This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/03/kellyanne-conway-trump-ukraine-impeachment

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
'Quid pro quo, yes or no?' Conway dodges Trump-Ukraine question 'Quid pro quo, yes or no?' Trump allies face Ukraine question
(about 2 hours later)
As Donald Trump repeated his demand that the whistleblower who triggered the impeachment inquiry should be identified, White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway refused to say the president did not offer the leader of Ukraine a quid pro quo involving military aid and the investigation of his political rivals.As Donald Trump repeated his demand that the whistleblower who triggered the impeachment inquiry should be identified, White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway refused to say the president did not offer the leader of Ukraine a quid pro quo involving military aid and the investigation of his political rivals.
Experts on Trump's conduct: 'Plainly an abuse of power, plainly impeachable'Experts on Trump's conduct: 'Plainly an abuse of power, plainly impeachable'
That is the issue at the heart of impeachment proceedings: whether or not nearly $400m in military aid to Ukraine was illegally withheld, pending Trump’s demand that Volodymyr Zelenskiy investigate alleged corruption involving Joe Biden and other supposed wrongdoing linked to Democrats in 2016.That is the issue at the heart of impeachment proceedings: whether or not nearly $400m in military aid to Ukraine was illegally withheld, pending Trump’s demand that Volodymyr Zelenskiy investigate alleged corruption involving Joe Biden and other supposed wrongdoing linked to Democrats in 2016.
“The whistleblower got it sooo wrong that HE must come forward,” Trump tweeted on Sunday. “The Fake News Media knows who he is but, being an arm of the Democrat Party, don’t want to reveal him because there would be hell to pay. Reveal the Whistleblower and end the Impeachment Hoax!” “The whistleblower got it sooo wrong that HE must come forward,” Trump tweeted early on Sunday. “The Fake News Media knows who he is but, being an arm of the Democrat [sic] Party, don’t want to reveal him because there would be hell to pay. Reveal the Whistleblower and end the Impeachment Hoax!”
In a heated exchange on CNN’s State of the Union, Conway refused to answer yes or no when asked if Trump had ever offered Zelenskiy a quid pro quo over military aid.In a heated exchange on CNN’s State of the Union, Conway refused to answer yes or no when asked if Trump had ever offered Zelenskiy a quid pro quo over military aid.
“I don’t know,” she said, “but I know they’ve got their aid. Here’s what’s unimpeachably true: Ukraine has the aid, and the Ukrainian president has said he had no idea the aid was being held up and felt no such pressure.”“I don’t know,” she said, “but I know they’ve got their aid. Here’s what’s unimpeachably true: Ukraine has the aid, and the Ukrainian president has said he had no idea the aid was being held up and felt no such pressure.”
The White House continues to attempt to paint a 25 July call between Trump and Zelenskiy which lies at the heart of the impeachment inquiry as wholly innocent, despite the evidence of its own transcript and sworn testimony from two national security officials. The White House and its Republican allies continue to attempt to paint a 25 July call between Trump and Zelenskiy as wholly innocent, despite the evidence of its own partial transcript and sworn testimony from national security officials.
That testimony was given to House members on Capitol Hill in private. After Republican complaints about the closed-door proceedings – in which Republican representatives took full part – Democrats this week staged a full House vote, clearing the way for public hearings That testimony was given to House members on Capitol Hill in private. After Republican complaints about the closed-door proceedings – in which Republican representatives took full part – Democrats this week staged a House vote, clearing the way for public hearings.
The White House has circled the wagons. Breaking cover on CNN, Conway was asked to “definitively” say that no quid pro quo was ever offered to Ukraine. On Sunday, senior Republicans attacked that process. On ABC’s This Week, Republican House whip Steve Scalise said the House resolution formalising impeachment was passed “in a very partisan way”.
“There was no quid-pro quo on this call,” she said, carefully, brandishing what appeared to be the partial transcript of the 25 July call that was published by the White House. On CBS's Face the Nation, House minority leader Kevin McCarthy said intelligence chair Adam Schiff “and his staff” should be questioned in public “because he is the only person who knows who this whistleblower is”.
On CNN, Conway was asked to “definitively” say no quid pro quo was ever offered to Ukraine.
