buzzfeed--2020-02-05--Evangelical Christians Also Wanted To Get Rid Of The US Ambassador To Ukraine

BuzzFeed News has seen a letter passed to Mike Pompeo from an evangelical US pastor and dozens of Ukrainian Christian groups demanding then-ambassador Marie Yovanovitch be fired for supporting LGBTQ rights .
KYIV — In the summer of 2018 , an American evangelical pastor and dozens of Ukrainian Christian groups prayed for Marie Yovanovitch to be fired from her job as the US ambassador to Kyiv .
With their prayers still unanswered a few months later , they put their faith in fellow evangelical Christian Mike Pompeo instead , sending a letter to the US secretary of state via a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department .
A copy of the letter was provided to BuzzFeed News by the pastor , Dale Armstrong , following an interview in Kyiv last Thursday , coincidentally just hours before Pompeo arrived in the Ukrainian capital to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky — the most senior Trump administration official to do so since the process to impeach the US president began .
In the letter , Armstrong and 39 conservative Christian groups demanded that Yovanovitch be fired for supporting LGBTQ rights and undermining President Donald Trump ’ s “ conservative policy for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We , the public and religious organizations of Ukraine , demand the Congress and the U.S. authorities to recall the U.S .
Ambassador and give the appropriate assessment of her actions that openly discredit President Trump , ” the letter said .
Armstrong said he was later relayed a message from Pompeo that said Yovanovitch would be `` retiring '' next year .
The State Department didn ’ t respond to a request for comment from Pompeo .
The back-channel Ukraine campaign of Rudy Giuliani — a lawyer working for Trump — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Igor Fruman has been a focus of House Democrats leading the impeachment drive that looks set to end with Trump ’ s acquittal in the Senate on Wednesday .
It was cited by top US State Department officials , including Yovanovitch herself , in public testimonies last fall as the main driver for her recall .
But the parallel Ukraine campaign by Armstrong has not previously been reported .
In an interview with BuzzFeed News in Kyiv , Armstrong said he “ rejoiced ” when Yovanovitch was eventually recalled from her post in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his efforts had “ zero ” impact on the decision to sack her .
That ’ s somewhat contradictory to the suggestion he made in a July blog post , in which he wrote : I presented a document to our Secretary of State , Mr. Pompeo , signed by more than 20 Christian NGOs in Ukraine , who filed a petition to remove the Obama appointed Ambassador to Ukraine , objecting to the Ambassador ’ s flagrant emphasis on LGBT issues , and trampling at every opportunity on the rights of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than expected much to the shock of the Democratic Party .
There was quite a bit of controversy about that in the newspapers , as well .
Armstrong deleted the blog post after journalists began digging into him , but an archived version was accessed by BuzzFeed News .
Armstrong has spent years preaching about conservative values in Ukraine and has friends in high places not only in that country but also in the US State Department .
He said that his efforts to remove Yovanovitch weren ’ t coordinated with Giuliani , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BuzzFeed News he hasn ’ t met the three men .
It shows for the first time that Pompeo was being pressed not just by one group of operatives in Ukraine to get rid of the ambassador .
Moreover , the Armstrong campaign came as Giuliani and co. ’ s was gaining steam in 2018 .
In June 2018 , Yovanovitch and more than 60 US Embassy Kyiv officials , including then-deputy chief of mission and current Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent , marched with Ukrainian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s annual Pride march .
“ I think it ’ s important to treat everybody with dignity and respect , ” Yovanovitch told Ukraine ’ s Hromadske TV at the march .
Ukrainian Christian and far-right groups protested the event in the days leading up to the march and during it , waving signs scrawled with slurs aimed at LGBTQ people and messages promoting “ traditional family values.
” Some of them held an all-night prayer vigil until police forces broke them up .
Armstrong and those groups blamed Yovanovitch for the crackdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bloody pride.
” It was a formative moment for Armstrong .
The incident infuriated the pastor , who attacked Yovanovitch on Twitter for promoting LGBTQ rights and allowing the US embassy ’ s Facebook banner photo to display a rainbow flag , which he likened to a “ traitorous ” act .
He also called for her to resign .
Amnesty International called the march and the preceding weeklong Kyiv Pride events that year “ a genuine achievement and celebration of national significance.
” Despite some progress since then , Amnesty says Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still strong and where activists for those communities face intimidation , harassment , and violence from far-right groups .
Just last Sunday , a neo-Nazi group attacked an LGBTQ training seminar for journalists in central Ukraine .
And while the Ukrainian LGBTQ community felt it would get support from President Volodymyr Zelensky after he shut down an anti-gay heckler during a press conference last year , some felt that possibility slip away last month when more than 300 members of the country ’ s 424-seat parliament , including many from Zelensky ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative caucus called “ Values .
Dignity .
Family.
” Among its goals , the group said its mission will be to adopt laws to protect traditional family values and “ resist attempts to undermine natural law for the sake of political trends.
” Armstrong , 56 , from Lancaster , Pennsylvania , is president of the apostolic ministry Armada Network and international director of the conservative American Pastors Network .
He ’ s been deeply involved in the Ukrainian Christian world for about 20 years and has some Russian speaking skills to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s managed to make some powerful friends in Ukraine , such as Oleksandr Turchynov , the former acting president , and current Interior Minister Arsen Avakov .
In an interview at a Kyiv café , Armstrong told BuzzFeed News he became even more intensely focused on Ukraine after the war with Russia and its separatist proxies broke out in the country ’ s east in 2014 .
He was preaching in the region in the war ’ s early days and recounted in detail how he saw the city of Donetsk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recalled the deaths of a group of Christians fleeing from the fighting near the city of Donetsk .
“ They were escaping by bus and got hit by a missile , ” he said , describing how colleagues “ had to pick up the bodies in pieces.
” Armstrong ’ s experiences in the Donbas invigorated him .
Back in Kyiv , he began reaching out to like-minded Christians , which is how he met Turchynov and his wife , Hanna Turchynova , both of whom have spoken against LGBTQ rights and railed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative term for progressive ideas about gender .
An emotional meeting with Turchynova in which he said he could help by lobbying members of the US government on behalf of Ukraine changed the course of his work .
In his blog post from July 2019 , Armstrong wrote , “ when people ask me , ‘ How did you get into lobbying ?
’ I can honestly tell them that the Lord did it !
” From then on , Armstrong took on a role as pastor and political consultant , speaking with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do more to support war-torn Ukraine .
Later , he would also officially become a lobbyist despite having never worked on K Street .
In April 2017 Armstrong agreed to work for another devout Christian , Ukrainian politician Andriy Artemenko , the former lawmaker who in February of that year made headlines for getting his Moscow-friendly peace plan all the way to the office of Trump ’ s former national security adviser Michael Flynn .
Armstrong confirmed the details of a related Foreign Agents Registration Act ( FARA ) filing that said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of lobbying work that included the unsuccessful effort to prevent Artemenko ’ s loss of Ukrainian citizenship .
“ I know I ’ ve put my nose where it doesn ’ t belong in more than one case , like with Artemenko , ” Armstrong said .
“ I don ’ t have any regrets.
” A year later , he would stick his nose into another controversial situation .
In April 2018 , Parnas and Fruman got the ball rolling with their campaign to oust Yovanovitch , telling Trump at an exclusive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we got ta get rid of the ambassador.
” Trump responded by telling an aide , “ Get rid of her !
Get her out tomorrow .
I don ’ t care .
Get her out tomorrow .
Take her out .
OK ?
Do it.
” That May , Parnas , and Fruman blasted the ambassador in a meeting with then-Rep. Pete Sessions .
Afterward , Sessions wrote Pompeo a letter urging him to replace Yovanovitch , as BuzzFeed News first reported last summer .
Then came Kyiv Pride , which didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , let alone removed .
By fall , Armstrong had grown more frustrated because she remained in her post — and some high-ranking Ukrainian officials had , too .
Chief among them was the interior minister Avakov , a regular target of the US Embassy , which criticized him for not cracking down on violent far-right groups , for not doing more to protect LGBTQ people , and for failing to do his part within the interior ministry to tackle corruption .
Armstrong said Avakov , a fiery and powerful enforcer who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ string of government turnovers and elections to remain in the post he ’ s held since the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution that ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych , expressed his frustration with Yovanovitch during a meeting in Kyiv that October .
“ He was completely against her when I met with him , ” Armstrong said .
Avakov didn ’ t respond to a request for comment .
In his deleted blog post , Armstrong elaborated on his exchange with Avakov .
“ He wanted to know why America ’ s policy towards Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected .
Was he wrong in thinking that Republicans held different values than the Democrats ?
” “ He asked me , ‘ Why , when two of my police officers are killed in the line of duty , the American Ambassador didn ’ t call me ?
Why , when teenagers were kidnapped in the East , by Russians , and terrible things happened to them , the American Ambassador didn ’ t call me ?
Why , when a drunk Ukrainian hits a homosexual on the street , then the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explained in the blog that he felt compelled after the meeting to take action .
“ There are moments like that when I recognize it ’ s the Lord putting me in the right place at the right time to say the right thing , ” he wrote .
In our interview in Kyiv , Armstrong said he wrote a letter that month with the blessing of 39 Ukrainian Christian groups , all of which are listed .
Some of those groups , however , told BuzzFeed News they had worked with Armstrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed they hadn ’ t signed onto the letter .
But Armstrong insisted those groups did and were now reluctant to speak with a reporter .
Armstrong said he passed the letter directly to Tyler Brace , a strategic advisor at the State Department focused on Ukraine and Russia , who then gave it to Pompeo .
He said he wasn ’ t paid by anyone to do it and , in fact , had racked up $ 88,000 in debt in the months before and during his campaign because he believed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 , ratified by the United States .
Article 41 , paragraph 1 , of the Convention obliges all persons enjoying diplomatic privileges and immunities not to interfere in the internal affairs of the receiving state , ” read the letter .
“ We demand that the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine stop promoting and supporting the LGBT-ideology in Ukraine , and thus we insist on the withdrawal of the current Ambassador of the United States to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.
” Armstrong said Brace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the letter and “ read it in its entirety.
” Armstrong said Brace also delivered a response to him from the secretary of state .
“ His ( Pompeo ’ s ) message was , ‘ She ’ s going to be retiring next year .
Let ’ s let her retire and then we ’ ll get someone new in , ’ ” Armstrong said .
Brace , a former legislative assistant for Republican Sen .
Rob Portman who was appointed to the State Department job in July 2018 , couldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State Department or his personal Facebook page .
Armstrong refused to elaborate on his relationship with Brace .
Brace ’ s name popped up in the closed-door impeachment testimony of Kent , the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs , who said he was involved in meetings with US figures central to the impeachment effort .
Around the time Armstrong ’ s letter was sent to Pompeo , the other Ukraine campaign was gaining steam .
Parnas and Furman were connecting Giuliani with a cast of shady current and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were also badmouthing Yovanovitch , as well as providing what they claimed to be evidence of corruption by the former vice president and Trump ’ s potential 2020 Democratic challenger , Joe Biden , and his son , Hunter .
By spring 2019 , Parnas and Fruman were making headway in their campaign with Giuliani in Ukraine .
In late April , Yovanovitch was abruptly summoned to Washington where she was told about her removal .
In November , testifying publicly in the House ’ s impeachment investigation , she said she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and had been seeking her ouster since summer 2018 .
Armstrong said he was disappointed by the response to his letter that he received from Pompeo but still felt good about the secretary of state at least being made aware of Yovanovitch ’ s actions in Kyiv .
He said he felt at the time that he ’ d made a difference , albeit a small one .
NPR reported last week that Yovanovitch , who ’ d remained on the State Department payroll while teaching at Georgetown University after her return to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officially retired from the foreign service after 33 years and three ambassadorships under both Democrat and Republican presidents .
Through her lawyer , she declined to comment for this story .

