Well I guess Graham was right—or maybe the President just wanted to bait those calling for his impeachment before the facts were actually known and then, when they had fallen for his trap, sprung it.
4
President Trump will tomorrow release the full transcript of the call in question.
Will the Editorial Board then call for a full throated investigation of the Biden clan's dealings with Ukraine?
Will they then call for a full throated investigation into Hillary's and the DNC's and the Obama State Department's dealings with Ukraine in pursuit of "dirt" on the Trump campaign?
The ball is in your court.
Please fufill your duty to our nation.
Thank you.
5
Lindsey Graham is not very convincing in his support of Trump.
He was being honest about him before he became his best friend.
What happened?
Something smells very rotten.
Something very evil is going on there.
11
Every crook I've ever encountered in business projected their own worst side onto others.
12
Bill Weld said on 9/23 that this is “about pressuring a foreign country to interfere with and control a US election. It couldn’t be clearer. That’s not just undermining Democratic institutions. That is treason.” Weld knows something about the law. He was legal counsel for the House Judiciary Committee during Watergate, a US atty for MA and head of the Criminal Div of the Justice Dept.
Democrats who worked to protect our country in the military and in intel wrote on 9/23 “if these allegations are true, we believe these actions represent an impeachable offense. We do not arrive at this conclusion lightly, and we call on our colleagues in Congress to consider the use of all congressional authorities available to us, including the power of “inherent contempt” and impeachment hearings, to address these new allegations, find the truth and protect our national security.”
It was reported on Monday evening that the speaker has scheduled a meeting on 9/24 with her caucus. Madame Speaker: You can no longer wait. It is time to begin the impeachment process. This man needs to be held accountable and those Republicans who continue to support him, need to answer for allowing him to break the law.
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/09/24/seven-freshman-democrats-these-allegations-are-threat-all-we-have-sworn-protect/
msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/-it-s-treason-pure-and-simple-bill-weld-on-president-trump-s-ukraine-call-69655621916
12
What part of -used the office of the Presidency to try and get a foreign government to investigate his leading political opponent in the run up it an election through both himself and his private attorney who has no government position, outside of the instigation or apparent cooperation of any part of the government delegated with law enforcement.”?
That this President tried to do this secretly while at the same time withholding funds from his targeted country.
What does the Times need explaining on by a person who has problems telling the truth?
This editorial doesn’t hold people and institutions responsible for anything. It harrumphs and tries to look serious.
America is facing historic problems but this paper will not be remembered as the paper of record, but as a grotesque joke with less integrity than the Onion.
1
All media reports I have read state that Hunter Biden "worked" for a Ukraine company and oligarch. My understanding is that he was on the board of that company. Companies pick board member for their expertise and contacts. Unless mr Biden was given a documented mandate related or germaine to his being the son of a US vice president, it should not be stated that he worked for that company.
He was in fact investigated and cleared. How can then a sitting president charge an American citizen and his father of extreme corruption without any proof! If this is not improper , counter to all Justice principles of the USA, and viciously libelous, I don't know what it will take for the MAGA crowd to put their brain back on working mode ,under their ample sombreros, and Stetsons. Words cannot replace Work and this president does little of the latter while tripping all over the former with the help of his amusing "faire valoir" lawyer.
12
Trump plays dirty and manipulates a situation to his advantage--that is his M.O. To expect anything otherwise is naive. This editorial assumes that there is a basic decency to Trump. There is not, never has been, or never will be.
11
As Obama did with his transparency? I still want to know what flexibility he promised to Putin over a hot mic before the 2012 election. Talk about opaque.
4
Trump Says He Has Authorized Release of Ukraine Call Transcript
President says ‘complete, fully declassified and unredacted transcript’ of conversation with Ukraine’s president will be released Wednesday WSJ
5
Well Trump is doing better than turning over the whistle blower report, he is turning over the unredacted transcript of the phone call with the Ukrainian leader. Once more the NYT has overplayed its hand and ends up getting played by Trump. Doesn't it get tiring to be made a fool (again and again)?
2
And I thought Mexico was gonna pay for the wall.
6
I don't expect Donald Trump to make any revelatory moves until he feels this "episode" has done as much damage to Joe Biden as he can squeeze out of it. One needs to study Roy Cohn to understand Trump. Thinking or hoping Trump will ever do the right thing is a pipedream. Trump only reads the NYT for excuses to attack its reporting and staff. His motives are solely self-serving. Whether an unedited version of the communications with the Ukrainian president ever come to light, be assured Trump's response (the next "episode") from himself and his staff will be lies and spin.
4
Dear Editorial board. I guess Mr. Trump has blown the Editorial Board of NY Times away with his trademark transparency and will release the transcript presumably unaltered. Quite unprecedented.
4
Trump is releasing the un-redacted transcript of his call.
Does that transparency blow you away?
3
Why is he giving us the transcript on Wednesday? Am I stupid, or is it apparent that he intends to give us a different version than the truth.
64
Oh Yeah. Right. While you are at it, can you blow us away with your tax returns too?
11
What awful thing is Dear Leader going to tweet to deflect attention from this one?
4
Trump will not OK the release of the Zelensky transcript. What he will do is dictate a statement which will be delivered by William Barr with a straight face in which the puppet AG will declare that, “Sorry guys, Congress may take no action because of...uh, um...Executive Privilege? And but, hey, don’t worry about it because, forget what the law says, I, the honest, ethical and obviously independent top law enforcement officer in the land, have already looked into this and found the President innocent of any and all wrongdoing.” Heaving a great sigh of relief, Republican politicians will say “See, nothing there! Get over it, you poor sport Dems!” Democrat politicians will say “Darn it! You meanies aren’t playing fair!”
3
The whistle blower needs to be questioned by Congress. Don't trust any kind of "redacted" record of phone calls. It will be half blaocked out.
5
Is Congress going to allow this man to squelch the whole concept and persona of a whistleblower? This known liar versus a patriot? Can we start an inquiry please? I am a citizen who demands the rule of law come forth already. This is a circus. Ms. Pelosi, et al, do your job.
6
Donald Trump is an habitual liar who does not understand the inappropriateness of his actions and comments. He has violated the constitution too often to be recounted here. Its time for Congress to act and to initiate impeachment proceedings. The House should they find Trump guilty will have to trust that the Senate will act in accordance with their constitutional duties REGARDLESS of party affiliation. At this point I see no reason to further subject the American public or our legal system to the twisted excuses and stalling that is the hallmark of this president's tenure.
4
Yes, Trump has bankrupted some hotels, but thanks to MoscowMitch & his pals in the Senate he still brandishes his Get out of Jail Free card. He's making the most of it but just landed in a spot that may wipe him off the board.
5
If Trump was a six year old throwing a tantrum, he would face the full force of the law.
Our laws are becoming a joke. The law is applied to the poor like a sledge hammer but applied to the rich and powerful like a tack hammer.
3
We;ve seen this movie before, many times. Trump violates his oath of office, egregiously. Media editorial writers plead with him, pretty-please Mr. President, come clean and act responsibly. Trump ignores them, except to call the media "fake news" and "the enemy of the people."
The cycle repeats itself, endlessly, and nothing ever happens.
Why are we allowing this thug to roll over us like this? Why? I just don't understand it.
3
I would be quite skeptical of any telephone transcripts that Trump May erase. Does anyone remember that Nixon Watergate tape with that 15 minute redaction via the “Rosemary Wood stretch?”
5
Looks like you got your wish! Transcript being released tomorrow. Let's see what this hullabaloo is all about. Probably nothing!
1
He’s been transparent all along. His crimes and misdeeds were so outrageous that we failed to believe a president could possibly act that way.
5
Trump announces he will release transcript of call he made to Ukrainian leader. Clapper is already downplaying what’s going to be in it. He is more worried about the IG report on FISA abuses, where his name will be prominently mentioned.
3
Although a great deal of attention is warranted by Trump's illegal behaviour it must be remembered that he is aided and abetted by Low Bar Barr and Moscow Mitch. And the complete turn their back on all Americans GOP congress members who have abdicated their right to be in office. 2020 must be about cleaning house and starting to put the country back on track to be the world’s leader on saving the planet. Trump's effort to make America a third world dictatorship could not be accomplished without allies both in politics and in business. It's not just the fossil fuel companies that are aiding Trump, it is the deep pocketed Republicans all around the country who are using Citizens United as if it were a money gusher dedicated to obliterating all the accomplishments this country has produced and shared with the world as a leader of freedom and justice for all. 2020 – NO ONE STAYS HOME – EVERYONE VOTES!!!
1
Editors: you have "picked" commenters who are not as
representatives of your readers "picks"...
Perhaps you should review those whom your readers agree
with …
3
Trump and his cabal already broke the law when he refused to hand over the whistle blower's evidence. America has to decide very soon if it is a land that abides by the law or will it devolve into a dictatorship. The world is watching, unsure of the outcome.
7
The United States goes around the world investigating crimes and accidents, if Trump was serious about corruption in the Ukraine why didn’t he send a crack FBI investigation unit. Why send his personal attorney?
4
Before you impeach the so-called president, make sure you have the goods on him. Start by imposing excessive fines on all of his appointees that refuse to comply with Congressional Subpoenas or follow unambiguous laws, such as the Whistle Blower Statutes.
A good first step would be to impose a $50K/day fine on Acting Director of Intelligence Joseph Maguire, until he turns over the Whistle Blower complaint he has illegally sidelined. Double that fine every 2 days.
At the same time, impose a $50K/day fine on Don McGahn, until he answers all questions put to him by Congress. He has no immunity, or privilege after leaving office. He was never the so-called president's personal attorney. Also move to have him disbarred.
Give these anti-American traitors a stark choice. Follow the law and their oaths of office, and answer lawful subpoenas, or go bankrupt following unlawful orders from the so-called president.
The so-called president can't waive Congressional Fines, and those fines will follow these scofflaws even after they leave office.
5
I think the premise is right at this moment. The administrations continued stonewalling of congress is simply antithetical to our governing system. While they're have always been tensions between the branches, congress will generally get what it needs to do it's oversight. But with Trump it is a flat out No.
If the administration isn't going to cooperate...at all...so that congress can do it's job, then the House should just impeach. Then let the Administration try to defend itself.
5
The Times says, "The president, who says he did nothing wrong, should welcome the opportunity to let Congress clear up this matter."
This is not going to happen. Even if Trump would be wholly exonerated by releasing the transcript or whistle blower accusations, he would play it this same way. What the Times and other media outlets won't admit, is Trump thinks any media exposure is good, and he plays it to the hilt.
For all we know, He could have set this whole thing up.
2
Can the House impeach and then not send the issue to the Senate? That would censure Trump and give the Dems their spotlight without giving the GOP Senate a chance to mitigate the damage.
2
@Richard I believe, I heard that reported, the same way you present it.
Will history rank Barack Obama as one of the best presidents of the US? As a far away neutral observer, I too have admired this sage officer and a true gentleman.
The presidency is an honor which is offered as a trusteeship to one whose duty it is to manage it well and enhance the well-being of the country and its citizens. And pass on the baton to someone who will convince the public that she/he will continue to further the trust.
So how did things go from Barack Obama to Donald Trump?
In the eight long years of his tenure, didn’t he ever notice that a large portion of the population was feeling increasingly ‘alienated and left behind’? That his fear of appearing to being partisan to the color of his skin prevented him from being the leader of people of all colors? Didn’t he ever sense the need to connect with the insecurities of those ‘white, didn’t-go-to-college, hard-working blue collars’ who felt threatened by the increasing diversity that they perceived was questioning their livelihood and way of life itself? Did he always fly over the fly-over-country?
Every nation has its lot of il-literate and uninformed citizenry. A true leader’s role is to bring them into the fold. If ignored, they are just waiting vulnerably for a demagogue to hijack their consciousness. To take them from the virtue of truth to the normalcy of the lie.
And we all thought such a thing could never happen to The United States of America.
What say you, President Obama?
2
Trump's approval rating, as tracked and calculated at FiveThirtyEight, has NOT dipped a bit since this latest scandal broke last week. The Trump supporters are destroying the rule of law, and the sad truth is that we have not been able to do anything to stop them.
4
I'd like to think that the Republicans may choose country over party at last, but since they don't have an ounce of patriotism, I'm not very optimistic.
12
The problem is that today no one on either side has any leg to stand on, which is resulting in a "torching" of the institution of law that has served us for so long. Democrats have justified a whole series of misconduct by themselves in the form of sham investigations in light of what they view as a deeply problematic president (who, rather inconveniently, did win the election under our laws). As a consequence, everyone knows any investigation will be biased, and this in turn provides cover for Trump to essentially ignore whatever the law says under the theory that no one actually abides by any law these days unless it helps their political side, and there's always an excuse for why a law doesn't apply given the "exigencies" of the situation in question. Obviously this is very problematic because there has to at least be some respect on both sides of the political aisle for the rule of law and the process through which it applies or we have the resulting chaos we're seeing. Both parties are equally to blame for this, but unfortunately each side just wants to point fingers at the other side while failing to acknowledge its own culpability, and as a consequence this whole thing is likely to get worse and not better.
2
Leader Pelosi is correct that no Republicans have yet expressed a willingness to vote for impeachment, but Senators Graham and Romney are leading in that direction be calling for Trump's transparency of his actions.
6
Mitt Romney rode in on his silver horse to save the country with his statement about Trump's behavior being "troubling in the extreme". However, he didn't find it troubling in the extreme while he ate fog legs with Trump when he was considering him for a spot in his administration.
5
What other funds did trump hold up during this recent time period due to his immense concern about 'corruption'?
5
Referencing anything Graham says is a pointless exercise, as he is a supreme rationalizer and justifier for Trump's behavior.
Any person who has objective cognition will easily know that Trump has engaged in numerous impeachable acts, the last one just being the most openly brazen. Past time for pelosi to step forward, and do her constitutional duty as speaker.
4
The president is accountable to Congress? Really? I read the Constitution, and I didn't see that anywhere. Would you mind telling me where that is?
2
Subject to congressional oversight.
4
The Editorial Board's impetus is well aimed, but isn't it time to discard the artificial naivety implied in a direct appeal to the Donald? Shouldn't the Board publicly acknowledge that he and his minions are a hostile gang who will never be engaged in an honest debate? Let's confront the brutal reality!
2
You are delusional if you believe that Lindsey Graham's "gentle" call for transparency was sincere. In these times, even the mildest of skeptics would read the Senator's comments more as a suggestion for obstruction through executive privilege than as a call for disclosure. In Orwellian fashion, the word transparency has become synonymous with obfuscation.
3
If Trump wasn't doing something he wanted to hide, then why did he involve his own personal attorney, Giulliani, instead of other officials from his administration? Isn't that sort of a smoking gun right there?
5
Trump's two original sins -- his years-long claim that President Obama was miraculously born in Kenya and his refusal to release his tax returns -- tainted every other action. On the one side, you have a white nationalism that combines xenophobia with racism and Islamophobia and on the other, you have his arrogance that he can withhold documents every other presidential candidate for decades has released. It implies something that needs to be hidden such as crimes, foreign conflicts of interest, or corruption.
These have continued. For Kenya, substitute The Wall. For the hidden tax returns, substitute all other documents, transparency, and cryptonite that might deprive him of his powers.
6
Trump will release the transcript, count on it. But don’t forget, he’s still got that sharpie.
7
Once again, the Executive Branch shows that it believes it is immune to oversight and the rule of law. "The Department of Justice advised Mr. Maguire not to pass along the report." The question of who made this decision to break the law and cover up the report of the Ukraine conversation is a big one. It will be interesting to learn who "advised" Maguire, and why.
4
Has anyone seen a transcript of the conversation? This seems like a repeat of all the selective leaks by partisans in government that started the Russian investigation. Media outlets that have promised anonymity to sources have already assumed an accusation is true. Most of the protected sources during the Russian probe have been demoted, quit, got fired, or been referred for prosecution. The IG report on FISA abuses will surely include more embarrassment and referrals for prosecution. There are reports the supposed whistleblower provided second hand information in the complaint. Either reporting standards have to be elevated, or accusations should require confirmation of sources that have read the transcript. Strzok confirming Page, or McCabe confirming Strzok Is hardly credible as 2 sources. This game has been played before. News, not accusations is why I read many different publications. This accusation has been tortured long enough.
2
The Executive Branch tries to keep the information secret due to executive privilege then Trump supporters decry selective leaks. When you have an administration that lies and coverups, you get your information in drips and dribbles.
Of course, the administration itself may be leaking some false information to create the impression that all the information is false.
Trump and Juliani have both admitted to these allegations. That is not enough for you? Plus considering how dishonest Trump has been about nearly everything under the sun, you’re going to blame partisan politics on these accusations...I don’t so.
2
How do we know that Trump plans to ask for assistance from other governments? I wish a reporter would ask directly if he would ask for election assistance from Saudi Arabia, Turkey. China, North Korea and other nations by name.
4
"Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Mr. Trump said, referring to emails Mrs. Clinton had deleted from the private account she had used when she was secretary of state.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/13/us/politics/trump-russia-clinton-emails.html
1
Our president is not wise or intelligent or human enough to dig himself and us out of the hole in our democracy he created.
4
@Nan Socolow: Trump has stripped away all the fake pretenses of democracy from this liberty to enslave scheme of government.
Typical Trump illogical cover up of the facts.
He claims he is the smartest and best educated human walking the planet, but has legally restricted the prep schools and colleges he attended to release his academic records.
He boasts that he is the most successful business tycoon ever, but has refused to release his tax returns and any of his other financial records.
And now he claims that his communication with the Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky was perfectly legal and did not include a threat of withholding U.S. support unless he worked with Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer, on a corruption investigation of Mr. Biden and his son Hunter on the board of a Ukranian gas company.
This would be cleared up if he supported the full release of the whistle blower report of the communication. But rather, as usual, Trump has resisted doing so. The only logical explanation: he's lying again.
9
Really, is this a joke? It's not April 1st, is it? Donald Trump is an immoral criminal, has been his entire life. He has depended on the "wealthy" white man code of impunity, and he has it on steroids as president. If not strongly opposed, immediately, (Nancy Pelosi must resign) Trump will steal the 2020 election.
5
Congress should show some moxey by arresting, and detaining in jail, Magure if he does not turn over the document.
5
Transparency in Trump's case is a rarerity; for look him from any side he personifies the darker sides of life, be it his business career, social life, or the political career.
2
Just ask yourself this: what is the situation were reversed and and this was Hilary pressuring a gov't to investigate a rival. House Republicans would have had an impeachment vote yesterday...and for good reason!!!
8
What happens now?
Scenario 1:
1. Congress impeaches Trump because they realize that 2020 election might become rigged by Trump.
2. Senate refuses to convict.
3. Trump wins narrowly due to Electoral College advantage.
4. But Senate's refusal to convict swings the Senate Democratic or at least Democratic enough to break McConnell's grip and override filibuster.
5. The release of more damning information causes Congress to retain and possibly expand Democratic advantage.
6. With both houses in control of Democrats, there can be a real vote on impeachment during Trump's second term.
7. Country manages fall out, violent or otherwise, and starts to heal.
Scenario 2:
1. Pelosi sticks to her guns, puts all her eggs in 2020 basket.
2. Trump begins open offensive on 2020 electoral integrity, effectively ensuring his re-election.
3. Since Senate's feet has not been held to the fire, Senate continues to escape harsh spotlight and either remains status quo or too weakly Democratic to break filibuster.
4. Enough Democratic voters get fed up with Congress' squandering of their majority and stay home, weakening turnout and Democratic control of congress.
5. Trump proceeds to use his second term with even less scrutiny to turn USA into Banana Republic territory.
6. Meanwhile Republican debt brings economy crashing. This time no Obama to handle things. Country goes into full-scale recession.
7. With steps 5&6 officially marks the end of America's leadership of the world.
4
“President Trump is going to blow you away with his willingness to disclose and be transparent about this phone call, because I think he did nothing wrong and he has nothing to hide.”
Uh huh, yeah, right.
And I am the King of Siam.
Trump is a liar, a man how has no regard for the law or tradition, and thinks he can "brazen" his way past any issue.
In football parlance, Donald Trump is about to be sacked for a monumental loss, say 50 yards.
This issue is not going away.
Rudy Giuliani has already admitted that as Trump's personal attorney, he asked the president of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Trump has basically admitted the same thing.
The time to vote a bill of impeachment is fast approaching, as the Democrats are finally coming to understand.
Nixon won his election in 1972 by a lopsided 520 to 17 in the electoral college. (In 1936, FDR did better than Nixon, winning by 523 (97%) to 8 (3%) for Alf Landon. In 1984, Reagan did better than Nixon in 1984, winning 525 (95.2%) to 13 (4.8%) for Mondale.)
However, in 1974, NIXON RESIGNED IN DISGRACE after he was told by Republican Senators, including Bary Goldwater, that he was going to be impeached, tried, convicted and removed from office.
Trump will NEVER resign. He will be impeached, tried, convicted and removed from office, as the first POTUS ever to have that "honor."
Wait and see.
3
I understand that the transcript will be released simultaneously with his tax return. Bwahahahaha!
4
People who have nothing to hide, hide nothing.
4
To be quite honest-- again the Trump Royalist party rallys in unquestioning support.
2
Pot. Kettle. Black.
Let's see a list of all meetings, lunches, cocktail parties, and "editorial content review and commentary sessions" between members of the Editorial Board and Democrats, and then a similar list but with the Republicans.
President "..." is a man without a country.
1
Once again, if you believe trump, I have a lovely bridge to sell you!
1
Just watch Trump produce a doctored recording of his phone call with Ukrainian president along the lines of his sharpie-doctored weather map. That’ll prove his transparency!
5
The crime, blackmailing Ukraine by withholding congressional approved aid, IS the ‘executive privilege’. C’mon Lindsay, you’re not REALLY asking for transparency. Graham is another one who wouldn’t know the truth if it stared him in the face. Just another Trump sub. WAKE UP SOUTH CAROLINA!
3
He is only doing what he did before, which worked before.
'Russia if you are listening....'
Now he calls the Ukraine.
All we can hear from the GOP.
(Silence)
3
Why can't Michael Atkinson be a Daniel Ellsberg? Why can't others?
4
Everything he has done and said since in office has been leading up to his committing treason. He is a genius, a genius at distraction by repeating the same inane topic over and over until his gullible supporters believe him. Then on to the next debacle. And for dividing and destroying the country he wants the Noble Peace Prize..LOL. There will be no end to his misdeeds until he is voted out of office.
2
How many scandals can this guy juggle?
1
Altered transcript coming.
4
Isn’t there a transcript of the call on the other end , with Mr Zelensky’s office ? And, given that the call was made into Ukraine, shan’t we suppose the Kremlin was listening in too ?
2
Trump may have overreached after his Mueller Report victory delivered by A.G.Barr aka Roy Cohn . A whistle-blower complaint from an Intel official certified by the Inspector General as urgent that was suppressed by A.G.Barr that dependable toady might come to light by popular demand. Trump lies and spins constantly ,he got his start with Birtherism and appeals to racism so morals and truth are alien to him. Trump is hidden behind his wealth and teams of lawyers and now he has his Roy Cohn in the White House , will these sycophants go down with the ship Trump aka Titanic.
1
giuliani, and then others who stonewall legitimate congressional investigations, ought to be recommended by Congress to their various state bar associations where they are licensed to practice law, for disbarment. It is time for Congress to get tough and rein in this lawless president and his administration flunkies.
