WATCH: Sen. Ted Cruz Explains the One 'Critical Mistake' House Dems Made in Their Arguments

Townhall ^ | |Posted: Jan 26, 2020 11:23 AM | Beth Baumann| @eb454

[conservative98]

Following the president's defense team's presentation on Saturday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) appeared on "Justice with Judge Jeanine" to discuss what he saw and his expectations for the trial's future.

"I think it was gratifying that, number one, it was the first time the president has had his legal team to defend him," Cruz explained. "Throughout this whole proceeding in the House, they wouldn't let the president defend himself. Finally, today, we got that."

"Secondly, I think every senator is grateful for the neverending argument, the 24 hours of nonstop from the House managers, is over," the Texas senator said. "As their closing argument ended last night, I sense, and I think the sense of a lot of people, is they failed to prove their case. Today, I think, the president's lawyers did an effective job pointing out just how selective the Democrats'] quotations were from the record, how much they left out."

Cruz said he's looking forward to Monday's hearing when President Trump's defense team gets to present "the principled defense."

"What I really hope to hear from them is a substantive defense on the merits, that lays out the case, on the facts, for the president's innocent," he explained.

Cruz said he believes House impeachment managers "made a critical mistake because the central element of their argument is the proposition that [the call] was baseless, that it was frivolous, to want to investigate Burisma, the Ukrainian natural gas company, and whether or not Joe Biden and Hunter Biden – remember [Burisma] was paying Hunter a million bucks a year – and Joe Biden pressured Ukraine, threatened a billion dollars in aid, to force Ukraine to fire the prosecutor who was investigating Burisma, the company that was paying Hunter," Cruz explained.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Close: But BIDEN’s interference in Ukraine by demanding the Ukrainian prosecutor be fired was brought up BY the Ukrainian president AFTER Trump asked him to investigate the Crowdstrike investigation server charges. Crowdstrike was the only issue that brought up by Trump.

[Old Yeller]

The one critical mistakes was that it was all a lie.

[dodger]

Yes but it should be hammered home that ‘the favor’ was asked about Crowdstrike, not a Biden investigation - that the DemMedia purposefully conflated these two is a key point hammer home!

[TXnMA]

"Good stuff, but why ar[e] so many people omitting that the call transcript clearly referenced CROWDSTRIKE as the target of Trump’s request with only a later mention of Biden?"

~~~~~~~~~

Absolutely correct. In fact most specifics were brought up by Zelinskiyy -- not Trump. The following parsing of the conversation shows how legal Trump's actions wer -- and how absurd the Dems' accusations are:

Between the U.S.A. and Ukraine, there is in place a Treaty re

“MUTUAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE IN CRIMINAL MATTERS”

signed in 1998 by BILL CLINTON and his Ukrainian counterpart.

Parsing the Trump-Zelenskyy TELECON:

POTUS Trump was doing his Constitutional duty Per Treaty -- by inquiring of the new Ukrainian President if continuity of ongoing investigations (per treaty) would be supported by his new administration!

[In chronological order -- from the transcript:]

1. TRUMP asked (as a "favor") about continuity of the existing "Crowdstrike", etc. investigation into 2016 ELECTION TAMPERING.

2. *ZELENSKYY volunteered: "...one of my assistants spoke with Mr. Giuliani just recently, and we are hoping very much that Mr. Giuliani will be able to travel to Ukraine, and we will meet once he comes to Ukraine.

3. ZELENSKYY: "I also plan to surround myself with good people, and in addition to the investigation of 'that company' ("Crowdstrike", etc.)...

4. ZELENSKYY: "...I guarantee as President of Ukraine that all the [ongoing] investigations will be done openly and candidly. That I can assure you."

5. TRUMP then asked for clarification of whether that included the [ongoing] CORRUPTION investigation [into Burisma Gas] and the associated issues of prosecutor tampering and possible involvement of Biden's son and Biden's bragging that he stopped the prosecution.

6. ZELENSKYY:"...the next prosecutor general will be 100% my person, my candidate, who will be approved by the parliament and will start as the new prosecutor in September. He or she will look into the situation, specifically to the company (Burisma) that you mentioned."

7. TRUMP: "I will tell Rudy and Attorney General Barr to call. Thank you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since when is a POTUS doing his Constitutional duty -- an impeachable offense?

TXnMA
  

(*Although Zelenskiy has been used on social media, the name is spelled Zelenskyy on the president’s passport and is his preference for the English spelling, the Ukrainian administration announced in May.)

[TXnMA]

wer[e] ‘-}

[Timmy]

The House Dems really set themselves up by not allowing the President to defend himself. That would have revealed how really weak their case was. As a result, they were embarrassed Saturday, and it will really get bad on Monday as the President’s counsel dismantles their childish and weak arguments for impeachment. You can tell the liberal media is in anguish already after the 2-hour disembowelment that occurred yesterday.

[tired&retired]

I think the big items for Trump

3 House Impeachment Managers voted against the aid to Ukraine they criticized Trump for withholding. Nadler, Jeffries and the fat blonde woman from CA.

THE 18TH witness that testified in the house and told of Schiff and whistleblower collusion. Schiff has not released his transcript and now speaks of 17 witnesses to cover him up.

[usnavy_cop_retired]

And, it is possible, that after PDJT is acquitted Nancy will concoct a reason to rescind the invitation to the State of the Union. That, if it happened, will allow PDJT go nuclear saying that it shows that the impeachment was a political “sh*t” show designed to smear him for the 2020 campaign.

[PGalt]

I love how Ted reaches across the aisle to his “esteemed colleagues” never criticizing the lies they have put this republic and this president through. They will never stop. Ted will NEVER stop capitulating. Where’s your head?

[Manic_Episode]

Awwwwww shaddup.

[Bommer]

Bingo. Those are the 2 legs of the 3-legged stool. I would love to see a Hannity montage of every democrat congressman and Senator who has mentioned impeachment, and at the bottom of the screen put a sign that tells how many days Trump has been in office. At the last 60 seconds show all the Democrats and the media taunting the republicans accusing them of already making up thier minds to aquite, thenClose it with Chuck Schumer calling for impeachment 90 days before the Ukraine call took place. Then go in for the kill and accuse the DNC of not only trying to set up Trump but of out and out treason. Then Chema did that they 18th witness transcript be imediately released, because their reasoning of being classified doesn’t wash seeing on how many times they have been causght in lies! Check mate!

[goldbux]

* * *

[trebb]

You misunderstood/misconstrued his statement and jumped in with both feet - that’s a lot of manure on them boots...

[AndyJackson]

I am not the only one here he took Cruz to task for this statement. Trump’s team is doing brilliantly and I expect more of the same.

[Leep]

Not voting for Cruz in 2024 either...just so you know.

[PGalt]

OK, Manic. I will on this thread. Here’s a song for you and the speech police posse...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR3Vdo5etCQ

[PGalt]

HOORAY!