Amnesty International called the march and the preceding weeklong Kyiv Pride events that year “a genuine achievement and celebration of national significance.” Despite some progress since then, Amnesty says Ukraine remains a country where anti-LGBTQ attitudes are still strong and where activists for those communities face intimidation, harassment, and violence from far-right groups.
Just last Sunday, a neo-Nazi group attacked an LGBTQ training seminar for journalists in central Ukraine. And while the Ukrainian LGBTQ community felt it would get support from President Volodymyr Zelensky after he shut down an anti-gay heckler during a press conference last year, some felt that possibility slip away last month when more than 300 members of the country’s 424-seat parliament, including many from Zelensky’s own ruling party, formed a cross-party conservative caucus called “Values. Dignity. Family.” Among its goals, the group said its mission will be to adopt laws to protect traditional family values and “resist attempts to undermine natural law for the sake of political trends.”
Armstrong, 56, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is president of the apostolic ministry Armada Network and international director of the conservative American Pastors Network. He’s been deeply involved in the Ukrainian Christian world for about 20 years and has some Russian speaking skills to prove it. Over that time, he’s managed to make some powerful friends in Ukraine, such as Oleksandr Turchynov, the former acting president, and current Interior Minister Arsen Avakov.
In an interview at a Kyiv café, Armstrong told BuzzFeed News he became even more intensely focused on Ukraine after the war with Russia and its separatist proxies broke out in the country’s east in 2014. He was preaching in the region in the war’s early days and recounted in detail how he saw the city of Donetsk fall to Russia-backed forces. He also recalled the deaths of a group of Christians fleeing from the fighting near the city of Donetsk. “They were escaping by bus and got hit by a missile,” he said, describing how colleagues “had to pick up the bodies in pieces.”
Armstrong’s experiences in the Donbas invigorated him. Back in Kyiv, he began reaching out to like-minded Christians, which is how he met Turchynov and his wife, Hanna Turchynova, both of whom have spoken against LGBTQ rights and railed against “gender ideology” — a conservative term for progressive ideas about gender. An emotional meeting with Turchynova in which he said he could help by lobbying members of the US government on behalf of Ukraine changed the course of his work. In his blog post from July 2019, Armstrong wrote, “when people ask me, ‘How did you get into lobbying?’ I can honestly tell them that the Lord did it!”
From then on, Armstrong took on a role as pastor and political consultant, speaking with policymakers in Washington and telling them to do more to support war-torn Ukraine. Later, he would also officially become a lobbyist despite having never worked on K Street.
In April 2017 Armstrong agreed to work for another devout Christian, Ukrainian politician Andriy Artemenko, the former lawmaker who in February of that year made headlines for getting his Moscow-friendly peace plan all the way to the office of Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Armstrong confirmed the details of a related Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filing that said he was paid $90,000 for three months of lobbying work that included the unsuccessful effort to prevent Artemenko’s loss of Ukrainian citizenship.
“I know I’ve put my nose where it doesn’t belong in more than one case, like with Artemenko,” Armstrong said. “I don’t have any regrets.”
A year later, he would stick his nose into another controversial situation.
In April 2018, Parnas and Fruman got the ball rolling with their campaign to oust Yovanovitch, telling Trump at an exclusive dinner at his Washington hotel, “we gotta get rid of the ambassador.” Trump responded by telling an aide, “Get rid of her! Get her out tomorrow. I don’t care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. OK? Do it.” That May, Parnas, and Fruman blasted the ambassador in a meeting with then-Rep. Pete Sessions. Afterward, Sessions wrote Pompeo a letter urging him to replace Yovanovitch, as BuzzFeed News first reported last summer.


buzzfeed--2020-02-06--Trump May Have Been Acquitted, But The House’s Vote To Impeach Him “Will Last Forever,” The First De

Trump May Have Been Acquitted, But The House’s Vote To Impeach Him “Will Last Forever,” The First Democrat To Call For Trump’s Removal Said

The House charged Trump with two articles of impeachment in December : abuse of power and obstruction of Congress .
The former charge was for withholding military aid to Ukraine until the president announced an investigation into a political rival , Joe Biden .
The latter charge was for stonewalling the House ’ s investigation by not allowing White House staff to testify .
He is the third president in US history to be impeached by the House .
“ I think that we can be proud of the fact that the House is Representatives did its job , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a telephone interview Wednesday .
“ The House had the courage to take on the president and to fashion articles of impeachment — they were voted and the president has been impeached .
That is something that will last forever.
” WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was acquitted of two impeachment charges Wednesday , but the first Democrat to call for impeachment said the House did its job and will be there watching like the “ Sword of Damocles.
” The Impeachment Today podcast gets you up to date with the day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catch up on all the episodes , or subscribe on the iHeartRadio app , Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you listen to your favorite shows .
Green told BuzzFeed News in December the House was open to bringing additional articles of impeachment against Trump if the Senate acquitted him .
Moments after the Senate voted , Green told BuzzFeed News he hasn ’ t wavered and that the House stands “ ready to bring charges ” if the president commits additional impeachable acts , or , potentially , for acts he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate trial , the New York Times reported that former national security adviser John Bolton had heard from Trump directly that he was withholding the Ukrainian aid in exchange for an investigation into the Bidens and that he possessed notes on the president ’ s request .
But Senate Republicans voted against hearing from additional witnesses in the trial , including Bolton .
Despite the acquittal , Green said , he thinks the president understands the House is committed to holding him responsible for any future impeachable offenses .
“ My belief is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watch , ” he told BuzzFeed News .
“ He could have received a signal that there are no guardrails — that he can obstruct and he can do it with immunity and impunity .
I do believe it would be a mistake for him to think that he can now simply disregard all the laws we have in this country.
” In May 2017 , Green was the first Democrat in Congress to call for the president ’ s impeachment .
At the time , the Texas lawmaker was pointing to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election .
Congress later impeached the president on a similar charge , obstruction of Congress , over the Ukraine incident .
After a trial that lasted a little over two weeks , the Republican-led Senate voted to acquit the president .
“ The Senate , in my opinion , failed to do its job , ” said Green , warning that the acquittal “ should not be perceived by the president as a license to do that which the Constitution forbids and the laws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rep. Maxine Waters , another Democrat who made early calls for impeachment , applauded the senators who voted to remove Trump from office , acknowledging Sen. Angus King , an independent from Maine , and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney from Utah , who voted to convict the president .
Waters accused the other senators , all Republicans , of being “ enem [ ies ] of the rule of law and the Constitution.
” “ The jurors abandoned impartiality and openly colluded with the guilty defendant , ” Waters said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critic of the president who came out in favor of impeachment earlier than many of her House colleagues , also condemned the Senate ’ s decision .
“ I just know that doing nothing wasn ’ t an option of us in the House , and it ’ s unfortunate that the Senate is going to create a dictatorship by acquitting him , ” Tlaib told reporters Tuesday night after the State of the Union address .

