Mr. Bruni, What you so clearly purport rings to all that is truth. How can one entire party be so corrupt? Every single republican within "this horror story of a trial" aligned with a Potus who is clearly less literate than any third grader, and has no moral filters. Thank God for the House. We can only hope that our 3 branches of government can hold us up in what is clearly the worst juncture of American history.
3
Joshua Geltzer wrote a steadfast opinion regarding Donald Trump's wish to degrade the reputation of former Vice President Joe Biden, and more outrageously Biden's son, Hunter. He calls on Senate Democrats, as well, to think carefully before making the trade - A Biden for the shaky testimony of Former Ambassador Bolton who has offered to testify on the nexus of the impeachment but what if Trump rewarded Bolton as he has so many under his control or dismissed. Geltzer worries that making the trade would reward Trump's mis/malfeasance(s) aimed at dirtying Biden's name..." on the hallowed floor of the Senate. “The floor of the Senate, Prof Geltzer, is not sanctified any longer. PresidentTrump has demolished America's Democratic and Judicial ideals, not merely because of the Ukraine spectacle, but with hundreds if not thousands of equally humiliating actions that are unamerican but remain unpunished. He has, by pretense, obscured this from his cheerleading base. The House’s credibility too hangs by a tattered thread - as weak as the GOP’s grip on the Senate. Yet, nevertheless, Geltzer misses, at least, part of his own viewpoint. Nothing we have seen from President Trump and his cronies along with Republicans in name only, now owned or fearful Trumpists, who are not only marionettes for the now celebrated Puppeteer of Immorality in all American History but will be boarding the skiff that eventually will cross the River Styx if such continues.
This whole process has been a joke beginning with the attempts to impeach Trump the day he was elected. Since Democrats made a purely partisan mockery of impeachment, it is not surprising that Republicans will make a purely partisan mockery of the trial.
2
I disagree. I would like to see Democrats take up the one for one offer - both Biden and Bolton would be heard. With one stipulation - that Fox and MSNBC commit to broadcast the entire questioning and full answers. Why? Because many Fox News viewers believe they are parallel cases, while most other people who have followed the evidence in both situations, know they are not the same. If the facts were shown publicly in both cases, I believe that many Republicans would be able to see the significant differences and challenge their Republican Senators to act with integrity.
What Mr. Geltzer fails to appreciate - is the simple law of physics. With every force, there is one in the equal and opposite direction.
The Democrats cannot hold a smear impeachment hearing - and expect not to have a huge push back. Keep in mind - that despite Trump being impeached - he broke no laws - funds were released fast enough to the Ukraine that no one even noticed a delay (contrary to what the Dems are saying), and there was no investigation of the Bidens.
So with that situation - and the continued smear campaign by the Dems - it is only normal for the GOP to push back. That is the law of nature. Yes - it is ironic that it will likely come back to bite them - but they are playing hard ball and should expect the other side to strike back equally hard. And as Trump broke no laws - and Hunter Biden may have - then it might stick to his dad Joe.
3
I truly hope that at least some of the Republican Senators will take both their Oath to the Constitution and love of country seriously. If they do, there will be no question for them of the difference between right and wrong.
48
@Teri Self-preservation is a powerful instinct. I share your hope, but Senator Collins did help appoint a sex offender to a life membership on the Supreme Court. My hope, too, is that this "trial" shows a few more swing voters just how these Senators are enabling corruption. Vote them out!
3
@Teri
The words "hope" and "Republican" should never appear i the same sentence.
3
@Teri
They have demonstrated "love of country." Just not this one.
5
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren argued the case for documents and witnesses in a straightforward way. No wonder over 70% of Americans want to see/hear the supporting information, it just makes sense. In contrast, every Republican speaker seems to be protecting Trump. If I knew nothing about any of this and tuned in to opening statements today I would say the fix is in, it is just so darn obvious.
71
@Holly "every Republican speaker seems to be protecting Trump." That seems unlikely since it is practically impossible that Trump will be convicted. So where is the need for protection?
But some form of inquiry may damage Republican senators, either by their being seen as too pro-Trump or as being seen as not pro-Trump enough.
THAT which I just indicated is the most likely reason the Republicans are trying to steer the trial in a certain way.
2
@Ludwig Actually, in many cases, they're simply afraid that they might go down with him.
6
@Ludwig "But some form of inquiry may damage Republican senators, either by their being seen as too pro-Trump or as being seen as not pro-Trump enough." Your comment illustrates the bias in the GOP Senators. The rule of law is to hold an impartial trial.
"every Republican speaker seems to be protecting Trump." That seems unlikely since it is practically impossible that Trump will be convicted. So where is the need for protection? your first comment is more ludicrous. It is not impossible Trump will be convicted. It is entirely possible if full, relevant testimony is taken during the trial. The GOP Senators are trying to rig the game.
2
While we could wish the Senate Republicans still had the ethics to actually take this trial seriously, and call only relevant witnesses - to allow them to blackmail America into having no witnesses to protect Biden - who is entirely capable of defending himself - would be a mistake.
Witnesses should be called, and Republican political games cannot be a reason to avoid them. Were I still a Republican voter, I would hope I could clearly see that the Republicans attempting to call the whistleblower (whose testimony was confirmed by Trump) in order to punish him/her and eliminate their privacy; their attempts to call Biden, when he is irrelevant to the question of if the President withheld financial support approved by Congress in order to blackmail or bribe Ukraine into helping Trump tarnish a political rival - I hope I would see clearly what was really going on there. They are not looking for the truth, they are trying frantically to distract away from it.
99
@SusanStoHelit "They are not looking for the truth, they are trying frantically to distract away from it."
If you and I were on the wrong side of the law, we'd be trying to "distract away from it" too. It's what wrongdoers do to keep themselves from looking wrong.
8
@SusanStoHelit
"They are not looking for the truth, they are trying frantically to distract away from it."
And they have a complicit base that is willing, even eager, to be led down the garden path in order to avoid the unpleasant relaties of how evil their party has become. The Republican voters exert tremendous effort to avoid being made aware of how dorrupt and deplorable their party is. Frankly, the whole situation disgusts me.
9
@SusanStoHelit
Agreed. And, given your moniker that should be THE FINAL WORD.
I have been listening to the arguments for and against the "McConnell rules," with the Democrats arguing for introducing documents and witnesses and the president's lawyers yelling that it is sheer presumption to question the president at all.
The list of relevant evidence requested so far -- emails, testimony, etc. -- is extensive and it makes me wonder how the American people are responding to this.
We all know that even though that evidence exists, and that most if not all of it will probably implicate the president and his advisers, the Senate will vote not to see it.
As the author notes, we are not better than Ukraine, we are far worse. Indeed, I would argue, we are much, much more corrupt. What a sad day in the history of this country.
247
@avrds It is difficult not to concede, even before verifying the accumulated impeachment corruption charges, that the Republican Party has handed the country over to an incompetent and irresponsible human being. And if in fact that is the outcome of the senate impeachment trial, you will have summarized this moment for future historians: <>
12
@avrds unfortunately I agree with you. The US is far worse than Ukraine. The only hope is that enough Americans of all race, colour and persuasion get out and vote and put the GOP out of business for at least the next 12 years. Had Hillary won they would have been forced introspectively to look at the role the tea party has played in dividing America since 2010. They have become worse in the last 3 years and now must forfeit their lack of morality and failure to uphold their oath to the constitution.
9
@avrds
We? No.
The subset of us that identify as Republicans? Oh yes indeed.
2020 is coming. Vote Blue No Matter Who, from POTUS all the way down to Dog Catcher.
10
Don’t forget - This is only Act 1. After the GOP Senate whitewashes Trump’s actions, John Durham’s Act 2 report will hit the press later this year and Bill Barr will use it to discredit not just the FBI but the intelligence agencies who have uncovered Russian meddling our elections. After Trump’s re-election, the gloves will really come off and we can see Act 3 as the DOJ goes full vindictive against all opposition to Trump in the press and in the political world. RBG will have been replaced by then and John Roberts will have no institutional center of the Supreme Court to protect, so the only limit to the damage Trump can get away with legally will be his own imagination. In Act 4 he gets to fulfill his admiration for other presidents for life Putin and Xi. In the finale, he gets to name his successor.
Not bad for a fraud and con artist whose business career was punctuated with bankruptcies and whose political career was started by racist rants against five black kids and a black president.
Trump will never go down. Why? Because he has Russian debts and is beholden. He secretly hates his base because they are rural, old and country. Trump wanted only cool and eternal youth. Instead, he is fat and old and terrified of the next day. Imblimatic of his base.
While the Senate halls may once have been hallowed today they are about as hallowed as a barroom with Mitch pouring the drinks.
Merely continually asserting Trump was trying to "pick up dirt on an opponent" is to ignore the obvious. Biden is a crook and so is Hunter, Do you really want this clown to be President. It is not just dirt it is blatant abuse of the office of VP. You cannot justify Biben's threat to with hold aide to Ukraine unless a prosecutor investigating his son and firm. You are blind to the obvious. You are trying to sell the Brooklyn bridge. Get real.
2
Democrats want to know about Trump’s corruption, but want to cover up Biden’s corruption. And Republican’s want to cover up Trump’s corruption, but want to know about Biden’s corruption. Democrat’s were “unfair” during the impeachment of Trump, now Republicans are going to be “unfair” during the trial of Trump. With the exception of the few crazed people expressing opinions in the WSJ and the NYT, US citizens aren’t stupid to these political games, and will vote again for the best candidate for this country in November.
2
an interesting test for Roberts: disallowing questions as irrelevant under the standard rules of evidence. this will allow very little to be asked of either biden.
1
I'm not convinced by either side. Both Biden sought to profit from the deal in Ukraine. Forming a privat relationship to another country. No way the deal would have been given without this agenda.
Trump & Co have possibly done a deal to benefit from in the election. But is democracy served by allowing Bidens to be investigated and dismissed as innocent, og is it only by serving the interests of the democratic part that democracy comes by. The democratic party must allow it's top members to stand trial - that is also a part of the democratic way society works by.
Ukraine possibly declined to play an active role due to it's interest in both parties administration. Because it can be needing both.
Remember the 30s and Germany before World War II. Maybe you didn’t read about it or see the documentary film clips of fascist evolution. How intensely the people supported the populist notions of the era that were very adeptly served up to them by a sophisticated propaganda machine that made them true believers in the Big Lie.
We may have free speech now, but truth has become negated as an effective instrument of justice. It's good to know the truth but as far as it affecting change, it's wishful thinking. There is already more than enough evidence to fully qualify the removal of Trump from office. And the evidence that already exists would condemn any other man to guilt and commensurate punishment, but it's not going to be that way in Trump's case. And in the process of denying the truth and requisite justice, we will continue to experience events such as Schiff being condemned with the repetition of the "the pot calling the kettle black". I find it astonishing how that technique can be used over and over again and continue to be accepted. It's so obvious, but not to his constituency. it's an old ruse evolved into a powerful brainwashing technique and Russian Intel has identified its power and taken it to another level. It's brainwashing and they are the true masters behind this horror.
2
I do not support Trump's actions in the Ukraine and am glad he is seeing some trouble for it.
