Impeachment Megathread Part 3

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-01-28/trump-team-wraps-impeachment-defense-with-an-elephant-in-the-senate-john-bolton

Feinstein leans toward acquitting Trump as his lawyers end their impeachment defense arguments

Just after President Trump’s defense lawyers ended arguments in their Senate trial Tuesday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California became the first Democrat to suggest that she could vote to acquit him despite serious concerns about his character.

“Nine months left to go, the people should judge. We are a republic, we are based on the will of the people — the people should judge,” Feinstein said Tuesday, after the president’s team finished a three-day presentation in his defense. “That was my view and it still is my view.”

WOW, that is surprising indeed. Schumer might have a problem on his hands here.
Would Feinstein be bold enough to go with Republicans and not vote for witnesses. But she's right though: The People should judge.

https://twitter.com/SenFeinstein/status/1222286544733704193

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

BREAKING




https://twitter.com/WSJ/status/1222288793098686465

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/impeachment-trial-live-updates/2020/01/28/8fadd30e-41bd-11ea-aa6a-083d01b3ed18_story.html

White House Counsel Pat Cipollone began his final presentation with a video compilation showing several House managers and Senate Democrats criticizing the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1998.

In old C-SPAN footage, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said there should “never be a narrowly voted impeachment or an impeachment supported by one of our major political parties and opposed by the other.”

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) said the Clinton impeachment would “damage the faith the American people have in this institution.”

“Future presidents will face election, then litigation, then impeachment,” she said.

Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) were shown making similar points as House representatives. Markey called the impeachment a “constitutional coup d’etat which will haunt this body and our country forever.”

The roundup ended with footage of Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) saying: “My fear is that when a Republican wins the White House, Democrats will demand payback.”

“You were right,” Cipollone said after the video ended, prompting laughter in the chamber. “But I’m sorry to say you were also prophetic. And I think I couldn’t say it better myself, so I won’t.”

I totally agree with Democrats on this one. Make Democrats Sane Again!

Here is the video from the presentation>>>

https://twitter.com/SenateGOP/status/1222273689221320706

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/Morning_Joe/status/1222515507343036416

QUESTION: "Is Hunter Biden a relevant witness, Senator?"

MANCHIN: "You know, I think so. I really do. I don't have a problem there, because this is why we are where we are. Now, I think that he can clear himself, what I know and what I've heard."


Stay strong, Sen. Manchin! 🙏🙏🙏

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/costareports/status/1222527959858393089

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/JonathanTamari/status/1222531742084534272

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/JonathanTamari/status/1222531742084534272

Hunter can't tell why aid was withheld, which is the central argument of this impeachment. He wasn't in the WH at the time, but Bolton was. GOP hacks are trying to distract from the real issue here because their case for Trump is so weak.

Even if Hunter Biden were to appear in Congress, weepingly confess to stealing a billion dollars from Ukraine, and then phoning daddy and pleading for rescue, it wouldn't matter.

Trump didn't withhold the aid because of things he knows today.  He withheld the aid because of what he knew at the time.  And at the time, based on the knowledge available, no reasonable person would actually believe that investigating Hunter Biden was a vital national security interest worth imperiling an ally over.

Furthermore, it's a moot point.  We already know that the president wasn't actually interested in the corruption.  The aid wasn't conditioned on Zelensky actually starting an investigation.  It was only conditioned on him announcing live on CNN that he was starting an investigation.  Once the political damage was done, Trump was satisfied.  We have plenty of witness testimony and direct evidence to prove this, as well as circumstantial evidence such as the fact that Trump has never bothered to use the resources of the United States to investigate Hunter Biden.

Russians agree to disagree

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/us/politics/russian-hackers-burisma-ukraine.html
Russians Hacked Ukrainian Gas Company at Center of Impeachment



It is also well-reported that Hunter is a cocaine-addict and hooker-ducker. And so he was in Ukraine getting $$$ of pro-Russian Gas Company. Red Sparrows started hunting Hunter the second his foot touched the Ukrainian soil.