Green told BuzzFeed News in December the House was open to bringing additional articles of impeachment against Trump if the Senate acquitted him. Moments after the Senate voted, Green told BuzzFeed News he hasn’t wavered and that the House stands “ready to bring charges” if the president commits additional impeachable acts, or, potentially, for acts he has “already committed.”
During the Senate trial, the New York Times reported that former national security adviser John Bolton had heard from Trump directly that he was withholding the Ukrainian aid in exchange for an investigation into the Bidens and that he possessed notes on the president’s request. But Senate Republicans voted against hearing from additional witnesses in the trial, including Bolton.
Despite the acquittal, Green said, he thinks the president understands the House is committed to holding him responsible for any future impeachable offenses.
“My belief is that the House of Representatives is on watch,” he told BuzzFeed News. “He could have received a signal that there are no guardrails — that he can obstruct and he can do it with immunity and impunity. I do believe it would be a mistake for him to think that he can now simply disregard all the laws we have in this country.”
In May 2017, Green was the first Democrat in Congress to call for the president’s impeachment. At the time, the Texas lawmaker was pointing to the president’s obstruction during the House’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Congress later impeached the president on a similar charge, obstruction of Congress, over the Ukraine incident.
After a trial that lasted a little over two weeks, the Republican-led Senate voted to acquit the president.
“The Senate, in my opinion, failed to do its job,” said Green, warning that the acquittal “should not be perceived by the president as a license to do that which the Constitution forbids and the laws would find reason to punish him.”
Rep. Maxine Waters, another Democrat who made early calls for impeachment, applauded the senators who voted to remove Trump from office, acknowledging Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney from Utah, who voted to convict the president. Waters accused the other senators, all Republicans, of being “enem[ies] of the rule of law and the Constitution.”
“The jurors abandoned impartiality and openly colluded with the guilty defendant,” Waters said in a statement.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, another staunch critic of the president who came out in favor of impeachment earlier than many of her House colleagues, also condemned the Senate’s decision.
“I just know that doing nothing wasn’t an option of us in the House, and it’s unfortunate that the Senate is going to create a dictatorship by acquitting him,” Tlaib told reporters Tuesday night after the State of the Union address.


buzzfeed--2020-02-06--Donald Trump Has Been Acquitted Of Both Articles Of Impeachment

Trump was found not guilty of abuse of power on a 52–48 vote and not guilty of obstruction of Congress on a 53–47 vote .
The Senate voted Wednesday afternoon , mostly across party lines , to dismiss the impeachment articles of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress .
Sen. Mitt Romney was the only Republican to join Democrats in voting to remove Trump from office over the abuse of power charge .
Romney joined the rest of the Senate ’ s 52 Republicans in voting against the second charge .
WASHINGTON — The US Senate has voted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charges he faced .
He will not be removed from office .
The Impeachment Today podcast gets you up to date with the day ’ s most important impeachment news .
Catch up on all the episodes , or subscribe on the iHeartRadio app , Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you listen to your favorite shows .
Trump 's defense team and allies had repeatedly argued the impeachment and removal trial were not bipartisan , seeking to delegitimize the proceedings .
Following the vote , Trump 's lawyer Jay Sekulow said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Romney 's decision .
Asked about the bipartisan nature of the conviction , Sekulow repeatedly said , “ It was one vote on one count.
” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham took a similar line , saying in a statement , `` only the President ’ s political opponents — all Democrats , and one failed Republican presidential candidate — voted for the manufactured impeachment articles . ''
Trump 's initial response to the vote was to tweet a video of a fake Time magazine cover suggesting he will be president forever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speak at 12 p.m. Thursday from the White House `` to discuss our Country ’ s VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax ! ''
Trump 's campaign , meanwhile , said it `` only got bigger and stronger as a result of this nonsense '' and crowed that the president had been `` totally vindicated . ''
Romney ’ s vote is politically awkward for Senate Republicans because they have spent recent weeks portraying the House votes to impeach Trump as purely partisan .
Not a single House Republican voted in favor of either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whereas opposition was “ bipartisan ” because two Democrats voted against at least one article ( one of those Democrats , Rep. Jeff Van Drew , has since joined the Republican Party ) .
Romney ’ s vote flipped that dynamic .
Democrats can now advertise there was a bipartisan vote to remove Trump from office , blocked only by Republicans .
Sen. Bernie Sanders said `` it ’ s a sad day for the country '' as he left the Senate .
`` I think that the acquittal of Trump and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican voting to impeach sends a signal to future presidents that you can operate above the law .
You do n't have to pay attention to the Constitution , '' he said .
Trump ’ s impeachment trial took just over two weeks , the shortest of the three presidential impeachment trials in US history .
The 1999 trial of Bill Clinton lasted five weeks , and the 1868 trial of Andrew Johnson lasted over seven weeks .
Trump was impeached by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives in December over charges that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withhold nearly $ 400 million in military aid from Ukraine in exchange for the country launching an investigation into the family of a political rival , former vice president Joe Biden .
The administration stonewalled the House impeachment inquiry , leading to a second charge of obstruction of Congress .
Democrats denounced the Senate trial as a sham because Republicans blocked all attempts to subpoena additional documents or witnesses , including John Bolton , in particular ; the former national security adviser reportedly wrote in a forthcoming book manuscript that Trump told him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in exchange for the Biden investigation .
Republicans rejected the charges against Trump as a politically motivated attempt to overturn the results of the last election .
A couple of hours before senators were to vote on the impeachment articles , protesters filed into the Capitol 's rotunda .
A group of 10 locked arms during a sit-in and shouted “ Trump is guilty , ” many of them wearing shirts that read “ ARREST TRUMP ” and “ AN ACQUITTAL IS A COVER-UP.
” Capitol Police removed the protesters within minutes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It had long been clear that Trump would not be removed from office .
Conviction required supermajority support of 67 out of 100 senators ; with Republicans controlling 53 seats , this was never in play .
Instead , the key question became whether four or more Republicans would side with Democrats to call witnesses .
In the end , only two — Romney and Susan Collins of Maine — did .
Collins ultimately voted against both articles of impeachment .
Some moderate Democrats , including Sens .
Joe Manchin of West Virginia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Doug Jones of Alabama , had considered voting no on one or both articles of impeachment , but all three said Wednesday that they would vote to remove Trump from office on both charges .
`` I take no pleasure in these votes , and am saddened this is the legacy we leave our children and grandchildren .
I have always wanted this president , and every president , to succeed , but I deeply love our country and must do what I think is best for the nation , '' Manchin said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Ukraine scandal has consumed the past several months of Trump ’ s term since news broke in September of an anonymous whistleblower report that had been written in August .
The report laid out secondhand allegations that Trump had used his official powers to extract an investigation into the Bidens from Ukraine .
The identities of federal whistleblowers are protected by law , but several high-ranking politicians have accused the individual of having a political agenda and demanded the whistleblower be called to testify before Congress .
Rep. Adam Schiff , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , saying every allegation in the report was later backed up by firsthand testimony in the House impeachment inquiry .
After the votes Wednesday , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thanked Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts for his work presiding over the trial during the last two and a half weeks .
The Senate presented Roberts with `` the golden gavel , '' which McConnell said is typically given to senators after they 've spent 100 hours in the chair , presiding over the Senate .
`` But I think we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his due and then some , '' McConnell said .
The Senate adjourned as a court of impeachment at 4:41 p.m. , formally ending Trump 's trial .
The trial 's conclusion will allow the Senate to return to its normal business — largely confirming swaths of Trump 's judicial nominees .
True to form , McConnell teed up votes on five new judges as the Senate left for the week .
The trial 's end also means Democratic senators running for president will get to return to the campaign trail ahead of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The candidates had been forced to stay in Washington for much of the last two weeks to attend the trial , including on the day of the disastrous Iowa caucuses earlier this week .
One of the candidates , Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota , appeared to be in the middle of a very long week as she left the Senate on Wednesday , telling reporters , `` I 'll never forget it .
And I 'm very proud of Sen .
Romney . ''

