Impeachment Hearing: Day 4, Part 2.

Previous thread below:

Well the President of the United States has five Pinochios on a daily basis so lets not go there.

[quote]'I want nothing. I want nothing'

Is Trump trying to channel Whitney now?

Ratfuckke looks like this when he smiles:

Jon Lovitz would be PERFECT choice to play Sondland on SNL

Jesus, is there really a second round of hearings today? I'm already tired after this one.

Also, how mean of Muriel to put up the paywall during these essential hearings. There must be better opportunities and times to gain some new subscripers.👎

This is a bad time for the debate tonight. People will get politics fatigue

How are these hearing still going on? Wasn't yesterday's session shorter?

I think it was more than paywalled, r6. I think the site was having problems, possibly a DDOS attack. I couldn't even get on it for a while.

No one can live on air alone. R6

I doubt Muriel has the resources of The NY Times, to provide a public service in times of great interest.

damn SPM just slapped Sondland down HARD

that's right asshole. You weren't honest in your closed deposition

Who chooses the order in which the Congress people speak? I'm asking only because when the Republicans seem to be gaining a bit of traction there is a Democrat that follows to squash it. Maloney is always speaking at a very opportune time. It seems to me that Swalwell, Castro, and Maloney, are strategically placed.

Trump had a tantrum this morning and CNN got a good picture of his notes, written with a Sharpie, of course. It took me a while to realize it wasn't satire. Notice when he wrote "Nothing" that "NOTH" are in capital letters and "ing" are lower case? Weird. Also, he misspelled Zelensky's name.

Wow Sean Patrick Maloney giving Sondland a stern talking to.

I now want Sean Patrick Maloney deep inside me.

A reminder from Hillary.

it's going to be a LONG day

this hearing was supposed to be over a while over. The second was supposed to start at 2:30

the Democratic debate might not start until after 9 PM now

who knows what unexpected bombshells might happen in the second hearing

Tough session with Maloney

Datalounge could be free for all if we'd put up with commercials.

Maloney just went in for the kill, with a sweet gay smile!!!!!!!

R13 he's so goddamn dumb he needs notes to say his most basic point

pathetic

OMG I just learned that Maloney and his husband live in the next town over from me!! (Cold Spring, NY). I wonder if I’ve seen them on Grindr or Scruff before!

Who is testifying next?

More likely at the Piggly Wiggly.

R21 check during the holiday

Does Sondland have a head injury? Can he really not parse these completely direct questions?

R22 Laura Cooper and David Hale

FOX's Chris Wallace says it's "incredible" that Sondland & Volker wouldn't connect the dots sooner, failed to ask themselves the obvious: "Why would the president be asking for an investigation of one particular company in Ukraine?"

Isn’t it odd for a president’s personal attorney to be negotiating National deals?

it’s strange to me that Rudy Giuliani, who is Mr. Trump’s personal attorney, was negotiating deals with the Ukraine on the U.S.’s behalf.

Am I stupid, or is there just something off about that? Why would a national official’s personal attorney be negotiating national issues? I presume our government has it’s OWN lawyers to conduct operations

At some point Sondland decided to try to take back his previous testimony. What happened, the wife called with death threats on the break?

It’s interesting that the pukes rely on particular odious monsters on their team to take over for others and the Democrats allow all of their members to use their own time.

Afternoon testimony will be Pompeo, and his involvement, heavy.

R27, they’re lying. I’m sure there’s a WhatsApp group text they’ve deleted that outlines ‘Burisma’ as the code word.

r28, bringing your own people in to help you govern is a traditional method for crooked rulers, like Rodrigo Borgia (who has many similarities to Trump) and Napoleon (not so much.)

R29 more likely one of Vlad’s goons

how credible is Sondland going to end up being?

So many fucking "I don't recalls" "I can't rule it out" I don't know etc

I mean it's gone downhill after his opening statement. I want this session to end before the repubs get more confusing answers they can spin

Sondland is a piece of shit I hope he goes to jail. He's acting like this is all a joke. I do think he's a dumbass but I also think he's playing dumb

as Val Demmings just pointed out, he remembers certain conversations exactly but others not at all

makes no sense

Maloney tore up Sondland's ass to spontaneous applause! Sondland tried to then lash out in anger and Maloney bitch slapped him right the fuck back down. Epic!

Ask the fucker if he knew about the list of people Perry gave to get the 50 year oil and gas leases for private American citizens.

R28 no you're not stupid

Giuliani had no business being involved in such affairs. The fact that Trump went to him and around some of the officials is proof of how corrupt this all is. Why couldn't Yovanovitch have handled it if it were legit? answer is it was never legit

[quote]it’s strange to me that Rudy Giuliani, who is Mr. Trump’s personal attorney, was negotiating deals with the Ukraine on the U.S.’s behalf.

I think it is eventually going to be revealed that Rudy was working his own agenda in addition to that of Trump's

Val Demmings sounds like Mavis Staple.

R12, they base it off of seniority, meaning that the person who has been in the House longer gets to speak first after the chairman and vice-chair/deputy does. If you need me to fully break it down, I can.

I feel like Sondland's being funny because he knows he's lied, or at least, he didn't tell everything two times ago. His jokes are funny, but they're very telling...

With that outfit, Nunes looks like he's auditioning for "Guys and Dolls"

Devin Nunes accusing the Democrats of spreading a "preposterous conspiracy theory" really is the height of chutzpah.

OMFG Nunes STFU

he's so despicable. How dare he accuse Democrats of peddling conspiracy theories and lies. I would never be able to go out in public if I shamelessly told lies like this. I don't know how he and the others do it

Straight idiots, r36, have no idea how a righteous gay can rip someone apart.

Maloney telling Sondland he has lied in his first deposition, lied in his reconsideration of his statements and was now pretty fucking dodgey was INCREDIBLE!

Nunes wins his seat in 2016 with 67%

He wins it in 2018 with 53%

We're working on the problem

Yes to the above posters -- the participation of Giuliani should have been a major tipoff that this channel of diplomacy was anything but kosher. I mean, really, does Giuliani even have a security clearance? And that is why I really find it hard to believe that Sondland and others took so fucking long to put together that Burisma = Biden. As has been said repeatedly, 2 + 2 = 4.

TPM's Josh Marshall:

Telling Sondland "No Quid Pro Quo" doesn't exonerate the President. Trump said that because they already knew they'd been caught. They'd already moved on to their defense.

Work harder, bitch.

Schiff is a fucking genius, not letting him back-track his opening testimony.

Was Schiff in Killers From Space 1954?

