The American Public will Soon be much More Knowledgeable about Ukrainian Politics

It does appear as if the Democratic leadership in the House is attempting to pour impeachment through the funnel of the U.S. war against Russia via Ukraine. It's a dangerous strategy, particularly if the GOP refuses to go along, in that it will open up to broader public scrutiny the Obama administration's legacy in Ukraine, something that is already happening.

In other words, the desired outcome, Trump and Biden both hoisted on a Ukrainian petard, is still a distinct possibility.

Below are some key quotes:

The Washington Post reported on Friday that Democratic leaders “are eyeing a fast-paced investigation.” A meeting of the Democratic caucus “urged the leadership to keep the messaging around impeachment on national security and the Ukraine probe” led by Schiff, “not on the litany of potential Trump offenses investigated by other panels, including the House Judiciary Committee, which traditionally takes the lead in impeachment proceedings.”

Some senior Democrats, the Post reported, “are even arguing that other committees should forego potentially explosive hearings that could distract from the intelligence panel’s work.” There will be “very few hearings, if any,” according to a senior Democratic Party aide, with most of the investigation taking place in “closed-door interviews.”

[snip]

The Democrats are seeking to frame the Ukraine issue as an extension of their neo-McCarthyite anti-Russia campaign. Pelosi argued along these lines in an interview with MSNBC on Friday morning. After noting that she “prays for the president all the time,” Pelosi declared, without evidence, that “Russia has a hand in this.”

Joseph Kishore, "CIA sets terms for Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into Trump’s crimes"

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Mr. Volker, a widely respected former ambassador to NATO, served in the part-time, unpaid position of special envoy to help Ukraine resolve its armed confrontation with Russia-sponsored separatists.

[snip]

In recent months, the administration has lost John R. Bolton, the national security adviser; Fiona Hill, the top Europe official on the National Security Council staff; and Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, all of whom sympathized with Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

Peter Baker, "Kurt Volker, Trump’s Envoy for Ukraine, Resigns" 

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The subpoena for documents is far-reaching and mirrors early voluntary requests sent to the State Department and the White House. It demands a full transcript of the July call between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky, a list of any State Department officials who listened to or received a readout of the call, and any records created by the department in relation to it. It also seeks any files related to efforts by the president’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, to push investigations into Mr. Biden or other matters involving Ukraine; and it calls for records related to the Trump administration’s decision to temporarily withhold $391 million in security aid from Ukraine.

Mr. Pompeo was given one week to produce the material.

Democrats presented their deposition requests as nonnegotiable, listing dates for early October appearances by officials who were either mentioned in a whistle-blower complaint released this week or are connected to American policy work in the region. They include Marie L. Yovanovitch, the former American ambassador to Ukraine; Kurt D. Volker, the United States special envoy to Ukraine; George Kent, a deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs; T. Ulrich Brechbuhl, a State Department counselor; and Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union.

Nicholas Fandos and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "House Democrats Issue First Subpoena in Impeachment Inquiry"