Just asking.

“…U.S. programs have contributed Javelins, night vision devices, communications equipment, Humvees, and more, all of which are vital to Ukraine defending its sovereignty and deterring further Russian aggression…”

Press Briefing by Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney
Issued on: October 17, 2019

MR. MULVANEY: …Did he also mention to me in pass the corruption related to the DNC server? Absolutely. No question about that. But that’s it. And that’s why we held up the money…

Q So the demand for an investigation into the Democrats was part of the reason that he ordered to withhold funding to Ukraine?
MR. MULVANEY: The look back to what happened in 2016 —
Q The investigation into Democrats.
MR. MULVANEY: — certainly was part of the thing that he was worried about in corruption with that nation. And that is absolutely appropriate.
Q And withholding the funding…?

Q But to be clear, what you just described is a quid pro quo. It is: Funding will not flow unless the investigation into the Democratic server happens as well.
MR. MULVANEY: We do that all the time with foreign policy….

Q Or was the call just perfect, as the President has said?
MR. MULVANEY: Again, no one here had any difficulty with the call. We do think the call is perfect. We don’t think there’s any difficulty with the call at all. I read it several times. By the way, I was not on the call; someone from my office was on the call. No one raised any difficulty with me on the call at all. I understand that, in fact, no one on the call in here thought there was any difficulty with it…

Q Did the President direct you or anyone else to work with Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine?
MR. MULVANEY: Um, yeah. The — when was it? It was the May meeting, and I think this has been widely reported. In fact, I think Sondland mentioned it in his testimony, and I’m pretty sure that Rick Perry mentioned it in his interview yesterday with the Wall Street Journal, that in the May meeting in the Oval Office that I was in — I think Senator Johnson was there, as well as Mr. Volker was there — the President asked Rick Perry to work with Mr. Giuliani…

Q You were comfortable with Rudy Giuliani’s role?
MR. MULVANEY: I’m 100 percent comfortable with that….

Q Mr. Mulvaney, is it appropriate for any President or this President to pressure a foreign country to investigate a political opponent?
MR. MULVANEY: You know, every time I get that question, that’s one of those things about —
Q It’s a simple question.
MR. MULVANEY: It is, but so is, “When did you stop beating your wife?”
Q So what’s the answer?
MR. MULVANEY: It assumes that the President has done that.
Q Well, what’s the answer? I said “any President.”
MR. MULVANEY: We haven’t done that.
Q I said Mr. Trump or any President.
MR. MULVANEY: I’m not — I’m going to talk about what this President did…

Quid pro quo. Shakedown. Same thing.

A good question: Is it appropriate for any President or this President to pressure a foreign country to investigate a political opponent?

Is it appropriate for any President or this President to pressure a foreign country to investigate a political opponent?

Hartzler Statement on Congressional Delegation Trip to Eastern Europe
October 7, 2019 Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) released the following statement about her bipartisan congressional delegation trip to Poland and Ukraine:

“Both Poland and Ukraine are important allies to the United States. There is broad and bipartisan support for strengthening the relationship between the United States and our two eastern European allies and I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about their roads to freedom, sovereignty, and their unwavering commitment to democracy,” Hartzler said.

The delegation, which included John Garamendi (CA-3), , Ton O’Halleran (AZ-1), John Shimkus (IL-15), Dave Loebsack (IA-2), and Jenniffer González-Colón (PR-AL) released the following statement about their visit to Ukraine:

“We came to Ukraine to show our strong bipartisan support and to hear how we can help advance the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration. We are encouraged by the new government’s energy and commitment to democracy, defeating corruption, and adopting reforms, even while battling Russian aggression. Ukrainian officials explained to us how freedom and sovereignty were ingrained in Ukraine’s history, and we have no doubt it will be part of the country’s future.

“We saw how the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative is supporting Ukrainian troops and bolstering Ukrainian security and defense. U.S. programs have contributed Javelins, night vision devices, communications equipment, Humvees, and more, all of which are vital to Ukraine defending its sovereignty and deterring further Russian aggression. During our visit to Yavoriv, we observed training and cooperation that promotes NATO interoperability. We will continue our close security cooperation.

“Ukraine is a country rich in resources and technology. We see significant potential for energy and commercial cooperation and will encourage U.S. businesses to explore these opportunities with Ukrainian partners when we return home.

“Ukraine’s efforts to counter Russian aggression and achieve peace are impressive, even with approximately 14,000 deaths and hundreds of prisoners held. We assured our Ukrainian counterparts that sanctions against Russia will remain in place until Russia reverses the steps that prompted the sanctions initially.
“This includes removing the Russia-led troops and illegal armed formations from the Donbas and creating the security conditions necessary for free and fair elections. Crimea is Ukraine. The Donbas is Ukraine. All of Ukraine’s sovereignty must be restored and it must regain control of its international border.

“We are committed to returning to the United States and continuing to champion the cause of unwavering support for Ukraine. We commend President Zelensky for numerous positive steps since taking office, and look forward to our next visit to Ukraine.”

Is it appropriate for any President or this President to pressure a foreign country to investigate a political opponent?