[quote] He could do it for health reasons (like Pope Ratfucker). Pence would be Pres and give out pardons and he could appoint Ivantkok as VP, until he gets impeached too. Jarvanka 2020...(from the previous thread).

The 25th amendment reads:

[italic] Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress." [/italic]

The House Dems will never vote to appoint a VP unless he’s reliably moderate. And they might not even approve that, since Nancy is next in line for the Presidency. That’s also why the Republicans won’t vote to impeach both P and VP, to keep her out. .

I can't imagine being Sondland's lawyer. He is the epitome of a difficult, dumb client

Or is he cherry picking to further his shifty, shady goal of overthrowing a duly elected President? R50

Schiff is unloading on Trump et al. right now and he's en fuego! You gotta watch those quiet ones - when they get going they're astounding!!!

DAMN! You betta WORK that courtroom experience Attorney Schiff!

Schiff scoring major points right now!

Schiff admits he has said a lot of shit about tRump over the years but one thing he knows is that tRump doesn't let himself get led by the nose. He makes the case that tRump knew, tRump directed it, tRump insisted a bribe take place. The fish rots from the head. Schiff is ripping tRump a new asshole. The Dems have hit this out of the park though the deplorables won't even know because Fox is isn't reporting it honestly. Schiff is a beast!

R14 I'm only watching because of hot daddy Sean.

So smart to sum up the argument like this at the end. Applause, not for Sondland, but for Schiff's call to our higher selves.

Spontaneous applause again at Schiff's closing remarks. Amazing work. Well done!

And the crowd goes wild!

SMDH at the pornification of some of these elected officials.

BEAUTIFUL morning session for the Democrats and our nation! Let's bring it on home!

Trump to ineffective Nunes at their next meeting: "What do I look like to you? Don't just sit there, DO SOMETHING!!"

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

R64 I wish media, and others, would not say things like "Democrat's star witness", or "Good day for the Democrats"... I do believe that most Democrats on this committee see their mandate is from the Constitution, and history, not their party.

Gym Jordan and Elise Sleestack are embarrassing themselves in a hallway news conference. MSNBC just cut in to end their coverage of it because of what they characterized as the lies and disinformation.

The Repugs speaking right now are ridiculous. They need to get on a plane and disappear like Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 did...(God rest their souls, haha)

R66, Jordan thinks he is such a good arguer...I say, if you think you're that good, then why don't you go take the Ohio Bar exam or even the easiest one, Florida's? It's because he's, as Cheeto says, a sham, a hoax. I can't wait until those men who are suing Ohio State sit on the stand and say he was there when they got touched so that they can charge him with something. We need just one guy to say he was there...

[quote]Nunes strategy: talk to the base... he's just trying to use dumbed down conspiracy talk to stoke them. It's all they've got

You'd think by now the deplorable "base" would see that they're being pandered to because Repugs think they're all stupid rubes.

[quote] Maloney tore up Sondland's ass to spontaneous applause! Sondland tried to then lash out in anger and Maloney bitch slapped him right the fuck back down. Epic!

Maloney delivered a Kamala Harris-style smackdown!

[quote] as Val Demmings just pointed out, he remembers certain conversations exactly but others not at all

Yes, Demmings dragged his ass for his selective memory.

This is why Gym Jordan yells:

“If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell.”

R71 Kamala wishes she could read a bitch for filth like Sean can. Watch out cuz he will cut you. 🏳️‍🌈

[quote] R554: If the truth ever gets out, the Trump presidency is null and void along with all of his appointments, Supreme Court judges, and "official" acts. (previous thread).

Once the electoral college votes and the votes are certified, whomever they elected is legitimate. In theory, they could even select someone who never ran in the primaries or general election. So, all Trump ‘s official acts are legitimate and won’t be voided under any circumstances.

Joe Lockhart, former comm guy in the Clinton WH:

Dear Jim Jordan--two things. The call you're talking about happened after the WH knew about the whistleblower report. Trump had every reason to cover his tracks. Second, when you see sexual abuse of young men you should say something. Thanks for listening. no need to respond.

Here is a video of a woman taking off her shirt to save a severely burnt Koala with it during the recent Australian bush fires to cheer us all up a little bit before the second round this afternoon. Also a reminder that good, selfless people still exit.

^^^^^^^^

Very touching thanks for sharing R77

Sean Hannity told his radio audience today that Gordon Sondland's testimony has won it for the Republicans: "It is over. It is done. This is the end of this."

r28, Because it was a CRIME! Trump wasn't about to get an official govt lawyer to aid him in committing extortion!

HA HA HA Freudian?

Axios reporter Jonathan Swan on MSNBC.

I want to play with his awesome Aussie mouth, and do nice things to it. Yum.

[quote]R38 Giuliani had no business being involved in such affairs. The fact that Trump went to him and around some of the officials is proof of how corrupt this all is. Why couldn't Yovanovitch have handled it if it were legit? answer is it was never legit

Doesn’t the fact that trump was using his own personal attorney prove he was acting in his OWN personal interests vs. that of the country??

Have there been any news commentaries on this?

“This is the final word from the pres of the US” - does his preschooler looking note really say that at the end? Final word- you could only pray it means he’s going to just say Fuck it and get lost.

[quote] R28: Why would a national official’s personal attorney be negotiating national issues?

I recently watched “Bridge of Spies”. In it, the State Department uses a private attorney to negotiate for the return the Gary Powers, in exchange for a Russian spy in US custody. The epilogue to the film is that Kennedy used the same civilian man to negotiate with Cuba.

I think it’s wrong to involve Giuliani in national security issues, but I don’t think it’s unprecedented.

[quote]Sean Hannity told his radio audience today that Gordon Sondland's testimony has won it for the Republicans: "It is over. It is done. This is the end of this."

And his is the most watched news show on cable. Even Tucker Carlson beats MSNBC and CNN.

Fox got it's headlines today no matter what. People come home from work today and hear their spin.

It'll be interesting to see where public sentiment stands after all of these hearings are over.

So far Nate Silver is reporting this:

Support for impeachment by independents:

Nov 11 - 46.4%

Nov 20 - 42.7%

R86, I actually tuned in for about five minutes last night and I got so sick, literally. He was saying so many false things in his monologue that, one, I could tell he doesn't actually believe it the way he's saying, because you could see it in his eyes. At least I could anyways. That man doesn't believe anything he's saying - he's just saying it to stir up shit. And people like that make me sick because they consistently lie purposefully with one goal: make A mad at B over a lie and then add C into it saying A and B said x about C, then watch them all fight with themselves or D who might like stirring shit up too.

