***IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY HEARING NOV 21 THREAD 2***

[BumRushDaShow]

Thread #1 here - https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212713690

[BumRushDaShow]

1. Dr. Fiona Hill is up.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

4. RWNJs will go nuts over her accent

[hibbing]

7. My first thought too, you know it

Uh oh, and an elitist Harvard graduate too.


Peace

[hibbing]

55. "Big stuff" Himself, it's all he cares about n/t

[Pachamama]

2. What a beautiful strong voice....

[BumRushDaShow]

6. She just said she was born in the NE of England

(how can we tell? )

[BumRushDaShow]

3. She says she won't have a "long" opening statement.

[califootman]

8. This is a travesty!!

I could listen to that voice all day.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. And here is the thing that she mentioned that is true

She said she has a "working class accent" so within England that often limits her ability to move up... but she didn't have that issue here in the U.S.

Meaning to we in the U.S., she has a "British accent" and no matter the dialect (that Americans aren't cognizant of) - it's "Anglo-Saxon" (in quotes ).

I can even hear some Scottish brogue in there too (I used to work with a science advisor who was a Scot).

[polichick]

5. Next RepubliCON claim? "She sounds foreign - must be a spy."

Last edited Thu Nov 21, 2019, 11:54 AM - Edit history (1)

[Mersky]

9. Here's a link to David Holmes' opening statement

It's an important read:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/opening-statement-before-the-house-intelligence-committee-from-david-holmes/4f963fca-113d-43cb-a82a-15ea61c5c9a1/

[BumRushDaShow]

13. Thank you!!

[Mersky]

18. You're welcome!

[Shrike47]

122. Thank you for the link. It is very interesting and the Wa Post did not block me out with a pay wall.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. ...

[EarlG]

11. I didn't know Fiona Hill was born in England

She still has her Geordie accent

[Roland99]

16. From NYT live analysis....

Nicholas FandosCongressional Correspondent
It is kind of amazing how many immigrants or children of immigrants this impeachment inquiry has heard from: Hill. Yovanovitch. Vindman. Sondland.

[crickets]

41. Pointing out how much the US benefits from immigrants! nt

[Pachamama]

12. Well, there goes the argument and talking point she is an elitist from British Aristocracy....

Her family was poor and coal miners who came to the US to work in WV coal mines...

[Mike 03]

14. Dr. Hill seems very relaxed, and like somebody who has seen everything

and won't be intimidated by anyone. Almost like testifying here today is trivial compared to what she's experienced.

[H2O Man]

17. Definitely!

She is outstanding.

[H2O Man]

15. Recommended.

I could listen to Dr. Fiona Hill forever.

[Pachamama]

23. I know - me too!

Seriously - it is such a great voice I want to add it to the voice of Matthew McConaughy for my Calm app... I mean this in a completely serious and positive way...

[H2O Man]

25. I love that

Chairman Schiff just said the republicans are uncomfortable with what she is saying!

[Pachamama]

44. Correct - the content of what she says is making them squirm in their seats

Gee...could it be because she is telling them they are defending the Russians?

And that she is an expert who is credible?

And strong and smart....

[H2O Man]

52. It will be fun

to see if the usual shit-splatters on the republican side try to challenge her.

[Roland99]

34. In the movie, Dr. Hill to be played by Madeleine Stowe

I'm totally picturing Madeleine's voice from Last of the Mohicans when Nathaniel is trying to get Colonel Munro to let the men leave to protect their homes and she comes in to his defense.

[Bayard]

54. Good choice!

[H2O Man]

62. Perfect!

I think that was her most outstanding movie. Loved it. (I was at Onondaga when they were seeking "extras" for the movie, another reason I love it to this day. And, of course, I always admired Russell Means.)

[Roland99]

74. Oh sweet!

Yeah. It’s a fave of mine

[Hermit-The-Prog]

19. the plot so far (Thursday toons) ...

If you missed them, Thursday TOONs are a quick way to get an outline of how we got here.

