Within Treason: Holding Out for a Hero (The Impeachment Trial, Part 23)

Link to previous thread for reference.

[quote]Does anyone really have any faith in Chief Roberts?

He's basically Pat Sajak in this. In every way.

Who's Vanna?

Who else?

glad I'm not watching this shitshow. I'm sure deplorables are all sexually aroused now at "the REAL facts"

As I said in the other thread, it's disgusting that lying is allowed in congressional proceedings. It was horrible that some repubs were lying on the intel and judiciary committees while witnesses were testifying under oath during the House's impeachment process.

Now it's disgusting that Trump's lawyers can tell lies as part of their "defense."

and there's never a consequence.

So, I went to the Senate Gallery yesterday afternoon to watch some of the proceedings. (I’m friends with one of the Democratic Senators, and got a pass from his office.)

I heard Jeffries, Crow, and Schiff. I thought they all did exceptionally well. Almost all of the Rethugs were seated for Jeffries’ presentation, a lot of them got up when Crow began his. Murkowski seemed to be the most engaged of all the Repukes, but that isn’t saying much. Collins was taking notes.

Being in there I was reminded of how relatively small the Senate chamber is. There’s not a lot of room to maneuver about. It also had a more intimate feel — much more so than you can get from the TV cameras. Seeing these people several dozen feet away, you get a sense of the dynamics at play. It’s why we prefer to have real, live witnesses testifying — and not just have someone read a statement they previously made or an excerpt from a grand jury transcript.

My guess is that the Rethugs may well hang together. They’ve made a calculated gamble that they can exonerate this traitorous felon — regardless of what it may do to the Constitution, democratic norms and institutions, or the country — and pay no price. I’m not sure that’s a bet they should take, because I suspect there are a sufficient number of people who have been paying attention and will vote accordingly in November.

"It is my profound honor to be the first president in history to attend the March for Life," Trump told the crowd in Washington. "Unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the White House.

How many abortions do you suppose he's paid for?

Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade asked the former New York City mayor if Giuliani's investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter in Ukraine hurt Trump.

"I would say the way I approached it is for the benefit of the American people," Giuliani told Fox News. "When the Vice President of the United States corrupts the president of another country, that is about as horrendous a crime as you can find."

Oh, there’s more, Rudy.

Someone is going to be held accountable. If it's not Trump, then it will be the Republican Senators who let him off the hook. It won't be a blue wave - it will be a blue tsunami.

Zelig is alive and well, trolling on datalounge; you'd be hard-pressed to find a more pompous, lying, longwinded, ceaselessly keyboarding bore outside the Donald White House.

Joni Ernst (R-IA) tells reporters that today's presentation by Trump's lawyers has convinced her to vote against allowing witnesses.

As if we had any doubt.

Of course, this is only because he got burned by the White House, but it's still sort of delicious and fattening ...

Matt Gaetz praises Democratic team, likens GOP defense to "an eighth-grade book report," then takes it back and says eighth-graders would at least know how to use PowerPoint

r8, given his documented insistence on barebacking his hookups he's probably responsible for many a trip to Planned Parenthood, both for terminations and STD treatments. But I doubt he personally pays for any of it.

I love our side. Republicans can truly go fuck themselves.

All Republicans are "pro life" until the birth of a child. After that, they could not care less.

[quote]All Republicans are "pro life" until the birth of a child. After that, they could not care less.

And they see nothing at all inconsistent about this. You almost have to admire that level of willful delusion.

Republican politicians don’t even care about unborn children, it’s just a tool to manipulate and mobilize their base.

[quote] All Republicans are "pro life" until the birth of a child. After that, they could not care less.

I saw so many signs around DC yesterday from that absurd “March for Life” saying “ Human Rights Begin in the Womb.”

I wanted to say to those carrying them, “and apparently that’s where they end, also, because the reich-wing doesn’t care once the kid is born.”

They happily lock up little brown children. I love it when they use the "black genocide" argument. That evil white Dems want to encourage black women to abort their offspring so their race dies out.

Bitch, please!

Abortion is the emotional, polarizing, non-issue that cowardly Republicans hide behind. It's a non-issue because, the Supreme Court decided on it years ago and, in reality, the GOP doesn't really want abortion to be revisited/struck down by the SCOTUS because it's their favorite point of reflection from all of the shitty things the party does to the American people on a daily basis. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that the person who disrupted the Senate proceedings the other day (who was reported to be an antiabortion activist) was contracted to do so by the GOP itself.!

R533 from the previous thread... “ I wonder where McCain would have stood during these proceedings.”

I think he’d have some trouble standing at this point. I’m certain he would take this lying down.

I can’t watch. We know how it’ll turn out. I’m waiting for Iowa

I kind of am increasingly feeling disgust for the country. Our system.

I just can’t believe so many Congressional representatives and Senators are willing to meekly allow the Pres to stiff arm their subpoenas. How can they ever get that power back?

If Trump somehow gets re-elected after this, he will be even more insufferable and dangerous. I honestly hope he dies.

I want him to suffer for at least ten years, following a massive aneurysm or stroke.

This past week I have heard guests on MSNBC say that the Republicans are scared of Trump and/or McConnell. What are they afraid of?

The AP has obtained the long version of the Parnas recording.

They're afraid of losing power, being primaried and getting kicked out of the rich white dude club.

They want to be the leaders in the new American oligarchy.

I watched very little of the hearings today.

I did hear later that Romney leans towards calling for witnesses and documents. It's uncertain if three or more other Republicans will join him.

I think their strategy to just take a couple of hours this morning may not have worked well for them All the cable channels were geared up for coverage so they spent the day analyzing and fact checking.

R6 thanks for sharing that. Did you notice more of the senators? Any who clearly weren't listening?

Any who rolled their eyes?

Listen. The comments Trump made about "how long will they last (Ukraine) without our support" and the rest of the tapes Parnas and his lawyer are releasing to the Intel committee are devastating. For get the petty "insults" the Republicans invented to justify voting against witnesses and evidence. The Media is plastering this everywhere. We have to push the media and retweet and get on social media and make it trend. "How long can they last?" Because that will definitely embarrass the GOP and get their attention.

Trump complained that the had to present their case on a Saturday when nobody was watching...thats why it was so short. They want prime time to peddle their bullshit and conspiracy theories...since Fox is now broadcasting Trumps team in full that means all the Hannity and Ingram viewers will be tuned in as they spin the bullshit they feed their viewers while its played out on national tv to give it credibility.

[quote] Did you notice more of the senators? Any who clearly weren't listening? Any who rolled their eyes?

I was sitting on the left side of the Gallery, so I could see all off the Repukes, and less than half of the Dems. It was difficult to say what they were doing. Some appeared to be taking notes — but they could have been writing a grocery list for all I know. A number were reading, and some — mostly the Dems — appeared to be reading from the handouts that the managers had provided throughout the afternoon. During Jeffries’ presentation it looked like everyone was there and seated. When Crow got up to talk there was a lot of shifting around, and a number of Rethugs took that as an opportunity to get up.

I didn’t see anyone making any gestures like eye rolling. I had to leave before Schiff was done, so I wasn’t there for his mention of the “heads-on-pikes” comment.

That’s exciting though, R6, you got to see history in the making

who the fuck is Pompeo with his lisp trying to intimidate? and he's a proven liar so his claim that the reporter pointed to Bangladesh instead of Ukraine is not even close to believable. He lost all credibility between the Khasoggi murder, the Ukraine scandal and more

If the Republican senators are so afraid of Trump and think he could give them petty nicknames or campaign against them in their home states as this Dem senator claimed, all they have to do is find 20 senators and vote to remove him from office. Problem solved and this bastard would only be a footnote in history and a case for the SDNY.

Poor Pompeo thought his cursing, bitching and ridiculing the journalist with his stupid map was of the record. But surely the journalist and the media are lacking integrity.

it's just not reasonable to find out about this 1 audio/visual clip we have of Trump blabbing about Yovanovitch with Fruman and Parnas and not want to hear both their testimonies plus others and more documents

I wonder how much the public is aware of this. I mean common sense tells you there's likely more evidence out there

First, Trump's GOP won't give campaign money to anyone who votes against him. You know the old expression, you come for the king, you'd best not miss... if Trump isn't replaced, then the GOP will cut funds to the brave souls who were committed to integrity. Second, anyone who votes against Trump will be primaried by a rival nut-job. Third, if Trump is out-of-office, he still has twitter.

The obvious answer to all this is to vote Trump out and then circle the wagons around Pence. If Pence had any brains, he would send his surrogates out to be privately reassuring any Senators on the fence that the GOP won't cut off campaign money and won't support primary challengers. And the minute that Trump is out the door, Pence will personally call Twitter and ask them to permanently cut Trump's twitter feed for violation of terms of service. Of course Pence surrogates can't say this to all Senators - he would be ratted out to Trump - but he only needs to say it to the 20 most likely candidates. Then after Trump is gone, those candidates can give speeches about how sorry they were, but law and order must prevail, and they stand solidly behind new President Pence, who vows to continue the "great" policies of Trump. By that time, Bernie or Elizabeth of AOC will say something provocative, which the Republican establishment will use to re-focus attention away from Trump and how only President Pence stands between us and the socialists, yadda, yadda.

Goodness! Lev is clearly scorned and ready to bring Orangino down with him. I love it !!

If the Senate decides to consider new impeachment trial witnesses and documents next week, Sen. Josh Hawley plans to try and force votes on everyone from Adam Schiff to Joe Biden.

that's the ting. I would think the repubs would want to rally around Pence so they could try to falsely reclaim moral authority again. It would make them all look better in the eyes of the public if they dumped Trump. Riding off the cliff with him doesn't seem like a smart idea. I hope it backfires on them come November but who knows

I see no reason why Democrats can't flip Maine, North Carolina, Arizona, Iowa and more senate seats

Hawley is one of the fuckers Russia cheated into his seat. Piece of shit, through and through.

Republicans are just horrible people, liars, amoral lowlifes...I always knew those were the facts and unfortunately I was right.

as someone who was a preteen and teen during Clinton's second term, I didn't know how hypocritical and fake the repubs were. They kept giving off the image of goody two shoes christians who had an ownership on morality. When I was in high school and college during the Bush years their self-righteousness was nauseating. During the Obama years I began to realize they're just hateful and highly partisan but I never knew until the Trump era how despicable they are. They have no redeeming qualities. I really hope millennials and gen z show up in the battleground states this year to vote for Democrats. I feel like repubs SHOULD have lost these 2 generations but who knows. We know hetero white boomers are mostly long gone, heavily into the cult and gen x is split.

How the hell can Trump’s lawyers claim that impeachment is unconstitutional?! Where do they think that idea came from?

R52 Stop watching MSNBC and research it yourself. But you're probably not even smart enough to get fucked as a page in congress.

Ooh gworl

[quote]I did hear later that Romney leans towards calling for witnesses and documents. It's uncertain if three or more other Republicans will join him.

Oh, I'm pretty certain that there won't be.

And, R55, I'm pretty sure even Romney won't vote for witnesses or evidence.

I'm done with it all. I voted the Democrats into office in 2018; they impeached Trump; they've done an awesome job.

He won't be ousted, and he very well may steal another election. But he'll always be I-45.

Romney is the one Republican who can survive Trump’s wrath (whether Trump is in office or out). The rest of them know that if they vote him out he will make destroying them his life’s mission. (And Twitter will never cut him off). Removing him from office would work for them only if removal included a death sentence.

Can he Tweet from prison?

R59, prisoners aren’t supposed to use social media but apparently there are work-arounds.

"the Supreme Court decided on it years ago"

Ohio is quickly becoming abortion-free..

The only reason he hasn't been thrown off of Twitter is because he's squatting in the WH.

Once he's gone, his incessant abuse and threats will get him banned. Especially if that shit starts being regulated like it should.

That will shut his anus mouth and end his reign of terror.

I can't figure out why the rethugs haven't made some behind the scenes deal to get that to happen. Should be pretty easy considering all of the criminal shit they normally do.

Either ban the fucker from Twitter for violating the TOS or we will fine the fuck out of you and strip you of your tax breaks. Easy.

[quote]"Human Rights Begin in the Womb.”

Except, according to Trump spiritual advisor Paula White, if they're "Satanic pregnancies." I don't think that's very nice.

Wow.

R51 - ... hope millennials and gen z show up in the battleground states this year to vote for Democrats. I feel like repubs SHOULD have lost these 2 generations but who knows. We know hetero white boomers are mostly long gone, heavily into the cult and gen x is split.”

Where do you get your line of thinking? White boomer here, not gone, not into the “cult”, and voting in November to get the orange shit stain out of office.

Dis the GenXers and GenZers. You’d have to threaten to pry the cell phones from their delicate fingers to get them to the voting booth.

R9 Why are you posting crap from Fox News? Because you’re a troll.

R65 R51 is a troll.

Is there any one or group planning a big march about this? There was one before the House vote. I would love to go to one before the Senate votes but would like to know earlier (I only found out about it a few days before and it ended up not happening the way we were told it would). If it was on a weekend, I could round up several people to go.

