Who paid Rudy Giuliani?

There are reports that he was paid $500K for his work in the Ukraine. Where did he get the money?

Lev Parnas is reported to have paid him for his legal services but Parnas did not have that kind of money laying around? So who was financing Lev Parnas?

It is suspected that Dmytry Firtash, an oligarch and close friend of Vladimir Putin, is financing the Giuliani-led project in Ukraine.

It has been reported that Putin gave Firtash a line of credit of $11B to work on political projects in the Ukraine.

So, where is the money coming from?

Most people are betting it came from Moscow.

"I'm not a crook."

Bribery, Treason, and other High Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Which one of those does not yet fit the charges for Articles of Impeachment?

We might think there has been no "treason", so we would not include that charge? In my opinion, it is just a matter of time before treason is exposed. Donald Trump has appeared to be compromised from his very first day in office. How probable that he could turn out to be a Russian asset?

What are the odds?

The discredited and dishonorable William Barr promptly disposed of the Mueller Report...

...and the Trump supporters accepted his verdict as if it had been written on a stone.

He was wrong then and he is still wrong. He acted as if he were the attorney for Donald Trump, rather than the American people? Once the truth is known, he may be guilty of serious crimes?

But his declaration did nothing to change the facts of the Mueller Report. There was sworn evidence from many witnesses of serious crimes, including abuse of power and multiple incidents of obstruction of justice. Those did not disappear just because Mr Barr chose to throw it in the trash can.

As much as Mr Trump and his supporters want to pretend that there was nothing in the Mueller Report and that it cleared him of all charges, that is not the reality.

My hope is that Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats will send all those charges to the Senate for adjudication in a Senate trial. After all, all the witnesses were under oath when they gave their testimony to Mr Mueller. There is no need to further interview them or to put them under oath again.

Let the Senate dispose of Mr Mueller's Report in a Senate trial, just as if were a court of law.

"Bring me a Coke"...

"Lie for me".

"Throw yourself under the bus for me".

"Degrade yourself for me".

"Break the laws for me".

"Be willing to do anything and everything for me. Humiliate yourself for me".

" Be willing to take a bullet for the Dear Leader".

Be ready to die for him. Because he would do nothing for you. You are disposable. If you cannot help cover up his crimes, then you are worthless.

Republicans know their role.

I doubt that we will ever have another president like Donald Trump in our lifetimes.

Some Congresspeople are concerned about what might happen with future presidents if Donald Trump is permitted to get away with his criminal conduct?

Hopefully, the American people will never elect another president so lacking in principles and scruples as Donald J Trump.

The question at hand is, what to do with a president that is breaking the laws and defying the Constitution at this time? That is what will determine how presidents might act in the future?

What the Republicans accomplished today?

In my opinion, they have successfully prolonged this impeachment investigation. Everybody knows Mr Trump is a liar. Everybody knows that he puts his own interests over the interests of our country. Knowing his capabilities and his lack of character, Democrats have no choice but to continue the investigation until the truth is uncovered.

It is obvious that the Republicans are intent on making the investigation about everything except the acts and deeds of Donald J Trump. One "little phone call" is not enough to impeach.

The Democrats are left with the challenge of exposing more information on Mr Trump before they can feel confident in filing their Articles of Impeachment. The Republicans are obstructing their effort in the only way they know. Divert the attention away from Mr Trump and toward the Whistleblower, Barack Obama, or Hunter Biden, or someone totally irrelevant to the investigation.

The gamble for the Republicans is that this story is very fluid and can change from day to day and hour to hour. They have no idea what shoe may drop next? The Roger Stone trial, for example, has not helped Mr Trump at all. It shows that Mr Trump may have lied to the Special Counsel during his written testimony?

Personally, I would be surprised to see this investigation over by Christmas. Because the deeper they begin to dig, the more they are going to discover that needs investigation.

Inviting Erdogan to the White House today is a slap in the face of all of America.

Not just the Democrats, but all of America.

This is the autocrat that Trump made a deal with, in which he gave up the Kurds for a few oil wells and the capture of al Babgdadi. A betrayal to us all.

The last visit here, Erdogan's goons beat up a bunch of protesters. Perhaps there should be some cops, and perhaps a military unit, when they come to town this time?

The disrespect that Mr Trump shows toward our institutions, our laws, and our Constitution is simply over-whelming. It is difficult to put into words.

The Democrats will attempt to get the facts to the American people today.

However, expectations are that the Republicans will attempt to distract, disrupt, and divert attention somewhere else?

It is important that the American people get the facts and the truth. It is too important to simply shrug our shoulders and say, "So what?"

This is a time for true Americans to step forward. Which is the best direction for our country to go? In the direction of Donald Trump and his base following? Or with the facts and the rule of law? It should be an easy decision.

Unfortunately, it's a cult of personality. They are drawn to the most vile instincts. They are willing to overlook the facts, if the facts are in conflict with their esteemed leader.

It is a huge task that the Democrats face. They will likely finish up in a couple of weeks and present the Articles of Impeachment to the usually somnolent Senate.

Today is just the first step in the big job ahead.

What does "this for that" mean to you?

What does "bribery" mean to you?

What does "extortion" mean to you?

If "quid pro quo" means "this for that", how harmless is that term?

Words have meaning.

(I will trade you "this" piece of cherry pie for "that" bowl of strawberry ice cream)