Trump's defense team and allies had repeatedly argued the impeachment and removal trial were not bipartisan, seeking to delegitimize the proceedings. Following the vote, Trump's lawyer Jay Sekulow said he had "no reaction" to Romney's decision. Asked about the bipartisan nature of the conviction, Sekulow repeatedly said, “It was one vote on one count.”
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham took a similar line, saying in a statement, "only the President’s political opponents — all Democrats, and one failed Republican presidential candidate — voted for the manufactured impeachment articles."
Trump's initial response to the vote was to tweet a video of a fake Time magazine cover suggesting he will be president forever. He later tweeted that he will speak at 12 p.m. Thursday from the White House "to discuss our Country’s VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax!" Trump's campaign, meanwhile, said it "only got bigger and stronger as a result of this nonsense" and crowed that the president had been "totally vindicated."
Romney’s vote is politically awkward for Senate Republicans because they have spent recent weeks portraying the House votes to impeach Trump as purely partisan. Not a single House Republican voted in favor of either impeachment article, they have repeatedly stressed, whereas opposition was “bipartisan” because two Democrats voted against at least one article (one of those Democrats, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, has since joined the Republican Party).
Romney’s vote flipped that dynamic. Democrats can now advertise there was a bipartisan vote to remove Trump from office, blocked only by Republicans.
Sen. Bernie Sanders said "it’s a sad day for the country" as he left the Senate. "I think that the acquittal of Trump and the fact that we only had one Republican voting to impeach sends a signal to future presidents that you can operate above the law. You don't have to pay attention to the Constitution," he said.
Trump’s impeachment trial took just over two weeks, the shortest of the three presidential impeachment trials in US history. The 1999 trial of Bill Clinton lasted five weeks, and the 1868 trial of Andrew Johnson lasted over seven weeks.
Trump was impeached by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives in December over charges that he abused the powers of his office to withhold nearly $400 million in military aid from Ukraine in exchange for the country launching an investigation into the family of a political rival, former vice president Joe Biden. The administration stonewalled the House impeachment inquiry, leading to a second charge of obstruction of Congress.
Democrats denounced the Senate trial as a sham because Republicans blocked all attempts to subpoena additional documents or witnesses, including John Bolton, in particular; the former national security adviser reportedly wrote in a forthcoming book manuscript that Trump told him directly he was withholding the Ukrainian aid in exchange for the Biden investigation.
Republicans rejected the charges against Trump as a politically motivated attempt to overturn the results of the last election.
A couple of hours before senators were to vote on the impeachment articles, protesters filed into the Capitol's rotunda. A group of 10 locked arms during a sit-in and shouted “Trump is guilty,” many of them wearing shirts that read “ARREST TRUMP” and “AN ACQUITTAL IS A COVER-UP.” Capitol Police removed the protesters within minutes and escorted them out of the building.
It had long been clear that Trump would not be removed from office. Conviction required supermajority support of 67 out of 100 senators; with Republicans controlling 53 seats, this was never in play. Instead, the key question became whether four or more Republicans would side with Democrats to call witnesses. In the end, only two — Romney and Susan Collins of Maine — did. Collins ultimately voted against both articles of impeachment.
Some moderate Democrats, including Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and Doug Jones of Alabama, had considered voting no on one or both articles of impeachment, but all three said Wednesday that they would vote to remove Trump from office on both charges.
"I take no pleasure in these votes, and am saddened this is the legacy we leave our children and grandchildren. I have always wanted this president, and every president, to succeed, but I deeply love our country and must do what I think is best for the nation," Manchin said in a statement just before the vote.
The Ukraine scandal has consumed the past several months of Trump’s term since news broke in September of an anonymous whistleblower report that had been written in August. The report laid out secondhand allegations that Trump had used his official powers to extract an investigation into the Bidens from Ukraine.
The identities of federal whistleblowers are protected by law, but several high-ranking politicians have accused the individual of having a political agenda and demanded the whistleblower be called to testify before Congress. Rep. Adam Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee chair, refused, saying every allegation in the report was later backed up by firsthand testimony in the House impeachment inquiry.
After the votes Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thanked Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts for his work presiding over the trial during the last two and a half weeks. The Senate presented Roberts with "the golden gavel," which McConnell said is typically given to senators after they've spent 100 hours in the chair, presiding over the Senate. "But I think we can agree that chief justice has put in his due and then some," McConnell said.
The Senate adjourned as a court of impeachment at 4:41 p.m., formally ending Trump's trial.
The trial's conclusion will allow the Senate to return to its normal business — largely confirming swaths of Trump's judicial nominees. True to form, McConnell teed up votes on five new judges as the Senate left for the week.
The trial's end also means Democratic senators running for president will get to return to the campaign trail ahead of the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 11. The candidates had been forced to stay in Washington for much of the last two weeks to attend the trial, including on the day of the disastrous Iowa caucuses earlier this week.
One of the candidates, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, appeared to be in the middle of a very long week as she left the Senate on Wednesday, telling reporters, "I'll never forget it. And I'm very proud of Sen. Romney."


buzzfeed--2020-02-06--Bernie Sanders’ Iowa Surge Is Settling Into A Surreal Anticlimax

MILFORD , New Hampshire — What do you say after a year of work — work by the candidate and his staffers , by the volunteers those staffers recruit , and by all the people who show up to caucus in common cause on the big day — when it all comes down to one surreal anticlimax ?
At 12:30 p.m. the day after a coding error derailed the Iowa caucuses , still facing an uncertain top finish , the Bernie Sanders campaign convened an all-staff call .
“ We can not lose sight of what matters most here : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign manager , Faiz Shakir , told his team after a sleepless night .
As results started coming in on Tuesday , there was no great celebration , just a quiet mix of exhaustion and resolve , for the sort-of-victorious Sanders campaign .
The senator and his aides believe they are winning the most important measure of the complicated Iowa caucus process : the raw votes .
With results from 75 % of state precincts as of Wednesday afternoon , former South Bend , Indiana , mayor Pete Buttigieg has a slight lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the standard that in the past has determined the caucus winner , while Sanders currently leads in the both rounds of caucus voting , including after the so-called realignment process , when voters backing candidates who don ’ t reach threshold of 15 % support at a caucus may choose to realign with another candidate .
Sanders and Buttigieg are at the moment tied in pledged delegates , the measure that ultimately decides the nominee at the Democratic National Convention .
On Wednesday night , Sanders ’ s state director , Misty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff and supporters , saying campaign officials still believed they had “ a viable path forward to achieve a clean sweep and retake the lead in state delegate equivalents and national pledged delegates.
” The memo pointed mainly to results yet to come from Iowa ’ s satellite caucuses , which she said she believes Sanders won “ overwhelmingly.
” Satellite caucuses were held earlier in the day for Iowans out of state , but were also designed in part to allow workers and students , two chief components of the Sanders electorate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day .
As results continue to trickle in , the Sanders team seems to have grown resigned to the reality that what might have been a momentous occasion for its campaign and “ political revolution ” — leading the vote in the first contest of the nominating process — is now muddled by a delayed result , an opaque caucus process gone awry , and a poorly built smartphone app .
It has been a chaotic and confusing end to the yearlong race to win Iowa , as campaigns gathered their supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Des Moines , only to wait , and wait , and keep waiting , for election results that never came .
Sanders supporters , crowding into a large hall inside the airport Holiday Inn , watched live CNN coverage on large projectors .
“ QUESTIONS MOUNT OVER DELAY OF IOWA CAUCUS RESULTS , ” read a chyron that hardly changed all night .
Eventually , they cut the sound .
By midnight , there was Sanders , delivering his usual stump speech .
The next morning , tired aides were milling around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still without results .
Pete D ’ Alessandro , the senator ’ s longtime man in Iowa , was talking about the young staffers and volunteers who were , he said , bewildered by what had happened .
“ They do n't get their story here , ” D ’ Alessandro said .
Around noon on Tuesday , Sanders crossed an ice-cold tarmac in Des Moines to join his staff and members of the press on his campaign plane , leaving the state for perhaps the last time after a yearlong effort here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of dollars .
At the rear of his Boeing 737 , Sanders addressed a crush of reporters and television cameras about what he described as negligence by the Iowa Democratic Party to deliver clear and timely results .
Imagine how many voters are deflated by the process , he said .
“ If I ’ m a first-time voter and I came out and voted — and the results are not coming in for 16 hours ?
You know , that ’ s a little disconcerting.
” By his side , the candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , outlined the campaign ’ s latest internal data , reading off their partial estimates from a sheet of paper .
To his right , Sanders stood motionless in the aisle , a stolid expression on his face .
Buttigieg had already — kind of .
“ No , ” Sanders snapped back , “ what we ’ re declaring is what Jeff just talked about , based on the information we receive from our precinct captains.
” By the time he arrived here , in New Hampshire , the next state on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had become a half-hearted applause line .
“ For some reason in Iowa , they ’ re having a little bit of trouble counting votes .
But I am confident that here in New Hampshire , I know you ’ ll be able to count your votes on election night , ” he told a crowd of 1,300 on Tuesday night at an athletic complex in Milford .
“ And when you count those votes , I look forward to winning here in New Hampshire.
” The Iowa results so far do reflect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a personal vindication for Sanders and his brand of class-based politics .
Four years after falling short in his first presidential campaign , and four months after a heart attack threatened to end his second , the 78-year-old senator appears to have won more Iowa voters than his 11 rivals .
Sanders sees his movement as squarely based in the politics of class — a mode of organizing he believes the political establishment neither understands nor is willing to embrace .
“ This is unique , ” Sanders told supporters on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t no other campaign doing this.
” If his 2016 bid began as a self-described “ educational campaign ” — a one-man crusade to spread his message about economic inequality , corporate greed , and a rigged political system — then four years later , Sanders has pursued victory with a more personalized message to the American working class : Over the last year , he has used his campaign and massive digital platform to emphasize individual stories of , in particular , people struggling with medical , credit , and student @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working people face daily .
The mix of philosophy and strategy is unusual , but central to Sanders ’ view of movement politics .
And he has promised voters with great confidence that his strategy will bring new voters , most of them poor or working class , into the political process .
“ It is a gamble to see whether we can bring those people into the political process , ” he said in an interview last year .
“ One way you do it is to say , ‘ You see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You ’ re workin ’ for $ 12 an hour , you can ’ t afford health insurance — so is he .
Listen to what he has to say .
It ’ s not Bernie Sanders talking , you know ?
It ’ s that guy .
Join us . '
” Iowa was the first test of that gamble : Initial reports have suggested voter turnout is just above or on pace for the levels set in 2016 , when about 170,000 participated in the contest between Sanders and Hillary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ below the almost 240,000 Iowa voters that set a record in 2008 during Barack Obama ’ s first presidential campaign .
Monday ’ s figure came as a clear disappointment to Sanders .
The day before the caucus , he asked his supporters to help drive a victory with “ the largest voter turnout in the history of the Iowa caucus.
” It ’ s ending up to be , it seems , another mixed result .
“ Somewhat higher ” than 2016 , Sanders told reporters before heading to New Hampshire .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said , “ as I would have liked to have seen .
”