I also do not believe Hunter Biden was even remotely qualified for the board position he held and can't believe he would have been given that position and salary if his Father wasn't the VP and also heavily involved in Ukraine policy.
I don't equate the two situations but I wouldn't mind knowing what was going on there. Knowing the audience here, this comment will be overwhelmingly criticized, but why wouldn't you want to know this also?
2
The Impartial Justice of Closed Minds is an awesome thing to watch. As is so often the case with the 5-4 Supreme Court these days, we can predict this trial's outcome before the briefs and witnesses and evidence are even subpoenaed or questioned in court. Perhaps this is an opportunity to streamline our courts.
If we do not need briefs and witnesses and evidence, why not skip them entirely in the court process at all levels. This would vastly speed up trials your dockets. If Justice Scalia could decide cases before they were formally presented, why not judges at all levels?
Then every TV trial show could finish 3 cases per hour!
1
I've lost hope, this Senate disregards the law and I see none of them who believes in the Constitution.
3
I say, bring it on....let former Sen. Joe Biden speak in front the US Senate. Imagine how he could inform the discussion with information learned from his time as Vice President. As far as Hunter Biden, all he has to do is say "Yeah, I wasn't qualified, and neither is Ivanka." End of argument.
1
Perhaps Trump does has have some evidence on Burisma that could justify his request for an investigation that he has not yet released. Not necessarily criminal, but proof that Biden knew about and spoke with his son about his employment, which Biden has denied..If so it could be used as a clever trap if Hunter is called as a witness, or later during the election. It's certainly a possibility as the Burisma issue has not been truly investigated and debunked here. It involves drugs, corruption, Chinese diamonds, a divorce, military discharge etc. If the Hunter story becomes a public curiosity, some won't blame Trump for being curious himself and asking for the investigation...The witnesses the Democrats want will likely say nothing game changing..Hunters story might get big and get the public interested again. Maybe that what Trump wants. Be wary.
4
Dems are arguing that if the Senate lets the president get away with all of his abuses of power, of which he's been accused, they should not expect anything less from the next Dem president. Republicans are counting on the fact, if they are to get away with it, our democratic republic will take a huge hit (in their favor), and they will seamlessly be able to move to a fascistic oligarchy or dictatorship.
Who really believes if Trump is voted out of office that Trump will go quietly? No way. He'll claim the vote was rigged (even though the Russians and others will have been working hard to reelect Trump), and he'll refuse to leave.
We are entering into the most trying times of our constitution. If we are not vigilant and engaged, we really do risk losing our democracy.
1
It has been the focus on Ukraine and the impeachment inquiry itself that has dragged the Bidens down the road like hostages tied to a truck. Rather the point of the thing in the first place apparently, although I doubt Trump imagined that Democrats would ever come so unwittingly to his aid in undermining their own candidate. Having them testify would of course deliver the coup de grace.
3
Geltzer is a bit crafty and knows full well that every prosecuting attorney on any level. in any case with high publicity value is almost always first guilty of "infatuation with the announcement itself, rather than any actual investigation". Both sides grandstand as much as the law allows. It's a two-way street .
2
what Pelosi and house democrats need to do is convince senate republicans that if they dont conduct the impeachment trial in a fair and comprehensive fashion there will be more articles of impeachment and more senat trials in the runup to the election. in order to do this they need to issues subpoenas for all the presidents men and take them to court to force them to testify.
3
Nice plan! Americans are already sick to death of all the grandstanding by liberals and very likely to re-elect this president, but, by all means, double down on this failed strategy.
President Trump and the Republicans in the senate are using yet again another logical fallacy to trick the American people into believing that President Trump is innocent. Here they used what is known as the red herring to divert people from the impeachable offenses that Trump did and make them focus more on the Biden’s family alleged crimes. However, despite if these accusations are true or not, we cannot be distracted by the fact that President Trump did, in fact, abuse his power and try to pressure Ukraine into investigating Hunter Biden. These two events are not mutually exclusive. The Republican Party wants to have Joe and Hunter Biden testify in the hearing in the hope of finding “the dirt” on their business and if they do, they can publicize the event in a large scale and will try to say that without President Trump doing this, the American people would have never found the truth out. But, still what President Trump has done is an impeachable offense even if it leads to a truth about a matter. The ends do not justify the means in this case, and it goes against our constitution to let a President abuse his power and get away with it. It is very hypocritical of the Republican Party to do such thing as they are always attacking the Democratic Party saying that they are going against our Founding Fathers’ wishes and against our Constitution especially with the amendment to bear arms, yet when it benefits them, they do not see a problem in violating the constitution.
1
I wonder why Ivanka and Kushner dont testifying. They are doing exactly what the Republicans are accusing the Bidens of doing.
4
Until Biden stops talking about push-ups and how he can arm wrestle, and address Hunter, this will never go away. Trump is a greasy hot mess, but he doesn't care and neither does his cult. He will be never go away until he his destroyed in the election.
2
Thanks. I have felt like the Bidens should just get up and testify because they have nothing to hide and if that trade would that would get Bolton on the stand. But, you make a good point about how that could end up being a detriment.
1
Am I the only progressive who wishes that Vice President Biden had just counseled his son NOT to accept the position on the board of Burisma? OK it wasn't criminal, but it certainly does bring up questions of conflict of interest and greed on Hunter Biden's part. Can't any of my fellow Dems admit that the optics were just bad?!! Why did President Obama ever permit it? I know this is unrelated to Trump's outrageous behavior and totally impeachable actions, but still, for me it was an arrangement that calls Biden's judgement into question. And a reason that I would rather vote for another Democrat.
2
@RTIST Maybe, President Trump went Dr. Evil on the Bidens. Create a small situation, knowing actions would be made public, then release the Biden dossier, to get it in front of the public.
I've heard of this happening before.
1
Joe says he questioned Hunter about this and got nowhere. If you've got adult children, you could perhaps sympathize. I don't think Obama could have been expected to police the jobs of all his subordinates.
Like a bunch of spoiled, impetuous children, the democrats demand witnesses and then scream foul when they realize who the witnesses may be. Of course Hunter and Joe Biden would be relevant - they would certainly lend insight into the appropriateness, on corruption grounds, of Mr. Trump's inquiry.
And by the way, let's remember who brought up the Bidens-Ukraine mess in the first place: it was the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016 in a successful attempt to warn off Joe from jumping in the race.
4
The Bidens must testify, and they shall! If they did nothing wrong, they won’t mind answering a few questions under oath. Seems the author is quite concerned about what the Bidens may say when questioned under oath and yet is somehow certain that they have nothing relevant to say. What is the concern then? If everything the Bidens did was clearly on the up and up, that should really seal Mr. Trump’s fate since he would have no reason to be investigating them other than the political benefit liberals assume (without evidence) was his motive. That on its own makes their testimony not only relevant but essential. That’s also the reason the Bidens will be testifying in these proceedings.
8
No the author is concerned about misleading spin.
1
@Bob exactly. Why shouldn't the Biden family want to clear their good name, under oath?
Doesn't make sense.
3
Can we apply the "if they've done nothing wrong, they have nothing to worry about" and get Trump, Pence, Pomepeo, Gulliani & Nunes questioned as well? these clown at least have something to do with Trumps actions.
4
This article gives good evidence why Biden or any of the top Democratic candidates cannot beat trump. I think only Michael Bloomberg can beat trump because he has the financial resources and know how to do it!!
2
"... to lead many Americans to believe that Joe Biden indeed had done something wrong, even if they couldn’t say exactly what it was."
Really? Many Americans believe Joe Biden used his influence to get his son a well-paying job in Ukraine that he was totally unqualified for.
8
@Mark Shyres
The Ukrainians didn’t pay Biden junior all these millions for nothing. They expected something from his father. How did they get that notion is the question. Was an explicit promise made, or was it an expectation based on something else? We should be curious about it.
6
@Pat
Could not agree more. And may I suggest that perhaps "suspicious about it" may be a bit more accurate than "curious about it". But then agin, both are fitting...and certainly more so than Biden is to be president. Even in Joe Biden has nothing to do with Hunter getting the job (as if) Joe should have at least stopped it as he should have known it would come back and bite him. And it did. It just does not a nice smell to it.
3
Was it "quid pro qou"!
1
Unfortunately, so far what I have heard from both sides today has been regurgitated ad nauseum for months.
No one's mind's will be changed unless new witness testimony is heard.
I find it very sad that the Bidens are hostage in this situation but the Senate, has a decision to make and it will for sure be made based on political advantage rather than what is best for the country.
I suspect we will hear no new witnesses, and that is truly a pity.
The House should not have rushed this. Even if the election came and went and Trump ended up in a second term if they had let the process play out in the courts they would have gotten everything they wanted just as was the case with Nixon and Clinton. Then their case would have been complete. They're whining that it is incomplete and for that they have only themselves to blame. Shame on them!
1
Mr. Trump was so diabolical that he knew no-one really had to investigate the Bidens; it was enough to accuse them so some people would think, "where there's fire..."He underestimated the American people who had DJT figured out and knew the Bidens were honourable men!
2
@‘Kathy Millard
There must literally thousands of people more qualified for the position Hunter Biden was given at Burisma, yet they chose him. You explain that.
3
I'll explain it for you - if you first explain how a minority of the country elected the most ignorant and corrupt president in our history. Literally millions of Americans are better qualified to be president, including me, and probably you as well.
Please keep in mind no evidence of any impropriety by Joe Biden has been found. Not a shred. By giving credence to entirely bogus claims, supporters of this charade are helping to undermine the basis for our nation.
1
"After all, neither Biden is actually a relevant witness"
Au contraire. Perhaps Mr. Geltzer believes that the most corrupt energy company in the most corrupt country in the world would simply provide the son of vice president Biden a no show job worth nearly a million dollars a year without any apparent qualifications. There are plenty of working stiffs in flyover country that don't. I think Hunter should be given the opportunity to explain his good fortune.
6
Let’s assume that Joe Biden had no idea that his son, brother, and other relatives were profiting off their family relationships with him. Do we really want that nieve a person as President?
6
that is not the question! the question is did joe biden provide burisma help. there is no evidence that he did.
it is unseemly that Hunter took that job, but not illegal. it seems that Burisma wasted some money
I've voted independent for 50 years. But-the very word "republican" has now become a disgusting word for me.
13
"The Bidens, by contrast, known nothing..."
It's called the Sgt. Schultz defense.
6
Can you all imagine while we have live coverage of the Impeachment, Trump is mingling among the world leaders at Davos right now... Putin is telling Trump: Donny boy... once the impeachment is over, I will get the ball rolling on the next election tampering...
Sadly, the joke is on us 300,000,000 people! No matter which side... Trump doesn't care about his base either. He is just Trump's puppet..
2
Senate Republicans have gone beyond politics, into treason and co-conspiracy with Russian propaganda.
3
This is American democracy at work. Time to move on or away from this type of democracy....
1
For the past 4 years now, approximately four and a half out of ten of my fellow Americans (who vote), support and will continue to support the President. Consistently, at least three and a half of those four and a half Americans believe that both Bidens have done something corrupt. The damage to Joe Biden is already done. The fight over details solidifies their belief.
