THE DAILY BEASTPOLITICSCHEAT SHEETENTERTAINMENTWORLDCORONAVIRUSMEDIA A smart, speedy take on the news from around the world. POLITICS - THE DAILY BEASTENTERTAINMENTCHEAT SHEETWORLD All Politics coverage by The Daily Beast. The Capitol riots, Inauguration, and the Biden administration. These are just a few of the amazing topics featured on our members-only episodes of The New THE ONE BIG QUESTION ABOUT TRUMP’S DOJ SPYING ON DEMS 2 hours ago · With the news that Donald Trump’s Justice Department targeted communications and other records of Democratic members of Congress, as well as their aides and even family members, forcing

Apple to

DAILY BEAST CROSSWORD The Daily Beast Crossword is where power, pop culture, and politics intersect—quite literally. Designed to be more challenging throughout the week, you can test your knowledge with five puzzles WHAT THE F*CK IS WRONG WITH JOE MANCHIN? What does Joe Manchin want? That’s what Molly Jong-Fast, co-host of The New Abnormal, wants to know—along with “What the fuck is wrong?” with him.. Because of the West Virginia senator NEWSMAX HOST FLAILS WHEN GUEST INVOKES TRUMP’S INFAMOUS 00:00. 09:00. 09:00. Newsmax. Newsmax host Emma Rechenberg was left flailing on Friday morning when she attempted to blame Vice-President

Kamala Harris

JUAN WILLIAMS IS SUDDENLY OUT AT FOX NEWS’ ‘THE FIVE’—AND Juan Williams, the longtime liberal co-host of Fox News’ late-afternoon panel show The Five, announced on-air Wednesday that he was leaving the program. According to multiple sources familiar SEAN HANNITY WANTS FOX NEWS REPORTER TO GIVE HIS ‘SIPPY Sean Hannity is out here trying to make “fetch” happen. The pro-Trump Fox News host has taken it upon himself in recent days to bestow a new nickname on President Joe Biden. Since before the NEWSMAX HIRES OAN HOST TO CO-ANCHOR PRIMETIME SHOW WITH EX ‘Cortes & Pellegrino’ will debut on Tuesday and will air at 9 p.m ET. Jenn Pellegrino is the latest hire by Newsmax from top competitor

One America News.

IT’S TIME TO DITCH COVID-19 TEMPERATURE CHECKS A scientific review of 22 peer-reviewed studies last fall found that if temperature checks were used to screen 100 people with COVID-19,

between 31 and 88

THE DAILY BEASTPOLITICSCHEAT SHEETENTERTAINMENTWORLDCORONAVIRUSMEDIA A smart, speedy take on the news from around the world. POLITICS - THE DAILY BEASTENTERTAINMENTCHEAT SHEETWORLD Emails were sent instead of picking up the phone. Riot gear was stuck in a locked bus. Less than 10 Capitol cops were trained to use “less-than-lethal” munitions.

DAILY BEAST LOGIN

Log in into your The Daily Beast Account DAILY BEAST CROSSWORD The Daily Beast Crossword is where power, pop culture, and politics intersect—quite literally. Designed to be more challenging throughout the week, you can test your knowledge with five puzzles WHAT THE F*CK IS WRONG WITH JOE MANCHIN? What does Joe Manchin want? That’s what Molly Jong-Fast, co-host of The New Abnormal, wants to know—along with “What the fuck is wrong?” with him.. Because of the West Virginia senator NEWSMAX HOST FLAILS WHEN GUEST INVOKES TRUMP’S INFAMOUS 00:00. 09:00. 09:00. Newsmax. Newsmax host Emma Rechenberg was left flailing on Friday morning when she attempted to blame Vice-President

Kamala Harris

JUAN WILLIAMS IS SUDDENLY OUT AT FOX NEWS’ ‘THE FIVE’—AND Juan Williams, the longtime liberal co-host of Fox News’ late-afternoon panel show The Five, announced on-air Wednesday that he was leaving the program. According to multiple sources familiar NEWSMAX HIRES OAN HOST TO CO-ANCHOR PRIMETIME SHOW WITH EX ‘Cortes & Pellegrino’ will debut on Tuesday and will air at 9 p.m ET. Jenn Pellegrino is the latest hire by Newsmax from top competitor

One America News.

