I know that members of this committee frequently frame these complicated issues in the form of a simple question.

Was there a quid pro quo?

As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and the White House meeting, the answer is yes.

Welcome to a special breaking news episode of Talking Feds Now.

A prosecutor's round table that brings together some of the best known former Department of Justice officials for a dynamic discussion of the most important legal topics of the day.

We at Talking Feds convened special talking Feds now episodes when there are days of blockbuster news and today has been in one sense the biggest blockbuster we've seen in three years, at least in political impact because it has brought the President of the United States closer than ever to the possibility still remote but tangible of removal from office.

All due to the much anticipated testimony of Gordon Saundland, the still ambassador to the EU.

There was great suspense that Saundland would be forced to take the fifth when he stepped forward, but instead he more or less spilled all specifically saying yes, there was a quid pro quo.

Everyone knew it, the President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Energy, the Chief of Staff and more.

As we speak, the Congress is back in hearing, it's sixth, but we are stepping out to give you our best talking fed analysis of what's happened and what it means for the hearings.

I'm Harry Litman, I'm a former United States attorney and Deputy Assistant Attorney General and a Washington Post columnist and I'm joined by three talking feds, stalwarts, first, Barb McQuade, the former United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan and a current MSNBC legal analyst and professor at the University of Michigan law school.

Ellie Honeig, a former Assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York and currently legal analyst for CNN and Jill Weinbanks.

Well known as a prosecutor in the staff of the Watergate Special Counsel that prosecuted Nixon, a later General Counsel in the Army and a current MSNBC analyst.

Guys, let's just dive right in so much happened so much to talk about.

Let me start here, it seemed seismic, I think by any measure it was, Saunlin's testimony and it struck me that the Republicans were flumics didn't know what to do and came in, I think almost stalling until they could get their signals straight.

But after they did seem to come at him and challenge him somewhat, so my first question is, is it game over as far as the basic quid pro quo and reason for it, investigations equals barisma and Biden, all the facts at leaving only argument on the impeachability or did the Republican succeed somewhat in walking back.

Saunlin's central testimony that there was a quid pro quo, I serve that up to anyone and everyone.

I'll chime in with a thought Harry and others can tell me if they agree or disagree, but I thought one of the things that Republicans were able to do was to get Gordon Saunlin to concede that Trump himself never specifically said this is a quid pro quo.

The military aid in exchange for the investigations, even though Saunlin said it was abundantly clear because two plus two equals four, I made that assumption.

And I think that Republicans were trying to drive a truck through that hole and say, look, see, there is no quid pro quo. But I think the thing that totally belies that is what President Trump himself has been demanding that we all do in all caps to read the transcript, the transcript itself, I think demonstrates that President Trump is very much steering the ship here in response to the question about military aid.

He himself says, I need you to do me a favor though and then brings up these investigations. And so I think strategically they be very foolish to try to persist in denials that there was a quid pro quo and instead say, even if there were a quid pro quo, that is not an impeachable offense. I think that would be a much more credible strategy at this point.

Ellie, Jill, you agree with that? Do they have enough to drive to drive a whole through or not?

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