MULTIPLE UPDATES: Woops! Dems Score Own Goal

And they can't say Trump didn't warn them.

But pardon me while I take another victory lap. Back in Does Paul Mirengoff Have Things Backwards Re Ukraine? I predicted what we would learn, and it's all been confirmed by the call transcript between President Trump and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. At that time I predicted that what we would ultimately learn is that President Trump was not asking Ukraine to initiate an investigation of Biden, but that he was asking Ukraine to cooperate with the official investigation of the entire Russia Hoax that is being conducted by Attorney General Bill Barr and USA John Durham. And that's exactly what the call transcript confirms.

That would be bad enough for the Dems, but it goes even further. As we'll see in the transcript (below), Trump specifically asks Zelenskyy for Ukraine's help in locating the missing DNC server--the original server, the one that Crowdstrike looked at but that the FBI didn't bother with. [But please refer to Update 3 below!] That is confirmation of what the focus of the investigation is--not specifically Biden but specifically the entire Russia Hoax. This confirms Rudy Giuliani's explanation of what the Biden angle was really about (Giuliani Tells Us What It's All About). Who thinks the Dems really wanted to bring that up again, about the DNC server and Seth Rich? And that the server may be concealed in Ukraine! What's more, this should confirm for all the Barr detractors out there (I'm lookin' at you, sundance!) that Barr and Durham are really determined to get to the bottom of the Russia Hoax--in detail. This could not be worse news for the Dems--except that they probably are already well aware of where Barr's investigation is heading and how thorough it is (as commenter Unknown has been emphasizing lately).

So, I'll paste in the relevant parts of the call transcript. In addition to Trump confirming that there's a US investigation going on and the specific mention of Crowdstrike and the server, please note that it's President Zelenskyy who asks Giuliani to get in touch with him--it appears to be Zelenskyy's attempt at ingratiating himself with Trump, by seeking out Trump's personal attorney. Trump's response is very, very telling. At every mention of Giuliani, Trump is careful to include AG Barr, to keep it on an official footing, not personal. That's all the confirmation you need to know that the investigation under discussion is being led by the US Department of Justice and that Trump is totally aware of the distinction between his private attorney and the DoJ. Trump is supporting his Attorney General and the Department of Justice, but at the same time he's entitled to his private legal team to protect him--both going back and going forward--against the lawfare assaults, both legal and illegal, that have been ongoing since long before his election.

At the beginning of this relevant portion, Trump introduces the topic of Ukraine doing the US "a favor." That favor doesn't involve Biden--it has to do with the DNC server, which Bill Barr is seeking. Note that there's no mention by Trump of Giuliani, but instead "the Attorney General" is brought in as the person who needs to be in touch with the Ukrainian authorities ("you or your people"). Trump is respectful throughout and is placing no pressure on Zelenskyy, except to remind him that the US has been very supportive of Ukraine--in contrast to countries like Germany and France. This is standard diplomatic speak. Again, the focus is very clearly on the big picture of the Russia Hoax.

(S/NF) The President: I would like you to do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it. I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine, they say Crowdstrike... I guess you have one of your wealthy people... The server, they say Ukraine has it. There are a lot of things that went on, the whole situation. I think you're surrounding yourself with some of the same people. I would like to have the Attorney General call you or your people and I would like you to get to the bottom of it. As you saw yesterday, that whole nonsense ended with a very poor performance by a man named Robert Mueller, an incompetent performance, but they say a lot of it started with Ukraine. Whatever you can do, it's very important that you do it if that's possible. 

(S/NF) President Zelenskyy: Yes it is very important for me and everything that you just mentioned earlier. For me as a President, it is very important and we are open for any future -cooperation. We are ready to open a new page on cooperation in relations between the United States and Ukraine. For that. purpose, I just recalled our ambassador from United States and he will be replaced by a very competent and very experienced ambassador who will work hard on making sure that our two nations are getting closer. I would also like and hope to see him having your trust and your confidence and have personal relations with you so we can cooperate even more so. I will personally tell you that one of my assistants spoke with Mr. Giuliani just recently and we are hoping very much that Mr. Giuliani will be able to travel to Ukraine and we will meet once he comes to Ukraine. I just wanted to assure you once again that you have nobody but friends around us. I will make sure that I surround myself with the best and most experienced people. I also wanted to tell you that we are friends. We are great friends and you Mr. President have, friends in our country so we can continue our strategic partnership. I also plan to surround myself with great people and in addition to that investigation, I guarantee as the President of Ukraine that all the investigations will be done openly and candidly.. That I can assure you.. . 

(S/NF) The President: Good because I heard you had a prosecutor who' was very good and he was shut down and that's really unfair. A lot of people are talking about that, the way they shut your very good prosecutor down and you had some very bad people involved. Mr. Giuliani is a highly respected man. He was the mayor of New York City, a great mayor, and I would like him to call you. I will ask him to call you along with the Attorney General. Rudy very much knows what's happening and he is a very capable guy. If you could speak to him that would be great. The former ambassador from the United states, the woman, was bad news and the people she was dealing with in the Ukraine were bad news so I just want to let you know that. The other thing, There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it... It sounds horrible to me. 

(S/NF) President Zelenskyy: I wanted to tell you about the prosecutor. First of all I understand and I'm knowledgeable about the situation. Since we have won the absolute majority in our Parliament, the next prosecutor general will be 100% my person, my candidate, who will be approved by the parliament and will start as a new prosecutor in September. He or she will look into the situation, specifically to the company that you mentioned in this issue. The issue of the investigation of the case is actually the issue of making sure to restore the honesty so we will take care of that and will work on the investigation of the case. On top of that, I would kindly ask you if you have any additional information that you can provide to us, it would be very helpful for the investigation to make sure that we administer justice in our country with regard to the Ambassador to the United States from Ukraine as far as I recall her name was Ivanovich. It was great that you were the first one, who told me that she was a bad ambassador because I agree with you 100%. Her attitude towards me was far from the best as she admired the previous President and she was on his side. She would not accept me as a new President: well enough. 

