Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog.Tel: (216) 659-0473 and Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. Kathy Wr

By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief

CLEVELANDURBANNEWS.COM-WASHINGTON D.C.- Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), a Toledo Democrat whose ninth congressional district extends to Cleveland and co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, today delivered remarks at a House Ukraine Caucus press conference on President Trump's withholding of vital military and developmental aid from Ukraine and his reported effort to coerce Ukrainian leadership into helping him win reelection.

Her remarks come as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced yesterday that the House would pursue an impeachment inquiry against the president after he urged Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to target Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden, the vice president under former president Barack Obama, and his son Hunter Biden in a smear campaign, an effort, they say, to enhance his election capabilities in 2020.

Pelosi and other congressional Democrats, including U.S. Rep Marcia Fudge, Joyce Beatty and Tim Ryan, all of Ohio, say Trump needs to be impeached for illegal activity across the spectrum.

The longest serving woman in Congress, Kaptur's remarks at a House Ukraine Caucus press conference on President Trump's withholding of vital military and developmental aid from Ukraine and his reported effort to coerce Ukrainian leadership into helping him win reelection are as follows:

Good afternoon everybody.

As co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, I thank you for being here.

The Ukraine Caucus called this press conference today to express our grave concerns regarding President Trump's withholding of vital aid from Ukraine.

According to the highly redacted White House memo released this morning:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was "ready to buy more anti-tank missiles" and Trump immediately responded "I would like you to do us a favor though." A favor.

This is our president explicitly expecting a favor in return for funds that were passed and appropriated by this Congress - funds meant to assist Ukraine in its defense against sever Russian aggression. Russian aggression that has killed over 13,000 Ukrainians, military and civilian, wounded over 30,000, and displaced upwards of 2 million Ukrainians.

That abuse of power by our president undermines our national security.

On July 18, President Trump purposefully directed his administration to withhold nearly 400 million dollars in defense assistance for Ukraine from the State and Defense Department budgets, funds that members of the House have since pushed to release. Members of Congress were told it was part of an inter agency delay. In reading the memo today, that does seem to be the case.

The President cannot make the release of funds passed and appropriated by the Congress of the United States, surely for national security, contingent on asking a foreign leader for a "favor" prior to the release of those funds.

Congress must compel the release of the full whistle blower complaint as it was originally submitted to the Office of Inspector General. The document we were provided today was not a complete transcript of the conversation the president had with President Zelensky. It was about 11 minutes of a conversation that lasted upward of 30 minutes. We want the full transcript. And we must hold executive branch officials in contempt if they refuse to give us the full document.

Congress must uphold its duties as set out in the Constitution. No one is above the law.

By Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, 9th congressional district.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog.Tel: (216) 659-0473 and Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-chief, and who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

Cleveland Ward 1 Councilman Joe Jones

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher

Cleveland, Ohio- Cleveland Ward 1 Councilman Joe Jones

won the endorsement of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party again Saturday morning, thwarting an attempt by Party Chairman David Brock to get the party's executive committee to reverse its original endorsement of Aug. 6.

Cuyahoga County is a Democratic stronghold that includes Cleveland and is Ohio's second largest county, behind Franklin County, which includes Columbus, the state capital and the state's largest city, in front of Cleveland.

The endorsement meeting was held on Zoom, and Jones won it hands down.

Though Jones has not publicly raised the issue of race relative to the controversy, his supporters have said that potential racism could not be ruled out, and that White elected officials have not been treated like Jones, including a previously indicted White common pleas judge who won the party endorsement and was later convicted of public corruption charges, removed from the bench, and sentenced to prison.

Ward 1 is Cleveland's second largest voting bloc of its 17 wards with its staunch middle-class segment of east side Black voters, and it is the city's largest Black voting bloc.

The primary is Sept. 9 and Jones is up for reelection via the 2025 nonpartisan election for mayor and city council members. The general election is Nov 4.

Jones, 56 years old and Black, had originally won the county Democratic Party endorsement for re-election earlier this month.

The executive committee bylaws do forbid a member of the executive committee from endorsing the opponent of an endorsed candidate and executive committee members can be removed for doing so.

Jones insisted in a letter sent Wednesday that Brock was violating the party bylaws by arbitrarily holding a second endorsement session.

"I am writing to formally object to the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party's decision to schedule a second endorsement meeting for Ward 1," Jones wrote in his letter to Brock," a copy of which was secured by Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader.

Jones accused Brock of violating party bylaws and said he was acting in the best interest of one of his opponents, state Rep. Juanita Brent, vice chair of the county Democratic Party and a Cleveland Democrat and lifelong resident of Ward 1 like Jones. Brent is also Black.

The councilman said Brock is acting more like a Republican than a Democrat.

"As one of my opponents is a party officer [Brent], it seems to me that the party is employing unprecedented tactics to support her in this race. If you do this Mr. chairman, the Democratic Party will become just like the Republicans, showing no regard for the rule of law or history," Jones wrote.

Jones is currently serving his second stint as Ward 1 councilman after being elected in 2017, and again in 2021. He was previously the Ward 1 councilman from 1998-2005.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and the Midwest.Tel.216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurbannews.com

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher

Cleveland, Ohio-Cleveland Ward 1 Councilman Joe Jones has sent a letter to Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Chairman David Brock requesting that he cancel an upcoming Democratic Party Executive Committee meeting where Brock says he wants the county Democratic Party to reverse its August endorsement of Jones, who is Black and up for reelection this year via the 2025 nonpartisan election for mayor and city council members.

Ward 1 is Cleveland's second largest voting bloc of its 17 wards with its staunch middle-class segment of east side Black voters, and it is the city's largest Black voting bloc.

The primary is Sept. 9 and follows a population-based redistricting process led by Council President Blaine Griffin that was controversial at best and reduces council from 17 to 15 members beginning in 2026 per the city charter.

Jones won the county Democratic Party endorsement for re-election earlier this month.

The executive committee bylaws do forbid a member of the executive committee from endorsing the opponent of an endorsed candidate and executive committee members can be removed for doing so.

"I am writing to formally object to the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party's decision to schedule a second endorsement meeting for Ward 1," Jones wrote in his letter to Brock," a copy of which was secured by Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader.

"There are several reasons for my objection," Jones' letter says as follows:

1. The executive committee has already spoken at the August 6 Democratic endorsement meeting.

2. The Democratic Party bylaws do not speak to reevaluating a legally binding endorsement because of allegations that are not even criminal-based, nor would they pass a summary judgement [court decision] if there were a civil action. The bylaws do speak to the endorsement process, and if the party wanted to add this to the process, the bylaws must be amended.

3. The rescheduled meeting includes zoom and livestream as part of the process. This is certainly unprecedented. I am not aware of any other endorsement meeting being held in this manner.  All endorsements I have been a part of over the past 30 years have been in person.

In conclusion, Jones said Brock is acting in the best interest of one of his opponents, state Rep. Juanita Brent, vice chair of the county Democratic Party and a Cleveland Democrat and lifelong resident of Ward 1 like Jones. Brent is also Black.

The councilman said Brock is acting more like a Republican than a Democrat.

"As one of my opponents is a party officer [Brent], it seems to me that the party is employing unprecedented tactics to support her in this race. If you do this Mr. chairman, the Democratic Party will become just like the Republicans, showing no regard for the rule of law or history," Jones wrote.

Jones is currently serving his second stint as Ward 1 councilman after being elected in 2017, and again in 2021. He was previously the Ward 1 councilman from 1998-2005.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and the Midwest.Tel. 216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurbannews.com