SEAN HANNITY WANTS FOX NEWS REPORTER TO GIVE HIS ‘SIPPY Sean Hannity is out here trying to make “fetch” happen. The pro-Trump Fox News host has taken it upon himself in recent days to bestow a new nickname on President Joe Biden. Since before the IT’S TIME TO DITCH COVID-19 TEMPERATURE CHECKS A scientific review of 22 peer-reviewed studies last fall found that if temperature checks were used to screen 100 people with COVID-19,

between 31 and 88

DAILY BEAST LOGIN

Log in into your The Daily Beast Account BABY APE LEILANI DROWNS AT KANSAS CITY ZOO 4 hours ago · An 18-month-old ape died Friday after being found in distress in a pool at the Kansas City Zoo. “Understandably, our staff are extraordinarily saddened by this tragic loss, particularly

those

SCHOOL BOARD REP QUITS JANICE MCGEACHIN’S ‘INDOCTRINATION 12 hours ago · Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin convened an “indoctrination” task force last month to hunt for critical race theory and Marxism in the school system—but one ABORTION IS WHY NEVER-TRUMP REPUBLICANS CAN’T WORK WITH Joe Biden’s deliberate omission of the Hyde Amendment from his proposed 2022 budget is a clear indication of the trajectory of the Democratic Party. While it’s unlikely that Biden can pass a THE BEST SUMMER READS OF 2021 Available June 1. Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford. Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/Photos Getty/Handouts. Ashley C. Ford has

been one

THIS UNDERCOVER OPERATIVE SAYS SHE RECRUITED THE PROUD A transgender poker player and progressive activist who went undercover and cozied up to right-wing extremists. A state Republican party desperate to see Donald Trump win. A Vegas-based GOP BIDEN TOOK CAMPAIGN DONATIONS FROM RUSSIA LOBBYIST RICHARD Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP. Joe Biden received $4,000 in campaign donations from a lobbyist with Russian ties in October 2020, violating

his own

INDY 500 PACKS IN 135,000 MOSTLY MASKLESS FANS Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports/Reuters. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway drew in 135,000 racing fans Sunday for the 2021 Indianapolis

500, in

HERE’S HOW WE HANDLE PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO GET COVID VACCINES For life, and the economy, to return to normal, we need most of these people to take part. So much is at stake: safe hospitals, stores, businesses, mass transit, schools, air travel, and cultural TAPTEJ SINGH ‘RAN AROUND BUILDING’ WARNING COLLEAGUES TO Taptej Singh, a 36-year-old father to a 3-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter, was one of at least nine people killed Wednesday when a

gunman opened

THE DAILY BEASTPOLITICSCHEAT SHEETENTERTAINMENTWORLDCORONAVIRUSMEDIA A smart, speedy take on the news from around the world. POLITICS - THE DAILY BEASTENTERTAINMENTCHEAT SHEETWORLD All Politics coverage by The Daily Beast. Republican assaults on voting rights are happening because we no longer have a real Voting

Rights Act.

DAILY BEAST CROSSWORD The Daily Beast Crossword is where power, pop culture, and politics intersect—quite literally. Designed to be more challenging throughout the week, you can test your knowledge with five puzzles JUAN WILLIAMS IS SUDDENLY OUT AT FOX NEWS’ ‘THE FIVE’—AND Juan Williams, the longtime liberal co-host of Fox News’ late-afternoon panel show The Five, announced on-air Wednesday that he was leaving the program. According to multiple sources familiar CHRISTIAN DIET GURU GWEN SHAMBLIN LARA AND 6 OTHERS A Christian diet guru and six other people are presumed dead after her small plane crashed into the waters of Tennessee lake on Saturday morning. Authorities were called to the Percy Priest Lake SEAN HANNITY WANTS FOX NEWS REPORTER TO GIVE HIS ‘SIPPY Sean Hannity is out here trying to make “fetch” happen. The pro-Trump Fox News host has taken it upon himself in recent days to bestow a new nickname on President Joe Biden. Since before the MARK HAY - THE DAILY BEAST Mark Hay is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer. His work has appeared in Atlas Obscura, Forbes.com, VICE, and dozens of other outlets. A peek behind the curtain of a sinister new effort from white NEWSMAX HIRES OAN HOST TO CO-ANCHOR PRIMETIME SHOW WITH EX ‘Cortes & Pellegrino’ will debut on Tuesday and will air at 9 p.m ET. Jenn Pellegrino is the latest hire by Newsmax from top competitor

One America News.