NY Times - please publish a list of the Democratic House members who do not support an impeachment inquiry. They need to find another line of work.
1
Congress is powerless...
Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, not a word in his dictionary. Or at least the word "lie" has equivalence with "transparency" in this administration
1
President Roy Cohen Trump, sir, at long last, sir, have you no decency?
But... isn't former Vice President Joe Biden on the record as having threatened a foreign leader with withholding foreign aid if a prosecutor that President Obama never liked was not fired?
Put a few reporters on it. Seems angelic President Obama set precedent, and Joe Biden enforced it. If it wasn't wrong then for the first black president, why is it an impeachable offense -- not yet proven -- for the sitting president?
Is this really all you reporters can dig up? How are readers to ignore what Biden already said he did, under Obama's orders. Dig, dig, dig that hole deeper....
Transparency REALLY??? This is the same guy who laughed in the face of established protocol in the primaries and general election by not releasing his taxes and is threatening to sue to continue to keep them private now that he's in office. For anyone, including and especially Lindsay Graham, to honestly believe one of the most loathsome homo sapiens to ever walk the Earth would dare be "transparent" now and willingly provide evidence of treason, they are part of the hopelessly cynical electorate that voted that clown into office in the first place. He might very well feign a desire to be transparent, but will then feign Lorena Bobbitt-esque disappointment for not being allowed due to a gut-wrenching desire to respect precedent. To think, the person who has shown the least amount of respect for that office to deem being beholden to rules of precedent for not providing evidence he claims would exonerate him...is something that only a hopeless hypocritical Republican like Lindsay Graham would believe.
Editorial Board members: don't hold your breath.
1
Lindsey Graham has become the satire king.
1
Trump's Nixonian "defense" to serious allegations of his abuse of office in seeking criminal investigations in Ukraine of Biden and his son has been to make unsubstantiated and scurrilous statements that Biden and his son were engaged in corruption (with the former Vice President deserving of the "electric chair")--the very thing he pressured Ukraine to investigate.
This "defense" only confirms his obsession to falsely attack the Bidens and makes all the clearer his corrupt abuse of the powers of his office in seeking Ukraine's assistance to do so.
His praise of Giuliani's performance on CNN when he admitted to seeking on Trump's behalf a Ukrainian criminal investigation of the Bidens is not only damning but also proof of Trump's delusion, dishonesty, sociopathic state of mind and his belief that he can turn the tables by claiming, without any evidence, the very thing that he improperly sought investigated, including by withholding funds needed for Ukraine's national security. (This is small potatoes for someone who thinks he is so above the law that he could shoot someone in broad daylight and get away with it).
This man knows no limits by law or otherwise, and the time has come for the enforcement of the Constitution to protect the nation from the serious threat that this lawless sociopath and pathological liar poses to our democracy and national security.
3
Having just spent some time in Odessa and Lviv while this Ukraine fiasco has unfolded, we came away with the perception on the ground there: Trump is entirely Putin's pernicious politicial creation and puppet. Trump is the most dangerous entity so far in America's history to occupy its throne and will end by destroying the world in a contrived nuclear war. Just because he's that evil.
4
With all due respect to the Times, this is *not* a complicated situation.
The president of the United States withheld approved military aid to a country currently under slow motion attack by Russia, and then asked 8 times for that country to reopen an investigation against Hunter Biden that was already closed after determining no crime had been committed. He only released the funds after the House started investigating whether Trump leaned on the Ukrainian president to investigate Biden's son.
In other words, it's very clear that Donald Trump, acting as President, was using his official powers to try to force the Ukraine government to fabricate charges against a family member of his political opponent.
It's pretty hard to imagine a clearer example of a corrupt act worthy of impeachment.
5
Pelosi is concerned that impeachment will energize the Republican base and drive swing voters to vote GOP with the Dems losing the House and Trump in the WH overseeing a compliant House and Senate. I understand that, but failure to stand up to Trump will also "normalize" his behavior for those very same "swing voters". The Dems are between a rock-and-a-hard-place. I suggest they act on conscience and principle by initiating impeachment proceedings; at a minimum, Trump should be censured by the House if there are not enough votes to impeach. The Dems in Congress should not be silent, as are the Reps, in the face of Trump's many transgressions against the Constitution.
2
@Bob Parker: Trump keeps nattering on, as he did at the UN this morning, about “true patriots” and “national pride.” Well, now it’s time to show Trump what those words really mean, and it begins with the courage of both Democrats and (some) Republicans to stand up and say “no more,” and lead on.
It’s time for everyone to remember — especially Trump — what the musical “Hamilton” so succinctly said: “Winning is easy; governing is harder.” But yet, it still needs to be done for the future of this country, lest we let Trump redefine who and what we are.
1
Democrats are attempting to fight within the rules of our laws, against Republicans, over which political party will control our democratic government. What the majority of Democrats don't realize is that the Republicans are fighting a different war. Today's Republicans are using every illegal and amoral weapon at their disposal to dismantle our democratic government and replace it with a malevolent government in which Republicans will rule indefinitely, with absolute power and authority, completely above any law. Unless the Democratic party wakes up in time, our American experiment in genuine representative government is coming to an end. The changing national demographics that are threatening the Republican Party will be insufficient to overturn the institutionalized autocracy that Republicans are building in every branch of our government. Republicans would rather be in power in a dictatorship than be out of power in a democracy.
5
Lindsey Graham wants an increasingly emboldened president drunk on his expanding powers to tell "us as much as he can without compromising executive privilege, so that we can understand what happened.” He might as well give Trump the green light to redact huge chunks of the transcripts. It would be a strategically logical move in a playbook he learned from his Attorney General's biased and brief summary of the Mueller report. Expanded executive powers may just be rationalized and revealed as new blacked out redactions of the truth in both the whistleblower's complaint and the transcribed conversations.
Will the American people really learn crucial details or will this latest episode in executive privilege continue to be expanded beyond with the next and the next infringement on our democracy during Trump's time in office. Just how far can he go and will Congress be able to realistically stop him without his staunch supporters in the Senate and his faithful Attorney General backing the power of more and more executive privilege without including all of the important conveniently blacked out details. This writer is losing hope in the removal of this mendacious, dishonorable and disgraceful little man posing to be the supreme leader of a once admired nation.
4
The fact that our system has allowed Trump's corruption to go on unabated for nearly three years without his removal from office tells me we need some changes to our constitution. I'm sure the founders would understand.
4
I stand ready to be "blown away". But I am a realist, and I know that what's going to happen, no doubt, is that Trump will obfuscate, rather than enlighten us, with his usual lies and finger-pointing elsewhere. And because he has never had to suffer the consequences of his illegal behavior, he will be emboldened to do it again, and again, and again.
Republicans have chosen to support this madman, rather than uphold the oath of office each of them took upon election and induction in office. I'd like to point out to them that no where in that oath are the words, "I will support and defend THE PRESIDENT of the United States..." In so doing, they are betraying their constituents, their country, and the Constitution of the United States of America. Shame on the lot of them.
7
@Chris Wildman
If there was any doubt, whatsoever, we re now seeing the long standing "true colors" of a Republican Party who have never really stood for much of anything other than lining the pockets of their wealthy friends, corporate donors and themselves and by using their consistent message of "divide and conquer", able to constantly lay blame and deflect away the countries problems towards others that do not look and think like them. The fact that they continue to receive votes from anyone who wants America to move forward is mind boggling and in many ways, this situation should be very disheartening for the future of the country.
Despite all their phony rhetoric, they believe neither in The Constitution, law and order and balanced budgets, in order words, the party and its members are a total sham who could not govern their way out of a wet paper bag. "Transparency"? A joke, the new press secretary who has yet to give a press conference says she hasn't because the President doesn't like the press questioning and criticizing his "friends".
When one wonders what might happen if this President receives another term in office, I still wonder how many Americans really understand the danger he and the Re[publicans represent towards the country going forward?
1
I believe I understand Pelosi's caution in proceeding with an indictment of President Trump. She is well aware of the impact of social media regarding an indictment because Trump has been extremely successful in manipulating a significant percentage of Americans via his tweets, personality, arrogance, and sheer gall. His base does not care if he is a pathological lier.
But, I would suggest she now aggressively proceed with the indictment against Trump and the involved people in his administration. Such a move would force "responsible" Republicans to stand up for the values of their party (I'm thinking people like Tom Cotton, Vice-President Pence, Mitt Romney and Lindsay Graham), and fulfill their oath to office.
I would hope every Republican, Federal and State, would acknowledge that his presidency has been a total failure and severely damaged the respect and admiration of every other country in the world!
114
@Tom Acord
There are no Republicans in Congress who are responsible any more. The statements by Romney and Collins are about the most overly qualified, tentative statements that you could imagine, although, I suppose they're better than the rest of the Republicans, who've made no statement at all. And this is *after* the President admitted that he asked for help from the Ukraine government to get dirty on Biden.
And let's not kid ourselves -- the Ukrainians already investigated the Hunter Biden and decided that there was no crime committed. So, when Trump asks 8 times for a new investigation, after withholding military aid to the country, he's clearly asking them to fabricate charges against a family member of the guy leading in the polls to challenge Trump in the next election.
This is a level of abuse of power that absolutely requires an impeachment inquiry. And in all likelihood, an actual vote to impeach the president.
34
@Tom Acord
I agree with you, but I fear you are giving (far) too much credit to Cotton, Pence, Romney and Graham - or any Republicans, for that matter.
30
Tom Acord, I disagree that Donald Trump's presidency has been a total failure. I look back over the past 2 and 1/2 years and I see more prosperity and more peace. How is that a failure?
Frankly, respect and admiration from other countries does not matter much to me. Not that we should take advantage of or abuse other countries. We shouldn't. But just as we cannot really understand the internal politics of other countries, we shouldn't expect them to understand ours.
Impeachment takes years. The house can start it now, and the Senate can finish it after the election (should he win re-election).
More importantly, 120 newspapers showed a terrible lack of judgment by asking Clinton to resign because he has 'an affair' with an intelligent consenting adult.
Why aren't the Times, the Post, and 100 other papers RIGHT NOW calling for Trump to resign?
He just might decide he's already been the greatest President ever, and doesn't want to put up with being so unappreciated for another 4 years.
4
Mr. Graham said, “President Trump is going to blow you away with his willingness to disclose and be transparent about this phone call, because I think he did nothing wrong and he has nothing to hide."
I don't think it's happening yet. Here is what we are hearing from Graham's blowhard: I'll release the transcript any day now, after the tax audit is done. I didn't do it. I didn't do it but even if I had done it, it wouldn't have been wrong. Maybe I did do it. So what if I did? The Europeans made me do it.
5
Where is a voice, a new voice with integrity to speak to the people of this country? Trump has worn most people out with his outrageousness and lawlessness. The Republicans for decades stopped caring about our democracy or our Constitution. It has been all about their party which has become a true cult. You can close your eyes as you watch the news and hear the familiar twisting and talking points you knowis the Republican- mute the sound at this point. They are always interrupting and laughing at the other person's viewpoint. The first time I saw this was the late Barbara Olsen, laughing off camera as Bob Woodward spoke on Larry King. Larry King tried to quiet her. but she kept it up. After that it seemed Ann Coulter's and Laura Ingraham's were on TV doing the same rude, tactic.
Trump would love to be impeached, it would give him a lot of mileage, poor Donald, poor Donald. But if someone who could be the voice of reason and get everyone on board who cares about democracy and the Constitution....
1
Transparency isn’t going to do it...now, let’s talk about invisibility.
1
Asking Trump to "Please... blow us away with your transparency" sounds much too much like groveling to me.
No one should be asking this president "please" anything, especially when everyone knows he won't do it.
Demand it! (Even though he still won't do it.)
2
Don't you think the wording was sarcastic with an unwritten "as if"?
@mlj If it was, it wasn't obvious enough. Meaningless in the overall scheme of things; just a bad look to me.
This is what happens when your best friends are Putin and Kim Jong. You forget the beauty and wisdom of American democracy and its constitution. You begin to think you can get away with what your best friends and heroes do in their own countries. You keep on pushing the envelope until you get a push-back, if at all. It began with getting away with murder on 5th Avenue, and now the stress test on the constitution is reaching the point of no return. Will the stretched-out elastic band holding the constitution together ever return to its normal tension????
3
Witnessing the demise of a nation, one painful day at a time. One thing is now abundantly clear - the Republican party is now a cult.
6
A refusal to convict in the Senate would give Democrats a great issue to run on and to take back the Senate.
Republican senators will have to go on record defending Trump despite all the evidence against him.
Impeach this disgrace of a president.
6
Democratic Party, blow us away by doing some actual work - as opposed to pouring all of your resources into attacking Trump's character, which as everyone already knows, is rotten to the core.
1. Impeachment might be possible, but removal is not, due to Republican control of the Senate.
2. If it was, we would have Pence as our President, who might be harder to beat in 2020 than Trump, and is a wicked ideologue. Trump, in comparison, is a mere crook, who seeks to fill his destination golf clubs on our governments back. So what? It's petty graft, we can handle that until we knock him out in 2020.
3. Trump is a weird apparition, not the enemy - the Republican Party is.
4. And please, do not provide us with a 2020 candidate who apes the shtick of the loser of 2016. The opponent will be the same - how could that possibly be a winning strategy? If you really care about climate, healthcare, and the economy, losing in 2020 is not an option.
That's my opinion.
4
Graham was being disingenuous at best. And why did Pelosi give the president until Thursday?
2
Why isn’t the Times reporting on the $160 million in aid that was provided after the release of the initial $250 million? Mnuchin was asked to account for it on Sunday and demurred in his typical sniveling way, “Now you’re just getting into details.” That sweetener, if accurate, is the icing on this corruption cake. It could prove to be the “promise”that fits the bill of the initial reporting. So two questions: 1. Did the $160 million follow on payment occur?; and 2. What was the reason for it? There are others, but I’d like some accurate reporting one way or another.
3
This editorial is incredibly weak. Pressuring the Ukrainian leader to provide damaging (and false) information on an opponent is not a violation of the oath of office, but merely "inappropriate"? This is a "complicated situation"? If you acknowledge the admissions by Trump and Giuliani then it's not complicated. Once you cop to the crime, it doesn't much matter what weapon you used. Stop looking for gray when it's black and white.
2
I am ashamed of our country and our system of constitutional oversight if, in light of all the crimes and impeachable offenses that this president has committed since he swore his oath of office, the House allows him to continue to violate laws, rules,
and norms by doing absolutely nothing.
How dare you?
3
It's not complicated. NYT Editorial Board may see it that way as some lame nod to false equivalence but there are tens of millions of Americans who see it clearly for what it is: a shakedown .
2
The train has left the station and Nancy better be on board, cause if she isn't on board the Democratic National Party will be tied to the tracks in short order by the American people. Trump, you are done. Resign.
4
Trump reflects the true nature of Americans.
2
A formal Censure by the House would probably be as far as this could go but that would at least be the right thing to do. The Senate will continue to rot from the inside.
I hope Pelosi can harness the fury that's building, to strike the strongest blow possible. She's a master at this and so far I still trust her savvy.
1
Trump believes, just like Nixon, that anything he says or does is legal because he is the President. To quote a young woman who has more courage and anger than the House and Senate combined... How dare you?!
4
"Lawmakers from both parties have an interest, and a duty, in making clear that any president, in accordance with the law, is accountable to Congress."
This editorial seems to forget that the Republican Party, as a party, has given itself over totally to the pursuit and sustenance of political control. President Trump is nothing more than the ugly face of such a cancer.
Aside from a few feeble chirps from the likes of Lindsey Graham and Mitt Romney, the Republican Party has no interest either in governing or in the constitutional traditions of the country whose Constitution they have sworn to defend.
4
I don't want to hear Trump tell us what he said to officials in the Ukraine or to intermediaries. I want to hear what he actually said.
Anyone who believes anything this man says hasn't been paying attention.
The only thing that matters is what he actually did say and what he actually has done.
No other evidence is sufficient. It is why his 100% effort at 100% obfuscation of every single fact pertinent to his so called "transparency" and the moral and ethical obligation he has to stop hiding everything by a fake interpretation of "executive privilege" as backed by his mob lawyer, Barr, and actually release the materials, let people testify and stop violating subpoenas.
As the saying continues to go "if you don't have anything to hide, stop hiding it."
Nothing is more important than "telling the truth" and the person who publicly sets the example for every single child in this nation as to integrity, honesty and following the law, it is the person occupying the Whitehouse.
4
Trummp is showing his contempt for congress. the American people and the Constitution. How long will Republican senators allw this?
3
Remeber Trump promising to blow us away with transparency about his taxes? Same game plan.
4
Not Complicatied: Extortion is what trump was doing, pressuring the new president of the Ukraine to do his bidding, like he gets Barr and Maguire to do all his bidding, to discredit Joe Biden, trump's best competitor. Trump withheld $250 million in military aid to Ukraine, our tax money, to defend itself against military aggression from Russia who wants Ukraine back, but Ukraine does not want any more of Putin or Russia;Of course, trump protects putin so he doesn't want to give Ukraine the money, and the Ukranian president is new to politics, a comedian who wanted to end corruption;So trump decides this Zelensky is a creme puff, hel'll do my bidding too, so 8, Eight times, he repeated his extortionist request in one phone call in July to Zelensky;Zelensky not a creme puff;trump doesn't release our money to Ukraine until September when 3 House Committees announced plans to investigate whether trump made the aid money contingent on Zelensky discrediting Biden;trump did say that, that's why the whistle blower became alarmed; Maguire violated the law by not turning over the WB full complaint to House & Senate Intelligence Committees within a week, which is required By Law;Barr violated the law by telling Maguire to not give the WB complaint to Congress;the Whistle Blower needs 1. Protection 2. To testify before Congress on trump's multiple acts and inappropriate promises trump made to a foreign leader. This is trump's criminal behavior that necessitates impeachment.
1
why would anyone ever ever believe this President. Let the whistle blower tell his story now -- Every seat, Vote BLUE
3
The Art of Utterly Corrupt Deals: In your face obstruction of justice & extortion is still obstruction & extortion. What won’t Trump & his grifters do or say to get Mr. Emoluments re-elected? Cornered and desperate Trump & his gang will… Trump suggested that there would be nothing wrong with linking American funding for Ukraine, a former Soviet republic that is fighting Russian-backed separatists, to a corruption inquiry about Mr. Biden and his family. “Why would you give money to a country that you think is corrupt?” Mr. Trump said in one of a series of whipsawing declarations Mr. Trump made as he defended himself, vilified the Bidens and appeared by turns eager and reluctant to reveal the facts at the root of the allegations. https://nyti.ms/2kBnT5k
"These new allegations are a threat to all we have sworn to protect. We must preserve the checks and balances envisioned by the Founders and restore the trust of the American people in our government. And that is what we intend to do."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/09/24/seven-freshman-democrats-these-allegations-are-threat-all-we-have-sworn-protect/
Donald Trump is the most Transparent President Ever!!
Oh, but his lawyers say the transcript can't be released,
Thus Trump gets his cake on a plate and a fork because he can eat it too.
The factual answers to what happened are available. If past is prologue, we will never see the answers, the truth. Trump and AG Barr will do everything within their means to keep the complaint and substantiating documents from Congress.
So if on Thursday Congress does not receive the whistle-blower complaint, just shut down the entire story. I don't want to read about 'what-ifs'. Why can't anybody get a straight answer anymore?
This is how Trump wins every time. ALL of Washington sits on its hands and stares at the ugly beast but no-one does a darn thing.
It is pointless for the Republicans and Democrats to argue about what Trump did that was bad if they aren't going to do anything about it. Put up or shut up.
2
And why can’t Atkinson be a whistleblower, too, and just go directly to Congress?
2
I don't want a Barr Report.
The DNI needs to hand over the ENTIRE whistleblower complaint, unredacted, doctored, altered or otherwise messed with.
Thursday.
3
This is political gamesmanship. Start rumors and innuendoes about the leading Democratic candidate being corrupt, paint yourself as a victim, energize your base. Being impeached by the corrupt House would be the cherry on the cake.
Why do I get the feeling that, somehow, Steve Bannon is behind this?
4
"This should not be a partisan issue."
Oh, there is a long list of things that should not be a partisan issue.
Competence.
Truth.
Not attacking a free press.
Not forcing the military to stay at your failing hotel.
Not having a National Security Advisor, a campaign chairman, a personal lawyer, and an assorted clown car of felons, liars, and grifters surrounding you.
Not attacking gold star families, war heroes, and the ghosts of war heroes.
Not bragging about your success in habitually sexually assaulting women.
Not wanting to date your own daughter and sharing that thought on radio and television.
Not mocking the disabled.
Not adulterating hurricane charts with a sharpie to cover up the lie you told, and then forcing the weather forecasters to lie about your lie.
So many, many things that are unacceptable, and it should be nonpartisan that they are unacceptable.
The Republicans enabling Trump are going to go down in history as the unpatriotic, self-serving cowards that they are.
3
How about asking Zelenskij, what was said at the phonecall? Maybe they have a recording? Facts are always useful against perpetual liars.
1
Trump has decided that he is above the law and has no accountability to anyone. The Constitution means nothing. Congress is not co-equal.His reckless rhetoric is shameless. He and his team of Roy Cohn wannabees will stone wall any impeachment effort. Let the American people impeach by ballot in November 2020.Any other approach will fail and advantage Trump.
1
Trump is about as transparent as a block of lead.
4
They haven't even gotten his taxes yet. The Dems are Keystone cops who keep running around blowing whistles and getting out maneuvered at every turn.
When will they get real?
3
I pay my taxes not only to comply with the law, but also because it’s a civic duty. To see that a mafia-like thug uses our funds as a club to force his will and gain personal advantage is disgusting. That Roy Cohen trained thug needs to be evicted from the White House, and the place given a very thorough cleaning - including the cabinets.
1
The old warning was: Don’t ever cross the intel community! Don't ever re-calibrate a long-standing foreign affairs policy on a personal whim. Trump is skirting on thin ice with "official" Washington - the one he calls the "deep state."
The Ukraine, after the 2014 regime change, became an American asset for the purposes of:
1: Access to its eastern border with Russia;
2: Hoping to bring it into the NATO alliance whereby it would serve as a military outpost to contain Russian expansion;
3: Play a strategic role on the energy chessboard (Russia needs Ukraine gas pipelines to Europe).
Ukraine fought a civil war to oust pro-Russian government leaders in 2014, ousting Russian-friendly President Yanukovych (Maidan). Trump, being an ignoramus about geopolitics, would be stupid enough to expect a current pro-US Kiev government to help him when they know his sympathies are with Putin, an arch-enemy of Ukrainians. They also know that Joe Biden was one of Obama’s cheerleaders in supporting the 2014 coup to oust the pro-Russian regime.
But Trump has jilted the wider arrangements set in motion from 2014 onward by the "Washington Consensus." And that is the crux of the current upheaval.
Remember, Trump is a useful idiot to the controls and special interests behind him. They already got their raging stock markets, across-the-board deregulation and an enormous tax break. They want more. Only if Trump survives will they get more.
Will he survive? Or will only a market crash crash him?
3
The only thing trump continues to blow me away with, is his mendacity and level of corruption.
Mr. Graham should stop smoking whatever it is he’s smoking, that causes him to be so delusional.
