Ambassador Taylor Testifies To Quid Pro Quo With Ukraine

If banana Republicans weren't in charge of the Senate and other levers of power, this would be game (the phone call "transcript"), set (Mick Mulvaney's confession), match in the impeachment inquiry:

The senior U.S. diplomat in Ukraine said Tuesday he was told release of military aid was contingent on public declarations from Ukraine that it would investigate the Bidens and the 2016 election, contradicting President Trump’s denial that he used the money as leverage for political gain.

Acting ambassador William B. Taylor Jr. testified behind closed doors in the House impeachment probe of Trump that he stands by his characterization that it was “crazy” to make the assistance contingent on investigations he found troubling. [snip]

Taylor said he spoke to Ambassador Gordon Sondland, the U.S. envoy to the European Union.

“During that phone call, Amb. Sondland told me that President Trump had told him that he wants President [Volodymyr] Zelensky to state publicly that Ukraine will investigate Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election,” Taylor said in the statement.  [snip]

 “Amb. Sondland also told me that he now recognized that he had made a mistake by earlier telling the Ukrainian officials to whom he spoke that a White House meeting with President Zelensky was dependent on a public announcement of investigations — in fact, Amb. Sondland said, ‘everything’ was dependent on such an announcement, including security assistance,’” Taylor told House investigators.

 “He said that President Trump wanted President Zelensky ‘in a public box’ by making a public statement about ordering such investigations."  (our emphasis)

Let's see the amoral cowards spin this away.

Here's where you can read Amb. Taylor's opening statement.