FOX ANCHOR HARRIS FAULKNER GRUMBLES WHEN GUEST MENTIONS An ex-Obama adviser invoked Trump’s infamous suggestion for COVID-19 patients to ingest bleach during a Fox segment on mask guidance—much to anchor Harris Faulkner’s chagrin. IT’S TIME TO DITCH COVID-19 TEMPERATURE CHECKS A scientific review of 22 peer-reviewed studies last fall found that if temperature checks were used to screen 100 people with COVID-19,

between 31 and 88

THE DAILY BEASTPOLITICSCHEAT SHEETENTERTAINMENTWORLDCORONAVIRUSMEDIA A smart, speedy take on the news from around the world. POLITICS - THE DAILY BEASTENTERTAINMENTCHEAT SHEETWORLD All Politics coverage by The Daily Beast. Republican assaults on voting rights are happening because we no longer have a real Voting

Rights Act.

DAILY BEAST CROSSWORD The Daily Beast Crossword is where power, pop culture, and politics intersect—quite literally. Designed to be more challenging throughout the week, you can test your knowledge with five puzzles JUAN WILLIAMS IS SUDDENLY OUT AT FOX NEWS’ ‘THE FIVE’—AND Juan Williams, the longtime liberal co-host of Fox News’ late-afternoon panel show The Five, announced on-air Wednesday that he was leaving the program. According to multiple sources familiar CHRISTIAN DIET GURU GWEN SHAMBLIN LARA AND 6 OTHERS A Christian diet guru and six other people are presumed dead after her small plane crashed into the waters of Tennessee lake on Saturday morning. Authorities were called to the Percy Priest Lake SEAN HANNITY WANTS FOX NEWS REPORTER TO GIVE HIS ‘SIPPY Sean Hannity is out here trying to make “fetch” happen. The pro-Trump Fox News host has taken it upon himself in recent days to bestow a new nickname on President Joe Biden. Since before the MARK HAY - THE DAILY BEAST Mark Hay is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer. His work has appeared in Atlas Obscura, Forbes.com, VICE, and dozens of other outlets. A peek behind the curtain of a sinister new effort from white NEWSMAX HIRES OAN HOST TO CO-ANCHOR PRIMETIME SHOW WITH EX ‘Cortes & Pellegrino’ will debut on Tuesday and will air at 9 p.m ET. Jenn Pellegrino is the latest hire by Newsmax from top competitor

One America News.

FOX ANCHOR HARRIS FAULKNER GRUMBLES WHEN GUEST MENTIONS An ex-Obama adviser invoked Trump’s infamous suggestion for COVID-19 patients to ingest bleach during a Fox segment on mask guidance—much to anchor Harris Faulkner’s chagrin. IT’S TIME TO DITCH COVID-19 TEMPERATURE CHECKS A scientific review of 22 peer-reviewed studies last fall found that if temperature checks were used to screen 100 people with COVID-19,

between 31 and 88

DAILY BEAST LOGIN

Log in into your The Daily Beast Account THE BEST SUMMER READS OF 2021 Available June 1. Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford. Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/Photos Getty/Handouts. Ashley C. Ford has

been one

NIH CHIEF FRANCIS COLLINS SNAPS AT FOX NEWS ANCHOR FOR The director of the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday took umbrage with Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum’s repeated grilling

about the

SEARCH - THE DAILY BEAST Moscow Bans Navalny Group in Shocking Anti-Dissent Ruling. On Wednesday, a Moscow court officially ruled that Aleksei Navalny’s opposition group is an “extremist” organization. TAPTEJ SINGH ‘RAN AROUND BUILDING’ WARNING COLLEAGUES TO Taptej Singh, a 36-year-old father to a 3-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter, was one of at least nine people killed Wednesday when a

gunman opened

HERE’S HOW WE HANDLE PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO GET COVID VACCINES For life, and the economy, to return to normal, we need most of these people to take part. So much is at stake: safe hospitals, stores, businesses, mass transit, schools, air travel, and cultural

