Within Treason: I Beg Your Pardon (The Impeachment Inquiry, Part 12)  

Link to previous thread for reference:

Link to previous thread:

OP. that pic is the reason the word ew was invented.

*THERE IT IS*.

"Sondland agreed that the President did not 'give a shit about Ukraine'...Sondland stated the President only cares about 'big stuff'...[and added] that he meant 'big stuff' that benefits the President, like the 'Biden investigation' that Mr. Giuliani was pushing."

Op, what the hell with that picture!!! My eyes!

I love that the GOP whores had all kind of practice sessions with the assumption that Trump would keep his big fat stupid shit mouth shut for five minutes.

Video of Rep. Eric Swalwell on Erin Burnett:

Witness: Sondland Said Trump Did Not "Give A S**T About Ukraine", Cares About Biden Investigation:

Um, the picture isn't bad if you take her out and bag his face. You queens all know you would fuck Roger Stone if you could.

Anyways, did anyone see Rick "I have seven kids" Santorum on CNN? Elie Honig's handsome ass should have went in and let have on his ass. Why is he defending this president?

[quote]You queens all know you would fuck Roger Stone if you could.

Sure, if you don't mind this staring you in the face.

Seth Abramson:

I wonder how many folks have processed that Gordon Sondland can singlehandedly bring down a president next week

There's a version of next week, and not an obscure one, that ends with Senate Republicans—minus Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul—realizing they can't save this presidency

He's a long way from his swinger days. At least I hope he is.

He's always been a cheat... no shocker.

R9, you clearly think Stone would be your bottom. Oh, honey, please...

What day does Sondland testify?

Seth Abramson is a good journalist, but that's hard to believe.

Hes making an educated guess

it is the pettiness of it all that is so funny, r12. There is no scam so low or stupid that Trump won't do it. This story got buried but much more serious things, but a week ago or so there were stories about these fake contests where you could put in money and possibly win a dinner with Trump. Been going on since Trump became president but NOBODY has ever won. So sad and stupid and petty, but there they are, with their stupid hand out grifting constantly.

What network does Seth Abramson belong to? The only Seth I know is Doane of CBS, haha...forgive me for that, please.

R18, Seth Abramson is a Newsweek columnist and NYT bestselling author of Proof of Collusion and Proof of Conspiracy.

Ewwww OP, that picture.

Warn a person next time. Thanks.

Dahling, PLEASE! People are eating!

Holmes testifies he overheard Trump ask Sondland about investigations

[quote]Holmes “has some specific quotes," a Democratic lawmaker said, that left "no doubt what the president of the United States was saying.”

For R20:

R14, the world’s unhappiest witness will testify on Wednesday.

Okay, no one's talking about how fuckable Holmes is. Someone please find out more like they did with Goldman!

Holmes is hot!

Seth's tweet (and most of the comments) is some of the most delicious reading I've had in a long time.

One of the comments is about Paul Ryan and OF COURSE Placeholder Pence will appoint him as VP.

Think Andy Kaufman...

It doesnt work that way....whoever goes first...Pence or Trump...the remainder will never get to appoint a VP.....any pick MUST be approved by both THE HOUSE and THE SENATE. Democrats would never allow it...and with good reason.

Pence can't even go campaign in Utah for his President, how the fuck would he wrangle Ryan's dumb ass?

R28, could you imagine if the Dems put up someone the Rethugs wouldn't accept running the Senate or being in charge of the Senate anyways?

The OMB staffer who works for Mulvaney and can speak to the hold on the $400 million for Ukraine is testifying in an unusual Saturday session tomorrow. It's a closed hearing, so we'll have to wait for the transcript.

R31, it's not unusual considering that when Congress is in session for impeachment, they take a vote on their hours they will work to make sure no one misses out.

Ya know, if actual removal from office won't happen, and it probably won't, how about a massive bitch slapping for the ages?

Hey R33, if they can do it in Taiwan ...

"Gordon Sondland can singlehandedly bring down a president next week"

He's going to single-handedly bring himself down, that's for sure. All he's done is lie and withhold.

Look, I agree that the hearings are going pretty well, both substantively and politically, but I don't see this changing Republican minds, not so long as the base is staying with Trump. And right now, given what they are seeing in their areas of the Internet, I don't see their minds being changed.

The impeachment is still the right thing to do and I'm happy that they did it and that they are handling it well but I'll settle for just moving the needle a couple of percentage points, with a few more independent voters recognizing Trump's depravity and recognizing Congressional Republican hypocrisy.

I remain 90% sure that Trump will be impeached in the House and acquitted in the Senate, almost entirely on party lines. For the longer-term impact, let's wait and see.

CNN: Top Democrats privately concede major shift in public opinion on impeachment is unlikely

r485 (from last thread)

[quote]Like the South Korea 500% defense fee increase,

[bold]Let's talk about Trump's latest sleight of hand. [/bold]

1--First, how much is going directly into Trump's hands as he extorts another country for defense aid? Trump never does anything for free.

2--Trump wants to charge South Korea for the troops and equipment we have stationed there about 500 percent more than they have been paying to help us defray costs. It would amount to about 4.7 billion dollars, according to news reports.

3--Trump is literally extorting South Korea as an impeachment is ongoing dealing with his shakedown of Ukraine, weird, Trump doesn’t shakedown our enemies, they get summits and nice words...(Erdogan)

4-- Per [bold]Molly McKew @MollyMcKew[/bold]

I just want to be clear that THIS IS COMPLETELY INSANE. We do not have US forces in Korea because they pay us. We have US forces in Korea because it is in our strategic interest.

Please scan the comments.

well I agree r36, but that is only the beginning of the framing war. The Senate and of course the White House are hoping that nonremoval is treated as the definitive answer. They tried to get rid of him but he was exonerated. but there is really no reason why that has to be the last word. refer to him constantly as the impeached president. gradually plant the idea that the Senate didn't exonerate him. They merely failed to do their obvious duty of carrying out the sentence he so richly deserved. this is not impossibly by any means. make the whole Republican Party suffer for supporting such an obvious grifter, traitor, and loser. that process has actually begun, in fact.

“He made a mistake ... I think part of it is his own insecurity as an impostor—he knows full well he's in that office way over his head. And so he has to diminish everyone else.

I LOVE how Madame Speaker knows just what to say to annoy the hell out of tRumplethinskin.

“Imposter.”

Brilliant.

..."way in over his [chinless little no-neck monster] head."

[quote] I LOVE how Madame Speaker knows just what to say to annoy

While he is getting judges confirmed. That will teach HIM a lesson.

Troll's gotta troll!

Can't wait til Sondland is in the hot seat. It's going to be a bloodbath. I hope he cries like Kavanaugh.

Nancy Pelosi's daughter Alexandra on her mother: "She will cut your throat and you won't even know you're bleeding."

Exhibit fucking A: R40.

Even if Trump survives the impeachment in the Senate, his remaining presidency is a joke. Can you imagine what other leaders around the globe must think of him after all these revelations? They must all be laughing behind his back at these summits. Macron already said that NATO is basically useless with Trump as president. Merkel, Macron etc. should just avoid this corrupt individual. I know, not possible since he's still the POTUS but how can you seriously still respect someone like that? His only remaining friends after this impeachment are maybe Erdogan, Bolsonaro, Putin and Kim Jung-un bc they are all equally corrupt.

So, will Sondland take the fifth, not recall anything, completely flip and bury Trump and everyone else, or suddenly die in a suspicious plane crash?

r43 is OP from 'The Testimony of Marie Yovanovitch' thread. Wow, he really doesn't want anyone to think impeachment will lead to anything positive?

About [bold]Seth Abramson[/bold]

In 2017 he was a relatively unknown college professor who began putting to the clues regarding Putin's interference. He was not and is not an expert on the subject. He published long 40-50 tweet threads on what was happening. He later parlayed his Twitter fame into TV appearances, book deals and contributor to Newsweek.

He's very well-versed now, in a auto-didact way, meaning he still lacks the intellectual framework for what he's writing about. Point is Abramson tends to present an optimistic picture. So, read with caution.

r47, they don't need impeachment hearings to know what kind of a crook Trump is. They knew that, thanks to their own intelligence services, way before Putin hacked the election and gave his puppet the win. And they experienced it first hand during summits where the world leaders come together.

Seth Abramson's tendencies toward pomposity and self-importance have gotten him lumped in with so-called resistance grifters like Eric Garland and Louise Mensch. That said, he's good with analysis and attention to detail.

Chris Cuomo interviewing Representative Ted Yoho is why his show is often annoying. Yoho, throwing out stuff like the former Ukraine Pres did not like Ambassador Y and she was born in Canada, is nothing but an effort to discredit/diminish her testimony. Yoho didn't focus on the act of bribery by DJT, Rudy, and the three cronies. Cuomo needs to stick with the bribery angle.

And Stormy says...

R51 Eric Garland is definitely a bit grifty. He's like a less intelligent Seth and feels more like a cheerleader for people who want hope that SOMETHING is being done to punish Trump. He has always felt like more of a cheerful puppy and Twitter marketer than anyone of import.

Louise Mensch is similar but more intelligent (and British), with a better understanding of the intelligence services. And definitely more obviously self-interested. I also get the impression she can be like CDAN in that she just pulls things together based on hunches and tosses them up as "inside scoops" with a factual basis, where the facts are imagined.

Seth Abramson is obviously quite intelligent and good at putting things together but I agree with Marie, he's missing an underlying understanding of intelligence work from the inside that shows. And he's overly optimistic.

One person that all Intelligence Twitter seems to hate is Malcolm Nance. I haven't listened to him enough to understand why, but I get the impression they think he's a fraud at best and a useful idiot (read: Russian asset) at worst.

Tarot Reading

Bone Spurs watches the testimony.

[quote] That will teach HIM a lesson.

🙄

How tiresome. It isn’t like that’s all the Speaker is doing; she’s also overseeing the impeachment. If she can get a few digs in along the way, all the better.

[quote]I hardly knew the guy. I may have spoken with him once or twice very long ago.

DJT

R57 Ye Gods! That rug and specs combo really enhances his undies sniffer vibe.

[quote]Louise Mensch is similar but more intelligent (and British), with a better understanding of the intelligence services. And definitely more obviously self-interested. I also get the impression she can be like CDAN in that she just pulls things together based on hunches and tosses them up as "inside scoops" with a factual basis, where the facts are imagined.

Very true r54. She's been targeted on Twitter for much abuse, so I always give her a break. I know for a fact she uses hunches as scoops. She's had a few good ones, especially early on. But Twitter is a scoop a day - so her quality deteriorated as hunches and weak sourcing entered her threads. Louise will put out politically motivated tweets, true or false. Like good disinformation, her target audience is NOT always the average reader, but politicians themselves.

The CDAN comparison is so apt. Politically motivated tweets & menacing targeted tweets - both true and false, poorly sourced info, great scoops, good inside knowledge. A politician's sense of the best course to take. She's a witty read.

[quote] One person that all Intelligence Twitter seems to hate is Malcolm Nance. I haven't listened to him enough to understand why, but I get the impression they think he's a fraud at best and a useful idiot (read: Russian asset) at worst.

I haven't followed Malcolm Nance and his critics closely, but how so? Nance is the one who called out Trump as a Russian asset, and carefully explaining that term and concept's significance in the bigger picture.

Can someone call out the troll posts in this thread so they can be blocked? I tend to have them covered but I think there are a few more subtle ones sneaking in. Thx!

It is so confusing that 'social conservatives' are giant freaks as the pic in the op's post illustrate. THAT'S family values?

NYT: Barr Suggests Impeachment Inquiry Undermines Voters’ Intent

Mr. Trump’s opponents “essentially see themselves as engaged in a war to cripple by any means necessary a duly elected government,” Mr. Barr added.

WSJ:

Trump's View of Ukraine as Corrupt Took Shape Early

<- is that k.d. lang in the doorway?

God, I am worn out and this is only day two!!

"the cover-up on its own would be grounds for impeachment"

Roger Stone with Manafort on the left, and the late Lee Atwater on right.

This circle, with a few additions, of 'dirty tricksters', have been around since the late sixties. It's been very clubby. While some have gotten caught for illegal acts, the criminal behavior is not all recent. What they did, post-G.W. Bush, is put themselves in Putin's orbit.

R68 reference

Manafort, Stone, & Atwater

Funny coincidence that Steve Bannon and Roger Stone liked their wives to be fucked by BBD.

Not only were the Stones identified as swing club aficionados, they were also linked to personal advertisements to meet other couples and single men in what was reported as some 70 swinger magazines and at least one website.

In one such publication, Local Swing Fever, and on a website advertisement paid for using a Stone credit card, the copy read: 'Hot, insatiable lady and her handsome body builder husband, experienced swingers, seek similar couples or exceptional muscular well-hung single men. She's 40DD-24-36; he's 195, trim, blonde, muscular and 8' +. Prefer military, bodybuilders, jocks. No smokers or fats please. Photo and phone required. R&N....We are interested in DC, VA. MD, NYC, Miami, and LA.'

[quote] NYT: Barr Suggests Impeachment Inquiry Undermines Voters’ Intent

The majority of voters intended that Hillary Clinton should be the President of the United States.

R63 Barr was making a speech at the Federalist Society. LOL! Of course he'll say that.

What r73 said.

And, of course, for all his ideological, dog-with-a-bone adherence to his near monarchical interpretation of Art II, he conveniently minimizes that the same Constitution includes Impeachment powers; powers that I'm sure he recognized when Clinton was on the receiving end of them.

And you know this will make him rage more than an impeachment.

R61, meet R54.

You're welcome.

CNN — Exclusive: After private White House meeting, Giuliani associate Lev Parnas said he was on a 'secret mission' for Trump, sources say

Among the many guests who had their pictures taken with President Donald Trump at the White House's annual Hanukkah party last year were two Soviet-born businessmen from Florida, Lev Parnas and Igor  Fruman.  In the picture, which Parnas posted on social media, he and Fruman are seen smiling alongside Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Rudy Giuliani, the President's personal lawyer.