I want those yellow-bellied cowards (Repubs) to see that there are a lot of people pissed off with them.

R65 you do realize you're in the minority? The majority of white hetero boomers are the Trump base. He'd never have been elected without them. They are also the Fox "News" base.

Kudos to the white hetero boomers who vote for Democrats but that's only about 1/3 of those voters.

R65 you do realize you're in the minority? The majority of white hetero boomers are the Trump base. He'd never have been elected without them. They are also the Fox "News" base.

Kudos to the white hetero boomers who vote for Democrats but that's only about 1/3 of those voters.

R68 so far MoveOn.org and Indivisible are just advising people to keep calling their senators. I didn't see any marches planned yet but I think they're probably waiting until they know when the big vote is on whether to convict or acquit?

A bit of much needed humor for anyone who didn't see this clip... I only wish they had gotten someone other than Jon Lovitz to play Dershowitz.

Lovitz was channeling his "That the ticket" shtick and read cue cards WORSE than Leslie Jones.

You are right r72.

I love the idea of the skit but they should have included in hell someone like Hannity

Hannity's parents?

Cecily Strong and Beck Bennett were spot-on as Susan Collins and MItch McConnell. I especially loved how Cecily winked at the camera. I hope someone makes sure Collins sees the skit.

[quote] Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said this week he'd rather request an outside counsel investigation in the Bidens than see Congress subpoena them.

And Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, and Rand Paul, among others, are quite ambitious in a deplorable way.

Maggie Haberman, of NYT, is on CNN's Inside Politics with John King.

She certainly admires the Trump defense team.

Younger voters, between 18 and 35, will show up for a strong position on the Environment, and a strong position on Gun Safety. Cost of Education and Healthcare would be second tier, and jobs/ minimum wage increase, third tier. Now, all of it is important, but that would be my ranking.

I don't know about a big march, but I hope "visits" are planned for the Republican Senators. No matter where they go they need to hear us and see us and be "concerned" about us. Supermarket, church, kids' soccer games, restaurants, shopping malls, etc. Everywhere. They. Go. Even in their neighborhood. Stand on a corner, public property, with signs.

[quote]Republicans are just horrible people, liars, amoral lowlifes...I always knew those were the facts and unfortunately I was right.

I used to argue that there had to be some decent Republicans. I just don't see now how anyone with any shred of decency or intellect could cast their ballot for a Republican candidate. I don't say they have to vote Democrat but just stay home and withhold your vote. Those people - none of 'em - deserve your vote.

The shame factor needs to be a strong element in the Democratic campaign messaging. Enough is enough.

^Unfortunately, they are shameless and they have guns and Jesus on their side. They can lie, cheat, steal, rape and pillage and still feel secure in the fact that AT LEAST they are not baby killing sodomites powered by Satan, like we are. We're going to spend eternity in hell anyway, so why should Republicans care about us. GOD likes them to act out his vengeance on those of who who deserve it. - This is their argument, and it's a good one, because you can't argue with magic and WE KILL BABIES!

^The only solution I could see working is to "weaponize the bible", and take it to them in the pews.

Obama's faith was questioned for 8 years. When Clinton was impeached we heard all about him breaking 2 of the 10 commandments. Why is no one asking theise hypocritcals cunt and pricks, "As a Christian, how do you feel about Trump bearing false witness against his neighbor over 16,000 times?". " You say Trump is forgiven for his adultery with a porn star, but he has never even admitted it, how does that square with your faith".

GOD DAMN IT. Just a few months ago a priest didn't give Biden communion, based on his thought crimes, why is NO ONE asking if GIuliani should receive communion for his sins. Evil kuntz, all of them.

Obviously, I hate religion. Democrat Christians, why the fuck are you not making these arguments in the press?

Hey, IDIOT at R66!

I wasn’t posting a link from FUX, you DUMB, LAZY, FUCKING MORON! The link was from Daily Beast.

I first quoted Giuliani’s pompous response to Kilmeade’s question he made on FUX chastising a VP corrupting the President of a foreign country (meaning Biden), THEN I provided a link from the Daily Beast shining a light on Pence, THE CURRENT VP: CURRENTLY CORRUPTING THE PRESIDENT OF A FOREIGN COUNTRY.

> Cue the always-welcome, always-delightful Edna Garrett Troll <

^Good, I'm happy that others are as pissed off as I am, god damn it.

There will be no fair election. HE/THEY will do anything to win. ANYTHING

We need a national strike and take to the streets and pews.

I don't give a shit, because I don't have kids. But wake up for fucks sake, Rome is falling.

So now the asshole is threatening Schiff, tweeting he “hasn’t paid the price, yet.” How far is too far for this piece of shit?

R70 - “you do realize you're in the minority? The majority of white hetero boomers are the Trump base. He'd never have been elected without them. They are also the Fox "News" base. Kudos to the white hetero boomers who vote for Democrats but that's only about 1/3 of those voters.”

Yes, you’re right. I know I’m in the minority. I’m a “progressively minded” 66 yo guy, NYC born/ raised, and now living in the beach in predominantly “Blue”, Ft Lauderdale. To my dismay, I’ve run into these asshole Trump licking boomers more frequently than I’d like to. Even here in Lauderdale. I cut these fuckers off at their knees Brooklyn style, at their first trumpian syllable. They’re devastated, and hobble away, dumbfounded and speechless, because they know I’m right about their demented and dangerous orange leader. Fuck them; they’ll never change.

So now, I’m doing as much as I can to encourage our younger voters to get out to the booths in November, to help change things for the better. They/ we can do this.

R65

A White House Aide walked by members of the press the other day, and state "I can't WAIT for the revenge phase to start!" I can't help but wonder what sort of "revenge" Dump is cooking up...Is he going to "go all-out Putin" and start killing his enemies (in covert or overt fashion)...?!

Washington Post:

Trump wants a Senate Democrat to vote for acquittal in impeachment trial. White House eyes Joe Manchin.

NBC:

Trump's Senate defense so far echoes his Twitter feed

Source R90?

[quote]MoveOn.org and Indivisible are just advising people to keep calling their senators.

Maureen Dowd attended the trial one day last week and reported:

One Democratic Senate staffer mourned the apathy. “Our phones aren’t ringing,” he told me. “Nobody cares. It’s the saddest thing ever.”

[quote]Why is no one asking theise hypocritcals cunt and pricks, "As a Christian, how do you feel about Trump bearing false witness against his neighbor over 16,000 times?". " You say Trump is forgiven for his adultery with a porn star, but he has never even admitted it, how does that square with your faith".

I can tell you their answer, because I've heard and read it a thousand times: "God has always used imperfect vessels to carry out His will."

We have reached fire hose level evidence of corruption. As predicted, Trump has followed the Hitler/Putin playbook. Change the channel and you will either see ANOTHER high crime or misdemeanor in progress OR you can watch State Run Media.

Here you go, r93.....

The Hill: Clinton says Zuckerberg has 'authoritarian' views on Facebook ads, misinformation

Clinton said that her 2016 presidential campaign did not "understand what was going on below the radar screen," at an event Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival, including alleged conspiracy theories, sexist claims and other lies the former secretary of State claims were spread about her online.

In an interview with the Atlantic, Clinton specifically referenced a slowed-down video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), which was meant to make her appear drunk. Clinton said Google took the video off of YouTube, so she contacted Facebook in an effort to get it removed from the social media site.

"I said, 'Why are you guys keeping this up? This is blatantly false. Your competitors have taken it down. And their response was, 'We think our users can make up their own minds,'" Clinton told the magazine. Facebook defended the choice at the time, saying that flagging the video instead of removing it allowed users to make up their own minds.

Adrienne LaFrance, who interviewed Clinton, said when she previously interviewed Zuckerberg, he said Facebook's position is that "It's not about saying, 'Here's one view; here's the other side,'" and that users "should decide where you want to be."

When asked if she thought that perspective was "Trumpian," Clinton responded that "It's Trumpian" and "It's authoritarian."

"I feel like you're negotiating with a foreign power sometimes," Clinton added about conversations she has had "at the highest levels" with Facebook, the Atlantic reported.

"This is a global company that has huge influence in ways that we're only beginning to understand," she continued.

Clinton also predicted that Facebook is "not just going to reelect Trump, but intend[s] to reelect Trump."

They have, in my view, contorted themselves into making arguments about freedom of speech and censorship," Clinton alleged, the Atlantic reported, "which they are hanging on to because it's in their commercial interests."

Clinton has previously criticized Facebook over misinformation that can be spread on the site. Last year, Clinton called the social media giant's decision to allow ads from politicians that contain proven falsehoods "appalling."

"Facebook's decision to allow false information in political advertisements is appalling. Voters are being confronted by millions of pieces of misinformation. A world where up is down and down is up is a world where democracy can't thrive," she tweeted.

Travis Gettys

3 days ago

‘I can’t wait for revenge’: White House aide vows payback over Trump impeachment trial

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The White House legislative liaison is seeking revenge as President Donald Trump faces an impeachment trial in the Senate.

According to Bloomberg reporter Daniel Flatley, legislative affairs director Eric Ueland walked past a group of reporters at the Capitol and said, “I can’t wait for revenge.”

Enjoy this story? ...then let us make a small request. Like you, we believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as others give it the ax. Raw Story readers like you power our reporting. Click here to support us for as little as $1.

Ueland apparently has a penchant for vengeance.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), one of Trump’s fiercest defenders in the House, suspects Ueland pushed to keep him off the impeachment defense team as payback for his vote to limit the president’s war powers, reported Politico.

“I don’t know why it would serve someone in the White House to manufacture a divide between the president and one of his best communicators during impeachment,” Gaetz told the website.

Ueland declined to comment on Gaetz’s remarks, but he did mention the lawmaker’s support for a House resolution to prevent further U.S. military action against Iran.

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Will Lindsay Graham go home soon? I'm praying.

NBC:

Trump suggests Schiff will pay a 'price' for pushing impeachment

I'm actually scared for Adam Schiff. As we all know, Trump isn't going to be removed. He and his supporters will be even more vengeful. Adam Schiff is a true American hero and we must all our duty to protect him by VOTING TRUMP OUT in 2020. Do not lose sight of that goal. We must fight as hard as Adam Schiff has.

USA Today:

Pompeo says NPR host 'lied' and mistook Bangladesh for Ukraine but doesn't dispute he cursed at her

*

'Mother' campaigns in Italy to military spouses.

[quote]Karen Pence, 63, works twice a week at a private Christian school that does not allow gay students and requires employees to affirm that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.

[quote]She and the vice president, former Roman Catholics who became evangelical Christians, had earlier Friday visited Pope Francis.

AFP:

Trump immigration clampdown may threaten Americans' jobs, wages, economists say

DJT is tweeting statements that can be interpreted as threats. This is getting to be a regular pattern.

Re-electing DJT will be even more dangerous with this mindset.

R103, The reporter has a Master's Degree in European History from Cambridge.

R101, I wonder if Susan Collins is as outraged by Trump's tweet as she was when Adam Schiff quoted the head on a spike comment? A comment that he was only repeating from an article that he had read outing an anonymous Rep. Senator as saying.

Oh Kellyanne. What do you know about facts and evidence? What you have there really stinks. Stinky, stinky, stinky.

May Mother’s cunt profoundly itch and torment her for the rest of her days.

This sentiment also applies to every Republican and Trump supporter, male and female. Cause we all know symbolically speaking, male Republicans and Trump supporters have cunts too.

The revenge and harassment threat is real. Thanks to social media, it is easier to identify your kindred spirits and organize. The Republicans have weaponized the internet. At every single level, they will exact revenge in any way they can against everyone they can find. That's why we read about incidents of violence or confrontations by private citizens, etec. Cruelty and revenge are the point.

Trump threatens members of the news media, private citizens, businessmen, donors, his own staff, , he threatens members of Congress, he threatens judges, etc. There is no one who is immune from retaliation. And if he gets re-elected he will make Nixon's enemies list look like a joke. He is counting on violence and intimidation and he would love to provoke violence out here so he can declare an emergency, institute martial law, and suspend the Constitution "indefinitely."

There is a possibility there will be violence. There is a possibility. And if there is,be ready for it.We have to push back. We can't simply cave in and let him do the kind of damage he is planning. Remember what Pelosi said: All roads lead to Russia. The audio from that dinner ought to be all you need to confirm that. "How long can they hold on without our help..." THings are only going to get worse. Believe it. And we can't back down and appease these bullies, and reward this appalling level of corruption.

Susan is "worried", "concerned" and "troubled". Give her a Sunday with drinky-poos to cope with the confusion.

I guess people have tried this before and failed, but someone should do it on an hourly basis now and remind Orangina that he's the president of the United States and not some mobster in NJ. Even if he's pissed about impeachment, threatening ambassadors and congressmen is not normal behavior for a US president. Remind him again and again that this is beneath this position and office.

