fter seven long years, key documents surrounding the Ukraine impeachment saga have finally been released by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, following Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s declassification. They include previously unreleased interview transcripts with the Inspector General as well as related materials. They tell a story many of us suspected at the time, but which now appears even more disturbing and more elaborate than originally understood.
The newly released documents show a coordinated effort to frame President Trump over a phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky. A manufactured narrative was elevated and then used by Congress in an attempt to overturn the outcome of an election and, effectively, shape the next one by pursuing impeachment over a routine diplomatic exchange.
Inspector General Michael Atkinson, who should have acted as a neutral gatekeeper, instead enabled the process by allowing a completely unverified, third-hand, and politically motivated complaint to move forward.
Of particular note is the timing. The call took place on July 25, 2019, the morning after the disastrous congressional testimony of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, which effectively collapsed the Russia collusion narrative. Many suspected at the time that this timing was not coincidental. It was as if one hoax had collapsed and another was needed to take its place. The new material strengthens that view.
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