A total of five pages of prints released by the White House today deal with the conversation between Donald Trump and Ukraine's newly elected President Volodymyr Zelenskyj.
In many ways a very embarrassing conversation where Zelenskyj agrees with Trump "not 100 percent, but 1,000 percent". Where he says that he, like the US leaders, wants to "drain the swamp" and where he says he learned a lot from Donald Trump's campaign.
"I want you to do me a favor," Donald Trump replies to the kind words, and then addresses things he wants the President of Ukraine to investigate. Among other things, Joe Biden's son, Hunter.
The White House believes that this document will free Donald Trump, which clearly proves that he never pressed the President of Ukraine. He just asked him for a favor.
The Democrats believe it is an abuse of power by a president to ask a foreign leader for help finding dirt on a political opponent. A clear violation of the Constitution.
The alarm report from a whistle-blower that the Washington Post magazine rewrote for a couple of days doesn't quite match the document that was released.
The Washington Post stated that Trump eight times asked Zelenskyj to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. In the print, Trump does it once.
But, in that part of the document there are three points ... which even they now appear in the seams live on American television, as they indicate that not all of the conversation right there has been recorded.
"A modern Don Corleone"So in the three points lies ... what?
Seven more requests from Trump?
Or absolutely nothing? A water break, a harkling, a tough translation from one of the interpreters?
Without a recording of the call, we never get an exact answer to that question.
What also separates the whistleblower report from the document is the statement that President Trump indicated that nearly $ 4 billion in military aid would be paid out only when Zelensky agreed to investigate Biden. There are no indications in the conversation.
For the Republicans, this is important.
A "Quid pro quo" (Latin for "something for something", services and gene services) is missing. Therefore, it is not a crime that fits under national law, they mean.
For Democrats, there is once again a discussion about what President Trump means, versus what President Trump says. (Just as it was when former FBI Chief James Comey testified that President Trump said "I hope you can release this" but that James Comey interpreted it as "I want you to close the investigation.")
Democrats are once again painting the US president as a modern-day Don Corleone, a mafia boss who can raise orders with a raised eyebrow. Republicans are portraying the same man as someone who is a bit loose and vacant asking for a position. No big deal.
An investigation into possible national law has on many occasions been likened to a dirty divorce:
Expensive, elongated, both sides throw dirt on each other, it splits and in the end there is rarely a clear winner.
The risk is obvious that the same thing is happening here.