Unfortunately R113, were he rational enough to comprehend that, he wouldn’t need to be reminded.

Newsweek:

Fox News Host Jeanine Pirro Confronts Giuliani to Reveal 'Evidence' of Biden's Alleged 'Corruption'

As Charlie Pierce of [italic]Esquire[/italic] wrote, "His mind is a writhing ball of snakes." There's nothing he'd love better than to execute Hillary himself in front of the entire country. You know, make it a special TV event.

Can you imagine anything more disappointing than be invited to meet Karen Pence?

[quote]Can you imagine anything more disappointing than be invited to meet Karen Pence?

Being invited to be her gynecologist?

r116, absolutely, which is why he always cums in his pants around world leaders who actually do things like that to their opponents.

[quote]Being invited to be her gynecologist?

That's not disappointing. That's frightening.

It very dusty down here

CNN: Veterans of Foreign Wars demands apology from Trump for downplaying brain injuries from Iranian attack

*

Like that'll happen.

I mean, the VFW being willing to criticize him is bigger than it might seem.

For a man to embrace violence and cruelty so fully...how ironic would it be if he were to experience it...

Remember when Trump was talking about the African American freedom fighter, Frederick Douglass? Well here:

"Power concedes nothing without demand. It never has and it never will..."

Half of those kooks that showed up in Virginia with all kinds of guns would run and hide if you confronted them individually. I bet many of them could not pass a background check or they're eligible for red flags.

They went to Richmond to demonstrate and protest against gun safety legislation. Guess what? The legislation passed anyway. So fuck all these threats. To defeat a bully you push back.

When this Impeachment shit started, Trump was peeing on himself because he was scared of Pelosi and he was scared when the trial started in the Senate. SCARED. He was terrified of the possibility the Republican Senate would turn on him.

That's all it would take to end this nightmare. 4 Republicans to demand witnesses, and 20 to run him out of office. Remove him. That's all. We need 20 people to say FUCK YOU, Donnie! I know they won't, but life would get easier real fast if they would.

There's safety in numbers. So we have to stick together and push back. .

As someone mentioned up-thread, please consider immediately Emailing your Senators urging them to vote for new, relevant witnesses and the release of the needed documents. Even if your Senators are Democratic, share your views.and support. Also, fire off an Email to McConnell; you don't have to be a Kentucky resident to do. You can Email any Senator, but staff may take home state constituents with a little more regard.

I Emailed Tim Scott, Mitch, and Lindsey. While one person won't force them to change their minds, it adds to the pressure.

There's a form that senate.gov uses. It's quick and easy. Request a reply. You can be brief and to the point, while courteous.

Calling may be useful as well. Snail mail is good too, but timing matters.

Depending where you live, a letter to the editor of your local paper is a worthy endeavor.

Fuck that, r126.

Show up at their offices and demand to know why they are covering for a criminal.

Most of them refuse to even speak to you. They won't answer the fucking phones, either. Emails are ignored at best. Usually you get some stupid, canned reply.

I'm all for confronting them in public but most of them don't dare show their faces because they understand most people are pissed and that they are going AGAINST their oath AND the will of the people.

We need to start snatching some weaves, rugs and plugs.

I'm calling Rob Portman daily to demand relevant witnesses and documents. I'm forceful but relatively polite.

He, like many others, probably thinks he's safe since he won't be up for reelection until 2022. But all two and a half years is going to mean is a mountain of evidence coming to light, proving that his vote to deny witnesses and evidence was a part of the cover-up. He can't hide.

Mind you, I don't expect him to actually do the right thing. He's scum. But hopefully, we can use his votes to tar and feather him come 2022.

Someone said that they heard, so DL, that Schifgf has something "up hi sleeve".

I hope it is Article 3, the actual crimes of Donald J Trump.

A SECOND impeachment?

[quote]Younger voters, between 18 and 35, will show up for a strong position on the Environment, and a strong position on Gun Safety. Cost of Education and Healthcare would be second tier, and jobs/ minimum wage increase, third tier. Now, all of it is important, but that would be my ranking.

And, in not one of those areas, is Joe Biden the answer. We need a progressive to get the younger voters out. The older Democrats will come out to vote from whomever the Dems put up because they know we need to get rid of Trump. No one under 70 is enthused about Biden.

This may have been posted before, but it's worth posting again. It's 60 minutes and well worth watching.

America's Great Divide: Robert Reich Interview | FRONTLINE

Why do they want to put Schiff on the stand? If John Roberts allows that, I’m done with this circus.

[quote]Someone said that they heard, so DL, that Schifgf has something "up hi sleeve". I hope it is Article 3, the actual crimes of Donald J Trump.

I hope it’s the actual crimes of the Republican enablers.

It was a forgone conclusion Republicans would NEVER do their duty and remove Trump from office.

This impeachment was not only about getting Trump’s misdeeds on record, it was about bringing to light not only the Republicans reticence to convict him, but their motivations for refusing to do so.

They don’t serve and protect Trump.

They serve and protect Putin and their own selfish interests.

Even if that only means trying to keep private whatever shameful thing Putin has on them - Republicans do not serve their country or fellow citizens, they serve only themselves:

Refusing to risk embarrassment over protecting their country.

Traitors - every last one of them.

They would NEVER put Schiff on the stand. That’s just grandstanding on their part to make it look like Schiff is some sort of criminal. If they were to actually put him on the stand, Schiff would eat them alive.

That would be so stupid: "No, YOU'RE impeached! Nanny-nanny boo-boo! Nyah-nyah-nyah!"

[quote]As someone mentioned up-thread, please consider immediately Emailing your Senators urging them to vote for new, relevant witnesses and the release of the needed documents. Even if your Senators are Democratic, share your views.and support. Also, fire off an Email to McConnell; you don't have to be a Kentucky resident to do. You can Email any Senator, but staff may take home state constituents with a little more regard.

All collective efforts have some value. An office manager for a former Congressman I knew told me once that contacts do matter. She said a Congressman may not personally read all the mail, but they do count it on given issues.

I wrote Thom Tillis and Richard Burr about ten days ago, and received replies from both, last two days. I asked each a simple question. I got a reply from Burr's office actually answering the question. Tillis office sent an acknowledgement. I sent the correspondence to their state office regional managers.

Regardless of Justice Roberts' personal views on Trump, he doesn't want his legacy on this as presiding over a carnival clown show. I'm sure he's made that point to Mitch much earlier.

Why isn't DJT being banned from Twitter.

This should be an added reason to impeach.

Wray may have an eye on this.

NYT:

Trump Tied Ukraine Aid to Inquiries He Sought, Bolton Book Says

Wow, R139! This seems like a big break in the case. Bolton MUST testify.

^

The book presents an outline of what Mr. Bolton might testify to if he is called as a witness in the Senate impeachment trial, the people said. The White House could use the pre-publication review process, which has no set time frame, to delay or even kill the book’s publication or omit key passages.

Even if the WH pulls out all the stops to keep him from testifying, these reports will cast a big shadow over his acquittal. Bolton is a former Fox News star, so it will be hard to discount him. I wish someone would just go ahead and publish the sections of his draft book that cover this.

Can’t Bolton just do an interview and get whatever he has to say out there?

Should he give the interview on Fox?

Bolton is a game player. He loves the attention and drama and being begged. He won't displease Fox, and remains a hard-right Republican loyalist. He could have gone under oath and had testified before the House. He avoided it. He teases to sell a book. I will not buy or read his damn book.

"In a Saturday statement, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused an NPR host and veteran reporter of lying, being an example of the "unhinged" media, and misidentifying Bangladesh as Ukraine on a map... Pompeo ended his statement by saying: "It is worth noting that Bangladesh is NOT Ukraine," seemingly implying that Kelly misidentified Bangladesh as Ukraine on the map he brought into the office.

Kelly, a highly-respected veteran foreign correspondent and national security reporter who has reported from Russia, Iraq, and North Korea, additionally holds a master's degree in European studies from Cambridge University, making it highly unlikely that she would confuse Ukraine and Bangladesh, located in southeast Asia"

I think that's grounds for a defamation suit. Just outright scurrilous lies.

"Why isn't DJT being banned from Twitter."

The Russiapublicans re-installed a more Trump-friendly CEO prior to the rebel outsider genius billionaire's "surprise" run (and even more shocking win) for POTUS:

"In 2015, an internal Twitter memo by Costolo was leaked in which he said he was "frankly ashamed" at how poorly Twitter handled trolling and abuse, saying, "We suck at dealing with abuse and trolls on the platform and we've sucked at it for years", and admitted Twitter had lost users as a result.... On June 11, 2015, it was announced that Costolo would step down as CEO on July 1, 2015 and would be replaced by Twitter co-founder and chairman Jack Dorsey on an interim basis until the Board of Directors could find a replacement. On August 8, 2015, The New York Times reported that Costolo would be leaving Twitter's Board of Directors by the end of the year or when a new CEO is appointed."

It really bothers me that these Republican Senators are acting like they know nothing about the case against the President except whatever is presented in the Senate chamber. Every one of them knew the Houses’ case before the Senate trial started.

They are chronic liars and they have no souls.

Hope J Bolton has a bodyguard.

The opening sentence of R139’s NYTimes link:

[quote] Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton.

That being the case, Bolton has to testify. Someone dropped this little tidbit at the most opportune time. Bolton has relevant evidence that is critical to the ultimate question before the Senate. The rat-fucking Repukes have been screaming from the rafters for months that Cheatolini had nothing to do with “Rudy’s“ scheme. (And even if he did, it’s no big deal.) This provides direct evidence that he not only knew, but directed the crime himself. (Which the rest of us already knew.). I think most of the public will have a very different view from the Rethugs on this revelation.

The Republican response will be that the Dems should have subpoenaed Bolton if they wanted the Senate to hear from him. A Republican Senator told MSNBC that as the news was breaking.

They will look awfully stupid when Bolton’s book comes out, if they vote not to hear from him.

They’ve already said that even if Trump did everything the Dems allege, they don’t consider it impeachable.

yesterday Senator Chris Murphy tweeted that the Republicans were bluffing about Bidens and Schiff because the reality is that they definitely do not want Bolton or Mulvaney to testify, so they threaten but this is not happening. No one wants it.

The real reason that the Senate doesnt want witnesses and documents is because they know Trump will refuse to comply with the Senate also...proving the House case and making it impossible for the GOP to acquit.

Senator Shelby (R-AL) said this new report of Bolton info requires witnesses to testify...so the dam is starting to crack.

I just sent the NYTimes article to Sen. Rob Portman. If you have a Republican Senator in your state, you should do the same. They should all have their fat, ugly faces rubbed in this article.

Make them hear you.

R157 I just did. Thanks for your suggestion.

Cheeto pulls a Melania and copies Obama's tweet about Kobe Bryant's death. First Obama's:

Rick Wilson:

Watch for Mitch and the WH team (but I repeat myself) to work overtime to end the entire proceedings as fast as possible.

Great idea to send all the Republican Senators a copy of the report about Bolton, but Purdue is mine and some evil woman the Republican governor of Georgia just appointed. Ugly nasty Trumpanistas. So no point because they do not care about his guilt or innocence.

But by writing that book, Bolton and Trump cannot claim executive privilege. And you know what? Schiff and other Impeachment managers knew this Friday.Because I distinctly remember one of them saying that even if the Senate Republicans blocked witness testimony that public would read about it in a book or newspaper article, so it was all going to come out. I suspect Schumer and some of the Dems are working the Republican Senators this weekend, people like Lamar Alexander, maybe even Grassley Murkowski, certainly Romney and a couple more. We may get 5-6 Republicans to vote with Dems to have witnesses.

This is also significant: “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged privately that there was no basis to claims by Rudolph W. Giuliani that the ambassador to Ukraine was corrupt and believed Mr. Giuliani may have been acting on behalf of other clients, Mr. Bolton wrote.”

Nancy keeps giving the GOP more and more rope to hang themselves.

@Popehat

In Shocking Twist, Further Evidence Of Something Everyone Already Knew Emerges, Assuring Same Result

Schiff rules the GOP drools.

Those vulnerable GOP Senators are damned either way. Deplorables will not vote for them if they do anything against Pres Bone Spurs like voting for witnesses and while their elections are already on shaky ground. Going forward, no one running under the R label will be able to go against him. They've created this monster and have to live with it for the foreseeable future.

Hopefully this episode will fuck the GOP over for good. They will lose the Senate, and--when ALL of Dump's dirty laundry is aired--those cowardly assholes who stood by will be held in a very bad light. The dominoes are going to fall and, in the end, Dump will be shown for what he is: the worst, most corrupt pre8in US history.

[quote]Senator Shelby (R-AL) said this new report of Bolton info requires witnesses to testify...so the dam is starting to crack.

Do you have a source for this? I don't see it anywhere.

Reporter Matt O'Brien:

Think about how much the Republican Party’s complete & utter corruption is taken for granted: We’re not hoping that evidence of Trump’s obvious guilt will get 20 of them to remove him. We’re hoping that 4 of them will even allow that evidence *to be heard*.