(S/NF) The President: Well, she's going to go through some things. I will have Mr. Giuliani give you a call and I am also going to have Attorney General Barr call and we will get to the bottom of it. I'm sure you will figure it out. I heard the prosecutor was treated very badly and he was a very fair prosecutor so good luck with everything. Your économy is going to get better and better I predict. You have a lot of assets. It's a great country. I have many Ukrainian friends, their incredible people. 

(S/NF) President Zelenskyy: I would like to tell you that I also have quite a few Ukrainian friends that live in the United States. Actually last time I traveled to the United States, I stayed in New York near Central Park and I stayed at the Trump Tower. I will talk to them and I hope to see them again in the future. I also wanted to thank you for your invitation to visit the United States, specifically Washington DC. On the other hand, I also want to ensure you that we will be very serious about the case and will work on the investigation. As to the economy, there is much potential for our two countries and one of the issues that is very important for Ukraine is energy independence. I believe we can be very successful and cooperating on energy independence with United States. We are already working on cooperation. We are buying American oil but I am very hopeful for a future meeting. We will have more time and more opportunities to discuss these opportunities and get to know each other better. I would like to thank you very much for your support. 

(S/NF) The President: Good. Well, thank you very much and I appreciate that. I will tell Rudy and Attorney General Barr to call. Thank you. Whenever you would like to come to the White House, feel free to call. Give us a date and we'll work that out. I look forward to seeing you.

Looks like the Dems will want Bill Barr to testify. Good luck with that!

UPDATE 1: And, like clockwork, Mollie Hemingway--who gets what the transcript is really all about--reports that DoJ is confirming it as well:

In a July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Donald Trump asked the new leader to assist the United States in its ongoing investigation of foreign interference in the 2016 elections. The Department of Justice confirmed today that it is investigating Ukraine’s involvement in 2016 election meddling.

... 

Prior to the release of the transcript, media and other Democrats misrepresented the phone call as an abuse of office. It is unclear how a United States president attempting to get to the bottom of foreign interference in democratic U.S. elections constitutes an abuse of power, as many Democrats have alleged in recent days. The focus on the phone call comes ahead of the much-anticipated release of an Inspector General report on political spying abuses by the Obama administration as well as declassification of materials expected to detail efforts to spy on the Obama administration’s political opponents using false information.

While the media have largely ignored Ukraine’s outsize role in election meddling in 2016, a Politico article headlined “Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump backfire” details the efforts former officials made to support Hillary Clinton in her campaign against Donald Trump. Much of the so-called Russia scandal involves political players in Ukraine, including Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort and Christopher Steele, the author of the debunked “dossier” alleging a grand conspiracy of collusion between Trump and Russia. Steele was secretly funded through cutouts by Clinton and the Democratic National Committee.

... 

The Department of Justice confirmed today that Ukraine’s role in 2016 election meddling is being investigated and that some Ukrainians are already cooperating with the probe. “A Department of Justice team led by U.S. Attorney John Durham is separately exploring the extent to which a number of countries, including Ukraine, played a role in the counterintelligence investigation directed at the Trump campaign during the 2016 election,” DOJ spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said in a statement. “While the Attorney General has yet to contact Ukraine in connection with this investigation, certain Ukrainians who are not members of the government have volunteered information to Mr. Durham, which he is evaluating.”

UPDATE 2: Commenter Yancey Ward (see below) suggests that the "server" that is said to be in Ukraine and is connected to Crowdstrike's examination of the alleged "Russian hack" of the DNC, may be a server that was allegedly used by the alleged "hackers" to attack the DNC server. IOW, the server in question is not, as I supposed, the orginal DNC server. Anyone with further information, please comment.

UPDATE 3: Zerohedge gets a lot right, and especially the incredibly hazardous trip (I use the word advisedly) Dems may have committed themselves to embark upon:

After passing the point of no return on Tuesday and launching an impeachment inquiry based on nothing more than a 'partisan' whistleblower report and rumors that President Trump threatened Ukraine over the Bidens, Congressional Democrats are hard at work trying to salvage their narratives after a transcript of a July Phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky failed to meet expectations.  

... 

Nothing was promised. Nothing was threatened. 

By most standards, this was a 'myth busted' moment for yet another failed 'gotcha,' however after having committed to the impeachment inquiry the left is throwing a hail mary - pressing forward with accusations that the phone call was an abuse of power and risking turning Trump into a martyr into the 2020 election.  

... 

Yes - let's continue with the impeachment so we can fully explore why Joe Biden's son - despite no experience in the field - was getting paid $600,000 per year to sit on the board of a Ukrainian gas company, which was under investigation by a prosecutor that was fired after the elder Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion in US loan guarantees.  

We can then look into the Bidens' adventures in China while we're at it.

But mind you, this is NOT just about the Bidens. This is about the Dems. All America will understand that.

UPDATE 4: Since I took out after Paul Mirengoff a few days ago, I'll note that he now gets it:

asking a foreign leader to assist in an American investigation will often be appropriate. When potential wrongdoing by an American (whether a president’s rival or not) involves actions committed overseas, it may not be possible for Americans to investigate without foreign cooperation. 

Thus, if all Trump asked for was Ukrainian cooperation in an American investigation, I agree with John that Trump did nothing wrong during this conversation. And that’s all the transcript shows Trump did.