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(Thread) Fiona Hill Issues a Warning
She also implicates Mick Mulvaney, makes Sondland look like a fool, and shows how Giuliani tried to game Ukraine.
Here are my Notes from her deposition (now called Over the Cliff Notes, as per followers’ suggestion)
First, her credentials
She also implicates Mick Mulvaney, makes Sondland look like a fool, and shows how Giuliani tried to game Ukraine.
Here are my Notes from her deposition (now called Over the Cliff Notes, as per followers’ suggestion)
First, her credentials
1/ Hill testified that Ambassador Yovanovitch’s removal was a turning point because there was no basis for the removal—her removal was based on a “mishmash” of baseless lies.
She understood that Giuliani was responsible for these lies.
She understood that Giuliani was responsible for these lies.
2/ She also understood that pushing for an investigation into Burisma was part of a “package of issues” for Giuliani that included promoting the business interests of his associates.
Her “jaw dropped” when she heard about the indictments of his associates Fruman and Parnas. . .
Her “jaw dropped” when she heard about the indictments of his associates Fruman and Parnas. . .
3/ . . . but she’d already heard that they were up to no good.
She also knew they had financial interests in Ukrainian energy.
She testified that in April, Bolton said “Giuliani is a hand grenade that is going to blow everybody up.”
She also knew they had financial interests in Ukrainian energy.
She testified that in April, Bolton said “Giuliani is a hand grenade that is going to blow everybody up.”
4/ However Bolton didn’t think there was anything he personally could do about the Giuliani situation.
Ambassador Sondland (businessman appointed by Trump) told Hill that Trump gave him “broad authority" and he was the “President’s point man" on all matters regarding Europe.
Ambassador Sondland (businessman appointed by Trump) told Hill that Trump gave him “broad authority" and he was the “President’s point man" on all matters regarding Europe.
5/ Hill received messages from officials who'd been told by Sondland to meet with her.
Sondland failed to follow protocol by briefing her, so she had no idea what she was supposed to do. He gave out her personal phone number
She described him as a “counterintelligence risk.”
Sondland failed to follow protocol by briefing her, so she had no idea what she was supposed to do. He gave out her personal phone number
She described him as a “counterintelligence risk.”
6/ At a crucial July 10 meeting with Ukrainian and White House officials, Sondland “blurted” out: “Well we have an agreement with the chief of Staff for a meeting if these investigations in the energy sector start.”
Bolton stiffened and ended the meeting.
Bolton stiffened and ended the meeting.
7/ As Sondland was leaving, Sondland told Volker, Perry and the Ukrainian officials to come with him to the Ward Room to talk about “next steps.”
Bolton pulled Hill aside and told her to go find out what they were talking about.
Bolton pulled Hill aside and told her to go find out what they were talking about.
8/ Hill entered the room as Sondland was talking about his agreement with Mulvaney for a Trump-Zelenskyy meeting if the Ukrainians “were going forward with the investigations.”
A few people were alarmed. . .
A few people were alarmed. . .
9/ Yermak, one of Zelenskys’ top official, didn’t appear surprised. [Narrator: and we know why!]
Hill told Sondland that they couldn’t make “commitments at this particular juncture.”
Sondland cut her off and repeated that he and Mulvaney had an “agreement."
Hill told Sondland that they couldn’t make “commitments at this particular juncture.”
Sondland cut her off and repeated that he and Mulvaney had an “agreement."
10/ Hill reported back to Bolton, who told her to report this to NSC counsel, and to John Eisenberg.
Then he said, “You go and tell Eisenberg that I am not part of whatever drug deal Sondland and Mulvaney are cooking up on this.” [She was certain about his exact words]
Then he said, “You go and tell Eisenberg that I am not part of whatever drug deal Sondland and Mulvaney are cooking up on this.” [She was certain about his exact words]
11/ Hill explained that by “drug deal” Bolton meant “an improper arrangement to have a meeting at the White House predicated on Ukrainians agreeing to restart investigations that had been dropped.”
12/ She reported all of this to Eisenberg, who “was also concerned." He told her he would follow up.
She testified that Eisenberg “wasn’t aware” that Sondland was “running around” conducting his own independent foreign policy.
She testified that Eisenberg “wasn’t aware” that Sondland was “running around” conducting his own independent foreign policy.
13/ She and Bolton warned Volker to stop meeting Giuliani.
She said, “the more you engage with someone who is spreading untruths, the more validity you give those untruths.”
Volker thought it better to try to “manage” Giuliani.
She testified that Volker behaved with integrity.
She said, “the more you engage with someone who is spreading untruths, the more validity you give those untruths.”
Volker thought it better to try to “manage” Giuliani.
She testified that Volker behaved with integrity.
14/ Hill testified that during her first year in her White House job, she received “hateful calls” including death threats because she wasn’t sufficiently pro-Trump (she saw herself as non-partisan).
The threats began again when she agreed to give a deposition.
The threats began again when she agreed to give a deposition.
15/ Hill warned Kupperman (Deputy National Security Advisor) that, “Ukraine was going to be played by Giuliani in some way as part of the campaign.”
She also said Giuliani was “creating a kind of a story. .. that was being packaged.”