"The majority of white hetero boomers are the Trump base."

Yep, but DLers will insist that Gen Z kids and millennials are the real problem. Because they don't understand that old people mostly vote GOP (except for the ones who are gay or non-white)

r94, take Maureen Dowd with a grain of salt. She's the cunt who gave us "Donald the Dove"

Fellow Portman caller, thank you!

I've been calling the useless jackass everyday for the past two weeks and bombarding him with postcards.

I want his staff to groan every time my number comes up on the phone and dead getting the mail.

Fuck this pathetic, spineless NRA whore and his "pro life" lies. Fuck him right in his clenched sphincter.

R172, yes. There's the personal agenda in her narratives.

I find it amusing that John Bolton is a bigger grifter than Trump. He scheduled this leak to the NYT at exactly the right moment to gain maximum interest in his book... and if it screwed Trump's defense, too bad, so sad. He clearly has zero fear of Trump.

Between Parnas and Fruman trying to out-do each other in leaks in order to get the best deal.... and the investigation over in Ukraine (which will presumably give Zelensky leverage to screw with Trump)…. and now Bolton's book, which will free up his aides to speak as well ... there are bound to be monthly (if not weekly) leaks and videos of Trump's piss-poor behavior. There is no bottom. This is what the Republican Senators are signing up for... week after week of humiliation, while Bloomberg's campaign ads will make sure that nobody forgets.

Or they could sign up for Mike Pence. Kind of says a lot about Mike Pence if they think dealing with Trump's idiocies is the lesser evil.

It's probably because Pence's corruption is just normal every day depravity R175. Whereas Trump is exceedingly stupid [bold]and[/bold] corrupt beyond measure. He's a gift and they're not likely to let go of that easily.

I'll be really pissed if the stupid mainstream media gives Bolton the time of day with his book if he doesn't end up testifying. Again he could have showed up at the House and chose not to. He's hoping the Senate won't call him

he doesn't deserve money off a book if he won't testify

I think Cheeto might be a wee bit scared

Interesting

'Bubbles' Barr is deep in this scandal and gets overlooked too much.

[Quote]If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book.

We could easily find out if this is true or just another lie from our liar in chief when Bolton testified under oath in the Senate. I also hope this doesn't backfire for Trumpy if Bolton has evidence. Seems like Trump isn't very careful and every second grade thug has voice recordings and text evidence. Bolton didn't want to be involved in this "drug deal" so I hope he has some hard evidence.

Senator Graham did think ahead. Last fall, Lindsey acquired a new custom fainting couch from a Pennsylvania store. During these stressful days, it will come in handy frequently.

Bolton sent the information to the WH on December 30, so Trump's lawyers lied to Senators Saturday when they said there was no first-hand evidence of a quid pro quo. Mitch McConnell knew about it, too, because he's working with the WH team. Any bets on how offended Republican senators will be by that, as compared to their hysteria over Adam Schiff's referral to the "head on a pike" news story?

Cheatolini’s tweet:

[quote] I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book.

I’m sure that his lawyers were simply thrilled to see this. Generally, credibility questions regarding disputed claims are subject to a hearing that involves evidence and WITNESSES. This dumbass just made the task of hiding his criminal misdeeds more difficult. The Senate Repukes will now have a devil of a time denying the Democrats’ request for witness testimony. Oh, they may still do it and “acquit” this bastard, but if so he’ll be exonerated in the same way that Dershowitz’s other client, OJ Simpson, was, i.e., not at all.

God damn it. Why is the media ignoring the Lev Parnas Tapes? Why are we not hearing Turmp "Maxine Waters low IQ, while they all shreik with laghter"? Why the fuck aren't democrats defending her? Am I missing something?

God Damn mobsters in the white house making tapes and making deals and arranging hits, and making racist jokes. WTF> media?

Washington Post:

Emails support NPR host after Pompeo calls her a liar in setting up contentious interview

*

President Trump weighed in to the controversy on Sunday, replying “A very good question!” to a tweet by conservative radio and Fox News host Mark Levin in which Levin asked, “Why does NPR still exist? We have thousands of radio stations in the U.S. Plus Satellite radio. Podcasts. Why are we paying for this big-government, Democrat Party propaganda operation.”

Conservatives have tried to cut federal support of NPR and public broadcasting in general for decades, but have never succeeded in eliminating funding. The Trump administration proposed doing so in 2018, but was turned back by Congress.

Reuters - There's something else at stake in Trump impeachment: Control of Senate

*

For the handful of senators who face tough re-election battles this year, their vote to acquit or convict Trump, or even to call witnesses in the trial, could loom large when voters consider whether to give them another six-year term, analysts said.

Republican strategist James Bowers predicted that the impeachment will play a major role in campaign ads for years.

"We will be seeing the ghost of this impeachment for (election) cycles to come," Bowers said.

USA Today:

Trump impeachment trial back today with defense team's second day of opening arguments - Updates

NYT:

Recording Shows That the Swamp Has Not Been Drained

Maggie Haberman:

Per sources, some GOP senators privately pushing White House for information on who at administration had visibility into the manuscript over the last month. Senators feel blindsided.

(And very, very concerned, I'm sure.)

The Examiner:

Bolton lawyer blames book leak on 'corrupted' review process

Ah R191, How dare someone blindside the Republicans with the truth when they are lying and brainwashing the public.

After the humiliation of Nixon's ouster the Republican party built itself a political machine that enforced and rewarded absolute party discipline. It also put in place a vast and powerful messaging infrastructure to cultivate and maintain its voters. You can't just turn that on a dime just because you realize you have an uncontrollable monster in the White House. Wasn't all this deliberately installed and maintained with multiple failsafe systems in place specifically to prevent any Repubican President, no matter how incompetent (Reagan) or in violation of all legal and ethical standards (George W. Bush)?

[quote] You can't just turn that on a dime just because you realize you have an uncontrollable monster in the White House.

Why not? Seems like a pretty lame excuse to me.

I have always found that "uncontrollable monsters" are just exactly the monsters that most need controlling.

Meanwhile....

AFP: Trump to unveil Israeli-Palestinian plan in Netanyahu, Gantz visits

President Donald Trump dives into Israel's tense election Monday by hosting both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz ahead of unveiling a "peace plan" already rejected by the Palestinians.

*

Netanyahu said before leaving for Washington that Trump would "present his deal of the century... I'm full of hope that we can make history."

Gantz is also enthusiastic, saying the plan will "go down in history," allowing "different players in the Middle East to finally move ahead towards an historic regional agreement."

That seems unlikely, however, because the other principal player in the conflict -- the Palestinians -- say they are rejecting a plan in which they were never included anyway.

The fact that they are not invited to the White House this week appears to underline their point.

On Sunday, Palestinian leaders warned that instead of bringing peace, the plan could trigger their withdrawal from key provisions of the decades-old Oslo Accords, which sought to map out peaceful Israeli-Palestinian relations.

"The US administration will not find a single Palestinian who supports this project," the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

"Trump's plan is the plot of the century to liquidate the Palestinian cause."

[quote] Wasn't all this deliberately installed and maintained with multiple failsafe systems in place specifically to prevent any Repubican President, no matter how incompetent (Reagan) or in violation of all legal and ethical standards (George W. Bush)?

Apparently not.

The corporate chieftains such as Mr. Koch relled on the deplorable voters to kill environmental regulations, gain huge tax cuts for themselves, maintain their monopolies, gain deregulation in banking, the opening federal land to exploit, gut consumer protections, and have a flow of cheap labor without paying health care benefits, but also perpetuating them as new consumers.

In return, deplorables get their way on no gun control legislation, allowed to use religion to discriminate per LGBT,etc, battle against abortion rights, build an ineffective and expensive wall, and putting bigotry in vogue,

Trump is the result. It's a cult. Fox News provides the propaganda.

NYT:

John Bolton’s Account Upends Trump’s Denials, but Will It Upend Trump?

[quote]John Bolton’s Account Upends Trump’s Denials, but Will It Upend Trump?

HAHAHAHAHA

R191, couldn’t somebody from the publishing company have leaked the book? Or Bolton’s family members?

Romnoid wants Bolton to testify. Just on CNN.

"I think it's increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton."

I don't know where this ends, but I think McConnell and Cheeto just lost control of this.

Jesse Dollemore:

UNACCEPTABLE!!! Trump Threatens Entire Senate & Adam Schiff While Republicans Quiver Like Cowards!

R201, Haberman's tweet was poorly worded, but I think that its point was that the WH let Senators (and Trump's own attorneys) push the line that there was no one with first hand evidence, blah, blah, blah, when the WH knew that Bolton would flatly contradict that.

[italic]The[/italic] Maggie Haberman worded something poorly? [italic]Maggie Haberman, of THE New York Times?[/italic]

Oh, I can't believe that.

^In addition, the WH has had the manuscript for a month, and didn't advise them of it.

Ha!!! The Senate Rethugs somehow didn’t think that tRump would play them for fools? That he and his minions would lie to them??? 😂😂😂😂😂

Delightful. He’s up to what, more than 15,500 documented lies in three years. And they didn’t think he’d lie to them. Morons.

NBC:

Romney says 'increasingly likely' GOP senators will support witnesses at Trump trial after Bolton revelations

[quote] And they didn’t think he’d lie to them.

Oh, they knew he would.

They just don't care.

It's corny old phrase but lie down with snakes, get up with fangs in your neck. How trapped those Republican bastards are now is delightful to me. Maybe they are actually toppling, finally, under the weight of the last forty years.

I've never been more concerned.

Repug impeachment press conference scheduled for this morning with The Senatrice and 4 other senators was abruptly cancelled, but is now back on but without Miss Lindsey.

Brian Tyler Cohen:

Adam Schiff gives BRILLIANT response to Trump tweet threatening him

AXIOS: The National Security Council denied Monday that any White House personnel outside of its purview had seen the manuscript of former national security adviser John Bolton's book that was submitted to the White House for review.

Not much of a denial -- NSC staffers doubtless went straight to the WH to describe what was in the manuscript.

Miss Lindsey was overheard in the men's room stall, mumbling through tears, "The man that won me, has gone off and undone me."

[quote] Repug impeachment press conference scheduled for this morning with The Senatrice and 4 other senators was abruptly cancelled, but is now back on [bold] but without Miss Lindsey. [/bold]

The call of her fainting couch is just too strong.

CNN:

Adam Schiff: John Bolton's book blasts a hole in Trump defense

I'm going to out myself as an idiot and just admit I don't know what the hell is going on with Bolton. Why did he decide to turn on Trump and testify? Is it just because of his book? Was there some animosity I missed after Trump fired him as National Security Advisor?

Fox & Friends' Steve Doocy just doesn't move the goalposts, he relocates them to different time zones:

And Susan Collins turns up the mealy-mouthed waffling to high.

[quote]The reports about John Bolton's book strengthen the case for witnesses and have promoted a number of conversations among my colleagues.

Love that repugs are more freaked out about who leaked than the contents of the leak. Typical.

[quote]The reports about John Bolton's book strengthen the case for witnesses and have promoted a number of conversations among my colleagues...

about where to go for lunch after we acquit the bastard.

R218, Trump refused to let Bolton resign and instead loudly and publicly fired him. Bolton grumbled something about talking when the time was right. So this was in the mix for a while.

I believe that in the article at R199 it states that the WH complained that Bolton took some of his notes with him when he left. That's another thing that makes him threatening; he has contemporaneous documentation of conversations in the WH.

I haven't watched for even dictionary-definition literally a minute, because I'm disgusted by what I'm reading about the GOP in the Senate.

How's it looking, to those watching things?

Thanks R223!

Mr. Kellyanne Conway:

The president’s lawyers didn’t mention Bolton in their opening arguments on Saturday. Now we know why. They must have known what’s in his book—and that his testimony would devastate their defense.

Repug Sen. Ron Johnson says "Bolton is telling the truth."

Ron Johnson then added but it's not impeachable.

R224, Truthfully, it's looking better by the minute to at least hear from a few witnesses. You're smart to stay away.

R218, Don't feel stupid. It's a feature, not a bug, as they say. Not even Rachel Maddow can keep up with the hemorrhaging of corruption in this administration. 16,000 Lies. Oy vey.

Someone needs to tally up Hitler's lies, so we can compare numbers. Although, Hitler didn't have twitter.

I don't remember from the Clinton impeachment, but are the Senators allowed to question witnesses, or just the managers and defense counsel?

^They can summit questions in writing.

Susan Collins' statement:

I suspect there'll be a big shift now in the defense strategy, albeit one they've been teasing at for months. They'll effectively say, "Yeah, he did it, but so what?" And every Republican in the Senate will find an excuse to vote in support of him.

Think about it: A president of the United States will have used OUR tax dollars to coerce a foreign nation into digging up dirt on his political rival and he won't get impeached for that.

And if that happens, we need to use their votes as cudgels. We need to beat those bastards bloody with their own actions.