3
When will we rid ourselves of this dangerous President?
3
Donald Trump can't afford transparency. Remember what happened to Andy Griffith in "The Face in the Crowd" when they left the microphone on and people learned the truth about him. The same fate would befall Trump. While praising the intelligence of the American electorate, he secretly knows that they can be led around like bulls with nose rings - only instead of bull rings, he uses their beliefs and prejudices to lead them wherever he wants.
If DJT doesn't destroy our fragile democracy, he has published the blueprint and playbook for some other demagogue to do it later. If a democracy like America's is going to exist, there will have to be a paradigm shift in human thought throughout the world. In the near future, we will program the human mind in the computer based on a "survival" algorithm, which will provide irrefutable proof as to how we trick the mind with our ridiculous beliefs about what is important and what is supposed to survive - producing minds programmed de facto for dirty tricks and destruction. These minds see the survival of a particular belief as more important than the survival of us all. When we understand this, we will begin the long trek back to reason and sanity.
See RevolutionOfReason.com
2
Trump has deep seed-ed and seated psychological conflicts manifested by his mistrust and suspiciousness as well as by his retentiveness, explosiveness, shame and doubt, these denoted, too, by his power struggles with authority, as well as his issues with autonomy, power and control.
2
enough with the deadlines, which we know won't be met, IMPEACH!
5
Senate Republicans, YOU are his accomplices and your silence is hurting our country.
4
I believe it is time for all of the media to call for Trump's resignation
1
Decades of history have demonstrated that Donald Trump is a self-serving, lying, cheating, racist, proudly ignorant failed businessman----his election has not changed his character or behavior in any way. Nothing from this transcript could change this long and disturbing history; if impeachment has not been warranted by his prior behavior as President, we are completely lost.
2
Lindsey Graham says “President Trump is going to blow you away [etc]..."
You betcha ! He's going to say he put the squeeze on Zelensky but then say there's nothing wrong with doing that ...
It's going to be interesting to see what it takes for the GOP and/or Fox to turn on this guy. I suspect it's already too late for either of those groups to survive to which I say good riddance.
1
With this guy, not likely.
1
"Mr. Trump, Blow Us Away With Your Transparency"
Yeah. We want that. Inquiring minds want to Know.
1
Lindsey Graham knows all about being blown away. When Trump was a candidate, Graham declared he was unfit to be president. Now he is Trump's right-hand toady and golfing buddy.
3
Oh, he's perfectly transparent. He is like the world's worst poker player-his whole persona, every word and deed, is a tell.
I am fairly certain that, no matter what, he is going to be reelected. The republican base seems to be in the grip of some kind of mass psychosis or hysteria and the democrats, in large part, seem to be in the grip of mass ennui.
1
Yesterday Trump made a Trumpian statement, "Joe Biden & his son are corrupt". No proof, no reason. But he said it and his base & Fox will believe it as fact. Where is Joe Biden in all this? Why is he so quiet? Why isn't he throwing fire and brimstone at Trump? Trump has libeled him & his family. ATTACK!!
2
Trump is the embodiment of evil, interested only in what he can gain personally from everything he does while he inhabits the Oval Office. I too am annoyed with the Democrats who don't have the courage to do what needs to be done: impeach this monster. Now!
1
Just start the impeachment. Pelosi knows that the GOP controlled Senate will not go along. Trump cannot keep up his "I am above the law". He is a corrupt and trashy man and he cannot go unchecked.
1
IMO both Biden and Trump are awful.
Why was Biden's son on the board of a Ukrainian! gas company?? Is this true?
Oh how nice... 250 million bucks more for over priced American war toys channeled via the Ukrainians and what are they going to do with them.. There was a fascinating movie on Amazon Prime a few months ago about weapons "smuggling" --the secondary market. (We end up arming both sides; altho Russian weapons are superior in some ways. )
The term is "on the take" I believe.
This is a perry mason moment the president is quilty and needs to be removed from office. Fast forward to law and order , the defendant is a menace to society.
Trump is a cancer and a cancer needs to be cut out.
Democracy must triumph
2
At this point it is no longer trump. It is Pelosi who is destroying this country by her utter cowardice. Trump apparently can do whatever he wants, a true dictator. The passivity of Pelosi makes me wonder is there anything that she thinks is too far. The Democrats are sickenly weak and destroying us as surely as trump.
1
Transparency to Trump is his projecting all of his faults, failures and transgressions on to his opponents -- images of his corrupted self.
There just ain't no transparency that can come from this White House that will not be distorted, corrupt and opaque.
1
You lost me at “Mr. Trump would be wise to listen to Mr. Graham.”
When you are quoting a partisan sycophant like Graham as the voice of reason, you are giving Trump and his allies credibility they do not deserve.
Stop trying to appeal to the better nature of Trump and the GOP. They don’t have one. The refusal of the Times to recognize this is going to go down in history as one of the biggest failures of journalism and its role in defending our system of government.
The Times can do its job by calling for impeachment and full investigation into every corner of this mass of corruption rather than passively pleading with Trump and the GOP to “do the right thing.”
1
I heard through the grapevine that Trump called Santa Claus to have Biden put on his naughty list. Rumor is Democrats want the transcript on penalty of an impeachment inquiry.
1
Trump will never admit to any wrongdoing — for anything — because in his sociopathic, narcissistic mind, he truly feels that he’s done nothing wrong. Any infraction, misdemeanor, felony or high crime is perfectly within the boundaries of his warped perspective on life. This is the monster we created, fed, nurtured, and continue to tolerate. Expect nothing from him, and you will not be disappointed.
1
Hooo boy, Trump's in trouble with the GOP now! I heard that Romney is "deeply troubled", and now Graham is applying "gentle pressure". Next thing you know Grassley's brow will furrow.
4
I'm sick of this pussyfooting. They need to impeach him now.
5
Nancy. Impeach him. Now. Do your job. Get the indictment to the Senate, let them go on the record. It's about time. He's the same lawless amoral grifter he's always been, doing the same things he's always done. Break the law, then deny, bully, lie, threaten, sue.
6
"Instead, the Department of Justice advised Mr. Maguire not to pass along the report..."
Sniff, sniff.
Smells like another case of Billy Barr syndrome!
6
The only thing transparent about trump is that we can see right through his dirty lies.
5
MSM: it is long past time for all the intelligent media to call for impeachment. Now.
2
Impeach him now for the sake of all of us.
The planet burns while the Democrats fiddle.
2
He's certainly blowing us away with his treasonous behavior. I can barely stand up as my country falls down.
3
Yeah, let's just go with Lindsey Graham on this one. Because we all know that Lindsey is an honorable man.
1
About one out of six Americans doesn't care.
Disclosing presidential calls with foreign leaders, overriding executive privilege?
Interesting. Where do we start?
Before we get to Trump, how about transcripts of calls before Obama sent hundreds of billions to Iran? Or the one before he sent millions to Palestinians on the last day of his presidency? Or his hot-mic moment promising Russians flexibility after elections? And all the ones we aren't aware of?
Oooh. The possibilities.
Separation of powers? Pffft. Who cares?
1
Trump will fire Atkinson as soon as he can, and replace him with a lackey who is "loyal". This is how democracy dies.
3
I suspect the timetable that will be used by Mr Trump for the release of the transcript will be the same as that for the release of his tax returns.
3
John Brews had it right in his comment and Americans are wising up to the President's modus operandi. For quite some time, pundits such as Joe Scarborough, were pushing the concept that Trump was losing his mind. I disagree. We have seen Trump in all his glory for a few years now and it is clear that when he wants to, he can speak somewhat eloquently. However, he also appears to intentionally dumb down his rhetoric, punctuating it with key words such as "strong" that appeal to his base. The truth is that he is a master of manipulation and many have bought into his phony practices. He believes he is the "Teflon Don" reincarnated. Things did not end well for that Don either.
As far as our Speaker, Nancy Pelosi is concerned, she is not being given enough credit for her approach. Proceeding with impeachment without public support is not useful to anyone except the President. She clearly has been holding back the dam as long as possible to ensure that when the House goes forward with an impeachment inquiry, a majority of Americans support the move. Bravo Speaker Pelosi for your comprehension of how politics works and your fortitude in the way you are gathering support for impeachment.
4
I think at this point in time the NYTimes Editorial Board should not be addressing Trump as a legitimate President who is even capable of being transparent and clear of corruption. And even if Trump is cleared of wrongdoing (which is unlikely) in this particular incident, there is enough evidence of Trump's corruption and obstruction that he is beyond second chances to "blow us away."
5
Thanks for the morning laugh. Trump is so truth-compromised anymore that it’s way beyond Orwellian.
He needs to go, and hopefully today the House will finally decide enough is enough and open impeachment. He can no longer get away with his lying, hiding, and denying.
3
Trump has finally reached that point. No he hasn't shot someone on Fifth Ave but he has pretty much confessed to a crime thinking he can get away with it. If it's TV ratings he wants he is getting them. And he 's getting close to his most famous line on TV, Your Fired, only he won't be the one saying it.
This whistleblower warning will get out to the public somehow, I do believe.
Remember the days when Watergate brought down a Republican president when Republicans went to Nixon and told him there weren't enough votes to save him from impeachment?
Big difference: Nixon resigned.
Americans absolutely have to get the Current Occupant and his weaseley, criminally inclined sycophants out of office, by impeachment or voting.
2
But he IS transparent! We can see right through him. If only he were capable of same.
1
When Trump says he "may" do something, as in this case when he says he "may" release the transcript, it never happens. In his world, may=never.
2
I think we know enough right now to support an impeachment: Trump used the threat of withholding U.S. taxpayers dollars to extort information from the head of a foreign government that will help Trump personally. There is nothing patriotic and everything selfish about this act. More facts are likely to reinforce these known truths.
When my son was a baby and it was time for bed, he would protest, we would insist, he would escalate to the point of screaming, and we wondered how this would end. Well, he finally would fall asleep in exhaustion, never having really given up the fight.
We need to make Trump go to sleep now, understanding that he will protest until the bitter end. But this is now about so much more than politics. Imagine the relief Republicans will feel when they finally wrest control of their party from this spoiled child.
Pondering why republicans are not doing their duties is like pondering why a bunch of car thieves driving by in a stolen car did nothing to aid the authorities when they witnessed a bank robbery in progress.
Democrats in the meantime are that guy who talks big about putting a hurting on criminals, but when he sees the actual bank robbery going down, quietly exits the scene worrying if he reported it he may suffer retribution.
Then there is dear sweet Lindsey Graham, offering his empty words of concern...
Lindsey Graham can pretend he cares, but he’s not done using trump’s shenanigans to distract from his party’s misdeeds and their dismantling of our democracy, his words amount to nothing more than a suggestion the people blindly accept whatever pathetic nonsense explanations the White House decides to try and foist on the nation.
He and all the republicans know what trump did, they know it and all the other things he did are wrong and they are okay with it because they they are more concerned with their careers and the rewards bestowed upon them by their masters, than the welfare of this nation, it’s citizens and democracy.
The only transparency we will see is the paper thin skin of trump and the transparent motives of the republicans.
1
Congress, stop dragging your feet and acting cowardly.
Trump admitted to asking the Ukrainian President to investigate Biden. That alone should be enough to impeach him. We just spent three years talking about the illegality of Russian interference in our election and about foreign contributions and assistance of any kind.
If Trump also tried to coerce the President by withholding military assistance, as I believe he did, then that is just an added charge. Congress should immediately be investigating the charge, seeking details on the reasons for delaying the military assistance and more full details on Trump's phone call.
If Trump continues to claim executive privilege covering the phone call, Congress should directly ask the President of Ukraine for permission for Trump to disclose the details and any records he has on the call, and ask the President of Ukraine to disclose what records and understandings he had.
Finally, more attention should be given another part of this situation. Trump has repeatedly accused a United States Senator of corruption. He should provide whatever evidence he has, if any, that supports this claim. We give politicians broad relief from slander and libel laws, but there are limits. Flatly stating another is corrupt is outside the limits. Biden should sue him for slander and Congress, at a minimum, should censure Mr. Trump.
104
Rocky, why should the fact that Donald Trump asked the president of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden be an impeachable offense? It's not treason, bribery or any other crime.
“President Trump is going to blow you away with his willingness to disclose and be transparent about this phone call, because ... he did nothing wrong and he has nothing to hide.”?
Such sordid justification of Trump's attempt to use foreign nations to dig up dirt on a member of Trump's "enemy's list" back at home in the USA, speaks volumes about how deep the rot of corruption has gone into the US government, our political system, and our very democracy.
In short, it's not just Trump, but also Graham, Pence, Barr, Mulvaney and scores of other fellow travelers, who're happy to wink at unprecedented level of corruption, criminality, and betrayal of US national interests in the interest of seizing power and then clinging to, no matter what
And Graham's "tell us as much as he can without compromising executive privilege, so that we can understand what happened” statement is laughable.
We already "UNDERSTAND" the story of Trump's attempt to threaten another head of state in exchange for political sleaze to tar a Trump opponent.
Just as we UNDERSTAND how Trump colluded with Putin and the Russians to "win the election in 2016, colluded with bin Salman in waging war in Yemen and destabilizing the whole Middle East region in exchange for a "deal" funding Jared's 666 5th Ave "deal," and tried to obstruct justice in Mueller's investigation into the2016 elections.
All that's missing is full evidence being presented, in court. Who cares what "Trump says" otherwise?
4
It is time for the US House of Representatives to do its constitutional duty and file articles of impeachment. Challenge every Republican representative and senator to go on record as supporting this insane criminal and his treasonous acts, and then see how they manage to campaign on that. To those who worry that Trump will use a failure to convict in the senate as grounds to loudly proclaim "total exoneration" I say that will only play well with his base, and the failure to even attempt impeachment will be played the same way by him.
The Trump Derangement Syndrome will guarantee Trump another four years as President. Liberals are driving moderate Democrats straight into the voting booth for Trump. Add in free healthcare for illegals, open borders, taking away our private insurance and the socialist wish list is a conservative dream come true. Keep it up, we really appreciate it.
President Trump ordered that aid be withheld to Ukraine a week before his July 25 call with Volodymyr Zelensky. During the call with Zelensky, Trump said he talked about how “...we don’t want our people like Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in the Ukraine".
To sum up, Trump admitted that he withheld military aid to a foreign nation and simultaneously browbeat that nation's leader into doing something illicit, providing dirt on his opponent during a presidential campaign.
What else does the President need to divulge?
What other information do you need, Speaker Pelosi? Time to do the right thing, regardless of political consequences.
96
@Ed in regards to this gem: ...we don’t want our people like Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in the Ukraine" if we can't impeach Trump for high crimes & misdemeanors of which he is absolutely guilty, could we at least arrest him for murdering the English language? The man is completely illiterate and cannot speak his own native tongue! I cringe every time he utters one of his incoherent, butchered, idiotic statements that never make any kind of logical or syntactical sense.
38
@Ed
Every reputable attorney I have heard comment on the subject in the past 24 hours has stated that by what Trump has stated publicly, he has commited a felony. There is no "quid pro quo" legally required for this to be the case. Trump acted SPECIFICALLY against Joe Biden, a possible political opponent, and his communication was with a foreign head of state. He acted on his ownpolitical behalf and not that of the nation. There is absolutely no evidence of ANY wrong-doing or corruption on the part of Joe or Hunter Biden. Whether or not Trump threatened witholding of arms delivery or not is beside the point.
Thus Trump deliberately sought political/electoral support from a foreign entity. That in itself, is a felony, and he has admitted to the action live on television. He doesn't think it is illegal. Too bad for him. The statute is VERY clear, and he is NOT above the law. High crime.
GOP Senators, you need to change your act and change it fast if America is to be the nation of Lincoln and Roosevelt and Eisenhower, and even Reagan, and not a "Mussolini-run" State.
21
@AKL
Thank you! I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who experiences something akin to "fingernails on a chalkboard" every time he tweets or opens his mouth!
14
Senator Lindsey Graham couldn't be more gas-lit. Based on what available evidence does he believe Trump "did nothing wrong and...has nothing to hide?" Why does Mr. Graham bother predicting that Trump will be transparent (and ostensibly truthful) about the phone call? Watch the president and his legal team squirm, obstruct, and backpedal, Mr. Graham. Can't you see you're already wrong?
1
We now know how much power a president has. Pardon dangling, refuse to turn over evidence, refusal to turn over tax returns according to law, refuse to allow officials to testify, will not testify to Muller himself, trade wars, tariffs, taking money for the wall from appropriations to defense department, threaten Attorney general, head of Fed and foreign governments that refuse to do his political bidding. When does Congress take the power they willingly gave away back.
1
i wonder how all these Trump surrogates can read Trump's mind so clearly without proof. we, the public are confused what to make of the news media and surrogates's cover of Mr. Trump. Mr. Graham was Mr. Trump's rival in the presidential bid. does Mr. Graham look at his mirros and compare what he said about Mr. Trump's character (womanizer) then and what he is saying now? is Mr. Graham compromising his character in the process? how and why do we trust Mr. Graham and others supporting Mr. Trump so blindly without confronting him for a proof? all of them are making mockery of our constitution - a constitution made by the white to rule the white only 230 years back. let the democrats be bold and go for impeachment as the constitution says irrespective of the consequence. crimes and corruption must be prosecuted and justice must be brought for the public not losing the trust and confidence of our leaders.
Disagree. As w Bush 43, I find Trump to be as transparent as the 3 year old who claims he didn’t eat chocolate even though half the bar is missing and it’s all over his face. The only difference is that trump has learned to eat the entire bar.
3
I would caution all those who seek impeachment. Though unlikely to be successful, if it were, it would place a washed up, self righteous poseur (Mike Pence) at the helm. Improvement? Pence should be selling used cars in some small Indiana town, not at the helm of the United States. The ever unsubtle Trump will continue to stumble, as he came to office with an empty tool kit (politically, emotionally, intellectually). Allow the press to keep up the pressure with their investigative reporting, and trust the American people in 2020.
3
Trump studied at the feet of Roy Cohn. This may have been the only studying and learning of Trump's entire life but he learned well: Deny and Deflect. This is what he had been doing throughout his presidency and it has served him very well. Why would he abandon Deny and Deflect now --- especially when he is shielded by a captive Republican Party? Congress must meet its constitutionally ordained responsibility, even though this nightmare of a Trump presidency will likely only end with a resounding defeat at the polls. America's democracy, our constitutional safeguards, are at stake. Vote Blue in 2020 no matter who the candidate is!
Mr Graham is now delusional as well. He pretends that the president is a rational person who would admit to wrong doing and that we would all be amazed by this. Well, yes we would but that is not going to happen. Trump never tells the truth when a lie will do. Distorting the truth, gaslighting people is what Trump does. And shamefully Graham, for the most part, has been playing along.
1
Perhaps Sen. Graham could answer this question for me: When "executive privilege" faces off against "citizens' rights," which takes precedence?
"IF," Mr. Romney, "IF"? Mr. Giuliani actually said that he did just that.
Truth and Transparency from Trump is a bit of an Oxymoron. He calculates every lie and there is a colossal pile of them so high that they block the view of the White House for the American people, not to mention block Trump's view of America. He continues to add to the pile in the hopes that his base doesn't see him for the amoral and far from intelligent person that he is. The great orange woe is unraveling our once great Nation. Ironic that he has taken away our Greatness all the while his campaign slogan was MAGA.
1
It is a sad day when a call for more disclosure from the President by Senator Lindsay Graham is held up as a standard of acceptable conduct.
What next, an elephant flying , a diamond ringing, perhaps?
“This is a complicated situation . . . .”
The details of the situation are complicated, but the smell emanating from it is simply disgusting. And we all know that smell.
Pelosi should appoint a select committee on impeachment that includes only those persons committed to a just and fair investigation without the obstruction evidenced during the recent Lewandowski hearing.
Trump complains of Democrats attempting a coup. He is projecting. He and his GOP enablers have already effected a coup. Our duty is the throw them out of office by all means necessary and to prosecute them for their crimes to the full extent of the law.
Speaker Pelosi, we gave you back a Democratic majority to enable you to solve the Trump problem. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
Impeach him now. Even if the Senate does not remove and Trump crows “total exoneration,” he will only persuade his die-hard base. Undecided voters will hear all the evidence of Trump’s wrongful conduct; and, no doubt, the major portion of them will vote against him. He can fool part of the people most of the time but not most of the people even part of the time.
Let’s stop wasting time. Trump is the biggest threat to American democracy in existence. He is the enemy of the people even if 40% of Americans are clueless of that fact.
1
I must confess that I missed Obama assuring us the Election was free of foreign interference, particularly after he tried and failed to get McConnell to issue with him a bi-partisan statement of Russian interference. Please Mr Gatien give me the reference so I can agree it’s my memory failure not yours!
No democratic president would ever be given the benefit of the doubt. The right wing would be attacking relentlessly and, eventually, the MSM would start to do the same thing. This administration plays the same game every time.
What exactly can Pelosi do? The rabid right wing is defending him and she doesn't seem to have the power to get the whistle blower complaint if trump doesn't want her to.
So trump plays the same game, promising that all will be shown when he has no intention of it being shown. Lindsey Graham is just kissing his feet as usual and Romney isn't much better.
1
This morning the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom issued its unanimous judgment that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's advice to Queen Elizabeth II to proroge Parliament was illegal and a violation of the Constitution of the United Kingdom. Would that our Congress and, eventually, our Supreme Court, will do the same to Trump and his band of assassins. Most of whom have been peeling off and bailing out, one by one, for three years.
1
Blow us away with transparency. Editorial board must be joking. Why stop there if the president has nothing to hide. Who cares, so far confronting the law and truth telling is a partisan trick. It's the Republicans that face the truth. Laws have been broken, what does the country want to do?
1
Trump tries lies first, then hypocrisy, then sometimes he gets to the truth. But remember what La Rochefoucauld in the 17th century said about hypocrisy: it is the homage that vice pays to virtue. Trump is not even capable of paying homage to virtue.
1
Are you daring Donald with this column? Hoping to goad the world’s most impulsive creature into proving you wrong? Good luck.
Donald is a 73 year old man with a long history of bankruptcy, lies, marital infidelity, business failure, fraud involving his charitable foundation, and other assorted misdeeds. He has been credibly accused of sexual assault up to and including rape by multiple women. The Mueller report documents 8 instances of obstruction of justice. Moreover, under oath, Mueller acknowledged that he did not find Donald’s written answers to be entirely truthful.
Why on earth would any of us expect transparency from Donald on anything under the sun? Any observer of human behavior can tell you that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. So the President of the Perpetual Grievance will be screaming about all the other people who should get the electric chair while denying that his actions were anything other than “perfect.” Everybody who preceded him got away with murder and got handed things like the Nobel prize like it was candy because life is so unfair and no one appreciates Donald J. Trump. He’ll squash every subpoena and direct everyone not to show up.
At this point, I want the transcript, the IG’s report, and an independent investigation into what the State department knew about Guiliani’s activities. And after that, I want impeachment. I want to see how every elected official votes once the facts are known in full.
2
What possible excuse could The New York Times editorial board have for not calling for Trump’s resignation? Do your duty!
1
Vote Blue everyone. Enough of the DT playbook. How dare he!
1
The continuing naivete of the NYT Editorial Board regarding Donald Trump is beyond bizarre.
Trump has historically been by nature and nurture totally opaque regarding his personal actions while President of the United States. Just like he was in private life.