For the impatient, skip to about the 3 minute mark and watch Sean show Sondland who the top is when he tries to smart mouth our guy.

Thanks, r88. I particularly love that long stare at the 3:56 mark.

R12: the members interrogate witnesses in order of seniority, with Krishnamurthy[sp] as the junior congressperson, appearing last. Notice, too, there are 13 majority members and nine minority members making Ratcliffe the last Repug to question followed by four Democrats.

r81, ?

R85: But remember, too, that Rudy is this president's personal attorney and not from a private unaffiliated law practice.

Nunes and Castor sum up how things went for them today.

R93, that gif is life!!

r80, like AG Barr doing the same extortion game with Italy?

But the Italians laughed at Trump's/Barr's quid pro nihilo. HAHAHAHAHA

Rep Krishnamurthy is not having the fake nice girl Stefanik.

r95, Well, since Barr is himself a criminal....

Wonder if the 3 networks are gonna air this next hearing

MSNBC will go to the Dem debate at 9ET.

Nunes continues whining. Pathetic.

idk, they keep going on about how badly poor Marie Yovokavich (or whatever) was treated but somehow I can’t bring myself to give a shit about it or her.

Why the FUCK is dumbass Nunes giving the same opening speech again. The whistleblower is NOT a witness. He or she just "called the police" and suggested that something seemed wrong and gave some leads to chase down. The resulting investigation has surfaced multiple credible witnesses with compelling testimony. And the impeachment is NOT about Biden. It's about the wrongdoing of Trump. If you want Biden investigated, fucking start your own separate investigation.

Did Nunes change into a new suit?

Memo to Nunes: the whistleblower does not have firsthand knowledge of the shit that went down, and you have been complaining about hearsay testimony. People like Sondlund, Taylor, Vindman, etc. do have firsthand knowledge.

Pentagon official Laura Cooper and David Hale Undersecretary of State for political affairs are up next. Cooper learned about Ukraine aid being held up this past summer for reasons which were unclear. Her colleagues questioned the legality. She says the Ukrainians knew about the quid promquon scheme.

Hale is expected to offer details about Yovanovitch's ouster. He is alleged to be a strong supporter of hers. He is the most senior foreign service officer to testify so far.

Let's go....

Many of the people with firsthand knowledge of Trump's corruption were issued subpoenas but have refused to appear. In a criminal trial I believe they could be arrested and held in contempt of court until they testify under oath. Can people be jailed in contempt of Congress?

R103 Correct, blaming Biden won’t make Trump’s wrongdoing right.

Elise Stefanik @EliseStefanik

My questions focus on the FACTS: No quid pro quo. No bribery. No impeachable offenses. Adam Schiff REFUSES to allow Republicans to call Hunter Biden to testify in this impeachment inquiry.

DONATE NOW to join my fight to hold Democrats accountable 🇺🇸👇

Ms. Cooper pings.

In the movie version, a young Roddy McDowell could have played David Hale.

R108 Cunt and lier, two facts.

Quid pro quo came out as quid prom queen. Lol!!! Let's get it trending.

[quote] I recently watched “Bridge of Spies”. In it, the State Department uses a private attorney to negotiate for the return the Gary Powers, in exchange for a Russian spy in US custody. The epilogue to the film is that Kennedy used the same civilian man to negotiate with Cuba. I think it’s wrong to involve Giuliani in national security issues, but I don’t think it’s unprecedented.

As Gym Shorts Jordan noted this afternoon, even George Washington used private envoys to negotiate with foreign powers. There is nothing inherently wrong or criminal about that. But that should not be the focus of the inquiry. Rather, it is what is the subject matter of the negotiations? In all other cases — from Washington to Obama — the presidents have used private envoys to advance the nation’s interests. The difference here: tRump was using a private citizen to act on behalf of his own private interests. And that makes all the difference in the world.

The Repukes have tried valiantly to cloak this as fighting corruption, but the falsehood of that is evident from the fact that the only corruption Cheatolini cared about involved one company in Ukraine.

Unfortunately, R103 and R107, playing "whataboutism" is a favorite last resort of the GOP, but that's when you know you really have them beat.

^^^ should have been r102

And, the love continues to pour in;

Anthony Scaramucci @Scaramucci: I have had my differences with @RepAdamSchiff but let’s face it: he is a patriot trying to save the system. It is NOT PARTISAN to remove a criminal @POTUS that tried to bribe a foreign power to attack an American private citizen.

David Pepper @DavidPepper: "The times have found us." Schiff is the right person at the right place at the right time. Powerful as always.

Fred Guttenberg @fred_guttenberg: Everything needs to listen to this closing statement from @RepAdamSchiff . Truly a historic day. Thank you Congressman Schiff for your firm leadership and commitment to the truth.

David Rothkopf @djrothkopf: Would I vote for @repadamschiff over any other candidate currently running for the Democratic nomination for president? Yes. Are others terrific? Yes. (Still prefer Warren, Harris, Booker, Klobuchar among them.) But Schiff's character, intelligence & leadership are striking.

ABC News Politics @ABCPolitics: Rep. Adam Schiff adjourns hearing to applause: "Getting caught is no defense—not to a violation of the Constitution, or to a violation of his oath of office. And it certainly doesn't give us reason to ignore our own oath of office. We are adjourned."

Cooper's glasses are cute. I'm a sucker for geek chic.

Her opening is blah, blah. Imagine an awards dinner and some mid level manager us describing her staff's great work.

She's moving into the juicy bits. She became aware of the aid hold despite NSC support and pushed her concerns through 3 channels with urgency due to the fiscal year end on Sept 30. She expresses support for the congressional investigation as it will ensure attention to Ukraine's situation and vulnerability.

She seems comfortable and confident. Time will tell.

Thank you Hale for not having an opening statement!!! Although it's weird. I wonder why he doesn't

Cooper seems very thorough. I hope she damages Trump badly

So, if they hold the House next year, we all 100% want Schiff to be the next Speaker, right?

No Counsel section!!

so just 5 min questions from members

Could someone please explain what Hunter Biden could possibly know about this? He could testify he got a well paying job bc his name is Biden and his father was the vice president. Just like Trump's own fucking children. WHAT THE HELL does this have to do with Trump's illegal extortion scheme? Could someone please ask this dumbass Stefanik chick what information she expects from Hunter Biden as a witness? She is unbelievable and HAS TO GO next year.

Schiff wants to finish before the Dem debate.

No, we want the wise leader who appointed Schiff to be Speaker.

