Former independent counsel and Fox News contributor Ken Starr argued that EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s public testimony Wednesday was a “bombshell” day.
During an interview on Fox News during a break in the hearing, Starr reacted to Sondland’s testimony by saying that the news “doesn’t look good” for President Trump. Sondland testified that he was pursuing Trump’s priorities when he pushed Ukraine for a public commitment to pursue the politicized investigations Trump wanted.
Starr also said that Sondland’s testimony brought the Ukraine pressure campaign “closer to the President” and that “it doesn’t look good for the President substantively.”
Starr then mentioned that House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) discussed the impeachment of former President Richard Nixon.
“We already have one article of impeachment and the third article of impeachment in the Richard Nixon situation is very clear, it’s very succinct, it’s very well done,” Starr said.
Starr added that “there will be articles of impeachment” and that Sondland’s testimony “has been one of those bombshell days.”
“I think we’ve known that. It was just confirmed today and then, substantively, what we heard from [Schiff] just now is: It’s over. We now know — this is his position — we now know that the President in fact committed the crime of bribery,” Starr said. “Something of value. That’s litigable, but I think articles of impeachment are being drawn up if they haven’t already been drawn up. So it depends, will it be bipartisan and so forth. So this obviously has been one of those bombshell days.”
Watch Starr’s remarks below:
Okay, Ken Starr did NOT say Trump is guilty of bribery. He said this was Chairman Schiff's position. "This is [Schiff's] position." pic.twitter.com/Wib90WW53t
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) November 20, 2019
When Starr says this stuff, on Fox News, trump is toast.
This is the biggest news of today. While a hack, Starr is their hack. He has been 100% on the “no impeachable act” line. He is a FOX rock-star. And he said (1) evidence for article of impeachment for bribery exists, (2) evidence for article on obstruction of justice exists, and (3) this may be a “republican senators go to the WH, as with Nixon” moment.
I want to be clear - Starr left some wiggle room about it being “litigatable” (i.e. an argument could be made this is not enough evidence) but this will give huge cover to Wallace/Baer, etc to try to pivot Fox into more news coverage, less propaganda. That is a big deal. There is a war at FOX, and Starr’s pivot will allow that faction to put pressure on Lachean and the board (Ryan) to start covering their bases.
“We now know that the President in fact committed the crime of bribery.”
Ken Starr. Holy fucking crap.
Touchdown, 49ers!
What Starr did not say was Sondland had more facts then he did during the entire Whitewater investigation.
Welp, there it is. Now it’s back to sleazy hotel management for Ambassador Epic Unravel.