Latinos for Trump v. Sessions
Filing
1
COMPLAINT AND APPLICATION FOR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF ( Filing fee $ 402 receipt number 0542-14386818). No Summons requested at this time, filed by Latinos for Trump. (Attachments: #1 Exhibit 1 - List of State Governors and Secretaries of State, #2 Exhibit 2 - Cain Declaration 20210118, #3 Exhibit 3 - Global Risk Analysis: Special Report, #4 Exhibit 4-1, #5 Exhibit 4-2, #6 Exhibit 4-3, #7 Exhibit 4-4, #8 Exhibit 4-5, #9 Exhibit 4-6, #10 Exhibit 4-7, #11 Exhibit 4-8, #12 Exhibit 4-9, #13 Exhibit 4-10, #14 Exhibit 4-11, #15 Exhibit 4-12, #16 Exhibit 4-13, #17 Exhibit 4-14, #18 Exhibit 4-15, #19 Exhibit 4-16, #20 Exhibit 4-17, #21 Exhibit 4-18, #22 Exhibit 4-19, #23 Exhibit 4-20, #24 Exhibit 4-21, #25 Exhibit 4-22, #26 Exhibit 4-23, #27 Exhibit 4-24, #28 Exhibit 4-25)(Davis, Paul)
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MESSAGING MEMO: Impeachment | 1
Impeachment
More and more news about Trump’s gross abuse of power continues to come out.
In fact, there is so much bad news that it can be hard to keep up.
Toplines
The December survey finds support for impeachment has held steady from the beginning
of the inquiry and through the public hearings, and voters want their member of Congress
to support it. Importantly, people trust Democrats in Congress over President Trump on
the “rule of law” and approve of Democrats in Congress over Republicans in Congress on
the way they’ve handled the impeachment hearings.
In framing, the belief that Trump “abused his power” continues to stand out along with
other powerful messages. Progressives should continue to stress that Trump abused his
power as president, and chose to withhold $400 in military aid to Ukraine to help his own
reelection efforts.
This month’s survey follows previous surveys in October and November on how
progressives can talk about impeachment.
The facts are uncontested. President Trump abused the power of his office for personal
and political gain, at the expense of our national security. He conditioned official acts –
millions in military aid and a coveted White House meeting – for political favors and the
advantage in the 2020 elections.
The evidence that Trump committed multiple impeachable offenses — abusing the official
powers of the Oval Office and obstructing Congress — is overwhelming and irrefutable.
Don’t get distracted by Republican lies and misinformation. Trump committed a gross
abuse of power.
While Democrats seek the facts, Republicans have wasted their allotted time attacking the
witnesses, blaming the process, and peddling already-debunked conspiracy theories.
Trump endangered our national security by withholding critical military assistance to
counter Russian aggression for his personal political gain.
Trump betrayed his oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United
States.”
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Trump’s misconduct is exactly what the Founders sought to protect our democracy from
when they provided Congress with the power to impeach.
President Trump abused his power by pressuring a foreign country to interfere in the 2020
election -- “Do us a favor, though…” were Trump’s words. No one is above the law.
Trump has betrayed our democracy, our national security, and our entire country.
No one is above the law, not even the President. Our Republic is what is at stake. The
President leaves us no choice but to act, because he is trying to corrupt – once again – the
election for his own benefit.
No other President in history has ever used the power of Presidency to cheat our
democracy and corrupt our elections. Jeopardizing America’s national security to help win
elections is wrong. Trump’s continued solicitation of foreign interference in a U.S. election
presents a clear and present danger that the President will continue to use the power of
his office for his personal political gain.
Donald Trump used the power of the presidency, his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and
potentially the U.S. attorney general in an attempt to solicit foreign interference in the 2020
election.
White House officials knew at the time how disturbing Trump’s abuse of power was, and
immediately worked to cover it up. Trump’s inner circle intervened to “lock down” all
records of the phone call -- part of a larger pattern of the Trump administration abusing
the systems used to store classified information to protect political sensitive issues.