“There was no quid-pro quo on this call,” she said, carefully, brandishing what appeared to be the partial transcript of the 25 July call published by the White House.
“President Trump never said to the Ukrainian president, ‘Do this and you’ll get your aid.’ It’s simply not here. It’s not in the transcript.”“President Trump never said to the Ukrainian president, ‘Do this and you’ll get your aid.’ It’s simply not here. It’s not in the transcript.”
This week, Lt Col Alexander Vindman, a national security staffer, testified that he had been concerned by the call, by steps taken to keep it secret and by what he said were inaccuracies and omissions in the published version. Trump's phone call with Ukraine's president: read the full memorandum
Trump called Vindman a “Never Trumper”, a kind of Republican he recently called “human scum”. Conway deflected questions about whether the president would apply that description to Vindman, who served and was wounded in Iraq and who attended his testimony in his army uniform. This week, Lt Col Alexander Vindman, a national security staffer, testified that he had been concerned by what was said in the call, by steps taken to keep it secret and by what he said were inaccuracies and omissions in the published version.
Asked if she was confident that there was never a quid pro quo, Conway said: “I feel totally confident Ukraine has the aid and is using it right now.” Trump called Vindman a “Never Trumper”, a kind of Republican he recently called “human scum”. Conway deflected questions about whether the president would apply that description to Vindman, who was wounded in Iraq and who attended his testimony in his army uniform.
Host Dana Bash shot back: “Kellyanne, quid pro quo. Yes or No?” Whatever the president did, Conway said, again following the party line, it was not an impeachable offense.“We have no access to the full testimony because everything’s been done in the dark, in secret,” Conway claimed. “That process has been flawed from the beginning. We can not unscramble the egg, put the toothpaste back in the tube now.”
Speaking to Fox News Sunday, Conway said Trump could not be impeached based on interpretations of his actions by White House staffers.
“We impeach presidents of the United States sparingly and because 67 senators say that a democratically elected president needs to be removed,” she said, “…not because a couple of news outlets say there are eight quid pro quos in the transcript.”
If the House votes to impeach Trump, as it would be expected to do on party lines, his trial would be held in the Senate. Twenty Republican senators would have to vote against Trump for him to be convicted and removed.
That remains unlikely. A number of Republican senators have gone so far as to say Ukrainian aid was indeed held up unless Zelenskiy agreed to investigate Biden – but they have added that it was not an impeachable offence to do so.
Conway said: “The reason you see every single Republican vote against an impeachment inquiry is because they haven’t seen evidence of high crimes or a misdemeanour.”
Triggered review: Donald Jr proves himself the Trump kid with real political chopsTriggered review: Donald Jr proves himself the Trump kid with real political chops
“I don’t know whether aid was being held up,” Conway said. “But I do know that we’re trying to impeach a president in this country. But why? There’s nothing in this conversation so far resonates in this country, especially in the 17 swing states, that would lead to a high crime or misdemeanour.” On CNN, host Dana Bash pressed on. Was Conway confident there was never a quid pro quo?
As Conway held the White House line on CNN and Fox News Sunday – and the House Republican whip Steve Scalise did likewise on ABC’s This Week – her husband George Conway was busy on Twitter: recommending articles and books about the impeachment process. “I feel totally confident Ukraine has the aid and is using it right now,” she said.
A high-profile Republican lawyer, he has emerged as one of Trump’s most vehement critics, both online and in the pages of the Washington Post. His wife remains one of the president’s most vehement defenders. The mysteries of their marriage have become one a hot gossip item. “Kellyanne, quid pro quo. Yes or No?”
“I don’t know whether aid was being held up,” Conway said. “But I do know that we’re trying to impeach a president … but why? There’s nothing in this conversation so far resonates in this country, especially in the 17 swing states.”
As Conway held the White House line on TV, her husband George Conway was busy on Twitter: recommending articles and books about the impeachment process.
A high-profile Republican lawyer, he has emerged as one of Trump’s most vehement critics, both online and in the press. The mysteries of the Conways’ marriage remain a hot gossip item.
Kellyanne ConwayKellyanne Conway
Trump administrationTrump administration
US politicsUS politics
Trump impeachment inquiryTrump impeachment inquiry
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content