3
If a developer hires the mayor's unqualified son just when the developer has a project requiring approval from city hall, that's a bribe. If a major polluter hires the EPA Administrator's unqualified son just when new regulations are in the works, that's a bribe. If a foreign power arranges a $50,000/month sinecure for the Vice President's unqualified son just when that foreign power is lobbying for assistance against a threatening rival, that's a bribe too.
By impeaching Trump on possibly the only issue of his presidency in which Trump was in the right, the Democrats have perpetrated the greatest act of political malpractice since Nixon ordered his henchmen to break into the Watergate Hotel.
10
so they gave Hunter a job in an attempt to bribe joe. big deal. how did help Burisma? joe didn't help burisma and hence didnt accept the bribe. Burisma simply wasted a bundle of money.
very different from Trump who was indeed bribing the Ukrainians
It's pretty clear Biden's insistence that the prosecutor who it was alleged was blackmailing Burisma be fired helped Burisma. Fortunately for Burisma, the new prosecutor found no corruption with Burisma. Which was odd based on all the previous accusations. I read this here... Burisma great good value from it's Biden connection. Was there a crime? I don't think there are enough facts to know.
There was an interview where one of the people spoke about what Biden did. A Ukrainian prosecutor was bringing criminal charges against an energy company Hunter Biden sat on their board. Biden told the president of the Ukraine, he had six hours to fire that prosecutor or they would not get the aid package we promise them. The prosecutor was fired, a new one hired who dropped all charges, and the Ukrainians got the aid. The person who told that story was none other than Biden himself. Google it. It seems reasonable to know the Ukrainian's side of the story. Why shouldn't Trump ask then to investigate what happened? He doesn't need anyone to help him win over Biden. He has Biden to do that for him. The house impeachment will not get him convicted and they knew it. It did give them the opportunity to dig up as much dirt as thy could against Trump to use in the next election and at taxpayers expense. It was all about regaining political power, nothing more
7
@Ron Very good...except that if you actually were aware of the facts, the Ukrainian prosecutor WASN'T investigating Burisma or Hunter Biden.
Whaddya make of them apples, Ron?
3
why was Christine La Garde, the of the IMF also calling for that prosecutor to go? did she also have a child in the board? and how about the EU ambassadors...did they also have kids working there? Is Burisma a company or a daycare?
2
@Bill According to articles, including the NYT, It was Burisma. You can keep your apples, thank you very much.
Why should this president get to set all the rules?
The Constitution should be protected, and the evidence should be shown to the American people. It doesn't belong personally to Trump. Let the people see the memos, the witnesses that were forbidden__by him__to testify to the House.
Bringing the Bidens into this is a circus. And propaganda.
3
@Jill
"Why should this president get to set all the rules?"
What rules has the president set? The House has the power to impeach and the Senate gets to set the rules of the impeachment trial. The impeachment articles that the House has presented are so weak that THEY need to create new rules in order to perpetuate their scam. Too bad for them the constitution is clear on the rules. Pelosi and her "managers" all have been exposed for the incompetent partisan hacks they are.
I actually would welcome Democrats allowing Senate Republicans to question the Bidens if that would establish the range of relevant testimony. The Democrats could then call witnesses more relevant to the impeachment articles. It would slow down the pace of the proceedings allowing whatever information can be dug up to impact the election more forcefully. And maybe it would convince the few undecided Americans that the Republican party itself is corrupt and deserving of removal.
5
I’m not a Biden fan for many reasons, not the least being his attitude toward Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas hearing. Though Biden might not have done anything wrong in Ukraine, his son’s job there was unethical. For the good of the Democrat party, Biden should drop out; he’s an unneeded distraction.
11
@Carol Gloninger Trump's kids work IN the White House; unethical; they should ALL drop out
10
Democrats should propose a deal whereby the Bidens will testify on the condition that Trump himself testifies (waiving 5th Amendment).
6
The reason why Republicans are pushing for this leads back to Putin.
5
After the Senate trial and Trump's subsequent acquittal, there is no impropriety that will go unrewarded by the GOP. They've already paid the highest price: Our Democracy.
5
Remember the Kavanaugh confirmation process? Remember how rushed it was? How the FBI only did a limited background search? Witnesses were not called. If anyone thinks McConnell is going to roll any differently this time around, they're dreaming.
11
@Bassman Senator Feinstein held onto the allegations until the very last minute. Perhaps had she been more forthright additional time would have been available to perform an investigation more to your liking. This was a vile and contemptible effort to derail the confirmation of Mr. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
1
A better approach. Allow a subpoena to either or both of the Bidens. However, stipulate that their testimony will only be admissible after a ruling by CJ Roberts that the testimony is admissible under the Federal Rules of Evidence.
See Fed.R.Evid. 401 ("Evidence is relevant if: (a) it has any tendency to make a fact more or less probable than it would be without the evidence; and (b) the fact is of consequence in determining the action.") and Fed.R.Evid. 403 ("Rule 403. Excluding Relevant Evidence for Prejudice, Confusion, Waste of Time, or Other Reasons--The court may exclude relevant evidence if its probative value is substantially outweighed by a danger of one or more of the following: unfair prejudice, confusing the issues, misleading the jury, undue delay, wasting time, or needlessly presenting cumulative evidence.")
3
@Stuart Levine nice try but they don't apply unless part of the Senate rules.
2
President Trump has the authority as President to authorize an investigation into suspected corruption to be done in the Ukraine because the United States was about to give them about $450 million in military aid and needed to make sure it got to where it was supposed to go and used for the purpose it was authorized for and that is where the corruption is suspected to have happened. That is called "Due Diligence" and is actually required by law especially considering there was a new Ukraine President and Ukraine had a past practice of corruption. If there were Americans potentially involved in the corruption in Ukraine, which would include suspicious activity by the Biden's, that is just to bad for the Biden's. No one is above the law regardless of whether or not they are political opponents or not.
7
@NYChap So; Trump can do anything; investigate anyone; fire anyone; destroy America because he is pres? NO. Trump works for America; we do not work for him. "You're Fired!" BTW Still Impeached
5
@NYChap So... why then didn't trump "authorize an investigation"? C'mon, "NYChap"; why wasn't that the approach that trump took? Please, help us out here. I mean, trump has (and had) two excellent "senior advisors", Ivanka and Jared, who are oh-so well qualified for their WH positions. Why didn't they help trump take the proper, PUBLIC path? Why the sneaky approach to involve Ukraine behind the scenes?
BTW, it's "Bidens'", not "Biden's". And "too", not "to".
"...whether or not they are political opponents or not." Are you from the Department of Redundancy Department?
6
Your lack of comprehension regarding this matter is impressive. The GAO already has determined that Trump was not following the law when he put a stop on the aid to the Ukraine.
If Trump wanted to do a legitimate investigation into any corruption in the Ukraine, he had the means to do so. The former ambassador to Ukraine was well known for fighting the former corruption in that country. Weirdly, Trump didn’t enlist her help, or any other U.S. experts, the DOJ, or any sort of law enforcement. Trump sent Rudy Giuliani to the Ukraine. Even Bolton called it a drug deal.
8
I watched the Republicans in the House abase themselves to try to tarnish the Bidens, all to do Donald the favor Volodymyr Zelensky was unwilling to provide.
Devin Nunes was pretending to be shocked by the implications of the pretty tight record all the while he was acting as an agent for the White House, working with Giuliani and his shady characters to drum up some dirt.
It's hardly surprising that other Republicans in Congress would allow such an opportunity to lapse.
All Hail, Donald! They make me ill.
14
It would appear that right wing media has heavily linked this article.
5
@Brian I'm thinking the same thing.
1
Elect a multiple failed businessman and reality TV star, and we get nothing but reality TV. This reflects far more on the voting public of the United States than it does on Donald Trump, who has always been nothing more than a lying, cheating, racist, proudly ignorant and inarticulate buffoon----who nevertheless convinced some 40% of American voters that he is Presidential material.
13
Oh.Come.On What a load of fish wrap this is. Trump has already dirtied the Bidens because his base actually thinks there is a 'there' there. Do not give Trump's smear of the Bidens any credence whatsoever, ever. Trump is aliar and a coward who extorted a new and inexperience president because Trump cannot win without cheating. Stick to that please.
12
I strongly suspect that the end game here is a trade off, quid for quo, where the Dems call Boland and the Republicans call Hunter Biden. If Hunter Biden testifies, it will be the end of his father's candidacy, which is precisely what Trump tried to do in the first place. The Dems would be better off complaining that the impeachment trial was fixed from day one than going down that route.
3
I strongly suspect that anyone who will unquestioningly accept Fox "news" spin on BIden testimony has already long ago decided the Trump is innocent, and everything he says is true. There are a lot of Americans out there who want to hear witnesses and see documents; that suggests that they, at least, want to hear the answers those witnesses give. So maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea for the BIdens to testify - a few questions from the House managers will establish that they are not fact witnesses, have no connection with Trump's activities and (in Joe's case), acted in accordance with widespread agreement that the prosecutor he wanted fired was in fact corrupt, and was fired for that reason, so Trump had absolutely no basis to ask for an investigation. At least it would get that on the record, for the benefit of historians (if there are any, in the future).
11
And this is exactly why Trump will be triumphant again. The Democrats are so trying to control the narrative and everyone sees through it. You take a guy like Biden and repeatedly say he’s done no wrong at every mention of his name when obviously something is amiss. Too many people in his family have had too many sweet government deals without expertise or reason. Trump was never concerned about Biden as a political rival. Biden will perform about as well as Jeb with a few extra pushups thrown in. Trump only obsession as president has been proving his predecessor wrong. With Biden in the Ukraine proving that Obama did nothing to stop the corruption. Trump has been obsessed with undoing anything and everything Obama did.
19
Nonsense. Controlling the narrative means preventing other narratives from emerging.
Exactly when have Democrats recently prevented any other narratives from emerging?
On the other hand, that is exactly what Senate Republicans are trying to do right now. Did you happen to accidentally overlook that fact?
10
What is Jared’s qualification for brokering Mideast peace other than Netanyahu sleeping in young Jared’s bed when in the US fundraising from the Kushner home?
11
@polymath It is not what they are trying to do, it is what they have done. But with our Democrat's of today, it ain't too hard
A very sad thing about all of this is that, this soul selling by Republicans is all in service to most likely the first US president have taken an oath to defend a document he had never read, not even in preparation for running for a job which has at its most fundamental a requirement to defend it, the Constitution. Sadder still, according to Philip Rucker and Carol Leonning in their book, "A Stable Genius", when aides had Trump read the Constitution from a Teleprompter in preparation for a speech, he couldn't do it, saying it was like a "foreign language" and blaming others in the room for rustling papers and distracting him from his reading. This is what almost the entire POT (Party of Trump - replacing GOP) and 43% of the American electorate is backing. That s shocking.
14
How did Joe accumulate $8MM on his senate salary? Same way LBJ did, I suppose.
5
Why are we protecting Biden? This will not go away. His name in this story will haunt us until November unless we dump the guy.
9
Fortunately the president has spent the last three years successfully shoveling dirt on the Trump name. His behaviors combined with the GOP whitewash will backfire big time come 11.03.2020. Thankfully, he has little to no chance of winning a second term.
3
LOL. Dirty the Biden name? It’s already dirty.
