The Impeachment of President Donald J Trump

[PDH]

Collins, Gardner, Tillis and McSally are pretty vulnerable. If a democrat wins the presidency, going three out of four among them doesn't seem that unlikely.

tainted

[Razgovory]

This whole thing has been discouraging.  It is depressing that the entire Republican party has decided that soliciting aid from a foreign country is fine.

[Valmy]

This whole thing has been discouraging.  It is depressing that the entire Republican party has decided that soliciting aid from a foreign country is fine.

Oh it would be the highest of outrages if Hillary did it. It is starting to get stupid. It is like the law is just a tool to stop us, not something that matters in itself.

[Admiral Yi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaCntDx4V_0

I was watching this CNN blah blah blah talking heads clip and learned something about the Clinton impeachment trial (in the Senate) that I did not know, and which helps to make that Trump tweet about "actual live witnesses" a little more understandable.

I didn't watch any of the Clinton hearings/trial, but these guys say in the Senate there were four witnesses, they were all deposed "off campus" with some Senators present, and then these depositions were played on big TVs to the whole Senate.  So I guess Trump is saying that way of doing it is no good.

[The Brain]

Nah, he's just a moran.

[jimmy olsen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaCntDx4V_0

I was watching this CNN blah blah blah talking heads clip and learned something about the Clinton impeachment trial (in the Senate) that I did not know, and which helps to make that Trump tweet about "actual live witnesses" a little more understandable.

I didn't watch any of the Clinton hearings/trial, but these guys say in the Senate there were four witnesses, they were all deposed "off campus" with some Senators present, and then these depositions were played on big TVs to the whole Senate.  So I guess Trump is saying that way of doing it is no good.

Dems would love to have live witnesses testify. It's McConnel and the GOP senate who wisely don't want that to happen.

[crazy canuck]

Based on the testimony of the Inspector General, there are some people involved in the FISA warrants that are in some serious trouble.  But he is taking pains the distinguish the decision to investigate with the investigative process - it is the process he found had significant flaws.

[The Minsky Moment]

Barr is not well placed to criticize aggressive FISA applications given his antics in the early 90s.

[crazy canuck]

Barr is not well placed to criticize aggressive FISA applications given his antics in the early 90s.

No but Horowitz is and he has referred one person for criminal investigation - probably the person who altered the email.

[Admiral Yi]

https://www.npr.org/2019/12/17/788982994/read-president-trump-sends-pelosi-letter-protesting-partisan-impeachment-charade

Trump's six page letter to Pelosi about impeachment.

TLDNR: Democrats suck, I'm awesome.

[The Minsky Moment]

Fun to play the game of which parts came from Trump ("the very ugly word, impeachment") and grown-ups familiar with the adult use of the English language ("The Articles of Impeachment introduced in the House Judiciary Committee are not recognizable under any standard of Constitutional theory, interpretations or jurisprudence").

[Razgovory]

God, I hate this.  I know Trump won't be removed, and will probably be reelected.  I still believe it was the right thing to do, but it feels like we're at Balaclava and Lord Raglan just gave us the fatal order.

[Admiral Yi]

I thought it was interesting that he committed to paper the assertion that the greasy Ukrainian attorney general was the one trying to drain the swamp of Hunter's illicit Burisma activities.

Also still stunned that House Democrats made zero effort to debunk this myth during the hearings.

[The Minsky Moment]

Big strategic mistake not to push the subpoenas.

Pelosi agrees with Raz, thinks impeachment is charging the guns, hence her strategy to have to done and long gone from the news by the time Iowa caucuses roll around.

[frunk]

Big strategic mistake not to push the subpoenas.

Pelosi agrees with Raz, thinks impeachment is charging the guns, hence her strategy to have to done and long gone from the news by the time Iowa caucuses roll around.

It feels like a half-hearted effort, the same way they approached the Mueller report.  There's plenty of more dirt there, but they aren't bothering to do the work.  Getting the subpoenas would be a big part of that. 

They are approaching it as if the only thing that matters is if it changes public opinion.  "Did starting the impeachment flip people against Trump?  No?  OK, wrap it up and move on."  Meanwhile it's thoroughly obvious that there's tons of more damaging information there, which they aren't bothering with.