[demmiblue]

20. Hill: "Our nation is being torn apart. Truth is questioned. Our highly professional and expert...

Hill: "Our nation is being torn apart. Truth is questioned. Our highly professional and expert career foreign service is being undermined."

[BumRushDaShow]

22. Hill is done. Now the 45-minute sessions are up. Schiff first.

[BumRushDaShow]

24. Schiff is DESTROYING the bullshit GOP "Russian Report"

[Hermit-The-Prog]

29. he said the Republican House report was an "outlier" and I heard "LIAR" :)

[BumRushDaShow]

30. Yup!!!

[crickets]

43. +1

[Mersky]

26. Mind blown: Link to Fiona Hill's opening statement

https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/opening-statement-before-the-house-intelligence-committee-from-fiona-hill-former-white-house-russia-expert/1f09eb68-7869-47be-9f5a-95b86968465a/

[Pachamama]

47. Everyone should read this....

Thanks for posting!

[Mersky]

68. Both opening statements are must reads!

And you're very welcome! Am so glad to, really.

[asiliveandbreathe]

27. This whole disgusting admin and the pos supporters couldn't

carry Fiona Hill's sweat..the saying Russians are coming...the republicans and this admin, the Russians are here....

Fiona Hill..will NOT put up with their Russian propaganda...she takes my breathe away with her story..

Why does the movie "How Green Was My Valley" come to mind..

[Arkansas Granny]

28. I like the way she called attention to all of Hillary's positions in government.

[BumRushDaShow]

31. She is really clarifying how Russia operates and why they would pick Ukraine

to point the blame away from themselves.

[Miles Archer]

32. "THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE RUSSIANS WERE HOPING FOR..."

Quick...someone check Nunes' shorts for damage.

Ms. Hill is ripping the whole "the Russians didn't do it" narrative to shreds. and Schiff is backing her up, and now asking her about Russia blaming it on Ukraine...Hill responds "WELL, THAT IS ABSOLUTELY THE CASE."

[Happy Hoosier]

33. Any GrOPer who messes with her.....

... is gonna have their ass handed to them.

[demmiblue]

35. Damn, Dr. Hill is impressive!

[SKKY]

36. Ain't even gonna lie y'all. I'm kinda crushing on Dr. Fiona Hill right now.

Super, super smart, and very well spoken.

[Roland99]

37. Schiff bringing up (indirectly) Hannity as being involved in this

[BumRushDaShow]

38. Schiff questioning Holmes-

"Do as we say not what we do" - regarding Drumpf telling Ukraine to investigate "corruption" yet the U.S. wants Ukraine to investigate the U.S. President's rival.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

39. ends with "they got caught" HA!

[BumRushDaShow]

45. Yeah I almost posted that too!

because he referenced his "colleagues" having suddenly discovered that term.

[BumRushDaShow]

40. Schiff has now handed off questioning to Daniel Goldman (House Intelligence Dems counsel)

[Ninga]

42. I hope she rolls over MooMoo and crushes his tiny balls. Nt

[madaboutharry]

46. Earlier on MSNBC: "Dr. Hill does not suffer fools."

I am looking forward to what happens when some of these republicans ask her bullshit questions.

[crickets]

51. Castor is going to have a very bad no good day today.

Hill is sharp - neither Castor nor any of the Repubs are going to get any nonsense past her.

[Wawannabe]

118. Ikr!

Nailed it!

[BumRushDaShow]

48. Goldman has Holmes clarifiy about what were considered "sensitive issues"

that Zelensky had apparently been quoted as mentioning and Holmes confirmed that it apparently had to do with the Burisma/Biden issue.

[Roland99]

49. Partisan Lawyers Seize Leading Roles in Impeachment Hearings

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/19/us/politics/house-impeachment-lawyers-goldman-castor.html

The Democrats’ lawyer is a former assistant United States attorney with little love for the president.
The Democrats’ lawyer, Daniel S. Goldman, joined the House Intelligence Committee earlier this year, bringing expertise in prosecuting criminals and mobsters as a former assistant United States attorney in New York. Mr. Goldman, a 43-year-old father of five, is also well-versed in talking about investigations into President Trump as a paid legal expert on MSNBC. Republicans who have spent dozens of hours with Mr. Goldman sequestered in the Intelligence Committee’s basement offices conceded they had come to have a grudging respect for his work.

