Why would anyone think that the Ukraine is the only country getting a shakedown?

[spanone]

Mulvaney said "We do it all the time"

Bet Trump has a long list of phone calls to make.

Today, the U.S. manages foreign assistance programs in more than 100 countries
around the world through the efforts of over 20 different U.S. government agencies.

https://www.foreignassistance.gov

[dewsgirl]

1. Yep, he is holding 105 million in aid from Lebanon. And that

is only what we know about so far. Ukraine, Lebanon anywhere Putin needs an assist, Trump is there to help pull the strings. What a nightmare situation we have found ourselves in.

[malaise]

2. Just wait until that server is made public

Get thee to the greatest page

[spanone]

3. How many 'calls' are in that server????? Congress needs to know.

[malaise]

5. Lots is my guess

[42bambi]

13. Can the server be subpoenaed? nt

[malaise]

14. Don't know

It could be our Nixon tapes

[2naSalit]

16. +1

[Mike 03]

4. We have to look retrospectively at all "favors" Trump did for other countries too.

Like looking the other way on the Khashoggi murder. What did he get from Saudi Arabia? Was that payback for a "favor"?

I also look back on something Thomas Friedman always said about moving our embassy to Jerusalem. Friedman was dismayed by that move in part because "Trump didn't get anything in return." But that deserves questioning as well. Was that payback for some favor Netanyahu did for Trump that we don't even know about.

And our involvement with Turkey and Russia (obviously) need scrutiny.

Seth Abramson, who has more knowledge about what's going on than I'll ever have, talks a lot about the United Arab Emirates. Is there quid pro quo there too?

[bluestarone]

6. This is so big!

So many rethuglicon senators involved in this shit! When the shit hits the fan, there could be shit in EVERY state!

[Midnightwalk]

7. Yeah but

Were any of the other calls perfect?

[spanone]

8. well, he set the highest standard...of course he did.

[grantcart]

9. You missed the key point. Ukraine is under attack by Russia

Ukraine is Russia's main obstacle in achieving connective border hegemony.

A free and independent Ukraine would provide sanctuary and support to dissident Russian forces and provide a threat to Putin's control.

Putin was looking for a reason to undermine Ukraine and it was a happy coincidence that Hunter Biden had business there, if there was no Biden connection Putin would still be trying to find subterfuge on Ukraine. Trump is simply taking the bait that Putin laid out for him.

Speaker Pelosi brilliantly nailed it: " All roads lead to Moscow"

[erronis]

17. Ukraine under attack because of geographical proximity - like Poland, Baltics, 'Stans, etc.

I agree that having a controlled land route to the Mediterranean and southern Europe is important for the Russian state. Ukraine, Turkey, Syria all might provide conduits.

But I also think that Putin consciously/subconsciously yearns for those good old days of USSR hegemony along with some KGB tactics.

And I know that the neo-USSR wants to exert strong pressure on regions around the globe. As does the US (in usual times), China, and others.

The Ukraine is a difficult mix of native peoples, Russians, and remnants of Germans including many from the 3rd Reich.

[grantcart]

19. Russian hegemony strategy predates the USSR and is a rational outgrowth

of its geography.

Russia's massive border makes border control and defense impossible. Basic Russian strategy is to try destabilize and control their neighbors to create a range of buffer states.

The reconstituted (but economically weak) reconstituted Russian strategy doesn't want to reconstitute USSR borders because they recognize a critical weakness inherent with the expanded USSR borders, namely by having the 'stans and Chechnya, Georgia and other southern areas on the inside of Russia borders it allows large non European populations to have legal migration rights into Russia. More to the point, because of a much highrer reproduction rate in the predominantly Muslim areas in the south the USSR was on its way to becoming a majority Muslim area within a couple of decades.

While in large agreement with your reply I would make one key distinction: Russia will take whatever areas of influence they can get (for low cost/low risk) but they would happily give up any extended distant areas of influence in exchange for explicitly drawn spheres of influence that would give them 100% control in the areas nearby. They would be happy to take a world map and divide into quadrants with Europe, China, India, US and let each power control their area w/O interference.

[erronis]

21. That's a good analysis of the border issues and buffer zone destabilization. Thanks.

[WhiteTara]

10. Looks like the shake down included Lebanon

[spanone]

11. THANKS!!! U.S. withholding $105 million in security aid for Lebanon - sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is withholding $105 million in security aid for Lebanon, two U.S. officials said on Thursday, two days after the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri.

The State Department told Congress on Thursday that the White House budget office and National Security Council had decided to withhold the foreign military assistance, the two officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The officials did not say why the aid was blocked. One of the sources said the State Department did not give Congress a reason for the decision.
The State Department declined to comment.

The administration had sought approval for the assistance starting in May, arguing that it was crucial for Lebanon, an important U.S. partner in the volatile Middle East, to be able to protect its borders. The aid included night vision goggles and weapons used in border security.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lebanon-defense-exclusive/exclusive-us-withholding-105-million-in-security-aid-for-lebanon-sources-idUSKBN1XA2QX

[SWBTATTReg]

12. I suspect that he's done this multiple times w/ a lot of entities/countries that are too poor or...

need the financial help from the US, being that no one else can provide such aid. Disgusting.

[BigmanPigman]

15. Will we (the public) ever get all of this info though?

I am afraid it will remain a national security secret and we won't know the depths of the crimes and how extensive this corruption is.

[erronis]

18. Right - "National Security" means that we have dirty laundry and you can't see it.

How many billions of US taxpayer $s have been spent on secret projects that have no oversight, no auditing, no controls, and no benefit?

DoD and all the black-money agencies. Lining somebody's bank accounts in untraceable locations. The multi-million mansions around the DC beltway haven't been built using salaries earned by normal federal employees.

[Skittles]

20. THANK YOU