James Hohmann

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

Trump cannot be taken at his word, Part 3,964. Earlier this year, the president promised that the U.S. “will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds.” Welp... Not so much. This morning's 202 looks at another body blow to U.S. credibility: https://t.co/639Hpg68Yo — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

U.S. troops are pulling out of Syria right now, clearing the way for a Turkish attack on Kurdish forces who have been steadfast partners in the fight against ISIS. This withdrawal, which the Kurds are calling a betrayal, began just hours after Trump spoke by phone with Erdogan. — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

Trump’s erratic foreign policy gives allies good reason to doubt America will follow through on its security commitments or protect friends in their hour of need. https://t.co/639Hpg68Yo — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

The Daily 202: Trump abandoning Kurdish partners in Syria sends a chilling message to every other American ally. https://t.co/639Hpg68Yo — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

Listen to Monday's Big Idea podcast -- a preview of the Supreme Court's term, plus big news out of Syria and Iraq, plus "multiple" whistleblowers. https://t.co/BTaiG2G51I — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

RT @ktumulty: “Nobody wants to be the zebra that strays from the pack and gets gobbled up by the lion,” a former senior administration offi… — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

RT @joshgerstein: NEW: Judge orders WH to preserve records of Trump dealings w/foreign leaders. Notable because she could've just accepted… — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

Suspicious insulin injections, nearly a dozen deaths: Inside an unfolding investigation at a VA hospital in West Virginia https://t.co/VBFJX5pRzt @Reinlwapo — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

Trump’s ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland was seen more as a source of irritation than trouble until May, when he declared that POTUS put him in charge of Ukraine and tried to orchestrate what looks, based on the texts, like a government-sanctioned shakedown. https://t.co/KH8gcYse4B — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

RT @CarolLeonnig: NEW All the things @realDonaldTrump said that made his staff shudder. . . *fawning over Putin and asking his advice *o… — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

What other official government business is being conducted this way at the State Department? — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

@Fahrenthold @realDonaldTrump Kafkaesque — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

RT @Fahrenthold: In court, @realdonaldtrump has argued that: --Congress can't see his tax returns. That's a job for prosecutors. --Prosecut… — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

RT @JohnJHarwood: breath-taking: GOP Sen Johnson says Trump donor/ambassador TOLD HIM WH had Ukraine investigation-for-aid quid pro quo J… — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

RT @JimSwiftDC: https://t.co/Oue4bjaDTX — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

RT @DebbiWilgoren: Don't have time to read it all? Read this: https://t.co/Gw21NyKKXi — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

RT @andy_schauer: Indispensable context for the current scandal. Not seen these details elsewhere and the piece does a great job of dispass… — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

RT @HowardMortman: .@jameshohmann @PowerPost notes: "It seems like a safe bet that you’ll be hearing a lot more about Bill Taylor in the we… — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

Mitt Romney: "By all appearances, the President’s BRAZEN and UNPRECEDENTED appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is WRONG and APPALLING.” — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

Romney cont.: "By all appearances, the President’s brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling.” — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

Just in from MITT ROMNEY: “When the only American citizen President Trump singles out for China’s investigation is his political opponent in the midst of the Democratic nomination process, it strains credulity to suggest that it is anything other than politically motivated." — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

RT @DanLamothe: Smoking texts spotlight diplomat Bill Taylor’s discomfort with Trump’s Ukraine pressure campaign. Analysis from @jameshohm… — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

When he arrived in Ukraine this summer, Taylor recalled driving around Crimea with his wife before the Russians invaded & occupied the peninsula. “We will never recognize that,” he said. “We support Ukrainian sovereignty!” Trump would soon test his will. https://t.co/0SpeCXbFc4 — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

Among other things, Ambassador Taylor -- who commanded troops in Vietnam -- recalled joining Ukrainian paratroopers for a training exercise. “I was given the great opportunity to jump out of a Ukrainian aircraft … with a Ukrainian parachute,” he said. “A great, exciting time!” — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

This is the second tour of duty in Kiev for Bill Taylor, the acting US ambassador to Ukraine. George W. Bush sent him there from 2006 to 2009. Taylor reminisced fondly on his previous tenure in a 4-minute video that he recorded this summer for the embassy’s YouTube page. — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

Bill Taylor was born the year after Trump. Unlike the president, he served in Vietnam. After graduating from West Point, Taylor was an infantry platoon leader & combat company commander in Vietnam, then Germany. He's devoted his life to public service. https://t.co/0SpeCXbFc4 — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

And that is the final message from Sondland in the 25-page document that was released last night. Through his attorney, Sondland declined to comment. We'll be hearing a lot more about Sondland & Taylor -- both key fact witnesses in the impeachment inquiry. https://t.co/0SpeCXbFc4 — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

Trump’s ambassador to the E.U. said they should “stop the back and forth by text." "If you still have concerns,” Sondland added curtly, Taylor should call “S” – which is how people in the department refer to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – or Lisa Kenna, one of his top aides. — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

After Taylor’s text on Sept. 9, in which he sought to reiterate the point he had made earlier on the phone, Sondland waited more than four-and-a-half hours to respond. Suddenly, what had been chatty language and casual banter in their previous exchanges became stiff and formal. — PolitiTweet.org

James Hohmann @jameshohmann

Overlooked so far: In one of the Sept. 8 texts, Ambassador Taylor threatened to resign after speaking by phone with Amb. Gordon Sondland, a GOP donor who owns 19 luxury hotels and scored his appointment after donating a million bucks to Trump's inaugural. https://t.co/0SpeCXbFc4 — PolitiTweet.org