The impeachment investigation is under way and public now, to my great relief. Adults are in sight again. U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff will ever be a hero in my book. As I understand it now, incredible pressure was put on Ukraine’s new president. He must give in order to get. Weaponry to defend themselves from Russian encroachment includes Javelins, sniper rifles and warning systems, or “security” as I heard it called generally. These, held up by Pres. Trump’s/lawyer Giulianni’s insistence that Pres. Zelensky make a public record of investigating V.P. Biden’s son’s involvement with Ukrainian energy business, kept Ukraine sitting there, aaiting what our Congress approved, weaker, with Russia threatening.

I heard one person testify that one of our U.S. State Department’s regular endeavors is to promote rule-of-law in other countries. Ourselves, we set the example. A country wants stability? They follow rule-of-law. He was alarmed that the extraordinary use of President Trump’s influence with Ukraine to get dirt on his likely 2020 opponent, being a skirting of law, hurts our State Department’s work. I also heard that despite our U.S. investigatory agencies’ work that show Russia influenced our 2016 election via social media influence, Republicans in the hearing repeat that Ukraine was the perpetrator. It’s a line that Giulianni and Trump promote, for their use. It’s a lie.

When Trump claims that what he wanted from President Zelensky didn’t involve “any pro quo quid” it’s like he’s saying, “I might shoot someone on the street in New York City, but that doesn’t mean I attacked someone.”

Newsletter