Trump Supporter Flips, Gives Details Of Quid Pro Quo.
TEXT: CLOSING ARGUMENT.</s>CUOMO: All right, here's the argument. If the GOP stops ignoring the obvious, there's a stronger case they can make, one all must consider. First, here's the problem, ignoring the obvious. They created a false standard of proof. Listen.</s>SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): What I can tell you about the Trump policy toward the Ukraine, it was incoherent. It depends on who you talk to. They seem to be incapable of forming a quid pro quo.</s>CUOMO: No. It was not incoherent. It was not unclear. It was very clear. "Help Trump get an investigation into the Bidens," which we all know is dirt in a campaign. It's bad for Biden, if he's under investigation. And Ukraine gets the aid and closeness to the American Presidency it craves. And by asking for this standard, they now have to own the texts, and half dozen officials that suggest or outright say there was a quid pro quo. We got the full transcript of Bill Taylor's testimony today. The top diplomat in Ukraine said there was a quid pro quo, linking military aid in a White House meeting to investigation into Trump's political rivals. Similar story from EU Ambassador, and Trump donor, and pal's, Gordon Sondland, who revised his testimony to admit this. "I said that resumption of the U.S. aid would likely not occur until Ukraine provided the public anti-corruption statement that we had been discussing for many weeks." That's explicitly something for something, OK, maybe even attempted bribe. Why? An attempted bribe would be this. "Whoever corruptly gives, offers, or promises anything of value to any public official with intent to influence any official act." So now, will defenders own what they said early on? Remember this?</s>GRAHAM: Show me something that -- that -- that is a crime. If you could show me that, you know, Trump actually was engaging in a quid pro quo, outside the phone call, that would be very disturbing.</s>CUOMO: Disturbing indeed! You have proof of what arguably was an attempted bribe outside the phone call. Are you now going to ignore that? The answer unfortunately is yes, by way of this demonstration of remonstration.</s>GRAHAM: I've written the whole process off. I'm written him off. I think this is a bunch of BS. The phone call, I made up my own mind, is -- is fine.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you plan on reading these transcripts that were released?</s>GRAHAM: No.</s>CUOMO: Why do I keep using Senator Graham? Because he's the point man for the President, and because he's smart, and savvy, and respected by his peers. But he's ignoring a better way to defend the President. My argument, own what's obvious. It was wrong to ask Ukraine to look at the Bidens, arguably even abusive to do so looking for an investigation in exchange for aid. Now, if you support the President, "Forget it. This is way too much," wrong, because there's a big but here, OK, literally like a Don Lemon sized butt that I'm talking about here. Here's the "But." You argue it's not worthy of removal, probably not worthy of this time and expense of this process. Why? It was thwarted. There was no damage done. Ukraine got the aid. Russia didn't beat them up, while the aid was on hold. We are on good terms with Ukraine, may be better than even during Obama. Two, while plenty of the diplomats have testified to a quid pro quo, maybe even attempted bribe, none has directly pinned it on Trump. Some say they heard it from Sondland. Sondland says in his new testimony that the condition of a White House meeting was communicated by Rudy. Others triangulate around Rudy, and that Sondland says he presumed the aid had become linked to the anti- corruption statement. So, you don't have it directly from the President. And in light of that, it's better to let the consequence be with the people in the upcoming election because this process that we're going through, it's going to end with no removal, and people more divided, and less done for the public. Now, here's problem with my argument. Principle, if they don't impeach, there's no message that this is not acceptable, and that seems mandatory here because this President won't stop saying he was perfect, and promising to do more things like this.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: China should start an investigation into the Bidens, because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with -- with Ukraine.</s>CUOMO: President doesn't ask other countries to investigate American citizens. He goes to the DOJ, not to his lawyer, and not to this kind of scheme. If the GOP can get this President to understand that the law against foreign interference matters, and to acknowledge the same, they may have a way out of this that a split nation may well accept. But that is a big if right now. That's the argument. What do you think? Let me know. Republicans do have something to celebrate during this impeachment era, a giant mark that could be the most important thing this President has done. It's our BOLO, next.</s>TEXT: CUOMO PRIME TIME.