“Treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors…”

The US Constitution specifies the exclusive grounds for impeaching a President. The founding fathers’ worst nightmare was foreign influence in a US presidential election. When Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25, he solicited it.

Asking Zelensky to pursue investigations against former Vice President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee was an impeachable offense. Period. No quid pro quo needed. Impeachment is the remedy.

All by itself, the request alone was a campaign finance violation too.

So what does the overwhelming evidence of a quid pro quo add? An independent basis for impeachment specifically set forth in the Constitution: bribery.

Defense Evolution

Trump said his July 25 call was “perfect.”

Then the White House released a summary memo and people could read his actual words. Not so perfect.

Then Trump and his defenders said that he stated no express quid pro quo in the call. That’s not a winning defense. But even as a talking point, it’s now useless.

• Trump’s million-dollar-contributor-who-became US-Ambassador-to-the EU, Gordon Sondland, somehow couldn’t remember conversations from a few months ago about his interactions with Trump. Even so, his testimony provided more evidence of a quid pro quo: Ukraine’s new president would get a White House meeting with Trump and military aid in exchange for the Ukrainian investigations Trump demanded.
• Then on Oct. 17, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney admitted to a quid pro quo — three times — in a nationally televised press conference.
• Then Mulvaney made it worse by issuing a Trump-approved statement trying to walk back his triple admission.
• Then he made it worse again by appearing on Fox News’ where Chris Wallace eviscerated him with nothing more than video of Mulvaney’s own words. Lordy, there are tapes!

And then on Oct. 22, in what will be included in next week’s update of the Trump-Russia Timeline, former Ambassador William Taylor gave detailed testimony filling in many of the missing pieces.

Trump has only one potential defense left: Quid pro quos are good. Take it from me, that’s a loser.

The guilt phase is over; the only remaining issue is the penalty.

Here is a list of the latest update to the Trump-Russia Timeline at Dan Rather’s News & Guts and Just Security:

AUGUST 2018: Giuliani Receives $500,000 for Work Related to Parnas’ Company

JANUARY 2019: Giuliani Asks State Dept and White House for Shokin Visa

MARCH 2019: State Dept. Official Warns About Giuliani’s ‘Disinformation’ Campaign About Ukraine to Smear Trump’s Adversaries

MAR. 25, 2019: Parnas Posts Photos With Trump Legal Team

REVISED: MAY 23, 2019: Volker Meets With Trump; Concerned That Giuliani is Providing Negative Information About Ukraine; Trump Says, ‘Visit With Rudy’

MAY 23, 2019: Mulvaney Convenes Meeting To Put State Dept.’s Ukraine Experts on Sidelines

JUNE 2019: Rick Perry Meets With Zelensky in Brussels 

JULY 10-11, 2019: Sondland’s Meeting With Ukrainian Officials Raises Concerns; Hill Meets With WH Lawyers

LATE JULY 2019: DiGenova and Toensing Join Firtash Legal Team, Provide Documents to Giuliani

JULY 26, 2019: Sondland Says He, Perry, and Volker are the ‘Three Amigos’

AUGUST 2019: Federal Prosecutors Look at Giuliani’s Financial Records and Business Dealings in Ukraine, Including Counterintelligence Probe

EARLY AUGUST 2019: Giuliani Tells Sondland What He Wants From Ukraine: Investigations into Ukraine Election Interference and ‘Burisma’

REVISED: OCT. 10, 2019: Pompeo’s Senior Adviser Resigns Due to Use of Foreign Ambassadors to Advance Trump’s Domestic Political Interests

OCT 10, 2019: US Refuses to Join UN Resolution Condemning Turkey’s Invasion of Syria

OCT. 13, 2019: Trump Announces Withdrawal of Remaining Forces in Syria; Kurds Make a Deal with Syria; Russian-Backed Forces Enter Area

OCT. 15: Russia Filling US Power Void in Kurdish Areas of Syria

OCT. 15: Giuliani Refuses to Comply with House Subpoena

OCT. 15, 2019: OMB Refuses to Comply with House Subpoena

OCT. 15, 2019: Pence Refuses to Comply with House Subpoena

OCT. 15, 2019: Kent Defies State Dept. Directive, Appears Before Congress

OCT. 15, 2019: Pete Sessions Subpoenaed

OCT. 15, 2019: Pentagon Refuses to Comply with House Subpoena

OCT. 16, 2019: House Asks Ambassador Taylor to Appear on Oct. 22

OCT. 16-17, 2019: Bipartisan House Rebukes Trump on Syrian; Republicans Block Senate Vote

OCT. 17, 2019: Sondland Testifies, Point Accusing Finger at Giuliani and Trump

OCT. 17, 2019: Mulvaney Concedes Quid Pro Quo on Ukraine; Immediately Walks It Back

OCT. 17, 2019: Pence Announces ‘Cease-Fire’ and Lifts Sanctions; Turkey Says It’s Not a Cease-Fire

OCT. 17, 2019: Russia Says Cooperation With US Cyber Security Cooperation Resume

OCT. 17, 2019: Perry Resigning

OCT. 18, 2019: McConnell Blasts Trump Decision to Withdraw From Syria

OCT. 18, 2019: Energy Dept Refuses to Comply With Subpoena

OCT. 20, 2019: DOJ Distances Itself From Giuliani