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In a normal, sane, regular-order world, this is what used to be called a “confession” — to extorting a foreign ally for personal gain:
Trump speaking to reporters on the White House lawn, Sept 23, 2019:
"We want to make sure that country [Ukraine] is honest. It's very important to talk about corruption. If you don't talk about corruption, why would you give money to a country that you think is corrupt?"
"Let me just tell you — let me just tell you. What Biden did was wrong. It’s very important that, on occasion, you speak to somebody about corruption.”
— Trump suggests he tied Ukraine funding to corruption, cites Biden allegations
Too bad we no longer live in such a world. We are living in Trump-world instead. A place where the clueless leader’s clueless lawyer once uttered — with all seriousness, mind you:
GIULIANI: When you tell me that, you know, [Trump] should testify [before Special Council Robert Mueller] because he’s going to tell the truth and he shouldn’t worry, well that’s so silly because it’s somebody’s version of the truth. Not the truth.
[...] GIULIANI: No, it isn’t truth. Truth isn’t truth.
— ‘Truth isn’t truth’: Trump World targets our understanding of reality
8-20-2018
In Trump-world, the anointed-one has many versions of Trump-truths concerning his threats towards Ukraine, as there are news-cycles in a week:
“As far as withholding funds, those funds were paid. They were fully paid,” Trump told reporters [...]
“But my complaint has always been, and I'd withhold again, and I'll continue to withhold until such time as Europe and other nations contribute to Ukraine,” he continued.
[...]
Trump on Monday afternoon denied that he offered an explicit quid pro quo to Zelensky, telling reporters: “I did not ask for — I did not make a statement that you have to do this or I'm not gonna give you aid. I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't do that.”
— Trump changes story on withholding Ukraine aid
9-24-2019
Trump wouldn’t threaten someone with dozens of people listening. No, that’s was the point of assigning the Three Amigos (and their team lead Rudy Giuliani), to make the terms of Trump’s personal Ukraine extortion deal, explicitly clear. All, while leaving Kim-un-Trump’s fallibility out of the (“perfect”) message-delivery mix:
GOLDMAN: Giuliani and President Trump didn’t actually care if they did them [the Investigations], right?
SONDLAND: I never heard, Mr. Goldman, anyone say that the investigations had to start or be completed. The only thing I heard from Mr. Giuliani or otherwise was that they had to be announced. ... President Trump presumably, communicated through Mr. Giuliani, wanted the Ukrainians on-record publicly that they were going to do those investigations.
11-20-2019
Pretty damning stuff right? If hammering on the fake story about “Hillary’s Emails” got him elected once — then hammering on an equally fake story about “Biden Corruption” would surely get him elected a second time. So goes the thinking, in the world without ‘truth or consequences’.
The infallible Donald once again speaking to reporters on Sept 22, 2019, once again gave yet another the rationale, for his July 25th call to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Funny how this pronouncement from on-high, kind of has the ‘ring of truth’ to it:
"We had a great conversation. The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, was largely corruption -- all of the corruption taking place, was largely the fact that we don't want our people like Vice President Biden and his son (adding to the corruption)," Trump told reporters.
[...]
There is no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe or Hunter Biden.
Here’s some of the very July 25th call itself — the call that prompted so many {actual} public servants to step up and testify against what Trump and Giuliani were up to, in Ukraine:
Then [Trump] asks Zelenskiy to look into the Bidens.
"There's a lot of talk about Biden’s son, what Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that, so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution, so if you can look into it. ... It sounds horrible to me," Trump said, according to the the White House notes of the call.
Trump also says he wants Zelenskiy to meet with Giuliani and noted that he "heard the prosecutor was treated very bad and he was a very fair prosecutor," according to the memo.
In fact, Shokin, the prosecutor in question, was widely believed to be corrupt, and Bloomberg News has reported that his investigation into Burisma was dormant by the time Biden called for his resignation.
9-25-2019
And in the Trump “story change” department this last week, Trump Alibi number 43:
“So, you didn’t direct him [Giuliani] to go there [Ukraine] on your behalf?” O’Reilly asked again.
“No, but you have to understand, Rudy is a great corruption fighter,” Trump said.
You mean, the “Truth Isn’t truth” Rudy? The only corruption he’s “fighting” is trying to prevent the SDNY from busting down his door, with several warrants for his arrest.
But such is the sad state of Trump-world — another failed GOP-experiment — where all the Exits have been blocked. Preventing any sane rational persons, from escaping to ‘truthier’ times …
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In closing, perhaps the ‘truest’ thing Trump has said yet:
Oct 14, 2016
Donald Trump:
The process is rigged. This whole Election is being rigged.
He ought to know. Given the time-stamp of his Wikileaks-leveraging campaign operation, fully in process.
No wonder, he so wanted to see the sequel version: The Rigging 2020 — Volume II.
Too bad that ‘damn Whistle-blower’ — and about 20 other witnesses — got in his crooked way.
...
Can’t wait to see what fake alibis Team Trump cooks up next.
Too bad we all got to be the “volunteer taste-testers” in their hot-as-hell kitchen.
Day-in, and day-out … like normal ... like ‘just another day in Trump-world’.
Thanks GOP!
Thanks too-damn deferential reporters.
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What {else} could possibly go wrong?