Trump’s misconduct is exactly what the Founders sought to protect our democracy from
when they provided Congress with the power to impeach.
Trump abused the power of the presidency. He used the official powers of his office to
pressure a foreign country to interfere in our election on his behalf, risking our national
security in the process. That is a violation of his constitutional oath and an impeachable
offense.
Trump obstructed justice. He violated his constitutional oath by impeding a congressional
investigation and keeping the American people in the dark. Trump directed a concerted
and unprecedented defiance of lawful subpoenas, at which point impeachment is the only
remedy.
The Problem
President Trump’s calling on Ukraine to intervene in the 2020 election betrays his oath to
the Constitution and threatens our national security:
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The President admitted he called upon a foreign power to intervene in the 2020
election and our democracy.
The House Intelligence Committee, working with the Oversight and Foreign Affairs
Committees, released its “Trump-Ukraine Impeachment Inquiry Report,” which
detailed the unprecedented abuse of power by President Trump to corrupt the 2020
election. In the Judiciary Committee, the American people heard testimony from
leading American constitutional scholars who illuminated – without a doubt – that
the President’s actions are a profound violation of the public trust.
The geopolitical consequences in Eastern Europe were also affected by Trump’s
corrupt behavior. Ukraine is dependent on U.S. military aid since it has been the
subject of Russian aggression since 2014 when Russia annexed the peninsula of
Crimea.
Trump obstructed justice. He violated his constitutional oath by impeding a
congressional investigation and keeping the American people in the dark. Trump
directed a concerted and unprecedented defiance of lawful subpoenas.
Trump refused to comply with the congressional investigation and blocked
members of his administration from testifying, despite lawful subpoenas compelling
them to do so. At Trump’s direction, 12 current or former aides refused to testify in
the inquiry.
Trump directed the White House and government agencies to defy lawful
subpoenas. Congress made 71 specific requests or demands for documents — not a
single one was turned over. The Office of Management and Budget and
Departments of State, Energy, and Defense have refused to turn over even a single
record to Congress. Witnesses have testified about taking meticulous and
contemporaneous notes on the matter, but the State Department has refused to
allow congressional investigators to view them.
House Dems Vote for Impeachment
We support Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats for voting in favor of impeachment.
Senate Republicans have already admitted that they won’t even attempt to hold a fair trial.
That’s why Speaker Pelosi has delayed sending articles of impeachment to the Senate — to
ensure Republicans conduct a fair trial.
While Senate Republicans have abdicated their constitutional duty to run a fair trial,
Democrats laid out a structure for a fair and honest bipartisan Senate trial. Their proposal is
modeled off of the Clinton trial procedures, which passed unanimously, and McConnell
voted for.
The Senate has an obligation to act on the evidence they hear during the impeachment
trial; anything less would be an abdication of its constitutional responsibility to serve as a
check on the executive branch.
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Donald Trump has made countless promises to the American people, but he’s proven that
he’s only capable of serving himself -- and that there is no line he won't cross to do so.
Democrats are fighting day in and day out to expand access to health care, raise wages,
help the American worker, and protect our democracy. That is our promise to America –
and unlike this president, we keep our promises.
Trump’s Gross Abuse of Power
President Nixon resigned from office because of the break-in of the DNC Headquarters for
his political gain and the cover-up. Some observers of that sad time of our history say that
President Nixon’s offenses pale in comparison to what President Trump has done.
Trump openly called for China and Ukraine to open investigations into a political opponent.
Meanwhile, the president continues to boast about having “tremendous power” over China
in trade negotiations.
It wasn’t just Ukraine and China. Trump also pressured the UK and Australian governments
to help Attorney General Barr gather information to discredit the Mueller investigation,
potentially helping his reelection. Attorney General Barr even traveled to Italy to meet with
officials there as part of the effort to discredit the investigation.
Contrary to Trump’s cries of “fake news,” the inspector general of the intelligence
community has already stated clearly that this allegation “appears credible” and is
supported by information outside of the whistleblower complaint.
