What I hope members will think about is what do these facts mean for the future of our

country? What do these facts mean in terms of what Americans should expect from the President of the United States.

Are we prepared to say that asking a foreign nation now to intervene in our elections is something that is a perk of the office of the presidency.

I don't think we can allow that to be the new normal acceptable in any way, shape, or form.

We're finally all in agreement.

The goal was to bend Kyiv until it broke.

No military aid, no visit to the White House, until the President of Ukraine went on

television and announced his government would investigate Donald Trump's political

enemies.

Most of us have known that all along, but until recently Republicans tried to deny it.

Now, as the impeachment inquiry enters a more open phase, they've moved on.

Their new approach is to make excuses for him.

Excuse one, maybe Trump wasn't involved. What if all of his henchmen,

Rudy Giuliani, Gordon Sonland, Mick Mulvaney, what if they had all gone rogue?

One problem with that excuse is the infamous transcript of the July 25th phone call between

Trump and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zulky, where Zelensky asks for

javelin missiles and Trump says, I would like you to do us a favor though.

Then on Wednesday at the first public impeachment hearing a bomb show.

Last Friday a member of my staff told me of events that occurred on July 26th.

That was Bill Taylor, our interim Ambassador to Ukraine and one of House Democrats' first two witnesses,

who detailed in dramatic testimony how Trump's shadow diplomacy to extort Zelensky played out on the ground.

Taylor also brought this new information to light.

...