It IS a vital national security interest to make sure there is no 'dirt' on your possible next president, Joe Biden. Because Russian will get it eventually   

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

Agreed about the partisan impeachment issue being a non-starter. Polls have consistently showed a plurality now okay with impeach AND remove. That includes a lot of independents a few of Republicans. However, it rarely gets brought up that that's a thing.

You seem to be confused.


The nation is almost perfectly split in this question and it is kind of definition of "partisan impeachment" Democrats were talking about. Like Dems said back then it would be very divisive for US.


https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/impeachment-polls
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/public_approval_of_the_impeachment_and_removal_of_president_trump-6957.html

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/impeachment-trial-live-updates/2020/01/29/fcac46e4-4284-11ea-b5fc-eefa848cde99_story.html

Dershowitz said it shouldn’t be impeachable for a president to think, “I’m a great president, I think I’m the greatest president there ever was, if I’m not elected, the national interest will suffer greatly” and act accordingly.

Dershowitz  is 100% right. Trump's reelection is the most vital national interest! Case closed.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

"If his election is in the public interest, then nothing he does in the pursuit of his election is illegal or impeachable."
- Alan Dershowitz, basically

So he could lock up the Democratic candidate, and that would not be illegal? He could rig the election, and that would not be impeachable?

Today, Alan Dershowitz! A man whose moral reasoning would destroy Western civilization.

Lock upp anybody? Rig the election? Rob a bank?


You are attacking a straw man built upon another straw man.


Dershowitz said that non-illegal quid pro quos with "mixed" motives can't be impeachable. Did anyone here actually watch the trial (except wulfric and that Indian girl)?

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

"If his election is in the public interest, then nothing he does in the pursuit of his election is illegal or impeachable."
- Alan Dershowitz, basically

So he could lock up the Democratic candidate, and that would not be illegal? He could rig the election, and that would not be impeachable?

Today, Alan Dershowitz! A man whose moral reasoning would destroy Western civilization.

You are attacking a straw man built upon another straw man.


Dershowitz said that non-illegal quid pro quos with "mixed" motives can't be impeachable. Did anyone here actually watch the trial (except wulfric and that Indian girl)?

I was in class for most of yesterday.  And I prefer "that brown girl", thank you!

In bipartisan spirit I'll make a mayor concession and promise from now on to call you Chocolate Girl. Deal?


https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1222655839573565440
GAME CHANGER!

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

Why are people engaging with Russian Bear and 2016 like they aren’t massive partisan trolls who think Trump should be a dictator but a democrat who sneezes without cover their hand should be hanged?

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

WaPo>>>

Responding to a question from Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) about Trump’s apparent public solicitation of compromising materials on his campaign rivals from Russia and China, White House Deputy Counsel Patrick Philbin ventured a sweeping defense of the president’s remarks — claiming they did not, in fact, represent a violation of campaign finance laws that make it illegal to accept or solicit a “thing of value” from foreign sources.

“Mere information is not something that would violate the campaign finance laws,” he said. “If there is credible information, credible information of wrongdoing by someone who is running for a public office, it’s not campaign interference for credible information about wrongdoing to be brought to light.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/trump-lawyer-defends-accepting-foreign-information-in-an-election/2020/01/29/ad2c559c-91e5-4c34-a73d-128ee44f012b_video.html
Trump lawyer defends accepting foreign information in an election

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1222919777972367360
In [Klob's] Gut we trust!

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

The House wanted Impeachment before Xmas.

The Senate now wants Acquittal before SOTU.

I call that fair.

Democrats may delay the process.


NyT >>>

Schumer hints at a tactic to delay votes to acquit Trump.

Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, suggested Thursday that Democrats would use parliamentary procedures to thwart Republicans’ plans for a speedy acquittal of President Trump.