From Trump's income tax returns to his business accounting financial records to his dealings with Kim Jong Un, Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin and Mohammed bin Salman to his dealings with the Trump Organization to his dealings with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner there is nothing but darkness and defiance.
Iran if you are listening please let us know what is going on. North Korea?
Amazing, this Editorial is already out of date! The #PLIC just admitted that he did indeed withhold the money in order to put pressure on The Ukraine - and basically said that he is above the law. How time flies in this administration.
Does the lap dog Senator From South Carolina need more?
1
What’s up with the cynical title? Stop trying to out-trump him. This is not a satirical magazine.
What a selfish waste of leverage. So short-sighted and indifferent to the needs of Americans.
Way to go out on a limb there, NYT: it’s critical that the facts come out. Gee, where would we be without you?
Is this looking like the single most corrosive offense to both our democracy and national security that a president has ever committed? I sure wouldn’t have guessed it by your tiptoeing coverage.
1
"Mr Biden, Blow us away with your transparency"
Biden and his son should offer to testify under oath about their dealings with Ukraine and China.
1
I can already see the Republican defense portrayed cinematographically in campaign ads:
Patriotic music swells as we are told that this in the best interests of America (DJT tightly embraces & kisses flag) to make sure our taxpayer dollars are not wasted (note to self: review the 2017 legislation to calculate how the 1% benefitted and revenues were slashed, with predictable impacts on social programs benefitting the bottom ranks).
Then, the music shifts, as we are told that Sleepy Joe was alert enough to be corrupt in that Lawless Obama administration. The question hangs in the air: why hasn't that been investigated?
Next, we easily conflate Biden with Hillary (because they're both Dems and Obama Loyalists) by reminding about the Steele Dossier (how many times can we say Crooked Hillary? It's always an applause line, and we can ignore the source of the Steele Dossier).
Furthermore, any 'large brain' would welcome opposition research, right? (of course, there was no explicit pressure or quid pro quo, only DJT's cavalier commingling of the US Treasurer with his personal political future).
Finally, dark clouds appear as the threat of the Deep State, with its partisan whistle-blower and Fake Media co-conspirators work to undermine Your Favorite President. Yep, you should be riled up against "Another Witch Hunt!" by Loser Dems.
Paid for by the political souls of Your Republican Cowards.
And so our sorry tailspin continues. . .
1
Where is Deep Throat when you need 'em?
The man can't even speak a coherent sentence.
1
The NYT seems awfully naive as time goes by.
Trump does not care and his toadies in the Senate are too scared of his base to do anything. Haven't you learned that by now?
1
Nope, this is not complicated.
What the president has already freely admitted is damning and against the law. He is prohibited from attempting to enlist a foreign government in order to help his election and hurt his opponent.
He has said he did that.
He thinks its ok.
But its not ok.
Its just that simple.
It does not matter what he thinks.
The prisons are full of people who justify their crimes.
Enough already.
Here's the crib notes from Wiki for reasons to impeach:
(1) improperly exceeding or abusing the powers of the office;
(2) behavior incompatible with the function and purpose of the office; and
(3) misusing the office for an improper purpose or for personal gain.
1
Trump famously declared he could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Ave. and get away with it, and the nation has realized he spoke the truth. Why?
The Republicans in Congress simply refuse to hold him accountable for anything. As he realizes he can lie and ignore the law and get away with it, he has gained a smug confidence.
And the country must suffer this disgrace. Our congress is made up of cowards too spineless and lacking in moral courage to challenge him.
1
The bottom line is that Trump suddenly sees that Biden is a threat and knowing he won't prevail over Biden, he has no choice but to cheat and lie to the American public. Again.
This is the same as the birther nonsense that Trump was never smart enough to drop. He won't be smart enough about this either. He's NOT a smart guy.
1
Um, I suggest that we avoid encouraging Trump to "blow us away," since he's on record as bragging that he could "shoot someone on Fifth Avenue" and no one would care.
Republicans will now use these made up allegations to swift boat Biden should he be the nominee. The only way to stop them is to call them out for what they are each and every time - LIARS. Do not be gentle with the term. It applies. Facts matter.
1
This whole thing with Trump and his misdeeds and journalism has become a farce, an absurd farce.
First of, of course he obstructed justice. It's screamingly obvious he did from the Mueller report.
Second, of course he tried to bribe the Ukrainian president to interfere in our electoral process by using taxpayer funds.
Only a child who doesn't speak English could not know any of these these things: We all know he did them.
We all know that his base doesn't care, that he doesn't care, that the Republican Party doesn't care. We all know that media will treat this thing as an "investigation", as if we have to reach some momentous point where the the "truth" everyone already knows emerges triumphantly.
It's just this repetitive song and dance of futility with this sociopathic criminal.
There's only one word to describe America right now in dealing with this guy: pathetic.
2
Either the oath of office every member of Congress takes means something or it doesn't and we are now living in a carefully crafted dictatorship.
The partisan divide may be the size of the Grand Canyon, but the document they swore to "Preserve Protect and Defend" better start being at the top of their list.
We are weary of the GOP ignoring his refusal to respect the rule of law. We are weary of sound bites from Democrats who refuse to stick their necks out to honor their voters and, again, the rule of law.
The man does not respect anyone and those in Congress who continue to let him smirk at them and the rightful power the Founding Fathers gave them may save their jobs but lose their souls and respect when this all finally, painfully, ends.
You either turn on the hose when there is a fire or you throw more gasoline on it...He is rooting for more fire and that should frighten everyone..
Time for both parties to choose.....Americans are growing more concerned over the impotence of their Congress every single day. Go home or Go big.
1
You don’t need a gaslight to know which way the whistle blows or the bell tolls.
1
"Mr. Trump, Blow Us Away With Your Transparency"
Respectfully, I don't think you get it. He, like other narcissists, looks down on you. There's no obligation to regard anything you say. You lack standing. You aren't worth spit. Enough said of that. Maybe "narcissist" as a word somehow sounds innocuous as if it were the name of a flower like chrysanthemum. The man is a puppet to a deeply rooted subconscious puppetmaster trait he himself may not even be aware of. Give up reason. It has no bearing on any of this.
1
What does Woodward and Bernstein have to say?
Shame on you, Mr. Trump! The Ukraine is not your political football -- it's Biden's and Obama's political football.
Could this be, at long last, the straw that broke the camel's back?
1
Has this president ever gone to school? The horrifying grammar. Such an embarrassment to our nation. "...we don't want our people (?) like Vice President Biden and his son CREATING TO..."
“The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, with largely corruption, all of the corruption taking place and largely the fact that we don’t want our people like Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in the Ukraine.”
1
@Jeanette Colville
When I heard him speaking on the news yesterday, he sounded like he had either had a stroke or he was crazy. I think this series of events is starting to make him become unhinged. But the Republicans in Congress and his lickspittle supporters couldn't care less.
1
NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. Don't blow me away with manipulated transparency.
Just follow the law.
Ought to be simple to do.
After all, there's a complete Department at his disposal and legislators to advise him on what the law is and how to follow it.
The only things that are transparent about Trump are his classlessness and ignorance.
1
We're frogs being slowly boiled, inured to the criminality. As bad a Washington has been, nothing approaches the massive corruption that looks on while a treasonous, pathologically lying president becomes an emperor without legal restraint. Like our fragile planet, our fragile democracy needs our full attention. Now is the time, here is the place and it falls to us. The Liar in Chief is wasting our precious time. There is no other planet, no other American democracy. We draw the line here and we fight. Or we die without so much as a wimper.
1
This grifting, incompetent liar is now using the power of the presidency to withhold funds to a foreign nation until they investigate his opponent. The State Department is complicit as they have helped his personal lawyer to access the government officials the DOJ is trying to prevent the truth from being seen by members of Congress and his Chief of Staff and OMB director is also complicit having frozen the funds to permit this criminal travesty.
The GOP is following along refusing to do anything and the Democrats need to start doing their constitutional duty and impeach this lawless president. If he can walk away scot free from this, the rule of law and our democracy are over.
When I see comments like Lindsey Graham's latest, I wonder. Is it just cynical politics or is Graham and others really that dumb? Do they actually think there is anything to trump but bluster, lies, and greed? Have they never thought of the cost of supporting trump? Have they never noticed the trail of wreaked lives and careers behind him? As the book title says "Everything trump touches dies"
1
The transcript of the phone call is of secondary importance. It is the whistle-blower complaint that is of paramount importance. The law is clear that the Inspector Generals report should be forwarded to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. It is nonsense that the law doesn't apply because the Trump is not part of the intelligence community. He is the commander in chief and thus the head of the intelligence community.
Blow us away like the hugest hurricane a sharpie ever drew.
When is the NYT editorial page going to demand that he resign?
2
Donald Trump should be a lesson in and of itself on how government should be transparent. I don't believe we have ever had a more transparent leader in our nations history. If only the House Democrats could learn from and apply this to their elected positions. We the people are very fortunate that Hillary Clinton did not win the election, can you imagine the corruption and cover ups that would have been swept under the rug!
3
Where are his tax return?
Where is all of the exculpatory information he promised us on the women who made the assualts allegations against him?
How about his interview with Mueller that he said he would love to give?
How about his conversations with Putin?
You do know what transparent means, right?
3
@RS
So do you mean that the reason that the most transparent leader in our nation's history has yet to release his taxes, in spite of countless promises to do so, is that he really IS under IRS audit?
Why then won't our oh so transparent leader release the phone call transcript? You know, as required by law?
@RS, well of course you are right. Pizza-gate and Benghazi might have continued unabated. To say nothing of all the e-mails about Chelsea's wedding. Shaking in my boots just thinking about it.
1
The Times and Lindsay Graham are being silly and naive if they really think Trump will be transparent in anything.
1
Donald Trump may have provided the impetus for this debacle, but he had help from Giuliani, Mulvaney, Pompeo, and Pence.
These men conspired together to break the law.
They are now trying to Benghazi Biden to lower his approval numbers. They did that to Hillary and it worked.
But this time, it's the top leadership of our government, if it's still our government.
"President Trump is going to blow you away with his willingness to disclose" Did you all express the proper level of gratitude at this announcement? Trump is going to do what the law compels him to do. Any day now. But first, let Graham remind you how lucky you are to have a President willing to blow you away with his lawful behavior. When, finally, you get to drink in his lawful disclosureness, who will care that its Constitutionally mandated? Or that he's been breaking that Constitution for several weeks? The elitists, that's who. But not you: Like water to a desert rose, you'll only experience the explosion of ecstasy that accompanies such fruitful knowledge. Blown away, indeed.
1
In 48 hours, Trump has gone from denial to
distraction to admission he repeatedly pressed Ukraine to give his personal attorney Rudi Giuliani dirt about a family member of a political rival by blocking Congressionally mandated military aid to Ukraine. This extortion for personal gain started July 25 and went on for months until Congress intervened last week and compelled delivery of the military aid to Ukraine.
Now when Trump finally admits he did it, he blows it
off as nothing--- so what? what is wrong with that? The answer is Trump's abuse of office for personal gain violates Title 18 section 201 paragraph 2 of the US Code. Its a felony punishable by up to 15 years in jail. See https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/201
Meanwhile, Trump's and Putin's trolls go pedal to
the metal barfing their usual lies, whataboutism, false equivalencies, and conspiracies to cover up Trump's crime even as Trump commits another crime suppressing the whistleblower complaint so Congress and the public can't see and hear the evidence of trump's criminal abuse of office first hand.
All comes to a head this Thursday when Congress
puts Trump's acting Director of Intelligence Maguire on the spot to turn over the whistleblower evidence and testimony. If Maguire still refuses, then the die is cast, Congress must take maximum punitive action against Maguire and immediately begin impeachment proceedings against Trump to enforce rule of law.
2
I think a point that needs to be pointed out and stressed more than it is, is that Giuliani is not a government official or representative in any capacity, and therefore has no business meeting with or speaking to foreign leaders or officials as if he were.
His meetings with foreign officials as Trump’s personal attorney should ostensibly be to discuss Trump’s personal dealings only - and, frankly, should be under even more intense scrutiny as being highly inappropriate, especially given Trump’s apparent propensity for using his temporary title to enrich himself.
2
Not only impeachable, jail-able.
3
Note Graham's disclaimer "...without compromising executive privilege."
This is Graham's signal to Trump to claim exactly that.
Don't be fooled by Lindsey Graham's soft call to "tell us as much he can." Graham is as slimy as Trump.
3
So Barr has until Thursday to redact the whistleblower report.
This editorial appears to pre-date the news that Trump did order the $250 million military aid money for the Ukraine to be stopped in July shortly before his call to the Ukraine.
Trump and Giuliani's stories wouldn't even pass muster with Judge Judy and Lindsey Graham knows it.
3
It is okay to say you want 'honesty' from the Ukraine if you are going to give them aid. Fair enough.
But if a PM or President uses taxpayers money as leverage to get something for personal political gain.....
...dear god.
1
He flaunts his criminality like Al Capone- who finally got “ it” on tax evasion... but this man occupies the Oval Office right now. Absurdity at its most profound.
Impeach- beat at the polls- try- imprison if warranted. A despicable excuse for a human being in any case.
1
The Executive branch snubs the rule of law. The Legislative branch is nowhere to be found. The Judicial branch is run by the President’s personal lawyer. The country is polarized as never before. Maybe, just maybe, our Constitution never anticipated the United States electing lying, treasonous, traitors, but it has. Now what? The law allows for activism, protests, and voting. These are our tools as Americans. Time to get to work.
1
@Bob Bascelli: Nobody had any idea what the present would be like when the US Constitution was written. All we have are fakes claiming to know what these "founders" would do if they were alive now.
Why did Ukraine decline to provide Trump with the investigation and dirt that he asked for?
2
@Kay
Because the Ukrainian government knew that there was no dirt. Because there were multiple international agencies calling for the removal of the prosecutor. Because there was and is no evidence that Hunter and /or Joe Biden were in anyway involved in corruption. Because unlike the current US administration Ukraine follows the rule of law.
1
@Kay
did Ukraine decline to provide Trump with the investigation and dirt that he asked for?
Or, maybe Republicans are fine with America switching sides and joining up with autocrats and dictators to form a brave new world? Democracy: it's so socialist, isn't it?
3
Why should anyone in their right mind be surprised by this man's current skullduggery. This is what Trump has done his whole life, only now he does on the world's stage. It is now time for him to be held accountable for his shameless disregard of the principles of democracy and his flagrant disregard of the laws that he pledged to uphold. It is clear that Barr will act to protect Trump by stalling and denying congressional access to the inspector general's findings so it would behoove Speaker Pelosi to expedite impeachment proceedings against Trump.
1
I had to read the Trump quote three times to understand it because it's complete gibberish. How can anyone listen to him talk and still have any respect for him?
3
I have been gobsmacked by Trump's audacity and enraged by his lies and debaucheries, but now I'm deeply saddened that tens of millions of Americans continue to support this clear and present danger to democracy and the American dream.
4
What’s the difference between impeachment, censure, and removal from office?
1
Mr. Trump is incapable of communicating transparently, unless he is belching out more untruths and name calling.
1
If the president is not above the law then how is it that Trump can assert executive privilege to prevent evidence, potentially incriminating, from going to an investigative committee? If this is assisted by Barr then why is Barr allowed to give this advice to the president, isn't Barr's obligation to the American people? and then are they not conspiring to obstruct justice?
I am not an attorney, I realize that it's complicated but this doesn't make sense.
2
Mr. Trump really resents world leaders with great hair, but he can get along with those whose hair is worse than his, like Kim and Putin.
1
I fail to understand how people expect our very unstable buffoon to suddenly have an epiphany and stop lying every time he opens his mouth. Why would this episode with Ukraine make him see any value in being truthful? Laws, rules, norms of basic civility and respect don’t seem to apply to him. But all this is nothing new. This is how he’s always behaved, like a spoiled little bully, and it’s never going to change. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. There’s never been a clearer example.
3
Trump is the quintessential archetype of a certain kind of New Yorker I unfortunately dealt with too many times during my professional life.
Unlike in other parts of the country, they are neither really a Republican nor really a Democrat. Their political knowledge is sketchy and fluid as is their interest in the history of this great country.
Their only true interests are money and self-aggrandizement. Like Trump, they bluster and threaten, but rarely follow through with action. They are deeply cynical, gross in behavior, and, at their center, cowardly.
They also have a tendency to implode eventually. Which I think is Trump's final...and so richly deserved...end point.
1
"Troubling in the extreme"? What's troubling is the absence of a coherent, well-directed Democratic response which holds this lunatic to account!Stop relying on Lindsay Graham or Mitt or any republican for direction. Formulate a real plan of attack, and see it through!
1
I don't want to hear Trump tell us what he said to officials in the Ukraine or to intermediaries. I want to hear what he actually said.
Anyone who believes anything this man says hasn't been paying attention.
The only thing that matters is what he actually did say and what he actually has done.
No other evidence is sufficient. It is why his 100% effort at 100% obfuscation of every single fact pertinent to his so called "transparency" and the moral and ethical obligation he has to stop hiding everything by a fake interpretation of "executive privilege" as backed by his mob lawyer, Barr, and actually release the materials, let people testify and stop violating subpoenas.
As the saying continues to go "if you don't have anything to hide, stop hiding it."
Nothing is more important than "telling the truth" and the person who publicly sets the example for every single child in this nation as to integrity, honesty and following the law, it is the person occupying the Whitehouse.
2
This is the time when all those who have vowed under oath
to protect and defend us and to uphold the law; those
elected to serve all of us; those in Congress; those in the
Justice Department; those in the Executive Branch …
must prove to us all that they are patriots and not traitors.
Every single government member must now prove that they
have and will uphold their oath of office...no exceptions !!!
Leningrad Lindsey is Trump's adoring caddy. Why does he think Trump is stonewalling everybody--because he has nothing to hide? Graham is the kind of toady who helps build a police state. I hope he and the GOP, led by their Dear Leader, fail in that goal. This is beginning to get very ugly.
1
“The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, with largely corruption, all of the corruption taking place and largely the fact that we don’t want our people like Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in the Ukraine.”
Does the Times have translators on staff who can actually make sense of this statement?
2
In 1983 my wife and I were visiting friends in New York when the husband unloaded on Donald Trump one evening. The then still young Trump had outraged him, and most New Yorkers, by publicly promising he would save historic art artifacts from a building he had purchased and the publicly destroying them all.
Nothing has changed about Trump and nothing will. He’s a liar, a fraud, a coward, a bully and criminal, and worse, he was allowed by society to continue to be. As President he, and his supporters, laughingly taunt his critics because history has shown his critics will no more punish now him than ever they have.
Certainly no one in his Partt will.
2
He is about as transparent as a huuuuge Oil Slick. And as welcome and useful.
Seriously.
2
If Nixon was brought to justice, so must be Trump. After covering up Russia's 2016 election intrusions, he brazenly , in front of all, openly bribed Ukraine to help slime Democratic 2020 LEADER , his potential opponent. And he says he has not broken any law. With what face does he say China or Ukraine are corrupt-he himself is the biggest.
Congress must now IMPEACH him.
2
@TA
Dare I say it, but I think if Nixon had had Fox News batting for him, he MIGHT have survived Watergate. Just sayin
"....because I think he did nothing wrong and he has nothing to hide.”
How does Senator Graham think trump did nothing wrong? Does he know facts we don't?
No, he doesn't. What he displays is blatant cover for this odious president. Look at the republicans!! In Congress, Graham's gentle suggestion is more than most of them are willing to say. Remember when these folks were daily looking for ANY malfeasance on the part of President Obama?
Neither do they.
1
Yes, he will become as transparent as pea soup and not a bit more!
3
I agree with Nancy Pelosi's thinking, which seems to be for the Democrats to keep their powder dry for now. For every Presidential indiscretion or violation that occurs, the Trump team seems to have a well prepared obfuscatory response, which I suspect they develop in advance of the event, not in response to it. For the Democrats to now throw impeachment into that mix, will ultimately benefit Donald Trump. It is lose-lose for the Democrats. To pursue impeachment to 'send a message' however altruistic and noble that may seem, well folks, that horse left the barn long ago
Even IF Trump's bogus smear about the Bidens were true, Doofus-in-Chief still cannot pressure, coerce, extort, cajole a foreign leader to open an investigation on his behalf. Full stop.
2
Looks like the Senator from Utah's gonna be on the president's bash list -- imagine the temerity, calling for the prez to come out with it, already. Perhaps Mitt can even smell the Oval Office, clear from Utah?
Excellent.
Let the sharks circle the sinking ship....
1
It is very clear now: not only does Putin have his man in hand, but now the President of the Ukraine also has leverage over America's President.
Trump's gotten us all into quite a pickle, hasn't he?
To the whistle blower: Just walk into the NYTimes this week and reveal your full complaint.
1
The night Trump was elected I turned to a friend and said,"something has suddenly and significantly changed. I do not know exactly what it is but we have crossed into a new era and I am gravely concerned." I was frankly frightened. I am more so now than ever. No one is above the law unless the have a puppet AG, Senate control, and the ethicless Mitch McConnell. My greatest fear is a great percentage of our population does want to make America white again. This is the totality of the situation. Due to our manipulated electoral system I believe the only way Trump will fall wil be a good old fashioned economic downturn. Fortunately and unfortunately I think The Donald's policies have made this downturn rather likely in the next 12 month's. When I begin to read articles that gov't debt no longer matters I know many financial gurus have lost their mind or are in on the con. Warren Buffet it's buying anything. He's living fat and happy on the bank of America stock he bought in the last crash. These are dark dark times. Fasten your safety belt. Don't sign for an expensive mortgage. Hunker down everyone. I'd say we are in for a bumpy ride both financially and politically. I ask you 1 question. If businesses need stability to expand where in the world right now does anyone see stability?
6
@M
Ya, that about sums it up. Nothing about Trump’s illegalities, bullying, racism, misogyny, and disregard for the rule of law as applied equally to everyone, wasn’t known before he was elected. Yet enough Americans possess similar disregard for those characteristics to elect Trump. I know some of them. I use to treat them as normal. But they aren’t normal unless psychology has altered that bell curve in the DSM. Several of us old buddies from war in Vietnam once believed our nation would learn to improve from the subsequently revealed immoral behavior of that era. But some Americans learned that character doesn’t matter and others that such individuals are admirable. The U.S. has revealed what many of us realize was there all the time and we were childish to believe individuals were capable of changing. They don’t want to change. They want us to submit or go away.
Trump wins no matter what. Democratic leadership will be reluctant to support the current front runner if there is any cloud of suspicion hanging over him, and Trump voters will be even more energized when their chosen one is under suspicion. In Trump's world, playing dirty is the only way to win.
1
"The Department of Justice advised Mr. Maguire not to pass along the report."
William Barr has proven himself to be on the level of John Mitchell, Nixon's Attorney General, in maintaining the corruption that is at the very heart of Trump & Company. It's unbelievable that an attorney general would actively assist in blocking justice from being done. He should be impeached before Trump.
8
Holding up aid to Ukraine is all part of returning the favor Russia, which is in a war with Ukraine, gave to the Trump campaign in 2016. Depriving Ukraine of military assistance aids and abets Russia in its attempts to restore the Soviet empire.
Trump isn't simply soliciting aid from Ukraine. He also wants Russian help in his reelection.