R121 the repubs just want to investigate the Bidens during the impeachment trial to distract from the impeachment itself and obviously the Democrats are not allowing that

Cooper is the third witness to say the Ukrainians knew about the hold on aid before it came out in the press

CNNGo's AppleTV feed crashed

R93 I always thought Nunes had fleas and that confirms it.

R119 No. Pelosi earned her spot. She's orchestrating this whole thing.

I wasn't a supporter of hers when we recaptured the house but she proved me wrong.

My CNN feed crashed too. Couldn't get on MSNBC and now on CBSN.

Here's a free feed

check the youtube streams for the hearing all the news channels have one

Yeah, the MSNBC app keeps crapping out every ten minutes or so. The OTA PBS signal is *bizarrely* weak tonight [in a red state…] I'm using the CBSNews 24/7 AppleTV app now. Working so far.

have to say all the Democratic Intelligence Committee members are effective

Undersecretary Hale chose not to give an opening statement. Interesting. I suspect he's a "keep my mouth shut" kind of guy. Questioning is well underway so it should become apparent. He is a minority witness so the GOP sees him as sympathetic.

R133 they are well prepared

As I understand negotiations between the US and other countries, it is highly unusual to use a non-official channel - i.e. not State Department officials - except in cases in which the US does not have established relations with the other country. This is why a non-government lawyer to handle the Gary Powers release and negotiations with Cuba. This has recently been used with North Korea and Iran, though mainly through third-party countries as intermediaries.

Himes is fucking awesome.

There seems to be a lot of laws passed by Congress that are ignored.

The issue is that the president used government granted funds as blackmail to get a personal advantage over one of his own political opponents (fabricated lies being legitimized by a foreign country' leader). And he used a third party middle man (Giuliani) to facilitate that.

plutotv.com has CBSN under the Live section

Now... were I a Democrat candidate... I'd have writers writing for me and prepping me to some how make a positive KILLING on all the events that happened and are happening today! VP Biden could REALLY shine tonight if he gets it right!

Yes, R139, that is what the impeachment inquiry is about.

Sewell finally sounded somewhat competent and briefly lost the "angry black woman" act. Good job.

Ugh, Gym Jordan is back on sounding like a lunatic.

Jim Jordan is shedding more hair.

Cooper is very calm, cool, and collected. While she hasn't gone under fire (yet) she's very composed under what must be extraordinary pressure.

Hale, likewise, is a rather subdued presence.

Jordan is up now using his time to rant and bitch about how life is so unfair to Republicans. GTFO

I've just muted Gym Jordan. Someone let us know if he says anything really goofy

I like Ms. Cooper's communication style. Very clear, well articulated information conveyed in a calm manner. She seems very competent.

I wish that there was an Adam Schiff-translator like Key and Peele had for Obama. As he sits, staring forward and blinking, I can just imagine what he’s thinking.

What is this nut talking about? (17min ago)

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

Today I opened a major Apple Manufacturing plant in Texas that will bring high paying jobs back to America. Today Nancy Pelosi closed Congress because she doesn’t care about American Workers!

[quote]Today I opened a major Apple Manufacturing plant in Texas that will bring high paying jobs back to America.

That plant opened in 2013.

R146 She is very impressive. Whether that's good or bad remains to be seen. I expect her to be a relatively balanced non-partisan voice so I don't think she'll blow shit up tonight. But ya never know...

This Carson confused the two witnesses.

This shit is BORING. I want to see some pre-debate punditry and onstage sound checks by the candidates.

I believe a lot of people are watching the hearings around here. I am almost surprised.

Tim Cook added production of Macs at that plant, despite Dump's tariffs on the parts they need from China. The tariff exception Apple got expires next month unless Dump renews it.

Now at least they'll stop yapping about how boring the hearings are.

R153, as much as the GOP wants people to believe that no one cares, no one is watching, per NPR there have been higher than normal ratings for all six networks (big three and the three political channels).

I think he's agitated (10 min ago)

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

If this were a prizefight, they’d stop it!

Impeachment is so justified at this point. File and vote on articles already.

The Nixon hearings were a lot more fun. Jim Jordan is such a screaming asshole, he's kind of funny. I have hopes that he will someday go to prison, with Moscow Mitch. I believe Trump and Mitch get their orders directly from Putin. All the criminal roads lead to Putin. We are paying a high price, because of Deplorables.

[quote] Schiff REFUSES to allow Republicans to call Hunter Biden to testify in this impeachment inquiry.

Because this is an impeachment hearing about the actions of Donald J Trump and since Hunter Biden has no information about the actions of Donald J Trump there is no point in calling him.

BTW, the Senate which the Republicans control can subpoena Hunter Biden if they think they need to hear from him about anything. The FBI which is controlled by Trump can interview Hunter Biden if they wish, asking for him to testify is just a smoke screen for the stupid and mentally challenged, Ms Stefanik.

Oh great now the dumbest man on the planet is up again...

you tube is showing all channels including c span. for free during these hearings.

[quote] r6, that is so funny!

^ I meant, R96, not r6.

I know the Senate will not impeach but at least the citizens can hear the truth, before the Senate abandons them.

Neither of these 2 witnesses today have anything to add.

I adore Ms. Cooper. People are asking her stupid or irrelevant questions relative to her role. I love how she responds, cool as a cucumber while simultaneously shutting them down by not being reactive. She is not getting sucked into any BS but seems like she's being very responsive and concise.

I know the Senate will not impeach but at least the citizens can hear the truth, before the Senate abandons them.

so I guess the only takeaway from this hearing is that aid was supposed to go to Ukraine, all the pre-conditions had been met so there was no justified or known reason to these 2 witnesses as to why the aid was held up.

That's why it shouldn't take long

we're not going to get any bombshells form this hearing. It's just a reinforcement that what Trump did was not normal and not justified

GOP Winstrup spent his time talking about the fact the tRump got Ukraine Javelins while Obama got them blankets. Point taken but wholly unrelated to impeachment proceedings. More distraction.

Speier is questioning Cooper. Speier tries to make a connection that everyone knew aid was being withheld which isn't disputed.

Chris Stewart up now. He's a douche. Heading down some conspiracy path. Cooper stymies it. Stewart starts with the bullshit line that this is about POTUS great fight against corruption. 😂😂😂

Impeachment Hearings Viewership Strong For Very Long Day 3; Fox News Wins Again

Soon after Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s finished his testimony on the third day of the impeachment hearings yesterday, Republican Devin Nunes declared the ratings for were “way down, way down” and the whole affair was losing traction with the American public.