For those people who've been asking when is it time for the country to get outraged and take to the streets -- that will be the time. We organize, we protest, we raise holy hell and come November we kick every last one of those hypocritical assholes out of office. They cannot be allowed to get off scot-free.

R210, it's not corny, it's wrong. It's, "Lie down with dogs and you get fleas". No one lies down with snakes. It doesn't make sense.

So did the WH keep the Bolton info a secret from McConnell or did they tell McConnell and he kept it a secret from his caucus?

But yes, R223 is correct -- right-wing media today has shifted to a "so what?" strategy and Repug senators will fall in line.

[quote]Think about it: A president of the United States will have used OUR tax dollars to coerce a foreign nation into digging up dirt on his political rival and he won't get impeached for that.

Kind of opens the door for a future Dem president to get foreign nations to dig up dirt on the Trump crime family, doesn't it?

Fuck Bolton and "Anonymous"

[quote]No one lies down with snakes.

George Conway comes to mind.

Why were Lev and Igor taping and filming the President of the U.S.? Where was Security- don't they frisk people? What if they'd had a gun or bomb?

I think Putin is behind this.

I'm glad Bolton is sticking it to Trump.

Such drama! Last-minute intrigue! Will the Senate demand Bolton testify? What will he say if he does? It’s the best reality TV series ever. Stay tuned to see what happens next!

Also—drink every time someone invokes THE AMERICAN PEOPKE.

^^ PEOPLE

Really, R24? I'm glad the Democrats, in the face of overwhelming Senate complicity, still took the time to compile and present an excellent case despite blatant excutive obstruction in complete violation of the Constitutional provisions for checks and balances. They did their duty.

Bolton and his blatantaly opportunistic band of editorial 'publishers' deserve the stocks. Timing is everything and it's about time we all started believing what we're seeing. Criminality and all the people making money writing about it are pretty much the same in my eyes.

R241....WE WOULD ALL BE SHITFACED 30 MINUTES AFTER WAKING UP !

[quote]Bolton is sticking it to Trump

Pics please.

Not sure anyone would have still cared about the book in March after the president had already been acquitted in record time months ago and this whole Ukraine thing was already old news. But this seems like the perfect timing. No?

Boltons' lawyer's fake outrage about the 'leak" is amusing. This was leaked at the perfect time.

Exactly, R246. This is all about Bolton ca$hing in and it’s vile.

r247 You think Bolton is lying?

Bolton has been wanting to testify...Trump has been blocking him. This is Boltons way to getting the Senate to force him to testify.

R248 Not lying, just looking for maximal book sales. And attention whoring.

Whatever comes of this I have to believe with each passing day - and I realize there's been too many of them - but nonetheless I think each one more person decides 'enough' and that will help see him vomited up in the general election.

What’s with that chaplain starting the prayer out with Kobe Bryant?

Racist!

Oh delightful, the guy that got fired for covering up the Baylor rapes is on-stage.

ABC's John Santucci:

Senior level White House sources tell ABC the president’s legal team is preparing for the possibility of witnesses in the impeachment trial. The legal team preparing aggressive, drawn out legal fight to block testimony of potential witnesses.

Ginger hunk, James Lankford, needs a spine.

Ken Starr make me nauseous.

R256 “hunk?”

The Ginger Hunk is an automaton. I saw him interviewed by big hangin' Jake Tapper Sunday (Ok I made that up but I like think Jake Tapper is a big hangin' man)... Ginger Man was a wooden freak. A machine. Reptilian. Merciless.

It was sarcasm, r258

Am I the only one rendered vomitous by Ken Starr waxing poetic and lyrical about division, difficulty, we the people? These people are really shameless. I've never see anything like them.

Kenneth Starr: Impeachment is too frequently used

Sorry, I already impeached Clinton over a bj in the Oval Office 20 years ago, so please wait another 100 years before you impeach the next president even if this one is a lying traitor.

Starr wonders how we got to the "age of impeachment" and warns that impeachment is inherently destabilizing.

¯_(ツ)_/¯

Chris Hayes:

People are pointing out the obvious irony/hypocrisy of Starr decrying the normalization of impeachment, but the deeper message here is pretty clear, though not quite stated: We're absolutely going to impeach the next Democratic president.

I hope Starr gets destroyed in the mainstream media

A perspective on DJT's threatening remarks.

R261 R262 R263 Ironic, isn’t it?

yeah we have to prevent the repubs from getting the House back but unfortunately you know a lot of liberals don't care about midterms

[quote]Pics please.

NO! NO! For the love of God, NO!

Ken Starr is boring. Just quoting random judges and opinions from years ago but not talking about the president's conduct, the evidence and actual facts in this case.

Interesting opinion piece from a few weeks ago. Republican threats are the norm under DJT.

Interesting opinion piece from a few weeks ago. Republican threats are the norm under DJT.

First Starr says the House can’t use the time the courts would take as a reason not to subpoena witnesses because that could be expedited (citing an example where the SC ruled in two weeks in the Pentagon Papers case) then he talks about how Clinton tied him up in the courts for MONTHS at a time claiming executive privilege.

He contradicts himself within minutes.

Unbelievable - after all this scandal, 46-48 percent would vote to reelect Dump. The latest polls: Biden +4 Bloomberg +3 Sanders +2 Klob +1 Warren tie Pete -3

Things getting a bit heated at Fox News:

I listened to Start a bit while I was driving. I just about drove my car into a light pole I was so enraged.

I listened to Start a bit while I was driving. I just about drove my car into a light pole I was so enraged.

R275 because Pavlich is a lying piece of shit and Wallace is 1 of the only reasonable ones left on Fox. I'm glad he did it.

R274 remember most people who answer polls are older people. Not surprising that a lot of old whities will be with Trump regardless. The ones who rely on Fox especially have NO IDEA what's actually going on because the cult network won't give them the facts.

Even Justin Amash the other day tweeted out that based on his experiences with House repubs, he wouldn't be surprised if a lot of Senate repubs actually didn't know much about the Ukraine scandal and are hearing it for the first time.

This woman’s hair flopping in her face is distressing to me.

Roberts by himself could subpoena Bolton, apparently.

These motherfuckers are trying to bore us to death.

The Dems just need to ask Roberts to subpoena Bolton. It would take 2/3 of the Senate to overrule any such subpoena.

Here we go with the Biden/Burisma conspiracy theories.

People need to tweet Pelosi et al to have the House managers request subpoenas from Roberts.

Roberts is a far right-wing plant. And a potted plant.

Who is this rancid cunt?! Why the f*ck should we care that Hunter Biden got over $1 million dollars to be on Burisma's board? He's not an elected official!

Show us President Dump's f*cking tax returns!!!! How has an imbecile whose only talent is for losing money kept himself in Big Macs and extra long, electric blue neckties for 4 decades??!!!! And while you're at it, tell us how Dump's sons and Jarvanka make their f*cking money!!!

Since Shepp Smith left Fox, Chris Wallace and Judge Napolitano, both traditional conservatives, are close to being the only two at the network that aren't rabid propagandists in behalf of Trump. Brett Baer has his GOP political slant, but avoids outrageous and deceptive commentaries.

But watching anything on Fox for me is very infrequent and just part of curious, short-segment channel flipping at times.

Fmr. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul:

So odd. Bondi's singular focus on Hunter Biden is undermining their earlier argument about Trump's concern about fighting corruption in Ukraine. A real anti-corruption campaign does not focus on one person on the board of one company ! (Why wasn't Trump focused on Zlochevsky?)

Oh, please. The Trump spawn have been making money hand over fist all over the world since Dump was elected, even after they pledged they would do no new international business while Dump was prez. That includes Jarad and Ivanka, who are *working in the WH*. They have made hundreds of millions in the last 3 years.

This defense is taken straight from Sean Hannity's fever dreams. These senators all know that Biden was following U.S. policy in demanding the removal of the corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor ... and indeed, the entire Western alliance was on the same page.

But I guess it plays to the Repug Senators' base.

I suppose they’re going to spew out the Crowdstrike server conspiracy next.

R288 the only other one you left out is Juan Williams. He's made to look like a fool though since he's on a show with 4 repub propagandists who gang up on him so the optics to the average Fox viewer is that Juan is the "lying liberal"

is there going to be a break? Weren't there 3 breaks during the House managers' presentations?

I'm not watching but each time I check on the news it's still the lies of Trump's lawyers

and how does Pam Bondi still have a license? Why hasn't hers been stripped ever since she took a bribe from Trump in 2016?

The break will be at 6:00

The reason the Repugs are railing on Hunter Biden has nothing to do with the impeachment and everything to do to hurt Joe Biden's chances of being the nominee. The trial doesn't matter. The Repubs won't pull him out no matter what so Trump declares victory at the end....and Then it's focus on the election. They actually are doing long-term strategy.

But this is what the party and this country has come to.

I just wonder what casual news viewers are thinking about the Trump team presentation. Will they believe what they're hearing about the Bidens?

I hope Biden is being coached appropriately to endure the long haul. R296 it's so obvious that's what's happening.

Chris Matthews is making 0 sense

Matthews made sense to me -- Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) is proposing a witness swap – Dems can call Bolton if Reps can call Hunter Biden. Repugs believe Biden is the only candidate that can beat Trump in Pennsylvania and Matthews' theory is that Toomey wants to sully Biden by throwing all kinds of dirt against his son in a Senate hearing.

If they are going to do a 1 for 1 witness swap, fuck Bolton, Do John Jr. for Hunter Biden. We can wait a couple of weeks for the rest of the book.

When do they bring up the votes? It needs to be soon. I can’t stand listening to these Gypsies, tramps and thieves anymore.

Please tell me they vote VERY SOON!

NO witness swap. The Bidens are only involved because Dump involved them. If either of them committed a crime — neither did — then refer the matter to the career prosecutors at the Justice Department for a decision.

Of course the reason that hasn’t happened over the past three years is because no one committed any crime. The lawyers in the DOJ Criminal Division would look at the facts surrounding Biden’s efforts to get rid of the corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor and close the inquiry within a week. Even if Hunter Biden got paid an exorbitant amount of money because of who his father is, no one has pointed to any illegality that occurred. Getting a lot of money for doing little work may be a bad business decision by Burisma, but it is not illegal without showing something illegal occurred — which, thus far, hasn’t happened.

There is simply nothing relevant to learn about tRump’s crimes from either Biden.

The Dems should not get played by the Rethugs.

NO SWAP DEAL.

Likening gypsies, tramps and thieves to these traitors is an insult to gypsies, tramps and thieves, r301.

Please stop. It wounds.

As Jeffrey Toobin said, "let the Republicans impeach Hunter Biden".

That doesn't address Trump's conduct.

Alexandra Petri @petridishes · 3h so if i am understanding correctly, a fair process should happen neither in public nor behind closed doors, not with witnesses nor without witnesses, quickly but in due time, neither by day nor by night

So the president’s lawyers are throwing in every argument, no matter how contradictory.

He didn’t do it. Or he did do it, but it doesn’t matter. Or maybe he had a reason to do it.

This case does not meet the standard for impeachment. Or impeachment is basically unconstitutional.

The procedure wasn’t fair. The House case is insufficient. We don’t need any more witnesses or documents.

Nanny, nanny boo boo. Yada yada yada. We have more votes.

It's really chilling that this is the best defense team Trump could get. I know there are some showboaters like Dershowitz and Starr on the team but you'd think the main arguments would be somewhat coherent.

I know it won't happen, but I wish Judge Roberts would use some of his actual power and direct the proceedings more.

They even threw in the ‘but Obama’ defense.

To continue my point in r308 - it's chilling because THESE types of people are the people currently running our government. He's chased out a lot of the good ones and we're left with these clowns.

Washington Post:

Toomey discusses a ‘one-for-one’ witness deal in Trump impeachment amid Bolton revelations, officials say

Politico:

Trump team braces for deeper impeachment drama after Bolton surprise

Trump's defense team has someone in a frisky mood. Lock your doors, turn out the lights, and don't answer your phone, Kavy.

Louisville Courier-Journal:

Mitch McConnell is angry at White House over John Bolton manuscript, report says

In other news:

Mitch McConnell is a damn liar.

And he still won't do anything BUT lick an orange, feces covered, asshole.

How long is Dershoshits going to bloviate? One hour? Two hours?

Wasn't Starr the one having an affair during the Lewinsky trial or am I thinking of someone else.

NYT:

Bloomberg Is Taunting Trump, and Trump Is Taking the Bait

R317, that was Gingrich (ick).

Washington Post:

Trump says he was concerned about corruption in Ukraine. The evidence indicates he was focused on Biden.

AP:

Pence's office: Trump didn't ask VP to raise Biden probe

Dershowitz is a bloviating piece of shit windbag.

Dershowitz is a liar and a child molester

More leaks from Bolton's book: he says that even Barr was concerned about Trump's willingness to do personal favors for autocrats.

Church sign in N. C.

The best part about this is that fat Donnie's cover-up kkklan hasn't bothered to let Moscow Mitch in on all of the shit that's gone on behind the scenes.