Pompeo confirmed that he was listening in on the call where Trump pressured the
Ukrainian president, despite previously suggesting he had no knowledge of the call, and he
is stonewalling the House’s impeachment inquiry and intimidating witnesses to prevent
them from testifying, creating the appearance he is trying to cover something up.
Attorney General Barr held private meetings with foreign officials seeking their help to
discredit U.S. intelligence agencies’ investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016
election.
Ukraine
Coming out of the July phone call, Ukraine understood what they were supposed to do.
Ukraine’s readout from the call showed they had gotten the message that Trump would
help them if they helped him.
In mid-July, Trump ordered the U.S. to cut off critical security assistance to Ukraine -- an ally
that was invaded by Russia a few years ago, and typically receives bipartisan support from
our government.
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In late July, Trump talked with Ukraine’s president. Among other things, he asked Ukraine
to investigate DNC servers in Ukraine (a debunked conspiracy theory) and brought up
reopening an investigation that could influence the 2020 election in his favor.
A former advisor to the Ukranian president said that it was a “well-known fact” Trump
wanted compromising info on his political opponent, and that the Ukrainian president
knew critical U.S. aide was at stake.
Text messages show an explicit quid pro quo in Ukraine -- security assistance and a White
House meeting in exchange for Ukraine opening an investigation advantageous to Trump’s
reelection. Trump’s top diplomat in Ukraine wrote that “it’s crazy to withhold security
assistance for help with a political campaign” and asked whether the administration was
“now saying that security assistance and WH meeting are conditioned on investigations?”
Two Trump administration diplomats worked with Rudy Giuliani to write a draft statement
for the Ukrainian government that would have committed them to pursuing investigations
into Trump’s political rivals.
Trump ordered the removal of the Ukraine ambassador after complaints from Giuliani that
she was undermining his work to get Ukraine to investigate his political rival.
Mike Pence is now tied up in Trump’s abuse of power scandal. He reportedly received the
transcript of Trump’s call within hours of it ending. Pence also told the Ukrainian president
that U.S. aid was being withheld while demanding more aggressive action on corruption,
days after Trump’s call asking for an investigation.
China
Trump previously spoke to China’s president about his political rivals, in another call that
was stored on the White House’s secret computer system.
Top White House officials refuse to say that they have not raised investigations of Trump’s
political rivals as part of trade talks with China, or that it won’t be part of the negotiations
beginning next week.
Questions to Prepare For
You did/didn’t support an impeachment inquiry after the Mueller report – why is this
different?
What was the final straw for you to back impeachment? The whistleblower complaint? The
memo?
Are you now supporting impeachment just because your other colleagues are? Does that
give you political cover?
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Republicans are already attacking you over impeachment -- how will this impact your
re-election?
Is this bad politically for you?
How do you explain this to your constituents who voted for Trump in 2016?
Are you prepared to lose your seat over this?
Would you have supported President Clinton’s impeachment?
Will you support impeachment on the floor?
You said you were going to Washington to work on X, but now you are impeaching the
President. Explain that shift.
Can Congress get anything done now?
Timeline
Trump’s story on Ukraine changes all the time. This timeline will help you keep track of the
facts on Trump’s abuse of power. (Last updated: 12/12)
May 1
News breaks about Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to push the Ukrainian
government to open an investigation intended to help Trump win in
2020 and that Giuliani has briefed Trump on his efforts.
May 6
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who is widely
respected in the national security community for her efforts to
address corruption, is forced out several months before she is due to
wrap up her three-year placement in the country. Yovanovitch has
been a top target of Rudy Giuliani, who has spread conspiracy
theories that she was working with George Soros and helped take
down Paul Manafort.
May 9
Rudy Giuliani announces plans to travel to Kiev to push the Ukrainian
government to open investigations that “will be very, very, helpful to
my client” — Donald Trump.
Giuliani admits that some could say the trip is “improper,” but says it’s
not illegal because “we’re not meddling in an election, we’re meddling
in an investigation, which we have a right to do.”
May 10
Rudy Giuliani cancels his planned Kiev trip after an outcry.
