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The rest of the story

On Nov. 21, your readers were again subjected to fake news by the Associated Press in a front page story: “Trump directed Ukraine quid pro quo, key witness says.” The witness, Gordon Sondland, accused Trump of seeking investigations of Democrats for aid. He said the president “was holding up nearly $400 million in military aid … in exchange for an announcement of the investigations.”

This story is from Sondland’s morning testimony at the so called House “impeachment hearings”‘ directed by Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who announced at lunch time that the sky had finally fallen on Trump. But a few hours later, it was Schiff’s media show which had fallen on its face once again.

How this happened is as simple as it is certain. After the media lunch bomb, and pressed by GOP counsel, Sondland revealed how Trump had told him he wanted “nothing from Ukraine, no quid pro quo, and no preconditions for anything.” But Sondland hadn’t included this single most essential fact in his long opening remarks because — he didn’t have room! Really? If Sondland had included Trump’s statement in his morning remarks, Schiff’s “news flash” at noon couldn’t have happened. And Schiff would have lost his staged opportunity to illicitly sway public opinion from outside the rules of evidence and the bounds of logic.

We aren’t suggesting that Sondland conspired with Schiff in his opening remarks — though that’s possible given the apparent collusion between Schiff and the so-called whistleblower. But even if nothing illegal or even unfavorable was planned, the results are the same: Sondland effectively coordinated his opening remarks with Schiff so that Schiff could stage another midday media blow-out before Republicans had their chance to question the witness, in our opinion. At the very least, Sondland’s intentional deletion was a subconscious coordination to obstruct justice. At its worst, it’s another part of a conspiracy to deprive Americans of their constitutionally chosen president.

Honest people find it ever harder to believe that Schiff’s shifty Democrats are obeying the American obligations of ethical public procedure and civil fair play. Across the political spectrum, such vile Soviet tricks look ever more un-American. But even better, they look unfit for the next four years. We say “even better” because the highest court for all this Democratic trumpery won’t be presided over by Chief Justice Roberts, but by We the People. And We the People in the 2020 election will remember Schiff’s socialist sense of justice as we citizens vote freely, fairly, and forcefully.

This is the “rest of the story” your subscribers should have read. Instead the AP couldn’t wait for the hearing to end but put out a lie based upon incomplete information and thereby bashed President Trump. Your readers deserve and expect the truth from your paper and look forward to the honest news we have come to enjoy these many years.

Robert Jacques

James Stuchell

Williamsport

Submitted via email

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