At one point during the party that night, Parnas and Fruman slipped out of a large reception room packed with hundreds of Trump donors to have a [bold]private meeting with the President and Giuliani[/bold], according to two acquaintances in whom Parnas confided right after the meeting.

Word of the encounter in the White House last December, which has not been previously reported, is further indication that Trump knew Parnas and Fruman, despite Trump publicly stating that he did not on the day after the two men were arrested at Dulles International Airport last month.

(Continued)

Eventually, according to what Parnas told his confidants, the topic turned to Ukraine that night. According to those two confidants, Parnas said that "the big guy," as he sometimes referred to the President in conversation, talked about tasking him and Fruman with what Parnas described as "a secret mission" to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

In the days immediately following the meeting, Parnas insinuated to the two people he confided in that he clearly believed he'd been given a special assignment by the President; like some sort of "James Bond mission," according to one of the people.

To Parnas, the chain of command was clear: Giuliani would issue the President's directives while Parnas, who speaks fluent Russian, would be an on-the-ground investigator alongside Fruman, who has numerous business contacts in Ukraine.

"Parnas viewed the assignment as a great crusade," says one of the people in whom Parnas confided. "He believed he was doing the right thing for Trump."

Let's see.

Trump paid off sex worker Stormy Daniels for her silence, and yet, to her credit, she blabbed.

Trump enlisted two foreign ringers, who look to be right outta central casting for some "C" level 1950s studio spy movie, to help his 2020 re-election that obviously he lacks any confidence he has a chance at winning with just his own domestic operation and American voters, and now , THEY"RE blabbing.

I don't know about you Deplorables, but I'm beginning to believe that Trump isn't even good at low level chicanery.

Hate on Hillary all you want to , but if she were the POTUS, and was corrupt, which she isn't, at least we'd have SMART corrupt, worthy of our interest and intelligence.

I have my standards when it comes to corrupt elected officials.

I copied this from the other thread because the other thread is closed but they should use this as an example of why we have a Supreme Court to make decisions. No one can agree on things.

I hope Lev Parnas tells all

R76 are you kidding or did you mistype?

so I wonder if Manafort and Stone are having a stroke. Trump gave clemency to three soldiers yesterday, two who committed war crimes but no pardon for Stone or Manafort

Trump is smart to wait on the pardons for his cronies. If he loses the election in 2020 he can pardon them before he leaves office. No blowback. But if he pardons them now, before the election it would hurt him politically. The other thing to consider is that once pardoned they can be called as witnesses in any future criminal proceedings against Trump or his kids. And they can't plead the 5th. Plus there is always the potential for them to turn on him and talk. So waiting is smart.

The House should have voted to remove Barr many months ago. He's been caught lying, and has been pursuing vindictive prosecutions of the investigators into Trump-Russia scandals.

One of the guys Trump pardoned ordered his platoon to attack civilians by falsely claiming they were "insurgents"

Barr is compromised.

Manafort was the cuck not Bannon. Manafort watched his wife get plowed by black guys. She is mentally damaged due to a severe horseback ride. Nice guy that Paul Manafort.

So strange these men.

When are they going after Barr? Ghooli is going down without a doubt but when are they taking down Barr?

The House can’t vote to get rid of Barr. The AG is picked by the president, confirmed by the Senate. End of story. We're stuck with him until he or Dump decides it’s time for him to go.

The may impeach Barr, and locally move to have him disbarred.

The Senate would have no problem finding him not guilty.

Just to stain him historically.

The whole legal process to get rid of Barr would take years and would last way after the 2020 election. Pelosi is counting on a landslide win for the Democratic Party at the 2020 election to get rid of Trump, Barr, and McConnell in one fell swoop. Of course, Putin, his assets (worldwide) and the troll farms may have to be dealt with beforehand.

r92, as I stated it would stain him historically. The House could impeach him tomorrow.

I think the Dems are holding back the surprise impeachment for Pence...

They need to make it a trifecta and impeach Barr.

Barr, Pence, etc., purport to be such devout xtians, yet they lie and enable corrupt behavior and greed. They believe they can show-up for church, have communion, all sins are forgiven, then repeat their cycles, and professes their religion can discriminate in the name of freedom.

Hypocrites.

Impeachment is a permanent, negative label of disdain. Even if the Senate refuses to expel, the wrong-doing is exposed and all Senators must go on record in a historical vote. Control what you can.

That pic at R68 😬 he needs to stop with the Where’s Wally glasses. And from the article at same:

"The reason I'm a Nixonite is because of his indestructibility and resilience," he told the New Yorker in an interview , shortly after he had the 37th president's face tattooed between his shoulder blades.

"Women love it," he said. 🤮🤮🤮

I also giggled at the “since the election the President has distanced himself from Stone”.....here comes the Yeah I knew him once, years ago, seems like a good guy but I hardly know him......

Josh Marshall, over at TPM, has flagged one part of the David Holmes statement: that he didn't come forward initially because he thought this was being adequately covered in the other testimony. However, when he heard Republicans insisting that it was all hearsay and that, therefore, it should all be discounted, he realized that he needed to come forward, since he had firsthand knowledge. Quoting Holmes' statement:

[quote]I also read reports noting the lack of first-hand evidence in the investigation and suggesting that the only evidence being elicited at the hearings was "hearsay." I came to realize I had firsthand knowledge regarding certain events on July 26 that had not otherwise been reported, and that those events potentially bore on the questions of whether the President did, in fact, have knowledge that those officials were using the levers of our diplomatic power to induce the new Ukrainian President to announce the opening of a particular criminal investigation. It is at that point that I made the observation to Ambassador Taylor that the incident I had witnessed had acquired greater significance, which is what he reported in his testimony earlier this week.

There is some pretty explosive stuff from Holmes. It will be interesting to see that all coming out over the next few days.

Perry is in for some questions, too:

[quote]During the meeting, Secretary Perry passed President Zelenskyy a list of "people he trusts" from whom Zelenskyy could seek advice on energy sector reform, which was the topic of subsequent meetings between Secretary Perry and key Ukrainian energy-sector contacts, [italic]from which Embassy personnel were excluded by Secretary Perry's staff[/italic]. (Emphasis added.)

More shit:

[quote]I was not aware until I read Ambassador Taylor's testimony of the various exchanges on September 7-8 about President Trump apparently insisting that President Zelenskyy personally go to a microphone and say he was opening investigations of the Bidens and 2016 election interference, or Mr. Yermark's message to Ambassador Sondland that President Zelenskyy was prepared to make a statement on CNN. However, Ambassador Taylor did tell me on September 8, "now they're insisting Zelenskyy commit to the investigation in an interview with CNN." I was surprised that the requirement was so specific and concrete. While we had advised our Ukrainian counterparts to voice a commitment to following the rule of law and generally to investigating credible corruption allegations, this was a demand that President Zelenskyy personally commit to a specific investigation of President Trump's political rival on a cable news channel.

[quote]On September 11, the hold on security assistance was lifted, though it remained unclear why it was imposed in the first place. Although we knew the hold was lifted, we were still concerned that President Zelenskyy may have committed to give the interview at the annual YES! Conference in Kyiv on September 12-14, where CNN's Fareed Zakaria was one of the moderators. On September 13, an Embassy colleague received a phone call from a colleague at the U.S. Embassy to the European Union (under Ambassador Sondland) and texted me regarding the call, "Sondland said the [Zelenskyy] interview is supposed to be today or Monday [Sept 16] and they plan to announce that a certain investigation that was 'on hold' will progress." The text also explained that our European Union Embassy colleague did not know if this was decided or if Ambassador Sondland was advocating for it.

[quote]Also on September 13, following a meeting with President Zelenskyy in his private office, in which I took notes, Ambassador Taylor and I ran into Mr. Yermak on the way out. When Ambassador Taylor again stressed the importance of staying out of U.S. politics and said he hoped no interview was planned. Mr. Yermak shrugged in resignation and did not answer, as if to indicate they had no choice. In short, everyone thought there was going to be an interview, and that the Ukrainians believed they had to do it. The interview ultimately did not occur.

Because the whistleblower exposed the whole mess, of course, and the scheme fell apart. This is about as clear an example of extortion as you could possibly want.

R80 great article. I’ve said although his comments were shit baggy they weren’t intimidation. Also, i wonder why her sign said Ambassador - I thought she was a former Ambassador?

Exactly r96!

As an aside David Holmes pings to me to high heaven. He seems to be the kind of gay who can get information out of arrogant straight guys.

Any info on him?

R88 Manafort’s wife could have said no. Walked. Her mind isn’t so compromised she has no independent decision making skills. No one has to fuck six black men with their husband watching if they don’t want to. And if they’re made to, you go to police. But how would that look to the neighbours? And who would pay for the lobster dinners?

Barr needs to have some former Intelligence guys do a job on him, look under his bed, in his closets, through his correspondence, and all his relationships, everything he has ever written, and what he was up to in the Bush White House. He has had a long career and he has been politically active and no one goes as far as he did without some dirt along the way. Where did he go to high school? College? What kind of student was he in LAw school? Does he have a Christine Blasey Ford in his background? What's on his hard drive?

Barr I a scumbag of epic proportions and everyone knows it, r104.

I get the impression that people aren't going to dig on him because he has already criminally exposed himself by obstructing justice, lying to Congress and tampering with on going investigations.

The IC people feel he is doing an excellent job of hanging himself. They won't do anything but throw a few breadcrumbs out here and there. The last thing they want is to be caught out pulling something like that.

Otherwise, it lends credibility to all of that "deep state" bullshit the trumptards have been screaming about. Nope. Better to drop hints and innuendos to a few people and let them expose his corruption. And it will be exposed.

Barr will rue the day he ever decided to cover for fat Donnie.

R101 it's common practice to refer to people by the highest office or title they hold or have held. It's by Obama is still referred to as President Obama.

R103 my point is Manafort still took advantage of his "not quite all there wife". He is a pig.

AP's Jill Colvin:

Per White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham: “Anticipating a very busy 2020, the President is taking advantage of a free weekend here in Washington, D.C., to begin portions of his routine annual physical exam at Walter Reed.”

R103 must be a freeper- let's blame the wife and not the Repug who's pressuring his wife to do stuff she doesn't want to do

[quote] as I stated it would stain him historically.

Guys like Barr or McConnell don't care about their legacy. For them it's all about amassing power, control, and wealth. They use things like patriotism (support our troops) and Christianity as tools to manipulate others. They pretend to believe, but every single action of them shows how little they really care about the issues and things they supposedly fight for.

R106 thank you for explaining. I just found it strange that her name plate said Ambassador but some articles said former Ambassador. I wasn’t sure why that would be.

R107 Do you really think Mrs Manafort’s decision would have been any different without her horse riding accident? Even in the messages between the kids, they don’t seem to say she stayed because she was impaired. At least the ones I saw. Happy to be wrong. It sounds like she wanted the marriage. And that was his deal to stay married. A deal, it seems, she accepted. Not everyone is abused. Sometimes you’re just married to ashitbag and you’ve accepted that for whatever personal reason/gain it serves.

[quote]"the President is taking advantage of a free weekend ... to begin portions of his routine annual physical exam at Walter Reed.”

Seems the stress might be getting to Donnie. I don't for a second believe this is "routine."

R109 not a creeper. Just a person who believes in personal responsibility. I’ve voted labor or independent my entire life and march in Labor Day parades every year and am my workplaces union rep. I just don’t subscribe to “I made a choice I regret, I’m a victim”.

R113, responsibility cuts both ways. How about blaming Manafort for pressuring his wife to do things she didn't want to do. Republicans are the first ones to cry "personal responsibility" while blaming minorities for their problems

R114 oh he’s a cunt for pressuring. No doubt. That’s cunty. I’m just saying she chose to stay. Plenty of people stay with shitty people for reasons like money, status, convenience, which is pretty transactional and shitty. Maybe they are both shitty people who were in it for their own reasons. I’m not a Republican. I’m in AU and have voted left or independent my whole life. Personal responsibility is a problem for a lot of people. Lots of people find it easier to blame someone else rather than accept they made a mistake, or a crappy decision or did something unpleasant for gain.

R115 how about considering WHY people stay in bad relationships. You don't seem like much of a thinker.

Fresh transcripts have been released, the result of depositions given by two people who were on the call of July 25. One clearly confirms that the summary provided by the WH was not complete, as Vindman had testified.

R116 I listed several reasons people stay in shit relationships. There are others, for sure. Abuse. Untreated trauma. They love the person. There’s lots of reasons. Mrs Manafort had options if she didn’t Ike the way her marriage was. This was the one she chose, it seems. I haven’t seen a report that says she was physically unable to leave the relationship if there was a risk to her safety.

R117 there was another great article about this on another thread. Where it discussed how the overview the White House gave was almost nothing like any of the actual call. To the point that things they mentioned in the overview were never even touched on in the call. Bizarre to think with everything being documented that it wasn’t going to show up at some point. Careless and stupid as well as shady.

R119, I believe that article was about another the earlier April 21 phone call. The July 25 call is the "but we need a favor, though" one. Several witnesses have now confirmed that call summary was edited to favor Trump. I wonder if Barr was involved in that effort.

[bold] WHEN BARR TELLS YOU WHAT HE WANTS, LISTEN [/bold]

Rick Wilson @TheRickWilson[/bold]

When they tell you what they want, listen.

[bold]Justice Department @TheJusticeDept[/bold]

Attorney General William P. Barr Delivers the 19th Annual Barbara K. Olson Memorial Lecture at the Federalist Society's 2019 National Lawyers Convention

See link below

Manu Raju, CNN:

I obtained a copy of David Holmes' opening statement, saying that he heard Trump telling Gordon Sondland: "So, he's gonna do the investigation?" Sondland tells Trump: "He's gonna do it" and that Zelensky will do "anything you ask for."