Mid-July
Trump tells acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to withhold almost
$400 million in military aid to Ukraine. OMB officials pass the message
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on to the State Department and the Pentagon, saying that Trump has
“concerns” and that the administration was looking at whether the
spending was necessary.
Administration officials are told to tell Congress that the delays are
part of an “interagency process,” giving them no other information.
State Department and Pentagon officials are “puzzled and alarmed”
to learn of the hold on Ukrainian aid.
July 25
Trump speaks on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky. He repeatedly pressures Zelensky to work with Rudy Giuliani
and, notably, Attorney General William Barr on an investigation that
could be damaging to his political opponent.
July/August
Pentagon officials argue to the White House that the aid to Ukraine is
effective, but are ignored. Pentagon officials become suspicious when
other aid is released, but Ukraine aid is still held up.
Staff from the State Department and Pentagon are stonewalled by
OMB and contact offices of members of Congress.
The Trump administration tells members of Congress variously that
the administration was reviewing the Ukraine aid to make sure it was
in the best interest of foreign policy or that there was a review on
corruption in Ukraine.
August 12
An anonymous member of the intelligence community files a
whistleblower complaint about Trump.
August 21
News breaks that Rudy Giuliani has been in communication with a
top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
August 26
Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson
determines that the whistleblower complaint was an “urgent
concern” and that it is credible. He sends the complaint to ODNI.
Late August
Trump administration officials tell lawmakers that the aid to Ukraine is
being held up because they are trying to gauge its effectiveness.
September 1
Washington Post: “Sondland tells Yermak at a meeting in Warsaw
that the military aid would not arrive until Zelensky promises to
pursue the Burisma investigation, as Taylor, Kent, Morrison and
Sondland later confirm. Sondland says in clarified testimony that he
"presumed" the two issues were connected "in the absence of any
[other] credible explanation." But he emphasizes that Trump did not
directly convey it to him and later explicitly denied a quid pro quo.”
September 2
Statutory deadline for Acting DNI Joseph Maguire to forward the
whistleblower complaint to Congress. He does not.
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September 3
A bipartisan group of senators write a letter to acting chief of staff
Mick Mulvaney expressing “deep concern” about the administration’s
withholding the Ukraine military aid funds.
Early
September
Sen. Rob Portman talks to Trump about the aid to Ukraine. Sen.
Lindsey Graham tells the White House he plans to support a Durbin
amendment to a defense spending bill that would block Pentagon
spending to get the Ukraine funds released.
September 9
ICIG Atkinson writes to Reps. Adam Schiff and Devin Nunes disclosing
the existence of a whistleblower complaint.
The House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, and Oversight committees
open an investigation into whether Trump and Rudy Giuliani have
been inappropriately using the American foreign policy process to
pressure the Ukrainian government to help Trump’s reelection
campaign.
The House committees request documents including the transcript of
and information about Trump’s July 25 call with the Ukranian
president, any records relating to Giuliani and suspension of aid to
Ukraine, and correspondence related to the Biden and Manafort
matters.
September 10
Adam Schiff writes to Acting DNI Joseph Maguire demanding that he
forward the whistleblower complaint as required by law.
September 11
The White House tells Sens. Lindsey Graham and Dick Durbin that it
will release $250 million of military assistance to Ukraine.
The White House releases the military assistance to Ukraine that it
had been holding up. A senior Trump administration official won’t
comment on the reason for the delay.
September 13
Rep. Adam Schiff issues a subpoena to Acting DNI Joseph Maguire for
the whistleblower complaint. He also writes a letter demanding that
Maguire turn over the whistleblower complaint.
ODNI General Counsel Jason Klitenic sends a letter to the Senate and
House Intelligence Committees. He says that having consulted with
DOJ, ODNI is refusing to turn over the whistleblower complaint
because “the disclosure in this case did not concern allegations of
conduct by a member of the Intelligence Community or involve an
intelligence activity under the DNI’s supervision.” He argues that
because of this, “no statute requires disclosure” to Congress.