MILFORD, New Hampshire — What do you say after a year of work — work by the candidate and his staffers, by the volunteers those staffers recruit, and by all the people who show up to caucus in common cause on the big day — when it all comes down to one surreal anticlimax?
At 12:30 p.m. the day after a coding error derailed the Iowa caucuses, still facing an uncertain top finish, the Bernie Sanders campaign convened an all-staff call.
“We cannot lose sight of what matters most here: winning this damn nomination,” his campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, told his team after a sleepless night.
As results started coming in on Tuesday, there was no great celebration, just a quiet mix of exhaustion and resolve, for the sort-of-victorious Sanders campaign.
The senator and his aides believe they are winning the most important measure of the complicated Iowa caucus process: the raw votes. With results from 75% of state precincts as of Wednesday afternoon, former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg has a slight lead in the percentage of state delegate equivalents, the standard that in the past has determined the caucus winner, while Sanders currently leads in the both rounds of caucus voting, including after the so-called realignment process, when voters backing candidates who don’t reach threshold of 15% support at a caucus may choose to realign with another candidate. Sanders and Buttigieg are at the moment tied in pledged delegates, the measure that ultimately decides the nominee at the Democratic National Convention.
On Wednesday night, Sanders’s state director, Misty Rebik, emailed a memo to Iowa staff and supporters, saying campaign officials still believed they had “a viable path forward to achieve a clean sweep and retake the lead in state delegate equivalents and national pledged delegates.” The memo pointed mainly to results yet to come from Iowa’s satellite caucuses, which she said she believes Sanders won “overwhelmingly.” Satellite caucuses were held earlier in the day for Iowans out of state, but were also designed in part to allow workers and students, two chief components of the Sanders electorate, a chance to caucus earlier in the day.
As results continue to trickle in, the Sanders team seems to have grown resigned to the reality that what might have been a momentous occasion for its campaign and “political revolution” — leading the vote in the first contest of the nominating process — is now muddled by a delayed result, an opaque caucus process gone awry, and a poorly built smartphone app.
It has been a chaotic and confusing end to the yearlong race to win Iowa, as campaigns gathered their supporters for caucus night parties in hotel ballrooms in Des Moines, only to wait, and wait, and keep waiting, for election results that never came. Sanders supporters, crowding into a large hall inside the airport Holiday Inn, watched live CNN coverage on large projectors. “QUESTIONS MOUNT OVER DELAY OF IOWA CAUCUS RESULTS,” read a chyron that hardly changed all night. Eventually, they cut the sound. By midnight, there was Sanders, delivering his usual stump speech.
The next morning, tired aides were milling around the lobby of the Holiday Inn, still without results. Pete D’Alessandro, the senator’s longtime man in Iowa, was talking about the young staffers and volunteers who were, he said, bewildered by what had happened.
“They don't get their story here,” D’Alessandro said.
Around noon on Tuesday, Sanders crossed an ice-cold tarmac in Des Moines to join his staff and members of the press on his campaign plane, leaving the state for perhaps the last time after a yearlong effort here that spanned 120 campaign events and millions of dollars.
At the rear of his Boeing 737, Sanders addressed a crush of reporters and television cameras about what he described as negligence by the Iowa Democratic Party to deliver clear and timely results. Imagine how many voters are deflated by the process, he said. “If I’m a first-time voter and I came out and voted — and the results are not coming in for 16 hours? You know, that’s a little disconcerting.”
By his side, the candidate’s closest adviser, Jeff Weaver, outlined the campaign’s latest internal data, reading off their partial estimates from a sheet of paper. To his right, Sanders stood motionless in the aisle, a stolid expression on his face.
Senator, a reporter asked, are you declaring victory?
Buttigieg had already — kind of.
“No,” Sanders snapped back, “what we’re declaring is what Jeff just talked about, based on the information we receive from our precinct captains.”
By the time he arrived in New Hampshire, the next state on the primary calendar, the Iowa debacle had become a half-hearted applause line. “For some reason in Iowa, they’re having a little bit of trouble counting votes. But I am confident that here in New Hampshire, I know you’ll be able to count your votes on election night,” he told a crowd of 1,300 on Tuesday night at an athletic complex in Milford.
“And when you count those votes, I look forward to winning here in New Hampshire.”
The Iowa results so far do reflect a remarkable start to the nominating process and a personal vindication for Sanders and his brand of class-based politics. Four years after falling short in his first presidential campaign, and four months after a heart attack threatened to end his second, the 78-year-old senator appears to have won more Iowa voters than his 11 rivals.
Sanders sees his movement as squarely based in the politics of class — a mode of organizing he believes the political establishment neither understands nor is willing to embrace.
“This is unique,” Sanders told supporters on the day before the caucus. “Ain’t no other campaign doing this.”
If his 2016 bid began as a self-described “educational campaign” — a one-man crusade to spread his message about economic inequality, corporate greed, and a rigged political system — then four years later, Sanders has pursued victory with a more personalized message to the American working class: Over the last year, he has used his campaign and massive digital platform to emphasize individual stories of, in particular, people struggling with medical, credit, and student debt, and the crippling anxiety that working people face daily.
The mix of philosophy and strategy is unusual, but central to Sanders’ view of movement politics.
And he has promised voters with great confidence that his strategy will bring new voters, most of them poor or working class, into the political process.
“It is a gamble to see whether we can bring those people into the political process,” he said in an interview last year. “One way you do it is to say, ‘You see that guy? He’s YOU. You’re workin’ for $12 an hour, you can’t afford health insurance — so is he. Listen to what he has to say. It’s not Bernie Sanders talking, you know? It’s that guy. Join us.'”
Iowa was the first test of that gamble: Initial reports have suggested voter turnout is just above or on pace for the levels set in 2016, when about 170,000 participated in the contest between Sanders and Hillary Clinton. That level would be well below the almost 240,000 Iowa voters that set a record in 2008 during Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign.
Monday’s figure came as a clear disappointment to Sanders. The day before the caucus, he asked his supporters to help drive a victory with “the largest voter turnout in the history of the Iowa caucus.”
It’s ending up to be, it seems, another mixed result.
“Somewhat higher” than 2016, Sanders told reporters before heading to New Hampshire. Just “not as high, frankly,” he said, “as I would have liked to have seen.”


buzzfeed--2020-02-06--A Russian Propagandist Ran An Ad In The Washington Post — And Then Ran Victory Laps In Russian Media

The Washington Post may have violated US government sanctions when it ran an ad online from Russian propagandist Alexander Malkevich — and handed a propaganda coup to a man who appears to have been part of Russia ’ s interference with the 2018 midterm elections in the United States and has been pushing false information to sow political chaos across the globe .
Malkevich , the chair of the Foundation for National Values Protection ( FNVP ) , a Moscow-based think tank , confirmed to BuzzFeed News that he paid for the ad posted on Jan. 30 , an open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mustafa al-Sarraj , calling on him to release two Russian nationals .
“ President of the Foundation Alexander Malkevich demands from the head of the Libyan government [ … ] free the employees of the Foundation Maxim Shugalei and Samer Hassan Ali Seifan , who were arrested by the Libyan militaries in Tripoli in May 2019 , ” read the letter , published last Thursday .
The United States currently forbids business transactions with Malkevich after he was sanctioned in 2018 for `` attempted election interference '' while working as the editor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has since left the site ) .
Under Malkevich ’ s leadership , the site “ engaged in efforts to post content focused on divisive political issues but is generally ridden with inaccuracies , ” the US Treasury Department said in a December 2018 press release .
“ In June 2018 , USA Really attempted to hold a political rally in the United States , though its efforts were unsuccessful.
” Articles published during Malkevich 's tenure mirror the same kind of false , misleading , and purposefully offensive content peddled by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the anti-Semitic “ Star of David Spotted Amidst Migrant Caravan : Who ’ s Behind the Invasion ? ''
and the anti-trans `` New Shocking Facts About Michelle Obama 's Gender . ''
`` The advertiser did not align with our advertising standards , and the ad never should have run , '' a spokesperson for the Washington Post told BuzzFeed News .
`` We removed it quickly from our site , and the advertiser is in the process of being refunded . ''
The ad was published on the site ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offers advertisers `` the Washington Post 's award-winning investigative lens and a deep understanding of our audience to create compelling multimedia stories — from concept to production , '' according to marketing materials .
BrandStudio clients include Amazon , JPMorgan Chase , and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , among others .
`` The Washington Post Newsroom is not involved in the creation of this content , ” reads a disclaimer on the site .
Malkevich told BuzzFeed News he hoped to “ draw the attention of the international community ” to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Seifan , an interpreter , both of whom work for the FNVP .
In July , Libyan authorities arrested the men for attempting to set up a meeting with Seif al-Islam Gadhafi , the fugitive son of the toppled dictator , as part of an alleged Kremlin-backed plot to interfere in national elections last year .
Libyan authorities claimed to have evidence linking them to the troll farm that interfered in the 2016 presidential election in the US .
Malkevich denied wrongdoing and said the men were carrying out sociological research to later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who are in need of them . ''
The publication of the ad garnered headlines in Russia Today , which is funded by the Russian government , and the Federal News Agency , the parent company of USA Really and a founding member of Patriot Media Group , created last October by Robert Mueller–indicted catering oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin , known as “ Putin ’ s cook.
” “ The Washington Post will help free Russians from Libyan captivity , ” read one headline on Nation-News.ru , another Patriot group member .
None @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had paid for the letter , with some sites falsely claiming that the Post had endorsed Malkevich ’ s demands .
One news outlet deceptively cropped a screenshot of the letter to remove a message informing readers that it was a paid ad .
In an interview last Friday on Ren TV , an independent Russian television network , Malkevich obfuscated his role in placing the ad , expressing delight that the “ liberal ” Post had “ published material ” critical of the “ Tripolitan bandits ” who , he claimed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explain to the world community why they behave in this way.
” Malkevich described Libya ’ s treatment of Shugalei and Seifan as “ a flagrant violation of human rights '' and said he had sent a copy of his letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres , asking him to intervene in their case .
It ’ s not the first time Shugalei has been linked to Russian interference efforts .
In April , BBC Africa identified him as a member of a group of Russians masquerading as tourists and election observers in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential election .
According to the BBC , Shugalei worked for Omer Beriziky , one of 36 candidates vying for president .
`` [ Shugalei ] said that he would help us and would provide us with technical support , ” Beriziky 's campaign manager Onja Rasamimanana told BBC Africa .
“ It 's like they decided what we should do , and we had to just do it .
”