7
@cjg
Hmmmm. So Trump's defense would be that he was not illegally pressuring Ukraine instead he was aiding Russia.
The country can't afford more of Pelosi's timidity here. The more she and the House leadership wait on this, the worse Trump and the Republican party will get. I understand that there's a strong possibility it'll backfire but the alternative (a lawless president and an anti-democratic party destroying the country for their own gain) is looking worse and worse.
To push Pelosi, someone in her district should begin a primary challenge to her based solely on her refusal to hold Trump accountable the only way they can: impeachment.
It's time for Trump's feet to be held to the fire.
5
Unfortunately, the only "transparency" we're likely to get from Individual 1 are transparent lies, evasions and deflections.
2
@Michael B, apparently the NYT board doesn't recognize a compulsive liar when they see one. trump is exhibit one on why we counsel our little kids not to lie: lying becomes a habit, it becomes easy, it becomes a key part of who you are. Everyone fibs, compulsive lying is a habit built up over a lifetime. The NYT needs to stop treating this president as if he were normal. He's not, and he must go.
1
Trump et al are delaying as long as possible so they can story it the way they need to. It's a bonus that the media freely re articulates the 'rumours' about Biden. They actually no longer need Ukraine's cooperation to dig dirt. Implying it will be enough. In fact, alerting congress but not handing over the content was likely part of the script.
1
What's breathtaking about Donald Trump's blatant corruption, is the complicit involvement of virtually the entire Republican Party who are either afraid or don't care about Donald Trump continuing criminal, and abuse of power behavior since day one.
When do the Republican Members of Congress remember that they have take an oath to the Constitution and not Donald Trump, this isn't an authoritarian regime, this is the United States of America.
10
“Instead, the Department of Justice advised Mr. Maguire not to pass along the report.“
This is where democracy and it’s rules of law go to die. Overlooking this flagrant abuse of power and disregard of the law is a step over the edge of an abyss. An abyss too deep and dark to fairly ponder.
Maguire should be held in contempt if he doesn’t deliver by Thursday.
4
@RjW, agree about Maguire. But also Barr.
2
Republican members of Congress are political astute or they could not be in Congress. They know that Trump has committed High Crimes with his extortion of the Leader of Ukraine to swap a sham investigation of the Biden family for appropriated US military aid.
They fear Trump. Thus since the 2016 elections more than 40 percent have left Congress, using various excuses. The rest have chosen to be quiet Trump stooges. These stooges will never oppose Trump.
Their fates rest with we voters.
5
@ Pat Choate
The heck with “their” fates. It’s the fate of our democracy that needs to be the only focus from now until Election Day.
1
You state: "This is a complicated situation, and there are serious questions begging to be cleared up. The White House has worked to prevent that from happening."
Here's how the rest of us see it: every day is a complicated situation, with serious questions, and the administration works to prevent the truth from happening.
This is a big, big truth, and because we aren't used to such corruption in a presidency, we are messed up in this mess. We are dealing with a criminal syndicate. Don't we have to rid the nation of a criminal syndicate? I think so! I'm blowing my whistle for impeachment!!
3
People of New York City, beware. Mungo, er, Trump, is back in town and if allowed on 5th Avenue he might shoot someone just to prove, as he said, he could do it and get away with it. He really believes that if he, as president, does something illegal, it is legal by the fact he is president. After all, in his twisted mind, that is Justice Department policy, and he is the head of it. And e is not acting.
Trump has had several days for his script writers to come up with story lines that will help him evade and dissemble the truth, and run out the media clock. No doubt, they've already crafted a redacted (read censored) version of a portion of the actual transcript of one side of a single phone call, which will clear the President of anything and everything possibly nefarious. Except, of course, what actually went on.
The underlying horror here is that Barr at DOJ is playing consigliere to Trump's thuggish extortion attempt with Ukraine, while trying to ice any potential squealers in the Administration by blocking the whistleblower protection.
If this doesn't add up to a political conspiracy, what does?
2
@Neander, Barr has been promised a seat on SCOTUS. That's the conspiracy, that's the quid pro quo. Congress needs to censure, hold in contempt, and possibly impeach Barr in order to avid the disastrous outcome of him as a justice on our highest court. Thursday if Maguire does not come through.
1
Lindsey Graham: “President Trump is going to blow you away with his willingness to disclose and be transparent about this phone call, because I think he did nothing wrong and he has nothing to hide.”
--------
How could Graham possibly know that the President "did nothing wrong"? Has Trump shown Graham the transcript of his calls with the Ukrainian President or asked the Acting Director of National Intelligence to forward the Whistle Blower's complain to Graham (while withholding it from the rest of Congress. Or maybe this is the same leap of faith Graham took when we were all "assured" that Donald Trump would become "Presidential" once he took the oath of office.
Donald Trump can show us everything without "compromising executive privilege". There is nothing about the Trump presidency that has to be taken as precident for how the next president behaves. Just as now, we have the right to expect that the all our elected leaders will act in the best interests of "the people", living up to their oath of office. Neither Trump or Graham has done that but both men can be replaced and the stained washed away.
3
I am very curious about this line "Instead, the Department of Justice advised Mr. Maguire not to pass along the report.".
If the IG was supposed to deliver the whistleblower report to Congress, how did the DOJ even know about it? It sounds like the IG went to the DOJ first, which would be improper. Someone should be asking that question.
3
Lindsay Graham, ask not only for transparency but also for Trump to step down. We have all had enough of this entertainment from the president. Now we need a true leader.
4
My fellow Democrats are flailing, about impeachment that will come to a dead end once presented to the Senate, about the unclear effect/explanation of Russian disinformation's influence on Trump's electoral college win in 2016., about obstruction of justice in the Mueller Report.
I for one have little faith in the Democratic candidates' ability
to outmaneuver the Republicans in 2020. The writing is on the wall, folks. Trump might even lose the popular vote again, but win the election. Sorry.
3
Please note that within days of the phone call in question the Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats had resigned and advised his Principal Deputy, Sue Gordon, to do the same. Whatever this is (and be clear, we don't know the whole story yet), it was big enough to make career public servants run for the hills. This whistleblower must be heard, and protected from any possible reprisals.
4
Does any rational person believe that any transcript Trump will release of his conversation with the Ukranian president has not already been sanitized?
Trump is fighting for his political life (not to mention his ability to stay out of jail, using the Presidential shield from prosecution), and he's playing for keeps. He is dishonest to the core, and even altering documents will not be beneath him.
Until now, I have seen the merits of taking a somewhat cautious approach toward the issue of impeachment out of concerns that it would turn off voters in swing districts. Not any more. It is time that Trump's unbridled Trump First dealings be addressed.
5
I wouldn't hold my breath for "the facts to come out" from this president.
"Alternative facts" or "truth isn't truth"
are what you hear from the Trump cohorts.
Trump will never tell the truth because he doesn't know what truth means.
George Washington said, "I cannot tell a lie". Trump says, "believe me".
I will never believe anything coming out of the president's mouth.
6
Trump can talk and tweet up a storm about his beautiful conversation with Zelensky.It is all too obvious that Trump wanted his personal lawyer to be given some dirt on his political opponent to use in the 2020 campaign.This is not obtuse-everyone can understand that Trump wants to shame his opponents.He does not compete on the political battlefield with ideas and programs-he competes with personal insults.
4
Trump’s approach to this kind of debacle is oft repeated. First deny impropriety occurred. Then let the press rant. Then let it be known that SOMETHING occurred. Have some inklings leak. Claim that the inklings are all clearly OK.
Eventually a dust cloud arises of claims, counterclaims, testimonials and accusations, it goes on and on. People become bored, people can’t be bothered to sift through it all, people decide whichever side they like has it right and the other side is a bunch of name callers.
It all blows over.
The press is key to all this: the fan that blows all the dust around until we just have to close our eyes and blow our noses.
202
@John Brews
Trump is gaslighting us again. I agree that the press' role is critical. Know what the scent is and keep on it; don't let the cloud of confusion that is constantly billowing up from the WH deter you.
He's a despicable person. We must hear from the whistleblower or from the IC IG. They have the more expansive understanding of the complaint that was considered "urgent". This information has to go to the Intel Committees.
23
@John Brews And it works for Trump every time. This is getting very old. Congressional Democrats are equally to blame. The fact that the Senate (possibly) won't act does not give the House of Representatives a free pass to sit on its behind and ignore the Constitution. ✳️❇️❇️✳️
9
@John Brews You forgot the most important element - always, always accuse the accuser no matter what. By planting even the most minimal seed of doubt he unifies his supporters and divides those against him who now have a small slice of doubt in their minds. It's so easy. ✳️❇️❇️✳️
17
"No reason to get excited, the thief he kindly spoke. There are many here among us, who feel that life is but a joke." The hour, indeed, is getting late.
4
Where are the Daniel Ellsbergs of today? Why won't the whistleblower release the report publicly, as Ellsberg did with the Pentagon Papers?
3
@PrairieFlax: Fear of bankruptcy by legal fees.
2
Can't see this swaying Trump supporters to be honest as they are pretty staunch. Not even sure Biden can beat him as from the last few times I've seen Biden he as really been "umming" and "ahhing" his words. Elizabeth Warren could be the only hope as it looks like she's overtaking Bernie and when he goes all his supporters will back her.
2
Isn't this a lot like Watergate, only worse?
5
Enough. To date, since his campaign, Trump has: hired a campaign manager that was investigated by the FBI for his ties to Russia prior to the campaign, the next one was bought and paid for by oligarchs in the Ukraine. His family met with Russian agents to collect dirt on Hillary. He gave away state secrets in the Oval to Russian spies. He sided with Putin in Helsinki. He had fired Comey, McCabe and Strzok, the leads in the Russian investigation. When informed of his activities at various times, he has had those three, plus FISA courts, MI6, IG at DNI, CIA, former NSA all react with great alarm.
What exactly is it we have been waiting for him to do to provide us confirmation?
There is a path that explains all, follow the money.
4
What happened to the notion of the coverup being what does politicians in?
4
First, second and lastly this sorry episode in the ongoing saga of Trumputin reveals how thoroughly the "president" has capitulated or gleefully accepts (take your pick) his subservience to the Russian dictator/mob boss.
Withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to his enemy? Sure thing, boss.
Accept that Russia did not and would not interfere in US elections? No doubts, here.
Lobby to get Russia back into the G8? You betcha!
Contrive to break up NATO? Deal!
Get Senate Republicans to redice sanctions on Putin's oligarch buddies? No worries!
Change the Republican party platform to ease up on Russian aggression in Crimea? Paul, you got this one.
My question is, of what use will Trump be to Putin when he's no longer soiling the White House? Follow-up question: What will Putin and the oligarchs do when they realize that their laundered loans to Trump won't be paid back anytime soon?
5
If Trump was the only one who wasn't transprentt soit, but the whole adminisration, the GOP, the whole bunch of Trump sycophants aren't transparent and that's scary, dangerous and unprecedented in the history of the USA.
There's only one reaction possible: Impeachment
2
Over the weekend I watched a documentary called something like The New Don of the Mob, a graphic history of mob violence, much of it taking place in NYC. The vulgarity, egotism, disdain for the law and lack of conscience Gotti and his lawyers displayed reminded me of two other NYC players..DJ Trump and Rudy G.
1
If you read Trump's quoted response to this issue it is "largely" unintelligible. This guy went to Stanford?
1
"...Mr. Graham predicted that “President Trump is going to blow you away with his willingness to disclose and be transparent about this phone call, because I think he did nothing wrong and he has nothing to hide.”
It appears insanity is contagious.
8
''In a radio interview on Monday, Mr. Graham predicted that “President Trump is going to blow you away with his willingness to disclose and be transparent about this phone call, because I think he did nothing wrong and he has nothing to hide.”
Minister of Truth, Lindsey Graham. His entry in the biggest truth of all time contest..
4
Why hasn’t this guy Maguire been arrested? He’s clearly in violation of federal law. One somebody breaks the law in this manner, they are arrested.
3
The whole saga smells rotten to the core, another election fraud in process, his meeting with Ukraine President @UN smells like witness tempering, Why do I have hunch the Justice department is scrubbing data related to all the calls that IG appointed by Mr Trump himself is so worried about. Stonewalling is tempering with evidence. There has to be some links with Russia here and Crimea
4
I wonder what else might be going on behind closed doors in the White House that we can't even fathom, because no one has leaked, blown the whistle or accidentally slipped.
5
folks, the American experiment is over...we're just watching the last dying gasps of it
2
"Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, among President Trump’s staunchest defenders, has publicly — if gently — called on the president to “tell us as much as he can without compromising executive privilege, so that we can understand what happened.”"
Fine advice, but meaningless to Trump unless it comes from his de facto Chief of Staff, Tucker Carlson.
1
It’s telling that Trump’s call to Zelenskiy was literally the day after Mueller testified before Congress. Trump seemingly thought, “well, I got away with it once, so who is going to stop me?”
While it’s possible Trump is playing “impeachment chicken”, I don’t think he’s capable of playing checkers much less 3D Chess. He is willfully and gleefully ignorant of the law and our norms.
2
Impeach now.
Never mind that Republican senators will not go along, their stonewalling will go on record!
3
James Comey was fired, mocked as a compromised, Democratic tool, and further taunted by Trump after refusing to ‘let Flynn go’ or to promise personal loyalty to the president.
Robert Mueller was accused by Trump of being a partisan operator and leading ‘the biggest witch hunt in history.’
The FBI whistleblower from last week has been described by Trump as a political opponent and leading, again ‘a witch hunt.’
Notice a pattern here?
Trump didn’t need to have any conversation about corruption with anyone; his own corruption speaks for itself.
4
Trump has just demonstrated to his lord and master Vlad that he can cut vital aid to Ukraine at a moments notice.
When the next major Russian push against Ukraine occurs he can be sure of his allies assistance.
Ukraine has just shown as did Libya and Iraq, that giving up aces is a bad move. Iran and North Korea have learned this lesson well.
In the end you have only your own nations resources for defense. A mantra of the Israelis.
3
Ordinary center-left citizen that I am, yes, I have hesitated for months on the question of impeachment. The politics kept suggesting to me it could only end in confusing, drawn-out Congressional hearings followed by a Senate failure to convict, followed by Trump asserting he was exonerated, followed by millions of Americans saying, "See? Democrats are persecuting him."
Now I've crossed the Rubicon. If we're to go down, let's do it with courage and conviction already.
Impeach this sociopathic, mendacious, wannabe tyrant right now--before the adjective "wannabe" has to be replaced with "full-blown."
5
Thanks Mitt for a semblance of Republican integrity.
1
Won't some respectable news org. talk about how Ukraine's corruption investigation of Manafort was abruptly shut down? Who interfered in that, other than the fully transparent and "corruption crusader" Trump plus Giuliani? Please, start tying that info into any future W.B. coverage. Also, if Trump suddenly wishes to root out corruption, perhaps it's best that he start with his own family.
3
Future historians will no doubt describe the Trump presidency as a cautionary tale. And Nancy won't be on the right side of the record either if she doesn't get her skates on and impeach the scoundrel.
3
If a parent knowingly lets a child get away with something like stealing then they are most likely going to raise a thief. Trump got away with the deep corruption of the 2016 election why would he not do it again. He now has Bill Barr to protect him.
The Autocrat's Dilemma: An autocrat who takes power, even in a populist revolution with the intention of doing good for their country, inevitably becomes more and more corrupt and oppressive. It starts when the first inevitable breaking of a law, written or unwritten, which starts growing oppression on the part of the autocrat to save his own head. My Trump well knows he could end in jail if he looses re-election or when ever he leaves office. His only recourse to save himself is to destroy our democracy.
3
Donald Trump is living a lie.
Should his true financial records come to light, it would be obvious.
He reminds me of rappers who try to gain street cred with bravado that has no back up evidence.
3
Over a billion in debt upon his ascendancy to president.
4
This is just another witch hunt. Mueller vindicated Trump in one, so the Dems are coming up with another. Fortunately, we don’t have Sessions anymore. Hope the Dems try to impeach Trump. Pelosi can’t fend off the Squad with these developments.
Senator Lindsey Graham is one of the most hypocritical voices in Congress who will say anything to keep his seat.
3
Oh Please everyone (including me). If we are gonna report what this guy says, most of which are nonsense sentences, in the name of accurate reporting, I believe quoting this guy can be followed with the fact that it (they) are meaningless utterances. Yeah, including tweets.
Either that or ..... its possible to report on an issue and entirely leave out anything this guy says.
Try it. It can work. You'll see.
1
There are days--not many, but they exist--when listening to Lindsey Graham speak makes me want to bash my head against a wall even more so than listening to Trump.
Dear Congress, if you are listening, please save us from this amoral
narcissist by exercising your entrusted powers to hold this creep accountable. he is making a mockery of us all and we are powerless to do anything about it. We are counting on and begging you. Do it with the courage of your convictions. Do it forcefully and swiftly with no hand-wringing. I hope some Republicans will come along when they are confronted with the facts in a way they cant ignore.
2
Actually, Mr. Trump is completely transparent. We can see right through him. A transparent liar. What we want to see is truth and the American way.
1
The rank disregard of Trump administration for the rule of law and presidential ethics is an absolute disgrace, and an existential threat to our political system and national security. William Barr's corrupt political partisanship has made the DOJ into a mockery of legal ethics. The spineless sycophancy of Trump's Republican enablers in the Senate will be seen by future historians as the apotheosis of political cowardice.
2
Donald Trump is a sneaky conniving individual.
The United States has put up with this long enough. Are we really going to allow Trump’s demeanor steer this country much longer? Perhaps even Lindsey Graham is publicly expressing his doubts.
Sooner or later the Republicans have got to come to terms with Trump’s lack of credibility. How about sooner, because Trump’s going down, one step at a time, and it’s not going to stop. The time has come.
3
If I understand the story to this point: Trump cut $250 million dollars of military aide to Ukraine last summer. A few weeks after that cut, Trump called the new President of Ukraine and demanded eight times that Ukraine "work" with Rudy Giuliani to investigate Hunter Biden and Biden's interest in some Ukrainian gas company. Trump now insists that the real story is Joe Biden's actions to help his son. Trump tells all of us to look away as he pressures a foreign leader with our tax dollars to dig dirt on a political rival for the 2020 election. Two points: In our country, we have an FBI to investigate political corruption. If Hunter and Joe were crooked, the FBI should be able to figure that out very quickly. Rudy need not be involved. Finally, coercion is a crime. Bribery is a crime. Donald Trump is a criminal trying to bribe the Ukrainian President to concoct a story about Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Donald Trump is a crook. Simple.
3
I am not sure if republicans will win election but mark my words, they will dearly pay at some point for their cover ups, their lies, their disrespecting the law, the people, having a blind eye to all of trump's atrocities. I will celebrate that day..because they have destroyed our land, our people and they do not care.
4
Mr. Trump will blow us away, with his ever increasing maniacal behavior. He’ll sow this wind with so many conflicting lies the country will just throw up its hands in confusion, as it always does. Trump has perfected this routine and it’s working perfectly. He IS above the law.
1
The Biden family is corrupt and represents the corrupt DC swamp that has allowed corrupt politicians to get rich for years. The Republicans in the senate must take a page out of the Jerry Nadler playbook and subpoena all those involved in Hunter Bidens corrupt dealings in Ukraine, China, and whatever else turns up. We want to see congressional hearings with Hunter Biden either answering questions or take the fifth amendment on national TV. The people demand it otherwise we must descend on Washington with pitchforks and torches.
Of course, by withholding military aid from Ukraine, mr. trump was also advancing the interests of his idol and benefactor, Vladimir Putin. With the opportunity to use the presidency to extort dirt on a political rival, this must have felt like a win-win for the narcissist in chief.
2
@Dejosan, republicans are not patriots and they do not love democracy.
4
It's time to impeach William Barr as well as Trump. Barr tells Maguire to break the law because Barr clearly believes we have a monarchy that is above the law. It's time for an American Magna Carta.
4
The worm is turning. 7 Freshmen members of the house from swing districts just called for impeachment. Among them Elaine Luria D-VA. I grew up in Tidewater, and that is indeed a conservative district which she won by the skin of her teeth. This is courage.
4
Let's hear Bill Barr's justification for breaking the law.
8
Stay tuned as the Dems start impeachment b/c wily Trump (who wants them to) witholds the whistleblower docs, then pulls the rug from under Dems by releasing the inconclusive (neutered, probably by Bill Barr) docs after they’ve committed to the process. Then the Dems lose in the Senate, where tribalism “trumps” truth and accountability and the Repub majority declares Trump innocent of all charges, while mocking the House and “fake news” outlets mercilessly, 2 months before the election. Trump declares victory over Witch Hunt 2.0, and affirms his unassailable power over the House, Senate, the courts, the AG, deep state, subpoenas, indictments, the SDNY, Mitt Romney, and everyone who ever looked sideways at him. That will leave only (most likely) Elizabeth Warren standing between the U.S. as we used to know it—and an inchoate, authoritarian abyss somewhat resembling a banana republic on steroids. God help us all. Get out and vote.
1
Graham is an artful enabler for Trump. No, I don't expect to be blown away by Trump's sudden transparency. Do we know if he can string a group of words together without inserting a lie? I no longer read articles headlined by "Trump Says." For me, that means, "Trump Lies About..." Why read lies?
1
Does Senator Lindsey Graham really think that Trump plans to "blow us all away" by releasing the transcripts of his phone conversation? Isn't it obvious that this transcript would be incriminating? And do you think that all the items he has promised to release "as soon as he possibly can" will ever be released by Liar #1? Graham has too much faith in Trump's veracity.
Ms. Pelosi fears that impeaching Trump will lead to his winning in 2020---as he can skillfully play the part of the wronged innocent. He would be able to rally his base and gain additional supporters who would be influenced by our con man leader. Convincingly he would claim innocence---wrongly charged by a "deep state" Democratic cabal.
Ms. Pelosi must ask herself if the time has come to speak out at the grave and treasonable acts of Trump, even if it means losing in 2020. Maybe, forgetting about thinking only of winning the coming 2020 election, and thinking rather of speaking out against evil and pointing a finger at the grand malefactor, is what counts. Otherwise Trump will continue tearing down our democratic institutions ---the emboldened president destroying laws, mores, and decency more forcefully than in the past. Maybe, speaking out is the best way to winning in 2020.
The good news: Mr. Trump will release a transcript of the phone call.
The bad news: It is written in Sharpie.
1
I am trying to remember.
I am trying to remember the calls for transparency from the New York Times Editorial Board - for President Obama to explain the evidence that HE relied on to reassure the American people that the 2016 Presidential Election had been free of foreign interference.
Maybe they did. And I missed it.
@Maurice Gatien False equivalency. Trump allegedly attempted to use a foreign government to find dirt on an opponent.
Defensive Donald will take the till soon enough. The best transparency. Everyone agrees. A very distinguished history professor at one of our top Universities called me to say, "Sir, this is unprecedented. You are the most transparent human being I have ever met, and also too in history (where are OBAMA's grades??) why are they constantly making up fake stories?"
And this is how a story... disappears. I am not hopeful. Trump has a singular talent: he knows how to get everything to revolve around his almost peristaltic bursts, fumes, and fugues.
We are ruled by a 3 year old. One with 70 years of practice.
2
What has happened to the senators, members of Congress and government officials who have pledge to uphold the Constitution?
9
Making a really strong case for term limits...?