September 15
Rep. Adam Schiff says Acting DNI Joseph Maguire told him he did not
turn over the whistleblower complaint because he had been
instructed not to by someone above him.
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September 17
ICIG Michael Atkinson writes to the House and Senate Intelligence
committees, saying that he disagrees with DOJ and acting DNI’s
conclusion that the whistleblower complaint does not fall within his
purview.
He says he has requested permission from the acting DNI to disclose,
“at the very least, the general subject matter” of the whistleblower
complaint, but had not received permission to share even that basic
information.
Atkinson also writes that the acting DNI had no intention of telling the
whistleblower how he or she could contact the congressional
intelligence committees with protection from retaliation.
ICIG Michael Atkinson sends a letter to DOJ explaining his
disagreement with DOJ’s guidance that no statute mandated them
to forward the whistleblower complaint to Congress.
ODNI General Counsel Jason Klitenic writes to Rep. Adam Schiff that
the whistleblower’s complaint “does not meet the definition of ‘urgent
concern’” because it “concerned conduct by someone outside the
Intelligence Community and did not relate to any ‘intelligence activity’
under the DNI’s supervision.”
Klitenic writes that Acting DNI Joseph Maguire will not appear before
Congress on September 19 as Schiff had requested.
September 18
News breaks that the whistleblower complaint involves Trump’s
communications with a foreign leader, including a troubling
“promise.”
Rep. Adam Schiff threatens legal action against the Trump
administration for refusing to turn over the whistleblower complaint.
September 19
News breaks that the whistleblower complaint has to do with Ukraine.
ICIG Inspector General appears before the House Intelligence
Committee for a classified briefing, sharing no specifics except that
the complaint involves multiple actions.
September 20
News breaks that White House Counsel Pat Cipollone has been
actively involved in blocking the whistleblower complaint from being
turned over to Congress since shortly after it became an issue.
September 21
News breaks that Trump reportedly pressured the Ukrainian
president eight times in one phone call to open an investigation that
could hurt Joe Biden.
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September 23
Reps. Adam Schiff, Eliot Engel, and Elijah Cummings demand
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo turn over Ukraine-Giuliani
documents by September 26, threatening a subpoena if he does not
comply.
September 24
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces that the House is moving
forward with an official impeachment inquiry.
September 25
The White House releases a memo of the July 25th call between
President Trump and President Zelensky.
September 26
Acting DNI Joseph Maguire is scheduled to testify before the House
Intelligence Committee in an open hearing, at which time Democrats
expect him to turn over the whistleblower’s full complaint.
Deadline for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to turn over
Ukraine-Giuliani documents or face a subpoena.
September 26
The House Intelligence Committee releases a redacted version of the
whistleblower complaint, which details Donald Trump’s July 25th
phone call with President Zelensky of Ukraine and cites concern over
the White House’s effort to secure the transcript of the call.
September 27
House Democrats—Eliot Engel of the Foreign Affairs Committee,
Adam Schiff of the Intelligence Committee, and Elijah Cummings of
the Oversight Committee—write a letter demanding that Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo turn over documents related to Mr. Trump’s
conversation with President Zelensky on July 25.
September 27
Donald Trump calls for Adam Schiff’s resignation after the Chairman
of the House Intelligence Committee paraphrased the White House
memo detailing Trump’s conversation with Zelensky.
The U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker, resigns.
September 29
Former Ukraine prosecutor says he saw no evidence of wrongdoing
by Joe Biden and notes that he rejected the requests made by Rudy
Giuliani to investigate the Bidens.
September 30
House Democrats issue a subpoena to Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy
Giuliani, setting an Oct. 15th deadline for Giuliani to turn over
documents to three House committees.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell says Senate rules would
require him to take up any articles of impeachment that reach the
chamber floor, but notes that, “How long you’re on it is a whole
different matter.”
October 1
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticizes the impeachment inquiry,
accusing House Democrats of intimidating and bullying officials with
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knowledge of the White House’s dealings in Ukraine. He says that
those officials who were scheduled to appear before House
investigators would not provide depositions due to them having
“woefully inadequate” time to prepare.