These inept morons have forgotten about a lot of it and it's out there, waiting, like a landmine. Pelosi knows it's there but turtle doesn't because fat Donnie can't or won't tell him.

This is going to be fucking hilarious to watch. Pelosi knows. She sees the landmines. Turtle thinks he has it under control and that he's smarter than she is.

He has completely underestimated her and she is going to burn his mother fucking Senate majority to the goddamned ground!

Fundy pic.

Really, isn't this portrayal way, way too skinny?

^. R327

R282 - “ These motherfuckers are trying to bore us to death.”

They’re succeeding. The one thing they’re good at.

Just listened to the insufferable Dershowitz with his monotone, mundane, and boring lecture-like spew, in an attempt to trash the constitution. Oy.

Bolton's book will be '2 insults and a compliment'- style: "We were deeply concerned about his decision- and tried to change his stubborn mind. But he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "John, I got this. We're going to make America great again".

If that were true, R330, the WH would not be frantic to stop Bolton from testifying. They would have immediately permitted the publication of his book--and they didn't do that.

Don't have confidence Bolton will do the right thing.

He's already done the right thing, at the 11th hour he dropped the bomb. It wouldn't have had the impact if he'd leaked the info a month ago.

The timing of this leak was exquisitely perfect. Sunday afternoon. After the morning talk shows. After Cheatolini’s defense team had started spewing their lies. When the question of more witnesses and evidence was reaching its zenith. This was no coincidence. Someone knew and dropped this at the most opportune moment.

Delightful.

yeah I hate the idea of a "testimony swap." I realize Democrats might have to agree if they want Bolton or others at all but doing so creates the optics that Bolton and Hunter Biden testifying are of equal significance when obviously that is not so.

There's no relevant witness Trump can have testify on his behalf

the only relevant witnesses are being held back on his order

what I'm hoping is the repubs and Trump's lawyers just dismiss and trash Giuliani, causing him to turn on Trump. That would be the ultimate deliciousness

First, Lev Parnas is 47 years old???????? WHHHAAAATTTT???? He looks 47 if this was 1720.

I do not trust Bolton at all. Never, ever trust a GOPer. If they do the right thing wait a few days (or hours) and they'll walk it back.

Roberts does not do anything to be fair or just, either.

Ken Starr was belly busting funny. Oh, Kenny poo how your soul must smell of sulfur. And ALL you could get Billy boy on was lying about a blowjob. THAT'S IT you fucker! All those years and all that power. That really tells you how clean the Clinton's actually were. The most partisan hack could not get them on anything-----going on 30 plus years!

What has Monica said about Kenny's hilarious show today?

the worst thing is you know whoever the next Democratic President is, he/she will be impeached if repubs win back the House. It doesn't matter if the public is not in favor-the repubs and repub media will create something.

If Biden wins the nom and the election, repubs will impeach him over his son having a job in Ukraine if they get control of the House.

R338 Absolutely. This is where this is headed. The GOP would easily go there. They will rip this country to shreds for power, not the other way around. Evil, demon filled party.

Ana Navarro is insane.

R340 In a good way.

When even Torquemada wannabe Bob Barr thinks you're too fascist ...

What are these hives blimps eating on their dinner breaks? Giant turkey legs? Deep fried hams on the bone?

*huge

Hearing McConnell say the word “dinner” makes me want to puke.

The electoral college overturned the “will of the people” long before this impeachment attempted the same.

I wonder if we will ever hear another peep about Justice Kennedy and the his sudden and unexpected resignation.

Donald Trump Made Justice Kennedy an Offer He Couldn’t Refuse

Mitt makes his move:

The occasional Trump critic is in the middle of an internal GOP fight over the impeachment trial.

Georgia republicans split over choice for senate in A panel of Georgia representatives voted Monday in favor of creating a partisan primary in the state’s upcoming U.S. Senate election, introducing a new challenge to Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s candidacy despite Gov. Brian Kemp’s veto threat.

r347, just wait till Democrats open a COMPLETE investigation into the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing.

so now that the Trump circus defense team focused so much on Biden on Monday, what do they have left to discuss today? Are they going to attack Schiff? just repeat themselves?

Can't the R's just vote to hear witnesses? I mean if they have 53 votes to get a witness then just do it. They're bluffing.

Bolton, a longtime conservative darling, was thrown under the bus by Fox News last night. More proof that this is a cult, not a political party.

To me, the GOP Senate looks primed for a mass suicide akin to Jonestown. Everything Trump Touches Dies.

If forced to testify, is there any chance that Hunter Biden might seem somewhat sympathetic for having got caught in the headlights of this? I mean, not in any lasting way, but isn't it like shooting fish in a barrel for the GOP to try and make a spectacle out of a ne'er-do-well surviving son? He's obviously a loser - car accidents, drug habits, impregnating strippers, being a pawn of a Ukrainian energy company - doesn't that attest to what a loving father Joe Biden is? There are TONS of parents in the U.S. - hell, the WORLD - who've been disappointed by their children, particularly their sons, and none of them feel as though all the blame should be placed on them. I mean, Hunter Biden in the witness stand could turn into an AA constitutional and once empathy from the viewing audience is established - even in the sense of, why do we need to hear this? - the defense faces very steep odds of seeming even more cruel than usual. I mean, a lot of people who watch FNC undoubtedly have opioid addicts and drug abusers in the family. That epidemic has ravaged the American heartland. I just don't see this as a slam dunk for the defense. It will establish firstly that there is no case to answer - the House won't call an investigation and, what, the U.S. Senate is going to call a further investigation into Hunter Biden's resume? Putting him on the stand is a bit like kicking a puppy in an animal shelter for all the relevance it has to these proceedings.

John Bolton? That liberal hack?

While I tend to believe Bolton is working with Trump somehow, many of the Democrats interviewed on TV last night seemed particularly giddy. They all had looks on their faces suggesting that they know something. They all seemed to also say more shit was going to drip, drip, drip.

Trump refused to let Bolton resign and fired him, instead. He was mad that they disagreed, and being a petulant dick, Trump wanted to punish Bolton, and did. So, I don’t think Bolton has any loyalty to Trump at all. He might be a loyal Republican, and loyal American, but not to Trump.

Bolton, just like his former boss is loyal only to his own bank account.

What is Bolton’s motivation? Is he Zionist? A fundamentalist Christian? Pro-Saudi? Or just an American-Firster? Something else?

If Trump was spinning out of control over trying to find out who the whistleblower was, I can't even imagine how much more insane he must be over who in the White House made a copy of Bolton's book and has been leaking little bits of it out to the public drip by drip. Like Chinese water torture. Whoever it is, their timing is perfection. The revelations are all that's being talked about, with Trump's defense just a footnote.

Bolton is just the preeminent neocon.

R360- He ( Bolton) finally met someone more Batshit crazy than he is. ( Trump)

News conference from Hong Kong

Sorry, posted ^^^ in wrong thread!

KellyAnne probably had a copy of Boltons book and took it home...George found it and is leaking sections to the press.

Politico:

‘It's going to be harmful’: Republicans weaponize Trump team attacks on Biden

USA Today:

Key Senate Democrat says Trump team made 'persuasive' argument against obstruction article

Seriously R366, that was my first thought, too! And I still think that Kelly and George wrote the Anonymous book.

Yes, wrong thread R364 - but also the Epoch Times is even more right-wing than FOX News. Why even listen to anything they put out?

Washington Post:

Leaked Bolton book threatens to upend Senate impeachment trial

Reuters:

Sen. Graham backs plan to make Bolton manuscript available to senators

Bloomberg:

Trump Defense Finale Puts GOP Near Moment of Reckoning on Bolton

[quote]Sen. Graham backs plan to make Bolton manuscript available to senators

Odd for a lawyer to prefer hearsay evidence rather than direct fact witnesses.

Yeah, Miss Lindsey wants the Bolton manuscript made available to Senators "in a classified setting" -- so the Repugs can acquit Trump before the public finds out what's actually in Bolton's book.

How does Dershowitz know that nothing in Bolton’s book is impeachable?

It'll be interesting to see if Trumpy notes that Bolton has yet to 'pay a price' for writing his book and enabling leaks at this precise time. And if so, will it be a higher or lower price than that to be paid by Schiff? Decisions decisions for the great dealmaker!

If Bolton (whom I doubt-like other kleptocrats- is hurting for money) is writing a book I'm sure it's with the full permission and cooperation of the White House (who also probably leaked it).

Every so often the Russiapyblicans throw chum in the water and watch the Dummocrats go into a feeding frenzy. It must be amusing for them.

Bolton is nuts. His hawkish world view is nuts. He loves war. He probably thinks Trump is a threat to... something.

Romney is clearly playing a game aimed at becoming the nominee of a Republican Party that's been dead for five years. But that's his angle: the saviour as nominee.

This is all gotta wrap up by Superbowl Sunday. As planned.

Former Trump WH Chief of Staff John Kelly:

"If John Bolton says that in the book I believe John Bolton. John’s an honest guy. He’s a man of integrity and great character, so we’ll see what happens.”

Kelly also endorses calling witnesses before the Senate: “I think some of the conversations seem to me to be very inappropriate but I wasn’t there. But there are people that were there that ought to be heard from.”

Some welcome non-impeachment news today from Politico's Jake Sherman:

HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP used a closed party meeting this morning to concede they are in the midst of a full-blown fundraising crisis, after the @DCCC outraised the @NRCC by $40 million in 2019. Individual Dem candidates are also smoking their Republican opponents.

[quote]Dem candidates are also smoking their Republican opponents

Pics please.

"they are in the midst of a full-blown fundraising crisis"

Oh please let this be true. I thought the Republicans were rallying behind their liar in chief and he raised millions after the impeachment announcement. I would like to know how corrupt assholes like Nunes and Gym are doing in their districts after being repeatedly exposed as lying, corrupt Trump sycophants.

Trump is indeed raising money hand over fist -- but House and Senate Republicans are lagging behind their Democratic counterparts. Trump doesn't just suck up all the oxygen in the Repug party, he sucks up all the money. That's another reason they're all so afraid of him.

There seems to be a correlation between how awful they are and how secure their seat is. McConnell, Graham, Gym, etc. They may have to work a bit harder but the worst seem never really at risk. I don't care who loses so long as is enough of them we get the majority.

^They're running in deep red states. Nunes, Stefanik are in predominantly blue states. There is also hope since 2 Democratic governors were elected in red states last year. Maybe things will change...

Fox news only covered part (daytime) of the House Prosecutors presentations, switching to "The Five" in the afternoon, followed by additional propaganda shows. Fox is covering all of the Trump defense team presentations.

Some vile comments have come from Hannity, Dobbs, etc. They have viciously turned on Bolton, a former long-time, paid, regular guest commentator.

The Murdochs gave their orders.

They're not worried about fundraising are they? Aren't they just getting checks from Put Put anyway?

NBC:

GOP senators to meet to discuss calling witnesses in Trump trial

Give some money to Jaime Harrison, who is running against Miss Lindz

NepotismBarbie is complaining about "elites". Has she seen this vile photo?

The Hill:

Trump praises Pompeo over handling of NPR reporter: 'You did a good job on her'

How did I miss this?

R394, I don't know how any woman can support Trump.

Miss Lindzey is delusional. None of Kavanaugh, Trump, Pence, Pompeo, Gaetz, etc. are going to swoop her off her feet and together live in uninterrupted bliss thereafter. When Trump, in particular is done with her, she'd be advised to stay away.

^dont forget Hannity

Never-tell-a-lie Kellyanne, says there's a Trump rally in Wildwood, NJ tonight.

Shows there are plenty of deplorables in south NJ.

The Trump team has concluded its presentation before the Senate, not with a defense of the president, but with a plea to let the American voters decide his fate in November.

If Ms Lindsey is pretending to consider witnesses, he’s doing it with Trump’s okay, or more likely Putin’s okay. He’s still got that blackmail hanging over his head, and he’s not rocking the boat.

If he’s doing it with Putin and without Trump, it may mean that Putin’s about done with this loser, especially since he’s queuing up Bernie who is looking viable right now.

It’s an election year, this is Putin’s chance to get rid of Trump in favor of someone more electable, that the Republicans that are being blackmailed can tolerate. Bernie talks a good game, but has never actually accomplished anything, and will shut up Democrats for a while at least, so he’s a better choice for Putin.

Even though Trump will go along with every Putin wish, he cannot keep his mouth shut about it and he’s a wild card. He could easily blab something Putin wants quiet, especially to save himself, because he’s an idiot. Even Putin probably realizes if he has dementia, there will be no controlling him going forward another four years. So now is a good time to get rid of him.

I think that’s what Miss Lindsey is really about, appearing to be playing both sides to serve Putin.

MSNBC announces a new Quinnipiac poll: 75% of voters say the Senate should allow witnesses.

These recent developments have vindicated Pelosi’s decision to delay sending the articles of impeachment. The delay allowed all this new material to explode during the trial.

"Shows there are plenty of deplorables in south NJ."