Politico: Pence aide took notes during Trump–Zelensky call, testified that she thought pressuring Ukraine was "inappropriate"

KEY HIGHLIGTS OF BARR'S SPEECH TO THE FEDERALIST SOCIETY

---Barr argues for unitary Executive in a sole individual.

----Lies that Congress has usurped the power the Presidency - which is not true. Congress formerly could only declare war, trade regulations were ceded by Congress to the Presidency in the last 50 years.

----Argues the courts have usurped the power of the Executive by giving itself "judicial" review.

----Courts cannot force the Executive to provide information to the Legislation.

----Many critical decisions in life are not amenable to the model of judicial decision-making. Only the Executive using prudential judgment can make those decisions.

----The courts cannot rule (question) on the Executive's motive.

Barr gives EXTREME EXAMPLES for this arguments - including a President dealing with the plague. But essentially is saying Trump can do whatever he wants.

The US Constitution also provides a mechanism that checks the Executive, granted it requires a high bar, as it should, to do so- Art. 1 Impeachment Powers.

I'm sure, however, when Clinton was the POTUS, Barr's ideology wasn't as asserted as it is now on behalf of Trump, and Barr didn't mind when Clinton was on the receiving end of Impeachment.

It would be more cost-effective for Barr to leave and go to an authoritarian country if he's so damn unhappy here, R124.

r125 Della,

I know, he gave no examples on that issue - what happens when an Executive is no prudent. Didn't even contemplate the possibility and only made a vague reference to removal in the context of providing information to the Legislature.

[quote]No one has to fuck six black men

We do!

Roy & Donnie

That horrible woman who pulled that stunt yesterday to make it look the hearing was unfair, today tweeted-

[bold]Elise Stefanik @EliseStefanik [/bold]

It's VERY Clear. Far-left Dems & Never Trumpers CANNOT handle the Truth. That's why they are launching disgusting smears & doctoring photos of me in a sick attempt to intimidate me. Thx for proving that our side is WINNING. Donate NOW to help me fight back

[bold]Told you can't handle the truth was a scripted comeback! And look a her picture with Trump[/bold]

Too bad her opponent raised $250K in the 24 hours after her stunt and gained 100K followers. Countdown to Trump saying he doesn't know her...

Cant handle the truth isn't a "scripted comeback," so much as it is a brainless comeback because again, it's a soundbyte and that's all their brains compute.

Barr has offspring in the WH and other relatives in the federal government. A lot of taxpaper money & benefits are going to that bloated family.

Barr's son-in-law is on Dotard's Defense team.

[bold]Earlier, another weapons sale was used to convince previous UKR president to STOP cooperating w/Mueller

Natasha Bertrand @NatashaBertrand [/bold

In the months following the weapons sale, Poroshenko also ordered Ukraine’s top anti-corruption prosecutor tasked with probing corruption under Yanukovych to stop cooperating with Mueller. Democrats want to know whether that, too, was a quid pro quo:

r130, Tedra Cobb is up over $500K from two days ago...

If Barr has his way we will turn into...wait for it...Russia. SURPRISE

R138 I love you! That made me laugh out loud.

Sorry R128, butterfingers.

R90 Wrong. He can be impeached. I don’t know if you’re deliberately spreading misinformation or not but either way, you’re wrong.

Afflecks Rug is a troll with more than one ‘name’. Very good, subtle but a troll nonetheless.

R140 Wrong. Just the one name and the times I forget to check the name box or choose a joke name. But nice paranoid “it’s a troll” scenario 😂

Mez Lindzee alert!

Discovered in Sarasota, Florida receiving a local GOP award to a sold out crowd of 575.

For someone declaring she did not watch any of the hearings, she has her stated conclusions.

She gets around and Republicans are clamoring to see her, the #2 popular GOP draw behind Trump. Mother Pence is #3.

Oh and we ALL KNOW on Whose side, when it came to Executive Authority, Barr took during the Iran- Contra Nightmare.

Oh and we ALL KNOW on Whose side, when it came to Executive Authority, Barr took during the Iran- Contra Nightmare.

Elise Stefanik looks like she has gained a LOT of weight since whenever her Twitter photo was taken.

Must be stress eating; she’s probably very unhappy being in the minority.

R142 Number 2!!! Who knew she could pull such a crowd. Goodness.

Miss Lindsey has also been offering to help Susan Collins in Maine.

Washington Post:

White House budget official says decision to delay aid to Ukraine was highly irregular

[quote]Miss Lindsey has also been offering to help Susan Collins in Maine.

Isn't Trump the reason Susan Collins is floundering in the first place?

Lindsey will go anywhere except South Carolina these days. The last few times, protesters showed up outside her closed events. She doesn't do town hall events She does love riding in convertibles and atop floats in select parades in heavy Republican small town areas. 'Tis not the season for that though.

I seriously doubt that Ms. Lindz would be of much help to Susan Collins, because Collins is going to need a LOT of votes from Independents. Aunt Pissypat is hardly the one to be of assistance in persuading that demographic. After all, Susan is in such trouble because of her vote in favor of KavaNOPE. La Senatrice wears her support of Bart K like a badge of honor so I can’t imagine why Collins would want him anywhere near the state of Maine.

I think that Collins’ luck has run out. She will join dozens of other defeated, out-of-office New England Repubs. She’s one of the last ones left at the federal level — if not the last one.

Off topic a bit. Who is Anonymous?

Four names I've heard as possibilities:

John Huntsman

Kellyanne Conway

Kirstjen Nielsen

Larry Kudlow

It’s a woman so that knocks out three of them

Miss Lindz can help Susan Collins by giving her some hair and makeup tips

The Democratic vote in South Carolina ought to be enough with a high turnout, to get rid of Lindsey Graham. I can't believe he has survived this long.McCain is dead. McCain gaveLindset aveneer of decency. But he's a despicable old pig and he needs to go.Collins and MCConnell ought to go too. John Bel Edwards just got re-elected in Louisiana tonight.A Democrat.

r153, How do you know it's a woman?

My guess was always John Huntsman.

I don’t know about Huntsman. He was an ambassador, so I don’t know if he would have been involved in many meetings in the Oval Office.

Trump is a death knell for any politician running for re-election. He just lost the Louisiana governorship for them.

Collins and Graham are closeted and being blackmailed.

I’ve wondered the same thing about how much time he spent in the thick of things, r158. Then I go back to the white horse prophesy and how he’s the right age to have had it drilled into his head, and I go back to thinking it has to be him.

I’m hoping I can get a copy of the book tomorrow. There’s a bookstore near me that regularly sells their promotional copies in the used section the weekend before the Tuesday release date.

[quote]Many critical decisions in life are not amenable to the model of judicial decision-making. Only the Executive using prudential judgment can make those decisions.

I think Barr meant "providential judgment" because this asshole thinks a president is a fucking god. He is directly contradicting everything the writers of the constitution meant the executive branch to be. His law school should rescind his degree.

r162 you are right -- providential, didn't understand the reference and conflated it with prudent. Thanks!

I'm surprised the Republicans haven't pressured Pence to resign now so that they can install a safety pick as VP. I know the Democrats would have to approve but as long as the pick was reasonable, the Dems aren't going to hold up choosing a new VP.

I live in SC r155 (planning my escape!) And while it's a red state, its not impossible for Democrats. Lindsey is really not well liked here, and I don't see much MAGA shit anymore. And I live in the Upstate - a super red stronghold.

["I'm surprised the Republicans haven't pressured Pence to resign now"]

Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how much of Trump's ass Pence has licked waiting to take over that job? No way will he resign.

R164 Nikki Haley is who the insider, establishment Republicans want running in 2020 or placed in the VP role beforehand. They love Pence, but fear how deep he's entangled in Trump's illicit mess. They (GOP politicians) want Trump policies without the clown show, and Pence would deliver such. Haley is promoting her new book, and is very ambitious also, but wants to do it with minimum risk. They all know Trump's base, around a third of the electorate, are cultists for Trump passionately. They also know that the cult embracing of Trump is not necessarily transferable to other Republican politicians. Some will vote for Democrats in other coñtests, but refuse to abandon Trump That's part of the reason Republican House and Senate members will not publicly oppose Trump.

I would have thought Haley's book killed any future candidacy with establishment Republicans. She showed cowardice in refusing to reign in Trump, at the same time she threw Tillerson and Kelly under the bus for trying to be grown-ups. If she were a man that behavior might play well with Trump die-hards, but since Trump die-hards also tend to be anti-woman, they aren't going to warm up to her either.

Maybe that's why they haven't pushed Pence out - Haley doesn't cut it, and they haven't agreed on a back-up candidate yet.

A vice president can't just resign and pick his replacement. That pick has to be approved by the House and the Senate and that's very unlikely to happen right now. The GOP would shoot itself in the foot with pushing Pence out and leaving Trump as their only "trump" card holding on to their conservative power in the White House.

They also know that due to swing voters’ diminishing acceptance he can, with the cult’s help, obliterated any Republican presidential primary challenger, but is increasingly unable to save general election sycophants. (See, recent gubernatorial elections. Increasing Repuke revulsion at his anti-Ambassador Y tweets.)

They can either tie their re-election hopes to his sinking anchor or find a way to remove him while disclaiming responsibility.

My guess is he’s removed by a secret senate impeachment vote for conviction where forty-five out of fifty three senators claim they voted in his favor.

The House and Senate aren't going to refuse to pick a VP. The Republicans would love to slaughter the Democrats by saying they are staging a coup to put Pelosi in place as President. I imagine Pelosi would bend over backwards to vote in a Republican VP, as long as the choice wasn't an out-and-out racist or domestic abuser.

As for the Republicans, with news of Trump's unplanned medical trip, it's even more pressing that they put in place a safety pick or they're stuck with Pence, who is going down with Trump. Sure, Pence doesn't want to go, but he seems like a guy who could be pressured by the Republican donor class into getting out of the way.

[quote] The House and Senate aren't going to refuse to pick a VP. The Republicans would love to slaughter the Democrats by saying they are staging a coup to put Pelosi in place as President.

A quick "We are right in the middle of impeachment investigations. Now is not the time for picking a VP!" from Nancy would shut that down. The Republican supporters will believe what they want to believe anyway. The Democratic Party and the Liberals will not be convinced by Right Wing propaganda.

After over two years, Graham still does those 'I love Kavanaugh, I gave you Kavanaugh' speeches at Republican events all over the country. His Twitter account pic is him with Kavanaugh.

While Graham's fascination and obsession with Kavanaugh may go beyond politics, it is so inappropriate to flaunt it, given Kavanaugh is on the Supreme Court and not in the legislative branch. Being 'buds' with the late John McCain was one thing, but promoting an 'allied relationship' with.a federal judge whose suppose to function independently of legislative and election politics, is unethical and abnormal.

Kavanaugh needs to tell Graham to stop it. Senate colleagues need to tell Graham to stop it.

What ARE Graham's recent accomplishments though? What can he say he accomplished in his recent term? Social media memes with his newly aquired potty mouth? Bring in Russian money and investors? Make hoop skirts fashionable again?

[quote]Make hoop skirts fashionable again?

Old pic, but nevertheless, is the outfit below that of a 1940s French or German maid? Maybe in the Swiss Alps, as Joe Lieberman, in the background, looks as if he's getting ready to gleefully yodel.

The Democrat won by two points in Louisiana, despite (or because of?) a pre-election rally by Trump. Has anyone told the president, or are they afraid his delicate head might explode all over Walter Reed hospital?

Who cares what the Republicans say. They are accusing the Dems of all kinds of shit all the time. If anyone of those fuckers accuses the Dems of staging a coup....which they already have done....I would call it projection...and I'd be right. Anyone with half a brain knows Pence is dirty. Trump has done to Pence what he does to everyone. He uses stooges and dummies to carry out his wishes and then discards them. Look at everyone else Trump has delegated or suggested stuff. They're in prison or heading that way. What I'm hoping is the Senators who announced their retirement will join the Democrats. I know it's not 20, and we need 20, but they have to vote to convict him. What Trump has been doing can't go unacknowledged. The Senate has to do something. Maybe they will argue that while they agree that what he did was wrong, convicting him is too high a price so they will censure him. McConnell wants it both ways. Right now Pence probably hiding in the basement shitting himself. The fact that members of his staff are testifying to the committee and the information they're giving is not helpful to Donald Trump.

I think either all (or nearly all) the Republicans will vote for removal or none of them will. It will be decided in a backroom, stinking of desperation and cheap cologne.

In the meantime, those of us in swing states need to be calling our senators - Democrats and Republicans bitch - to make sure they understand their jobs are on the line. If we can pressure enough of them to do the right thing, all the dominoes will fall.

Politics and poker....

The Hill: Trump labels Stefanik a 'new Republican Star'

"A new Republican Star is born. Great going @EliseStefanik!" he tweeted.

Trump made the remark while sharing a post from One America News Network host Liz Wheeler with a clip of Stefanik questioning former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch during Friday's public impeachment inquiry hearing.

"Holy cow. Rep. @EliseStefanik absolutely wrecks Adam Schiff & the Democrats' entire impeachment premise," Wheeler tweeted, referring to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).

Rand Paul campaign theme song?

WSJ: Struggling Farmers Are Key to Trump's Hopes in Minnesota

Many farmers in the rural Midwest are frustrated with President Trump’s trade policies. Yet in southern Minnesota, many who voted for him in 2016 plan to support him again next year, which would be key for Mr. Trump as he hopes to flip a state he narrowly lost in 2016.

“In my gut, I still think he’s doing the right thing,” said Mr. Wenner, 56 years old, who grows corn and soybeans on 2,500 acres and raises about 14,000 pigs in nearby St. Peter. “It just so happens we’re on the side that’s getting the short end of the stick.”

Taking lying to a whole new level:

[quote]President Donald Trump is dishonest about a whole lot of things. But he is rarely as comprehensively dishonest as he has been about his dealings with Ukraine and the impeachment inquiry they have triggered.

