Trump’s ‘Ukrainians Didn’t Know’ Quid Pro Quo Defense Completely Destroyed by Taylor Testimony AND WSJ Report

President Donald Trump declared the Democrats’ impeachment case “DEAD!” based on the premise that the Ukrainians weren’t told why military aid was being withheld, but bombshell testimony and a month-old Wall Street Journal report completely destroy that notion.

On Wednesday morning, Trump tweeted something he had seen Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) say on Fox News.

“Neither he (Taylor) or any other witness has provided testimony that the Ukrainians were aware that military aid was being withheld. You can’t have a quid pro quo with no quo.’ Congressman John Ratcliffe @foxandfriends Where is the Whistleblower? The Do Nothing Dems case is DEAD!” Trump wrote, omitting the first quotation mark to own the libs with OCD.

Neither he (Taylor) or any other witness has provided testimony that the Ukrainians were aware that military aid was being withheld. You can’t have a quid pro quo with no quo.” Congressman John Ratcliffe @foxandfriends Where is the Whistleblower? The Do Nothing Dems case is DEAD!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2019

Ratcliffe did, indeed, say that during an interview with Martha MacCallum Tuesday night, but based on top Ukraine diplomat Bill Taylor’s opening statement and a Wall Street Journal report from September, what Ratcliff said was false.

On Tuesday, Taylor testified extensively about a quid pro quo, including the explicit delivery of the quo to Ukrainian officials. From Taylor’s opening statement:

During this same phone call had with Mr Morrison, he went on to describe a conversation Ambassador Sondland had with Mr. Yermak at Warsaw. Ambassador Sondland told Mr. Yermak that security assistance money would not come until President Zelenskyy committed to pursue the Burisma investigation.

And in September, the Wall Street Journal reported that Ukrainian officials sure seemed worried about a quo:

Ukrainian officials earlier this month expressed concern to U.S. senators that the aid had been held up as a penalty for resisting that pressure. “They worried the aid that was being cut off to Ukraine by the president was a consequence for their unwillingness at the time to investigate the Bidens,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.), who earlier this month met in Ukraine with Mr. Zelensky and other officials.

All of which raises the age-old omnipotence paradox: Can God make a quid pro quo so obvious, even He can’t fool anyone?

Watch Ratcliffe’s quote above, via Fox News.