GOP Flips Script, Demands Release of Biden's Own Ukraine Call Transcripts
The GOP has a message for Joe Biden: We’ve shown you Trump’s Ukraine transcripts, now you show us yours.
In a statement released Tuesday, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel called on the former vice president to release communications he had with leaders in Ukraine. In 2018, Biden bragged that he had threatened to withhold federal funds from Ukraine in 2014 unless the government of then-President Petro Poroshenko fired a prosecutor, according to The Epoch Times.
That prosecutor, while unquestionably corrupt and unpopular with Western powers, had been investigating Burisma, an energy company that had put Biden’s son Hunter on the board — with almost no pertinent experience — to the tune of $50,000 a month. Whether or not the investigation was still ongoing at the time of the firing was a matter of some debate.
Furthermore, McDaniel wanted him to release transcripts of his communications with leaders in China; Hunter Biden has gotten several jobs there, as well.
The statement from McDaniel was a rejoinder “to Joe Biden’s baseless call for impeachment.”
“First it was the Russia hoax,” she said. “Now it’s the Ukraine hoax.”
“Once again, Joe Biden has shown he is just as extreme as the rest of the 2020 Democrats who are desperate to bring President Trump down,” the statement continued.
“Instead of backing a baseless impeachment effort, Biden should be answering for the only scandal that exists: Why a corrupt Ukrainian company paid his son $50,000 a month to lobby the Obama-Biden administration, and why Biden threatened the Ukrainians if they failed to fire a prosecutor investigating the company.”
First it was the Russia hoax.
Now it’s the Ukraine hoax.
These are the transcripts we actually need to see: Biden’s calls with foreign leaders while his son was conducting shady business deals in those countries.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/OTqGze3J1A
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) September 24, 2019
“Now that the President has authorized the release of the transcript of his call with President Zelensky, we call on Biden to release the transcripts of his calls as Vice President with Ukrainian and Chinese leaders while his son was conducting shady business deals in those countries.”
Well, what’s good for the goose is indeed good for the gander — except the gander isn’t going to do anything that draws more attention to the fact that Hunter Biden, a man not known for expertise in the energy sector, the Ukrainian business environment or passing drug tests was getting paid $600,000 a year by a company there to be on its board.
Nor is the gander going to direct our gaze toward his demand that the Ukraine government fire a prosecutor who was, at one time, looking into the company.
While Trump’s Ukraine transcript may cause a bit of agita around the White House for a few weeks, there wasn’t any evidence of a quid pro quo involving aid.
On Twitter, Trump rated the call as “perfect.”
Will the Democrats apologize after seeing what was said on the call with the Ukrainian President? They should, a perfect call – got them by surprise!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2019
“Will the Democrats apologize after seeing what was said on the call with the Ukrainian President? They should, a perfect call – got them by surprise!” he tweeted Wednesday.
They won’t apologize, but in a way, the call was perfect. Democrats may be headed toward impeachment, but on the basis of a phone conversation in which no quid pro quo could be proven. Furthermore, the call again focuses our attention on Joe and Hunter Biden, which is exactly what Uncle Joe doesn’t want.
That’s about as close to perfect as Trump’s going to get, given the situation — especially since it allowed the GOP to flip the script so easily.
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