Mr. Goldman has been open about his low opinion of Mr. Trump. In a Twitter post last December, Mr. Goldman compared Mr. Trump to mob bosses he had prosecuted, saying “Mob bosses are far smarter and way more savvy and discrete than Trump.”

That same month, he wrote that the president, “doesn’t care about the country, just himself. Shameful.” He used the hashtag #TrumpResign and LOL-ed in response to one of Mr. Trump’s many “Witch Hunt!” tweets.

...

In questioning key witnesses in private depositions and in public, Mr. Goldman brings the staccato cadence of a seasoned prosecutor, often asking witnesses questions that would elicit “yes” or “no” responses. His years in the high profile United States attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York and his time on MSNBC prepared him for the spotlight of the televised impeachment proceedings.

[crickets]

65. Really? NYT is going to talk about this as though it's party politics as usual?

[BumRushDaShow]

50. Goldman now having Holmes go through the whole outdoor restaurant phone call fiasco

[BumRushDaShow]

53. Goldman having Holmes going through what "Big stuff" meant

and Holmes had asked Sondland what that meant - and the response was the "Biden" thing.

[crickets]

56. Showing just what a venal, shallow president we have. *sigh* nt

[asiliveandbreathe]

61. Total recall...the table, 2 tables of 2 pushed together, close enough

to share an appetizer..magnificent..I'm in awe...

[BumRushDaShow]

66. Yup - I could visualize that!

[hibbing]

69. How absolutely pathetic n/t

[catbyte]

57. The other side of the panel must be plotzing right now.

[onecaliberal]

58. This is perhaps the most damning day. Wrapping it all in a nice little bow.

[Mersky]

59. "Big stuff like the Biden investigation that giuliani is pushing"

Is what Sondland replied when Holmes asked him to clarify 'big stuff'.

[avebury]

60. Dr Hill is way beyond

totally amazing. I totally hope that the Rethugs are stupid enough to go after her so that we can watch her totally smack them down.

Is there a state we can get her to move to so she can run for US Senate?

[earthside]

63. Schiff and Democrats have been brilliant.

These two witnesses are absolutely the most perfect to wrap-up the last two weeks of testimony.

Holmes and Hill are presenting a great summary.

[BumRushDaShow]

64. Goldman - asking Hill about her calls with Presidents

and whether she had ever heard anything like what has been described.

And she was about to invoke Executive Privilege and her lawyer had an exchange with Goldman about narrowing the answer to the "unclassified" part of what happened with this particular call.

[hlthe2b]

67. I was exhausted after yesterday's marathon hearings & debates. But this is riveting!

I hope all who can, ARE watching/listening.

[mucifer]

71. It's been 12 or 13 million per day. I wish it was more However

people may be watching it later on youtube people do have to work.

[Roland99]

81. Across all networks?

ABC/NBC/CBS generally draw 6-9 million viewers each for their evening news programs (lowest rated still millions more than Faux has on cable)

[mucifer]

88. all the networks together is around 13 million. Here is a link:

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/tv-ratings-impeachment-hearings-day-3-1203410834/

It's not yesterday's ratings. I don't think we have that yet

[Roland99]

107. Interesting how low broadcast networks are in that

guess cable choices are more prevalent 9-5

[The_Counsel]

121. Wait...So Nunes DIDN'T Know What the Hell He Was Talking About...??

...when he said that the ratings are/were in the crapper???

Surprise!

...

...

...okay, not really.

[jayfish]

91. That's Pretty Good For Non-Prime Time.

This also doesn't take into account live streaming and radio listeners.