PHILIP D’ANIERI

16 hours ago · All Philip D’Anieri coverage by The Daily Beast. One grieving widower turned his trauma into inspiration for one of the country’s greatest outdoor ideas. SEARCH - THE DAILY BEAST Search the archives of The Daily Beast. Why Michelle Visage Removed Her Famous Breast Implants. After decades of being called crazy, the

“Drag Race”

SHAHEEN ABDULLA

1 day ago · Shaheen Abdulla is an independent journalist working in India. Just like their father, both sons of a deceased political prisoner have now tested positive for the virus in one of India’s VIDEO SHOWS AMAZON DRIVER PUMMEL WOMAN WHO DEMANDED … An Amazon delivery driver faces charges for battery and elderly abuse after she was caught on video punching a 67-year-old woman 10 times,

KTVU reports.

Newsletters Join

Log In

* Join

* Exclusive Content

* My Account

* Log Out

JOIN NOW

* Cheat Sheet

* Politics

* Entertainment

* World News

* Half Full

* Culture

* U.S. News

* Innovation

* Scouted

* Travel

ACTRESS: WEINSTEIN ACCUSER WAS ‘CRYING IN FETAL POSITION’ AFTER

FAILED THREESOME

‘SHOCKING AND TRAUMATIZING’ Emanuela Postacchini said she felt “manipulated” into a sexual scenario with Harvey Weinstein and witness Jessica Mann, who says the producer sexually assaulted her multiple times.

PILAR MELENDEZ

Reporter

Updated Feb. 04, 2020 4:23PM ET / Published Feb. 04,

2020 12:20PM ET

EMANUELA POSTACCHINI/REUTERS An Italian actress testified at Harvey Weinstein’s sex-crimes trial on Tuesday, describing how the disgraced producer allegedly “manipulated” her and accuser Jessica Mann into a failed threesome at a Los Angeles hotel in 2013. Emanuela Postacchini, 32, told jurors in Manhattan Supreme Court that she first met Mann, a key witness in Weinstein’s trial, at a party for the Weinstein Company at SoHo House in February 2013. The next evening, Weinstein invited her for drinks at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills—but immediately directed her upstairs to his room

instead.

Once inside, she said she was “surprised” to see Mann “standing in the living room of the suite.” “He told us to do something—directed us to do something together,” Postacchini said. At one point, Mann left the bedroom crying, she testified.

*

ACCUSER: ‘DEFORMED’ WEINSTEIN USED INJECTIONS BEFORE RAPE

‘YOU OWE ME’

PILAR MELENDEZ

“Jessica left the room, ran away, crying. I ran after her. She was crying in the fetal position on the ground, so I just tried to calm her down,” Postacchini said. When Mann left, Weinstein allegedly got frustrated and exclaimed, “What is she doing?” The actress, best known for her role in _This Is America_, stressed Tuesday that she felt manipulated into the situation with Weinstein, but he did not physically force them to participate in the scenario, and she willingly went to the hotel room. “I can’t recall exactly what he was telling us to do,” the actress said when asked what Weinstein “directed” the pair to do. “Me interacting with a female.” “It was shocking and traumatizing,” she added. “Obviously I felt manipulated into a situation I didn’t want to be in.” Postacchini also said that before the failed threesome, Weinstein invited her to brunch, but instead met her in a bathrobe, and asked for a massage. She did not state whether she agreed to Weinstein’s

proposal.

“He showed up in a bathrobe and was naked underneath and asked me for a massage,” she testified, adding she didn’t tell anybody about the incident because “to be honest, I just wanted to forget about whatever had happened and I wasn’t to move on with my life and I didn’t want to be involved.”

