Estrella TV is normally known for its over-the-top, virulent coverage of all things pertaining to President Donald Trump. But as Impeachment Fever swaps the nation’s domestic Spanish-language media, Estrella has decided to asset some editorial independence.
Watch as D.C. correspondent Armando Valdés closes out his report on the phone call at the core of the controversy with a blunt assessment of the facts before the American people:
ARMANDO GUZMAN, CORRESPONDENT, ESTRELLA TV: It is then that Biden, as Vice President, travels to Ukraine and threatens the government with withholding one billion dollars in American aid.
JOE BIDEN: I’d gotten a commitment from Poroshenko- they would take action against a state prosecutor and they didn’t. I said, “I’m telling you, you’re not getting a billion dollars.” I said, “you’re not getting a billion and I’m gonna be leaving here” and it was what, six hours, I look at him and said, “We’re leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired you’re not getting the money.” Well, son of a b****. He got fired. AND they put in place someone who was solid.
GUZMAN: You see that? Joe Biden and the Democrats are accusing Donald Trump of doing the same exact thing that Biden did, except (he did it) four years ago when he was Vice President and could also blackmail Ukraine.
ADRIANA YÁÑEZ, ANCHOR, ESTRELLA TV: It’s a whole soap opera. Thanks, Armando.
Much of the focus on Spanish-language media has been kept away from the Bidens' activities in Ukraine, and on the chance that, at long last Big, Bad Trump will finally face some kind of comeuppance- a longing that was not slaked by the Mueller investigation. Even Estrella adopts some of this language, as you can see in the report with the reference to the "blackmail" of Ukraine.
This is probably as close to balanced coverage as we can expect from our domestic Spanish-language networks when it comes to the Trump Impeachment, which anchor Adriana Yáñez so aptly deemed to be a "soap opera." That it would come via Estrella is that much more shocking.
Below is a full transcript of the report as aired on Noticiero Estrella on Wednesday, September 25, 2019 (click "Expand" to view):
Estrella TV's Noticiero Estrella
September 25, 2019
5:31 p.m. EasternADRIANA YÁÑEZ: Good afternoon, Adriana Yáñez greets you, with the most important news of the day, and the chance that President Trump could face impeachment over the blackmail of Ukraine is ever more real. Although the president already published the transcript of the conversation, the Democrats demand his exit. Armando Guzmán reports.
ARMANDO GUZMÁN: What transpired today at the United Nations between Donald Trump and the Ukrainan president was expected. Of course the Ukrainian wasn’t going to accuse trump.
VLADIMIR ZELNSKYY: I think, and you read it, that nobody pushed it. Pushed me, yes?
DONALD TRUMP: In other words, no pressure.
GUZMÁN: Trump couldn’t take any more and went all in on his accusations against Biden. Today we have five pages of transcripts of the conversation between Trump and Zeleskyy this past july 5th. In that call, Trump says, “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.” President Zeleskyy responds and says that he will review the matter and request more information, to which Trump responds, “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.” Trump is talking about Burisma, the Ukrainian firm where Joe Biden placed his son Hunter, This is where Viktor Shokin comes in, who was then the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and was investigating not just Burisma but its Executive Board. Listen for yourselves. Shokin says, “We had plans that included interrogations and other crime investigation procedures into all members of the Executive Board, including Hunter Biden.”
GUZMAN: It is then that Biden, as Vice President, travels to Ukraine and threatens the government with withholding one billion dollars in American aid.
BIDEN: I’d gotten a commitment from Poroshenko- they would take action against a state prosecutor and they didn’t. I said, “I’m telling you, you’re not getting a billion dollars.” I said, “you’re not getting a billion and I’m gonna be leaving here” and it was what, six hours, I look at him and said, “We’re leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired you’re not getting the money.” Well, son of a b****. He got fired. AND they put in place someone who was solid.
You see that? Joe Biden and the Democrats are accusing Donald Trump of doing the same exact thing that Biden did, except (he did it) four years ago when he was Vice President and could also blackmail Ukraine.
YÁÑEZ: It’s a whole soap opera. Thanks, Armando.