Biden voted for the Iraq war, supported all regime change invasions and bombings, promulgated the drug war, promoted his 'Crime bill' that helped build the incarceration state, backed up bailing out Wall Street and not 'main street,' supported getting rid of Glass-Steagall and backed the Commodity Futures Modernization Act which led to the 2008 meltdown, loves the 'droneabombers,' once supported segregation and opposed busing, liked NAFTA, likes the death penalty, protected credit card companies, bungled the Anita Hill hearing, loves the Patriot Act and the NSA, is against "Medicare for All," free college and the $15 minimum wage.
Uncle Joe is the walking talking embodiment of the depraved indifference and corruption of the democratic party, just as Hillary was.
He’s the past, a relic of the centrist coup in the Dem party that has enabled the Repubs and their allies, the oligarchic corporate and wealthy classes to completely take over and run the country as their own giant estate, with the rest of us cast as their serfs.
The Dems are going to have a very tough time convincing folks, who don't even make $50,000/year, that Hunter making $80,000/month is not corrupt.
Whatever the merits of impeaching Trump, the Biden family corruption will be his counterpoint.
Gee, what a surprise. Who knew?
Everybody.
14
I didn’t, Chris. But then, I don’t devote that much time to keeping up on each and every lie, and every and each warping of the actual record.
I get why you guys (right or left) do it, but it still seems pretty dopey and more than a little dangerous to whomp things up like that. Among other things, it is a lazy way to hidethe real problems and the real critiques.
‘Course, that may be the reason right there.
1
Not the point. We can talk about the Trump kids if you like... I prefer to discus the president’s corruption... that is the subject at hand.
1
So you saying that you don”t dispute the facts, don’t even care to know the facts, but accuse me of being disingenuous ?
I don’t get it.
3
Could the founding fathers have predicted that the wife of the Senate majority leader would be employed by the accused!
12
The Biden name was dirty way before POTUS. Cannot wait to read Peter Schweizer's new book!!
8
Biden sullied his own name...many times. You all just like him so you cover for him.
5
By failing to declare, disclose and divest his personal assets into a blind trust the American people can't tell where our Siberian President Trump Organization Mar-a- Lago ends and the Trump Administration White House begins.
If only the American people knew as much about this Ukrainian scheme as our and Trump's Russian Czar Father Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
Benjamin Netanyahu? Xi Jinping? Kim Jong Un? Mohammad bin Salman?
8
Oh, how naive has the NYT become.
Is this because you no longer can investigate?
Or because you are the trumpet of the DNC?
Joe Biden is dirty, like so super dirty that oh my gods.
But the DNC will try to run him any way.
The GOP is licking their chops. They already have all the info they need they just have to play it cool, and Joe Biden will walk into the pie throwing contest by himself.
The only question for the Democrats - how badly do you want to be embarrased? because you are about to get pig roasted, your candidate shamed on day one, and it will not let up, ever.
The hit job was allowed by Joe Biden, by being a corrupt dirty politico. The best president money can buy.
6
Joe Biden is not on trial at this time.
1
Hey, could you throw in something on the way he talks? Given your remarkable approach to the English language and all?
1
Our lack of good citizenship is coming home to roost.
Our lack of democracy, through the electoral college, gives us the loser of the vote as President. We just shrug, again. We're terrible citizens. We fight for nothing. We say the 'founders' were perfection and therefore we must do nothing. This is both despicable and disastrous.
This liar, despot, bully, braggart, draft-dodger (who's 'feet hurt', and who berates McCain & POWs, 'I like soldiers that weren't captured'), misogynist (who demeans teenage climate activists and widows of congressmen), traitor-in-chief is what we deserve.
Only democracies of committed and engaged citizens can really thrive. That's not us.
We seem to focus on our own little world; our family, our home, our bank account, our job. We are selfish, with little view of the common good, let alone the more 'perfect Union'. Money is our master and so, we get the shyster, huckster, blow-hard joke of a man.
Republicans fight hard because they are for the rich. The rich fight hard. They have the money to hire as many thugs and lawyers and lobbyists and politicians and judges as they want. They can pay for all the right-wing media. They have one goal: increase their wealth. Done.
We can't play stupid anymore. The climate is creating chaos and destruction all over the world. This will take a communal effort: not something the rich, the Republican or this spoiled-child President know anything about. They are dragging us further down.
We need you.
9
What about the electoral college??? Please NYT do an article on this scary subject. Are we just kidding ourselves...
1
"I don't even know the guy" (Parnus) is the Republican talking point from their index cards for impeachment. Pence recently said he had no idea who Parnus was even though there is a video out showing his wife fawning and laughing over him at some function. They, like Putin/Hitler before them, just keep repeating lies and hope they are finally taken as truth.
2
It is mind boggling that Dems/NYT et al are not interested at all in knowing what Biden was upto with his shady son, just like the Mueller probe was not interested in DNC funded Steele dossier and following FISA abuse.
NYT should stop pointing fingers at FOX as they are exactly the same biased rigged political blowhorns.
#CIRCUS
3
Everything Trump touches dies.
These Republican Senators, their seats up for re-election in 2020, have decided their personal futures and reputations are best safeguarded by aligning with the criminality of Donald Trump and against the American people, the rule of law and the Constitution. History is marking their names:
Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
Martha McSally (R-AZ)(Special election)
Tom Cotton (R-AR)
Cory Gardner (R-CO)
David Perdue (R-GA)
Kelly Loefler (R-GA)(Special election)
Joni Ernst (R-IA)
Jim Risch (R-ID)
Todd Young (R-IN)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)(Retiring)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Susan Collins (R-ME)
Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
Steve Daines (R-MT)
Ben Sasse (R-NE)
Thom Tillis (R-NC)
Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Mike Rounds (R-SD)
Lamar Alexander (R-TN)(Retiring)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
Mike Enzi (WY)
As I write this they have voted with other Republicans along party lines 53-47 to table the first of the Democratic House Managers' motions to introduce written documents and witnesses into evidence at the President's impeachment trial.
There is no other way to characterize their actions than as a cover-up. They are accomplices to the president's crimes.
If you live in one of the state's they now represent, consider that when you go to vote in November.
You are who you vote for.
4
@Biff
Thank you for this post. Since my residence is in Texas, I will be more than happy to vote against Senator John Cornyn.
What was once the GOP is now just a murder of monsters, crude, ignorant totalitarian monsters.
Ignominy is all the lot of them deserve today and as eternal legacy. They are vile filth.
Shame. Shame. Shame. Shame. Shame. Shame. Shame.
2
I think it's obvious that there will be no witnesses, no documents, and a very quick whitewash acquittal, impartial justice be damned.
2
The Nazis were masters of accusing other countries of doing precisely what they were doing. The Republican Party is deploying they same tactics. They are at war.
They need war. Constant war. Without a war they can not win elections.
4
The author displays an astounding lack of faith in the American electorate, and I couldn't disagree more with his opinion here. It's essential that we hear the testimony of Bolton and others with direct knowledge of this episode, no matter what the cost. It's just wrong to limit what the informed and open-minded voters can hear for fear that the spin will have more influence on the gullible ones. I'm not even convinced that many people who are influenced by Fox News were ever planning to vote for Biden anyway.
1
"Let's be clear: Mr. Trump's legal team is already deploying that tactic; it submitted to the Senate this week a lengthy trial memorandum that repeatedly perpetuates the notion that both Bidens were the ones who really did something wrong."
Besides being the Great Pretender, Mr. Trump is the unequaled master of projection. His Republican sycophants now worship at the altar of this man, and forfeit their souls and integrity. They also make themselves look pathetic in real-time. God only knows how disgusting they will appear for all time in a historical context.
2
Tell them if trump and Bolton, or Mulvaney, or pompeo testify then biden and biden will testify. Boy, trump on the stand under oath, what a deal.
1
Why are the Democrats and many commenters here so stridently opposed to Hunter Biden being interrogated during the impeachment trial? Too much protesting gives the impression we may find out things about Hunter’s activities in Ukraine that are better left hidden from the American public. Where there’s smoke, there may very well be fire. If there’s going to be a trial, let’s shine a bright light on everyone and everything.
5
There are no GOP Senators. The Republican Party died an inglorious death a few years back.
We only have Trump Lackeys in the Senate who call themselves GOP Senators out of habit.
RIP GOP
2
I have already reached the point where I believe the American election well to be poisoned. I will still participate but I have no faith in the results, or outcome afterwards. A fools hope is still better than no hope at all.
3
There's a exhaustingly long list of things other Republicans should not do and should not have done, in fealty to the mob boss occupant of the White House. And yet, with the possible exception of John McCain giving the thumbs down, they have failed each and every time. Why on earth would Professor Geltzer believe this occasion would be different?
1
These Republican senators and congressmen will ultimately be seen as accomplices to the endangerment of our national security and to the flagrant disregard of our rule of law. But they don’t care .
That they have betrayed their oath of office as well as the oath that they have taken in the beginning of this impeachment trial is obvious even to a high school student. But they don’t care . And that they have sold their souls to Donald Trump for a continued security of maintaining their seat in Congress or the Senate, it’s apparent to all of America. But they don’t care . They will be subject to ridicule and derision for the rest of their natural lives because of this choice that they have made. But they don’t care . They are the most disgraceful and shameful of public servants, and America will never forget them.
But they WILL care when all of a sudden they realize that their Senate seat is in jeopardy( are you listening Mitch McConnell?) and when they get voted out of their Senate seat , they will have a good period of time to meditate on the way they have spat on the Constitution and on Americans everywhere.
2
My disgust with the corruption in the Republican party began with Nixon, was increased with Reagan’s Iran-Contra Affair lies and his disregard for the Constitution, free market policies that rigged the economy and that took from the many too give to the few, and so on.
Then there was Newt Gingrich and Lindsey Graham riding the high horse of hypocrisy through the 90’s, followed a partisan Supreme Court’s appointment of W. as president.
Then the nation watched as McConnell blocked Obama’s Supreme Court appointment and packed the courts with Federalist Society ideologues.
Currently the nation is watching Trump, and his gang of thugs/law breakers, being protected by faux patriots Republicans wearing flag lapel pins. And so it goes in the world’s newest kleptocracy.
5
They already have, what is the 'will they' nonsense?
Joe Biden ruined his legacy when he voted in favor of the Iraq War. Case closed. Unfit for office.
His son enriched himself off of his fathers office. His father allowed it.
Trump is awful. He tried to bully Ukraine into investigating corruption. But his actions didn't result in thousands of American kids being killed in a foreign country- FOR NO REASON and based on TRANSPARENT LIES.
The first President, in my life, to actually not start wars has been impeached. The first President, in my life, who actually puts citizens before illegal immigrants has been impeached.
6
I wan unaware till Lawrence ODonnell pointed it out, that senators were not elected by the populace when impeachment was written as a remedy. The founding fathers could never have foreseen the scared rabbits sitting in judgment in 2020.
2
This gets worse and worser and worst.
The Democrats have tried over and over to dirty the Trump name. It was and is a dirty political hit job.
If is Ok .. and even "required" as they say ... for the Democrats to do, its "required" for Trump and the Republicans to do to Biden. And oh yes, also whoever the final Democrat nominee is.
Note that the Democrats have a very very bad record of falsly trying to flasely sully Republicans names. Once they actually succeeded (Bork) but failed for Thomas and Kavanaugh.