*

WEINSTEIN ACCUSER DETAILS GROSS ‘GOLDEN SHOWER’ ENCOUNTER

‘IN SHOCK’

PILAR MELENDEZ

The actress’ testimony corroborated some claims made by Mann, who emotionally told jurors on Friday how Weinstein allegedly assaulted her multiple times after the two met at a party in 2013—including raping her in a Manhattan hotel room and then attacking her again at a Beverly Hills hotel, ripping off her pants after screaming that she owed him “one more time.” Despite wanting to sever contact with Weinstein, Mann has maintained she had a brief but twisted relationship with the movie mogul, during which they also had multiple consensual sexual encounters, including

the threesome.

“Harvey was telling us orchestrations like, ‘I want you to go down on her,’ and I said, ‘I don’t know how to do that,’ and I think that I grabbed her boob,” Mann testified about the incident with Postacchini on Friday, adding that she “ran out of there into the bathroom and started crying.” Mann’s testimony was cut short on Monday after the former aspiring actress broke down in tears while reading a May 2014 email to a former boyfriend, in which she revealed her relationship with Weinstein to him for the first time and mentioned a previous sexual assault.

*

‘PROJECT RUNWAY’ PA: WEINSTEIN CALLED ME WHORE AMID ASSAULT

‘MORTIFIED’

PILAR MELENDEZ

Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to five sex-crime charges, including three that are related to his alleged encounters with Mann. The other two charges are for allegations made by Miriam Haleyi

,

a former _Project Runway _production assistant who testified that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her at his SoHo home in

2006.

During cross-examination, Weinstein’s defense attorneys have sought to portray Mann as a manipulative opportunist, repeatedly asking her why she continued to send friendly emails to the _Pulp Fiction_ producer even after he allegedly raped her in a New York City hotel

room in March 2013.

Mann has maintained she was trying to “protect” herself and her budding career by keeping herself on Weinstein’s good side—despite the abuse. “There was a reason my behavior was like this,” Mann said. “It’s just keeping him happy. I felt safe on email.” Often speaking in a barely audible tone, Mann resumed her third day of testimony on Tuesday, with Weinstein’s defense again questioning her about the affectionate email relationship she maintained with the toppled titan years after the alleged sexual assaults. Defense attorney Donna Rotunno pointed to dozens of emails between the two, including one from February 2015, in which Mann asks Weinstein for a referral for membership to the SoHo House. “You want the ladies and the gentlemen of this jury to believe the person you wanted to sponsor you was your rapist?” Rotunno asked. “I do want the jury to know he is my rapist, and I want to continue to explain the dynamic,” Mann responded, before stating the sponsorship to the members-only club is “irrelevant.” “It is relevant,” Rotunno responded, visibly annoyed. Mann was also showed another email from 2016, in which she arranged to meet Weinstein at a Beverly Hills hotel. During the hotel meeting, Mann alleges Weinstein tried to film the pair having sex on

his phone camera

—causing

her to freak out.

“Your input is always a blessing in my life,” Mann wrote in an email setting up the meeting. Four hours later, Mann emailed, “I feel so fabulous and beautiful. Thank you for everything!” As Rotunno continued questioning Mann about the many emails she exchanged with Weinstein until 2017, the former actress began to cry. In one contentious moment, Rotunno grilled Mann about her inability to recount a timeline of her relationship with Weinstein—arguing she was purposefully being vague about specific dates because of the

friendly emails.

“I do know the emails. I’m not ashamed of them—that’s why I’m still here,” Mann said. “I know it’s complicated and difficult, but it doesn’t change the fact that he raped me.” When Rotunno raised her voice and suggested that she is “making excuses” for her behavior, Mann snapped, “It’s not about making an excuse. This is something I want to explain that is important for people to understand. I don’t need an excuse, I own my behavior.” Mann is among at least 80 alleged victims who have accused the Oscar-winner of sexual misconduct—which he has repeatedly denied.

PILAR MELENDEZ

Reporter

@pbmelendez

Pilar.Melendez@thedailybeast.com Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here

.