@Pierre It is now government of the party, for the party and the express benefit of the politicians and we rubes keep on letting the politicians gaslight us.
Mr Trump and his family including his former federal judge sister, have always lived by a different set of rules. It comes from being white privileged wealthy socialites. As long as we remember young and middle aged Trump maintained a playboy image in the tabloids. Multiple marriages infidelities were all part of that image. But then Trump never really grew up. Partly because his parents had always bailed him out, each time he messed up. They cleaned up his mess, zero lessons learned. Trump conned his way into his electorate posing as a self made businessman. His base assumes Mr Trump as seen in his reality show, knows how to run things. But they had no idea that running things meant following a different set of rules, bending law when convenient and always saying, “I did nothing wrong”. And getting away with it. Just as Mr Trump’s parents were epic failures in parenting, the Republican Party is an epic failure in enabling Trump to bend rules at convenience and pretending to overlook his faults, pretending to allow him freedom to do whatever he wants as long as he keeps exciting his base. These republicans are no patriots, they do not have our country’s best interests at heart and they are willing to put party over everything else, even God if there is one (represented by transparency honesty dignity kindness love for all beings). Shameful. History is witness that we the people Allowed this to happen.
12
When I consider Pelosi's strategy; the saying, 'give them enough rope and they will hang themselves', comes to mind.
Believing that they have got away with the first crimes of the campaign and administration, Trump and the Republicans are piling evidence upon evidence for a neutral court to review. Which will happen all in good time.
2
I don't know what it will take to convince The Editorial Board that the Republican Party has absolutely no interest in transparency, democracy, a rule of law, or the welfare and safety of the American people. This editorial reads as though each day is a new day and even recent history never happened. This is just one more thing on top of many. The Republican Party has aligned itself with corporate power in the interest of overthrowing democracy and establishing an oligarchy since Eisenhower unleashed the Dulles brothers on the world. Today Paul Krugman pointed out something we should have seen all along. The GOP is not patriotic and their flag waving is a lie. They need to be exposed. They will never be voluntarily transparent. Never.
10
Do any of the Republican's believe in public service anymore?
It seems like Republican's are more interested in self-service and self-preservation rather than public service and their oath to uphold the Constitution.
8
It does appear one Republican does believe in public service. The Inspector General who alerted Congress that this was a valid whistleblower complaint of urgency and importance is a Trump appointee. Maybe Trump did find a “best person” to appoint!
1
@chico: Power — obtaining it, holding on to it, and wielding it — has become the sole raison d’etre for the GOP. This is the fruition of Newt Gingrich’s dreams from the early ‘90s. This system (as the Founders conceived of it and what has been working since) will not survive this onslaught.
That is why Congress’s hesitancy to act on all of this has gone beyond frustrating to outright maddening and inexcusable. Somebody has to defend this country and its rule of law. It cannot die without a fight.
1
Not a one...
Pattern of Trump behavior:
(1) deny that there is any truth whatsoever to factual allegations;
(2) foolishly make statements which actually display that the factual allegations are true;
(3) shift emphasis away from the factual allegations to assertions that what took place does not constitute misconduct.
And now the question is whether new additonal patterned steps will follow:
(4) have the attorney general intervene (seems this one has alfready happened here);
(5) the attorney general releases a distorted summary of what took place and/or a significantly redacted transcript, and renders a legal opinion that there was no misconduct.
9
and GOP senators dutibly repeat talking points without any sense of irony (or shame).
The DNC, an organization that was supposed to remain neutral and allow the will of the people to vote for our leaders, was under complete control of Hillary Clinton. The Hillary campaign directed the DNC and media to elevate via increased news coverage - Donald Trump - so that Hillary could run against Donny and win the presidency by a landslide. But it backfired, and we now have Trump. It was also revealed that Democrats in battleground states such as PA and NY committed election fraud by dropping Sanders voters off of voter rolls. State and local election leaders conspired to identify, and purge, Sanders supporters so they could not vote. We knew it was happening because on every state primary voting day, his supporters would post - in tears and anger - that they were turned away at the polls after a lifetime of voting without any issues. Election analysts are now stating he would have possibly won the primaries had it not been for the DNC rigging and election fraud, and would have easily beat Trump at the polls.
It's been a long, hard road for Sanders supporters, being attacked for demanding the truth and fair elections. Being attacked for refusing to vote for a candidate who would do anything within her power to win, no matter how illegal and unethical, including stripping us of fair elections.It feels good to be vindicated. But sad as well. Look no further than Hillary for giving us Donald Trump. And that my friends, is a fact.
1
@Michael Sorensen
This argument about blame for the 2016 campaign has now been made ad nauseum. Time to leave those issues for historians to sort out blame for the tragedy of Trump's election. We all have an obligation now to stay focused on undoing the outcome of the 2016 election.
1
Hadn't decent papers already called explicitly for Nixon's resignation at a comparable point?
7
Prediction: the phone transcripts will be released and will be declared inconclusive and below the threshold for impeachment. Trump will claim to be exonerated and the country will wait for the next outrageous act from the president and the whole cycle will begin again. Talk about Groundhog Day.
11
Any claim of executive privilege with regard to the whistleblower complaint has been effectively waived when both Mr. Trump and Mr. Giuliani spoke so effusively about the purported subject of the complaint.
Trump can’t have it both ways. He can’t talk extensively about the subject and then claim privilege.
Release the full whistleblower complaint to the relevant Committees.
And, in the interests of Trump’s newly found desire for transparency and anti-corruption zeal, Mr. Trump should release his full tax returns and make sure none of his children are benefitting from his position.
5
Again burying the lead - we gave aid to over 200 countries last year incl. 4.89 B to Afghanistan, 3.36 B to Iraq, 892 M to Pakistan, 819 M to Syria, 633 M to Yemen, 599 M to Lebanon and so on, Does it make sense that there is no corruption in these countries that required our President to hesitate disbursement? Answer is 0. And how many of these countries include a visit by the President's personal attorney? Answer is 1. Not saying there is not shadiness going on by all. That is just politics but to use the good-people-on-both-sides argument to equate questionable, but not proven, business dealings by Hunter with our President using the Oval Office to once again solicit campaign assistance from a foreign government is simply a false equivalence to me. But of course, Pres, Trump sees the "Biden" issue as the only thing to investigate. No wonder the Democrats see this as a tipping point
4
I don't want to hear trump's "transparency" as I learned to not believe a word he says since the day he came on my radar. I just simply, and by law, want the whistleblower's complaints (as there appear to be more than one) turned over to congress. Then I will be convinced one way or another.
4
How many tax dollars, how many lawyers, how much legal time have Americans wasted on trying to get Trump to obey solid unambiguous written laws?
The law requires that a federal agency MUST when asked hand over tax returns of any citizen including a sitting president to the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
The law requires whistleblower complaints MUST be handed over to Congress.
The law requires many things which the president has REFUSED to comply with, and the money spent on those resulting legal fights could have been used to help working Americans or pay down the national debt that skyrocketed when the Trump/McConnell tax cuts were not paid for with accompanying program cuts. There’s no free lunch.
7
@Richard
An infinite number of tax dollars.... or a GOP with a sense of ethics. Better hope for the infinite dollars.
We now have solid proof that the Department of Justice is now solidly in Trump’s pocket. The DOJ broke the law in not sharing the whistle blowers complaint with Congress. We have an outlaw Justice Department as well as an outlaw Presidency.
20
It isn’t a partisan issue. . It is an issue of National Security
If it isn’t investigated or leaked we will have left our doors wide open for another fraudulent election.
If the evidence from the whistle blower is accurate then Trump might be guilty of Treason and Giuliani right beside him.
10
I can't understand why, if someone is breaking the federal law by not bringing the report to Congress they are simply not escorted to a federal jail cell by the FBI.
22
Trump's lawlessness is escalating daily. He has been held accountable for nothing he has done. He has installed enablers around him who will protect him no matter what he does. He seems to have the undying loyalty of his chief of staff, entire cabinet, AG and the DOJ, and obviously his intelligence appointees. All these folks are willing to break the law for him. It is past time for House Democrats to get tough. The time for talking is over. If Trump is not confronted and made accountable for his actions, if his cabinet members and staff aren't made accountable for their lawless actions, then our American government system is quickly becoming a memory. Trump, his administration, and the GOP are already normalizing autocratic government. This week feels like the turning point.
11
"Blown away by transparency?" Only a republican could come up with that chestnut. Transparency in government should be so commonplace as to go un-noticed. Lindsay Graham seems to think it's so remarkable that it will astound. Maybe he just meant it about Trump.
11
How would Lindsey Graham know whether or not Donald Trump “did nothing wrong and has nothing to hide” unless Sen. Graham has been privy to the whistleblower’s report? And if Sen. Graham has been privy to that report, why can’t the appropriate House committees see it as well?
7
@Dennis Smith: good point. In fact if privilege is claimed, hasn’t Graham broken the law by reading and then divulging the report?
1
Trump will not willingly share the conversation or the whistle-blower's complaint. Why should he? He has successfully thumbed his nose at Congress. Why change the plan now? The House has a number of tools to get to the truth, and they MUST be employed, NOW. No waiting. We, the public, need to know whether we have a President who is upholding his oath of office, for if he is not, it IS time to leave office. It is that simple.
6
Americans should look to Europe for inspiration and head to the streets. Members of congress are proving they are not up to the task they were elected to do. The feckless GOP and the craven Democrats are under the sway of our would-be dictator and his propaganda machine, our Constitution is being unraveled, and civil unrest should be the consequence.
5
@john: actually, coincidentally the British Supreme Court today ruled the British Prime Minister’s action in proroguing Parliament unlawful! Think our present SCOTUS would do the same to this Republican “President”? .....Neither do I!
Our "president" , the dishonorable mr.Barr and mr McConnell all deserve to be in jail, along with all the other people who have lied for them, held back the truth and interfered with workings of Congress. Some day they will get theirs and no amount of money or shenanigans will save tham.
7
Our president seeks to make this country great by outdoing all of the previous diplomatic faux pax in our history from the XYZ affair to the Teapot Dome scandal to the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.
He might properly be impeached by the House but I fully expect the Senate to fail to convict him for his high crimes. Nonetheless, I would cherish Senators, especially Republican ones, being compelled to take a stand on such a voice vote. They could no longer hold claim to the inscription over the Supreme Court building's west façade:"Equal Justice Under Law". And every Senator voting for acquittal--especially those admitted to the bar (I'm looking at you, former JAG officer SEN Graham)--must be seen to abrogate the rule of law itself.
Never forget that trump has been involved in these machinations since even before the election when he pushed the republicans to moderate their support of the Ukraine to the benefit of Russia. Apparently this comprised the entirety of his interest in the nuts and bolts of the platform.
3
Do you accept snark?
Because I could not get beyond the first sentence of this editorial.
Did anyone remind Lindsey that he is in possession of a gavel? His weak sauce plea for Trump to do the right thing, sort of, is the single biggest surrender of power in DC since Harper left town.
2
"...both parties have an interest, and a duty, in making clear that any president, in accordance with the law, is accountable to Congress."
LOL
As if the GOP believes itself accountable to anyone or anything beyond stealing elections and withholding or falsifying evidence
2
For God’s sake let’s hope 45 doesn’t ask AG Barr to summarize the transcript of the conversation, and declare he is completely innocent. I couldn’t stand it happening again..
2
Wouldn’t an impeachment inquiry, one designed to last until after the election, conclusively expose the corrupt intent of this administration without allowing a senate rejection of impeachment? And why would anyone not expect the certain pardon trump would get, even it were successful? Pelosi knows this—he should go to prison, and this can only happen if his crimes won’t be pardoned after he loses and has no republican protection.
1
OK, class, now based only on its use in the following sentence, define the word 'largely':
“The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, with largely corruption, all of the corruption taking place and largely the fact that we don’t want our people like Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in the Ukraine.”
Also, class, what corruption is being assumed in the sentence?
Finally, for homework, write a full page on how this sentence proves that in America anyone can grow up to be President!
7
President Zelensky has a tape from that call too. Maybe he hasn’t handed it over yet to Vlad Putin, who will put it somewhere safe, along with the infamous video of Mr. Trump’s stay in a Moscow hotel or the audiotape of the “despotic presidents’ alone time” from his trip to Stockholm.
1
"This should not be a partisan issue" sounds more like a prayer than a statement. This president, and the GOP, will go down kicking and screaming to prevent any investigation of this president's questionable activities.
And the ultimate irony is that the most corrupt president in U.S. history actually claims to have been making a phone call about corruption in general, rather than about alleged corruption in the Biden family. I'm sure Al Capone could have made far more eloquent denunciations of corruption.
2
should Trump do anything but what he is doing? Nancy Pelosi's threats are empty. Lindsey Graham has no power whatsoever. Trump can do whatever he wants. The House has ceded all of its power to the executive branch. Millions of Americans seem to be in thrall to a cult leader. if the house wouldn't hold Corey Lewandowski in contempt when he begged to be held in contempt what power do they have?
2
Surely just as legal privilege is cancelledwhen it is used in the commission of a crime....so should executive privilege.
2
“Lawmakers from both parties have an interest, and a duty, in making clear that any president, in accordance with the law, is accountable to Congress.”
Yeah, good luck with that...
1
In his next campaign disclosure statement to the Federal Elections Commission I feel certain that our President will report hiring the nation of Ukraine with $250 million of our tax dollars to aid his campaign for re-election against an American citizen. After all, did he or did he not show us his tax returns as promised?
It is time for Republican Senators and President Trump to have the conversation largely defenestratory, with largely corruption, all of the corruption taking place and largely the fact that we don’t want our people creating to the corruption already in.
Compelling as it is to hope Trump is cornered, I have to wonder if this amplification is yet another diversion. Pick the mishandled “policy” we aren’t focused on — brink of war with Iran, climate change denial when visiting UN, undo pressure on the FED...
1
Trump engages in what I'm now calling "fake transparency." He's the master of it.
Who would have ever thought we'd have a president in our lifetimes that makes Richard Nixon seem not too bad? God help us all.
Hey, GOP! What’s it gonna be—yet more wagon-circling to protect the Don, or, finally, a little bit of good, legally-required governing?
It’s a good old-fashioned, straight-up binary choice—one of the other. Can’t do both, and can’t do neither, either.
1
Transparency?
Sure.
Right after he releases his taxes.
Don't hold your breath.
Forget immediate impeachment for a moment. The cowardly and inept Democratic leadership is yet again afraid of even trying to organize a decisive messaging and procedural campaign to at least shape public opinion and move swing voters on a matter where Trump has yet again blatantly flouted the office and rule of law.
Trump is Trolling the Democrats yet again. He knows Democratic leadership isn't up to the task of standing up to him, and is just dangling the release of this transcript (only part of the info anyway) in their faces. Trump knows at this point, while the Democrats hem and haw, he can spin this into red meat to rile up his base, plus a year out, he can proactively turn this around and make it about Biden, convincing many swing voters that it is actually Biden not he who is corrupt. Mark my words, if left unchecked, this will become Joe Biden's version of Hillary's "emails" and "Benghazi" that tarnished her image in the mind of many swing voters.
Democrats will once again be on the defensive on a matter where they should clearly be on the offense and rolling Trump politically, if they had any sense at all...or guts for a change.
317
@Joe Arena Please repeat after me: There are no swing voters. I will not worry about swing voters. There are only new voters. Repeat daily for the next 13 months!
49
@Bruce Davidson
Nancy Pelosi has been a longtime friend of Donald Trump; she is everything that is wrong with the Democrat party.
Had Pelosi and Chuck Schumer pushed for impeachment a year ago, this crisis would have been cut off from the head. They have been in leadership for too long.
Experts have cited more than 10 instances where impeachment proceeding should have already been started.
Thank goodness for the new fresh blood in the Democrat party, people like Alexandra Cortez; called for a full impeachment hearing over a year ago. No one listened.
11
@Joe Arena -
Again, does anyone, even DNC Chair Tom Perez himself, have any idea what he does for a living, how he earns and justifies his keep there?
9
OK, so Trump has already said that the names of Joe and Hunter Biden came up in his phone call with the Ukrainian president. Unless the transcript specifically shows him directly saying that he was going to hold up distribution of military assistance as a condition of the Ukrainians investigating the two men, what are we expecting to result from this conversation? The very idea of the Bidens being discussed by the two men in an official capacity is enough to make a decent person sick but then again we've had three years of this and it's nothing new. On the contrary, it's fully in-character for how this administration functions. I guess I'm just entirely immune to the adulteration of our government by a criminal-president. It has been beyond disheartening to witness our country's Constitution FAIL to rein in a corrupt and criminal Chief Executive. The tools for curtailing the abuse of power by the president has been the most eye-opening aspect of the fiasco that is the Trump presidency and this is only one of countless examples of how such conduct can take place and yet there's nothing that can REALLY be done about it. As Nancy Pelosi said: WHERE are the Republican votes. needed, to rid the country of this vile charlatan-president?
3
"tell us as much as he can without compromising executive privilege, so that we can understand what happened.”
-Senator Lindsay
Trump is compromised already, and has been most of his adult life. He's a serial liar. The only foreseeable avenue to get the truth will likely be through the impeachment process. Maguire will only do the President's bidding, and it will be up to Congress to bring out the facts.
3
You would think the Republicans would be saying: hand over the whistleblower's letter, get it out in the open, and let the chips fall according to the truth and the norms for high officials.
But they do not do this -- right Mister McConnell?
3
The only thing transparent about Trump is his disdain for anyone who doesn't fawn over him. Repeatedly asking for the truth from Trump is a task that not unlike Sisyphus rolling the rock uphill in Hades just to have it roll back again. Thinking of Sisyphus, I'm reminded that he was punished by Zeus for his self-aggrandizing craftiness and deceitfulness. Sounds kinda familiar.
1
If Trump can bend the law so much, why can't the 19 women he sexually abused/harassed who are waiting to take him to court, start writing and speaking out about the way Trump treated them?
Seems they're justified given the way our president manipulates the law.
2
“The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, with largely corruption, all of the corruption taking place and largely the fact that we don’t want our people like Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in the Ukraine.”
What? What does that even mean? Who talks like this?
3
In the past Trump has freely shared classified intelligence information with foreign governments, sometimes for personal gain. But now he is using this excuse to hide his obviously illegal actions?
Trump is the problem at the moment but the ignorance and credulity of the American electorate is the real cause of this disastrous time in the the US. If a country gets the government that it deserves the US is truly lost.
Via his association and defense of the indefensible Donald Trump, Mr. Graham has gone from being a fairly respectable GOP moderate to a shrill lapdog apologist. He, like everything else Trump touches, has been laid low and made bankrupt. Mr. Graham now has no more integrity or credit than Mr. Trump's bank accounts. And anything he has to say is as patently worthless as one of his idol's promises.
335
@Chicago Guy
Lindsey Graham used to be likeable and he was a good Senator, but he needed John McCain to lean on. He's also up for reelection in 2020 and opposition to Donald Trump in South Carolina would be suicidal. I expect, or hope, that once he's reelected he'll turn 180° and regenerates a spine. He'll lose his golfing privileges at Mar-a-Lago but at least he'll be able to look at himself in the mirror.
If the GOP in South Carolina has become just the party of Trump, they should disinter Strom Thurmond and send him back to Washington. Being dead, Strom would be loyal and silent, and exactly what the voters in South Carolina deserve.
8
@Garth, beg your pardon. I live in SC. What we need is Jaime Harrison. For those who do not remember good ole boy Storm Thurman, recall the Republican Dixiecrat impregnated his 15-16 year black maid even though he was profoundly against Civil Rights. His mixed race daughter, Essie Mae Washington-Williams the living proof. Read history. The best thing, in my opinion, that happened to S.C. and the US Senate is the man is dead.
7
@Garth I agree that Lindsey Graham is a likeable person with a quick wit and good sense of humor, but that does not make him a good senator. He has shown himself to be a classic sycophant, basking for a long while in the reflected glow of a more substantial man, Senator McCain, and now latching on to the vulgar and venal power of Donald Trump. There will be no turning back. I take your point about Strom Thurmond, but if we are to resurrect dead South Carolina senators, I would suggest former Democratic Senator Fritz Hollings, who performed partisan warfare with style and great aplomb. We might not deserve him, but we certainly need him. Where can we find such a stalwart defender of decency, humanity, and justice among today's Senators, Democrat or Republican?
7
Hope Senator Graham loses handsomely in the next election.
3
Until someone in this Administration goes to jail for defying Congress and the clear language of a law, nothing will change.
5
The GOP have kept the Democrats face down on the mat so long it's beyond belief. It really is ridiculous, if they don't grow a spine like right now Criminal Trump will get a 2nd term through the Neanderthal Electoral College again.
The other major problem is most Americans put a higher priority of what's on Netflix tonight and where's their Amazon Prime box than what Trump is destroying today.
2
Everything that trump involves himself in (letters, phone calls, meetings, and all the other presidential undertakings) are reportedly the best, biggest, beautiful, full of love, never seen before, ad nauseam. Except for one thing: Transparency. His lie-a-minute presidency is so mired in swamp muck that the only way to really clean the swamp and the country is to get rid of him as son as we can. Our democracy depends on it.
2
C'mon Editorial Board. What you wish, your voice of calm, reason, demeanor appropriate to the dignity of the presidential office will just not happen. Stop fooling yourselves, and in the process, the citizenry.
Remember Watergate? Excellent reporting brought down a presidency.
Trump asked his personal attorney to fly to Ukraine and “investigate” Biden’s son. He then admitted to personally caling the newly appointed Ukrainian president numerous times, asking him about “corruption. The money came in August only after a whistle blower had tried to come forward.
The threat to Ukraine was implicit in the ask. What is astounding is that he has now strong armed the weather service, the Treasury Secretary and the Secretary of State to all tow his corrupt line. This would have been unbelievable even fifty years ago.
The fact that Republicans like Romney would feign lee way and take no stand on what is certainly bribery and extortion while walking right up to the line of treasonous behavior makes me want to leave the country. If Congress does not impeach Trump, then the only conclusion will be that they are as corrupt as this president.
1
Donald Trump has been gaslighting from an early age.....it's the only form of communication he understands.
He gaslighted his way into the Presidency with the insidious, deplorable Birther Lie, and his entire tenure has consisted of gaslighting morning, noon and night, a series on nonstop exaggerations, fabrications, and fantasy sprinkled with shards of tiny truths.
Gaslighting is an insidious technique of deception and psychological manipulation over an extended period. Its effect is to gradually undermine the audience's confidence in its own ability to distinguish truth from falsehood, right from wrong, or reality from appearance, thereby rendering them pathologically dependent on the gaslighter in his thinking or feelings.
Trump is disemboweling the minds of his supporters and disemboweling the rule of American law with his award-winning gaslighting performance art.
For those Americans on all sides of the aisle interested in a functioning country with a functioning government, it would be best to eject this deeply disturbed Oval Office Occupant from office as soon as possible.
He has driven American and the world insane enough.
Hit the eject button now.
9
Yes, please, tell us how our taxes are being used to coerce foreign governments into investigating your opponents!
Tell me why I should fork over money that you appropriate and redirect to uses other than those of the officials I elected determined.
2
I just can’t wait to see what he tweets next! This carbon based life form has proven America is all about the money after all. He’s going to get re-elected because, because, we all know why!
Let’s all say good things about our constitution and the rule of law.
Trump's lying is already so mind-blowingly transparent.