2
Mitch McConnell sets the bar so very low -- no witnesses! -- and Dems roll over themselves to try to reach it. Let us have a witness, the Dems holler. And Mitch will smirk when he relents, perhaps knowing exactly what the witness will state, while getting the Dems to concede on ridiculous witnessses with nothing to do with Trump's abuse.
I'm hoping the House will impeach the Senate Republicans. Is that possible?
We sadly live in times where what is considered fair is based squarely on what side of the political aisle you're on.
The rhetoric here has ramped up to a ridiculous level and it's now being reported (implying it's true), that Trump demanded that the Ukraine falsely implicate Biden when he asked them to look into corruption from their side. The absolute pass that the Left is giving Biden here is deeply troubling to me as well as the fact that Biden gets a pass because he is running for election.
Why isn't the TImes calling out Nancy Pelosi for moving forward here after she publicly stated that she would only move forward with bi-partisan support? There was NONE ! Why is the partisan Left given more credence than the partisan Right?
Where is the objectivity ?
Journalism is truly dying right in front of our eyes.
5
Give all the Bidens to them. Who cares? Biden is a corporate Democrat all the way . The Dems have progressively destroyed all that the Democratic party ever stood for starting with the Clintons. They have proven to be spineless, feckless, and bound the the only principle Washington loves, Money. Todays democrats are more embarrassing than G.W. Bush was when he tried to speak.
3
If Mr. Trump wins re-election in 2020, he has a “Thank you gift” ready for Mr. Putin of Russia: Ukraine. His political enemies may be behind bars. Media will be muzzled. Welcome to third world democracy.
3
Ukraine has more integrity that US Republicans so no, they will not do the right thing for the American people since none of them have any integrity left which is obvious by watching this impeachment trial scam.
They are nothing but a bad reality TV show now.
1
The GOP exists for the minority, to put them above the country.
3
The mental gymnastics of the Democrats could give Simone Biles a real run for her money.
The Biden family is corrupt. Full stop. Even if Joe Biden didn't actively and personally push to enrich his son Hunter, he is criminally negligent in permitting his son to do so.
So when Trump appropriately took a step to investigate this, the Democrats consider this "treason"??? So because Joe Biden is running for president he should somehow get a Get out of Jail Free card? Apparently so, because any action taken to look into his corruption is considered "interfering with an election." Ha!
3
So, what's the objective of this opinion piece? To actually affect some Republican Senators' behavior and the course of the Senate trial? That doesn't pass the laugh test. Is it merely to help Dems feel better about themselves while their leaders, once again, imitate road kill?
2
Republicans are working overtime to prove, once more, that they are among the most despicable, greedy, and power-hungry politicians on earth. Every single one deserves electoral defeat.
3
It is truly fascinating to watch GOP senators--who have taken an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic, prepared to give the Constitution's greatest threat a free pass because they're afraid of a bunch of knuckle-walking, gun-happy goofs who want to make Trump their king. McConnell, Graham & Company are truly sickening.
4
I’d like to think this is the nadir of Republican corruption, but it has been going on for forty years now and they seem to have a bottomless well to draw from.
3
I hope the Senate Republicans come to their senses and choose not go down in the annals of history as obsequious and complicit crooks.
2
Of course, the US Senate is corrupt.
2
What more can Putin ask of the Republican Party? At some point, he's got to let them take America's side on SOMETHING!
4
What Trump wants, Trump gets. With almost the entire Republican Congress-House and Senate, genuflecting to the 'King.
Trump has an almost free reign of a Presidents prerogative to dictate...whether checked by Congress or not.
Remember, as the incarnate god Narcissus, Trump makes NO mistakes....Wait till he gets re-elected in 2020...and becomes President for life(?).
1
If Democrats are somehow persuaded by this kangaroo "court", then shame on them!
No doubt Trump is on the phone colluding on winning the 2020 election and the cyber capability of Putin's Russia will be unleashed to attack Biden and ensure Trump's re-election. Of course as a reward Putin will get sanctions removed from his oligarch cronies who will fund the Trump family in the decades ahead . Putin will get his penthouse in Trump tower Moscow right next to Ivanka's matching penthouse grifters HQ.
2
Ukraine has been investigating Burisma and the Biden for years. Kostiantyn Kulyk, the Ukrainian prosecutor until recently assigned to the Bursima investigation, compiled a seven-page dossier that implicates Hunter Biden and Joe Biden. Former Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko briefed Rudy Giuliani on the dossier, which Giuliani alleged shows the Biden’s engaged in extortion, bribery, and money laundering.”
Ambassador Kurt Vokler testified he asked Zelensky’ aides to have him announce: “We intend to initiate and complete a transparent and unbiased investigation of all available facts and episodes, including those involving Burisma and the 2016 U.S. elections, which in turn will prevent the recurrence of this problem in the future.” But the aides balked at making the announcement, which they considered sensitive, Volker testified, “I agreed with the Ukrainians they shouldn’t do it, and in fact told them just drop it, wait till you have your own prosecutor general in place. . . So we dropped it.”
President Zelensky appointed a new prosector general. On Nov. 20, Prosecutor General Ryaboshapka publicly announced he was expanding the scope of the Burisma investigation. Joe Biden’s opponents have not brought up the Kulyk Dossier in the Democratic primary debates, there is no doubt at all it will become an issue in the presidential debates.
2
The Republican Senators and the President's lawyer staff need to do the honest thing and remove those little American flags from their suit lapels and replace them with Russian and Ukrainian flags.
The Republican Party has abandoned the United States Constitution for 3rd-world oligarchy.
5
let's face it, Joe's boy was lacking in qualifications and was cashin' in. but it today's world that ain't a crime (without more). it's a distraction but it is an inconvenient truth that Dad can't own (no Dad would). enough said. but that wasn't what POTUS was up to - he was trying to game the 2020 election and was willing to violate US law and Congress's bipartisan mandate to get re-elected. CREEP.
3
Nothing is beneath Mitch McConnell. Nothing.
5
Rand Paul is an embarrassment to my state, and to the Senate at large. Before his election, he unequivocally demonstrated his lack of understanding, well, just about anything, and since... well, his toadying up to Trump would be outstandingly nauseating if only it wasn't second to Lindsey Graham's.
5
Let's be clear here, shall we...
He's following Putin's instructions, his puppet master, since Putin wants to destroy any trace of democracy in Ukraine and implant the corruption there all over again, isn't Putin net worth is 200 billions or more, while the Russian population leaves in poverty, that the dream trump wants to accomplish here, along with all his malicious felons and the senate republicans, that why they want him to stay for another term, so he can finish the job they started many decades ago.
He is their dream come true!
5
Biden's sordid record is no secret. He has a long public record of corruption. Democrats would be foolish to run him.
Not to split hairs here but wasn't the Ukrainian President on the verge of capitulation before all of this leaked?
1
Some exciting news on the impeachment.
Mike Bloomberg has pulled all his regular ads in the areas of the key Republican Senators who are betraying many of their constituents by supporting Trump.
On his own dime, he is now pouring millions of dollars designed to get the constituents aware of how their Senators are working against them.
The ads will now focus exclusively on impeachment.
This is what a real patriot looks like.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mike-bloomberg-shifts-presidential-ad-campaign-to-focus-on-impeachment/2020/01/21/6358d96a-3c5f-11ea-8872-5df698785a4e_story.html#comments-wrapper
7
Yes, the Republicans should not abet Trump's gross and seditious corruption. Yeah, right.
Wake up already. Trump and all of his corruption and venality IS the Republican Party and the Republican Party IS Trump.
Admitting this ugly reality is the first step towards stopping their destructive and dangerous agenda.
1
They keep referring to a “transcript” of the so-called perfect phone call with the President of Ukraine. Not so! The transcripts are locked away in a safe reserved for highly sensitive documents. We need to see the word-for-word transcript. Even the document Trump released is damning. Imagine what is said on the complete transcript.
I despair. Our democracy is being damaged, probably irreparably, in real time. Bald-faced lies coming from Republicans, meant to confuse and distract. This whole charade is depressing and disheartening and truly tragic.
Will we ever get our country back?
5
Hunter Biden should agree to testify if Bolton, Pompeo, and anyone else who witnessed the Ukraine call agrees to testify. Put up or shut up.
2
? are you suggesting that Hunter Biden witnessed the call? Good Grief!
I predict that Republicans will use the impeachment trial to dent Biden's popularity.
1
The Biden’s sullied their own me without help from anyone else, save for maybe the Obamas and Clintons. The real reason Democratic leadership don’t want the Biden’s exposed is they risk losing power over the Biden’s AND they risk Biden going rogue once he wakes up.
1
The Trump lawyer already lied before Justice Roberts, and the entire world that the GOP were not allowed into the skifts.
The GOP cant remember anything they say because the Yahve lied about everything. The Bidens cant be soiled by these vultures because the president and his devils have shown exatly what type of massive cover up they have engaged in. Rudi sounds like a crazy old man who stalked an American ambassador with a know predator against women Trump.
This trial will show the entire world what a monster Trump is, and his administration can not be trusted. These GOP senators want to cover up wrong doing whell the time is now for them to stand up or step down. Bolton wants to sell his book so where is his loyalty to this country, in his bank account.
The biden testimonies will show a man of character and his son who legitably had a right to be on the board. Ivanka needs to testify how she was able to get those Chinese trademarks. We the people will make this IMPEACHMENT experience very difficult for the Trump family.
Trump goes down, Barr, Pence, Rudi, Perry, Munchin and all the rest are going to be the dominos. .
There are no brave comedians among the republican senators, just sad clowns.
3
The GOP are traitorous fools -- the truth will emerge eventually. All GOP senators will be slammed with evidence they refused to impeach a lying, cheating, extorting president.
Dems have to learn that the Republicans play the game as psychopaths.
Anyone who has personally dealt with a psychopath knows you can't win. Best you can do is match them.
So, Dems should be accusing McConnell and others of unconstitutional and illegal conpiracy and with violations of their oaths. Remember, doesn't matter if it's true. Or even a thing.
They should move to impeach McConnell. Again, doesn't matter.
They should motion for Roberts to recuse the entire set of GOP senators for illegally (doesn't matter!) conspiring with the White House.
They need to call witnesses like Devin Nunes and Donald Trump Jr. Why? Because! They clearly are guilty! Right!
C'mon, Chuck. Gloves are off all over the ice.
2
Donald Trump is a jealous, nasty man.
The Bidens’ ideals, work, service are so above that of any of the corrupt Trumps, they cannot even be compared.
3
Republicans and their compliant right wing media have desperately tried to paint a false narrative regarding Joe Biden's role in Ukraine. Hunter Biden had joined the Burisma board before even telling his dad about it. For the straight story on then V.P. Joe Biden's actions, read this...