“The minority has rights, and we will exercise those rights,” Mr. Schumer told reporters, without elaborating.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

Here you may see what VOTERS think. Basically a tie.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/public_approval_of_the_impeachment_and_removal_of_president_trump-6957.html

Note that "Battleground states" are usually significantly more against removal according to the polls.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

Here you may see what VOTERS think. Basically a tie.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/public_approval_of_the_impeachment_and_removal_of_president_trump-6957.html

Note that "Battleground states" are usually significantly more against removal according to the polls.

Also, largely based on news cycle. When Trump is Acquitted, he will take a victory lap and that number will rise albeit a moderate and temporary bump before evening out again.

I suppose so. Especially if they get at least one D. I think that is what it is about. I think that Mitch probably already has the votes, but Trump wants (at least) Manchin BADLY.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

From WSJ livestream>>>

'Suspenseful' Mood at GOP Lunch Amid Uncertain Vote Count

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.), who is retiring, emerged from a closed-door GOP lunch on Thursday shaking his head no when reporters asked if he had decided about witnesses.

"I'm going to listen to the questions," he said.

A number of other Republican senators haven't yet said publicly how they will vote, saying they are waiting until the questioning phase of the trial is over.

At a closed-door Republican lunch on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not reveal where the Republican vote count on witnesses stood, "other than we don't know for sure," said Sen. Mike Braun (R., Ind.).

Mr. Braun described the mood among GOP senators in the room as "suspenseful."

"The discussion was no different today than what it's been over the last couple days, and there's been no clear declaration of who's still stewing on it," he said. "It's going to be very, very close."

"It's going to be very, very close."

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

Hear, hear!

The system is broken, indeed. Democracy dies in darkness and what Schiff has been doing in last 3 years is lying, crying wolf and muddying the waters with his 'C-c-colluaion" and "smoking gun". But it's fine, whatever. The outrageous part was that the base loved it and Pelosi/Democrats rewarded him with being the face of the Impeachment trial.

Democrats think therefore that being effective at lying pays! Well, we'll see at November. What goes around comes around as they say. Whatever happens I hope Democrats accept the outcome, at least this time 


https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1223014274668232705

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

Never in the history of Oil and Gas companies has someone with such low credentials and chemical dependency been employed on such a high salary to a board.

You are shockingly clueless, even by the standards of this thread.

If Biden is the nominee and lose, don't say you weren't warned about "muh emails Hunter" 

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

Clearly, no one can provide a satisfactory answer as to how or why the chemically dependent son of Joe Biden received an Oil & Gas board position in a country that was being investigated for corruption by the USA.

That's because no one knows what the answer is, including you. Your best guess as to what happened isn't necessarily the answer. Also, just because you can't think of an alternative explanation, does not mean there isn't one.

That in itself needs an investigation to discover what happened to uncover any evidence of wrongdoing.

Maybe. If Trump had engaged the proper channels to have it investigated, we wouldn't be here.

Nobody "knows" either why Trump wanted to investigate Hunter. May be he was thinking about the country! Right?

Come on, guys. It is just how it works in corrupt countries. It is pretty damn clear why a corrupt pro-Russian gas firm employed Hunter. No one in Ukraine would touch the son of VP. You're in denial, OMG 

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

WaPo Live>>>

Trump is ‘a clear and present danger,’ Pelosi says in new talking points

With the end of Trump’s Senate trial appearing to be near, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is continuing to encourage allies to press the case against him.

“Talking points” distributed by her office on Friday label Trump “a clear and present danger to our democracy and national security interests” and say he “put himself before country and must be held accountable.”

The talking points also argue that Trump has “established a pattern of corruptly soliciting foreign interference into our elections to benefit his reelection.”

“Congress must act with a sense of urgency to protect the integrity of the 2020 elections and defend our Constitution,” Pelosi encourages her allies to argue.

Bloomberg>>>

Democrat Resigned to Acquittal, No Witnesses (10:21 a.m.)