The Washington Post may have violated US government sanctions when it ran an ad online from Russian propagandist Alexander Malkevich — and handed a propaganda coup to a man who appears to have been part of Russia’s interference with the 2018 midterm elections in the United States and has been pushing false information to sow political chaos across the globe.
Malkevich, the chair of the Foundation for National Values Protection (FNVP), a Moscow-based think tank, confirmed to BuzzFeed News that he paid for the ad posted on Jan. 30, an open letter addressed to Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Mustafa al-Sarraj, calling on him to release two Russian nationals.
“President of the Foundation Alexander Malkevich demands from the head of the Libyan government […] free the employees of the Foundation Maxim Shugalei and Samer Hassan Ali Seifan, who were arrested by the Libyan militaries in Tripoli in May 2019,” read the letter, published last Thursday.
The United States currently forbids business transactions with Malkevich after he was sanctioned in 2018 for "attempted election interference" while working as the editor of the Russian propaganda site USA Really (he has since left the site).
Under Malkevich’s leadership, the site “engaged in efforts to post content focused on divisive political issues but is generally ridden with inaccuracies,” the US Treasury Department said in a December 2018 press release. “In June 2018, USA Really attempted to hold a political rally in the United States, though its efforts were unsuccessful.”
Articles published during Malkevich's tenure mirror the same kind of false, misleading, and purposefully offensive content peddled by the Internet Research Agency, the Kremlin troll farm that interfered in the 2016 presidential election in the US. Headlines include the anti-Semitic “Star of David Spotted Amidst Migrant Caravan: Who’s Behind the Invasion?" and the anti-trans "New Shocking Facts About Michelle Obama's Gender."
"The advertiser did not align with our advertising standards, and the ad never should have run," a spokesperson for the Washington Post told BuzzFeed News. "We removed it quickly from our site, and the advertiser is in the process of being refunded."
The ad was published on the site’s branded content platform WP BrandStudio, which offers advertisers "the Washington Post's award-winning investigative lens and a deep understanding of our audience to create compelling multimedia stories — from concept to production," according to marketing materials.
BrandStudio clients include Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others.
"The Washington Post Newsroom is not involved in the creation of this content,” reads a disclaimer on the site.
Malkevich told BuzzFeed News he hoped to “draw the attention of the international community” to Shugalei, a political strategist, and Seifan, an interpreter, both of whom work for the FNVP.
Libyan authorities arrested the men for attempting to set up a meeting with Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the fugitive son of the toppled dictator, as part of an alleged Kremlin-backed plot to interfere in national elections last year. Libyan authorities claimed to have evidence linking them to the infamous Kremlin troll farm.
Malkevich denied wrongdoing and said the men were carrying out sociological research to later sell to “businessmen and for other people who are in need of them."
The publication of the ad garnered headlines in Russia Today, which is funded by the Russian government, and the Federal News Agency, the parent company of USA Really and a founding member of Patriot Media Group, created last October by Robert Mueller–indicted catering oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as “Putin’s cook.”
“The Washington Post will help free Russians from Libyan captivity,” read one headline on Nation-News.ru, another Patriot group member.
None of the Russian-language sites reported that Malkevich had paid for the letter, with some sites falsely claiming that the Post had endorsed Malkevich’s demands. One news outlet deceptively cropped a screenshot of the letter to remove a message informing readers that it was a paid ad.
In an interview last Friday on Ren TV, an independent Russian television network, Malkevich obfuscated his role in placing the ad, expressing delight that the “liberal” Post had “published material” critical of the “Tripolitan bandits” who, he claimed, “are finding it increasingly difficult to explain to the world community why they behave in this way.”
Malkevich described Libya’s treatment of Shugalei and Seifan as “a flagrant violation of human rights" and said he had sent a copy of his letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, asking him to intervene in their case.
It’s not the first time Shugalei has been linked to Russian interference efforts. In April, BBC Africa identified him as a member of a group of Russians masquerading as tourists and election observers in the lead-up to Madagascar’s 2018 presidential election.
According to the BBC, Shugalei worked for Omer Beriziky, one of 36 candidates vying for president.
"[Shugalei] said that he would help us and would provide us with technical support,” Beriziky's campaign manager Onja Rasamimanana told BBC Africa. “It's like they decided what we should do, and we had to just do it.”


buzzfeed--2020-02-06--Bernie Sanders Says He Won Iowa Based On The Raw Votes

Bernie Sanders thanked Iowa for a resounding victory on Monday at a press conference in New Hampshire .
The Vermont senator , whose campaign has essentially claimed victory this week , said on Thursday that the raw votes in Iowa meant he 's won the state .
Asked why he was claiming victory when Pete Buttigieg has also claimed victory , Sanders said , `` Because I got 6,000 more votes . ''
Currently , with 97 % of results reported , Buttigieg holds a very narrow lead in what 's called the `` state delegate equivalents , '' which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delegates for this summer 's national convention .
For the first time this year , the IDP released three sets of results .
When you attend a Democratic caucus in Iowa , you select your candidate on the first vote .
A caucus chair counts up everyone in the room .
This is called the first alignment .
After that , if your candidate doesn ’ t meet 15 % of the vote , you can pick another candidate , go home , or form an alliance with enough people who no longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % .
Then the caucus chair counts again .
That ’ s the final alignment .
The final alignment is used to determine delegates for the state convention and , ultimately , delegates for the national convention this summer .
This is called the delegate equivalent .
Traditionally , the party only reports the delegate number , and that 's how the party usually chooses a winner .
As of Thursday , Sanders leads in the first alignment and the second alignment .
Buttigieg leads in the delegate equivalent .
`` This difference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference , `` no matter who inches ahead in the end , is meaningless , because we are both likely to receive the same number of national delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee . ''
It 's still not clear when the Iowa Democratic Party will finish reporting results , and whether they 'll do — essentially — a recount .
The Democratic National Committee chair called for a `` recanvass , '' or a hand audit of local results to ensure the correct count at the end , after some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process on top of the long delay in producing results .
Caucuses , which require math done by volunteers , are a notoriously complex way to select a candidate .

Bernie Sanders thanked Iowa for a resounding victory on Monday at a press conference in New Hampshire.
The Vermont senator, whose campaign has essentially claimed victory this week, said on Thursday that the raw votes in Iowa meant he's won the state.
Asked why he was claiming victory when Pete Buttigieg has also claimed victory, Sanders said, "Because I got 6,000 more votes."
Currently, with 97% of results reported, Buttigieg holds a very narrow lead in what's called the "state delegate equivalents," which is a measure ultimately used to select delegates for this summer's national convention.
For the first time this year, the IDP released three sets of results. When you attend a Democratic caucus in Iowa, you select your candidate on the first vote. A caucus chair counts up everyone in the room. This is called the first alignment.
After that, if your candidate doesn’t meet 15% of the vote, you can pick another candidate, go home, or form an alliance with enough people who no longer have a viable candidate to hit 15%. Then the caucus chair counts again. That’s the final alignment.
The final alignment is used to determine delegates for the state convention and, ultimately, delegates for the national convention this summer. This is called the delegate equivalent.
Traditionally, the party only reports the delegate number, and that's how the party usually chooses a winner. As of Thursday, Sanders leads in the first alignment and the second alignment. Buttigieg leads in the delegate equivalent.
"This difference," Sanders added at his press conference, "no matter who inches ahead in the end, is meaningless, because we are both likely to receive the same number of national delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee."
It's still not clear when the Iowa Democratic Party will finish reporting results, and whether they'll do — essentially — a recount. The Democratic National Committee chair called for a "recanvass," or a hand audit of local results to ensure the correct count at the end, after some people found apparent errors in the reporting process on top of the long delay in producing results.
Caucuses, which require math done by volunteers, are a notoriously complex way to select a candidate.


buzzfeed--2020-02-06--Here’s What’s Happening In Republicans’ Biden–Ukraine Investigation