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/business/media/fact-check-biden-ukraine-burisma-china-hunter.html?searchResultPosition=4
All you prosecutorial types have managed to do over the past few years is make it embarrassingly obvious how selective and biased you all are, in going about your work…
It’s almost as if you pride yourself on taking identical circumstances – and turning the mob one way or the other with your oratory on behalf of your clients…
It’s akin to the finance industry, where it’s become as embarrassingly obvious that the overlords expect their minions to push some percentage of absolute-junk product in the direction of their clients…
That they can use AI bots to cold-call for the rest of the stuff…
(anyone skeptical – just wait for the phone to ring and for the custodian of your 401 to start pushing you in the direction of an annuity)
It’s as if anybody can sell a plane that comfortably stays in the air – the real challenge is in peddling one that barely does…
Yes – Trump was elected with a minority of the popular vote…
What you all fail to grasp – a good majority of that vote was more against the socialist and redistributionist toxins you’ve all been selling since the decade before him…
The only upside – this time it’s been the socialists who’ve redistributed themselves enough rope to hang themselves…
The Squad makes this stuff all seem cute and cuddly – but they’re duly elected legislators…
It’s the newly-elected progressive prosecutors and laws like NY’s bail-reform that’ll tip the scales back…
The President and members of the Senate are going to go on slandering both of the Bidens while the cameras role. Far from refusing to come before the Senate, Joe Biden should be demanding to confront them and their pathetic lies, face to face. He has the strength and temperament to carry the attack right at them. I know less about Hunter, but the idea of the two of them standing shoulder to shoulder, in defiance of these craven cowards, is a strong image.
37
@Michael Biden won't stand up for anyone/thing other than his deep pocket corporate donors. Sad truth
4
@Michael Trust me on this. Joe Biden does not want to raise his hand and swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
You can defend Biden's historical record, but you can't whitewash out what happened in Ukraine and China.
At least now you know why Obama strongly encouraged him not to run and why Obama is not supporting him even now.
Biden didn't do all of this in Ukraine and China on his own. He had orders in the case of Ukraine which he referenced in his televised interview..and Obama had to know what was going on in China.
We can allow a guy to enrich himself and his family if he's heading off into retirement. I don't agree with it..but that appears to be what the Establishment allows.
But invite yourself back into the "show" and the gloves come off.
Should have stayed retired.
Your warm memories of him wouldn't get tarnished.
4
@Erica Smythe, there's nothing to whitewash. Getting a job because of who your dad is may be unseemly, but isn't a crime.
3
This is reminiscent of the Benghazi hearings before the 2016 election, where baseless allegations and questioning led to conspiracy theory all in an effort to prove Clinton’s unfitness for office.
39
Gaslighting 101, NKM.
This is who Republicans are.
This is what they do.
They have abandoned reality.
They are destroying the country with fabrications.
15
The difference being, of course, that the accusations against Trump are anything but baseless.
14
@NKM The republicans just make it up as they go along. They have successfully manipulated their base for decades and think their base is too stupid to notice.
9
I'm not a law professor, but I could make the argument that Joe and Hunter Biden's testimony is relevant. One could argue that as Vice President, Joe Biden had conflict of interest in dealing with the Ukraine while his son was earning millions of dollars from a company in a foreign country with a history of corruption.
It's clearly not true that Trump was concerned about corruption at all, just smearing Joe, but he wouldn't look good in the impeachment hearing.
Joe claims he never discussed Hunter's business dealing with his son. My own son has a lot of diverse business ventures and every time I speak with him, that's what we discuss.
To get real, Trump and the Republicans will never allow the witnesses the Democrats want, and the Bidens will never show up to be savaged in the Senate hearings.
Democrats, like me, have heard enough already to understand what Trump and all his people were doing. Republicans don't care what he did, and they won't change their minds now. We've all made up our minds already.
Is it naive to think that the Bidens might possibly testify and respond to questions in a civilized, respectful fashion, thus resulting in not thoroughly damaging them?
@A Yes, it is naive because most likely they have something to hide. The Democrats of course want to help them hide it, by pretending that there is nothing hidden so why look?
This article says, "Even a dependent and vulnerable foreign government seemed to understand the sheer impropriety of what Mr. Trump was doing;"
But I doubt that Ukraine cares all that much about American propriety. But given that Trump might be replaced by a Democrat, they do have to play their cards with care. If a Democrat is elected, and Ukraine is seen as having tried to help Trump, the new POTUS is likely to be angry indeed. And why would Ukraine want that?
So they will hedge their bets as any sane person would do.
1
I doubt if Senate Republicans think there is any democracy in the US left to corrupt. I think they see the US as being transformed to authoritarianism and anything goes. The Republicans have elected an authoritarian president and are protecting him regardless what he does. It is hard to find anything MITCH McConnell has done that is consistent with democracy in a long time. The Republicans main goal has to be to stop a candidate who supports democratcy like Biden from becoming president so they can crush liberalism. The Republicans are so close to their goal of destroying liberalism in the US that it is hard to think anything that would stop them now.
2
@Bob Liberalism and democracy are not the same thing. Lots of non-liberal politicians have won their elections quite handily. Examples? Boris Johnson and Narendra Modi.
I like democracy and I can tolerate the liberals. But I do not like liberals pretending that they ARE democracy.
1
The Republican Party has slipped the surly bonds of truth, reality and representative government to touch the face of Trumpian fraud and one-party rule and they're not coming back to America anytime soon.
Gaslighting Over People is all that's left of the party along with its award-winning 0.1% corruption and fleecing of America.
If you think there's anything left of the Republican party outside of greed, power and corruption, you have not been paying attention.
Trump is a proud crook in the Oval Office, aided and abetted by a lawless Republican Party and a voter base happy with Trump's law-breaking ways.
"When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross".....and riding Donald Trump's lawless Presidency over the cliff.
Republicans have traded America for Kremlin-style oligarchy and corruption.
This is terrible news for the unrich and uncorrupted.
Decent Americans do not vote Republican.
143
@Socrates All true!
6
@Socrates These Republicans you describe sound deplorable. You see where that word got Hillary. She will be on the sidelines watching from the outside looking in for the rest of her life.
Trump never gives up, he will be infuriating liberal Dems like you another 5 years. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
@Socrates , I’m sad for our country.
4
republican senators have threatened to have hearings on this for months. they don't need impeachment for it. i say the democrats must call their bluff and let the republicans walk that plank. and then call devin nunes as a witness and that joker hyde. the public -- those not addled by fox news -- will be able to tell truth from fiction.
3
Is becoming a presidential candidate an adequate legal shield against being investigated in a situation in which your son becomes somehow qualified to a seat on the board of an important company in a nation known for vast corruption (check Transparency International) while you play a key role in relations between that nation and the United States?
3
If we’re going to trade witnesses, let’s make sure that it’s a fair trade.
Hunter Biden for Donald Trump, Jr.
Joe Biden for Donald Trump, Sr.
It would be helpful to get both Donalds under oath (if only to drive the President crazy), but clearly, that’s not going to happen!
It makes no sense to give up anything to get testimony from Bolton or Mulvaney (or Giuliani) – they are likely to mislead or stonewall.
3
Now we get Mr. Geltzer arguing AGAINST calling certain witnesses. If the Democrats get to decide who they want to testify, it's only fair for the Republicans to do the same. The American people need to know what Hunter Biden was doing at Burisma, and whether Trump had a rational reason to ask Ukraine to investigate the Bidens.
Another person who should testify is Adam Schiff. We need to know the "incontrovertible" evidence he claimed he had proving Trump colluded with Russia. Let's expose his lies as well as Trump's.
1
But if a [Hunter] Biden is a witness, his actual testimony would not matter because . . . Fox News would roll endless clips of the questions Senate Republicans would ask of either [Joe or Hunter] Biden while keeping the cameras on the witness, then cutting away before showing the answers. This would be enough — more than enough — to lead many Americans to believe that Joe Biden indeed had done something wrong, even if they couldn’t say exactly what it was."
Therein lies the problem. We have an electorate which is easily fooled or swayed by these silly tactics. A democracy whose voters are so easily manipulated is not a real democracy, and we should stop pretending that it is.
1
So the question is how is it justified to allow President Trump with all his powers over every investigative function of the country to allow him to willy nilly investigate a rival with the help of a foreign government? Who is allowed to investigate Donald Trump as he stone walls all relevant information and witnesses?
If this farce of a trial and GOP Senators get their way, the House will be justified in seeking information about alleged crimes from Germany, Russia, Saudi Arabia and other countries where there has been evidence of Trump wrong doing. The President claims that he is off limits to investigation, but is allowed to probe any name on his enemies list. Is Donald Trump now our dictator in chief?
Turn around is fair play.
That is a rhetorical question, right? I want to hear from Pompeo, Bolton, Mulvaney, all the state department and DOE officials and anyone else with knowledge of the events.
Like every rational thinking human that cares about justice, honor, and truth, I want to see the end of obstruction.
Do the members of lobbyists for the DAVOS members want truth, justice, real democracy and fairness as they swore just recently. Absolutely not. the article should simply state the truth: GOP Senators back Political Hit Job as they adopt the Gingrich "Scorched Earth Policy" of "Politics as Warfare" and "We've always supported the super-rich and brainwashed the religious masses with wedge issues, Orwellian double talk, reverse labeling of social issues, and projection" and "we'll keep right on employing the type of fascist tactics that put evil people into powers of tyrannical outrage leading up to world war II" ... "because winning control is all that matters." Evolution of the species? No
The ghastly oligarchic puppets fight for the continuing and expanding corruption of the concentration of wealth and are largely under the control of a handful of oligarchs, many now in Davos, who see truth, democracy, power for the people, civil, human, voting and or other rights as the nemesis of their deeply regressive psychology of hoarding and the basic belief that the only thing that matters is short term gain and individual control of material, economic, financial and land possessions.
2
A new book entitled, Politics of Corruption,just out today, reveals how the whole Biden family made millions as a result of Joe Biden going to Congress. And the book also deals with the same topic with regards to Warren, and Klobichar. The book is full o footnotes.
It does demonstrate how Biden used his government position to become a millionaire. So dont be so quick to say Biden did nothing wrong in Ukraine and please note he was warned about letting Hunter take that job with Burisma, but ignored it. Pigeons coming home to roost. Biden and son should testify at the trial if there are witnesses!
1
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is dancing as fast as he can to acquit and clear president Trump of his Impeachment by the Democratic Congress. If the bare truth of this president's chaotic and corrupt administration is revealed in full to the American public, Mitch and the President's enablers and the big enchilada himself will be evicted from The White House. All of us who witnessed the miserable months of the Watergate investigation and Nixon's escape to California after his resignation know we're in for many agonizing months of continuous daily fears before our 2020 Presidential Election. Will our democracy survive?
Who didn't think 11/9/16 it would come to this? Constitutional Crisis. Watching rules unfold with Amendments voted on--makes one scream why no Amendment on who is eligible to be President. The 25th is the Cure what about The Prevention. Having Trump as President with 6 Bankruptcies is like having a surgeon operate on you who has had 6 Malpractice Suits.........
The House should vote on Impeachment, not the Senate. The Senate is a skewed representation of the public. If you add solid red and blue state population together and divide by senator count--red states are represented .54 of senators for .45 of population and DC is Democrat with 705,000 doesn't even get Senators.
Do not expect the Senate proceedings to be anything but a farce. The Republicans are running the show and will get the last laugh.
That we expect anything but a sham of a trial is unrealistic. They (McConnell and his ilk) will NEVER allow a fair trial and they will acquit 45 quicker than you can say the word "criminal." I have given up hope that reason and common sense will prevail. There is something awry with our country and I fear that it may be too late to stop the dangerous direction in which we're headed. Nothing short of a miracle will make these insane senators come to their senses, but one has to wonder why : (
Loyalty to party vs. loyalty to nation. That is the choice faced by Republicans in this Senate proceeding.