Well, the ranking GOP member of the House Intelligence Committee was very wrong in his characterization Tuesday of the dip between Day 1 and Day 2 of the widely televised inquiry. However, when it comes to the long third day of the probe into Donald Trump’s alleged leveraging of millions in aid to Ukraine for domestic political concerns, the highly partisan Rep. Nunes was incorrect again.

Filled with moving statements from White House assigned Lt. Col Vindman and contentious testimony from and VP Mike Pence aide Jennifer Williams, Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine, and Tim Morrison, an ex-National Security Council official, the Rep. Adam Schiff run proceedings held the nation’s attention …or at least their eyeballs

With Fox News Channel (2.5 million) coming in first in overall day viewership yet again over a bouncing MSNBC, the impeachment hearings averaged audiences of 11.4 million for its morning session and 13 million for its afternoon stint. Broadcast live on FNC, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC, the hearing’s latter 3:30 – 5:45 PM ET session actually bested the four-hour morning testimony on Day 2 of the hearings by ex-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. That November 15 session pulled in around 12.7 million viewers, a dip of 3% from the opening day testimony on November 13.

Fourth in the 25-54 news demo behind NBC (468,000), ABC (444,000) and CBS (379,000), the Murdoch-owned Fox News was first in viewers for the 9 AM – 1:45 PM ET coverage yesterday with 2.3 million tuning in. MSNBC was second in viewers with 2.2 million, followed by ABC (1.9 million), CBS (1.74 million), NBC (1.71 million) and CNN (1.6 million).

Coming after Lt. Col Vindman captured the nation’s heart and respect with his patriotic testimony in the morning, the approximant 3:30 – 5:45 PM ET slot saw the Comcast-owned MSNBC top FNC with 2.53 million to the latter’s 2.51 million total audience. NBC proper was next with 2.16 million, then Disney-owned ABC with 2.07 million, CBS with 1.9 million and WarnerMedia-run CNN last with 1.71 million.

Like the morning session, NBC (531,000) was first among the 25-54s in the afternoon on Tuesday. ABC (493,000) was second again, CBS (458,000) third, and FNC (374,000) fourth. CNN (350,000) bopped up to fifth in the news demo, while most overall watched MSNBC (349,000) was a close sixth, according to Nielsen.

Current U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. and star witness Gordon Sondland just finished his stint in the hot chair right now – with online commentary from POTUS.

The big Trump donor is expected to be followed after a break by well positioned Pentagon and State Department officials as today’s hearing goes almost right up to tonight’s Democratic debate live from Atlanta – and guess what Joe Biden and crew will be talking about?

Yep.

How can the pukes justify not voting to impeach?

I amend my previous comment, after reading R168's comment, which refreshed my memory. The item Ms. Cooper has added to this inquiry is the fact that the aid to Ukraine was cleared (met conditions) in May. This substantiates that it was NOT held up because "corruption" was later being investigated. The delay was for another reason.

I heard on NPR’s ‘All Things Considered’ that the FBI is seeming to interview the whistleblower. Not as a target but as a witness... for something.

R169 Obama also gave them more than blankets...

[quote]How can the pukes justify not voting to impeach?

Tax cuts and Judges

[quote] R106: Can people be jailed in contempt of Congress?

I believe so. There is a jail in Congress, but it’s apparently used for storage now.

Likewise, I don’t understand why Congress asks people to testify, when they should be issuing Subpoenas as a matter of course.

[Quote]BTW, the Senate which the Republicans control can subpoena Hunter Biden if they think they need to hear from him about anything.

Well, I think ignoring subpoenas is acceptable now so if I were Hunter Biden, I would not show up and just ignore them.

Megacunt Stefanik is now speaking. I have an urge to punch her in the face.

According to Obama Presidential advisor Ben Rhodes, Pres Obama's reason for not giving Ukraine military weapons was that it didn't matter what we gave Ukraine, they wouldn't be able to defeat Russia. He felt by giving them more lethal weapons it would only make the conflict worse and more people would die. He wanted negotiations and sanctions, not more war.

I had never heard a reason for it before.

Why fixate on Fox News ratings?

All that means is that retired people who are home during the day watch more Fox, which we knew.

Similarly, Hannity is just preaching to the converted.

As is his boss

And Nunes sounds like he's on a different program, like he's reading out the rules for a new board game or something

[quote]as much as the GOP wants people to believe that no one cares, no one is watching, per NPR there have been higher than normal ratings for all six networks (big three and the three political channels).

And who has the highest ratings?

Is Elise Sleezebag wrapped up in Nana's crotcheted throw? Put it on the back of the sofa when you're done with it, Elise. The cats like to sleep on it.

-Department of Defense certifies pre-conditions had been met in May

-hold up on aid is learned by Cooper in July

R182 she looks a hell of a lot older than 35. No less than 43 being generous.

and LMFAO at her twitter profile pic!! It looks about 10 years and 30 pounds ago

R181 here, Oooops, sorry I did not see that the Fox ratings have already been posted.

[quote] And who has the highest ratings?

Because WTF do you think is home watching TV during the day R181, in a way that is counted by the Nielsen ratings?

Everyone with a job is watching online.

I just think that this is such a problem...

"Impeachment Inquiry Hearings Hand Fox News Its Highest Rated Week of 2019--Channel topped broadcast and cable news networks in total day viewership during first week of hearings"

Fox News beat the other broadcast and cable news networks in viewership during both days of the impeachment inquiry hearing coverage last week to deliver its highest-rated week of the year in total day viewership.

The week of Nov. 11 brought in Fox News’ highest viewership since the 2018 midterm election, according to Nielsen ratings.

From Nov. 11 to Nov. 17, Fox News brought in 1.7 million total viewers, with 272,000 viewers in the key 25-54 age demographic. MSNBC brought in 1.3 million total viewers with 198,000 in the key demo, while CNN brought in 823,000, of which 195,000 were in the key demo.

On day two of the hearings, which took place Nov. 15, Fox News saw 2.8 million average viewers from 9:00 a.m. ET to 3:30 p.m. ET, 412,000 of whom were in the key age demographic. MSNBC averaged 2.7 million total viewers in that time span. 393,000 of those were in the 25-54 age demographic. On CNN, the average viewers for that time period were 1.8 million, of which 381,000 were in the demo.

Though Fox News was the early ratings winner among cable news channels on the first day of hearings, Nov. 13, ABC actually topped the key adults 25-54 demographic when looking across all of TV.

Early Nielsen research shows that Fox News averaged 2.9 million total viewers, with 444,000 in the main news demo tuning in from 10 a.m ET to 4 p.m. ET, which is when the hearings were taking place.

