Ambassador Gordon Sondland: "Was there a 'quid pro quo?'... the answer is yes."
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Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland was not the only witness who provided damning testimony on Trump's attempt to bribe the Ukraine into digging up dirt on the Bidens. In addition to Jennifer Williams -- an aide to Vice President Mike Pence and the State Department -- Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman of the National Security Council (NSC) testified on what they had heard during President Trump's July 25 call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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We have a robust interagency process that deals with Ukraine. ... It struck me yesterday when you put up on the screen Ambassador Sondland’s emails, and who was on these emails, and he said these are the people who need to know, that he was absolutely right. Because he was being involved in a domestic political errand. And we were being involved in national security [and] foreign policy. And those two things had just diverged.
So he was correct, and I had not put my finger on that at the moment. But I was irritated with him and angry with him that he wasn’t fully coordinating. I did say to him, ‘Ambassador Sondland, Gordon, I fear this is all going to blow up.’ And here we are.
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So what did we learn?
- Vindman and Williams were both important witnesses because they listened in on Trump’s now-infamous July 25 call with Zelensky, and both found it concerning.
- That’s the call where Trump pivots from a discussion of US military aid to Ukraine to asking Zelensky to “do me a favor though:” investigating Burisma, the Ukrainian company that had Hunter Biden on the board, and a conspiracy theory about Ukraine’s role in the 2016 election.
- Vindman testified that he raised concerns about the call inside the US government, saying that he interpreted it as an “improper ... demand” that “a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen and political opponent.”
- Williams said it was “unusual,” unlike any other similar call she had been on because it “involved discussion of what appeared to be a domestic political matter.”
- Dr. Hill forcefully rejected and dismantled a handful of Trump-backed conspiracy theories -- chiefly the notion that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election to prevent his presidency. In Dr. Hill's opening statement, she called out "some of you on this committee" who spread the discredited theory.
- Congressman Adam Schiff asked Holmes if Ukraine "felt the pressure" to launch the investigations that Trump was requesting. Holmes replied, "yes sir," -- adding that, "although the hold on the security assistance may have been lifted, there were still things they wanted that they weren't getting, including a meeting with the president in the Oval Office."
- The witnesses Thursday confirmed -- for the umpteenth time -- there was a quid pro quo. It wasn't a new revelation. One witness after another has testified that the Trump administration tried to use a White House invitation and US military assistance as leverage to pressure the new Ukrainian government into announcing investigations into Trump's political rivals. "It became very clear that the White House meeting itself was being predicated on other issues," Dr. Hill said. "Namely investigations and the questions about the election interference in 2016."
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Two Years Since Gardner's Last Town Hall
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Ambassador Sondland's shocking testimony was not the only happening on Wednesday. This past Wednesday, 11/20/19, marked TWO YEARS since Senator Cory Gardner last held a town hall with his constituents.
While for a time Cory stuck to his "safe spaces" as Kyle Clark put it (otherwise known as conservative talk radio), Cory hasn't even done those interviews. When confronted by reporters who asked repeatedly if Cory thought it was appropriate for Trump to pressure the President of Ukraine to dig up dirt on his political rivals, he deflected again and again and again.
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We put out an ask for folks to tell us what questions they had for Cory, since they've yet had the opportunity to ask Cory himself. Here's a few:
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"You have worked hard to repeal the Affordable Care Act...In your nearly 6 years as a senator you have done nothing to reassure me, a person with a pre-existing condition, that you are on my side...Why should I ever trust you to do the right thing on my behalf?" - Rob, Longmont
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"Why hasn't VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) been voted on in the Senate? Do you support VAWA?" - Kimberly, Parker
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"What have you done to provide over the counter birth control that you promised in your 2014 election campaign?" - Rhonda, Centennial
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"Meet with us. We voted for you. I have called you office seeking assistance with a Federal Agency. No response back from your staff..." - Dianna, Colorado Springs
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"Can a president withhold taxpayer, appropriated money from a sovereign nation that it needs to fight Russia to pressure that country to help him win his next campaign?" - Laraine, Canon City
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"How do you justify putting the NRA's special interest agenda above our children's safety? Colorado and our nation want common sense gun control!" - Shawn, Denver
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"When the impeachment inquiry gets to the Senate, will you listen to the evidence and do what is best for the country, or do what is best for your political career?" - Douglas, Golden
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Join the High Fivers Club!