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, a member of Democratic leadership, said his party is “resigned” to the Republican-led Senate acquitting Trump without calling any additional witnesses, a vote expected to happen on Friday.

“We are resigned to this happening,” Durbin said. “It’s clear after all the days we spent on this: Republicans are afraid of a trial and afraid of the truth.”

Durbin said he doesn’t think Chief Justice John Roberts would weigh in to break a tie on the vote to call witnesses.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

NyT Live>>>

Trump revels in an awkward moment between impeachment managers.

President Trump on Friday suggested there was discord among two House impeachment managers, based on the end of the Senate trial’s question and answer session Thursday night when two of the managers appeared to want to answer the same question.

“They are fighting big time!” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1223250897414905856
 

The dynamics between Mr. Nadler and Mr. Schiff have been tense at times during the Senate trial.

At one point last week, Mr. Schiff stepped in to respond to a reporter’s question at a news conference, cutting Mr. Nadler off.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1223286778213359616


WaPo>>>>

Trial could extend into next week, officials say

While many Republicans have expressed hopes that the expected failure of a vote to call new witnesses would mean a rapid end to Trump’s impeachment trial, officials are warning that might not be the case.

A longer schedule could mean the trial stretches beyond Monday’s Iowa caucuses, further complicating the campaign schedules of the four senators seeking the Democratic nomination who are sitting as jurors.

A senior administration official and two congressional officials said Friday that it was unlikely that senators would rush immediately to a verdict if the witness vote fails. They requested anonymity to speak candidly about internal discussions.

Schumer says every senator should have time to speak on their vote

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), flanked by three other Democratic senators, told reporters that he would push to give every senator a chance to speak on the floor before they vote on a verdict, possibly extending the trial for days.

“I believe the American people should hear what every senator thinks and why they’re voting the way they’re voting,” Schumer said.

"A longer schedule could mean the trial stretches beyond Monday’s Iowa caucuses, further complicating the campaign schedules of the four senators seeking the Democratic nomination who are sitting as jurors."

Democrats rig it to screw Bernie!  

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

BREAKING

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/us/politics/trump-bolton-ukraine.html
Trump Told Bolton to Help His Ukraine Pressure Campaign, Book Says
The president asked his national security adviser last spring in front of other senior advisers to pave the way for a meeting between Rudolph Giuliani and Ukraine’s new leader.

More than two months before he asked Ukraine’s president to investigate his political opponents, President Trump directed John R. Bolton, then his national security adviser, to help with his pressure campaign to extract damaging information on Democrats from Ukrainian officials, according to an unpublished manuscript by Mr. Bolton.

Mr. Trump gave the instruction, Mr. Bolton wrote, during an Oval Office conversation in early May that included the acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, the president’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani and the White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone, who is now leading the president’s impeachment defense.

Mr. Trump told Mr. Bolton to call Volodymyr Zelensky, who had recently won election as president of Ukraine, to ensure Mr. Zelensky would meet with Mr. Giuliani, who was planning a trip to Ukraine to discuss the investigations that the president sought, in Mr. Bolton’s account. Mr. Bolton never made the call, he wrote.

The previously undisclosed directive that Mr. Bolton describes would be the earliest known instance of Mr. Trump seeking to harness the power of the United States government to advance his pressure campaign against Ukraine, as he later did on the July call with Mr. Zelensky that triggered a whistle-blower complaint and impeachment proceedings. House Democrats have accused him of abusing his authority and are arguing their case before senators in the impeachment trial of Mr. Trump, whose lawyers have said he did nothing wrong.

Mr. Bolton described the roughly 10-minute conversation in drafts of his book, a memoir of his time as national security adviser that is to go on sale in March. Over several pages, Mr. Bolton laid out Mr. Trump’s fixation on Ukraine and the president’s belief, based on a mix of scattershot events, assertions and outright conspiracy theories, that Ukraine tried to undermine his chances of winning the presidency in 2016.