I don't doubt that for a minute. Wildwood is nothing but Bucks County's (PA) white trash (Levittown, Bristol, and Langhorne, all Deplorable Central) seaside resort. Civilized people go to Cape May, Avalon or Stone Harbor.

But rest assured 90% of these yahoos have been paid and bused in from outside of South Jersey and SE Pennsylvania.

Remove Hunter from office! Oh, wait...

“The Impeachment of President Hunter Biden.”

[quote]These recent developments have vindicated Pelosi’s decision to delay sending the articles of impeachment. The delay allowed all this new material to explode during the trial.

I wish people would stop acting surprised. She's played the entire thing perfectly. There's a reason Trump's actually afraid of her.

She's got the biggest dick in Washington right now.

Ha!!!! Moscow Mitch doesn’t have the votes to block witnesses. WSJ exclusive.

Rand Paul basically said they have the votes for witnesses.

What questions do you suggest for the Senators to ask?

McConnall announces that he does not have the votes to block witnesses!

DL- have you died? Lev Parnas is 47 years old. How can someone so young look so old?

Anyway- impeach Hunter Biden Now!

Great news R412, but am I the only one that feels like it was all just smoke and mirrors so that they could still go ahead and exonerate Drumpf and make it "look" they were actually fair in doing so?

John Kelly says he believes John Bolton.

[quote]Former White House chief of staff John Kelly on Monday evening said that if media accounts of former national security adviser John Bolton’s forthcoming book are accurate, then he trusts the explosive claims made by his former colleague. “If John Bolton says that in the book, I believe John Bolton."

That was my first thought, r414. Just like with Kavenaugh hearing.

The best part is, Pelosi ain't done twisting that shiv in either fat Donnie OR Moscow Mitch.

She knows more shit is on the way and she'll twist that knife again and again.

WSJ:

GOP Doesn't Have Enough Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses

R405, Wildwood is in a congressional district that was Republican until Jeff Van Drew won as a Democrat. (Although he turned coat.) It’s mayor is a Democrat, and he was just elected, having ousted a long-time a Republican. I watched some news reports, and there were very few locals in the line. The times they are a changin’.

[quote]She's got the biggest dick in Washington right now.

Pics please.

L.A. Times:

Feinstein leans toward acquitting Trump as his defense team ends impeachment arguments

THATS ALREADY BEEN DEBUNKED R421

[quote]Ha!!!! Moscow Mitch doesn’t have the votes to block witnesses. WSJ exclusive.

POLITICO's Burgess Everett:

Confirming WSJ reporting McConnell told senators they don't have the 51 votes to block witnesses ... but the implication is simply GOP leaders have more work to do, not they are on a trajectory to lose or have witnesses. In fact, Rs feel good about beating witness question...

They don't YET have the votes. It just means Collins and others are trying to get some sort of concessions from the RNC/McConnell in return for voting against witnesses.

Well, the WSJ is reporting witnesses are a given now...

Sorry, I hadn't realized that, r422.

I would really like to know what Chief Justice Roberts thinks about all this. If he were really the judge, would he allow the witnesses? Would he acquit or find guilty? One day he will probably write a book and tell us.

lmao Giuliani new interview calling Bolton a backstabber!

the best thing that can happen is to have Giuliani and the Fox host idiots blow this up by continually bashing Bolton. Maybe if they piss him off enough he'll just show up to testify

oops here's the link

I hope they just all take each other down, swinging, loudly and publicly.

Three Dem senators consider are on the fence?

why does it seem like it's always moderate Democrats that consider flipping but not moderate repubs? I don't understand why moderate Democrats should feel more pressure in tossup states compared to moderate repubs. This country acts like the repub stance on everything is "the norm" when it's not

One thing that really gets me about the repuke scum going after Biden and his son is that Biden had three children and two died from tragic circumstances. He has one son left and the depraved repukes will do anything to smear him and Joe in an effort to cheat to win another election. You can't get much lower than that and I wish some news people would point that out.

Repukes disgust me, especially in light of the corrupt trump family profiting off our government. Gross trash.

This photo was taken weeks before his wife and year old daughter Naomi were killed in the 1972 car accident. Hunter suffered head injuries, his brother broke a leg.

Sorry, the above link appears not to work.

Hunter isn’t Jill Biden’s son? I didn’t know that.

No, he's Joe and his first wife's son.

Here he is with his three children with Neilia Biden.

Hunter and his elder son Beau (who died) are the children of Biden's first wife, Neilia. Neilia and their daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident shortly after he was first elected to the Senate. Beau and Hunter almost died too.

Does he have any kids with Jill?

The reason it is easier for Republicans to stay static and not cater to the middle than Democrats is easy to answer. It is much easier to sway people with fear which tends to be used by conservatives to the best effect. Liberals/Democrats rely on hope and inspiration to sway which takes the stars almost aligning to work. Most people seem to think their default is conservative when in fact, on most issues, the vast majority fall in the liberal category. Conservatives barely have to work to get elected.

Joe and Jill have a daughter, Ashley.

Here's a photo of the Biden car accident. Hunter and Beau are lucky they lived.

So the next two days they get to ask each other questions?

I really hope some Dem responds to the Biden nonsense with a quick "that's not why we're here. Create an investigation into Hunter Biden if you like."

[quote] One thing that really gets me about the repuke scum going after Biden and his son is that Biden had three children and two died from tragic circumstances. He has one son left and the depraved repukes will do anything to smear him and Joe in an effort to cheat to win another election. You can't get much lower than that and I wish some news people would point that out.

Not to mention he has had drug problems in the past. They are publicly lynching someone who is fragile and unstable and who's father is likely not even going to get the nomination.

Haven't been watching b/c I can't stand the GOP.

Could you please update me? Are they really going to block witnesses like Bolton from testifying? How likely is it they'll block them?

CALL

YOUR

SENATORS

Rep and Dem. Demand witnesses. The pressure is working.

Nationwide marches Jan. 29 evening.

Fox "News" is already fixated on any tabloid gossip about Hunter Biden. They're trying to use him to turn people off of his father.

Keep in mind the mainstream media has been pretty lenient with the oldest 3 Trump kids. Those 3 only get bashed when they say or do something outrageous. We haven't heard a ton about Don Jr's messy personal life

Didn’t Dump have a Nazi rally tonight? Any word on whether he lost his mind at it? I want to see him at the State of the Union...completely and utterly insane.

Did the stage collapse due to the excessive weight?

Pres Bone Spurs has greasy, smelly farts nonstop. That is, when he isn't sharting in his sleep.

Saw on twitter that faux news cut away after he was mixing up words.

After a dummy on tv was heard laughing.

GOP GROUP DRIVES BILLBOARD AROUND DC CALLING FOR PRESIDENT PENCE AMID IMPEACHMENT TRIAL: HE'S 'NOT BAD... COULD BE WORSE' By Jeffery Martin On 1/28/20 at 5:38 PM EST

I had forgotten that Hunter had a brain injury from that crash. Back then they didn't do much for anyone, much less for children, with tbis. It's very likely a big contributor into his life/style.

I'm actually more scared of Pence than Trump.

Pence would be a worse version of Bush with the religious bullshit

^^^^^^^^^ Why R453?

[bold]Nothing to see here, folks!

Lock her up! Bleach bit! Email server! Shifty Schiff! Burisma! Pocahontas![/bold]

^It's amazing that someone on Faux News was ready to step in immediately like they knew he would mess up.

No one here mentioned his and Jared's big peace plan for the Middle East. Is it a big joke and people are rejecting it?

If the Repugs are successful in calling Hunter, I hope the Democrats call Joe. Joe could wrap up this election by delivering a McCarthy-era "Senator, have you no decency?" performance.

My God R456. All this worry about a second term? The man's fucking brain is melting for all to see. He is not well. He may be in a padded room before the election gets here.

[quote] “Democrats decided to shield and shelter crmblz. Look, look, look.”

Yeah, you orange baboon, we’re looking. Love the Faux News person laughing at him.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) previewed Republicans' new talking point on Fox News last night:

"I'm willing to stipulate that Mr. Bolton will likely testify that the President paused aid to Ukraine while asking Ukraine to investigate Vice President Biden. And my response to that is, your point is what? That doesn't tell us anything."

Politico:

Trump allies target African American voters with new tactic: Cash giveaways

NBC:

Trump rages at Bolton, says former adviser would have caused 'World War Six'

Why the kid gloves with the Trump offspring?

Why was a barely post partum Ivanka doing in Dubrovnik with Wendi Deng? Still waiting to find out!

West Virginia wants to become the new State of Trump?

Gerrymandering at the next level?

Can't Jerry Falwell Jr. and his Liberty University just move to West Virginia?

West Virginia wants to become the new State of Trump?

Gerrymandering at the next level?

Can't Jerry Falwell Jr. and his Liberty University just move to West Virginia?

West Virginia wants to become the new State of Trump?

Gerrymandering at the next level?

Can't Jerry Falwell Jr. and his Liberty University just move to West Virginia?

[quote]Trump allies target African American voters with new tactic: Cash giveaways

Is this an example of Trump learning from Bernie?

[quote]Trump rages at Bolton, says former adviser would have caused 'World War Six'

Is Trump planning on saving 3, 4 and 5 for himself?

Barely Democratic Senator Joe Manchin told "Morning Joe" this morning that he believes Hunter Biden is a relevant witness in Trump's Senate impeachment trial.

R456, someone on the twitter feed that commented on that said that he has frontal lobe dementia. She recognizes it because one of her parents suffered from it.

CBS:

Giuliani says he "never ever" discussed Ukraine aid with Trump

[quote]he has frontal lobe dementia.

Personally, I don't feel all that confident in his backal lobe either.

I don’t want him to have dementia, that would be too easy an excuse for his fucking plain stupidity

[quote] Giuliani says he "never ever" discussed Ukraine aid with Trump

Which is a complete and total lie. In the “perfect” phone call of July 25, tRump told Zelensky — after saying “we need a favor, though” — to talk to Rudy. The notion that Cheatolini and Ruby never discussed their shake-down scheme is laughable. As usual, The Ghoul isn’t really helping matters along. Go have another drink, Rubes.

R464 I love you for continuing to bring that up.

Joe Manchin and Doug Jones fear voting to impeach Trump. Jones is up for re-election. Manchin has another four years left on his term.

If the vote was secret ballot, removal of Trump possibly could have had a chance.

[quote] Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) previewed Republicans' new talking point on Fox News last night: "I'm willing to stipulate that Mr. Bolton will likely testify that the President paused aid to Ukraine while asking Ukraine to investigate Vice President Biden. And my response to that is, your point is what? That doesn't tell us anything."

Seriously, they’re just flailing about at this point. This is a variation of Dershowitz‘s declaration — without citation to any relevant authority (aside from himself) or precedent — that abuse of power is simply not an impeachable offense. Because he said so.

Did that cornpone Kennedy hear what he had just said? He’s willing to concede that tRump conditioned release of previously appropriated military funds — in violation of the law — on a request that a foreign government open an investigation into Cheatolini’s potential political rival. Astounding. That’s the charge that he’s on trial for you moron, and you just conceded the central question. “Yes, your honor, my client fired the gun that resulted in the decedent losing his life. So what?” 🙄

[quote]Trump rages at Bolton, says former adviser would have caused 'World War Six'

Because this petulant juvenile rhetoric is perfect from someone who thinks he can broker peace in the Middle East. Such statesmanship can only continue to impress the Nobel Committee.

I was thinking Joe Biden could have a moment if he were called to testify...I mean he had nothing to do with it other than being the victim of a repub conspiracy

[quote]that the President paused aid to Ukraine

Notice the Republicans are suddenly using the word "pause" now? Dershowitz, J. Kennedy, Miss Lindz, Sekulow, etc. are all using it instead of "withheld", "stopped", "conditioned", etc.

You pause to collect your thoughts, get a drink of water, or go piss. Not to bribe, extort, blackmail, etc.

CBS:

NPR demands answers from Pompeo about reporter barred from trip

Washington Post:

Anatomy of a ‘smear’: How John Bolton became a target of the pro-Trump Internet

Reuters:

Trump attacks Bolton as Senate enters new phase in impeachment trial

This huz as been tweeting day & night. It is absurdity.

The kompromat is in overdrive. Pootie has the good.

Brian Tyler Cohen:

Republicans refuse OVER & OVER to answer reporter’s question on corruption

Jake Tapper: The White House has issued a formal threat to former national security adviser John Bolton to keep him from publishing his book, "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir," sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.

Here's the letter

Trump is so awful that he makes a wingnut like Bolton look good in comparison

Oh shit R489.

So now what happens?

Trump is so awful that he makes a wingnut like Bolton look good in comparison

Trump raged this morning that Bolton "didn't ... complain about this 'nonsense' a long time ago, when he was publicly terminated."

Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY) responded:

"President Trump is wrong that John Bolton didn’t say anything about the Trump-Ukraine Scandal at the time the President fired him. He said something to me."