She also said Giuliani was “creating a kind of a story. .. that was being packaged.”
16/ She said the July 25 Trump-Zelensky call was her “worst fears and nightmares.”
[Narrator: Trump really slipped up in that call because "do us a favor though" and the mention of Biden rules out the tried-and-true “I didn’t know what my underlings were doing" defense.]
[Narrator: Trump really slipped up in that call because "do us a favor though" and the mention of Biden rules out the tried-and-true “I didn’t know what my underlings were doing" defense.]
17/ By "tried and true" I meant that it's been tried and has worked (see Reagan Iran-Contra) not that it's factually true.
Rep Zeldin (R-Fl) questioned her about “Ukrainians attempting to interfere with the U.S. election,” when she delivered a remarkable warning
Rep Zeldin (R-Fl) questioned her about “Ukrainians attempting to interfere with the U.S. election,” when she delivered a remarkable warning
18/ Several depositions touched on the history.
Most Ukrainians want to break free from Russia, embrace rule of law, and join the western democracies.
Putin & corrupt oligarchs want control of Ukraine.
Career U.S. diplomats have spent years helping Ukraine embrace rule of law.
Most Ukrainians want to break free from Russia, embrace rule of law, and join the western democracies.
Putin & corrupt oligarchs want control of Ukraine.
Career U.S. diplomats have spent years helping Ukraine embrace rule of law.
19/ Under the Soviet Union, the state owned all the industries and resources.
When the Soviet Union broke up, before rule of law could be put into place, a few people seized ("privatized") the nation's wealth.
They became billionaires and oligarchs.
When the Soviet Union broke up, before rule of law could be put into place, a few people seized ("privatized") the nation's wealth.
They became billionaires and oligarchs.
20/ They created what are basically Mafia states.
Fiona Hill asked: Is the GOP OK with Russia making fools of the U.S. again?
Answer: Yes. Because the reactionaries in control of the GOP are carrying on a love affair with Putin and Russia.
See
https://twitter.com/Teri_Kanefield/status/1178650752706727937
Fiona Hill asked: Is the GOP OK with Russia making fools of the U.S. again?
Answer: Yes. Because the reactionaries in control of the GOP are carrying on a love affair with Putin and Russia.
See
https://twitter.com/Teri_Kanefield/status/1178650752706727937
21/ Trump & pals are on Russia’s side.
Trump wants to BE a Putin-style oligarch.
To accomplish this, Trump & pals tried to game Ukraine in order to:
get
set Trump up for 2020, and
undermine the Mueller findings.
And here we are.
Trump wants to BE a Putin-style oligarch.
To accomplish this, Trump & pals tried to game Ukraine in order to:
getset Trump up for 2020, and undermine the Mueller findings.And here we are.
22/To see how Hill's testimony fits into the narrative, see my notes here: https://impeachment-trump.com
I've wondered who the mastermind was who thought up the whole Ukrainian scheme. The scheme really kicked off right after the 2018 midterms, when Trump saw the writing on the wall.
I've wondered who the mastermind was who thought up the whole Ukrainian scheme. The scheme really kicked off right after the 2018 midterms, when Trump saw the writing on the wall.
23/ I tried to imagine Rudy and Trump sitting around concocting this scheme, but I'm just not seeing that.
My guess is that Manafort was the mastermind--he's the one who really understands Ukrainian politics and devious strategy. What else does he have to do all day. . .
My guess is that Manafort was the mastermind--he's the one who really understands Ukrainian politics and devious strategy. What else does he have to do all day. . .
24/ . . . sitting there in that prison cell but come up with a plan to undermine Mueller, compromise Ukraine, help his Russian pals, rehabilitate his image, and seek general revenge on the Ukrainians who helped bring him to justice.
All my threads are also blog posts. This one is here.
https://terikanefield-blog.com/fiona-hill-issues-a-stern-warning/
Correction: Zeldin is the representative from NY, not FL.
h/t @webfashioner
https://terikanefield-blog.com/fiona-hill-issues-a-stern-warning/
Correction: Zeldin is the representative from NY, not FL.
h/t @webfashioner
Certainly this is true.
I meant that the timeline for this particular sequence begins with Guiliani making contact with Ukrainian officials, particularly Shokin and Lutsenko.
They gave airtime to the invented stories about Biden, 2016 . . . https://twitter.com/navgirl63/status/1193598793247318016
I meant that the timeline for this particular sequence begins with Guiliani making contact with Ukrainian officials, particularly Shokin and Lutsenko.
They gave airtime to the invented stories about Biden, 2016 . . . https://twitter.com/navgirl63/status/1193598793247318016
. . .and the hacked DNC "server" hidden in Ukraine.
As a result of Giuliani's trips to Ukraine, these lies got airtime on right wing media, leading to the ousting of the Ambassador.
So it seems this particular plot was put in motion in late 2018.
See: https://impeachment-trump.com/key-documents/
As a result of Giuliani's trips to Ukraine, these lies got airtime on right wing media, leading to the ousting of the Ambassador.
So it seems this particular plot was put in motion in late 2018.
See: https://impeachment-trump.com/key-documents/
