Democrats in the House of Representatives have finally gotten traction against Donald Trump. Revelations of his conversation with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which he requested multiple times Ukraine investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Along with moving transcripts of that conversation along with those with Soviet leader Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, seems to have done the trick. The narrative was simple, Trump traded our national security for his personal political interest; holding up $391 million in military aid approved by Congress unless he “did us a favor” and investigated the Biden’s to hurt Joe’s bid as a contender in the 2020 Presidential Election.
Add to that, revelations that Trump in the Oval Office told two Russians he was “unconcerned” about Russian interference in the 2016 Election because “we do it all the time in other countries,” was simple enough that the White House has yet to issue a response two days later. Surrogates on the Sunday shows twisted themselves in knots trying to defend the President. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy literally denied Trump said what the White House released transcript admitted he said. Stephen Miller pointed to the “deep state” and cited his vast knowledge after three years in government. Lindsey Graham forgot everything he learned in law school by discounting, “second-hand” information, forgetting his own reliance on Linda Tripp during the Clinton Impeachment.
Most of all, the public has reacted to the Ukraine information with a majority of Americans, 55% according to recent polls, now supporting an Impeachment investigation. Nancy Pelosi has indicated the focus of the investigation will be Ukraine and national security which is understandable, but it’s critical not to take their eye off the ball and ignore Trump’s finances which is what Trump clearly has been trying to keep from the view of Democrats and the American public.
As rewarding and the Ukrainian line of inquiry has been. Expecting Republican Senators to vote against Trump in an Impeachment trial based on moving documents to a different server and disobeying the Presidential Records Act is expecting more that they’ve demonstrated they should be credited for. Their ability to ignore the Quid Pro Quo in Trump’s suggestion Ukraine investigate Biden cannot be underestimated, especially after listening to Lindsay Graham, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee put Tump above both Party and Country. What will be needed, is to remind the public, that not only is Trump a lawless traitor, he’s also a crook, which is why the ball shouldn’t be dropped on following the money.
AT this moment, Trump’s personal financial information and that of The Trump Organization is being sought by various Congressional committees, the State of New York, a Manhattan District Attorney, the State of California, and various private groups suing Trump. Trump has gone to extreme lengths to keep that information secret including ignoring subpoenas, instructing the IRS not to comply with rules about providing taxpayer information to the Ways & Means Committee. Trump has sued his banks and accountants to keep them from complying with legally issued subpoenas. He’s using the Malcolm X approach to keep his finances secret… “by any means necessary.”
We’ve heard testimony from Michael Cohen that Trump used fraudulent financial data to secure loans or get better insurance rates. Ivanka and Don, Jr had criminal fraud charges dropped after a Trump attorney visited the Manhattan District Attorney and later made a huge donation to his campaign fund. The Trump Foundation has been shut down as a fraudulent charity. The Trump Organization has been accused of money laundering, and there have been multiple suspicious real estate transactions Trump and his sons once bragged about with Russia and Saudi Arabia. There seems to be fertile ground to uncover illegal activity once the financial records are reviewed. This is no time to give up and chase the shiny Ukranian object.
Yes, Ukraine is important, Trump’s secret conversations with Putin and MBS equally so. But follow the money; in all likelihood it will lead to proof of multiple other crimes, equally understandable by the public and impossible for Republican senators to ignore.
ENIGMA IN BLACK 