[quote]Relentless deceit has seemed to be his primary defense strategy in the court of public opinion. Trump has made false claims about almost every separate component of the story, from his July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the whistleblower who complained about the call to Democrats' impeachment inquiry hearings.

[quote]The President is dissembling about so many different topics at once that it can be difficult to keep track of what is true and what isn't. To help you fight Trump-induced dizziness, here are brief fact checks of 45 separate false claims Trump has made on the subject of Ukraine or impeachment.

Pam Bondi is a great womem!

Nikki Haley will be President one day.

Ron Johnson (Repig—Wisconsin) is a disgustIng hypocrite and a vile partisan. He’s on Meet the Press spewing the garbage lies that the Repukes want to advance that tRump was innocently withholding the funds from Ukraine.

Saw that, too, r186. I loathe Johnson. Our other US Senator is out and proud Tammy Baldwin.

Watching now Chris Christie and Rahm Emanuel now on "This Week".

I know I'm ignoring the women on the panel, but still, I'd give up dark chocolate for a month to eavesdrop on what those two dish about with each other away from the cameras.

Can you imagine the true, juicy info their sources give them, that they or can't, or won't, say on camera?

Ooops- can't, or won't

Elise Stepanik did no such thing. She spent half the time on her phone posting tweets and responding to Nicolle Wallace.

So a new theory has emerged about tRump's unscheduled visit to Walter Reed? Health issues...Laying the groundwork for resignation?

Reuters: Trump says 'everything very good' after first phase of annual medical check

Not great? Not tremendous?

Hey, if you want to piss off Elise Stepanik, throw a few bucks to her 2020 Democratic opponent, Tedra Cobb. Tedra has already raised $650,000 out of the $1,000,000 that she wants to raise this weekend.

The Hill:

GOP divided over impeachment trial strategy

[quote]Hey, if you want to piss off Elise Stepanik, throw a few bucks to her 2020 Democratic opponent, Tedra Cobb. Tedra has already raised $650,000 out of the $1,000,000 that she wants to raise this weekend.

Done.

NYT:

Did Trump Commit ‘Bribery’? Pelosi’s Impeachment Accusation, Explained

I donated too. But I do wonder if Stepanik is pretty safe given that she won by a sizeable margin in 2018. Her district is pretty rural. Are enough people there likely to prefer a Democrat?

I'm cautiously optimistic.

I gave to Tedra Cobb too

WSJ:

Lawmakers Dispute Impact of First Public Impeachment Hearings

Politico:

Don Jr. is on a mission to recruit Trump culture warriors

Headlines like that are everything that's wrong with journalism. The news is not that lawmakers are disputing something; the news is about something more substantive.

Politico:

Giuliani: House investigation ‘a travesty’

Elie Honig is highly fuckable.

Newsweek: Rep. Adam Schiff Says Democrats Will Send 'Charlatan' Trump 'Back to the Golden Throne He Came From'

Introduced to uproarious applause as "our protector," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff railed against President Donald Trump in a speech at the California Democratic Party's Fall Endorsing Convention on Saturday.

"The most grave threat to the life and health of our democracy comes from within, from a president without ethical compass, without an understanding of or devotion to our Constitution and the beautiful series of checks and balances it established," he said.

Schiff is a leading figure in the House's impeachment inquiry, which began its public phase Wednesday with multiple televised hearings containing damning testimony about the president's personal involvement in efforts to pressure Ukraine to launch an investigation into his chief political rival.

While Schiff often displays a staid, parliamentary demeanor during these hearings, his bearing at the convention on Saturday was undeniably more assertive.

Schiff began his remarks on a somber note, and wove in allusions to the impeachment inquiry throughout. Building to a crescendo via a litany of Democratic electoral achievements, Schiff proclaimed, "We will send that charlatan in the White House back to the golden throne he came from." The line was among the most enthusiastically received during the speech. "There is nothing more dangerous than an unethical president who believes he is above the law," he added.

[quote]from a president without ethical compass, without an understanding of or devotion to our Constitution and the beautiful series of checks and balances it established

I know this is considered impolite by many Democrats, but they have to start pointing out that this describes the WHOLE REPUBLICAN PARTY, and has since the W years and the doctrine of the unitary executive (if indeed not since Nixon, whom the current Republican party is determined to vindicate).

Just gave Cobb $25

I gave her $10 yesterday. These bootlicking Trump Congress people need to get their heads out of Trumps ass and wake up to the fact they are VERY vulnerable. The more they see the power of the people, the better. I love how snowflake Stephanik is all butt hurt now.

I like Rahm E. and Chris Christie, but I disagreed with both of them today. Rahm thought that the Senate will vote to censure Trump, and Christie thought the Senate will give Trump a pass. I think the Senate will vote to replace.

If they don't replace Trump, they are sending the message that it's okay for the next President - Democrat or Republican - to engage in self-dealing, and I don't think most of America is okay with that message. In a weird way it's like the Varsity Blues scandal - rich parents cheating to get their inept kids into college over more deserving kids. When rich people act corruptly, it's not shocking to the cynics among us - but we still don't approve. Here Trump acted corruptly - not an unexpected shock for most of the population - but he has been busted and there are consequences for being busted. If he's not busted, he's not a Deplorable... he's just another rich shit being protected by other rich shits, and at the ballot box, voters will be reminded which pieces of rich shit helped him evade the consequences. I don't think most Republican Senators are going to want to put themselves in that position, so I think they will vote to replace.

I don't know if this has been posted already.....

NYT:

Trump’s Pardons for Servicemen Raise Fears That Laws of War Are History

NBC:

Trump defends, mocks Joe Biden after North Korea calls former VP a 'rabid dog'

r206 you're assuming the Republicans care about anything but their immediate, current power. They know that with the courts stacked in their favor, even if they aren't in total control of Congress, they can remove any powers they've granted to Trump through their negligence, and the courts will vote against Democratic interests, and for Republican ones.

They've already decided to acquit, but hopefully enough pressure can get to them that they will do SOMETHING. I doubt they will censure either because that would be disagreeing with Trump that his phone call wasn't so "perfect" and make him mad. They also willfully ignored the conclusions from Mueller that documented a great deal of illegal activity all around the President.

When they do finally acquit him, I hope there is a rising up of citizenry and civil disobedience that has not been seen for over a hundred years. Traffic jams. Road blocks. Senators unable to return to their homes because they've been taken over by mobs. Total anarchy. Then protestors will get shot - because cops aren't trained anymore on non-lethal subjugation - and it will escalate even further.

Make them afraid that they can't just escape back into their gated communities and safe trips to Fox News and they will hopefully respond then, if not to save the country, to save themselves.

r195, We shall go on to the end. We shall fight on the farms, we shall fight on the rural lands, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, we are Democrats!

Donate to Tedra Cobb!

R207, that is terrible. Trump pardoned a mass murderer.

It lives (unfortunately) ...

I’ve never donated to a political campaign before, but I’ve donated and started following on Twitter : Tedra Cobb, Phil Arballo @PhilArballo2020 (opposing Devin Nunes), and Shannon Freshour @ShannonFreshour (opposing Jim Jordan).

R212, “whoever that is.” Trump, despite his extraordinary memory and huge brain, does not know anyone in his own administration.

Checking Twitter between Crown episodes - it appears that joining "You can't handle the truth" as scripted comeback and troll-detector is "These are Schiff's witnesses." Ignoring --

--Key members of this conspiracy chose not to testify. --Trump is preventing the judiciary from deciding who can testify.

R213, I just donated to Shannon Freshour, too

Is T-Rump's stigmatizing of "Never-Trumpers," indiscriminately calling all his (putatively) Republican critics that, really that great a strategy? It's like "RINOs": the base loves to hate them, but in the case of "Never-Trumpers" the term just reminds more moderate Republicans and (especially) conservative-leaning independents that there are prominent conservative dissidents from Trumpism, potential role models.

Chris Christie admitted today that Trump didn't have a good strategy - the only strategy Trump knows is to attack and he's not going to change.

You know if Trump wants Hillary locked up, he should just hire her, looks like everyone he hires eventually is going to end up in jail.

NBC:

White House defends Trump's surprise medical exam amid skepticism online

Spurs is a con man and Putie agent. Remove it.

Washington Post:

Another warning for Republicans: Trump can’t win you your election

Newsweek:

Nancy Pelosi Warns Trump Against Harassing Whistleblower: 'You're in My Wheelhouse'

Politico:

Trump labels top Pence aide a 'Never Trumper'

AP:

Democrats invite Trump to testify in impeachment inquiry

Karen Tumulty

The Dems should tease Trump and the Deplorables with the facts of how long Hillary Clinton was interviewed in those email server and Benghazi investigations and that Trump is a chicken.

I booked my trip to DC. I'm going in early Dec. Could I be timing this for the impeachment of Pres Bone Spurs?

228 is me. I forget to click my name all the time.

Richard Painter

Wouldn't it be great if they try to drop Pence and Pelosi says that there's no way that the House could possibly consider any replacement nominee in an election year?

r228 - 9 , FCI, book another trip closer to Valentine's Day...

Sarah, doesn't appear to be aging well.

This stuff with Pence and Haley misses the point. Haley would be in the 2020 ticket—but she won’t replace Pence as the current VP. They’ll just say Pence wants to retire and spend more time with his boyfr... er, mother...er, wife.

Pence wants to be president and took for granted that Trump would fuck up. He EXPECTS to be president and she ain't going NOWHERE.

I've never seen her look so good, r233.

NYT:

President Trump Bet Big This Election Year. Here’s Why He Lost.

Trump: go big AND go home.

FCI any dish for us?

R240 You guys will be the first to know!

Badass Nancy shows how to deal with the press.

R242 Daayyyyummm.

Remember when Democrats took control of the House at the start of the year, and some people were suggesting that Nancy should step down and let someone younger become speaker?

R244 Yep. And Nancy seems to have proven her worth and then some.

Meanwhile over at the nut farm, the newest freshly baked Q conspiracy theory is that Cheeto was assassinated, Pence is the Double-Top-Secret Presimudent, and what we have now is I Can't Believe It's Not Cheeto.

(The Twitter account is anti-Trump, BTW)

Will Fake Melania make an appearance?

R246, that’s weird. So they plan to attack random people because they think Trump is dead? This reminds me of the Beatles and the “Paul is dead” meme. Will they post a picture of Trump walking barefoot across Abbey Road?

What if everyone just assumed Trump was dead? Does it matter then if he’s still alive?

So, this actor who happens to look exactly like Cheetolini has finally gotten the big break he was waiting all of his life for. Have we seen him in any other roles? Maybe as an extra on "Days of Our Lives"?

Happy to report that Tedra Cobb reached her million dollar goal for this weekend!!! It is pretty amazing, considering no one had heard of her before last week. I’m sure that the whiner crybaby Elise Stepanik is not happy. Wahhhhhh!!

Twenty more years and Elise Stepanik would have been another Collins.

Glad she torched her career.

I see your point [R251], but can't think of a time when Collins ever did something so transparently nasty.

Trump also tweeted his support for Stefanik so this should be the end of her political career. What amazes me though is that a lot of normal people were very unhappy with Stefanik, a lady no one ever heard of only a week ago, and suddenly you have a massive movement for Stefanik's opponent that obviously scared a lot of people in the Republican party and Washington that Don Jr, McCarthy and even Dump all tweeted to support her. It definitely shows that the Republican's stunt did not go unnoticed and unanswered and it scared them.

Does anyone know how much money these campaigns to flip a seat usually raise and spend?

R242 Nancy was fantastic - too bad Margaret Brennan felt she could try and push Nancy around but let Gym Jordan pretty much take over her show spewing Rethug trash on Sunday AM. I Don’t think she is effective, I would like John Dickerson back.

Everyone would like John Dickerson back

CBS:

Possible pay-to-play scheme for Trump ambassador post uncovered

WSJ:

Sondland Kept Trump Administration Officials Apprised of Ukraine Push

^oops

Washington Post: Sen. Ron Johnson says the whistleblower’s sources ‘exposed things that didn’t need to be’

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said Sunday that the Trump administration officials who provided information to the anonymous whistleblower about the president’s efforts to pressure Ukraine “exposed things that didn’t need to be exposed.”

“This would have been far better off if we would’ve just taken care of this behind the scenes,” Johnson said in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “We have two branches of government. Most people, most people wanted to support Ukraine. We were trying to convince President Trump.”

[quote]Washington Post: Sen. Ron Johnson says the whistleblower’s sources ‘exposed things that didn’t need to be’

Tom Nichols:

From time to time I re-read 1984. I've been haunted by Orwell's passage about the proles. Ron Johnson's dismissiveness about not needing to know stuff reminded me of it again today. We do not face totalitarianism. At all.

But we do face another part of Orwell's future.

Daily Beast:

Gordon Sondland Stepped in ‘And Things Went Really Off the Rails’

ABC:

70% of Americans say Trump’s actions tied to Ukraine were wrong: POLL

The Hill:

Trump tweets he will 'strongly consider' testifying in impeachment inquiry

CNN:

Chuck Schumer says Donald Trump should testify instead of tweet

^Chances he will actually testify: 0.00%

HuffPost:

Week 2 Of Public Impeachment Hearings: Who's Testifying And When

Bizarre MSN poll that says Millennials are siding with Trump more than Boomers regarding the first week of impeachment inquiry hearings. I don't see how that's possible, but how accurate are MSN online polls anyway?

Watch the beginning of this CNN report which exposes the heart of the Ukraine scandal.

[quote] Trump labels top Pence aide a 'Never Trumper'

Apparently Trumps mother never read to him and he has never heard the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".

I REALLY hope that Dump ignores his attorneys’ advice and testifies, just like he ignores everyone’s advice on every other thing. You know his attorneys don’t want him testifying. And you know he’ll go off the rails if he does.

But that’s a pipe dream, I think. Fun to think about though!

Oh pleeeeeeaaassseee, Donald! Testify! Preferably, under oath!