[Mike 03]

72. Same here. I was totally wiped out last night but feel re-energized by this! nt

[Hermit-The-Prog]

96. I need to get some work done outside, but can't leave this

[hlthe2b]

70. Matthew Miller on Nune's idiocy....LOL

Link to tweet

[Roland99]

77. lol

[BumRushDaShow]

73. Wanted to add that Goldman wanted Holmes opinion of Yushchenko

(former President) and Holmes felt that he was engaging in corruption.

[crickets]

79. The description of his corruption sounds just like another corrupt leader we know. nt

[BumRushDaShow]

80. Yup, which is what I think he was trying to show.

[crickets]

85. Yep. I am so tired, I'm gonna be connecting ALL the super obvious dots today.

[BumRushDaShow]

89. ....

[BumRushDaShow]

75. Goldman going through the timeline about getting TupPence to go to Ukraine.

[blaze]

76. My guess on GOP strategy

They'll ask Hill questions they know are protected by executive privilege, so she can't answer anything.

[BumRushDaShow]

78. And so PA decides to put an EAS test in the middle of CSPAN3 on Comcast.

[mucifer]

83. Happened yesterday on PBS Chicago. I just switched to another channel

Lots to choose from and I don't have cable tv

[BumRushDaShow]

87. I know - am typing and switching tabs

and decided to wait it out.

Thankfully all this stuff is archived so I can always go back to it (back in the day I would have been taping all of this ).

[Mersky]

92. Nooo they didn't. Really? Gah.

That’s just not cool. Would think they’d delay that. Sheesh.

[BumRushDaShow]

95. They have done these at all times of the day and night

But now was not the time.

[jayfish]

81. The Dems Handling of "CrowdStrike" and "The Server" Is Not Good Enough.

They need to dedicate 15 minutes worth of questioning to dismantle this crap. What good does it do to simply say "it has no basis in fact" when Nunenuts and his cadre just bring it up as a real thing 15 minutes later. It must be burned to the ground.

[crickets]

90. +1

[BumRushDaShow]

84. Goldman asked Hill about what she thought Bolton meant by describing Ghouliani as a "hand grenade"

and she confirmed that it was because Ghoul was on TV all the time making all kinds of incendiary and explosive comments.

[riversedge]

86. Fiona Hill: Ukraine election meddling is a "fictional narrative" told by Russia

31 min ago
Fiona Hill: Ukraine election meddling is a "fictional narrative" told by Russia

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/impeachment-hearing-11-21-19/index.html

Former White House Russia expert Fiona Hill will tell the House Intelligence Committee that the idea that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 US presidential election is a "fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services."

Here's what she will say, according to a copy of her prepared remarks:

"Based on questions and statements I have heard, some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country — and that perhaps, somehow, for some reason, Ukraine did," she will say.

Hill will continue:
""This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves."
"

[Hermit-The-Prog]

111. needs to be an OP

[OAITW r.2.0]

93. Goldman and Hill are really going after Nune's core talking points.

Hill categorically denied that there was any evidence of Crowdstrike/Biden corruption in the Ukraine. Holmes says this is a tactic that strongly implicates Russian, and gives the reason's why this Republican talking points(s) benefit Russia.


Who you gonna believe? Trump/Nunes/Jordan.....or Hill and Holmes? No contest.

I wonder if Putin put the gameplan in play at the Helsinki secret meeting?

[BumRushDaShow]

94. Goldman asking Hill about the CT crap from Ghouliani with Burisma/Biden.

And confirmed that Ghouliani repeatedly that "Burisma" meant the "Bidens".

[hlthe2b]

97. Don't miss this bit (sure to get a major rise from Nunes later)

Link to tweet

[crickets]

99. Kash Patel really should be dragged in to testify. That'd toast Nunes' chestnuts. nt

[Roland99]

105. Kashyap Patel, Main Author of Secret Memo, Is No Stranger to Quarrels

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/us/politics/kashyap-patel-nunes-memo.html

Feb. 2, 2018

WASHINGTON — Kashyap Patel is a lawyer who has sometimes run afoul of the rules.