As an Independent (with a capital "I") I see the Dems as trying to uncover, and Reps with trying to hide.
Reps spent many years with a well-funded Special Prosecutor and in the end impeached Bill Clinton over an extramarital sexual dalliance. I still wonder: if he used "sexual intercourse" instead of "sexual relations", would he be guilty of lying? Doesn't matter, as the purpose was to embarrass and attempt to stifle the Democrats. In that case there was no objection to evidence (the blue dress).
In this go-around, there has been total obfuscation of facts by the Reps, and total denial of subpoenas by those being investigated (how DOES that work with you and I?). Then there are the threats that the Dems must "go through the courts", which not only drags out the lawless activities but could serve as a wake-up call that out Supreme Court is, indeed, partisan.
I remain an "I". But unless some changes are made I may never believe an R again.
1
Is it possible that John Roberts could require "standing" to be relevant to the calling of witnesses?
There is absolutely nothing stopping Trump from doing anything, legal or not.
Republicans have already endorsed the corruption of our democracy. Repeatedly. And during this charade of an impeachment trial, they are doing so again. Let’s not pretend otherwise.
Honestly, there’s not a whole lot left of what used to be America left to defend.
What do the Democrats plan to do when the impeachment trial is over? What will they do when Mr. Trump is re-elected? Their whole stock-in-trade, their seeming raison d'etre, is hatred of Donald Trump--and yet, he seems to have things going generally in the right direction! He has a deal with China, Iran on the ropes, interest rates down, employment up, the economy booming--what's there not to like about Mr. Trump? Do the Dems think the voters aren't noticing that they hate something that's working for America just because it isn't working for them? Do they think people don't see how partisan and self-serving they are? Mr. Trump may have his faults, but do we want the embittered, vengeful Democrats leading the nation?
1
How incredibly astounding is the notion, this Republican Congress's legacy' is standing squarely in the 'crosshairs of History' and will forever be on review for every High School, College, and University 'Civics 101 Class' to examine.
Simply Astounding! to witness this turning their backs on truth-telling in support of everything coming out of this White House.
Have they no pride, their sycophantal behavior forever having to be explained away somehow, forever, by future Republican Party Members, and even more woefully by their immediate family and direct descendants.
Simply astounding how they are so blindly thumbing their noses with the whole world watching. Cowards to doing what's right. And for what?
The famous actor, Kirk Douglas, the father of current Movie-Star Michael Douglas, was once asked, "Why did you become an actor?" His answer, "Because it beat getting a job."
Need I say more?
"Mr. Trump himself has gone further, demanding that Hunter and Joe Biden testify. But to have any Biden testify would give Mr. Trump exactly what he sought from Ukraine."
So, no to witnesses?
If I were a Democrat House Manager and I wanted more witnesses and more evidence for an impeachment and the Senate would not do as I instructed, I would pull the AoI and start over in the House.
When all of the witnesses had been heard and evidence presented, I would redraft the AoI and send it back to the Senate. They don't have to argue about witnesses and evidence. Just do the trial.
As of now, the House Managers look like a bunch of sugar high six year old children, disrupting Sunday School.
A show of hands, who wants to force McConnell to do the right thing? Biden, Buttiegeg, Bloomberg. OK, the B's have it.
How many Democrat Senators are ready to acquit? Bernie. Warren. Klobachar. OK.
The miscreants providing much-hoped-for cover to the criminal enterprise known as the Trump “administration” need to own the fact that they are sending our country down a path that has been traveled before, to devastating consequences. Lying wholesale and forgetting the concepts of morality and humanity will hopefully haunt these traitors to their ends.
Watching Adam Schiff carve up the lawyers for the president this afternoon with unbelievable refutation skills was a masterpiece in civic discourse.
Brilliant strategy though, making Biden the “defendant”, muddying who is actually before the bar, as FoxTrump Nation will be totally gratified.
And Democrats should resist any such push — thinking very hard, in particular, before trading Mr. Biden’s testimony for, say, the testimony of Mr. Bolton or Mr. Mulvaney.
This argument perversely supports allowing the malicious inference the Biden's have something to hide to be perpetuated unopposed while at the same denying Democrats the opportunity to question witnesses actually in the know regarding the alleged crimes committed by the president. A lose, lose in other words for anyone not Donald J Trump or the fifty three Republican senators who are today finding themselves already up to their very necks in the huckster in chief's continuing criminal activities.
"hallowed floor of the senate"
laughable. where the fleecing of the people takes place. hallowed ground for evil conduct.
The deal is fair. Joe Biden's live testimony is conditional on Trump's live testimony. You'll hear crickets from the Senate GOP.
@Andy The reason it is not fair is that Trump is the Republicans' ONLY candidate whereas Biden is one of many. The Democrats can obviously afford it to destroy both Biden and Trump and have Warren elected. Why would the Republicans go along with that?
This once again goes back to Citizen’s United. Half of these Republican jokers wouldn’t be elected if wasn’t for the billions of dark money dollars funneled into their coffers.
Senate Republicans are threatening to do a lot more than condone "the dirtying of a political rival." They will essentially be saying that Donald Trump is "above the law" having been credibly accused by the federal watchdog agency the Government Accountability Office, an arm of Congress, of violating the Impoundment Control Act by illegally withholding military assistance to Ukraine as a bribe (a "high Crime") to force them to open an investigation into former Vice President Biden. They will simultaneously be condoning the massive conspiracy he engineered that involved most of the major figures in his administration such as Vice President Mike Pence, Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Attorney General William Barr, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The rush to prevent even the semblance of a fair trial is in itself frightening, but acquitting Trump means he has autocratic power to continue to pursue his efforts to corrupt and rig the election this November. If you want to talk about a "coup," this would be it. The Constitution is on trial and it appears to be on life-support at this most critical and perilous moment when the Senate is on the verge of casting aside the Constitution and its promise of "Equal Justice Under Law."
67
@Paul Wortman It looks like the American people will have to save themselves this time. No one is going to do it for them.
6
@Paul Wortman I am confident that the GOP will be eradicate in November...and Trump too
2
@Paul Wortman
The Government Accountability Office can only issue opinions. The opinions have no force of law behind them.
1
Tried to dirty the Biden name? He did dirty the Biden name. His mission is accomplished.
Trump showed how dirty he is at the same time. The difference is, people may very well be disappointed by Biden, but as far as Trump goes, it is expected of him. That's why his followers follow. They love the reality TV feel of it all. It's as if they can no longer decipher reality from an act. This is a very sad time for our country.
69
@Walter Ingram It's time to change the channel.
4
I am a Democrat who does not want to see Biden become the Democratic nominee. I do not want to see a Republican senate rip Biden apart on the witness stand. Should that happen though there are several other Democrats who will be better candidates in the general election and who would be better as president than would Biden. Biden can return to his well-earned retirement.
4
I'm looking forward to the Republican Party changing its name to Trump Party. At least that will be a refreshing bit of honesty.
2
The reality here is that the facts of Biden/Ukraine may not be proof of wrongdoing but are reasonable and sufficient justification for serious investigation of corruption.
If the director of a public pension fund committed funds to a large real estate developer, and the developer hired the son of the director for a position he had no apparent qualifications for at an outside-of-norms salary, such payment could meet the definition of a bribe and an investigation would be very likely. If the developer presented the idea to risk-management attorneys he would be advised not to do it as risk of investigation and prosecution would be great. DOL and US attorneys have successfully prosecuted cases with similar facts and put people in prison. The fact that the investment turned out to be a good and legitimate investment would not be sufficient for exoneration in a bribery case.
There is enough credible evidence in the Biden case for probable cause and investigation. Many such investigations are politically motivated, but if the investigation can be justified with facts a purely political motive is difficult to prove.
Here's the real problem. Once you entertain the possibility of Hunter profiting off Joe in Burisma, it lends legitimacy to Trump asking Ukraine to find out why the prosecutor investigating Burisma and Hunter was fired.
8
Problem is, he never asked his own country to investigate and was only concerned that Ukraine announce, not complete an investigation. Both facts highly damning of Trump’s motives.
McConnell not only doesn't want NEW information, he's trying to declare the House's OLD information non admissible if I read correctly elsewhere.
5
If someone has robbed a bank, gets caught, and then goes to trial, that person does not get to tamper with witnesses, block all testimony for the defense, AND THEN get to demand that another person that had an account at the bank be a witness so everything can be blamed on them.
> yet here we are ...
34
No one has ever taken the thought seriously that Joe Biden could win against Donald Trump in an election. Biden wasn't a contender in 2016 and is even less so today. That doesn't mean that Trump doesn't have a bone to pick with Biden and his son, but you've really got to be way out on the limb to think for a moment that Biden has any of the chops necessary to be President.
10
@Kurt, Even Trump is president.
Biden can totally be president and will be 100times better than the current occupant of the White House.
5
Inappropriateness and impropriety are the addicted candy Trump's base of frightened haters of equality sniff out in selecting street thugs like our POTUS. Never overlook the ravenous appetite of a mob with logic and reason.
1
@Kurt Pickard
I think any Democrat can and will beat trump including Biden. No, it's you if you think trump has the chops. The manchild only knows how to lie.
4
Not that I think either Biden ought to testify, but if Hunter is forced to do so, his basic position ought to be that he was doing the same thing the Trump kids and in-laws do: taking some easy money from someone who wanted access, while having nothing worthwhile to give them for that money.
19
@Jim S.
'if Hunter is forced to do so, his basic position ought to be that he was doing the same thing the Trump kids and in-laws do:'
But but but ... but he did it too!!
Yea that's how junior is going to sounds as he gets spit roasted.
And Democrats will say it's all good because he's so cute. Of course if it's some one else's kid, the parents will get creamed for it, but if it's your's then he's just a misunderstood angel that was turning his life around, bless his heart.
I think the reason there is trepidation over Biden testifying, seemingly conflating Biden with Trump's corruption, is that Biden won't be able to defend himself well. But that's not necessarily the case. Biden can probably handle himself well. However, if Democrats seem ardent that Biden can't testify, it will invite suspicions. The focus should be on Trump being "owned by Russia" and his administration, including Rick Perry at the Department of Energy, aligning with the Russian petrostate, advancing personal interests (likely money riding on continued fossil fuel use) ahead of the national interest.
7
Republicans should be very careful about what they wish for. Hunter Biden is not on trial but he can turn the tables very easily on the Republican senators and Trump's family corruption. Joe Biden would even be worse for Republicans he could respond to questions by direct references to Republican senators. And does anyone not think that the Parnas revelations won't amke it to the trial.
6
"the baseless denigration of Mr. Trump’s leading rival."
How can we know that it is baseless if we do not have an inquiry?
13
SInce Biden and his son’s actions occurred in 2016 what impact do they have on Trump’s attempt to have Ukraine start an investigation in order to receive the funds that had been appropriated by Congress and approved by the Department of Defense? None.
13
@Ludwig
It is baseless because Ukraine after looking into it, decided it was not going to lead anywhere. The absence of inquiry despite the request by the President is worth as much as the result of the inquiry.