WASHINGTON — Republicans in the Senate are months into a broad investigation into matters related to Democrats and Ukraine and have made steady progress amassing documents and coordinating interviews with possible witnesses , according to sources familiar with the inquiry .
The investigation , which has been ongoing as President Donald Trump ’ s impeachment worked its way through Congress , focuses on former vice president Joe Biden ’ s relationship with Ukraine and widely refuted claims that the country interfered in the 2016 presidential election .
Since December , the lead Republicans on three Senate committees have been receiving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testify in the vast probe , which could stretch into the summer and the primaries , where Biden is vying for the Democratic nomination .
The committees are expecting thousands more pages of records from government agencies about interactions between the Obama administration and Ukrainian officials before the last presidential election .
Those three Republican committee chairs — Sens .
Chuck Grassley , Ron Johnson , and Lindsey Graham — sent out requests in the fall to a wide range of government entities , as well as political consultants and former State Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy theories about Ukrainian election meddling .
( Graham has been less involved than Grassley and Johnson . )
The requests , which didn ’ t make large waves at the time , came as Democrats pursued impeachment against the president for withholding millions in foreign aid to Ukraine in exchange for investigations into the Bidens — notably , Biden ’ s son Hunter , who served on the board of Burisma , a Ukrainian gas company .
The requests focused on a series of reported events that many Republicans have argued justified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that merit scrutiny both in Ukraine and the US .
Now , Democrats are accusing the Republican senators of using their congressional resources to reelect Trump based on largely debunked theories .
“ Republicans are turning the Senate into an arm of the president ’ s political campaign , pursuing an investigation designed to further President Trump ’ s favorite conspiracy theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election and smear Vice President Biden , ” said Ashley Schapitl , a spokesperson for Sen. Ron Wyden , the top Democrat on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argued , however , that he ’ s pursued several investigations in recent years , including one on Russian election interference that included interviewing Donald Trump Jr. , the president ’ s son .
“ Over his 40-year tenure in the Senate , Grassley has developed a long history of nonpartisan oversight , regardless of what party controls Congress or the White House .
To imply that his investigations are politically-motivated or one-sided is demonstrably wrong , ” a spokesperson told BuzzFeed News .
Schapitl also said the Treasury Department has turned over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and questioned how quickly the department did so .
“ [ T ] he Trump administration refused to comply with all Democratic requests for documents and witnesses associated with impeachment , ” Schapitl said .
“ Applying a blatant double standard , Trump administration agencies like the Treasury Department are rapidly complying with Senate Republican requests—no subpoenas necessary—and producing ‘ evidence ’ of questionable origin .
The administration told House Democrats to go pound sand when their oversight authority was mandatory while voluntarily cooperating with the Senate Republicans ’ sideshow at lightning speed.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ office about Treasury turning over information to the committees were first reported by Yahoo News .
In November , Grassley and Johnson , who lead the Finance and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees , wrote to a powerful law enforcement agency within the Treasury Department seeking information on any suspicious financial activity by Hunter Biden , Burisma , and others .
Schapitl declined to say what the agency , known as the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network or FinCEN , turned over to the lawmakers .
Treasury did not return a request for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senators , known as suspicious activity reports , or SARs , are filed regularly to FinCEN by banks when they spot transactions that bear the hallmarks of financial crimes .
Though the reports themselves are not evidence of a crime , they can be used to support investigations and intelligence gathering .
It ’ s unclear if the materials provided to the committees are SARs and if so , to whom they pertain .
“ It 's strange that any senator would complain about receiving responses to oversight requests in a timely manner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ As a general matter , most oversight requests do not involve material protected by Executive Privilege , so it can be more rapidly provided to Congress .
If the administration were to claim privilege over requested material , as the Obama administration did in during the ‘ Operation Fast and Furious ’ investigation , members of Congress can use other tools at their disposal – including the courts – to compel cooperation .
In the case of impeachment , the House chose not to do so.
” The three senators have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his position as vice president to protect his son — a theory that has not been backed up by any evidence .
In late 2015 and early 2016 , Biden was charged with leading the Obama administration 's Ukraine policy and was one of several prominent Western voices to call on the country to fire its top prosecutor , Viktor Shokin , who had previously investigated Burisma .
Republicans have alleged that Biden did so to help Hunter .
However , the West ’ s widespread displeasure with Shokin was rooted in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies like Burisma , and Biden — unlike Trump — was operating within established US foreign policy .
Republican senators , including Johnson , even signed a letter urging Shokin ’ s dismissal at the time .
Despite that , Republicans want to know more about emails that purport to show a Democratic lobbying firm called Blue Star Strategies using Hunter Biden ’ s name to score a meeting with a senior State Department official to discuss the administration ’ s labeling of Burisma as corrupt .
They ’ ve asked Blue Star @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Burisma , for documents , but it ’ s unclear if the firm has turned over any records .
The firm did not respond to requests for comment , and Grassley ’ s spokesperson declined to discuss specifics about what the committees have received .
Additionally , Grassley , Johnson , and Graham asked five Obama-era State Department officials for interviews as part of their probe into “ potential conflicts of interest and political influence by Ukrainian elements.
” The senators also asked the officials for documents pertaining to Hunter Biden , Burisma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to a source familiar with the requests .
That source , speaking on background to discuss the investigation , said committee lawyers have held several calls with attorneys for the officials since late December .
The Grassley spokesperson confirmed that the committees have had “ productive conversations ” with many of the people — including former Obama officials and Blue Star employees — who received request letters in the fall .
“ We ’ ve heard from the non-government witnesses , ” the spokesperson said .
“ We ’ ve heard from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way or another .
They ’ re all cooperating .
We ’ ve received documents from some.
” The spokesperson said the committees are in the “ fact-finding stage ” of the probe .
As part of that , Grassley and Johnson wrote to the State Department in early November requesting a host of documents .
Graham , the chair of the Judiciary Committee , sent a separate request to the State Department later that month seeking records on the Bidens .
The State Department is working on turning over the files and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long , the Grassley spokesperson said .
The committees are also expecting approximately 10,000 pages of records from the National Archives , the spokesperson said , about meetings reported by a conservative writer between the Obama administration , Ukrainian officials , and a Democratic National Committee contractor named Alexandra Chalupa .
However , it ’ s unclear when the committees might receive the documents from the National Archives , as the law governing records from previous administrations allows them to review the documents before they are released .
“ NARA is in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ request for Presidential records in accordance with the requirements of the Presidential Records Act , which provides the representatives of the current and former Presidents an opportunity to review any responsive records before they can be released to the Senate committee requesters , ” a National Archives spokesperson told BuzzFeed News on Jan. 24 .
“ The review process is currently ongoing for this request , and no records have yet been produced .
NARA has been in regular contact with committee staff.
” The request to the National Archives references another part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Ukrainian officials to undermine Trump ’ s campaign .
Key to those allegations is Andrii Telizhenko , a former Ukrainian diplomat whose claims about what the country ’ s DC embassy did during the 2016 election have helped form the basis for many of the Republican senators ’ requests .
In 2017 , Telizhenko told Politico that a senior official at the Ukrainian embassy instructed him to help Chalupa research links between Trump , then-campaign chair Paul Manafort , and the Russians .
Manafort eventually resigned from the campaign as reports about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now serving a seven-year prison sentence for a series of financial crimes from before he joined Trump ’ s team .
The Ukrainian embassy has disputed Telizhenko ’ s claims , but he insists that the embassy colluded with Democrats to hurt Trump ’ s campaign and has become a prominent voice on the right as a result , meeting with Rudy Giuliani , the attorney working for Trump who led a shadow campaign in Ukraine to dig up dirt on the Bidens .
In early December , Grassley , Johnson , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documents as part of their investigation .
“ I said I would fully cooperate with the investigation they ’ re working on and provided any evidence I had , ” Telizhenko , now a political consultant , told BuzzFeed News last week .
He said he sent the committees copies of documents from when he worked at the embassy , but couldn ’ t provide everything , as some are sensitive government records .
“ I basically provided them what they asked for , ” he said .
Telizhenko says he also worked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants to provide documents from that time , but will need a subpoena to do so because of the nature of his contract with the firm .
Telizhenko said he responded to the committees ’ request quickly and sent the documents “ a bit later.
” He ’ s also had at least one call with several staff members from the committees .
“ There were like eight people on the line , ” he said .
He last spoke to the committees “ around a week ago , ” he said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ witnesses after the impeachment trial was over as part of a “ deep investigation.
” He says he wants his interview with the committees to be in an open hearing .
“ I ’ m ready to go , ” he said .
“ From my side , I want to go as public as possible for the protection of myself , because I don ’ t want any party , Republican or Democrat , to use my statement in a political manner to basically politicize anything I say.
” However , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shots , not the witnesses.
” Johnson and Grassley have also asked Chalupa for documents and testimony .
In a statement to BuzzFeed News , she said , “ The conspiracy theories that the Russian Federation and Paul Manafort planted days after the 2016 election , and which the Trump Administration , Senator Grassley , Senator Johnson , and Senator Graham have weaponized against an American citizen who warned her country that Vladimir Putin was attacking America ’ s democracy are completely false .
They can choose who to believe an American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Kremlin , which continues to wage disinformation warfare against Americans and attacks our elections .
Truth matters.
” The senators have requested records on Chalupa from the FBI and the Department of Justice as well , but neither has indicated they are working to turn anything over , the Grassley spokesperson said .
The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment from BuzzFeed News and the FBI said only that it “ confirms receipt of the letter and declines further comment.
” Grassley previously asked the Justice Department why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign agent after the January 2017 Politico article was published — a request he renewed in September .
However , according to a source knowledgeable about the issue , the department sent Chalupa a letter in November 2017 saying she did not need to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act .
As for claims about Ukrainian election interference , intelligence officials reportedly told senators in a private briefing that Russia has sought to frame Ukraine for its own election meddling in 2016 .
The Senate Intelligence Committee , which has been working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interference for more than three years , reportedly investigated the claims about the Ukrainians as part of the probe and failed to find any leads worth pursuing .