One is a garbage person, the other has some dignity and class. Can you figure out who is who and make a donation to the right person?

[Quote]AMERICA: Meet Taxin' Tedra Cobb in her own words. #NY21 voters know her for her gun-grabbing, tax-hiking, socialist policies. America should know her just as well as we do in the North Country - the #1 pro-impeachment Democrat candidate. WATCH 👇and DONATE

[Quote]The tenor of our politics too often divides us. I won’t take the bait. I don’t do name calling. I’m old enough to remember when we could expect our leaders to take the high road. I’m calling on our representatives in Washington to do better this week. #NY21

The more I read Tedra Cobb's twitter feed, the more I liked her.

70% of Americans think what Trump did in Ukraine was wrong.

51% thing he should be removed and impeached.

The needles are moving...

AP Exclusive:

Despite his denials, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was feeling pressure from the Trump administration to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden before his July phone call with President Donald Trump that has led to impeachment hearings.

In early May, staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, including then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, were briefed on a meeting Zelenskiy held in which he sought advice on how to navigate the difficult position he was in, according to two people with knowledge of the briefings.

He was concerned that Trump and associates were pressing him to take action that could affect the 2020 U.S. presidential race, the people said. They spoke only on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic and political sensitivity of the issue.

If anything Zelensky's people ought to have known a Trump victory in 202 would be the death knell for Ukraine. Putin would complete his invasion and erase them as an independent state. They had to know that. It is an open secret that Trump is Putin's bitch.

Right-wing pundits such as Tucker Carlson, Lou Dobbs, and Rush Limbaugh. are attacking Lindsey, who is Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

If Lindsey actually tried this, those intelligence agents may reveal more about Trump, Junior, and other characters, colluding with Russians. It would backfire on Lindsey and the other cadre of pro-MAGA politicians.

Putin pushed for Zelinsky since he'd be easier to handle than the previous Ukranian leader. Even Trump could push him around and he was only saved by the whistleblower. But Zelinsky looks like an idiot to the entire world. A poltitical lightweight (and I am well aware that he was an actor before he got elected).

R267, polls aren't always accurate

CNN:

The House of Representatives is now investigating whether President Donald Trump lied to special counsel Robert Mueller in written answers he provided in the Russia investigation, the House's general counsel said in federal court Monday.

"Did the President lie? Was the President not truthful in his responses to the Mueller investigation?" House general counsel Douglas Letter told the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit about why the House now needs access to grand jury material Mueller collected in his investigation.

Zelensky is a novice. The question about whether he is serious about corruption lies with the relationship he had with the Oligarch banker who is his benefactor. One thing is for sure this whole mess has probably ensured that Kiev will move closer to Russia. Again, benefitting Putin.

Possible pay-to-play scheme for ambassador role in Trump administration uncovered by CBS News

The Hill:

Yovanovitch receives standing ovation at DC jazz club after impeachment testimony

Link to r280....

Politico: No deal on government funding as Thursday shutdown approaches

House and Senate leaders were unable to reach a deal on a short-term spending deal this weekend as a government shutdown looms on Thursday, according to aides in both chambers.

While neither the White House nor congressional leaders believe a shutdown will occur — especially as House Democrats move forward with an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump — nearly two months into the new government fiscal year, no progress has been made on any of the 12 annual spending bills. And this comes despite a highly touted budget agreement hammered out between the White House and Congress this summer.

Incredibly frustrating that Captain Obvious statements and crimes are still considered to be just unproven theories by some (conservatives). Case in point, r282.

What's going on with the unredacted Mueller material that the House received a week or two ago? Any new information?

I think that the Mueller Report will eventually pay off in spades.

Which could mean the death nell for Barr - that fat fucking traitorous manatee.

*knell

Reuters:

U.S. House panel agrees to 10-day hold in fight for Trump financial data

MSN news poll? I've never heard of them before.

Please, Trump, testify. He'll incriminate himself so badly he'll be in handcuffs by the end of it.

Outlandish, outrageous and damn stupid for Trump to testify in person, but, it's for the first two (3rd is given) that I think it's within the realm of possibility that he does.

A camera/video lens have the effect of tractor beam on Trump. And, consistent with the sociopath that he is, he convinced he can persuade, just by his words, that what he does is "perfect"; yes, he's that unaware of himself.

Hell, I can see his children tackling him on the way into the hearings.

What is there to fucking consider? The law states that Congress has authority to look at anyone's taxes. There's no good justification why this is taking so long.

Trump gets a lot off PR attention for claiming that he "might" consider testifying. I imagine it's also a stalling tactic where the investigation remains open until Mr. Crook President made up his mind about participating in this supposed-to-be witch hunt.

Of course, he will have a "really good" reason not to go through with it. Probably because Pelosi said something very mean that (previous) day, or he spoke with Hannity a minute before, or his pal, Kim Young Un, is coming for a visit which is hosted at Mar-A-Lago (where else?).

Trump isn't going to testify in person, and he isn't going to submit answers. Like a lot of this, he will just say he MIGHT do it, and then never actually do it. Remember he said he was going to release his taxes too, and he'd LOVE to testify in person to Mueller.

r287 did they actually receive it or just get cleared to receive it? I assumed the Justice Dept was going to appeal.

Is it possible that the Trump staff on the SCOTUS wants Trump to think that they had really NO OPTION BUT TO RELEASE his taxes.

If they issued an immediate affirmation of the lower court ruling, what could Trump have released about them.

You know that Kennedy wasn't replaced without Putin approval...

The Supreme Court hasn't made their decision whether or not to review the case. The ten days is to give them time to decide.

He just hates flat out admitting he's a scam artist. So he says, "I would love to testify and I'm seriously considering it." "I'm going to release my taxes as soon as the election is over." It's like when you ask a friend if they'll help you move and they're like, "I'd love to if I can get off work and my legs aren't sore and I find out what my schedule is." They're not going to help you move, they just don't want to say they're not going to help you move.

Bill Barr looks like Magilla Gorilla

Shit, r301! He sure does!

Time to flood Twitter with magilla gorilla Barr memes.

Barr's nose and mouth area are really unsightly. How anyone would have married and had children with that beast is beyond comprehension

He looks like Barr here especially

[quote] He looks like Barr here especially

He’d look more like Barr if he had his lips planted on an orangutan's ass.

Bet Barr has a big dick

Barr IS a big dick

A Republican commentator, Elise Jordon, reported that she had a credible source, that she trusts, who said that the reason Trump went to the hospital is that he was “bonkers“ because it was too cold to golf, so “they checked a box”. I don’t know what that last comment means, but I know what “bonkers” means. This was on Nicolle Wallace’s MSNBC show on Monday, 11/18.

As if anyone could see it underneath that gargantuan belly, R306.

Pence is Trump’s security blanket. He knows they can’t impeach both, or Nancy becomes President, and the Republicans won’t allow that. I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump brought Pence in on the Ukrainian phone call, and other impeachable activities on purpose. He can privately tell any wavering Republicans, that if they vote to convict and remove him, he will expose Pence as a co-conspirator.

Trump's meeting with the Fed today was held in the residence part of the WH, not in the Oval Office. He's obviously ailing: a grotesquely obese man no longer able to do more than tweet and grunt monosyllables, soon to be struck down by anxiety over his impending impeachment.

Twitter bitch fight between George Conway and Nikki Haley.

Girls, girls! You're all TRASH! (Kellyanne being the bottom of the heap).

The Atlantic:

What Does Rudy Giuliani’s Son Do?

Now some reporters are saying the House won’t be ready to impeach by Christmas. Why not?

Daily News:

U.S. official who overheard key Trump call added to this week’s crammed impeachment testimony schedule

Washington Post:

IRS whistleblower case advances as Senate staff looks at whether political appointee meddled with audit of Trump or Pence

Not linking to Facebook, but Republicans have Diamond & Silk making falacious and very nasty attacks on Joe and Hunter Biden. Zuckerberg leaves it up.

Washington Post:

The 22 defenses Trump’s allies have floated on Ukraine and impeachment

Bloomberg:

GOP Senator Doesn’t Recall Trump Comment: Impeachment Update

Right-wing pundit pressure on Lindsey is working for them. She annouçes a December 11th hearing with the Inspector General.

Reuters:

Pompeo declines to defend ex-U.S. ambassador after Trump attack

Was this posted?

NBC: Christine Blasey Ford makes rare appearance to accept award

I sure hope someone doesn't tell Trump about this, from Wikipedia

[quote] John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007

[quote] H.R. 5122, also known as the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 was a bill passed in the United States Congress on September 29, 2006 and signed by President George W. Bush on October 17, 2006 becoming Public Law 109-364. In addition to allocating funding for the armed forces, it also gave the president the power to declare martial law and to take command of the National Guard units of each state without the consent of state governors

I am wondering why Trump hasn't been going to Florida and golfing lately, is he so sick he can't golf anymore?

He's not even leaving the residential part of the White House.

In fact, I'm willing to bet that at this point he's just a disembodied head being kept alive attached to tubes and wires. Occasionally men in lab coats stuff a Big Mac into his hungry maw.

The pressure is getting to him. He knows there is no way out and that nobody (Putin, et al) can and will help him. Its only going to get worse.

Roberts

Trump just can't handle all this losing, lost the Governorship of Kentucky and the Governorship of Louisiana and in probably the blow that hurt him the most, Sean Spicer lost Dancing with the Stars. Even after Trump tweeted for everyone to vote for Spicer. Even his lover Kim Jung Un seems to be breaking up with him.

Thats totally normal r329...and its only temporary...10 days...I really dont think the SC will take up the case. Theres plenty of precedent and every court agreed in their conclusions.

Bone Spurs is probably heavily medicated and monitored. Call-in a couple of pee pee girls, and he'll be back to his old self.

Met with Dr. Pompei today. Maybe he will 'free him up' to run for Senator in Kansas (aka YER FIRED!)?

He really doesn’t do shit all day, does he, r334?

From today's schedule per R334:

2:00 pm || Receives his intelligence briefing 4:15 pm || Meets with Secretary of State Pompeo

I.e. "gets a half page of bullet-pointed summary of what the bad hombres are doing, rants about it, watches Fox while eating ice cream, rants to Pompeo about what he just saw on Fox (without offering Pompeo any ice cream)."

How about a few seconds of relief: comic relief....

OMG^^^

FRIENDS, I DON'T FIND THIS FIFTH-GRADE STUFF AMUSING IN THE SLIGHTEST

[quote] R315: Now some reporters are saying the House won’t be ready to impeach by Christmas. Why not?

This is one of the reasons I declined thanksgiving with my Deplorable relatives. They can’t shut their mouths about politics. It would be natural to discuss an ongoing impeachment proceeding among likeminded people, but they’re obnoxious.

I’ve been waiting for Trump to be gone for three years so I can hope to reset my relationship with these people. It seems like a long wait.

Swalwell denied that he supplied

The transcript of David Holmes' testimony has been released.

[quote] R319: The 22 defenses Trump’s allies have floated on Ukraine and impeachment

Not yet mentioned is the excuse I love to hate, the oft used “he was just joking” defense. He must be the least funny man in the country. No one ever laughs at his “jokes”, and it’s well established that the bosses jokes always get a laugh, so where was the laughter? It’s really a pathetic excuse.

Someone with Hardball posted and deleted this subtweet about Fartgate 2020

Chris Matthews has farted on the air before. It happens.

Could be much worse:

Barr farts

[quote]Now some reporters are saying the House won’t be ready to impeach by Christmas. Why not?

Because Moscow Mitch's flapping turtle beak doesn't set Pelosi's agenda.

So shithead wants to testify because all the bad people saying nasty things are getting all the attention? Jesus he's beyond transparent.

Don Johnson: Trump once stiffed me on a business deal

We know R349 it was posted towards the start of this thread.

Last Thursday, Donald Trump held a rally in Louisiana to support Republican gubernatorial candidate Eddie Rispone. At the rally, Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy asserted that he, Trump, and Rispone stood with ordinary everyday folks against the purported condescension of the Democratic Party and its “cosmopolitan, goat’s milk latte–drinking, avocado toast–eating insider’s elite.”

As Representative Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, took a leading role in Friday’s impeachment hearing, donations came pouring in to her Democratic challenger.

Please tell me that David Holmes is a deeply closeted gay...

[quote] Bizarre MSN poll that says Millennials are siding with Trump more than Boomers regarding the first week of impeachment inquiry hearings.

I don't know about millennils and boomers but overall Trump's overall RCP approval rating has risen about three points over the last week or so.

I've been reading on twitter about how various Mississippi Democrats have been winning seats that were Republican for decades. Kind of amazing.

WSJ: The U.S. Army is monitoring Col. Vindman’s security and is prepared to move him and his family to a local military base if necessary following his impeachment testimony today.

(Hmmm, can't imagine who he'd be in danger from ... surely not the military-loving Trumpanzees?}

Is there a impeachment inquiry thread for day 3 already?

I post a thread... btw please disregard the idiotic thread I posted accidentally which repeated day 2.

Pelosi is calm, cool, collected and very competent and strategic.

CNN: WH Press Sec Stephanie Grisham claims Obama aides left "you will fail" notes in offices for Trump aides: “We came into the WH, I’ll tell you something. Every office was filled with Obama books and we had notes left behind that said ‘you will fail,’ ‘you aren’t going to make it.’”

Multiple senior Obama White House officials are denying this allegation with two telling Yashar Ali that nice notes were left for their successors.

Devin Nunes' opening statement is a collection of UNRELATED CRAP.

He is talking to the Fox viewer, nobody else.

Bald face ass hattery. This is what sky rocketed the impeachment positives to 70%.

R362, that reminds me of the lies the W adminstration told, that when they moved in the furniture had been trashed and the Clinton staff had spitefully pried all the w's out of the keyboards. Turned out to be a total lie, but not before the media had published it all.

I wonder if all the notes were written in Sharpie?

This is such petulant bullshit. It's the kind of thing a whiny five-year old would claim.