READ THIS LIST

GIULIANI & CO. PLOT REVENGE WITH NEW BIDEN PROBES ASAWIN SUEBSAENG, ERIN BANCO OPRAH WINFREY’S 2020 IS OFF TO A TERRIBLE START

CASSIE DA COSTA

THE VIRUS KILLING U.S. KIDS ISN’T DOMINATING THE HEADLINES

MICHAEL DALY

INSIDE THE 2020 OSCARS’ BIGGEST CONTROVERSIES MARLOW STERN, KEVIN FALLON RACIST HONORS RACIST TO OWN THE LIBS AND THE BLACK ATHLETES

KALI HOLLOWAY

GIULIANI & CO. PLOT NEW BIDEN PROBES AND OVERSEAS TRIP AS TRUMP’S UKRAINE TEAM LIES IN RUIN

MORE TO COME

Members of Trump’s Ukraine team ensnared in the scandal appear to have been the biggest casualties in the Giuliani-led crusade.

ASAWIN SUEBSAENG

White House Reporter

ERIN BANCO

National Security Reporter Published Feb. 06, 2020 4:41AM ET It’s been nearly five months since news of the Ukraine scandal broke, kicking off a rapidly cascading series of events and dramatic revelations that resulted in Donald Trump’s impeachment in the House and subsequent acquittal in

the Senate.

Some of his Republican fellow-travelers, including Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), have publicly insisted that President Trump had learned his lesson and there was therefore no cause for his removal from office. Trump, when asked about it this week, straight-up told TV anchors at a private lunch that he hadn’t learned his lesson because he believed he’d done nothing untoward and there was no lesson to be learned. “It was a perfect call,” he reportedly told the anchors, a reference to his infamous July 25 phone call with Ukraine’s leader. Similarly, some of the president’s allies and most prominent lieutenants—who’ve championed the Biden investigations, smear jobs, and Ukraine pressure campaign from the start—haven’t learned their lesson either. In fact, with Trump’s swift acquittal (even with Sen. Mitt Romney’s defection) in their rear-view, they say they’re still out for blood. Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney—whose Biden-related digging and controversial shadow-diplomacy led directly to this president’s impeachment

—is

very much in the category of Trumpworld’s unrepentant. When asked Monday if he still plans on “ramping up” his investigations into Joe and Hunter Biden after an acquittal, Giuliani tersely replied to The Daily Beast, “Yes, it’s a matter of the fair administration of justice for real.” He did not go into details regarding what these continued private probes would entail, but the former New York mayor wasn’t alone in his enthusiasm. In Giuliani’s quest to uncover dirt on, or provoke a Ukrainian announcement of an investigation into, the then-frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, he openly collaborated with the fervently pro-Trump cable news outlet One America News Network

.

In recent months, OAN launched a series with Giuliani in an effort to exonerate the president and implicate the Bidens in misconduct and “corruption,” with some accusations being entirely baseless and conspiracy theory-minded. This endeavor—which included a high-profile joint trip to European countries at the height of the impeachment probe, a jaunt that freaked out various senior officials in Trump’s national security apparatus—did not end up saving the president from being

impeached.

And yet, the conservative news channel and Trump-propaganda vehicle doesn’t appear to be through. OAN President Charles Herring said in an interview Wednesday that his network has more investigations forthcoming on the Bidens, as well. Herring said the first salvo, post-acquittal, will be another “hour-long special, part four of our series, featuring personal attorney to the president, Rudy Giuliani.” He added that the team was “finishing up post-production today , and it will be airing this weekend… There are several individuals, Viktor Shokin, who will be featured. Andriy Derkach will be featured… And a member of the Ukrainian parliament, Oleksandr Dubinsky, is also featured.” As it happens, a TV channel owned by Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky had just been raided by Ukraine’s security service on Wednesday. Dubinsky has close ties to both Kolomoisky and the news outlet. Some Ukrainian individuals

