I also plan to surround myself with great people and in addition to that investigation, I guarantee as the President of Ukraine that all the investigations will be done openly and candidly. That I can assure you.
… that President Zelensky is said to have said just sounds like Trump to me, albeit with grammar and syntax corrected.
DALLAS, TX – SEPTEMBER 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the American Airlines Center on September 14, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. More than 20,000 tickets have been distributed for the event. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
… to say nothing of all those ellipses. We should hope with all our hearts President Self-Incrimination goes on teevee to give us a "fireside chat" reading.
I noticed the similarity of speech between Trump and Zelensky, but I just assumed Zelensky was speaking Trumpese in order to acquiesce to Trump's shakedown demands in the most agreeable fashion possible. I wouldn't have been surprised if Zelensky had said that he would conduct an investigation of Hunter Biden like the world has never seen.
When you are being shaken down it's extremely important not to anger your extortionist because even the slightest hint of non compliance with their demands could cause them to inflict a much greater burden upon you. Although there are some extortionists who get off in a sadistic sort of way when you really whine and protest about the injustice being inflicted upon them. It's called power tripping. That's where they derive pleasure from making somebody grovel.
If you notice, Trump has a tendency to point out that characteristic with his constant mentions of so and so begging him for a job, an appointment, an endorsement, or any situation where he gets to dispense his power.
Just to add to this comment think back to Trump's public humiliation of Mitt Romney.. A candle light dinner where Romney was cast in a feminine role and in supplication to Trump for the Secretary of State position only to be dismissed after the photo op as a looser who couldn't meet Trump's standards of excellence. Not to mention that Trump had the menu composed of some feminine French food with portions served up in the equivalence of the portions you would feed a baby rabbit.
"Only Trump could be inept enough to fabricate evidence and still implicate himself."
LOL. Thank you, maha! You have improved my day.
I think CNN and MSNBC should offer prime time to Trump to read the transcript.
Hearkens to the Obama moment, "Please, proceed."
JAAAAAAAAAZOOS C. KEEEEEEERIST drunk on his own sacramental "transubstantiated" blood!!!!!
If tRUMP doesn't destroy civilization, we'll really need to thank our favorite diety, dieties, our lucky stars, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, that tRUMP is a stupid, inept, and ignorant wannabe Authoritarian bobo! And that his bobo MAGA minions are at least stupid, inept, and ignorant as he is!
And what we'll need to do first if we do survive, is educate normal people and, somehow or other, tRUMP's MAGA zombies about the dangers of the "Nazification" of representative democracies like America!
Germany after WWI had a representative democracy, a unique culture, a history of great works of art, literature, and music, and a much more educated populace than we Americans have. But despite all of that, Hitler became a Dictator from within the laws and political system of Germany, and ended up destroying his own country, much of Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa: All in the name of racial purity and superiority!
"Racial purity and superiority." Sound familiar, RepubliKKKLan and KKKonservative "MORANS!!!"?
If we Americans don't learn to live together peacefully, ASAP, a much smarter and skillful Authoritarian politician will soon follow tRUMP's divide and conquer gameplan, and become the Dictator tRUMP dreams of being! And yes, " it can happen here!" And it has been happening here. What's saved us so far, is that tRUMP is a dim/half/nit/fuck-wit! And so are his acolytes!
We need to be on the lookout for a smarter and more competent Authoritarian. If we don't, we'll have "tRUMP II: Nuclear Annihilation Boogaloo!" Russia and Hungary are lost causes for now, but the rest of Europe and the world need to work with us to end the "Putinization" and "tRUMPification of their own countries.
He or she is out there right now in America, taking notes, and getting ready their racist verbal crowbar to divide that which is already proven to be easily divisible: America.
Stay vigilant!
Zelensky isn't saying anything. He's so traumatized by Trump's shakedown all he can think to say is, no pressure, no pressure! He's so thoroughly done that Trump is even taunting him by asking the press to ask him if he's been pressured. It's a classic tendency exhibited in all of Trump's victims.. Look at Donna Rice, she was so traumatized by her experience with Trump that she never peeped a word a word about him or the ordeal she had to endure in the time Trump had her in his clutches.
Same goes for Ivana, she once tried to reassert her worth as a human being, but Donald smacked her back down again with a threat of economic devastation and personal destruction for daring to challenge his ability to destroy whoever crosses his path or violates one of his non disclosure agreements. "Oh, he didn't rape me, he just didn't show his normal affection and husbandly tenderness. The rule is keep your head down and your mouth shut once Trump decides to discard you. Next!
Now there is an email in where Michael Cohen is warned that his failure to lie and cover up for Trump's illegal activities will result in the Donald withdrawing his 'LOVE'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQD3At3E7TA
Don't take your love from me,
Don't leave my heart in misery… Or leave rotting in a jail cell on your behalf.
If it looks like a big bag of shit, and smells like a big bag of shit, it probably Donald J Trump.
Correction.. it wasn't Donna Rice, it was Marla Maples who Trump partied over and that I was referring to
I get a little confused at times. It comes with age. Wasn't Donna Rice one of Rudy's conquests? No, maybe she was the monkey business girl involved with Gary Hart? Well my apologies to her, whoever she is, for labeling her in the company of Trump.
I'm still trying to sort things out. Wasn't the name of the woman who Rudy jilted named Donna also?..I'm not too clear on the details, but I do remember Rudy dumped her ass in public. Those were the days when Rudy had to beat the babes off with a stick. Old dashing Rudy, the days when every women wanted to Rudy's arm candy.
Mother nature sure did a job on old Rudy. He's incurred the wrath of mother nature? Now he's looking like the Crypt Keeper, and any woman who would want to be seen with him attached along side them would only want him if they were attending a horror-con convention and their co-character is supposed to be Attica, the sentinel guarding the river Styx.
You should check out his TV series. It will shed great light on how he has to deal with Trump. Also, it is very funny!