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"What's the High Fivers Club", you ask? It started with a simple idea: There are nearly 1.2 million registered Democrats in Colorado -- what if every single one of them gave just $5 a month to the Colorado Democratic Party (CDP)?
Answer: The CDP would be the best-funded state party in the country -- with zero dollars from corporate PACs and plenty for flipping red seats to blue!
If you haven't given to the CDP yet, here's a few simple reasons why we're asking you today:
- The CDP is the central base that supports volunteer recruitment, training candidates, and helping county parties win elections. While the Democratic National Committee provides some limited funds, the reality is it is up to us to raise our own money so we can support Democratic candidates running for office in Colorado.
- The CDP is neutral in primaries -- but once the Democratic nominee has emerged, we connect our vast network of volunteers to them so they can knock on more doors than the Republicans.
- Elections and candidates come and go, but the CDP remains. We provide continuity so candidates don't have to reinvent the wheel every election cycle.
Will you join the High Fivers Club? Click the logo below to join!
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Georgia DNC Debate in the Books
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The November Democratic presidential debate in Atlanta came at the end of a marathon day of political news, marked by US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland’s testimony before the House Intelligence Committee confirming that President Donald Trump tied military aid to Ukraine to investigations into the Biden family. It would also mark the first time during the 2020 cycle that a Presidential debate was led by an all-woman panel of moderators.
The rest of the night barely touched on the impeachment process, swerving from agricultural policy to wealth taxes to climate to military intervention. It was a fairly solid night for the field as a whole. The CDP released the following statement after the debate:
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“After the startling revelations from the public hearings of the inquiry into President Trump’s conduct, it is clearer than ever that our country needs new leadership. With a Democrat in the White House, we can be confident that we’ll have a President who will prioritize access to quality, affordable healthcare to all, building an economy that works for everyone (not just billionaires and corporations), combating the crisis of climate change that threatens our natural environment, and standing up to the NRA so we can finally pass commonsense gun safety reform at the federal level like we have in Colorado,” said Carroll.
“As we head into the holiday season, I know that families will be discussing the direction our country is going in, and I believe the Democratic candidates both on and off the stage tonight will continue to make compelling cases to families why they can be trusted with the awesome power of the Oval Office over Donald Trump.”
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2020 Democratic Candidates for President
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(read from left, listed by alphabetical order) Senator Michael Bennet (CO), former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Cory Booker (NJ), former Governor Steve Bullock (MT), Mayor Pete Buttigieg (South Bend, IN), former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, former Congressman John Delaney (MD), Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI), Senator Kamala Harris (CA), Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN), former Governor Deval Patrick (MA), Senator Bernie Sanders (VT), former Congressman Joe Sestak (PA), Tom Steyer, Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA), Marianne Williamson, Andrew Yang.
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Updates from Colorado Democrats in Washington and at Home!
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- Congressman Joe Neguse announced some exciting news regarding House Democrats' efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs for hardworking families!
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- Congressman Ed Perlmutter reminded folks that December 15, 2019 is the deadling to get enrolled for healthcare coverage that would start January 1, 2020! Find a plan at https://planfinder.connectforhealthco.com/!
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- Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced a new initiative to combat hate crimes and to help train law enforcement how to handle and prosecute such cases!
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Rural Spotlight from Shelia: Rio Grande County
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Located in South Central Colorado, the gateway to the San Luis Valley, Rio Grande County covers 912 square miles with elevations from 7,000 to 13,000 feet. To the north of Rio Grande County is Saguache County, to east is Alamosa County, to the south Conejos County, to the southwest corner is Archuleta County and to the west is Mineral County. Del Norte is the County seat of Rio Grande County. The county is named for the Rio Grande River, formerly known as the Río Bravo del Norte, the principal river of the San Luis Valley.