linked the

raid to Dubinsky’s meeting with Giuliani in Kyiv in December, but officials working in the parliament pushed back on that claim, saying the security service was searching the channel’s office for potential wiretaps that recorded the country’s prime minister. “We’re considering another international trip, we’re working on the plans right now, which would lead us to part five of our series,” OAN’s president added, while not commenting on whether or not Giuliani would be going on this trip, as well. “There’s a number of unanswered questions… regarding Ukraine and the Bidens, among other topics. We’re going to continue to dig.” Additionally, Trump allies on Capitol Hill have already made clear that they’re itching for some payback. About an hour after Wednesday’s acquittal, GOP senators Chuck Grassley (IA) and Ron Johnson (WI) announced a review regarding “potential conflicts of interest posed by the business activities of Hunter Biden and his associates during the Obama” era. It was only two weeks ago that Trump’s legislative affairs director Eric Ueland had breezed past a group of reporters and was quoted

saying

, “I

can’t wait for the revenge.” To be sure, several Trump administration officials involved in Ukraine policy have already been condemned by the White House, particularly those that participated in the House impeachment inquiry and testified on national television. President Trump described the cooperators as “human scum” and “liars.” The White House Twitter account delivered a personal attack on Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, one of the White House’s top Ukraine experts, smack in the middle of his testimony. Following the appearance of Dr. Fiona Hill, Trump’s former top Russia adviser, White House loyalists took to social media to try and frame the former official as too emotional. But perhaps no one drew as much ire from President Trump as former National Security Adviser John Bolton, who left the administration just weeks after the whistleblower complaint was released in September. Although the former official refused to cooperate with the House’s inquiry in the beginning, he changed his tune later on and said he would answer questions in front of the Senate. That set off a firestorm inside the White House, where officials tried to manage not only the possibility of a Bolton appearance but his upcoming book manuscript, which _The New York Times_ said directly linked Trump’s push for investigations in Ukraine to the freezing of military aid. “For a guy who couldn’t get approved for the Ambassador to the U.N. years ago, couldn’t get approved for anything since, ‘begged’ me for a non Senate approved job, which I gave him despite many saying ‘Don’t do it, sir,’ takes the job … gets fired because frankly, if I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now, and goes out and IMMEDIATELY writes a nasty & untrue

book,” Trump said

on Twitter just two days before the Senate voted on whether to bring Bolton in for questioning. Others entangled in the months-long Trump-Ukraine mess don’t appear to have the luxury of seeking vengeance. Several of the most entrenched Trump officials ensnared in the Ukraine affair have since ditched the administration, perhaps out of fear of retribution. Others have remained at their posts, but with their roles diminished and future prospects in government thrown into question. While figures such as Giuliani have continued to meet with Ukrainian officials and politicos and plot new investigations throughout the impeachment process, other characters in the Ukraine saga —including the so-called “three amigos

”—have

drawn back from public view. Some of the officials are still being wrapped up in ongoing inquiries by outside interest groups, such as American Oversight, a Washington-based ethics watchdog which has filed numerous records requests in search of new details about the administration’s communications on Ukraine.

*

PARNAS LAWYER: GIULIANI DELIVERED GRAHAM LETTER ON SANCTIONS TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

BETSY SWAN,

ERIN BANCO

Current and former national security officials who spoke to The Daily Beast for this story said Kurt Volker, the former envoy for Ukraine in charge of negotiations, played the biggest role on the ground in Kyiv. Volker was the most educated about the region and understood not only the historic struggles of the country but also its deep desire for reform, those officials said. But Volker resigned from the Trump administration one day after the whistleblower report was released in September. He didn’t offer a public explanation for why he left. The former Ukraine envoy was the first official caught up in the saga to resign from the administration but he wasn’t the last. Shortly after, a slew of Trump officials departed, including Bolton and national security official Tim Morrison. Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence. last week requested an early departure from her post. Meanwhile, top U.S. officials in Ukraine also moved on. Former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, who was ousted from her post in May, resigned from the administration this week while her replacement, acting ambassador William Taylor, departed his post just days before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was set to visit Ukraine and meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky. As the departures and resignations rolled out into the news, current and former officials in Ukraine have worried about the future of their relationship with Washington. Several officials told The Daily Beast they felt no one was left in the Trump administration who was passionate about improving relations between the two countries and worried the U.S. would yet again decide to freeze military aid in the

future.

