It's not a transcript.

[Econoline]

[Lord Jim]

Sondland basically had a choice between taking the 5th or singing like a canary...

Looks like he's in particularly good voice...

[ex-khobar Andy]

According to one of the R interrogators, in the context of it being US policy to be careful with foreign aid tax dollars, GW Bush ended aid to 35 countries because they did not support the International Criminal Court. As the US does not recognize ICC this is very odd. I can find no reference to it but maybe I'm asking Mr Gooooooooogle the wrong question. Anyone know what he meant?

[ex-khobar Andy]

Another of the R interrogators asked for a recent Washington Post piece to be placed in the record. Apparently this gave Three Pinocchios to the claim that the whistleblower had protection from being called as a witness. I haven't read that piece (I don't have a WaPo subscription) so I won't get into the rights or wrongs of this view. But I don't think that defenders of this President really want to open that Pinocchio* box.

*This could be called an exercise in nose waving. We all know who wins that one.

[Econoline]

[RayThom]

[Econoline]

[wesw]

fi0na hill s 0pening statement

[BoSoxGal]

Fuck you wesw

[Lord Jim]

Just like the loser collaborationists on Capitol Hill who are reduced to making pathetic non-argument diversions, wes has nothing of substance to add, because there's simply no way to make a substantive rebuttal to this mountain of credible evidence from highly credible witnesses...

Wes has gone all-in supporting a constitution-loathing autocratic crook, and he just simply can't bring himself to confront that reality...

[ex-khobar Andy]

Fiona Hill for President. She'll take no shit from anyone.

[Lord Jim]

Very impressive lady...

[wesw]

little miss MI=6 seems fully filled with shit, and herself, in my view.....
....I can say that she will never be president...

[Big RR]

FWIW, I've been impressed with most of the career foreign service personnel in these hearings; having been deposed about a dozen times (and taken many depositions as well) and having testified in court and arbitration hearings, I am impressed with their demeanor and how they answered the questions. These people are much more intelligent and capable than I have previosuly given them credit for.

As for the republican committee members, not so much; but then they really don't have all that much to work with, do they? If I hear one more time about the whistle blower not being identified (the deep throat cartoon in another thread is right on point) I think I'll throw up.

As for Hill, I enjoying watching her shut Wenstrup up right now, showing she has no agenda in the hearings. I'm impressed.

[wesw]

I just checked ABC....

...General H0spital is playing....



h0ld 0n... I ll check CBS...

the talk, is 0n....



nbc has the hearings...., brav0...., I guess....

[Lord Jim]

Yeah wes, you and your fellow Trumpanzees really have to pin your hopes on the American people not being informed of the facts...

It's all you've got left...

[RayThom]

Very impressive lady...

That's "Dr." Fiona Hill.

David Holmes' testimony hasn't been too shabby, either.

As someone who has functioned with dyslexia and APD since my early teen years I am always in awe with those who can so articulately and precisely relate under pressure.

That's why they're there, and I'm here.

[ex-khobar Andy]

FWIW, I've been impressed with most of the career foreign service personnel in these hearings; having been deposed about a dozen times (and taken many depositions as well) and having testified in court and arbitration hearings, I am impressed with their demeanor and how they answered the questions. These people are much more intelligent and capable than I have previosuly given them credit for.

As for the republican committee members, not so much; but then they really don't have all that much to work with, do they? If I hear one more time about the whistle blower not being identified (the deep throat cartoon in another thread is right on point) I think I'll throw up.

As for Hill, I enjoying watching her shut Wenstrup up right now, showing she has no agenda in the hearings. I'm impressed.

Yes (your first sentence) - and on the whole (apart from Ambassador Sondland) the career foreign service guys show up the congress critters on both sides (some exceptions) who are playing to the folks back home and of course the Rs are playing to Trump. I liked how Hill spoke in paragraphs; and there were times when her interrogators were just lost for words. I was impressed with Jackie Speier who did not feel it necessary to point out that she had some knowledge of what it was like to be shot at. (She was in Leo Ryan's party at Jonestown and was left for dead with several bullet wounds.)

It's been fashionable on right wing radio to classify all government employees, at federal, state and local levels, as losers. I've always been against that: having work in heavily regulated commercial entities all of the last 35 years I've dealt with all sorts of government employees. I'd say that assholes, idiots and wastrels are present in the government ranks at roughly the same proportion as they are in the population at large.

[Lord Jim]

If I hear one more time about the whistle blower not being identified I think I'll throw up.

I feel the same way about the quisling Nunes' repeated references to "nude photos of Donald Trump"....

[wesw]

eric ciaramella....