Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) pitched President Donald Trump’s lawyers a curve ball Wednesday, asking a question that underscored the political motive behind Trump’s sudden interest in Ukrainian corruption.
The senators asked if Trump ever mentioned the Bidens in connection to corruption in Ukraine before the former Vice President announced his candidacy for president in April 2019.
Deputy Counsel to the President Patrick Philbin struggled to defuse the loaded question, spending some time explaining that his knowledge of what the President said comes only from the House’s limited inquiry and that some points were not “thoroughly pursued” in the record (he did not elaborate that the record was so curtailed because of the White House’s blocking of key administration figures from testifying).
Philbin eventually answered: “…I can’t point to something in the record that shows President Trump at an earlier time mentioning specifically something related to Joe or Hunter Biden.”
Philbin quickly pivoted to smearing the Bidens and rehashing Rudy Giuliani’s fact-finding mission.
The question, coming from those two senators, is significant. Trump’s alleged passion for cleaning up Ukrainian corruption has been a frequent defense from his lawyers by way of explaining why he held up the military aid. The query shows that these two lawmakers may not be buying it.
And while guessing at the thoughts behind the senators’ questions involves some measure of tea-leaf reading, this exchange reveals at least that they are actively engaging with testimony about Trump’s nefarious motives and willing to ask the President’s team unflattering questions.
For Republicans hoping to keep the caucus unified when it comes time to vote on witnesses, this small measure of rebellion is surely worrying.
Confab around the WH defense table: “Why are we taking incoming from our side of the aisle? That wasn’t in the playbook McTurtle gave us.”
I love it that the Trump lawyer blamed the House for the total lack of any documentation that Trump ever gave a rat’s ass about purported Ukranian corruption at any time in the past.
And of course the corollary question: Are there any other people in who the president has pursued corruption investigations?
I think they’ve given the game away. Yes votes from Murkowski, Collins, and Romney for calling witnesses - still not enough for a majority, so prepare for acquittal on Friday. In the meantime, watch the GOP and Trump’s lawyers continue their “red meat” attacks on the Bidens, Obama, and the “Democrat” party. That’ll be followed by the Super Bowl interview and a completely over-the-top and unhinged SOTU.
But as more info trickles out, I think we’ll find that the GOP greatly overplayed its hand in the impeachment trial and will be made to pay in November.
Yes, however, I’ll bet you a grand that they will vote in lockstep with the rest of the traitors.