Does Elise Stefanik's pussy stink?

have to say Will Hurd has been a major disappointment. He's 1 of the more decent and likable repubs but throughout these hearings he has been asking questions that try to defend Trump

he doesn't spew the propaganda we hear from Nunes and Jordan but Hurd is certainly no Amash

Why do you think anyone here gives a fuck about the tv ratings of a propaganda tentacle? What are the ratings of Russia Today? Of Al Jazeera? Fuck off with that noise.

R175 Yep. Judges, judges and JUDGES. And stickin it to the libs.

[Quote] she looks a hell of a lot older than 35. No less than 43 being generous. and LMFAO at her twitter profile pic!! It looks about 10 years and 30 pounds ago

We all hate her, but merely going after a woman's looks is just....wrong.

[quote]Why do you think anyone here gives a fuck about the tv ratings of a propaganda tentacle?

Maybe because of the propaganda that is spewed that have people walking around believing it is truth?

If it's proven that Putin hacked the election for Dump, cannot all of his appointees be removed given that his presumed authority was fraudulent?

Hurd usually can't be heard. His manner and voice are irritatingly meek.

R192 I bash the men equally

Jordan with his hag mouth and horrific teeth is an embarrassment. Surely he makes enough money to get those things fixed

r193, these 'ratings' are dodgy to begin with given that companies are paid to have Faux playing in their waiting rooms and lobbies and day rooms etc. The whole thing is a fucking con.

[QUOTE]Hurd usually can't be heard. His manner and voice are irritatingly meek.

It's an affectation that he thinks makes himself look suave. He's repellent.

Why is Castro wearing a giant pink ribbon?

it's also because older people watch news more than younger people and in sheer terms of population there are many more over 50 white people than there are other races. Sadly we know the vast majority of over 50 whites are repubs

that explains Fox numbers

a lot of people under 40 watch shows or clips online too

and of course there are millions who don't check the news if they can help it

I am shocked that the whole country does not hate Republicans after watching these hearings.

Re: the Fox ratings. Adding MSNBC and CNN together, and other sources, they always exceed Fox's numbers. On the right, there is one choice. On the center and left, there are multiple choices.

Hale supports Yovanovitch

And the plethora of online streams can't be Nielsened.

There is no current way to accurately determine viewership ratings. That's just more propaganda.

Oh please, Denny. No one gives a shit about Yovanovich and her hurt feeelings.

R75 I completely agree with you assuming all the electors are legitimate. Let’s say that in the next election, which is free of hacking, there is an apparent electoral college tie between the Weld electors and the Mayor Pete electors so for the good of the country the majority vote for Michelle Obama instead of their guy, well then Mo is the duly elected president. That’s what the Constitution says and I support it.

I think if fraudulent electors voted we are in uncharted territory and that question would need to go to the Supreme Court to decide. Personally, I’d argue that the fraudulent elector votes should be discarded and if not enough votes are left for a majority then judicial appointments and executive orders from the fake prez should be vacated and the constitutional procedure for instances where there is no electoral college majority begun.

lmfao Jordan's new attempted defense:

Trump decided to hold up aid because Ukraine had elected a new President and wanted to make sure the conditions would still be met and that it was OK the aid was later released very close to the deadline

Jordan always looks so pasty and unhealthy.

Did Gym Socks run out of blow or has he been advised that everyone hates his SCREAMING GREMLIN song and dance?

I like Ms. Cooper, but why the FUCK does she keep turning on and off the microphone after each question? So annoying.

Leave the goddamn thing on like Under Secretary Hale does.

OH! Another upset Republican;

Rudy Giuliani @RudyGiuliani

Republican lawyer doesn’t do his own research and preparation, and is instead picking up Democrat lies, shame. Allow me to inform him: I have NO financial interests in Ukraine, NONE! I would appreciate his apology.

Are all these witnesses being asked the same questions that they were in the closed hearings?

This is boring compared to this am.

Krishnamoorthi is up, it's almost over.

I think Under Secretary Hale is hot. He sounds hot, anyways. Glad it will be over in time for the debate because I want to see what all of them say. It's sad we don't have a Dem House member running for president, haha.

I didn't realize Jackie Speier was the one who was in Jonestown, now I have even more respect for her

The Repug freeper cunt fucks want Hunter Biden to testify so they can have that kangaroo court they will constitutionally never be able to have with him.

Devin the Deplorable is giving his closing statement.

R216 She was there with her father on a fact-finding trip, and her father was shot and killed. I've met her a number of times and she is a delightful person.

Gather round deplorables, its the Devin Nunes Story Hour!

Schiff now giving his closing statement.

Closing statement? Is Schiff closing the inquiry? They should keep it open until next year until all the dirt about matters other than Ukraine come out too. We need to know. Batter when Trump is on the ropes. Not let up.

It will make it more difficult for the Senate GOP to just dismiss a House resolution.

The 2020 campaigns can wait, even benefit.

R216, yeah! She was Leo Ryan's legal aide. She was shot five times...the only thing that took her pain away is when someone brought her some rum to drink through the night until the Guyanese military came the next day.

Relax r222, He's only giving the closing statement for today.

[quote] You'd think by now the deplorable "base" would see that they're being pandered to because Repugs think they're all stupid rubes.

Deplorables are racists who cling to their guns and their religion (and their meth/opioids). They don't care about being demeaned, underestimated, undervalued or exploited as long as the occupant of the White House is not liberal, black, Mexican or gay.

[Quote] Relax [R222], He's only giving the closing statement for today.

Whew. I never underestimate the Dems gift of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

HYPOCRISY

Re: Fox News ratings - is Fox showing what the other channels are of the testimony, or is it cherry picking mostly the GOP members braying,? I'm talking about the daytime coverage, not the Politburo that takes over in the evenings.

Good ending by Schiff.

Schiff's closing statement is beating the shit out of tRump and the Republicans. He is so much better at this than Nunes.

Politics aside, the Democrats' polish and preparedness are making the GOP look like clueless buffoons. Won't matter to MAGA country but the rest of us normal people see it.

[quote] [R71] Kamala wishes she could read a bitch for filth like Sean can. Watch out cuz he will cut you. 🏳️‍🌈

Women are at a distinct disadvantage. Harris could not be as cutting and plainspoken as Maloney without being labelled a bitch.

Look at how Stefanik -- bitch that she is -- was no more obnoxious or despicable than Nunes, Gym or that other retard. However, she went nuclear and her opponent raised $1 million in 3 days. The cuntress paid a high price for her insolence -- but the dudes who behaved even worse are coasting to re-election

[Quote] Won't matter to MAGA country but the rest of us normal people see it.

