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| Kurt Volker |
"It came to him in a cocaine rush as he took the Langley exit that if Alrich had told Filipov about Hancock, only Fulfengian could have know that the photograph which Wagner had shown to Maximov on the jolting S-bahn was not the photographs of Kessler that Bradford had found in the dark, sinister house in the Schillerstrasse the day that Straub told Percival that the man on the bridge had not been Aksakov Paustovsky, which meant that it was not Kliest but Kruger that Cherensky met in . . . " Bulwer-Lytton bad writing contest, 1987
I know that I am late to the game here. The first Trump impeachment is ancient history by now, and by now even people who are still paying attention have lost interest in the little ripple to come out recently. But earlier this month CNN published a recording of Rudy Giuliani's conversation with Ukrainian official Andrei Yermak, preparing him for the Trump phone call that formed the basis for the impeachment. Some semi-normal person asked, what is the revelation here and got the answer, nothing really, it is just a more graphic demonstration of what we already knew.
I disagree. I immediately spotted what Mother Jones was the first publication to point out. What is significant is not what Giuliani and Yermak discussed, which tells us nothing new, but that Kurt Volker was present for the conversation, proving that he lied in his testimony to Congress. Of course, the immediate response for any normie is to ask to questions, "Who is Kurt Volker?" and "Why should I care?"
So naturally I listened to the tape and read over his testimony to Congress (both his closed door deposition and his public impeachment testimony). And I was going to post on it, but found that any attempt to discuss the matter ended up sounding a lot like the quote above. So before beginning let me give a little background.
Dramatis personae
Donald Trump: President of the United States, 2017-2021
Rudy Giuliani: Former Mayor of New York City, acting as Trump's personal lawyer at all relevant times
Volodymyr Zelensky: Ukrainian actor who played a President in a comedy. Elected President of Ukraine in 2019 on a promise to clean up corruption in the government.
Yuri Lutsenko: Prosecutor General from the previous government, later fired.
Andrei Yermak: Zelensky's presidential aide for foreign policy.
Olkesandr Danyliuk: Ukrainian Secretary for National Security and Defense
John Bolton: US National Security Advisor and head of the National Security Council at all relevant times
Tim Morrision: Senior Director for Russia and Europe on the National Security Counsel. Testified at the impeachment trial.
William ("Bill") Taylor: Acting Ambassador to Ukraine at all relevant times. Testified at the impeachment trial.
Gordon Sondland: Ambassador to the European Union (EU) at all relevant times. Testified at the impeachment trial.
Kurt Volker: Special Envoy to Ukraine at all relevant times. Testified at impeachment trial.
Persons who were not immediate participants, but were important in the background
Joe Biden: Vice President of the US, 2009-2016. Considered the most likely Democratic candidate for President in 2020.
Petro Poroshenko: President of Ukraine, 2014-2019. Pro-Western, but part of the old system holding over from Soviet times.
Viktor Shokin: Poroshenko's Prosecutor General until Biden pressured Poroshenko to remove him. Replaced by Yuri Lutsenko.
Paul Manafort: Former advisor to the pro-Russian government in power in Ukraine before 2014. Served as Donald Trump's campaign chairman for several months in 2016, forced out when he was revealed to be in the "black ledger" of payoffs by the pro-Russian government of Ukraine.
Alexandra Chalupa: Democratic operative in the 2016 election, accusing of having improperly coordinated between the Ukrainian embassy and the DNC. Insufficient public evidence to prove or disprove the allegation.
Burisma: A Ukrainian oil and gas company mixed up in many corrupt dealings. In an attempt to clean up its image, it appointed international figures to the board of directors, including Joe Biden's son, Hunter.
Timeline of relevant events
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| Ukraine in the 2014 revolt |
2014 Pro-Russian government in Ukraine overthrown. Pro-Western but corrupt Poroshenko becomes President, appoints Shokin as Prosecutor General. Russia invades.
2016 Biden, acting on general consensus of the US, EU, and IMF, demands the removal of Shokin as the condition to a loan guarantee. Shokin replaced by Lutsenko. (Neither one appears to have investigated Burisma).
2016 Donald Trump elected President of the US.
Uncertain Giuliani begins travelling to Ukraine, looking for evidence. Communicates with Lutsenko.
May 1 and 9, 2019, first accounts in the New York Times that Giuliani was pressuring Ukrainians to investigate Biden
May 20, 2019, Zelensky inaugurated.
May 23, 2019, White House meeting, with Trump, Volker and Sondland present. Volker and Sondland are enthusiastic about Zelensky, but Trump calls Ukraine “terrible,” corrupt, and out to get him in the 2016 election. He respondes to their enthusiasm with “talk to Rudy.”
July 10, 2019, Voker, Sondland and Zelensky aides Andrei Yermak and Oleksandr Danyliuk meet with National Security Counsel personnel, including NSA John Bolton.
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| Ukraine, 2019 |
July 18, 2019, US Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor learns that there is a hold on US military aid to Ukraine and that it is a directive from Trump to the OMB (Office of Budget Management) but does not know why. Informs Volker and Sondland of the hold.
July 19, 2019, in-person meeting between Volker and Giuliani, their only in-person meeting, Volker says.
July 22, 2019, three-way telephone conversation between Yermak, Giuliani, and Volker.
July 25, 2019, infamous phone call between Trump and Zelensky, in which Trump asks for “a favor” – investigation of the 2016 election including finding “the server” and Biden.
July 26, 2019, Zelensky talks to Taylor and Volker, tells them all is well.
August 9-19, 2019, Volker and Sondland work with Yermak to draft an announcement of investigations. Yermak resists.
August 27, 2019, Bolton visits Ukraine, talks to Ukrainian leaders. Military aid not mentioned.
August 29, 2019, Politico reveals the hold on military aid. Ukrainians ask Taylor for an explanation.
September 1, 2019, international leaders meet in Warsaw. Trump planned to go, but stays home due to hurricane. Sondland takes Zelensky aside and says military aid as well as a meeting depend on announcing investigations of Burisma and the 2016 election. Taylor is informed (via NSC) and is outraged.
September 7, 2019, Sondland talks to Trump. Trump says there is no quid pro quo but says "Tell Zelensky to do the right thing."
September 9, 2019, Congress starts investigating the hold on military aid.
September 11, 2019, hold on military aid released. Taylor urges Ukrainian leaders not to announce investigations.
September 25, 2019. Trump and Zelensky meet at United Nations. Trump releases transcript of July, 25 call. Ukrainians furious.
September 27, 2019, Volker quits.
The telephone recording to come out recently was of the July 22 phone call. However, it casts a different light on many events before and after.
TO BE CONTINUED
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