10,000 years ago the Clovis and Yuma people left their mark on the Rio Grande County leaving behind stone spear points and petroglyphs. Later the Cheyenne, Comanche, Apache and Navajo also frequented the area, but the Utes remained the dominant force in the region through the 1700s. In the 1860s and 1870s, a series of treaties and agreements signed by representatives of the Utes and U.S. government relegated the Utes to lands west of the San Luis Valley, solidifying U.S. dominance of the area. The San Luis Valley came under control of the United States following the Mexican-American War in 1848, and became part of Colorado Territory in 1861.
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The Summitville Mining District, of Rio Grande County, in the 1980s started using new mining techniques that used cyanide heap pits to extract gold from low-grade ore drew companies back to abandoned mines throughout the west. The Summitville Consolidated Mining Company conducted open-pit leaching from 1984 until 1992, when it was discovered that cyanide and heavy metals leaked into the local water system, killing aquatic life along seventeen miles of the Alamosa River. At the request of the state, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took over the site under Superfund Emergency Response Authority and has since spent over $100 million in cleanup efforts. The Summitville incident was one of Colorado’s worst environmental disasters.
Agriculture remains the economic king in the rich soil of the San Luis Valley. Rio Grande County also offers outdoor tourism from the Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge where nearly 20,000 sandhill cranes pass through during migration. Sixty percent of land in the county is managed by a public authority. Wolf Creek Ski Area, founded just west of the county in 1935, continues to provide locals and tourists with the highest annual snow fall of any Colorado resort.
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There are approximately 2,237 registered Democrats, 3,008 Republicans and 2,559 Unaffiliated voters in Rio Grande County. In 2018, 62.59% of the voters had their ballots counted and in 2019, 45.05% of the voters had their ballots counted. It may be a pretty Red County but the Democrats voter registration is on the rise thanks to the leadership of Alex Raines, the Rio Grande Democrat Party Chair. If you would like more information about the Rio Grande Democratic Party please check out their Facebook page: Rio Grande County Democrats, or drop Alex Raines an email [email protected]
Keep Colorado Wild
Shelia
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Volunteer of the Week: Millete B.
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Meet Millete (who you can see taking the selfie in the lower left hand corner)! Millete is one of our fabulous volunteers out of Arapahoe County who was invaluable to the ballot curing efforts for the 2019 election. We caught up with Millete to see why she volunteers, and what she would say to someone who hasn't volunteered before!
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What drives you to volunteer for Democratic causes?
Often the driving factor is the candidates themselves! I helped Jason Crow in 2018 because he was a good candidate (and I wanted to defeat Mike Coffman in CD6) -- and this year I was inspired by Omar Montgomery's run for office. He would have made a wonderful mayor, and we need more people like him in office.
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What would you say to someone who wants to volunteer, but hasn't taken the plunge?
Just come down! Come and see everything that's going on at your county Democratic Party office (particularly the Arapahoe Democrats if you live in the area). Come and meet the folks -- the Arapahoe Dems were so warm and welcoming for me when I came to them. Find out what needs to be done, and offer any amount of time you can! Whether it's a few minutes, over a lunch break, or whatever, just come on down!
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Sign up for "Work for the Wave" Webinars!
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Our party wouldn't be as organized and successful as it is without the talented and dedicated volunteers we have at the local levels. Want to brush up on your skills so you can help make sure Colorado goes blue in 2020? Sign up for an upcoming webinar:
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This week, we thought we'd have a bit of fun! Team CDP took part in a team-building exercise at the Sipping n' Painting on Hampden. Can you guess who on Team CDP painted these beautiful donkeys?
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If you know someone interested in receiving our weekly newsletter, they can sign up here!
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Contributions or gifts to the Democratic Party of Colorado are not tax deductible
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