The Impeachment of President Donald J Trump

[Admiral Yi]

I thought the main argument was that the girls were underage, ergo "willingly participating" is irrelevant. No?

All I know is that the lead plaintiff, Courtney Wild, was 17.  I checked stat rape in UK and NY, both 16.

[The Minsky Moment]

Zoupa is correct, the Palm Beach prosecution involved multiple girls under 16 with the youngest at 14.  Epstein was a scumbag and the only shakedown was the job pulled by his influential friends and high powered legal team in getting himself off with a wrist slap.  Actually not so - he also appears to have shook down his billionaire "friends"

In the SDNY case they found hundreds of photos of underaged girls . . .

[Admiral Yi]

K

[Berkut]

So why isn't the revelation that Nunes was almost certainly deeply  involved in the Ukraine scandal from the outset not bigger news?

[Oexmelin]

Because, at this point, all the news re: the Russian treason is partisan news. Trump cultist will forgive anything. The Republicans will support him at any cost. People opposed to Trump already know he betrayed the Republic, and have already suspected that a number of his cronies are in as well. And people who are indifferent to the Russian treason have tuned out, probably vaguely annoyed that it's still in the news.

Which is why the complete breakdown of American institutions warrants a lot more coverage, and a complete overhaul of tone. There are years of truism and mental defenses about "checks and balances" to undo, to rather reveal both the frailties of these institutions, and the astonishing passivity of people in power. Check, for instance, this new account of Trump's meetings in the Pentagon, and how utterly unprepared for Trump the General Staff - and the actual secretaries - were.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/youre-a-bunch-of-dopes-and-babies-inside-trumps-stunning-tirade-against-generals/2020/01/16/d6dbb8a6-387e-11ea-bb7b-265f4554af6d_story.html

[Berkut]

Yeah, I read that, and see your point.

That article alone is, or should be, about the most damning reporting there has been on any President since Nixon.

Hell, I actually think Trump is worse than Nixon.

But with Nunes, ignoring Trump, and even ignoring the issue with him being involved in the Ukraine mess - it is that he sat there on the impeachment committee going on and on about how it is all fake news, and he was involved! He never mentioned that, or quietly stepped away from the proceedings. In my opinion, that is actually considerably worse behavior then the entire dirt digging on Biden excursion to begin with, but it is hardly even making a ripple.

[grumbler]

Yeah, I read that, and see your point.

That article alone is, or should be, about the most damning reporting there has been on any President since Nixon.

Hell, I actually think Trump is worse than Nixon.

But with Nunes, ignoring Trump, and even ignoring the issue with him being involved in the Ukraine mess - it is that he sat there on the impeachment committee going on and on about how it is all fake news, and he was involved! He never mentioned that, or quietly stepped away from the proceedings. In my opinion, that is actually considerably worse behavior then the entire dirt digging on Biden excursion to begin with, but it is hardly even making a ripple.

I am utterly unsurprised the Nunes was criminally involved in the whole Ukraine thing, but learning that he was doesn't lower my opinion of him.  His own words during the hearings revealed him as so contemptible that he couldn't possibly sink lower in my estimation.

Trump being worse than Nixon goes without saying.  Nixon served where Trump dodged.

[Eddie Teach]

That should be an and rather than a but. 

[Razgovory]

Because, at this point, all the news re: the Russian treason is partisan news. Trump cultist will forgive anything. The Republicans will support him at any cost. People opposed to Trump already know he betrayed the Republic, and have already suspected that a number of his cronies are in as well. And people who are indifferent to the Russian treason have tuned out, probably vaguely annoyed that it's still in the news.

Which is why the complete breakdown of American institutions warrants a lot more coverage, and a complete overhaul of tone. There are years of truism and mental defenses about "checks and balances" to undo, to rather reveal both the frailties of these institutions, and the astonishing passivity of people in power. Check, for instance, this new account of Trump's meetings in the Pentagon, and how utterly unprepared for Trump the General Staff - and the actual secretaries - were.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/youre-a-bunch-of-dopes-and-babies-inside-trumps-stunning-tirade-against-generals/2020/01/16/d6dbb8a6-387e-11ea-bb7b-265f4554af6d_story.html

Mostly I just find all this extremely depressing.

[dps]

Hell, I actually think Trump is worse than Nixon.

Well, yeah.  Nixon abused the power of his office, but at least he had real accomplishments.

[The Minsky Moment]

Recall that during much of the Mueller investigation, the GOP still controlled the House, and Nunes and his staff coordinated with the White House to stymie any inquiries into Russia matters.  Similar to how McConnell is suborning Senate independence by acting as an arm of the White House in the impeachment proceeding. So yes once you have Congressional leaders zealously undermining the integrity and independence of their branch trying to outdo one another in their toadying to the Executive it is certainly no surprise to find them delivering the President's dirtiest laundry to and fro.

[The Brain]

GOP will be GOP.

[Sheilbh]

So why isn't the revelation that Nunes was almost certainly deeply  involved in the Ukraine scandal from the outset not bigger news?

I mean hasn't Nunes been deeply involved in all of this since the start - the late night run to the White House etc.

[Berkut]

So why isn't the revelation that Nunes was almost certainly deeply  involved in the Ukraine scandal from the outset not bigger news?

I mean hasn't Nunes been deeply involved in all of this since the start - the late night run to the White House etc.

He has been involved in the investigation, or rather, the attempt to stifle the investigation, from the start.

It has NOT been known that he was actually involved in the actual alleged crime itself.

[Eddie Teach]

Does it really matter who Trump's flunkies are? I mean, Giuliani had a greater reputation to trash, didn't stop him...