In November, Grassley and Johnson, who lead the Finance and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees, wrote to a powerful law enforcement agency within the Treasury Department seeking information on any suspicious financial activity by Hunter Biden, Burisma, and others.
Schapitl declined to say what the agency, known as the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network or FinCEN, turned over to the lawmakers. Treasury did not return a request for comment.
The documents sought by the senators, known as suspicious activity reports, or SARs, are filed regularly to FinCEN by banks when they spot transactions that bear the hallmarks of financial crimes. Though the reports themselves are not evidence of a crime, they can be used to support investigations and intelligence gathering. It’s unclear if the materials provided to the committees are SARs and if so, to whom they pertain.
“It's strange that any senator would complain about receiving responses to oversight requests in a timely manner,” the Grassley spokesperson said Thursday. “As a general matter, most oversight requests do not involve material protected by Executive Privilege, so it can be more rapidly provided to Congress. If the administration were to claim privilege over requested material, as the Obama administration did in during the ‘Operation Fast and Furious’ investigation, members of Congress can use other tools at their disposal – including the courts – to compel cooperation. In the case of impeachment, the House chose not to do so.”
On Friday, Grassley and Johnson went further, saying that they had shared information about the investigation with Democrats on the committee "as a courtesy" and accusing them of trying to undermine Republicans' "legitimate oversight by selectively leaking information to the press."
“Insofar as we requested as part of our investigation any sensitive law enforcement information regarding suspicious financial transactions, that request and any response received would be highly sensitive," the senators said in a joint statement. "Any selective leaks to publicize or confirm these actions is highly inappropriate, undermines our investigation, and risks the effectiveness of this important law enforcement tool. Should such sensitive information exist, it would only prove the need to further investigate any and all suspicious activity related to it. Accordingly, despite these inappropriate and selective leaks, we will continue undeterred."
Wyden's office responded Friday night, saying that the Republican chairmen "are required to share investigative material with the minority under Senate rules. It is not a 'courtesy.' Further, Senator Wyden and his staff have not disclosed any investigative material, as every outlet has noted. It’s ridiculous to characterize an official office statement on the double standard of Trump administration cooperation with Congress as a 'leak.'"
Grassley, Johnson, and Graham have continued to question whether Joe Biden misused his position as vice president to protect his son — a theory that has not been backed up by any evidence. In late 2015 and early 2016, Biden was charged with leading the Obama administration's Ukraine policy and was one of several prominent Western voices to call on the country to fire its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who had previously investigated Burisma. Republicans have alleged that Biden did so to help Hunter. However, the West’s widespread displeasure with Shokin was rooted in his inability to root out corruption and investigate companies like Burisma, and Biden — unlike Trump — was operating within established US foreign policy. Republican senators, including Johnson, even signed a letter urging Shokin’s dismissal at the time.
Despite that, Republicans want to know more about emails that purport to show a Democratic lobbying firm called Blue Star Strategies using Hunter Biden’s name to score a meeting with a senior State Department official to discuss the administration’s labeling of Burisma as corrupt.
They’ve asked Blue Star, which was working on behalf of Burisma, for documents, but it’s unclear if the firm has turned over any records. The firm did not respond to requests for comment, and Grassley’s spokesperson declined to discuss specifics about what the committees have received.
Additionally, the three senators asked five Obama-era State Department officials for interviews as part of their probe into “potential conflicts of interest and political influence by Ukrainian elements.” The senators also asked the officials for documents pertaining to Hunter Biden, Burisma, Blue Star, and more, according to a source familiar with the requests. That source, speaking on background to discuss the investigation, said committee lawyers have held several calls with attorneys for the officials since late December.
The Grassley spokesperson confirmed that the committees have had “productive conversations” with many of the people — including former Obama officials and Blue Star employees — who received request letters in the fall. “We’ve heard from the non-government witnesses,” the spokesperson said. “We’ve heard from I believe all of them in one way or another. They’re all cooperating. We’ve received documents from some.”
The spokesperson said the committees are in the “fact-finding stage” of the probe. As part of that, Grassley and Johnson wrote to the State Department in early November requesting a host of documents. Graham, the chair of the Judiciary Committee, sent a separate request to the State Department later that month seeking records on the Bidens. The State Department is working on turning over the files and the production could be around 1,000 pages long, the Grassley spokesperson said.
The committees are also expecting approximately 10,000 pages of records from the National Archives, the spokesperson said, about meetings reported by a conservative writer between the Obama administration, Ukrainian officials, and a Democratic National Committee contractor named Alexandra Chalupa. However, it’s unclear when the committees might receive the documents from the National Archives, as the law governing records from previous administrations allows them to review the documents before they are released.
“NARA is in the process of responding to this special access request for Presidential records in accordance with the requirements of the Presidential Records Act, which provides the representatives of the current and former Presidents an opportunity to review any responsive records before they can be released to the Senate committee requesters,” a National Archives spokesperson told BuzzFeed News on Jan. 24. “The review process is currently ongoing for this request, and no records have yet been produced. NARA has been in regular contact with committee staff.”
The request to the National Archives references another part of the Republican investigation — reported efforts by Ukrainian officials to undermine Trump’s campaign. Key to those allegations is Andrii Telizhenko, a former Ukrainian diplomat whose claims about what the country’s DC embassy did during the 2016 election have helped form the basis for many of the Republican senators’ requests. In 2017, Telizhenko told Politico that a senior official at the Ukrainian embassy instructed him to help Chalupa research links between Trump, then-campaign chair Paul Manafort, and the Russians. Manafort eventually resigned from the campaign as reports about his links to Russia surfaced and is now serving a seven-year prison sentence for a series of financial crimes from before he joined Trump’s team.
The Ukrainian embassy has disputed Telizhenko’s claims, but he insists that the embassy colluded with Democrats to hurt Trump’s campaign and has become a prominent voice on the right as a result, meeting with Rudy Giuliani, the attorney working for Trump who led a shadow campaign in Ukraine to dig up dirt on the Bidens.


buzzfeed--2020-02-06--Trump May Have Been Acquitted, But The House’s Vote To Impeach Him “Will Last Forever,” Democrat Say

Trump May Have Been Acquitted, But The House’s Vote To Impeach Him “Will Last Forever,” Democrat Says


buzzfeed--2020-02-06--Romney’s Vote To Remove Trump From Office Sparked Rumors About The “White Horse Prophecy"

Minutes after Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney announced Wednesday that he would vote to convict President Donald Trump in the impeachment trial , Twitter users began wondering if this was Romney ’ s “ white horse '' moment .
It was n't — and it ’ s far from clear whether the supposed prophecy even entered into Romney ’ s consideration .
The White Horse Prophecy comes from an often-contested statement believed to have been made by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints founder Joseph Smith .
According to the claim , in 1840 , Smith said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the US Constitution hung by a thread , LDS elders would step in `` on the white horse '' to save the country .
“ In spite of fact that I don ’ t put stock in the historical accuracy of the so-called ‘ White Horse prophecy , ’ I could almost be convinced to be a believer after [ Romney ] announced he ’ ll be the lone [ Republican senator ] to do the right thing to vote to convict Trump , upholding the Constitution , ” historian Barbara Jones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ works as the executive director of the Mormon Historical Association , an academic institute independent from the LDS church , told BuzzFeed News that she thinks Romney is too smart to believe the White Horse Prophecy .
“ I think he 's just doing it based on principles , ” she said .
“ He said he took an oath before God as a senator , and Mormons also take an oath before God to be honest.
” “ Mitt Romney voting like the White Horse Prophecy is real .
Good for him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The authenticity of Smith ’ s prophecy is heavily disputed , and it was not widely known within Mormonism until conspiracy theorist Glenn Beck began to promote it a decade ago .
In 2010 , the LDS church issued a statement saying the folklore is unsubstantiated “ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is politically neutral and does not endorse or promote any candidate , party or platform , ” the church said at the time .
“ Accordingly , we hope that the campaign practices of political candidates would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or connected to the church .
”

Minutes after Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney announced Wednesday that he would vote to convict President Donald Trump in the impeachment trial, Twitter users began wondering if this was Romney’s “white horse" moment.
It wasn't — and it’s far from clear whether the supposed prophecy even entered into Romney’s consideration.
The White Horse Prophecy comes from an often-contested statement believed to have been made by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints founder Joseph Smith. According to the claim, in 1840, Smith said that, one day in the future, when the US Constitution hung by a thread, LDS elders would step in "on the white horse" to save the country.
“In spite of fact that I don’t put stock in the historical accuracy of the so-called ‘White Horse prophecy,’ I could almost be convinced to be a believer after [Romney] announced he’ll be the lone [Republican senator] to do the right thing to vote to convict Trump, upholding the Constitution,” historian Barbara Jones Brown tweeted Wednesday.
Brown, who works as the executive director of the Mormon History Association, an institute independent from the LDS church, told BuzzFeed News that she thinks Romney is too smart to believe the White Horse Prophecy.
“I think he's just doing it based on principles,” she said. “He said he took an oath before God as a senator, and Mormons also take an oath before God to be honest.”
“Mitt Romney voting like the White Horse Prophecy is real. Good for him though,” another user tweeted.
The authenticity of Smith’s prophecy is heavily disputed, and it was not widely known within Mormonism until conspiracy theorist Glenn Beck began to promote it a decade ago. In 2010, the LDS church issued a statement saying the folklore is unsubstantiated
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is politically neutral and does not endorse or promote any candidate, party or platform,” the church said at the time. “Accordingly, we hope that the campaign practices of political candidates would not suggest that their candidacy is supported by or connected to the church.”