The Trump Impeachment Thread

[Max Peck]

He's a nazi.

Mortoned.

Morton-squared.

[ImLawBoy]

/shakes fist at Isg and Max

[hentzau]

I love whoever is behind the Mirriam-Webster Twitter account.

[Pyperkub]

/shakes fist at Isg and Max

Guessing it should have been lawboy-ed?

[LawBeefaroni]

#Liddle-Trump

[Blackhawk]

I think he's becoming a liddl-e' unhinged.

[Zaxxon]

I love whoever is behind the Mirriam-Webster Twitter account.

Yes, their troll level is... advanced.

[Sepiche]

I love whoever is behind the Mirriam-Webster Twitter account.

https://www.mic.com/articles/166781/we- ... sy-twitter

Pretty sure it's still the same person.

[Jaymann]

I love whoever is behind the Mirriam-Webster Twitter account.

https://www.mic.com/articles/166781/we- ... sy-twitter

Pretty sure it's still the same person.

A spy! Back in the good old days...

[Daehawk]

Back in the good old days we didn't elect total nincompoops.

[Alefroth]

I know the House would like to fast track it, but I hope they don't hand it over to the Senate too soon.

WaPo

There exist Senate rules of procedure that dictate how impeachment trials should be run. As Michael Dorf, Robert S. Stevens professor of law at Cornell Law School, put it in an email to The Post, the rules include a “a lot of ‘shall’ language” — language that gives McConnell and the Republican majority a lot of flexibility in how they conduct a trial.

Or whether they conduct a trial at all.

“Some people read the Constitution’s language that the Senate ‘shall have the sole power to try impeachments’ to be a mandate, requiring the Senate to conduct a trial based on the articles of impeachment approved in the House,” explained Michael Gerhardt, Burton Craige distinguished professor of jurisprudence at the University of North Carolina School of Law. “In practice, the Senate has always felt obliged to do something when it formally received impeachment articles from the House, including holding a streamlined process for President Clinton when it was apparent conviction and removal were highly unlikely.”

[Alefroth]

Pompeo gets the first subpoena.

Democrats hit the gas on their impeachment inquiry Friday, subpoenaing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for documents they demanded weeks earlier that describe a pattern of interactions between President Donald Trump, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani and senior Ukrainian officials who they pressured to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

Rep Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the subpoena in consultation with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, who have been probing Trump's solicitation of foreign help in the 2020 election.

Looks like the first to see the underside of the bus may be NSC lawyers.

The White House acknowledged Friday that administration officials directed a now-infamous Ukraine call transcript be filed in a highly classified system, confirming allegations contained in a whistleblower complaint that have roiled Washington.

In a statement provided to CNN, a senior White House official said the move to place the transcript in the system came at the direction of National Security Council attorneys.

[Holman]

In this case, getting thrown under the bus just gets you on the subpoena list.

Trump thinks people simply disappear when you fire them. That's not how this works.

[Smoove_B]

Trump thinks people simply disappear when you fire them. That's not how this works.

Am I mistaken or was the idea that he was trying to get members of his administration to sign NDA documents at some point floated? More and more it seems like shady businessman Trump has been running things like his scam real estate (steak, water, golf, etc...) empire. I hope he's legally flayed alive because of it.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I'm just waiting for the reveal that the highly classified system where they put these transcripts is a server in Eric Trump's basement.

[Jag]

Trump met with Wayne LaPierre and asked if the NRA would finance his impeachment defense. LaPierre said he would if Trump promised not to pursue any gun legislation.

[Skinypupy]

US Special envoy to Ukraine just resigned

Trying to set him up as the fall guy, perhaps?

[Grifman]

Here's the deal - Trump has no loyalty to himself, hence no one, and I mean no one on his team has any real loyalty to him. If the ship sinks, no one is going to go down with the ship for Trump. The rats will run to the exit, fully willing to tell what they know in hopes of avoiding any penalty to themselves. Once the dominoes start falling, they will all start to fall quickly. Notice how Giuliani went on FOX the other night reading from his emails, ostensibly to show that he had State Department backing, but throwing the State Department under the bus while he was at it. These guys are going to get in a circle and start shooting each other. It's not going to be pretty (for them).

[malchior]

Why does a *billionaire* need the NRA to finance his defense?

[Grifman]

US Special envoy to Ukraine just resigned

Trying to set him up as the fall guy, perhaps?

Or maybe a rat jumping a sinking ship, now free to testify without the president claiming executive privilege? Don't believe he can restrain a private citizen if that citizen wishes to testify. Stay tuned, I'm certain we'll be hearing from him one way or another soon enough.

[Grifman]

Why does a *billionaire* need the NRA to finance his defense?

