Fmr Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal Calls Out GOP Counsel for Using ‘Misleading,’ Edited Quotes From His Book

Charlie NashDec 4th, 2019, 3:19 pm
 

Republican counsel Paul Taylor was called out by former Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal during the impeachment hearing, Wednesday, for omitting a paragraph from a series of quotes of his that were read to defend President Donald Trump.

“A New York Times article says, from May 1st, 2019, referring to Joseph R. Biden, ‘one of his most memorable performances came on a trip to Kyiv in December 2015, when he threatened to withhold $1 billion in United States loan guarantees if Ukraine’s leaders did not dismiss the country’s top prosecutor… Among those who had a stake in the outcome was Hunter Biden, Mr. Biden’s younger son, who at the time was on the board owned of an energy company owned by a Ukrainian oligarch, who had been in the sights of the fired prosecutor general,'” declared Taylor. “So even if Hunter Biden engaged in no crimes regarding his sitting on the board of Burisma, if an investigation led to the bankruptcy of the corrupt company, Hunter Biden’s lucrative position on the Burisma board would have been eliminated, along with his $50,000 a month payments.”

“That was his stake in a potential prosecution involving the company,” Taylor explained.

“In fact, even Neal Katyal, the former acting-solicitor general under President Obama, in his recent book entitled ‘Impeach’ says the following: ‘Is what Hunter Biden did wrong? Absolutely. Hunter Biden had no real experience in the energy sector, which made him wholly unqualified to sit on the board of Burisma. The only logical reason the company could have had for appointing him was his ties to Vice President Biden,'” read Taylor. “‘This kind of nepotism isn’t only wrong, it is a potential danger to our country since it makes easier for foreign powers to buy influence. No politician from either party should allow a foreign power to conduct this kind of influence pedalling with their family members.'”

Katyal responded to Taylor’s recital of his work by pointing out that the Republican counsel had omitted a paragraph from the book which read, “The thing is: it’s not illegal. That’s why Hunter Biden didn’t hide his involvement with Burisma. And it’s why President Trump’s children — Ivanka, Don Jr., and Eric — continue to conduct business around the world with impunity. As does President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who works in the White House.”

“Wow. I just watched Republicans lie about my book in the impeachment hrng [sic],” posted Katyal on Twitter. “Compare what they said my book said w/what I actually said. They’re trying to distract from their cowardice re a lawless president who tried to cheat to win reelection.”

“This is what Republicans flashed on screen. If a lawyer did this, they may face disciplinary action for such a misleading representation of what a source said,” he continued. “The Republicans have no defense of the President. They have to resort to lies like this. It won’t work. Trump’s guilty. He will be removed.”

Watch above via CNN.

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