As a lawyer in Florida, Mr. Patel, 37, entered and then dropped out of a charity bachelor auction featuring some colleagues after a blogger pointed out that his license to practice in the state appeared out of date. In 2016, as a counterterrorism prosecutor for the Justice Department, he was berated by a federal judge who then issued an “Order on Ineptitude” directed at the entire agency. And over the summer, in a trip arranged outside official channels, he traveled to London, where he tried unsuccessfully to meet with Christopher Steele, the author of the dossier that purported to details links between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to multiple people with knowledge of the trip.

After less than a year as a Republican staff member on the House Intelligence Committee, Mr. Patel has found himself in the middle of another controversy. According to congressional sources, he is the primary author of the politically charged memo, released on Friday by the committee chairman, Representative Devin Nunes, over the opposition of the F.B.I. and the intelligence community, that accuses federal officials of bias against President Trump.

Democrats, led by Representative Adam B. Schiff, the ranking minority member on the committee, were scathing in their criticism of both the report and the decision to release it to the public.

...

Over the summer, Mr. Nunes dispatched Mr. Patel and another member of the committee’s Republican staff to London, where they showed up unannounced at the offices of Mr. Steele, a former British intelligence official.

Told Mr. Steele was not there, Mr. Patel and Douglas E. Presley, a professional staff member, managed to track him down at the offices of his lawyers. There, they said they were seeking only to establish contact with Mr. Steele, but were rebuffed and left without meeting him, according to two people with knowledge of the encounter.

[crickets]

110. Thanks for all of the info links you're posting today!

[Roland99]

112. my pleasure...glad I'm able to do it!

[herding cats]

120. Somehow I'd forgotten about Patel's involvement in this.

I heard his name and ran in to rewind and soak it all in. It will definitely be a fire under Nunes that they went there.

[BumRushDaShow]

98. Hill describing discussions of her Bolton and others with Ukrainians

re: Energy sector and other reforms and then talks about how the Ukrainians started asking about the "meeting" with the President. She noted that Bolton pushed back and tried to change the subject.... And then Sondland butted in and declared that a "meeting" would occur - which caused Bolton to stiffen.

Sondland then told her that this had been discussed with Mulvaney.

[crickets]

104. Sounds like they were running around Bolton as well. These people were nuts.

Did they really think no one, none of the professional around them, would figure out their game and push back? Mind boggles every time the story is told.

[BumRushDaShow]

106. They didn't care.

What we are seeing out is how "business people" operate.

THEY "make the rules". The federal government does NOT operate that way and so here we are with the "clash of culture" - "business vs government".

[Roland99]

109. Sondland trying to play top rooster?

[BumRushDaShow]

113. Yup. He and Ghouliani were prancing around like roosters (with Ghoul doing it on TV)

[Roland99]

114. The resemblance to Rudy is UNCANNY!

[BumRushDaShow]

115. ...

[crickets]

116. Nailed it! nt

[BumRushDaShow]

100. Bolton asked Hill to have a "meeting after the meeting"

and told her to go to the lawyers (Eisenberg) and to tell the lawyers that Bolton didn't want to be a part of that "drug deal".

[BumRushDaShow]

101. ***IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY HEARING NOV 21 THREAD 3*** UP

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212714301

[BumRushDaShow]

102. ****45 MINUTE RECESS FOR VOTES****

[Mersky]

103. mark meadows is seated back and to the right of Hill in the gallery

So any claims that he doesn't know xzy, or pulls any stunts involving ignorance of Hill's testimony, he'll have to explain what the heck he was doing there.

[asiliveandbreathe]

108. I am stunned by this testimony..Hill and Holmes.....

I wonder if there are enough red taxis in DC as ALL the admin must be haling at this time...

[joost5]

117. Benghazi VS Russia probe

Link to tweet

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1197298747136450560&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailykos.com%2Fstory%2F2019%2F11%2F20%2F1900872%2F-Check-out-this-unintentionally-hilarious-Donald-Trump-tweet

[Mersky]

119. Oh, that's really good. Recommended.

There should be no contest whatsoever.