October 3
Donald Trump publicly urges China to investigate the Joe and Hunter
Biden on the South Lawn of the White House, claiming, “what
happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with
Ukraine.”
House Democrats interview former special envoy to Ukraine, Kurt
Volker, the first official to speak under oath in the impeachment
probe.
October 4
House Democrats subpoena the White House for Ukraine documents
and request additional documents from Vice President Mike Pence.
Ukraine’s top prosecutor says his office is reviewing several cases tied
to the owner of Burisma, the energy company of which Hunter Biden
sat on the Board for during his father’s tenure as Vice President. The
prosecutor notes that he isn’t aware of any evidence that would
suggest wrongdoing was committed by the Bidens.
President Trump says his office is preparing a formal objection to the
House Democrats’ impeachment probe without an official vote.
October 6
Lawyer Mark Zaid confirms that in addition to representing the
original whistleblower, his office is now working with a second
whistleblower. The individual is described as an intelligence official
with firsthand knowledge of the allegations against the president.
Andrew Bakaj, another lawyer on the legal team, takes to Twitter to
confirm the firm is working with “multiple” whistleblowers but fails to
confirm the number.
October 7
House Democrats issue subpoenas for Defense Secretary Mark Esper
and acting White House budget director Russell Vought to shine light
on why the White House chose to withhold Ukraine’s aid appropriated
by Congress.
October 8
The White House blocks the United States ambassador to the
European Union Gordon Sondland, a key witness, from delivering a
voluntary deposition to investigators hours before he was scheduled
to appear.
Hours later, in a letter addressed to the House Democratic leaders, the
White House announces it will not cooperate with the
“unconstitutional” impeachment inquiry, accusing investigators of
trying to “overturn the results of the 2016 election.” The letter, signed
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MESSAGING MEMO: Impeachment | 12
by White House counsel Pat A. Cipollone, accused investigators of
denying President Trump’s due process rights.
October 9
Joe Biden calls for Donald Trump’s impeachment.
"With his words and his actions, President Trump has indicted himself.
By obstructing justice, refusing to comply with the congressional
inquiry, he's already convicted himself," Biden said. "In full view of the
world and the American people, Donald Trump has violated his oath
of office, betrayed this nation and committed impeachable acts."
October 10
Two associates of Rudy Giuliani’s are arrested with one-way tickets at
a U.S. airport. Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman helped Trump and Giuliani
in their pressure campaign against U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie
L. Yovanovitch, who became a target of criticism from Trump’s allies.
The two Giuliani associates were hit with federal campaign finance
charges. After the arrests were announced, House Democrats issued
subpoenas for both men. They had allegedly donated money and
pledged to secure additional funds for former U.S. Representative
Pete Sessions, Republican of Texas, who was enlisted in the campaign
against Yovanovitch. In 2018, when he was chairman of the House
Rules Committee, Sessions wrote a letter to Mike Pompeo urging him
to fire Yovanovitch for allegedly privately expressing disdain for the
administration.
October 11
Marie Yovanovitch testifies before investigators that President Trump
was behind her sudden firing from the State Department in May. She
noted that the impetus behind the termination was based on
“unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable
motives.”
October 14
Former White House advisor on Russia and Europe, Fiona Hill, tells
investigators that she strongly opposed the removal of Yovanovitch,
and says that former national security advisor John Bolton, told her to
notify the chief lawyer for the National Security Council about a rogue
effort by Mr. Sondland, Mr. Giuliani and Mick Mulvaney. “I am not part
of whatever drug deal Sondland and Mulvaney are cooking up,” he
reportedly told her to tell the NSC.
During her testimony, Hill quoted Bolton as saying, “Giuliani’s a hand
grenade who’s going to blow everybody up.”
October 15
In an interview with ABC News, Hunter Biden denies engaging in any
wrongdoing while he was sitting on the board of a foreign company
in Ukraine.
“I gave a hook to some very unethical people to act in illegal ways to
try to do some harm to my father. That’s where I made the mistake,”
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MESSAGING MEMO: Impeachment | 13
he said. “So I take full responsibility for that. Did I do anything
improper? No, not in any way. Not in any way whatsoever.”