R362, Grisham comes across as completely insane, and totally dishonest.

Thats because she is

R363, you’re exactly right. Instead of trying to get at the truth, Republicans are flailing trying to protect the moron in chief. Thank goodness someone Republican idiot thought up this strategy, because not only are they’re scoring zero points with the public, they’re slowly eroding whatever soft support for Dump is left.

R360 stop posting links to your thread. You have been warned before and this is your last warning. If anyone wanted to go to that thread they would. If you do it again the thread will be spammed to oblivion rendering it useless. Don't make me warn you again!

I mean, isn't that what you told us?

Nunes is a piece of garbage. Attempting to out the whistleblower completely unabashedly in a public, televised hearing is beyond reprehensible.

And yes, his opening statement simply consisted of repeating Fox News conspiracy theories.

R369, what the fuck are you railing about? I created a Day 2 thread by mistake this morning; I then created a Day 3 thread as people and told people to not post in the thread titled Day 2, as the title was wrong. The Day 3 thread is hopping. So what’s your fucking problem?

^ ugh just remove “as people” in r372. Really getting annoyed at the troll at r369, but I must understand he/she is probably an idiot shut in who gets their jollies with inane posts on DL.

I guess the GOP "strategy is to use their 5 minute questioning periods to make speeches grandstand and spout off conspiracy theories. They'd really like to ignore the witnesses and just promote the Biden narrative.

What else is new, R375, it's what they do and what they've always done.

“cosmopolitan, goat’s milk latte–drinking, avocado toast–eating insider’s elite.”

If a New York City billionaire like Trump isn't the elite.....then who is?

R372 / R373 relax your tits. R365 is obviously a joke you missed making fun of the unhinged poster constantly coming in here threatening to obliterate these threads with spam.

I know you missed the joke but don't go sounding as insane as the poster being made fun of... otherwise we WILL spam your thread until it's useless!!!!! (In case I have to point it out to you - that was a joke).

^R369 not R365

Talk about idiots!

Stefanik learned her lesson. She is very respectful today.

Was Eric Swalwell seating in front of her, R381?

Should the investigation go broader?

Washington Post:

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman reveals in testimony that he told an intelligence official about Trump’s call with Ukrainian leader

Trust that Stefanik didn't learn any lesson... she's just laying low. She'll repeat the same mistake sooner than we think.

From R383 (Jamelle Bouie):

[quote] Worried about backlash and committed to restraint, House Democrats have limited their impeachment inquiry to the Ukraine scandal. You could read these numbers and election results as vindication — proof that Democrats were right to take a narrow, focused approach to the president’s wrongdoing.

[quote] But it’s also possible that Democrats are leaving political advantage on the table — that there’s still opportunity for an even broader investigation that tackles everything from White House involvement in Ukraine and the president’s phone calls with other foreign leaders (the records of several of these, not just the one involving Ukraine, have been inappropriately placed on a classified server) to his deals with authoritarian governments in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. These wouldn’t be fishing expeditions — given the president’s refusal to divest from his businesses or separate his personal interests from those of the state, there’s good reason to suspect inappropriate behavior across a range of areas — but they would mean a longer process. Democrats couldn’t wrap up impeachment before the end of the year. They would have to let it move at its own pace, even if it stretches well into 2020. (Watergate, remember, took more than two years to unfold.)

[quote] I don’t see the downside. A long inquiry keeps impeachment out of Mitch McConnell’s hands until there’s a comprehensive case against the president. Yes, there’s the chance of a late campaign acquittal, but if the past month is any prediction, Trump will have sustained a large amount of political damage over the course of a long investigation. It would keep him off-balance, especially if further investigation uncovers even more corruption. It would also allow the six Democratic presidential candidates in the Senate to campaign through the primary season instead of returning to Washington for a trial. But most important it would show a commitment to getting to the full truth of what’s been happening in the White House under the guise of making America great again.

Washington Post:

Impeachment hearings live updates: As Trump allies attack Vindman, he rejects claims that he is partisan

Newsweek:

Stephen Miller Attacked Marco Rubio, Immigrants Through Breitbart's 2016 News Coverage, Leaked Emails Show

"Stephen Miller Attacked Marco Rubio, Immigrants Through Breitbart's 2016 News Coverage, Leaked Emails Show"

And yet Rubio will still suck up to Trump and his cronies

From FUX:

President Trump on Tuesday upbraided House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for allowing House lawmakers to focus on the ongoing impeachment inquiry instead of voting on a revamped North American free trade deal that was brokered by the White House last year.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the White House — and as House lawmakers heard testimony from two government officials who listened in on the phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president that is at the heart of the impeachment inquiry — the president called Pelosi “highly overrated” and "incompetent” for not passing the so-called U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA.

“The woman is highly overrated,” Trump said. “We can’t get USMCA approved because Nancy Pelosi is grossly incompetent.”

Trump blamed the delay on the impeachment hearings, accusing Democrats of running a “kangaroo court.”

Pelosi said last week during a news conference that an agreement on USMCA is “imminent” and that she wants Congress to vote on the deal by the end of the year.

“You have a kangaroo court led by little shifty Schiff,” Trump said in reference to impeachment proceedings run by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

The president went on to praise Republicans on the Intelligence committee, saying they were “absolutely killing it” because the impeachment hearings are “a big scam.”

During the Tuesday Cabinet meeting Trump also went after the media for reporting on the skepticism surrounding his recent visit to the hospital.

“These people are sick,” Trump said. “The press in this country is really dangerous ... We have a very corrupt media.”

R390 it’s like later seasons of the Apprentice the gag is old and the ratings are slipping.

You’re Fired!

Reuters:

Trump says public impeachment hearings are a disgrace

Reuters:

McConnell says "inconceivable” U.S. Senate will have votes to remove Trump

This hearing is boring, but there will be plenty of highlight clips.

R393, Nancy Pelosi once said, “I can count.” Is Mitch McConnell saying, “I have no idea, but I can’t believe it”?

Trump's 36 word vocabulary: tremendous; incredible; disgrace; horrible; phony; very; wonderful; unbelievable; fake; loser..

You left out big and beautiful, R396...like the country's new health insurance plan.

From FUX: Hillary Clinton calls for White House adviser's removal, says his presence is an 'emergency'

Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, whom progressives have blamed for the president's hard-line immigration agenda should be removed from his position.

"Every day Stephen Miller remains in the White House is an emergency," Clinton tweeted before promoting a letter calling for Miller's removal, signed by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and NAACP.

The letter was produced by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a nonprofit coalition of "more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States," according to its website.

The letter accused Miller of supporting white supremacy and stoking bigotry during his career.

"Supporters of white supremacists and neo-Nazis should not be allowed to serve at any level of government, let alone in the White House," it read. "Stephen Miller has stoked bigotry, hate, and division with his extreme political rhetoric and policies throughout his career. The recent exposure of his deep-seated racism provides further proof that he is unfit to serve and should immediately leave his post."

"Every day Hillary Clinton was in office WAS an actual emergency," White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement to Fox News. "Lest we forget her policies helped create a massacre in Benghazi, Libya, a humanitarian disaster in Syria, and the rise of ISIS in Iraq. Stephen Miller is dedicated to this country and I am proud to work alongside him every single day with the goal of making our nation even greater. He is a friend and colleague, and we are lucky to have him in the White House."

USA Today:

Takeaways: Trump request to Ukraine seen as a "demand"

Politico:

House Dems, citing impeachment, request speedy ruling in McGahn subpoena fight

Washington Post:

Using grab bag of arguments, Republicans stick together against impeachment

In other news....

NBC: Woman who threw drink at GOP congressman sentenced to 15 days

R402 She threw a drink at Gaytz? That's a crime? Are we sure it isn't his favorite game?

GOLDMAN: Ultimately, which country did U.S. intelligence services determine to have interfered in the U.S. presidential election?

VINDMAN: It is the consensus of the entire U.S. intelligence community that the Russians interfered in U.S. elections in 2016.

r399 et al.: I know it it has been said before, but thank you so much for linking through MSN with your citations to the source and headline descriptions.. I have been able to read so much more than I would any other way. You are much appreciated.

Dotard: Blocks a dozen first-hand witnesses.

Gym Shorts: Whines about a lack of first-hand witnesses.

I hope people watching understand that Volker, who says "The allegations against Vice President Biden are self-serving and not credible," is the Republicans' witness.

Im starting to think Bolton is the whistleblower. Notice, several of the people testifying said they went to Bolton and he directed them to go to the NSC counsel / the whistleblower reported his complaint because several people had come to him.

I'm waiting for Dotard to give us the Season Finale spin and announce that he himself is the Whistleblower AND Leaker!

I thought Republicans thought throwing drinks is funny and no big deal?

Judge says decision on McGahn by Nov. 25.

R412, WHAT? That's gonna be primetime TV...I will literally record it everywhere I can, haha.

IIRC the story linked to at R410 wasn't just about Kavanaugh "throwing ice at a college bar fight," it was his classmate Chad Ludington's story that Kavanaugh attacked some guy at the bar, who needed medical attention—though the one who actually cut the guy was Chris Dudley, later NBA player and failed (Republican) candidate for governor of Oregon. The episode made Ludington decide he wasn't hanging out socially with Kavanaugh anymore.

McConnell as usual is a lying shitstain of a man.

R414, is that the one who's Skquee (sp)?

R398 ["Every day Hillary Clinton was in office WAS an actual emergency," White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement to Fox News. "Lest we forget her policies helped create a massacre in Benghazi, Libya, a humanitarian disaster in Syria, and the rise of ISIS in Iraq. Stephen Miller is dedicated to this country and I am proud to work alongside him every single day with the goal of making our nation even greater. He is a friend and colleague, and we are lucky to have him in the White House."]

Stephanie Grisham, at jet speed, is on her way to becoming the biggest cunt who ever worked for Trump, surpassing Kellyanne Conway, those bitches on Fox, and even possibly The Huckabeast!! .....anyone agree?

R416, did she just admit to being a colleague and friend of a racist Jewish looking son of a bitch? She surpasses the Huckabeast...I'd rather go jumping off a cliff. Stephanie is stupid and won't last too much longer.

I never read anything Grisham has to say. Not worth one second of my time. No Repussycan is worth your time if you're looking for the truth.

The University of South Carolina didn't teach Senator Lindsey Graham the meaning of bribery?

[quote]I never read anything Grisham has to say. Not worth one second of my time.

I'm with you, R418. Not worth raising my blood pressure over. My blood pressure spikes often enough these days as it is.

Wish they could postpone tomorrow’s debate. It’s too much to process in addition to the hearings.

R421 Agree. Hold the debates on a Saturday.

R421, I forgot about that...I'm gonna have to take something to stay up ALL night tomorrow. I'm gonna be so drained come Thursday that I'll think about calling in sick, haha.

No, R415, Sqi was a high school friend of Kavanaugh's, I don't think they went to the same college.

R424, ah, gotcha. Thanks for that help. I love how Anderson Cooper says Squi in his Ridiculist monologues, haha. And he mocks Kavanaugh's, "I like beer...always liked beer...still like beer," haha. Cracks my shit up every time.

Daily Beast: Mike Pompeo reportedly looking to leave Trump administration, run for Senate in Kansas

R426 GIven KS elected a Dem Gov and there is a fairly strong moderate GOP element there, will he make it?

R426, I hope that fat fuck Pompeo just dies of a blood clot in his heart before he ever gets the Kansas Senator seat. He's such a follower and all-around idiot. He reminds me of Chris Farley when I see him (God rest his soul) on TV.

[quote]Mike Pompeo reportedly looking to leave Trump administration, run for Senate in Kansas

No u don't, bitch!

r408 There was a guest panelist on The McLaughlin Group a few weeks ago that said Bolton was the WB. Imagine Dotard's head exploding when it is revealed.

r408 There was a guest panelist on The McLaughlin Group a few weeks ago that said Bolton was the WB. Imagine Dotard's head exploding when it is revealed.

Has the GOP dropped any pretense of decency? They certainly seem to love going after the beloved military now.

Pompeo has access to the sweet Koch money. Hope Kansas sends both Pompeo and Kobach home.

I wondered if it was Bolton, R431. He’s got such an ego on him, anyone that tells him no is the enemy.

closing statement from Schiff:

"My Republicans colleagues, all they seem to be upset about with this is not that the president sought an investigation of his political rival ... Their objection is he got caught."

[quote]No "Repussycan" is worth your time if you're looking for the truth.

Well, I learned a new word today.

Bolton is not the WB. Apparently a lot of people actually know who it is and it not someone already well known like him. The Congress and the press would not be protecting Bolton.

[quote]Politico: Top House Republicans told us Tuesday that not a single Republican is currently at risk of turning against President Donald Trump. Again, may we repeat: As of right now, every single Republican would vote against impeachment in the House, multiple senior-level GOP lawmakers and aides told us.

[quote]Internally, in the House GOP, there is exceeding confidence either that Trump didn’t do anything wrong, or that if he did, it’s not impeachable.

Not exactly a surprise, but even after the last three years, it's still striking to me how the orange boob in the Oval Office has gotten every single elected Republican to betray principles they once claimed to hold dear.

YOU know, the phrase that gets lost in the hearings is "FOREIGN interference." I think that phrase is just as important as the word "bribery" because there's a through line from asking for foreign interference from Ukraine in 2020, to 2016 and Russian interference. And Trump is implicated in both. We couldn't nail his ass for 2016, but we really need to get him now. Pubic opinion has to change and shift against him. No American PResident has had such low approval numbers so consistently. Healthy care, gun safety the environment and economic insecurity are absolutely the issues on most people's minds, Red or Blue.

Sonderland donated 1 Million to Dotard's campaign? I dont know how I missed that.

Of course Rethugs are going to go out with a message that the believe there is no impeachable offense...

Meanwhile lying about a blowjob totally is impeachable, FFS.