Eliot Engel statement:

this is what we want. We want Trump and his allies to attack Bolton. Piss Bolton off enough so he might testify. Really stupid on Trump and his team's part

[quote]Piss Bolton off enough so he might testify.

He can't testify if the Republicans block witnesses.

R496 but he can come forward and say "I want to testify"

all he's said so far is he'll testify if subpoenaed

Bolton can still publish his book, but may need to remove passages the NSC has flagged R491. I doubt the part about the quid pro quo could be considered "top secret" now that everybody including Trump has talked about it. What we need is for some patriot to leak the whole thing ASAP.

Oh, cheater question: Would you please respond to the managers’ response to the previous question?

notice how the first question was from Susan Collins and she also said it was on behalf of Romney and Murkowski. So those 3 are on the same page but there isn't a 4th with them apparently

Wouldn't Bolton have a pretty good idea of what is classified information and perhaps shouldn't go in his book? I'm pretty sure he's got a handle on TOP SECRET too. More noise.

So if they combine on questions, does that take up their question for each of them or do they still get another one?

theyre not limited to one question...they are limited to 16 hours

[quote] Wouldn't Bolton have a pretty good idea of what is classified information and perhaps shouldn't go in his book?

Bolton and his publisher has said they are 100% sure there is no classified information in his book that they submitted to the NSA in an abundance of caution.

Trump is right about Bolton. Bolton is right about Trump.

R395, that quote is really gross. It says a lot about Trump.....

I like these questions and answers especially since the Republicans are giving lying answers and then Adam Schiff steps up to prove it.

Reuters:

White House tells Bolton his manuscript has classified material, cannot be published

Brian Tyler Cohen:

Republican Senator CRUMBLES defending Trump ON Fox News

Rick Scott is laying the groundwork for a 2024 presidential run ... even though he's clearly an idiot, as R509 demonstrates.

Hey, it worked for Trump.

Miss Lindzey's question is soon coming up for the Trump's defense team in the Senate:

"Just to the men on the team, when you call upon an eloquent, charming lady, what do you view as your proper duties and responsibilities, and how do you overcome any awkward shyness in doing so?"

Democrats will be running against Trump for the next 20 years.

Lev Parnas is at the capital, in Schumer's office, right now!

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) tells reporters today: "I'm legitimately worried that this place is being run by Sean Hannity and what's going on on Twitter."

‘Legal Mumbo Jumbo:’ Sen. Whitehouse On The Trump Defense | All In | MSNBC

Chris Hayes:

The president lawyers are arguing that if the president ordered his election opponent arrested that would be fine because he’s pursuing the national interest in order to get re-elected.

R508 They're probably calling Trump's criminal behavior classified.

I like that Bennett brought up Hannity. Something needs to be done about him and Fox.

What a lot of people don't get is that after the Trump era, Fox will latch onto the next repub President in the future. They will continue to coordinate with the repub congress members and the propaganda will not stop. The repubs have seen now how effective coordinating with Fox is. They know this is their only shot to win as their policies are NOT popular.

The Fairness Doctrine needs to be brought back.

I wonder if Hannity is under investigation from his dealings with Assange, Cohen and others as well as the rumor he is a slum house owner in I think Georgia?

Fun to look at this again...

David Pakman: Fox News Desperately Tries to End Unhinged Giuliani Interview

[quote]He and I spoke by telephone on September 23. On that call, Ambassador Bolton suggested to me—unprompted—that the committee look into the recall of Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. He strongly implied that something improper had occurred around her removal as our top diplomat in Kyiv.

Does this make anyone else think this indicates Bolton was the whistleblower?

The complaint was filed August 12 (?), but not made known until September 26.

Bolton spoke this guy on the 23rd.

Bat Boy Rick Scott is running for president?!

[quote]Bat Boy Rick Scott is running for president?!

POLITICO: Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has bought airtime in Iowa (seriously), launching a TV ad hitting both Biden and impeachment. So what to make of the spot (and a corresponding digital ad)? “If you put $19,000 in Des Moines on TV, it’s definitely Scott putting a toe in 2024,” David “DJ” Johnson, a GOP consultant and former Florida state GOP executive director, told POLITICO’s Marc Caputo. “And there’s one thing we know about Scott: after he puts a toe in, then comes the foot. Then comes the whole leg.”

[quote]So those 3 are on the same page but there isn't a 4th with them apparently.

This is of great concern to me.

[quote]“And there’s one thing we know about Scott: after he puts a toe in, then comes the foot. Then comes the whole leg.”

And, then comes the asshole. Ladies and Gentlemen...Rick Scott.

R522, Rick Scott has connections to Lev Parnas. Maybe the Russians have written off Trump and are looking for a new sockpuppet.

Reuters' Brad Heath: DOJ's new sentencing filing is quite deferential to Flynn, especially compared to its last one. It goes on at length about his military service, identifies other cases of public officials getting probation, and ends saying "probation is a reasonable sentence."

Barr's fingerprints are all over this.

Lord knows Scott is corrupt enough to go along with it.

Poll: More than half of Americans "increasingly convinced" Trump did something wrong in his dealing with Ukraine.

Reuters:

Senior Senate Republican sees 'momentum' to end impeachment trial Friday

I don't know if anyone listens to Michelangelo Signorile but he made a couple of good points on his show today.

First he talked about how nobody should believe the "leak" that came from McTurtle about not having enough votes, "yet." He basically said that there has been no proof whatsoever that a single Rethug is on the fence about witnesses. His belief seemed to be that the Rethugs put that out there to just convince people they were actually doing their due diligence.

He also mentioned how Romney, Collins and Murkowski all got their "out" today to acquit by setting up the question about "if" there were "other" motives outside of personal ones for quid pro quo how should that be taken into account.

So basically, they've already told us how they're going to acquit him, and we always knew they would.

OMG y'all, Hillary killed Kobe Bryant to distract from the impeachment trial!

OMG y'all, Hillary killed Kobe Bryant to distract from the impeachment trial!

Michelangelo also pointed out how the Drumpf's defense team's strategy jumped from saying on Saturday that there was no quid pro quo and how it isn't impeachable anyway to quickly changing their strategy after the Bolton news to: quid pro quo is okay if the person doing it feels it's in the best interest of the Nation.

Politico: Trump allies resort to enticing black voters with cash giveaways

And I wish someone would have responded to the idiotic notion that, "as long as a person is committing a crime but they're under the belief it's for the good of the country it's okay..."

"Cool, so you know, Hillary deleted all those emails, which wasn't illegal anyway, but she did it because she believed it was for the good of the country so y'all will shut the fuck up about that from this point forward, right?"

The Republican clown car for 2024 is already starting to fill up. Pence in the Evangelical lane. Haley and Hurd in the non-white male lane. Christie in the moderate lane. That leaves the hard-right (not particularly religious) lane. Ted Cruz already started making noises he was interested. Maybe Scott wanted to jump in before it's too late. Or maybe Scott is just running to be VP to a President Pence.

The American people are going to have to take matters into their own hands.

Christie moderate? Ummmmmmm no.

Should Facebook and Twitter Stop Trump's Lies? with Robert Reich

These fucks are counting on the Orangina to do more fucked up shit through 2020 and we won't even remember impeachment

NYT:

Republicans Move to Block Impeachment Witnesses, Driving Toward Acquittal

Sen. Kamala Harris: "Here's the point, though. There cannot be a true acquittal if there's not been a fair trial. And that's how we should all be thinking about this."

I didn't know Hunter Biden was on trial. Silly me thinking it was Trump's.

Wrapping it up before the Super Bowl, just like I said yesterday.

Republicans want it over before the State of the Union address.

We all knew the Senate wouldn't remove him. We got what we wanted - damage him for November and tie him to vulnerable Repugs Collins, Gardner, and McSally.

Yes I hope the momentum does a YOU-turn, senator.

Despicable. The majority of citizens of this country agree that you can’t have a fair trial without witnesses and evidence. People know that Bolton has relevant information that contradicts tRump, and without hearing that testimony the trial is a complete sham, with the end result having been railroaded through by #MoscowMitch and his evil minions.

If they don’t all pay a huge price at the ballot box in November, then what remains of our democracy is likely over.

Sad and pathetic.

Keep calling! Keep up the pressure on the traitors for witnesses.

Make them feel the pain of ignoring us for throwing their lot in with Moscow Mitch!

I've been calling but honestly, I do feel like, what's the point?

Didn't we all call over and over re: Kavanaugh and they did what they were always going to do anyway.

But I'll keep calling.

If you Google any senator, there is a form you can use to contact your Senator. Just fill in your name and address and a brief message. It seems that both Democrats and Republicans are keeping count. Now is the time to make maximum effort.

The Republicans are determined to smear the Biden's.

[quote]Republicans want it over before the State of the Union address.

This is why I don't understand why Pelosi didn't hold the articles until the end of January. The timing was terrible. It's fucking with the Iowa caucuses at a critical time and will give Trump a "fuck you" talking point for the State of the Union. The Superbowl will also take over the post acquittal media talk where everyone would be talking about the criminal Repugs not even calling witnesses and then pretending it's a fair trial, etc. By Monday, the entire thing will be forgotten as they turn back to Trump's tweets as the main source of news.

Fuck this country.

Guiliani is a private citizen and I'm sure Trump has given him all kinds of classified info. Isn't that illegal?

You don't think Pelosi doesn't know what's coming down the pike, r553?

She knows another bomb is gonna drop once they acquit. They will look even WORSE when it does.

She's miles ahead of this.

R554: Cheeto can declassify anything.

It’s not illegal if the president does it!

r536, which is the reason Democrats will be running against trump for decades to come.

R555, you're hoping something big enough is coming and you're hoping that it matters. Nothing has mattered so far. I still think the timing was off by a few weeks.

"Rick Scott has connections to Lev Parnas."

So does Ron De Santis.....what is up with these Florida assholes?

R559 it’s not one big thing, it’s an avalanche of middle-sized things happening every day.

I understand that stuff will keep coming. Stuff has been coming every day for over three years. None of it has mattered at all. Why do you think it will suddenly start to matter? I think people are trying as hard as they can to keep hope alive but I just can't anymore. Nothing is going to happen. He's going to be re-elected by Russian cheating. America is over. The rich have won.

Yeah, I wonder about the timing of things too or why Pelosi decided to even send the articles over to the Senate since it's been clear from the start that Rethugs would just acquit him.

The tide is turning. At least half and probably more actually want him removed! That is amazing.

Schiff: "Alan Dershowitz lost a criminal case in which he argued that if a corrupt motive was only part of the motive, you can't convict. And the court said, 'oh yes, you can' ... So he's lost that argument before, he makes that argument again before this court."

So Sinema says no witnesses now. Who’s left?

In other news, the portions of the border wall that Trump rebuilt are collapsing. Metaphor?

I'm still wondering how many casual news viewing Americans even know what's going on. Don't underestimate the apathy and stupidity of many Americans.

I'd like to think more and more Americans will be super hyped to come out in droves in November and vote repubs out but who the hell knows.

Don't most Rethugs think Hunter Biden is being impeached?

Most repub voters watch right wing media and are still under the belief that Joe and Hunter Biden are dirty, sleazy, corrupt deep staters who are being protected by the deep state and congressional Democrats. They have been led to believe Trump valiantly took action to try and uncover the Bidens' corruption and that the corrupt congressional Democrats are twisting this situation to attempt another coup!

that's what they believe. Crazy but true

But they are dirty and sleazy, R572. Of course, not as dirty and sleazy as Hillary who after all this mess dies down, will be the next to be impeached AND convicted!!!!

The GOP is already priming this Burisma thing to be what they impeach Biden on. They are really playing the long game.

Bernie supporters are in for it if he ends up being the nominee. Bernie has been spared from the Russian/Conservative machine in large part. It will make what Hillary went through look like child's play.

At this point, I'm hoping the DL psychic is right and that Trump will be gone (as in GONE) by August 2020.

Nah, they won't have to do that much to Bernie... they already know there's no way that ass could win.

r576 They'll still have fun with him.

And he'll be more than happy to let the fun be had... as long as he's collecting that money from Russher and of course every $27 he can get.

Parnas now claims to have more recordings about Trump and some about Giuliani as well. He's turned them over the investigators but the House hasn't made them public yet.

At this point I would think the House would publicize everything they have before the Senate vote on witnesses?

What good will it do? The Rethugs are still going to acquit him.

Parnas also now says Lindsey Graham is in the loop too about Ukraine

Of course Ms Graham was.

Which means she should recuse herself.

I'm pretty psychic too and will predict no Repubs vote to remove Trump from office while at least 2 Dems vote with them.

Short of a helicopter crash, Trump will definitely be in office in August.

Because of course the most important thing is who the Whistleblower is.

Link to new thread for when this one maxes out:

Schiff: "You can't solicit foreign interference. And the fact that you're unsuccessful in getting it doesn't exonerate you. A failed scheme doesn't make you innocent ... it just makes you unsuccessful. An unsuccessful crook. But it doesn't mitigated the harmful conduct."

Link to new thread for when this one maxes out:

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