A fair trial must have witnesses. We need to hear from the multiple first-hand witnesses who have potentially critical information about Trump’s abuse of power, but were blocked by Trump from participating in the House inquiry:
JOHN BOLTON:
Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton said he is willing to testify before the Senate, but Republicans refuse to let him.
- Bolton repeatedly tried to convince Trump to release the military aid to Ukraine — he refused.
- Bolton expressed alarm about withholding a White House meeting for Zelensky until Ukraine announced the investigations. He said that he was “not part of whatever drug deal Sondland and Mulvaney are cooking up.”
- Bolton opposed Trump having a call with Ukraine’s president because he said “there could be some talk of investigations or worse.”
MICK MULVANEY:
At Trump’s direction, his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney directly coordinated the plot to withhold Ukraine’s security assistance and White House meeting until Ukraine announced an investigation into Trump’s political opponent.
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Mulvaney, acting on Trump’s orders, directed OMB to put a hold on military aid to Ukraine.
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Mulvaney tapped “the three amigos” to oversee Ukraine policy, sidelining experienced NSC and State Department officials.
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Mulvaney directly coordinated the quid pro quo, according to Gordon Sondland.
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Mulvaney admitted at a White House press conference that Trump withheld aid until Ukraine agreed to the investigation he wanted.
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Sondland told Ukraine that he had an agreement with Mulvaney to trade a White House meeting for investigations into Trump’s political opponents.
MICHAEL DUFFEY:
Michael Duffey is a key witness to Trump’s abuse of power, and he must testify before the Senate. Duffey, a political appointee at OMB, has intricate knowledge of the military aid freeze that Trump demanded.
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Duffey, a political appointee at OMB, was put in charge of the portfolio that included Ukraine’s military aid after career budget officials questioned the legality of withholding the funds.
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Duffey proposed the unusual mechanism that the OMB eventually used to get around legal requirements so that it could freeze the military aid.
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Duffey told the Pentagon not to allocate Ukraine’s military aid just 90 minutes after Trump’s call with Ukraine’s president.
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Duffey has not cooperated with the impeachment process. He defied a subpoena to testify, and the White House withheld 40 pages of his emails.
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Mulvaney emailed Blair in June 2019 asking him to check whether the White House could put a hold on military aid to Ukraine.
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Blair listened in on Trump’s July 25 call with Ukraine’s president.
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Twenty of Blair’s emails about the military aid freeze have been withheld by the White House, even though they were responsive to a FOIA request.
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Blair directed OMB to freeze Ukraine’s military aid.