As Jennifer Rubin (WaPo) points out tonight, trump did not bother to send the secretary of state or secretary of defense - corrupt as they are - to Ukraine to deal with Zelensky on behalf of the country and our $391 million, instead he sent his personal henchman and lawyer (and Cohen's replacement), Giuliani. That says it all.
Obviously this was strictly a play for personal gain at the expense of our national and Ukranian security - security against trump's pal Putin, no less. As trump says, this is about fighting corruption - TRUMP"S corruption!
For now, Trump and the Republican's contemptuous attitude is "what Constitution?" and "Who's gonna make me?"
2
They’ve called the editors and ordered more
black ink for the printers.
Barr will molest and redact the transcript and produce
a beautifully produced version.
I vote no confidence.
2
Trump has so far proven himself to be a genius at manipulating and outmaneuvering others and escaping accountability.
"By refusing to turn over the whistle-blower report, the administration is following the same playbook it has used for all of Congress’s inquiries: deny, deflect and delay — possibly indefinitely."
There are only so many times one can shoot the moon and emerge pure as the driven snow. Having gone unchecked for all his administration, this brash and brashen man has gone full Trump, demonstrating by word and deed he feels himself a king.
The nation gave that idea a huge thumbs down seems less willing to condone him now. I want finally to see some decisiveness come from Congress, the only body still dedicated to the proposition that nobody is above the law--not even a sitting president.
5
Way too late, should be much stronger, but ...
THE NATION THANKS YOU, NY Times!
1
This is Trump once again using abuse of power—to cover yet another abuse of power.
It's time to stop viewing each episode of Trump's behavior in isolation.
We cannot evaluate each episode of behavior in a vacuum.
He does the same thing again and again:
1) Violate laws, the Constitution, and norms of human decency and survival in favor of his own self-interest;
2) Lie about it, without remorse;
3) Anticipate that others will evaluate him on normal merits, rather than on his lifetime behavior as a psychopath who is utterly uninterested in truth and completely interested in self;
4) Repeat.
See him for what he is--a completely self-interested liar.
Know this:
He will continue to march towards autocracy unless he is stopped.
He has no interest in this nation.
He must go--in the most effective way possible.
3
What guarantee do we have that a transcript released by this administration is accurate and not made up? No, we need the whistleblower's complaint released—as is required by law.
4
On the night Mr.Trump was elected ,I remember remarking to a group of friends that they should not worry "our Republic will survive". Now I am not so certain of this We now have a Republican Party that fears Trumps retribution ,a Democratic Party that fears the politcal consequences of initiating the impeachment process and a justice department that is political and partisan. Have we evolved into banana Republic?
4
Wait. What happened to the other $140 million that apparently went to Ukraine? Who did it go to, and how was it accounted for? Which account did it come from? I thought that Congress authorized 250 million. Why are there 390 million dollars in this matter when Congress authorized 250 million?
Let's follow the money and stop expecting Mr. Trump's mouth to utter simple transparent truth. I don't understand why you would even ask for such a thing.
If all we can know is when the calls happened and where and how much money went and how much came from which US accounts and who signed the checks, I think we can put together a more reliable picture than through this request for "transparency."
2
The only “executive privilege” trump should be accorded is when he’s in the John. Otherwise, he works (supposedly) for the public. Citing “executive privilege” should be a non-starter and unacceptable.
3
What good is it to have power and not use it? That seems to be the position of Mr. Trump.
1
@Thomas Said every dictator in history.
I'm sure he'll get right on that, just as soon as he gets those taxes released.
5
It doesn’t matter is he releases the transcript or not. The damage to Biden is done. We have to vote him and his apologists out. It’s the only way.
1
@Winning: You're not going to get name brand politicians off boards of directors by backing Trump.
@Winning Damage to Biden? Or not. If Biden was just a better communicator and his incompetent campaign staff (see analysis in the news) was able he would take FULL ADVANTAGE of being the target of Pres Trump. What better credential that he (Biden) is the guy to beat Trump?! What better honor than to be Trashed by Trump?! But, alas, they say Biden is tired and a TERRIBLE campaigner.
By Thursday, AG Barr will release his own synopsis of the whistle-blower report. Barr's "summary" will state that the complaint doesn't rise to "credible" and certainly not "urgent" and he will stop the IG from releasing the report. It's known in Trump world as "Mueller deja vu"!
4
The tenor and tone of editorials regarding this Administration have taken on a greater sense of urgency.
Has our Country not reached the point where you lay the evidence out for his removal?
We need your voice.
4
@K Hunt Yes, we need voices to speak out. But what we absolutely need right now is for Speaker Pelosi and the House to do its job and begin impeachment of President Trump. Nothing less will suffice.
1
We need some more brave Republican senator voices to speak out. Follow the Mitt Romney lead.
From now on until the election it will be of the utmost importance that all (non-Fox related) journalists covering the election point out the illegality of Trump's actions whenever they happen, and right away, in their reporting of events, not in separate fact checking paragraphs much later that many don't read. Every lie must be called a lie, every denial of due process must be identified, Trump must be stopped from playing games with our very Democracy. He is obviously having fun when he says "it's important to talk about corruption" with the Ukrainian president, he gets a kick out of pushing boundaries in the knowledge that justice might be too slow to catch up with him before the election. He drips with sarcasm when he offers (redacted) transcripts of important conversations that used to be shared uncensored and without any threats with the public. He has gotten away with telling his fans that he's the victim of witch hunts and hoaxes, and partly the established press helped him with their habit of using false equivalency between him and his opponents. No more, please, this time please nail him down with his lies and illegal acts and end his fun ride for good.
1
"tell us as much as he can without compromising executive privilege"
Is Graham claiming that Ukrainian president is is a U.S. federal official who in that phone call was advising Trump in Trump's official capacity? Seriously?
5
A man who's fundamental character thrives on lies, drama, and keeping his name in the news cycle won't embrace transparency. It's simply not in his nature to do so. If Trump instructs the Justice Department to violate the law and continue to stonewall Congress, he should be impeached
1
I think it’s time for strong responses. Congress should immediately charge contempt where there’s no response to their inquiries and get the Sergeant of Arms to jail the miscreant on the spot in addition to fines. Enough is enough.
2
What a gift to Vladimir Putin to have Trump weaken Ukraine, even temporarily, by withholding aid contingent on Zelensky’s cooperation on Trump’s attempt to smear Biden and help the US president’s chances for re-election. This was the American president BLACKMAILING an entire country, a country whose strategic importance for the US cannot be underestimated, in his own interest. For the (acting) director of our national intelligence service, at the behest of William Barr at DOJ, to defy federal law by not presenting the whistleblower’s complaint to Congress is a treasonous obstruction of justice.
Trump has and will sacrifice our national interest to hold onto power in 2020 and it will only get worse. The GOP won’t stop him, the Democrats must impeach NOW!
2
What is transparent about Trump is his contempt for any controls on his rogue presidency. He is using the apparatus of government to shield his unlawful conduct and to prevent anyone from testifying against him. He is steering the present controversy into the courts where he is counting on friendly (conservative) judges to let his accusers know who is the boss. His devious strategy is all too transparent but he has no other way to hide his constitutional transgressions.
2
Interpret Trump's interactions with Ukraine in light of his coziness with Russia's Putin. What's not to understand?
2
Sad but true.
Lindsey Graham is blowing smoke. Trump's likelier to run a four-minute mile than to start being transparent now.
1
If Congress would start throwing some of these jokers in jail, they might get some results from their hearings. All it would take is to haul a few of them in even if it was just overnight. Cooperation would improve. Democrats need to stop being political and start following the path that democracy dictates. Start putting the nation in front of partisan politics. AOC is right, the only thing more shocking than Trump not being impeached is the limp response to him by Congress. Let's go Congress, do your job!
2
Stop for one second to see the absurdity in all of this. We have tapes of Trump saying that he assaults women and yet he goes merrily on his way; no one does a thing, not law enforcement nor his own wife. Now we have tapes of Trump bribing foreign officials and the results, if past is prologue, will range from him getting the Nobel Prize to him winning reelection.
Mrs. Pelosi's hesitation is very expensive for the world. For almost three years now, the worlds most powerful state has been run by Evil Incarnate. A clumsy and relatively toothless Mr. Evil, I admit that, but he is persistent and extremely stubborn which, in an environment that gives him zero resistance, makes him very efficient.
If anyone is waiting for the republicans to do the right thing then that is not going to happen. It’s up to the House Democrats to take up the challenge and stand against this corrupt establishment.
Trump has brought his brand to the White House which is now tarnished forever. Trump is immune to shame or any other reasonable emotions that normal humans have. Only way to control the damage is to relentlessly fight to get to the truth and ensure accountability and hold individuals responsible.
1
All the hand wringing is not going to help with removal of 45.
Impeachment requires a two-thirds super majority to convict a person being impeached. Which will not happen without the republicans’ support. The only option we, the voters, have is the 2020 election. #LetUsVoteHimOut
Priority One for the courts.
Put this one at the front of the line.
Too much at stake to slow walk.
Supreme Court should grab this one like they did when Bush vs Gore was filed in 2000.
It's now or never for Pelosi and the Democrats.
This will gravely injure Democrats in 2020 if they don't impeach Trump for this.
They MUST act.
Explain beforehand to Mr. Maguire privately that by the hearing he must produce the witness and transcript.
Should he call the bluff, publicly put manacles on him, with leg irons and waist chains. take him off to jail with arrangements made a forehand.
Fine him heavily.
See how that would energize the democratic base.
1
I firmly believe that the President’s motive was pure. Of course he was concerned by baseless allegations about a private citizen’s business activities in Ukraine. What President wouldn’t get on the phone to the Ukrainian leader to vigorously pursue this issue? Later this week he’ll get on the blower to discuss the potentially nefarious activities of Jackson D Winklevosse III in Kazakhstan. He’s committed to weeding out corruption. It was an important part of the curriculum at Trump University.
1
Love the humor!
The last thing any of us should do is trust Trump. He lies to everyone including Mr. Graham. Don't trust anything coming from the WH either. Documents or transcripts can be doctored and Trump and Barr would not hesitate to do what they think is necessary. Manipulation is the name of their game and this is how they plan to win the 2020 election. We need to be extra sensitive to fabrication, exaggeration and lies. He will cheat his way back into office, if he can.
1
If a tree falls in the forest and a large group of people can be convinced that it didn't make any noise, will Nancy Pelosi say "we shouldn't play the audio surveillance tape" because the "Senate is deaf?"
Strange, strange time to be a "tree hugger" - helplessly watching while the forest gets clear cut by the crazed woodsman Trump.
1
I am not alone in my amazement that statutes written in plain language which set out clear steps to follow in crucial situations are just being ignored by this administration and its enablers.
If asked by a particular person in Congress for a president’s taxes, Treasury/IRS shall provide them. If the Inspector General finds a whistleblower’s complaints to be valid, urgent and dangerous he must tell the DNI who has seven days to inform Congress of the details. Does anyone truly think these rules are ambiguous?
Why this particular president among all others gets to be the exception to every rule is such an embarrassing moral failure for our system of governance. The GOP is beyond reprehensible in their craven silence. Even more, that an “acting” DNI whose employment rests on the president’s favor would ignore the clear statutory requirements and instead consult the DOJ blows everything up. The whistleblower’s complaint involves the president and Barr has openly signaled that he is the president’s consigliere so of course the DNI was advised in the president’s favor to ignore the statute.
There is only one question here: is the president above the law? By greasing the wheels, splitting hairs, adding requirements to written rules that simply aren’t there, not following the statutes, and inserting partisan personal opinion instead of reasoned law into matters (as Barr did with his initial statement on the Mueller report) the GOP is signaling “yes.”
2
Pelosi and her strongly worded letters. She is the national scandal. She and the Democratic leaders are so weak and the
danger to this so called democracy are palpable now. Violence
is going to come to our society if they do nothing. It may already be too late.
When American citizens tired of police abuses, politicians forced police officers to wear body worn cameras that constantly record and preserve recordings when the police engage in a defined list of engagements with citizens, suspects, arrestees for a list of calls whether self initiated or dispatched.
These videos are activated by all police officers who respond to a call. Additionally, police keep police car mounted videos and dispatch recordings.
Trump needs to wear a BWC, and so does his staff so we can know when he lies, when he cheats, when he bullies, when he commits crime.
Otherwise, we will deal with cover ups and lies.
1
I am glad that this piece quotes the entire incomprehensible sentence uttered by the president in his own defense. I saw some news videos online that cherry-picked parts of that sentence that made some sense. The feebleness of his mind needs to be out in the open.
1
There are so many absolutely critical issues in the world, which require really urgent attention. For example the CO2 catastrophe, and other man-made disaster affecting the ecology, or then Launch-On-warning, where a short-circuit could launch thermonuclear war... And now this.
Either Biden could be hurt by inquiring, or not. If he couldn't, no harm done.
If he could, that means his son was corrupt (as seems to be the case: $60,000 a month to be director of a gas company? Billion dollar business in China, coincident with Biden VPing there?) and the dad knew it (said Hunter Biden).
So the entire thing, which is propelled by Republicans (notice the hint), smacks of a (rather gross) Machiavellian trap. Trump acts as if he has something to hide, as if he blackmailed Ukraine about Biden, everybody "Democratic" gets super-excited: impeachment, at last, finally a way to beat Trump, if not at the ballot box.
But then it may just turn out that there were serious questions about the corruption of Biden's son... and this is all what the inquiry will produce...
In any case, the evidence for what should be called global corruption in the Biden family is overwhelming. Those who claim that this is jumping to conclusions are, obviously corrupt themselves. .. because they consider doing "business" as Hunter Biden and his associates princelings did is ethical. No, it's not.
Instead of falling in that gross trap, Democrats should help prepare Warren to defeat Trump. Forget Biden!
1
And what does trump's caddy know that he can declare the president did nothing wrong? Hopefully the president will waive the President-Caddy priviledge and let Graham testify.
It is the shameless defiance that gets me. The "so what?" attitude that indicates he has moved so far beyond what would be considered normal presidential behavior. The Democrats continue along their path of normality - - seeking answers (getting none), asking questions (being treated with contempt), and playing by the rules. Ha ha.
Their sincere attempts to get answers won't work. He rules. He does what he wants. No one stops him. And his lawyers can claim that he was acting within the constraints of his office. But what are they?
"Lawmakers from both parties have an interest, and a duty, in making clear that any president, in accordance with the law, is accountable to Congress." Is a solemn incantation of the obvious going to remind the worst president and the rottenest Senate of our era of their "duty"?
I guess with wikileaks paralyzed due to the imprisonment of the its founder should there be immunity from investigation of those in power? If we consider our president the most powerful person on our planet, why do we want him to not to do his due diligence before giving foreign aid to a corrupt government that has a history of having corrupt presidents?
Is this another case of much ado about nothing? How much transparency is needed if there is nothing there there. Unlike the 2 terms of Obama presidency when Biden was a heart beat away from the presidency, if nominated by the Democratic party and then he wins the presidency should we not know everything there is to know about Biden and the dealings of his son and his brother James before he becomes president or do we want another Mueller futzing around for months and blowing a hole of 35+ million dollars in our tight budget investigating Biden's connection with China and Ukraine. Now would be a good time to thoroughly vet Biden as was Hillary before the general elections.Memories will fade and not just because of age. If wikileaks had not revealed that Bernie Sanders was being knifed during the 2016 presidential primary, top heads of the Democratic National committee would not have rolled. The only reason they rolled was thanks to wikileaks for revealing the truth. Investigating corruption and unethical behavior should be bipartisan especially when the kettle calls the pot black.
1
Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see Trump consistently frustrates our democratic process with his blatant disregard for the rule of law. And Congress does nothing. It appears to me we have no functioning government. Trump is taking what remains down the road to perdition.
"This should not be a partisan issue. Lawmakers from both parties have an interest, and a duty, in making clear that any president, in accordance with the law, is accountable to Congress."
Sure. But, you know, that sounds...really out of touch. It's as if the editors don't know what I know from having read their newspaper. Telling congressional Republicans that "this should not be a partisan issue" is about as likely to have any effect as telling them they wronged Merrick Garland is likely to move them to rethink Brett Kavanaugh and replace him with Garland.
The editors seem to come from what Santayana called the genteel tradition--polite, correct, out of touch, and unaware of it. Given the status and authority of the NYT, it's a great loss for the country.
I think we've been sufficiently blown away by Donald Trump since the election, and not in an impressive way. Trump and transparency? That's an oxymoron. Time to impeach. How can Lindsey Graham and the rest of the Republicans defend this man or look the other way each and every time he exhibits unlawful or outrageous behavior? Enough!
Senator Graham had an impassioned speech regarding President Clinton's behavior in office with an intern and said the following:
“if this body [Congress] determines that your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds in your role . . . because impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office.”
And this was following a massive investigation that found nothing on the accusations about which it was founded, but as secondary findings. I'm no fan of President Clinton, and he was wrong.
Now we have a gentle “tell us as much as [you] can without compromising executive privilege, so that we can understand what happened.” regarding behavior far more pervasive and corrupt.
I'm not dumb. This is just a "please say something to make it go away" request, while attempting to look senatorial. At least Mitch Romney seems to have some spine.
Trump's a total coward. Go after him with everything as hard as you can. There's plenty to chose from. If every legitimate measure and effort were taken to defend our Democracy by pursing impeachment, I would feel less bad knowing that good folks did their best, rather than worry about polling numbers. Sometimes you just have to step into the abyss and go for it. Worthwhile things take more effort.
1
This country endured Nixon and his criminal acts. Yet, he did not resort to discussing a former vice president in a disparaging way that Daffy allegedly did.
We endured Reagan and regardless of his diminishing mental capacities and the Ollie North debacle he, Reagan, practiced a demeanor fitting for the office of the executive.
Clinton had his issues and we know all about them. More of Bill later.
Carter, Ford who knows. Carter had the desert fiasco, Ford the Nixon forgiveness.
Bush 41, and Bush 43, well, they tried.
Obama, not one special investigation in eight years save for the birther issue.
But, back to Bill Clinton. Lied, well perjured, himself about a escapade that both adults should have know better than to engage in. And the Republicans were frothing at the mouth to impeach Clinton. Newt was beside himself when Clinton was acquitted. Yet the GOP wasted millions of dollars in their attempts to get Bill. And they tried to get Bill by proxy by going after Hillary.
And here we are, an unhinged carnival barker who has no diplomatic skills, no morals, no ethics and no respect for anyone save himself.
And his actions that could be tantamount to impeachment.
And the GOP sits on their hands. Party before country.
So, in closing, if Trump had the same escapade with an intern and lied about it would he face impeachment given the same circumstances of Clinton?
They are not sure that the whistle is working correctly.. so they have removed the whistle from the blower and are going to get back to us..
Trump has zero credibility.
For him to be transparent enough to make me believe anything he says, he would need to release every executive branch employee of their non-disclosure agreements and throw any privilege claims out the window. Let the press in and ask every White House employee, cabinet member or department appointee anything.
Of course, that would result in his immediate impeachment and dismissal, so I won’t hold my breath.
Also - Pence is a beneficiary of this plot. He must go too.
279
@NJNative
Good idea, and if Trump doesn’t , then we should nullify any NDA that conceals a conflict of interest or a high crime.
Ndas have overreached for far to long.
A contract is null and void if it’s purpose is criminal. Should be the same for non disclosure agreements.
23
@RjW--No government employee should be required to sign an NDA, including White House employees and cabinet members. The only acceptable NDA would be one concerning national security secrets, which few government employees actually have access to. Every government employee is answerable to the public, no one else. There should be loyalty only to the country, not to any one individual, even if that individual is the president. Country, first. Always, for anyone working in the public's interest.
33
@NJNative
Thank you for reminding us about the NDAs, The Democrats should be bringing up this issue daily. They need to develop a consistent, clear message about all the autocratic procedures this president is instituting to the detriment of our democracy.
26
There is absolutely no excuse for Donald Trump to ignore and disobey the law after a whistle-blower complaint regarding Trump’s use of taxpayers’ money to pressure the Ukrainian president Zelensky to come up with negative information on Joe Biden.
Once the inspector general of the intelligence services, Michael Atkinson, found the whistle blower’s claim urgent and credible, President Trump lost all authority to delay or stop the substance of the report from coming before the designated members of the Senate and House.
In essence, Donald Trump and his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, already have admitted that Trump requested Ukraine to interfere in an American election on behalf of Trump. They are now thumbing their noses at Congress.
The train has left the station, and there is no Department of Justice “defense” to obeying this law. Congress must act.
286
@sdw I agree but how do you get them to obey the law when the enforcers all work for trump and are loyal to him over our country. We can't depend on the courts because they are being packed with right wingers. trump thinks he owns 5 votes on the supreme court and he might be right.
7
@Bill
Nothing is sure in this life, but letting Donald Trump slide by on this issue is unacceptable.
My assumption is that when the facts asserted by the whistle blower are known, along with the concurrence of the inspector general, there will be a groundswell from the intelligence community and perhaps the Joint Chiefs, leading a number of Republicans to summon the courage to be publicly critical of President Trump and of the whitewash by Mike Pompeo.
The public will understand the simple fact that their president was giving their money to a foreign government and asking that government to throw an American election in Trump’s favor. Some will see it as another example of Trump greed, and others will see it as completing the process of Trump’s turning Ukraine over to Vladimir Putin.
The Supreme Court cannot use lack of standing to defeat the right of Congress to proceed. To protect the Court, Chief Justice Roberts will join the majority. Perhaps one or two Republicans also will do so.
9
In moments like this, I like to think back to simpler times when Trump claimed that Mexico was going to pay for a border wall, and his idea for creation of a new branch of the military dedicated to space wars. Of course those were just made-up well-timed distractions to the dark brutality of this whole mess.
183
@Will
Covfefe.
6
@Will, it's all the same slippery slope. trump is attracted to fascist style leadership, and has always been a spoiled rich narcissist. It was not simpler times, it was just the first public baby steps of America's Stalin wanna-be.
trump tests the waters, slyly looking around to see if anyone is buying his current excuse/lie/insult. When he sees FOX and his adoring cult followers lapping it up, he is emboldened and slimes his way down that slippery slope a little further.
Each time he's allowed to insult and threaten the free press for criticizing him, he knows he can go a little further. How is this hard to understand? Every little toddler tries to do the same thing, and is disciplined by those tasked with overseeing them.
In America, we are given the Constitutional gift of overseeing our own leaders, and disciplining them OURSELVES when they get all dictator-like. That is a rare thing in this world, and we are squandering it badly.
We are lazy and divided by the shallowest of grifters. trump supporters, remember when you were the tea party? Remember how you claimed to hate lies, taxes and called Obama an apologist because he bowed to a leader in a nation that bows? And now you.....accept...this level of......and tell us all, with straight faces, that trump, alone among all presidents, is a simple good guy who is misunderstood.
You see my quandary when trump supporters insist we respect the republican party at this time.
9
Coming up next: an intense campaign to name, shame, and discredit the whistleblower.
Another "norm" will be demolished.
244
@Baba
Actually this has already begun on "state propaganda TV" aka Fox News. The anchors and commentators there have already called him every dirty name in the book although none of them knows the identity of the whistle blower.
18
@Baba
Trump is already trying to deflect this issue by talking about Biden and claiming he is (equally) corrupt. Sad!