Is this even legal? Isn't this just a similar version of what was just exposed? Can the president sell political favors for money?

Edit - that tweet is misleading - the article says nothing specific about the NRA providing money to Trump. Trump asked for their support during any impeachment. That's not the same as asking directly for money. Very misleading.

[malchior]

Why does a *billionaire* need the NRA to finance his defense?

Is this even legal? Isn't this just a similar version of what was just exposed? Can the president sell political favors for money?

Who knows with this Supreme Court. That money is just speech, right?

[Holman]

Here's the deal - Trump has no loyalty to himself, hence no one, and I mean no one on his team has any real loyalty to him. If the ship sinks, no one is going to go down with the ship for Trump. The rats will run to the exit, fully willing to tell what they know in hopes of avoiding any penalty to themselves. Once the dominoes start falling, they will all start to fall quickly. Notice how Giuliani went on FOX the other night reading from his emails, ostensibly to show that he had State Department backing, but throwing the State Department under the bus while he was at it. These guys are going to get in a circle and start shooting each other. It's not going to be pretty (for them).

The complication is that all of these right-wing DC operatives who might turn on Trump understand that Trump owns the conservative base. Deplorables who love The Wall and shitting on gays and Muslims aren't going to suddenly decide that the American Constitutional experiment is more valuable than any of that hate. They will stick with Trump to the end.

Potential witnesses against Trump want to save themselves, but they also want to save the GOP, and they know that rolling over and exposing Trump also means killing the political movement to which they've dedicated their lives. That will be a hard move to make--harder than just being honest.

This is why getting the truth will be like pulling teeth.

[Pyperkub]

House Dems showing some gumption and getting serious:

Your failure or refusal to comply with the subpeona shall constitute evidence of obstruction of the House's impeachment inquiry.

[Jag]

Why does a *billionaire* need the NRA to finance his defense?

Is this even legal? Isn't this just a similar version of what was just exposed? Can the president sell political favors for money?

Edit - that tweet is misleading - the article says nothing specific about the NRA providing money to Trump. Trump asked for their support during any impeachment. That's not the same as asking directly for money. Very misleading.

The NYT time changed the article title after people claimed it was misleading

[Defiant]

A spy! Back in the good old days...

I'm pretty sure when Trump referred to how we treated spies back in the good old days, he was thinking of Bond and not The Rosenbergs.

[Grifman]

Here's the deal - Trump has no loyalty to himself, hence no one, and I mean no one on his team has any real loyalty to him. If the ship sinks, no one is going to go down with the ship for Trump. The rats will run to the exit, fully willing to tell what they know in hopes of avoiding any penalty to themselves. Once the dominoes start falling, they will all start to fall quickly. Notice how Giuliani went on FOX the other night reading from his emails, ostensibly to show that he had State Department backing, but throwing the State Department under the bus while he was at it. These guys are going to get in a circle and start shooting each other. It's not going to be pretty (for them).

The complication is that all of these right-wing DC operatives who might turn on Trump understand that Trump owns the conservative base. Deplorables who love The Wall and shitting on gays and Muslims aren't going to suddenly decide that the American Constitutional experiment is more valuable than any of that hate. They will stick with Trump to the end.

Potential witnesses against Trump want to save themselves, but they also want to save the GOP, and they know that rolling over and exposing Trump also means killing the political movement to which they've dedicated their lives. That will be a hard move to make--harder than just being honest.

This is why getting the truth will be like pulling teeth.

If it's a choice of Trump or prison, do you really think they care about the Republican base? Do you really think anyone is going to commit perjury on behalf of Trump?

[Grifman]

As I said, more rats coming forth with info now - one of the meeting transcripts kept restricted was Trump's conversation with Russian foreign minister and ambassador a while back. Why? Because Trump said he didn't care about Russian interference in US elections:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... story.html

Another impeachable offense, another example the president doesn't care about the integrity of US elections.

I'm certain there is more to follow. When the Democrats get their hands on all of those hidden transcripts it's going to be Trump's nightmare.

[Holman]

If it's a choice of Trump or prison, do you really think they care about the Republican base? Do you really think anyone is going to commit perjury on behalf of Trump?

I'm pretty sure some of them have already.

[LordMortis]

If it's a choice of Trump or prison, do you really think they care about the Republican base? Do you really think anyone is going to commit perjury on behalf of Trump?

I'm pretty sure some of them have already.

I think some will abandon him and some have convinced themselves they are MAGA patriots not acting on behalf of Trump and some will believe they are above it all until they aren't.

[Kraken]

Trump thinks people simply disappear when you fire them. That's not how this works.

Am I mistaken or was the idea that he was trying to get members of his administration to sign NDA documents at some point floated? More and more it seems like shady businessman Trump has been running things like his scam real estate (steak, water, golf, etc...) empire. I hope he's legally flayed alive because of it.