Don't worry about Maga country. Fuckem.

Just think if we didn't elect the Dems in 2018 this never would have happened and tRump would have gotten away with it all!

[quote] He is so much better at this than Nunes.

While I like Schiff and think he did a great job, you set a VERY low bar for him, lol

R216 Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. She was shot several times at the airport (where the congressman and the others were killed) and was left for dead. She laid there for quite awhile before being rescued.

R231 Fair enough and a great topic but so complex maybe we should start a new thread to discuss it. I definitely would like to explore it in more depth if you're interested.

r236, stop Hall Monitoring. You don't get to decide where anyone discusses anything, you cunt.

Can articles of impeachment be drafted in a manner that would implicate Pence and render him ineligible for the vote in the Senate?

If the Democrats weren't doing this the Republicans would be forced to take him out themselves. The man is a serial fuckup. He's not going to wake up tomorrow and become competent.

I think Pence would need to be separately impeached.

r239, you're joking, right? They love everything he's doing, especially the criminal shit, the bullying, the corporate giveaways, the destruction of the republic. That's what they're into. He is the embodiment of everything they aspire to be.

R237 lol! Your raging made me laugh. Ok, talk about other shit. Talk about anything you want, honey. Just calm down and have a hot tea. 😂😂😂

R238, where are people getting this notion that Pence will be voting on the question of removal? He only votes in the case of a tie. Here the vote required is 2/3rds of the members of Senate present or 67 votes. (Or 2/3rds of whatever number of them are present.) There will be no tie vote, so no tie-breaking by Pence.

Plus, Pence would have to be separately impeached.

Depressing: Claire McCaskill says Repubs are just looking for any excuse to vote against impeachment. It doesn’t matter how convincing the Dem’s case is.

I am still very disturbed by those talking notes written in a sharpie that Trump was using when he shouted out his speech on the lawn. If this man is mentally competent, why would he need these notes to make this statement? People who have dementia sometimes write themselves notes so that during those times of day their minds go, they can refer to their notes on very basic things like this. Very very disturbing.

The entire text is:

I want nothing

I want nothing

I want no quid pro quo

Tell Zellinsky to do the right thing

This is the final word from the Pres of the U.S.

Is he going to kill himself?

And R245 he is carrying the entire pad...for one page...

R241 It’s like Santorum said on CNN last night: “I just ignore his tweets and most of what he says, I like what he DOES.”

I'm looking forward to the extra-buttery David Holmes's public debut tomorrow.

Santorum (a Republican who ran for Pres) said something along the lines of we should ignore at least 80% of what Trump says. He's a Trump supporter but acknowledges that he's way out of line in most of what he says and is crazy, but he's "just being Trump" and he "has lots of people around him to keep him in line". Wow. If he needs people to keep him in line and we should ignore most of what he says, he SHOULD NOT BE IN OFFICE.

[quote] am still very disturbed by those talking notes written in a sharpie that Trump was using when he shouted out his speech on the lawn.

It’s blunt-force sales technique, which Trump does all the time, You repeat several phrases over & over again. “Build that wall! Lock her up! Four more years! No quid pro quo!” it’s the only thing he learned in business school. “Make a short snappy phrase, repeat it. Repeat it. Repeat it.”

I want nothing! I want nothing! No quid pro quo! I said it: I want nothing. HE said it: I want nothing. There’s nothing. No quid pro quo. There was nothing.”

i like congresswoman val demings from florida... articulate and no nonsense and intelligent and forthright...

And, here we go...

Arkansas woman claims in court filing DNA test confirms Hunter Biden fathered her child

The size of Trump's sharpie notes is probably due to the fact that he's too vain to wear eyeglasses and the letters need to be that size for Trump to be able to read them. The content is another story.

And FFS R252 -- do not EVER, under any circumstance, no matter how well meaning you think you are being, refer to a black person as "articulate" It's racist and condescending AF.

R250 But JUDGES though.

Not R252 here. R254 how is referring to someone as articulate in any way racist? It's a compliment. I agree she is very articulate. So was Ms. Cooper today.

Dee-Plorable, rotund, kkkchristian, (I’ve got 4 kids), dump defender Scott Jennings on CNN with Anderson Cooper now trying to spin today’s damaging testimony, and defend the manic-moron-in-chief. Lots of eye rolling on Anderson’s panel when Jennings speaks. Poor bastard.

Same eye roll when that other Trump licker (I’ve got 5 kids), Rick Santorum spins his cotton candy. I just want to know what makes these fuckers tick.

I’ll never understand their rabid defense of the most egregious and corrupt president in modern history.

[quote] [R238], where are people getting this notion that Pence will be voting on the question of removal? He only votes in the case of a tie. Here the vote required is 2/3rds of the members of Senate present or 67 votes. (Or 2/3rds of whatever number of them are present.) There will be no tie vote, so no tie-breaking by Pence.

R243, thank you for responding in an only moderately condescending manner.

R256 here. I just googled it. I had no idea. I've lived my whole life in very diverse areas and have never heard of connecting "articulate" with racist. I suppose someone could use it that way, but I don't think most people are even aware of this. I do encourage all people to stop turning innocent things into offenses.

R256, describing someone black as “well-spoken” or “articulate” has often been a coded way of saying, “Gee, she doesn’t seem like the average black person—she’s not stupid.”

Rising DL star David Holmes is up tomorrow. He needs to cooperate or we'll send DL fave and alpha top Sean Maloney to work him over.

Ok, here's an important question we have not yet addressed: What was in Sondland's cup this morning?? He kept sipping from it every few minutes. There was a separate bottle of water so it wasn't that.

Newsweek:

Rudy Giuliani Slams GOP Counsel in Trump Impeachment Hearing For 'Picking Up Democrat Lies' About His Work in Ukraine

Kristen Welker looks good tonight.

There's no way in hell they can avoid the bribery count. No theory of law would allow it. It's even garden variety among common people that is bribery. It only makes it worse that the president did it. I wonder if Trump will try to self-pardon or get Pence to do it.

I'll just leave this here.

So what do we think the impeachment articles will be, and how many? I'm going to go with four:

Bribery

Abuse of Power

Obstruction of Justice

Contempt of Congress

[quote] R243, thank you for responding in an only moderately condescending manner

You are most welcome. I try not to be a complete bitch. 😉

Plus, you weren’t the only poster today who mentioned Pence voting on the removal question. Hence the “where are people getting . . . .”

[quote] R94: If it's proven that Putin hacked the election for Dump, cannot all of his appointees be removed given that his presumed authority was fraudulent?