Sondland released his opening statement....hes going to throw Trump, Pompeo and Giuliani UNDER THE BUS....and he intends to back it up and drive it over them again several times for good measure.

TODAY IS POPCORN TV.

Nikki Haley forgot her password to secure email system, so she used her unsecure blackberry instead to send CLASSIFIED INFORMATION while she was at UN.

[quote] Nikki Haley forgot her password to secure email system, so she used her unsecure blackberry instead to send CLASSIFIED INFORMATION while she was at UN.

She’s not Hillary and she’s not black, so who cares?

Let Haley go run for the Knesset or a position up Netanyahu's ass. She didn't serve the US at the UN.

Nunes is just awful. I mean when Republicans hear him, they think he sounds convincing?

And my dad owned that suit in the mid-90s

Isnt it funny that a good number of people in Trumps administration ARE IMMIGRANTS

^^^^and THOSE IMMIGRANTS are the ones throwing Trump under the bus.

How can Schiff bear to sit next to that asshole?

I keep thinking that as well, r449.

Ha....Sondland is throwing everyone under the bus...including Pence.

The bus is a Never Trumper!

AP:

Putin says US ‘political dramas’ diverting focus from Russia

DARVO: deny, attack, reverse victim and offender.

I don’t want the Dem debate to be tonight!

Season finale of South Park - all about impeachment.

[quote]Why does Gym yell? He's not even a lawyer,

Not a fan of Gym Jordan in any way, but he does have a law degree (JD) from Capital University.

R458 is oddly posting that in multiple threads. Are you one of Gym’s staffers?

No one cares. Tons of idiots have JDs from no-name universities. Gym Jordan never passed the bar exam.

Gym never passed a bar he didn’t go into.

Funny that freepers call Nancy Pelosi "dumb" while lauding genuine morons like Gym Jordan, Devin Nunes, and Matt Gaetz

Gym Jordan looks like a steam room Troll who would sit in the corner leering at everyone and desperately tugging his weenie.

The people who snark about how "dumb" Nancy Pelosi is, are puerile pieces of shit who judge everyone by their own standards.

If Gym Jordan has a law degree from Capital University, which is on Main Street in Bexley, it presumably means he's either a superdevout Lutheran or he was too dumb to get into OSU law school.

The latter obviously

^ and too dumb to pass the bar exam.

On behalf of the Lutherans, we don’t want him.

FDR used his friend Harry Hopkins as an unofficial emissary, so it’s not unprecedented. He was more discrete than Rudy, though.

Devin Nunes is putting on a show knowing hes on national tv and people are home and watching. Its embarrassing and sad that a good portion of people will believe his bs.

[quote]Not a fan of Gym Jordan in any way, but he does have a law degree (JD) from Capital University.

Hey, me too!

[quote]Not a fan of Gym Jordan in any way, but he does have a law degree (JD) from Capital University.

Hey, me too!

Hey, no way - I’ve never had that double postie thing happen before.

I guess it bares* repeating.

When Roosevelt used Harry Hopkins, Hopkins was his Aide. He was on the President's executive White House staff. Further, back in the early days of Roosevelt's administration, we didn't have the capacity to deal with international issues and Ambassadors were usually rich kids with family names with historic high society value. Basically they travelled a lot and knew high class people in and out of foreign government and would relay gossip back to Roosevelt. State Department was woefully in need of experienced foreign service people, and William Donovan, who is heralded as the father of our CIA was instrumental in building the modern ability for state craft. You're welcome.

r459 you lamely assume incorrectly, and I not making multiple statements on this. A poster said Gym was not a lawyer. That misinformation appears to be you. I noted he did go to law school. I detest Jordan's politics, but I am not posting erroneous content and projecting as you chose it do.

The Democrats were great today. The Republicunt morons kept trying to hijack the procedure with their lies and grandstanding but every single thing they did got thwarted by Schiff and others. They need to keep doing that. It sounds cheap and trashy, but okay to the cameras and make sure those clips get played all over the news and social media. Spier, Maloney and Schiff put some flair into the day and need to keep the pressure on.

[bold] BOGUS REPUBLICAN TALKING POINT ALERT [/bold]

[bold]Tom Nichols @RadioFreeTom[/bold]

Okay, since the Republicans are going down this road, a quick explainer. GOP questioners are saying that the President has the right to hold up legally-approved aid. He does. But that's not what happened here. They're counting on their supporters being too stupid to know it. /1

Thread -- quick read ---

PLAY to the cameras*

Pompeo considering resignation b/c proximity to Trump hurting his rep (not making this up)

Late in the thread, but better late than not at all!~

[quote]The people who snark about how "dumb" Nancy Pelosi is, are puerile pieces of shit who judge everyone by their own standards.

They have standards? You have seen what they consider "presidential" material, right? They have no standards.

They support one of the stupidest, most vomit-inducing people to knuckle-drag across the earth and become president.

[quote]A poster said Gym was not a lawyer. That misinformation appears to be you. I noted he did go to law school.

But is he misinformed?

[quote]In the U.S., if you have not passed a state bar exam you are prohibited from engaging in the practice of law (a definition which is nuanced from jurisdiction to jurisdiction). So in order to cross your T’s and dot your I’s, review this important definition in the state you reside. In addition, not only can you not practice law, you may not hold yourself out as a professional who can engage in the practice of law – even if you are working in a non-legal profession, as doing so could trigger legal ethics violations. So calling yourself a “lawyer” to others or listing your J.D. degree on websites/marketing materials/social media without a disclaimer that you have not yet passed a state bar exam could get you into hot water. Even casual contexts can run afoul of the current ABA technicalities involving this issue.

So... can someone who has a JD but did not pass the Bar call themselves a Lawyer?

Let's just settle it this way girls...

All we need to know is what we know for certain and we can leave it at that:

HE'S A FUCKING MONSTER!!!

I have been laughing the past hour reading the headlines from Sondlund's testimony. Bless his heart, LOL.

So, Pence knew. When does Pence get called to testify, because you know it's coming.

What is more silly is someone implying a Gym Jordan staffer is posting on DL, responding to posts about Gym's academic and legal credentials, WHILE in th midst of impeachment hearings.

Anyone believing this needs to take a long break from DL, and find a different venue for obsessive activity. While enjoyable and can be habitual, DL is a far cry from being à top tier social media outlet.

By the way, those Republicàn House staffers would, instead, be communicating/coordinating during this time, with WH personnel and Fox News.

Sure, DL might not be a "top tier," social media outlet, but it's enough of a social media outlet for it to constantly get invaded by trolls, isn't it.

But again, please don't shift the conversation to what is important:

JIM JORDAN IS A MONSTER!

The Hill:

Tensions rise in Senate's legislative 'graveyard'

Pence already issued a statement and is playing his Colonel Klink routine.

Are all his deplorable constituents comfortable with the idea of Jim Jordan hushing things up if it had been their strapping buckeye sons being cornholed by the perv doctor?

Here mes amis! A tasty tidbit before you end your day!

R488, I was just coming here to comment on that. Nunes has been sitting there as Parnas's name has been mentioned, and never once revealed that he "worked" with that crook. Nunes really does work for the Russians.

Reminder : Nunes was part of Trumps transition team...he also attended meetings with Mike Flynn where they discussed kidnapping a Turkish cleric.

I know it belongs in another thread but Tulsi has pretty much dropped all pretense of being an actual Democrat during the debate tonight. She slammed the Dems over and over as the party of elites, out of touch and blah blah blah. Meanwhile, the Dems are the only party to actually raise taxes on the rich twice, institute regulations, fight big Oil & Gas, and create the Consumer Bureau among many, many other things. Fuck this Russian stooge. She is absolutely the Jill Stein wanna be of this election. She is a plant and a good one.

DC insiders do visit DL. The Mueller threads attractive a lot of attention.

Diplomacy is inherently a quid pro quo arrangement. It is bartering on the national level.

When it is done for PERSONAL gain it becomes a crime.

Quid pro quo for national interests: SOP

Quid pro quo using the full force of the American economy, military and strength abroad for PERSONAL gain: CRIMINAL.

AND Sondland's error, as was expertly coached by his lawyers, is that he was oblivious to TRUMP'S PERSONAL GAIN.

He thought is was all SOP, business as usual.

Or so he would like us to believe.

Absolutely, r493. I would add also that all of the bartering/quid pro quo had already occurred in a legal sense. The terms of agreement were met by Ukraine, and it was even certified so by the State Dept. Dump stopped it all in its tracks solely for his own personal gain.

I hope Lev Parnas REALLY spills the tea

I cannot believe this is all somehow defended.

The GOP has gone beyond any redemption. Sadly, we will get more candidates like our current pretendedent, not less. The base will never be happy with a Romney or Rubio or Huntsman or Kasich. They have a taste for red meat that has been made insatiable by conservative media. There is no going back for the GOP.

I prefer the term self-dealing to quid pro quo, it's simpler.

I think the GOP base might be relieved to have a break from Trump's tweeting. And a moderate who reached across the aisle to get something done - something that has an actual impact - could win a lot of approval..

Old Lev decided he wasn't going to rot so he's started dropping hints that unless he's "done right", he's gonna start squealing.

That fucker knows quite a bit and thought he was untouchable. His testimony could put The Ghoul away for a long ass time. And he wants Rudy to know it, too.

Listen. Igor and Lev understand they very well have an "accident" so I don't think they'll be doing much talking unless they can also get protection. Vlad hates snitches and so do the top Oligarchs. Lev and Igor are not high enough in the food chain to insulate themselves from blowback. if they had to move Vindman to an army base along with his family because the MAGAts are making threats, guess what? Putin's former KGB/FSB thugs are a lot worse, and they have a higher success rate.

[QUOTE] [R459] you lamely assume incorrectly, and I not making multiple statements on this. A poster said Gym was not a lawyer. That misinformation appears to be you. I noted he did go to law school. I detest Jordan's politics, but I am not posting erroneous content and projecting as you chose it do.

Okay, so, #1 you’re an idiot. Yes, you are making multiple statements on this. You posted the exact same thing word-for-word in the Impeachment Hearing threads. No one defends Gym Jordan across multiple threads unless they have some kind of agenda.

Also, I’m not the poster who stated that he wasn’t a lawyer. I’m just the person who noticed that you’re some kind of troll.

Let me give you a hint about trolling better. Starting off a post by saying something along the lines of “I’m no big fan of Gym Jordan but...” is a dead giveaway.

Go eat the shit out of Gym Jordan’s unwashed ass.

Having a law degree is not sufficient to make one a lawyer.

Jim Shorts is not a lawyer.

[quote]Pence already issued a statement and is playing his Colonel Klink routine

Ach je!

r504....I realized that after i posted....we need an edit button.

[quote]we need an edit button.

Maybe you'd like a fucking pony too?

Geez, you assholes eat my last nerve.

[quote]Pence already issued a statement and is playing his Colonel Klink routine

A very carefully worded statement that focuses on denying things Sondland never said.

R489 good for him.

Close in on bloated Barr.

Republican strategy: set-up Mulvaney to be the scapegoat.

Mulvaney is stupid and has a long track record of his own illicit activities. He really should testify and name all the names and what each did. He won't though.

AP:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicted on fraud, breach of trust and bribery

former Nunes staffer and current NSC employee Kash Patel needs to be investigated.

Fiona Hill saying she thinks he was talking to Trump directly about Ukraine, going around Vindman

Bill Maher and Bari Weiss must be weeping right now about poor Bibi.

^Big surprise, eh? Another corrupt Trump asskisser. Netanyahu intervened after Trump tweeted that one of the "squad" wanted to visit family.

from r511 link:

[quote]Netanyahu has called the allegations part of a witch hunt

Man, there sure are a lot of witches out there these days.

If only this were Salem and we could be done with them quicker.

By invitation from hosting Lindsey, gentleman Mr. Michael Horowitz, will call upon the Senate Judiciary Committee.

CNBC:

Mike Bloomberg files federal paperwork for presidential run, a key procedural move

The origins of this whole saga lie in Trump's still unexplained relationship with Russia. His inexplicable dislike of Ukraine; his obsession with disproving overwhelming evidence of 2016 meddling; his suspicion of US officials who work on Russia. Where does all this come from?

All roads lead to Russia.

[quote] Further, back in the early days of Roosevelt's administration, we didn't have the capacity to deal with international issues and Ambassadors were usually rich kids with family names with historic high society value. Basically they travelled a lot and knew high class people in and out of foreign government and would relay gossip back to Roosevelt.

Not just that they had travelled a lot--but that they could speak foreign languages. Usually "rich kids with family names," American ones, were sent abroad to finishing schools in Europe specifically to learn languages. In a time before CDs and tapes and accessible books, becoming adept at foreign languages meant living abroad.

Nick Confessore on Junior's fake NYT #1 bestseller:

[quote]New FEC disclosures show a single large RNC payment of $94,800 to Books-a-Million in October, a few days before "Triggered" was released. An RNC spokesman confirmed that the expenditure was connected to their promotion of Don Trump Jr.'s book.

That’s a lotta books right there.

Miss Lindsey and her devious self.

Nasty old queen.

Washington Post:

The charges against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, explained

Dan Rather

17 mins

Pride. Sadness. Consternation. Hope.

These emotions and many others swirl within me as we finish the second week of testimony in the House impeachment hearings. To see women and man of character and service speak honestly about their efforts to protect the national security interests of the United States in the face of a blatant abuse of power is a reminder of what this nation can be at its best.

The picture they paint however is dark and cynical. It confirms some of the greatest fears of our Founding Fathers, a president bereft of morality using his office and its many powers in service to his narrow self interest. And beneath it all is the realization that the rot is so endemic and all-encompassing that it would defy reason to assume this is the extent of the malfeasance. We are haunted by what we don't know.