Funny you should say that; a few days ago I read that Trump finally has the authoritarian White House he has wanted from the start, and it indeed mirrors his businesses. Surrounded by sycophants and toadies competing for favor, he commands that his will be done. The details are up to the toadies. Those who fail are fired, and nobody ever says No. He no longer has any checks on his ego.

I can't understand how he remains untouchable. I fear that we will never know if prison orange complements or clashes with his complexion.

[Jaymann]

Trump thinks people simply disappear when you fire them. That's not how this works.

Am I mistaken or was the idea that he was trying to get members of his administration to sign NDA documents at some point floated? More and more it seems like shady businessman Trump has been running things like his scam real estate (steak, water, golf, etc...) empire. I hope he's legally flayed alive because of it.

Funny you should say that; a few days ago I read that Trump finally has the authoritarian White House he has wanted from the start, and it indeed mirrors his businesses. Surrounded by sycophants and toadies competing for favor, he commands that his will be done. The details are up to the toadies. Those who fail are fired, and nobody ever says No. He no longer has any checks on his ego.

I can't understand how he remains untouchable. I fear that we will never know if prison orange complements or clashes with his complexion.

My hope is that DA's are chomping at the bit, waiting for him to leave office.

[Drazzil]

Trump's not going to be thrown out of office. He has too much support.

[msteelers]

Why does a *billionaire* need the NRA to finance his defense?

Is this even legal? Isn't this just a similar version of what was just exposed? Can the president sell political favors for money?

Edit - that tweet is misleading - the article says nothing specific about the NRA providing money to Trump. Trump asked for their support during any impeachment. That's not the same as asking directly for money. Very misleading.

The NYT time changed the article title after people claimed it was misleading

To piggyback on this, I had to coordinate an interview with someone at the White House last week over an unrelated matter (economic opportunity zones). I had to give them my cell phone number, and ever since I’ve been getting text messages asking for money to fight the impeachment.

Within hours of handing my cell phone number out, I was getting the text messages, and received 3 messages in 2 days.

[Kraken]

Trump's not going to be thrown out of office. He has too much support.

Jeff Flake said that at least 35 GOP senators would vote to convict, if they had a secret ballot. Trump is widely hated and keeps his support through fear and intimidation. If the dam cracks, that sucker gonna burst in a hurry.

I'm not under any illusion that it's likely, but I'm not going with "impossible" either. If Moscow Mitch and his minions believe that Trump will lose the presidency and take their Senate majority with him, he could be gone by the end of this year. When a useful idiot stops being useful, he's just another idiot.

[LawBeefaroni]

When a useful idiot stops being useful, he's just another idiot.

Or, in this case, he's just another massive honking liability.

[Holman]

Trump's not going to be thrown out of office. He has too much support.

Jeff Flake said that at least 35 GOP senators would vote to convict, if they had a secret ballot. Trump is widely hated and keeps his support through fear and intimidation. If the dam cracks, that sucker gonna burst in a hurry.

I'm not under any illusion that it's likely, but I'm not going with "impossible" either. If Moscow Mitch and his minions believe that Trump will lose the presidency and take their Senate majority with him, he could be gone by the end of this year. When a useful idiot stops being useful, he's just another idiot.

You know they’re already thinking out whether Pence 2020 looks better than Trump 2020.

The dynamics here are pretty dicey. If the party tilts towards Pence, they have every reason to move fast and get it over with, especially since a “small impeachment” (focused on just Ukraine) looks like it will limit the scope of investigation of... other things. I won’t be surprised if Mitch offers Nancy that deal.

Meanwhile, of course, a Trump who sees the writing on the wall (and then has Stephen Miller read it to him) will lash out in every direction, especially at treasonous allies he probably already hates.

[Drazzil]

I hope if Trump goes he takes Pence with him.

[Zaxxon]

I hope if Trump goes he takes Pence with him.

President Pelosi would be... A change.

[Kraken]

I hope if Trump goes he takes Pence with him.

President Pelosi would be... A change.

I don't think Pence can be impeached along with Trump, and I don't see him falling on his sword, so he will ascend. However, I also don't think Pence will be the nominee next November. With no real primary process in place, we will see a civil war in the GOP. Romney will lead a resurgence of the Old GOP (OGOP? GOOP?), and the battle for Trump's GOP will be a spectacle -- Pence doesn't automatically inherit that mantle. It will make the progressive/moderate split among the Democrats look like a tea party.

(I have said many times that I doubt Trump will be on the ballot, and, even though I had thought that Trump would die or go batshit insane, impeachment makes me more confident in that prediction by the day.)