9
Pelosi knows the House cannot remove Trump with the Republicans controlling the Senate. Trump knows the same, and he is baiting everyone in order to precipitate an impeachment which he knows he will survive and use to rally his base and displace all other issues in 2020. Removal of the Rs by election is the only real alternative, as Peolsi knows. She is holding fire until she sees the whites of their eyes.
159
@Bruce It is NOT about the removal of Trump from office - it is about holding him accountable for the crimes he has committed. This is what impeachment accomplishes. If the Senate refuses to conduct a trial, it is ON THEM. The House will have done its job and exposed Trump's crimes to the American people.
62
@Larry. No, when the Senate refuses to do its job and convict, it will be US left holding the bag, not them. Trump will be LEGALLY INNOCENT AND UNTOUCHABLE, and that's why he's trying so hard to get impeached.
16
@Larry exactly right.
7
The spinning wheels are turning. Trump has been backed into a corner. He and his handlers are doing what they do best. They will spin this thing to dizzying heights of confusion. They won't prove or disprove anything. What they will do is convince Trump's base that there is nothing wrong here. It's all a big media blowup created just to get Trump because Hillary didn't win.
Trump understands that holding on to that 36% is what keeps him power by keeping the Senate under his thumb. So as this latest fiasco unfolds, full of contradictions, half truths, total lies and alternative facts,keep in mind that it's all aimed at his base. That's the game he plays and he plays it extremely well. Here it comes folks.
187
@Bruce Rozenblit
You are so right. The label for it is: #MEDIATEDREALITY
5
@Bruce Rozenblit
That's the sad message to us all: it's not just Trump himself, it's his hold on the Republican party in the Senate, in the House, in the Supreme Court, and all the cabinets, and the WH administration. They are the supporters, the enablers. They allow him to get away with whatever Trump does. And why? Because that's political: it's all about keeping your job.
14
@Bruce Rozenblit
And GOP hypocrisy continues to know no bounds.
14
Let's be clear, transparent: You are mistaken about what Republican lawmakers have an interest in. They have demonstrated for the past 3 years virtually without exception that they have no interest in the rule of law or the common good for our country.
The right wing has nothing to gain and much to lose if this president were to come clean about his deliberate attempt to extort Ukraine. And when has he ever come clean about anything, ever? When their apparent endgame is to enshrine the current president as leader uber alles, it's surprising that Mitt Romney mustered up even his carefully framed little comment of concern.
Until the Democrats wake up and notice that the Republicans are playing for keeps, until they buck up and throw down a gauntlet, there is no reason for all the president's men to give the Democrats or the American people so much as the time of day.
The hour is getting late as we wait for an equally determined opposition, for the other broken wing of our pathetic two-winged system to summon up the steel in their spines and fight for all they are worth to defend what is left of our Constitutional system. This is not going to end well unless they do.
243
@Betsy
"You are mistaken about what Republican lawmakers have an interest in. They have demonstrated for the past 3 years virtually without exception that they have no interest in the rule of law or the common good for our country."
they have been doing this since 1968, starting with nixons treason with the north vietmenese, watergate, fords pardon of nixon, reagans treason with the irainians and iran contra, gwb 2000 election steal and afgan/iraq wars, 2008 global recession, 2016 election steal and too many more to list.
12
@Betsy
"...until they buck up and throw down a gauntlet"
I do agree, but I also despair: *What* gauntlet?!! and when?!!
And *what's* the Dem strategy? I cannot see it... What do others of you out there see?
1
The House should immediately target Attorney General Barr with an impeachment investigation. Trump clings to his peculiarly imagined assurances of immunity/impunity. Barr, however, has none, and has gone from operating the Justice Department for partisan, and personal, political ends to outright obstruction of justice.
It would shake Trump far more to face the loss of his "Roy Cohn" than to gleefully follow the ratings on his own impeachment gambles.
4
It is time. Past time. This is such an egregious abuse of power by donald that I am left to wonder what would it take for the Washington Post, the New York Times, et al to just say it: Impeachment is this democracy's last tool in the tool chest to save itself. We will not survive to the next election. Until now, I thought impeachment was a non-starter, blunt force and maybe counterproductive act. Now it is all we have.
11
Although political expediency necessarily plays a role in ensuring that representatives can win re-election, the last three years has demonstrated that we are living in unprecedented and depressing times. On the one hand, we have a party prepared to lie cheat and steal to stay in power. On the other, we have a party unwilling to be bold or take risks. Is it any wonder there is so much contempt of political leadership?
3
I am stunned that GOP Senators and spokespeople are tiring to say that Trump's actions are justified because "maybe Biden did something when he was VP" (even though there is no evidence of that). That's like saying any crime or misdemeanor done by a previous President or VP is totally allowed now - just because it may have happened in the past. No court in the land would buy that argument, and voters shouldn't either. Nor should congress. Get on with it Nancy!
12
Aren't reporters clamoring to interview Ukrainian president Zelensky to learn what Trump said to him? What did Zelensky interpret Trump's cajoling and pressure to mean? What were his reasons for not launching an investigation of the Bidens?
Though Zelensky surely does not want to be embroiled in this political maelstrom of Trump's making, he has the honor and integrity of his country at stake and needs to tell the truth.
5
@Harold Berk
Do we really want to put the onus on Zelensky, who is facing not only Trump's wrath but the aggression of the Soviet Union? He's between a rock and a hard place.
Yes, an honorable man should put truth before political expediency, but, having successfully removed Viktor Yanukovych after much political chaos, should we be asking Ukraine at this time to come forward to clear up this mess of our own making?
It is the whistleblower who must be allowed to testify and to tell the truth. After the altered weather map, I have no trust in the White House releasing a transcript of any telephone call in question.
1
The way this outrage, holding up much needed foreign aid and telling the new president of Ukraine that he must investigate a political rival, has been described in the media provides enough cover that Trump's base are able to continue believing he is being unjustly harassed. The worst of it is that we don't know the details, but stories are being written ignoring that fact.
I've been reading some serious introspection by a few pundits that examines why news outlets tend to fall back on this "equivalency." Trump did something that looks bad, but there may be a valid argument against releasing the information. And, perhaps, the Bidens did something that might also be bad.
The fact that the information would be released to the Intelligence Committees, who have procedures to protect national security if that is involved goes out the window. But Trump supporters "know" that their partisan enemies would cheat and release the information. Probably because that is what they would do.
If the executive branch will not faithfully execute laws, the laws have little meaning. The media ought to be helping people understand the complexities of such cases. Instead they are milking it for the conflict that perversely entertains.
4
If the whistleblower report and/or transcript do come out, someone is going to wind up with lots of egg all over their face. Graham has gone on the record as saying he thinks Trump will, hands down, come out a winner here. And a lot of Democrats are betting their futures on the 'urgent concern and credible' aspect of this. There will be no win-win here. I just wonder where Graham gets his sense of optimism. From all the transparency and sharing of information Trump has done up to now? He needs to recognize 'blow you away' has more than one meaning.
3
Well this settles one thing: Edward Snowden was right. He always claimed that if he had followed the whistleblower law, the important information, in the public's interest, that he revealed, would have been buried. We see it playing out now. Trump is simply ignoring proper channels.
All the people who agreed that the public needed to know Snowden's information, but if he had gone through proper channels, it would have been released anyway, owe Mr. Snowden an apology.
16
@Thucydides
You are assuming that a Democrat administration would have acted as have Trump and the GOP. I am not saying you are absolutely wrong, but that is only an assumption, not a fact.
Rule of law has become a partisan political issue.
Will we snap back from this and reaffirm our values or have we gone off the rails entirely and just haven't allowed ourselves to accept that ugly fact.
I never thought I'd live to see the death of the Republic.
38
@Scott B
Me either. I still have hope that there are patriotic members of our government who will put the country first over their personal interest.
4
@JRM I keep hoping for the cathartic turn around. Who said "It's always darkest before pitch black?
Honorable Graham,
So far we Americans, along with most of the world have been blown away with your silence and inaction. We will be stunned if we even get a little breeze of truth from Trump or GOP. Please surprise us with showing little courage.
44
Silent and inactive? Sen. Graham has been neither: instead, he has been vocal and active in his full-throated defense of President Trump. Don’t expect anything different from him now.
10
Two positive outcomes arise here, from my point of view. First, Trump is impeached by the House and all the evidence is laid out for the American people to see, and for voters to use in the 2020 elections, particularly for Senate races. Second, Biden is damaged by this, as he should be. Can anyone really believe that Biden's son was drawing 50K a month as a director for a Ukrainian natural gas company because he was a great corporate lawyer? The Biden's did nothing illegal, it is just part and parcel of the way that insiders leverage their power. It is really time to drain the swamp. So Biden gets damaged in the primaries, a candidate free of this history (Warren, Sanders , for example) seizes the opportunity and Americans get to vote if they want the rich and powerful to run the country or they find a champion of the people. Democracy at work.
35
Except that Zelensky has not accepted the offer, has he? If you think about it from his position, he can’t win. The power imbalance is huge. Consider the damage overall. World leaders everywhere are likely thinking either, how can I use Trump’s self dealing to manipulate him, or even worse, I don’t want to talk to him except in public, because he can’t be trusted and it’ll blow up in my face. If you were Kim, would you agree to meet with him privately? Could you trust anything he says? Trump has effectively silenced the diplomatic office of the Presidency.
18
Two wrongs don't make a right. The optics of having Hunter Biden on the board of a Ukraine gas company is puzzling if not politically naive. What possible role could he play except through his influence on his father? But "no collusion" Trump clearly misused his office if he withheld military aid in exchange for demanding cooperation with his personal lawyer in trying to smear the Biden surname.
The difference? The former sin is only speculative. But the President acting to use his power to eliminate his leading political rival through withholding financial aid is certainly a high crime or misdemeanor.
32
There are two points that are certain. Trump isn't going to say anything that will incriminate himself, and all or most of what he says is likely to be untrue.
36
@RF Trump has repeatedly incriminated himself by his utterances. Maybe you missed that, though I certainly agree that "most of what he says is likely to be untrue."
@RF
He already did say incriminating things.
How many among us would believe, if they’re released, that the transcripts of the call won’t have been doctored? If they were taped by one of the intelligence agencies surreptitiously, no one will be able to come forward to dispute the way they are presented by Trump. Nothing is beyond the realm of possibility with Donald Trump.
30
@Frau Greta Maybe Congress should ask Bill Barr to draft a summary of the call and the whistleblower complaint. That should clear things up.
5
@Frau Greta he never says anything that gets him directly implicated - trained from the cradle by Roy Cohn, he sets everything up for plausible deniability until Rudy blurts out the truth - just ask Michael Cohen. Or Bob Mueller. Lies are woven expertly. The complaint and the timeline need to be explored - and the direction to "speak to Rudy" who has pretty much admitted that he then told the Ukraine President that he needed to investigate Biden and send the dirt to Trump. One degree of separation - only good thing is that Trump was the only one who could hold the money back. Not a coincidence.
@Frau Greta Let's hope the whistleblower held onto official copies of the transcripts to protect himself. Then again, there probably is no clear smoking gun on the tapes. The mob boss does not make direct threats, it's usually the sum of all the actions that add up to the crime. It's exactly why Don and Rudi contradict themselves from one sentence to the next. "Well I could have if I wanted to, and probably should have, maybe I did, I had the right to....of course I did...." These crooks are experts at what the do, deceive and divide.
“Executive privilege” is the right of the president to consult advisors candidly and not fear that their candor will be used against them. It has no place or bearing on an accusation made against the president by a witness to his crime.
We are talking about an accusation by a whistle blower with whom the president did not consult, from whom the president did not seek advice, and with whom the president was not confiding. Enough with talking about the red herring of “executive privilege” as if it had any legitimacy.
37
In high school class we studied the criminal career of Al Capone looking for parallels to today. Over time, Capone's control over Chicago's police and judges increased and so did the magnitude of Capone's crimes. Amongst his "crew", he boasted of massive thefts and payoffs he could commit with complete impunity. It was not until the feds became involved using tools provided by congress.
Skip forward to 2019 and Trump, Trump's stranglehold on FBI & Justice makes intervention unlikely. By appointing "acting" directors wherever possible, he controls their activities.
Class noted that the House is unwilling to impeach because of Pelosi's fear that the senate won't convict, no matter how serious the crime and compelling the evidence.
Therefore, Trump has succeeded where Capone could only fantasize.
Viewing the evidence & Trump's nefarious progress, the next class project is to calculate how much longer America will enjoy the final two aspects of our society Trump hates the most which are "free speech" and elections.
28
@History Teacher: Presidential elections have always been illusions under this farcical system.
@History Teacher Thank God for teachers like you. the main challenge is to awaken the electorate. Not so sure about that.
Deja Vue. Suppose Pelosi does get the report, the same way she got the Mueller report. Further, suppose that the report describes presidential criminal behavior.
Think the unthinkable and also suppose that Congress takes action. Of any kind. Would that action be taking "investigations to a new level" or impeachment?
3
Wrong. "Lawmakers from both parties have an interest in making clear that any president is accountable to Congress."
One party has an interest in holding the president accountable.
The other party is only interested in maintaining power and greed. Trump is their man. They are more interested in being reelected than they are any interest in holding the president accountable. Likewise the Supreme Court
23
Someday, historians will wonder why we waited so long to stop this assault on democracy. We should be asking Congress to do this now.
41
To quote Greta "How dare you". This is our country we're talking about. It is time for his supporters to realize what is at stake. I sit here in Spain and watch the world laugh at what we've become. Congress, do your job. "How dare you".
108
Is it just me, I could be wrong, but do we hear less and less from Trump's apologists and defenders? Their silence is deafening.
39
@Jazzie Except for Graham
Mr. Trump wants to be transparent about what's in the complaint in the same way that he wishes to make public his tax returns.
Of course he does.
73
I hope that both Trump and the Biden Son's post be investigated to the fullest extent by congress wherever it may lead. "No one is above the law" is not a catchphrase but a fundamental pillar of the United States of America!
16
It should be noted that the Republicans had the same info on Joe Biden when he was Vice President and the power to impeach and, if charges true, convict, before Donald Trump decided to run the nation the way he’s run his businesses.
Illegally, unethically and into the ground.
The problem is they didn’t have any evidence that Joe Biden broke the law.
83
@Eatoin Shrdlu
I'm wondering if the real issue is not the Bidens' behavior but Manafort. What if Trump made some kind of promise based on the Ukrainian president's ability to cast doubt on Manafort's guilt?
1
Hunter Biden, as well as Joe Biden's role in Ukrainian politics when he was V.P., have already been investigated. Perhaps you are simply unaware of it? It has become a drummed-up allegation by Trump and his allies because they needed some bogey-man around Biden because they're scared that he is going to decimate Trump in the 2020 elections.
As a measure of the man, Lindsey Graham's words are worthless. But they have value in this way: he's a weather vane who points himself so as to align with what he senses are the prevailing winds. So it will be interesting to see if the critical words start to outnumber the sycophantic ones in his utterances about Mr. Trump. Not quite yet but let's see.
51
I am reminded of Jeremy Iron's character in "Margin Call: "This is it! This is IT!"
"It" being whether the US of A remains a country of laws or instead fails to "keep" the republic as Benjamin Franklin so cogently forewarned. There is no turning back now: we are way beyond what the forefathers envisioned when they wrote the Constitution. Will we, can we, step up to the challenge? The answer should be an easy yes - we are Americans.
Let us hope that we can, if not repudiate, at least forestall John Adams observation:
"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide."
29
The people who are urging impeachment like Elizabeth Holtzman - former prosecutor and former member of Congress are not cranks or partisans. They're people who have spent their lives serving and protecting the rule of law.
It's time to impeach and remove Donald Trump, who is committing traitorous behavior and endangering our national security.
61
Office of Legal Council is providing cover-up justification, just like they did for Bush and his torture and rendition criminality..How does the Congress get these secret legal justifications that are being used to with-hold the whistle-blower report? That is a much better line of inquiry than wasting time with 'please'..
20
Whilst the focus on the behaviour of Trump is appropriate, the lack of focus on the approach taken by the US Department of Justice is less than appropriate. The DoJ is demonstrating once again that it is more than happy to ignore the rules when it comes to protecting the current US president. In other words, the DoJ creates, at a minimum, the appearance of no longer being about the rule of law but about politics. When this is added to what in essence is a politicised Supreme Court it does not bode well for the future of the US. Whilst the rest of the world is quite used to the fact that Americans feel that certain rules do not apply to them but do apply to everyone else, it is something else when the outcome of a court case in the US may well depend on your political allegiance (as visitors to the US we now have to provide complete access to our social media platforms). I realise that it has become a cliche question but what would have happened to Obama if he had behaved in the similar way that Trump is behaving ....... the screaming and the foaming at the mouth from the GOP, Fox et al would have been unending ...... when Trump behaves in this way it is completely OK with them and, you know what, the DoJ agrees.
86
@Jacques...yeah it seems some are more equal than others. Reminds me of that one time the economy collapsed and NO execs were held to account. Law is dead
3
Mr. Trump has said he couldn't say anything inappropriate or illegal during his calls, with the amount of monitoring and listening they involve.
The problem is that he has no idea of what would be inappropriate or illegal. The GOP hasn't given him any reason to learn, either, and encouraged his delusion of total immunity for everything.
Otherwise, he might have realized that involving a foreign leader in U.S. elections wasn't a good look -- mere weeks after narrowly escaping the fallout from involving a foreign leader about U.S. elections.
By enabling Mr. Trump's view that every criticism is mere partisanship, the GOP has fostered his complete ignorance about where to draw a line between president and candidate -- or even that a line should be drawn.
63
From what we have seen from this administration so far, it seems there are two likely scenarios for how this will play out. One possibility is that whistler-blower complaint and July telephone transcript will provide uncontroverted evidence of Mr. Trump's abuse of power. The other scenario is that the substance of the complaint will not provide anything more direct than the specter of impropriety.
Most concerning is that, in either case, it is unlikely that Mr. Trump's response would vary from what we are seeing right now. If there is impeachable evidence, he would take whatever steps necessary to shield himself from blame and the attendant consequences. If the evidence is not ironclad, it is easy to imagine delaying the disclosure of the complaint intentionally to create an uproar, which he could then use to attack the media for being biased and untrustworthy.
Whatever the outcome, the path is calculating, manipulative, and underhanded.
49
A phone call is - to the best of my knowledge - made by at least two people. We talk about Trump, but we must also talk about the Ukrainian president. The phone call also got the Ukrainian president into trouble. By showing a willingness to accept the quid pro quo proposed by Trump, Zelensky has committed an abuse against the Ukrainian judicial system, which of course can not be used as a foreign policy tool (or even, to hit a foreign politician). The Ukrainian president is weakened by this. The Russian president, who exerts influence in the area, is strengthened. When Trump acts, Putin always wins.
45
@Alfredo
There may be something to what you say. Zelensky came to power based on a campaign to root out corruption. Ukraine has a history of deep corruption that makes it harder to depict its officials as the good guys in their relationship with Russia.
Is it possible that a Russian "patriot" suggested to Trump that he should entice Zelensky into betraying the fight against corruption? The fact that Trump would see it as furthering his political interests would make it attractive.
Are we positive that Zelensky did succumb to Trump's enticements? It looks to me as if he is a man caught in a trap. Corruption will win if he gives in to Trump. His country may suffer even more if Trump decides to get even for any perceived slights.
@Alfredo
But who says that President Zelensky expressed such willingness??
Where is the reporting that Ukraine was willing to accept or participate ?
I think we have a lack of clarity on this topic but nothing in the reporting so far says the Ukraine was willing to participate.
I've been seeing a lot of comments pointing blame at House Democrats for their handling of this. This just plays right into trump's greedy little hands, creating the very divisiveness that helped him in 2016.
Democrats aren't the problem here. We can't lose sight of where the true corruption lies. I agree that impeachment is more than warranted at this point. But with Barr's justice department now acting like Trump's personal lawyer, and trump's Republican lackeys trying to protect and enable trump at all costs to the country, Democrats are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Still, House and Senate Democrats are the only ones trying to minimize and limit the damage that Trump's corruption is causing to our country. They're the only ones trying to keep a check on this out-of-control administration. But they face an uphill battle and need leverage. That's up to us. It's up to us to march, to make calls, to write letters, to protest, to boycott, to volunteer, to donate ... and it'll be up to us to vote blue in 2020 (no matter who), up and down the ticket, in numbers too large to manipulate.
If there was ever a time to unite and "walk the walk", this is it.
71
When the current republican party holds Trump to constitutional standards it will be the day that the sun rises in the west. Given the overwhelming evidence of republican failure to hold Trump accountable for ANYTHING, believing that they will act differently now is the very definition of insanity.
34
The notion that there are credible entities weighing the possibility of Trump's second term as our president is ample proof that we Americans have gotten, unfortunately, what we deserve. And we deserve him.
15
@Scott S
There are no credible entities that weigh the possibility of Trump.
@Scott S Credible entities now having second thoughts. Expect money to Republican PAC's will drop dramatically. Citizens United consequences muted. Donnie Boy - the cat is out of the bag - you will not be able to get it back in.
@Scott S No -- the hordes of the Unempathic Heartless deserve him, those known as the deplorable base. The rest of us are waiting for Nancy to brush politics aside and do the right thing.
Beyond extortion, imagine Ukraine cooperated. They would have Trump in their back pocket, he and the administration would be easily blackmailed.
Just like Putin is doing now.
Ukraine investigated this company. The salary was very high, but the country and its courts did not find any wrong doing.
What about investigating business in Saudi Arabia, China etc and the trump clan?
46
@Jacalyn Carley Must add - "Taxes returns now"
I'm still waiting to be blown-away by Trump's willingness to be transparent about his taxes.
124
We have a president more and more out of control in his statements, accusations, and lies. The nation cannot endure this much longer. And the carefully considered regulations that protect clean water, prevent drilling in wildernesses, reduce the release of methane in the drilling process---all of these are being gutted. Democrats must act.
BUT---what about the GOP; do these people have consciences? Do they care about the fate of this planet and the people on it. Apparently not---or else they must think that they are "exceptional" and will survive the coming climate disaster. They are more than hopeless on a personal and ethical level. (Sorry---a bit of a flame; but deserved IMHO)
53
@oberlintraveler No apology, please. A bit of flame in the hearts of the simpering Democratic opposition would be very late, but welcome.
He can't and won't. Appeal to logic reads well for an editorial, but consider getting harder-edged to show the gravity of the situation for what it is.
23
Underlying all of this talk is McConnell's failure to confront the POTUS. McConnell's legacy is being written with this very episode. There is no percentage in remaining silent. Our Constitution is in peril.
88
So what would be the consequences if Mr. Zelensky simply made public his account of what occurred during that call?
26
Angering the second most powerful man in the world. And his handler.
@Larry If he is smart he will keep that in his back pocket for now. He is still feeling his way - but I have a sense that he will bring a vast improvement in Ukrainian governance. Worst thing he could do is get embroiled with Cadet "Sharpie" Bone Spurs. Stand back and watch the fireworks.
Trump will not disclose anything unless the Supreme Court tells him to and even then it is not a sure thing. He will be able to postpone nearly everything until after the election. And if re-elected he will be invincible.
26
@Doug
Even if the Supreme Court were to tell him to disclose information (which the Supreme Court would never do) trump will just lie. He has had 70 years of lying and has mastered the art.