Many have asked me how this measures against the outrages of Watergate, and my answer has long been that comparisons are difficult despite obvious similarities. But as this comes into focus, we must consider that this is worse. This scandal, with its tentacles into questions of Putin and Russia, involves the future of this nation's relationship with the world. It touches on our defense and security, as well as our values. These offenses were abetted by foreign actors with interests opposed to American values. That the GOP keeps defending the indefensible, from an echo chamber of Fox News and social media, suggests that a reckoning by Republican officials, like what happened with President Nixon, is highly unlikely.

Will the impeachment hearings sway public opinion? Will it cost Democrats at the polls? Is it an exercise in futility? I respectfully suggest these are the wrong questions to ask. The ideal of the Constitution is that it is a set of values and the DNA of government that must superseded temporal political concerns. Either we stand for something as a country, or we don't. The women and men refusing to abide by the President's actions stand for something, with their right hands raised. They have said, this will not be our America, as long as we have a say.

We needed to have this airing of what has occured. The scales by which future generations will measure our actions are set. Evidence is being weighed. It is up to us to work hard to make sure this scale tips towards justice.

I love how Schiff took no shit today and neither did Hill or Holmes.

I think that if Trump is impeached there will be a huge effort by Republicans to get him to resign before a vote to remove is taken by the Senate. I think Republicans the writing on the wall. They know a huge portion of the country hates Trump and will come out to vote against him. Whichever way the Senate votes the country will be torn apart and Republicans will pay the price. So they will mitigate the risk by coaxing Trump to resign and trying to regroup for 2020. I think the backlash against Republicans will be huge if Trump is not convicted by the Senate. Trump supporters will be happy he’s exonerated but most people will be very upset that someone got away with such blatant lawbreaking.

This doesn't seem suspicious at all.

Elections held during the impeachment are breaking for one party and not the other it seems. How worried should the GOP be? Many independent observers say they should be very, very worried.

It would be nice if Trump and Netanyahu are both forced to resign on the same day.

Today I was listening to CNN. Some Republican was claiming that Trump’s ratings were rising in a lot of polls, and no one in the Senate would vote to impeach him because there was no bad polling at all, in fact Trump was doing great in the polling and has improved over the last week.

????

..........

[quote] Trump was doing great in the polling and has improved over the last week.????

yep.

A new national survey finds independent voters leading a sharp swing in opposition to impeachment, the second major poll to produce those findings this week.

The latest national poll from Emerson College finds 45 percent oppose impeaching President Trump, against 43 percent who support it. That’s a 6-point swing in support from October, when 48 percent of voters supported impeachment and only 44 percent opposed.

More importantly, the poll shows more independents now oppose impeachment than support it, a significant change from Emerson's polling in October. The new poll found 49 percent oppose impeachment compared to 34 percent who support it. In October, 48 percent of independents polled supported impeachment, against 39 percent who opposed.

Since October, Emerson has found Trump’s job approval rating jump by 5 points, from 43 percent to 48 percent.

This is the second poll this week to show voters are increasingly likely to oppose impeachment, despite wall-to-wall media coverage of the House hearings that have produced bombshell testimony about how Trump threatened to withhold financial aid to Ukraine if the country did not open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, a top contender for the Democratic presidential nomination.

A Marquette University survey of Wisconsin, a battleground state that Trump turned red in 2016 for the first time in decades, found 40 percent think the president should be impeached and removed, against 53 percent who do not think so.

In October, 44 percent favored impeachment and removal and 51 percent opposed.

Only 36 percent of independent respondents in Wisconsin support impeachment and removal.

The Marquette pollster wrote that the new survey “finds consistent, if sometimes modest, shifts in public opinion away from support of impeachment and toward supporting Trump in next year’s presidential election.”

BuzzFeed graphic designer turns Cheeto scrawl into a font. It'll kill him that it's free.

Washington Post:

White House and Republicans discuss limiting impeachment trial to two weeks

[quote]I think that if Trump is impeached there will be a huge effort by Republicans to get him to resign before a vote to remove is taken by the Senate.

That's an awfully nice thought but I'm afraid you haven't been paying attention the last three years.

ABC:

Senate advances nomination of Dan Brouillette to replace Energy Secretary Rick Perry

I don't give one fucking fuck about any new polls showing a sudden shift in favor of Pres Bone Spurs esp in light of damning testimony. If ANY prez had the horrific polling he does the media would be calling him over, done, finished. I don't give a fucking fuck if 80% are opposed to impeachment. He cannot get away with this. If that means Dems losing in 2020 so be it. The country will suffer greatly as a result. Who wants 4 more years of his insane rantings, tweeting and lying? He has jumped the shark. (Russian trolls frantically looking up the meaning of jump the shark. They won't get it.)

Bottom line: tRump’s conduct Is exactly what impeachment was designed for, whether the Senate removes him or not.

If Republicans are determined to brand themselves as traitors by voting in favor of Trump, let them. One by one, let history record their votes and judge them. Their entire party will pay the price eventually. One day, they’ll be seen as the traitorous villains they are and their children will be ashamed to bear their names.

Ivanka Trump is so cultured and intellectual!

r526, Excellent essay by Dan Rather.

I can never look at Ivanka's face and not see Padma Lakshmi and vice versa.

Rick Perry implicated even deeper.

This commentary suggests that if the Democrats want the impeachment hearings to sway opinion their way, they need to connect Trump's crimes clearly to bread-and-butter issues so that people (i.e. "independents") know this corruption is all tied in with favoritism toward the rich, not just some abstract, obscure foreign policy issue.

R537, I should have added, I don’t think there is any way Dump resigns.

Ivanka's a fine one to be talking about "a decline of public morals in the United States." The decline of public morals is the only thing that will let her corrupt father survive an impeachment vote.

Any "key voters" who are alienated by the impeachment inquiry would have voted for Trump anyway.

Newsweek reports that the majority of voters fear violence if Trump is impeached and removed.

These recent polls sound too suggestive.

[quote]Newsweek reports that the majority of voters fear violence if Trump is impeached and removed.

A Rasmussen poll? Spare me.

[quote]The decline of public morals is the only thing that will let her corrupt father survive an impeachment vote.

Hell, the decline of public morals is precisely why he became president in the first place.

Polls are stupid sometimes. I saw a poll earlier this week that had support for the impeachment inquiry at 70 percent. I think the polls cited above are outliers. I do believe support is around 55-60 percent.

It was today when I knew it was over. Ended with a whimper. So depressing.

They have nothing. You can't impeach a POTUS on what they have: "He said... she said... I assumed... We heard...". Maybe 'witness tampering' for Dotard's tweets during testimony, but nobody seems interested in adding that to the shopping list.

Now, the Republicans will go after Biden & Son. The Dems walked right into the trap.

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but this is going nowhere. The most Dems can hope for is this is another facet of Trump's personality that voters will vote against in 2020. But the Russiapublicans will just escalate the Russian hacking to counteract that.

I always think Mitch McConnell is the biggest cunt, but Graham always finds a way to be even more rancid.

R554 Sure, Natasha.

I'd love to get a load of who exactly are the participants in these polls. I get the impression that it's like those annoying spam pop-ups that appear at random clickbait articles or are they actually conducted by phone? Because frankly, I never answer my phone for unknown numbers let alone one that may or may not have a polling site attached to it.

The most impressive witnesses have been yesterday and today, so polls may still move

If they go after Biden, they should do it now. Either Biden can get past it or he can’t. Thank god it’s early, so if he has to drop out, there are others.

And why in the hell was Biden Jr taking that job anyway? He may be innocent, but the optics are absolutely horrible. Biden knows that. So why did he run again? He knows his son is a loose cannon. If his son making a bunch of money is more important than his own reputation, which it may be to him, then don’t fucking run!

I know Biden means well, and his son probably didn’t do any harm. But did they think the people that voted for Trump were just going to stand back and let it go? Are they crazy? Ever hear of Benghazi? These people don’t let anything go, ever.

I already see efforts online to sway people with "Nothing to see here, a big nothing burger, oh welp" and it isn't going to work. The last two weeks have been damning. We've had elections DURING this and Dems came out huge winners in deep red states.

r554 isn't even trying.

Trolls are out in full force this week and especially today.

They seem worried.

LMFAO. Here we go- the trolls and naysayers are here to dampen spirits with laughable BULLSHIT.

Don't dare bring Biden into this. Or his son. The break taking corruption of this prez and his administration are on full display and people are sick of his SHIT.

No one wants 4 more years of this. People are sick of it. SICK OF IT. He has lost the suburbs and is losing many rural areas. Trolls can FUCK OFF back to the shithole Russia and their rampant alcoholism and prostitution and enjoy their dictator who has ruined a country that has never been above shithole status to begin with.

R563, plenty of people could see Trump shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and it would be absolutely fine with them. They actually interviewed some people about that recently. The people said, why is he shooting them? In other words, as long as I can make up an excuse for him, it’s okay.

The idea some Democrats have that the whole country is still decent people is totally out of touch with reality. Sadly, there is a large group of people without morals of any kind and they don’t give a shit no matter what Trump does. And they have no shame at all.

Anybody who could see the years of Hillary-bashing about Benghazi and think they won’t do the exact same thing to Biden is nuts. Hillary didn’t do anything wrong about Benghazi, and that didn’t stop them one minute. It’s even worse now.

Sean Patrick Maloney is on with Rachel. God I love him.

We'll be on to Part 13 soon. Maybe we could have a less revolting picture at OP this time. Seeing the one at the top of this thread every day is a little hard to take.

I'm glad the House is doing this: I don't expect Trump to be removed nor his disapproval to sink.

Dan Rather is correct to remind us that his is just the tip of the iceberg on Republic cynicism and Trump venality.

The only way forward is to take over the two branches currently available - executive and legislative. Republicans are not going to remove a Republican president and they are not going to become honest, responsible public servants.

Can the next thread have a song words on the OP's post? Like the first several had of this series?

No one and I mean no one expects Republicans to ever grow decency. Anybody alive for more than 10 years knows they aren't capable and have been immoral assholes for decades. A full 35% of this country is right with them. HOWEVER, as recent elections have shown, they've lost a majority. I don't give a pig's ass if he gets more popular. Nobody wants four more years of this shit show.

You're too late R568, new thread's already been posted.

Do you actually need song words in your OP to get you going?

I'm just glad OP keeps these threads going! You all, most of you anyway, have helped me keep my sanity!

Well think about it

We can't get the documents that would make things even more damning

We can't get the biggest names involved to testify

We have a lot of compelling testimonies so far.

The problem is a refusal on the part of repubs to fucking cooperate. The congressional repubs will not publicly say Trump deserves to be impeached even though it's certain a number of them think so.

right wing media plays such a role in shaping how right wing and independent audiences think. Some of you who don't have relatives "in the cult" might not know but I do. They might here or read something truthful on the local news channel/local newspaper but all of that is forgotten once they turn on Fox "News". Checking in tonight, Hannity and Ingraham are attacking Fiona Hill and doubting her expertise. When Hill joked she might be considered "left" in Europe and that left in Europe is not the same as in the US, I knew that would be a talking point and now it is. So they and their braindead brainwashed viewers dismiss Hill as "just another deep stater part of the coup attempt".

So we're stuck.

The answer is to awaken the liberal people who don't pay attention to the news or vote regularly. Those people know something's up with Trump but they don't know the essential details. Sadly too many liberals are apathetic about politics

WTH is happening? CNN says Trump is feeling “jubilant” tonight, the Senate will definitely not impeach him and he’s planning which witnesses he’s going to subpoena during the Senate trial INCLUDING Joe and Hunter Biden, the Whistleblower and Adam Schiff.

Oh and Barr’s investigation into the 2016 surveillance of Trump’s campaign has uncovered an FBI agent who altered some document and it’s now a criminal investigation. And the FBI agent was under, guess who? Peter Struyk.

This is nuts.

Yet nothing they do or say will undo what has already been uncovered and implicates the top on down.

Please, Senate, please don't convict. I dare you!

Can’t we mount huge protests like when Trump first got in office?

I didn't expect anything less than of course the Rethugs were busy hiding away organizing some nefarious plan to screw over the system and get their way. It's what they do.

Ive always thought that Rethugs actually wanted Impeachment so they could make a show of it in the Senate and distract everyone from what they're actually doing, have Drumpfy be "exonerated," and then have him "win 2020" by 48 states and declare it the will of the people!

We're not crooked enough, happens every time, like Charlie Brown and the football.

R574 that will become the biggest right wing story now, even though whatever the FBI guy did, it doesn't change the outcome of the FBI investigation. It was clear as day Russia was working with the Trump campaign

and since Barr is so worried about FBI corruption, when are we getting the results of an investigation into whichever FBI member leaked info about Hillary to Giuliani who then told of an "October surprise" on Fox? Surely leaking about investigations isn't allowed

Rethugs aren't worried about a damn thing.

New --> 'The person under scrutiny has not been identified but is not a high-ranking official — they worked beneath former Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok, according to people familiar with the investigation'

Republicans are getting their asses handed to them in election after election even WITH cheating. Fuck them. All they can do is cheat because conservatism is unpopular and doesn't work.

R582 we have to wait for the facts to come out. Remember Barr likes to change how things are classified after-the-fact. Who knows if what the FBI agent in question did was even criminal, or Barr is just calling it criminal because he wants to give Trump and Fox "News" a new story to amplify.

R582 Trump’s gonna have a field day with this.

I'm not convinced that they've fully implemented their full scale cheating. I just don't. I think their strategy is to "let" some go to throw people off the scent and then cheat bigly when it matters.

From r542:

John Pavlovitz ‏ Verified account

@johnpavlovitz 3h 3 hours ago

Replying to @IvankaTrump

OK, daddy's girl...

[quote]plenty of people could see Trump shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and it would be absolutely fine with them. They actually interviewed some people about that recently. The people said, why is he shooting them? In other words, as long as I can make up an excuse for him, it’s okay.

These are the same people who also said they didn't care that he felt he could grab women by the pussy and THEN said they'd offer up THEIR DAUGHTERS for him to grab.

Link to new thread for when this one maxes out.

Let's talk Biden...

Deplorables gotta deplorable.

Closing

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