Their worries are compounded by the fact that perhaps the only leading Trump official in a position to continue the dialogue —EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland—played a vital role in helping Trump with his political errand in Ukraine. Sondland has maintained a low profile following his blockbuster appearance in the House impeachment inquiry. Sondland, who donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee, was one of the first individuals in the Trump administration to join the push by the president to convince Ukraine to open specific investigations into Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and the 2016 presidential elections. He played a major role in trying to push Ukrainian officials to agree to Trump’s demands. In a series of meetings on July 10 at the White House, Sondland created a scene when he brought up with top Ukrainian officials the need for Zelensky to agree to the investigations.

*

SONDLAND STEPPED IN ‘AND THINGS WENT REALLY OFF THE RAILS’ ‘GOT VERY EMOTIONAL’

ERIN BANCO,

LACHLAN MARKAY

During his testimony in November, the EU ambassador quite brazenly threw his amigos and Giuliani under the bus, saying Trump’s personal attorney led the back-channel effort and that he was acting on the president’s orders. Sondland also corroborated other officials’ testimony that Trump did, in fact, engage in a quid pro quo. To the observer, Sondland’s testimony was sure to elicit blowback from President Trump. Instead, though, the president offered another form

of chide.

When asked by reporters about his EU Ambassador, Trump said he didn’t know Sondland “very well” before adding, “Seems like a

nice guy though.”

Although Trump didn’t denounce Sondland in front of the cameras, there was an effort behind the scenes at the State Department to manage the fallout of Sondland’s involvement in the Ukraine saga. The EU Ambassador did not return back to his post in Brussels for several weeks, two State Department officials said, and has since been asked to keep a low profile, particularly on Ukraine policy, throughout the impeachment proceedings. Energy Secretary Rick Perry and former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker joined Sondland at Zelensky’s inauguration in May. Vice President Pence was supposed to attend the ceremony but the amigos went in his place, setting the stage for what’s been described publicly by national security officials in the impeachment inquiry as an illegitimate foreign policy back channel. While Secretary Perry is no longer an official in the White House, his ideas on Ukraine live on in the Department of Energy. Ukrainian officials who’ve worked with Perry in the past have said they looked to him to help them navigate a way to become less dependent on Russian

natural resources.

Before he left, Perry worked on developing a plan, in coordination with Kyiv, for America to export its liquefied natural gas to Ukraine through Poland. In August three countries agreed to cooperate on the project. Poland’s representatives said the country would commit to sending 6 billion cubic meters of gas to Ukraine starting in 2021. While that plan is still being crystalized, Ukraine and Poland are playing ball, or trying to. The first tanker filled with American LNG landed in Poland in November. Officials are still working behind the scenes to sort varying competing interests for contracts. Despite the bodies left in the impeachment drama’s wake, by Wednesday close of business, the president and his team were busy messaging their way through another supposed victory lap—and gleefully raking in cash off of it. “VINDICATED!” Trump texted supporters, via his 2020 campaign, on Wednesday night. “I’ve been acquitted from the Impeachment HOAX. We need to send a message…Donate NOW.”

READ THIS LIST

OPRAH WINFREY’S 2020 IS OFF TO A TERRIBLE START

CASSIE DA COSTA

THE VIRUS KILLING U.S. KIDS ISN’T DOMINATING THE HEADLINES

MICHAEL DALY

INSIDE THE 2020 OSCARS’ BIGGEST CONTROVERSIES MARLOW STERN, KEVIN FALLON RACIST HONORS RACIST TO OWN THE LIBS AND THE BLACK ATHLETES

KALI HOLLOWAY

THIS WILD MALAYSIAN FESTIVAL MAKES BURNING MAN LOOK SOFT

CASSANDRA BROOKLYN

* Cheat Sheet

* Politics

* Entertainment

* World News

* Half Full

* Culture

* U.S. News

* Innovation

* Scouted

* Travel

* About

* Contact

* Tips

* Jobs

* Help

* Privacy

* Code of Ethics & Standards * Terms & Conditions * Copyright & Trademark

* Sitemap

* Coupons

� 2020 The Daily Beast Company LLC

Advertise With Us

California Privacy Notice We allow third parties to collect information on our website and share information with third parties for the business purposes described in

our Privacy Policy.

You

can learn more about your choices regarding certain kinds of interest-based advertising here.