No. Once the electoral college has voted and the votes certified, the election is settled.

[quote] [R256], describing someone black as “well-spoken” or “articulate” has often been a coded way of saying, “Gee, she doesn’t seem like the average black person—she’s not stupid.”

It is also a coded warning to other white people not to be fooled into thinking a black person is competent or proficient. My racist cunt former boss loathed me and used it regularly to describe me to others. She would say 'he's very articulate' but her meaning was 'he is still obstinate, dumb and lazy even though he sounds smart.'

A 3 way to witness and die for: (not in any particular order)

Daniel Goldman - Vers Top Sean Maloney - Total top David Holms - Vers Bottom

Anyone care to name another gent to join these nut busting hotties?

^^^^^^^^ Sorry for the missing commas. Just add a comma after each position.

Is there another hearing tomorrow?

Fiona Hill, former top Russia adviser to the Trump White House. She with the photographic memory.

David Holmes, U.S. Embassy in Ukraine official. He overheard the July 26 call between Sondland and President Trump. The dreamy blond who had Sondland paid for lunch while he listened to Sondland on the phone with Trump who later said that Trump doesn't give a shit about Ukraine, only the "big stuff".

Popping more corn.

R242 That shade was great, as was your suggestion for a new topic.

I found this on reddit. It’s a schedule of when specific people are supposed to appear. It’s updated regularly.

There is something very wrong with Sondland, other than his smarminess. This repellent creature cannot keep from smirking even in the most serious and sober instances. He seems to rather enjoy mugging for the cameras, and is enjoying all the attention as if he's the world's new favourite rockstar.

It's rather disgusting (atop everything else) how he has the inability to close his mouth as well; he's a classic mouthbreather. If he isn't smiling that smirk, his mouth is always agape. Yet another comic-book villain to be sure.

Someone should punch him in the dick, r276.

Trump cozies up to GOP on impeachment — including Mitt Romney and Susan Collins--The president will meet with some of his Republican critics ahead of a likely Senate trial that will decide the fate of his presidency.

President Donald Trump is aggressively courting Senate Republicans as impeachment bears down, and on Thursday, he'll come face to face with two of the most unpredictable jurors in any Senate trial: Mitt Romney and Susan Collins.

By day's end, the president will have hosted more than 40 Republican senators at the White House since autumn began, mostly for weekly lunches that address a series of issues but also usually include a side of impeachment. Another group will head to the White House on Thursday, leaving just a handful of Republican senators untended by the president.

[quote]Nunes strategy: talk to the base... he's just trying to use dumbed down conspiracy talk to stoke them. It's all they've got

And it's kinda ALL they need. I think that strategy is a lot more effective than we want to admit. Shifty motherfuckers like Sondland don’t help. I didn’t think his testimony went very well. His constant “I don’t recall” fell right into the Repubs defense IMO. It ALSO didn’t help that Nunes and GYM kept bullet pointing the faults they found after every goddamn testimony. Stupid people process information through repetition.

And you now DAMN WELL Trump doesn't speak in literal terms. FOH

[quote]Jon Lovitz would be PERFECT choice to play Sondland on SNL

Jeffery Ross played him on Jimmy Kimmel last night and it was funny

Will there be a day 5 thread?

[quote]No. Once the electoral college has voted and the votes certified, the election is settled.

Even if it can be proven the electoral vote was also compromised?

The artist of Rudy’s attic portrait must have repossessed for non-payment.

Is this bitch returning for an encore? She was at the debate Wednesday night.

SONDLAND? perfect example of how messed up this world is that someone like THAT can be a millionaire!..

bribery? the repubs are ACTUALLY ACTUALLY STATING OUT LOUD that trump bribery is NOT the "KIND" of bribery that's in the constitution! ARE YOU EFFING kidding me!...

^They just find new excuses with every new revelation. It's just ridiculous. It's so sad that none of this really matters until the repug base starts reading real news and holding their representatives accountable.

Thanks OP for starting a new thread for day 5!

R259, I would be shocked if anyone believed this. You are either low-key trolling, a racist, or just too stupid to live in 2019.

[quote] R254: And FFS [R252] -- do not EVER, under any circumstance, no matter how well meaning you think you are being, refer to a black person as "articulate" It's racist and condescending AF.

My brother-in-law has been a High school football and wrestling coach. At his wake, there were a number of former students there. I noticed that there was only one black student there, thinking it odd that there weren’t more. I mentioned to my sister that there was only one black person there, and she spontaneously said, “Yes, and he’s very well behaved.” I don’t know what she might have otherwise expected, swinging from the chandelier? At a wake! We all tease her about it to this day, because it’s so dumb.

But I learned that people routinely say stupid things at funerals and you can’t take anything seriously because nobody knows what to say.

[quote] R282: No. Once the electoral college has voted and the votes certified, the election is settled. - Even if it can be proven the electoral vote was also compromised?

There is no provision in the Constitution that allows for a reversal of a compromised election. But no President has been ever been removed from office, so there is no precedence for this situation.

Trump ‘s lower appointments could be fired by a subsequent Administration. His higher appointments, like to the SCOTUS, could be impeached, but since they, themselves, were Senate approved, and did not do anything illegal, I don’t think their impeachment would be successful. Senate approval legitimizes those who are Senate confirmed.

Also, an effort to purge such appointments would be divisive and appear to be the kind of thing done in unstable countries. It also sets up a precedence for the Republicans to purge Dems from office for partisan purposes, after they eventually regain Senate control.

Gym's attack on Mr. Holmes is ill-advised.

THAT was offensive R288. Calling me a racist because I grew up in a diverse environment where people didn't segregate themselves by race and take every perceived slight as a horrible racist offense? I am very accepting of people of all backgrounds and actually seek out diversity. I don't surround myself with people with victim mentalities, however. I don't like that behavior.

(continuation of R292): And calling someone "too stupid to live in 2019"? It seems like perhaps YOU are the troll.

I never realized that calling someone "articulate" was anything other than a compliment. I googled it myself and learned. And I acknowledged that here.

Stop being a troll R292 and spewing hatred.

Fiona Hill's lawyer's Twitter. Scathing. If the company you keep says anything about you, she did a masterful job of presenting herself neutrally. Feed is fun reading.

LOL @ myself R292. Obviously I meant to request that R288 stop being a troll. It has been a long day.

Are you Joe Biden, R259 / R292 / r293?

R270, add George Kent and his bowtie to the fantasy orgy.

Did NOT know that the handsome and dashing Senator Sean Patrick Maloney is married to a MAN (dun dun)!

Jesus, that man is a slab of beef with a side of silver fox.