George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of State responsible for
Ukraine, testifies before lawmakers. Kent claims he was shut out of
Ukraine policy after a May meeting orchestrated by Donald Trump’s
acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. After the May meeting, Gordon D.
Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union; Kurt
D. Volker, the special envoy for Ukraine; and Rick Perry, the energy
secretary, “declared themselves the three people now responsible for
Ukraine policy,”
October 16
Donald Trump attacks Pelosi during a meeting between Democratic
lawmakers and the president over the withdrawal of troops from
Syria. Trump allegedly called the Speaker of the House a “third grade
politician” during what Pelosi described as a “meltdown.”
October 17
Mick Mulvaney recklessly admits to a quid pro quo over Ukraine
during a news conference. The acting chief of staff acknowledged
nearly $400MM in aid to Ukraine was held up in part to push Ukraine
to investigate Democrats. He later denied every admitting to such.
In his prepared opening statement to Congress, Gordon Sondland
admits he disagreed with the president’s decision to delegate foreign
policy on Ukraine to Rudy Giuliani.
“It was apparent to all of us that the key to changing the president’s
mind on Ukraine was Mr. Giuliani,” Sondland said. “Our view was that
the men and women of the State Department, not the president’s
personal lawyer, should take responsibility for all aspects of U.S.
foreign policy towards Ukraine.”
October 22
William “Bill” Taylor, who leads the U.S. embassy in Kiev, Ukraine,
testifies that President Trump made the aid to Ukraine and Zelensky’s
visit to the White House contingent on Ukraine’s investigation into his
political opponents.
October 23
House Republicans storm a closed-door hearing to protest
Democrats’ impeachment inquiry. The stunt interrupted the
testimony of a top Defense Department official who was testifying on
the president’s dealings in Ukraine.
October 29
House Democrats release a draft resolution that outlines the
parameters of the impeachment inquiry. The move was likely in
response to Republican criticisms related to the transparency of the
probe.
October 31
The House passes the resolution on the impeachment probe 232-196,
formalizing their inquiry into the administration’s dealings in Ukraine.
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Top National Security Council official Tim Morrison testifies before
investigators. Morrison corroborated the claim that Donald Trump
wanted a top Ukrainian official to publicly confirm an investigation
into Trump’s political rivals before US security aid to Ukraine would be
released.
November 3
The whistleblower at the heart of the impeachment inquiry agrees to
answer written questions from House Republicans as long as
his/her/their identity is not compromised.
November 4
Yovanovitch's closed-door deposition is released, shining light on the
extent to which Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and Giuliani’s associates
bullied the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine.
Lev Parnas is willing to comply with the impeachment inquiry.
November 5
The depositions given by former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, Kurt
Volker, and Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland,
are released. During his testimony, Sondland confirmed a quid pro
quo but doesn’t explicitly implicate Trump. He also said that he
believed the Biden setup was illegal. Volker expressed that he
believed the conspiracy theories being pushed by Trump and Giuliani
were “debunked.”
November 6
Bill Taylor’s deposition is made public. Taylor told investigators that
Rudy Giuliani was pressuring Ukraine "to intervene in US domestic
policy or politics."
Adam Schiff announces the public impeachment hearings will begin
on Wednesday, November 13th.
November 8
Fiona Hill’s deposition is made public.
November 9
House Republicans demand that the whistleblower and Hunter Biden
testify publicly in the impeachment probe. House Democrats have the
final approval over which witnesses will testify, so its unlikely that
either will appear.
November 10
California Congressman Eric Swalwell, a Democrat on the House
Intelligence Committee, says that after hearing hours of testimony
from key witnesses, lawmakers have enough evidence to prove
Donald Trump engaged in a “extortion scheme” to put pressure on
the Ukrainian government.
Lev Parnas, via his lawyer, claims he was asked to deliver a message to
a representative from the new Ukranian government back in May that
Mike Pence would not attend Zelensky’s swearing-in ceremony and
the U.S. would not release aid if an investigation into Joe & Hunter
Biden was not announced. The account has been disputed on various
fronts, including by Parnas’ business partner Igor Fruman.
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MESSAGING MEMO: Impeachment | 15
November 13
Bill Taylor & George Kent testify before the House Intelligence
Committee.
November 15
Yovanovitch testifies in an open hearing, during which Trump tweets
an attack on her. "Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad,"
he said. "She started off in Somalia, how did that go? Then fast
forward to Ukraine, where the new Ukrainian President spoke
unfavorably about her in my second phone call with him. It is a U.S.
President’s absolute right to appoint ambassadors." Democrats
accuse Trump of witness intimidation.
November 19
Vindman, Williams, Volker and Morrison testify in two back-to-back
open hearings.
November 20
Sondland testifies in an open hearing, in which he says top Trump
administration officials including Pence and Pompeo knew about the
quid pro quo and it was evident that Giuliani was acting on Trump’s
requests when he pushed for it.
November 21
Hill and Holmes finish out the public impeachment hearings. Hill
criticizes Republicans for trying to compare Russia’s interference in
2016 and the actions of Ukrainians during the campaign.
November 30
President Zelensky speaks out during an interview with Time. "Look, I
never talked to the president from the position of a quid pro quo." But he
then criticized Trump's decision to withhold aid to Ukraine. "We’re at
war," he says. "If you’re our strategic partner, then you can’t go blocking
anything for us. I think that’s just about fairness. It’s not about a quid pro
quo. It just goes without saying."
December 1
Donald Trump refuses to participate in the House Judiciary
Committee’s first impeachment hearing on December 4. This
baseless and highly partisan inquiry violates all past historical
precedent, basic due process rights, and fundamental fairness,"
White House counsel Pat Cipollone writes to Rep. Jerry Nadler,
the Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
December 3
The House Intelligence Committee releases 300-page impeachment
report which concludes that Donald Trump solicited foreign
interference in the 2020 presidential election. It says Trump subverted
U.S. policy to prompt an investigation into Biden & "into a discredited
theory that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that interfered in the 2016
presidential election." The committee votes, along party lines, in favor
of sending the report to the House Judiciary Committee 13-9.
December 5
After conducting weeks of public testimony, in which several major
players in the Ukraine scandal confirmed Mr’s Trump’s intended quid
pro quo, Speaker Pelosi confirmed that the House has begun drafting
articles of impeachment against the president. Speaker Pelosi said
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MESSAGING MEMO: Impeachment | 16
that throughout the hearings it had become clear that the president
had violated his oath of office. "Our democracy is what is at stake,"
Pelosi says. "The president leaves us no choice but to act because he is
trying to corrupt, once again, the election for his own benefit."
December 6
Donald Trump refuses to participate. "House Democrats have wasted
enough of America's time with this charade," Cipollone wrote. "You
should end this inquiry now and not waste even more time with
additional hearings."
December 11
The House Judiciary Committee set to debate two articles of
impeachment against President Trump: abuse of power and
obstruction of Congress
December 12
House Judiciary Committee continues debate over the two articles of
impeachment against President Trump.
December 18
The House of Representatives voted to impeach Donald Trump. The
House voted almost entirely along party lines, voting 230-197 to
charge Trump with abuse of power and 229-198 to charge him with
obstruction of Congress
January 6
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a resolution to update Senate
rules to allow a motion to dismiss articles of impeachment for lack of
prosecution.
Ten other Republican senators, including Rick Scott of Florida and Ted
Cruz of Texas, co-sponsored the measure.
January 6
Former National Security Advisor, John Bolton, agreed to testify in the
Senate trial against Donald Trump. Democrats have pressed for
testimony from Bolton, as well as acting White House chief of staff
Mick Mulvaney and several other of the president’s men.
January 21
Senate Impeachment Trial begins.
February 1
Senate Republicans vote against calling witnesses and key
documents in the Senate Impeachment Trial.
February 5
Senate votes to acquit Trump.
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