3
@John Wayne True, but that is what YOU think. Since Obama was president when these things, supposedly, happened, it would have been easy to suppress them.
But quite independently, I was very unhappy with Obama's actions vis a vis Ukraine. It was clear that Obama and Western Europe were trying to create a breach between Ukraine and Russia which was potentially very dangerous since Russia would be bound to see it as a security threat. Luckily for us, all that happened was that Ukraine lost Crimea, which Russia had GIVEN to them in 1954. Both Joe Biden and John Kerry were involved in Obama's game and if Hunter Biden took advantage of the situation, both his father and Obama would find it convenient to "look the other way."
You of course do not WANT an inquiry for fear of what it would reveal. But the American public has a right to know.
2
To declare that the president committed no crime is the ultimate lie. What Republicans would have us believe now is that the president was acting in our nation's best interests by insisting the Ukrainian government announce an investigation specifically into the Bidens. In other words, whatever is in Trump's best interests are in the nation's best interests.
L'etat. C'est moi.
Or stated differently, investigating corruption in any other nation, since it wouldn't benefit Trump, is not necessary.
I wonder how many nights his attorneys laid awake coming up with this bogus rationale.
12
I am no impeachment scholar, but shouldn't John Roberts be able to dismiss the request for any witnesses for which there is no direct bearing on the articles of impeachment? The articles are about Trump's abuse of power and obstruction of congress - I can't imagine how Joe or Hunter Biden's testimony would have any relevance to the articels.
29
@Level Head No, in impeachment trials, the Senate can vote to override any decision by Justice John Roberts. Technically, the Chief Justice is only overseeing the proceedings.
5
@Level Head Trump has successfully manipulated just about every republican ever born, so why not John Roberts? To show his disdain for them, why not do it publicly during his mock impeachment trial?
1
But the problem is that if we get no new information out of this "trial," then we are left with an exercise in political theater in which everyone just retreats to their own predetermined corner. We need witnesses we have not heard from to come forward for anything to have a chance of moving out of our deadlocked positions. And clearly the Republicans will only go for this if we trade witnesses, which obviously has nothing to do with the way real trials are supposed to work, but it is what it is. So, honestly, if the cost of getting Bolton, Mulvaney, or Rudy to have to testify under oath is letting the Republicans get the Bidens to testify in a ridiculous diversionary waste of time, I would take it.
35
@J
So you would rather get the waters all muddied, and take the risk of allowing a POTUS to set abuse of power as a precedent, and risk tainting the upcoming election, for the chance to hear Mulvaney's and Bolton's stories?
No thanks.
This deck is too stacked against our democracy. How about we work towards safeguarding the legitimacy of our upcoming elections, instead?
4
@J
You're right in a pragmatic sense, but it's perpetually frustrating that in order to get fact witnesses who are entirely relevant to the inquiry, we would have to compromise and accept people who were not witnesses at all to Trump's bartering with Ukraine. Even if Hunter Biden were Al Capone, it doesn't make it any less unusual or inappropriate for Trump to be personally butting into "corruption" cases in exchange for aid that congress approved of. Trump took meetings with Kim Jong Un, Duterte, Erdogan, Orban, MBS, Xi, etc. and didn't ask for any comparable deliverables. So we're to believe that Mr. Anti-corruption warrior here cares ONLY about the son of his political opponent in the whole world? The same anti-corruption warrior who regularly pressures foreign leaders, republican leaders, and diplomatic service members to stay at his properties, famously used a fake charity as a piggy bank, and laundered hush money to a adult film star a month before the last election? Please. No amount of testimony from Biden would change what a bad alibi that is. If they want to change the rules of political family members taking jobs abroad, do it, but don't use that to muddy the waters here.
9
@maybemd
Please never confuse a republic with a democracy. It always leads to disappointment.
2
McConnell has a created a trap that is so pitifully obvious that it's physically painful to watch Democrats mindlessly stumble into it.
Democrats insist on calling witnesses, and McConnell will eventually "relent" -- then immediately subpoena Hunter Biden. GOP State Media (Fox) will spin his testimony as a scandal unlike any in American history, and a meaningful number of low-information voters will conclude they should either stay home on election day or support Trump.
23
@Scott
The first rule about games with finite probability: If you know what your opponent is going to do ahead of time, you already know your response. All roads lead to one. That's why computers are so good at chess. It's a game of computation more than strategy.
If you are correct, McConnell is already defeated. A lost middling vote bares no consequence if you were already expecting to lose middling votes. Give McConnell the win. Discourage his support. Allow Trump supporters not to care or, alternatively, get disgusted and stay home.
This clears a path for a turnout race. Energize a coalition with registration and poll support. You steam-roll Trump and walk to the White House.
McConnell can already see this strategy though. He's therefore planning a response to the response he himself encouraged. I have a good guess. What's your's?
6
@Scott
"a trap that is so pitifully obvious"
I have absolutely no doubt that seasoned, experienced, successful career Democrats are way ahead of you on this one. Hunter will never appear before this body conducting the trial.
3
@Andy Allow Biden on the stand if trump will also take the stand (under oath, and questioned by a democrat of choice).
10
Trump is unstoppable. He will get what he wants. Despite what he says or does Trump is going to win the next election just because the American people want him.
Go ahead and give Trump what he wants. If you don't it still wont make a difference, he will still win. Ukraine look out, Trump doesn't forget.
4
@PK Jharkhand There were roughly 3-1/2 million more people who wanted Hillary over Trump. She is the one "the people" wanted. It's an historical fact. Another fact is that the Electoral College usurped the will and the vote of the people. I don't know what you are talking about.
11
@Glenn Thomas
And you must love that she thinks that she has something to say about who wins for the dems before even the first primary vote. Bad talking Bernie, really? The dems might have a chance with Bernie, but Biden is another Clinton candidacy for the party...sure to lose no matter what he says.
@PK Jharkhand Meanwhile, back at THIS story - - - -
If Hunter Biden does testify his answer to every question should be - It was a legal way to make a lot of money for little work.
11
Thanks for your well-reasoned essay. Zelensky, stuck between a rock and a hard place, ultimately found his way and fought back against the Vulgarian. His government will investigate the intimidation of and spying on former ambassador Yovanovich by Trump's thugs. It is left to a foreign government, itself under siege by Russia, to protect our democracy, as the Republican Senators protect their dime.
19
I think like Trump blocking witnesses having the Bidens refuse to testify gives the appearance of wrong doing. If the Democrats want prosecution witnesses the Republicans should have defense witnesses.
The Republican threat to call the Bidens is a bluff.
Isn't it?
6
I don't know whether one or both Bidens is guilty of anything. But I do know that the only proper route to look into this is (or would normally be, if we had an honest attorney general) the FBI investigating the allegations.
But no matter what, I am certain that whatever the Bidens may have done is in no way pertinent to what the president has done. If either of them is called to testify, it would be solely for the purpose of distracting senators and the public from the actual evidence for impeachment.
This strategy is already totally obvious in the statements from the president's lawyers, who are consistently not addressing one iota of the evidence for impeachment, but instead bringing up everything else they can think of for the purpose of distraction.
@Edward B. Blau "I think like" what are you trying to
say?
@Edward B. Blau
The Democrats should not negotiate with GOP terrorists. There is no rational basis for H. Biden to be called as a witness in these proceedings. He has no knowledge that would be useful, he would only be a GOP punching bag, innundated with leading and unanswerable questions designed to cause total confusion, and waste time.
Trump knows that Joe Biden can beat him by 15 or 20 points nationally if Biden is the Democratic nominee... Trump is terrified, as losing the election likely means that he'll face federal charges on the day he leaves the White House.
18
@Richard Ralph
Agree. This is why there was no investigation prior to Biden announcing his run for the presidency. This is why head house clown kevin mccarthy chastised Joe Biden to suspend his campaign in Iowa out of fairness to the senators who are also campaigning. If Biden is not a threat why wasn't Buttigieg, Gabbard, Steyer and Yang asked to suspend their campaigns as well? This is blatantly transparent. Biden is a threat, the repulsive republicans will do whatever they can to eliminate it (him). Shame on us if we fall for such a transparent ruse.
3
Trump was quick to describe Ukraine as corrupt, but what we see is the endemic corruption of Trump and the GOP.
36
@NM Corruption? It's only January of an election year. We're going to see a lot more before his term expires.
5
This is a good article that no doubt correctly describes the kind of weird Machiavellian fraud Trump and his lawyers and GOP fanatic partisans will try to work on the American people. This is one of the main reasons we need a population that can think clearly enough to see through this kind of manipulation, and has some honest moral basis for their actions. It is a national tragedy that so many Republicans have become willing to play along with frauds like this. Many years ago they weren't so corrupt.
13
@Paul
If in fact if they do not teach Civics in high school then that needs to change. Being old guy we were taught Civics in high school.
@Paul I may agree with you politically, Paul, but it's going to be really hard to go out and get a new population in such a short amount of time.
Perhaps John Bolton's testimony would be better heard and appreciated through an interview on 60 Minutes, rather than at this sham trial.
26
@Betsey ...or in front of a committee of the House!
1
What a sad day when a political novice such as President Zelensky has more savvy, better judgement and more integrity than the Republican Senators in the US Congress. This is not democracy it is a banana republic operating under a despot.
51
Of course Republicans should do a lot of things they aren't and they shouldn't do a lot of things they are doing. The fact is they don't care. It's been pretty obvious for a long time that the most dangerous organization in the world today is the Republican Party of the United States. Moderate and reputable news organizations have been slow to catch up. Pick your poison: climate change, wealth inequity, civil rights.....the GOP is not led by ignorant people. They know what they are doing. It's frightening, but not astonishing.
28
Right from the beginning, I have been impressed with the courage Zelensky has shown. July 25th, 2019, the new president, in a retaliatory move seized a Russian ship in the Black Sea. The same day, he was threatened with the illegal with-holding of U.S. military aid by Trump! That had to be crushing. Yet, he refused to become the pawn of Trump and Putin-a lesson lost so far on Republicans.
10
@Tim3 Okay, Tim. Thanks for sharing.
Now back to this story about "the Biden name."
It's astonishing that our esteemed democrats, so intent on investigating Mr. Trump for national security reasons, are amazingly uninterested in investigating the fact that Mr. Biden, running for president, was directly involved with his son in shady dealings in the Ukraine. Somehow, this constitutes "digging up dirt" on a political rival, although democrats were of course fine with "digging up dirt" on Mr Trump with the whole collusion thing. And then, democrats once again showed their righteousness by being completely indifferent to how the whole collusion deal came to be. Pathetic. Our national security risk is with the democrats, as usual, who are firm believers in racism, sexism, and corruption, anything to maintain power.
8
@DJOHN
I can't tell in you're intentionally or out of ignorance obfuscating the situation.
The Bidens have been investigated for this, there's no "there" there. Regardless, it's up to US law enforcement (like the FBI) to investigate wrongdoing by elected officials, not foreign governments who are having their congressionally approved aid held hostage. And as several witnesses testified, trump wasn't really interested in an actual investigation, just the public announcement of one. Do you think it's OK to enlist foreign governments to interfere in our elections?
And why was Biden singled out (and no one else)? It would be naïve not to realize that he was the front-runner (and viewed as a strong candidate in the general) at the time the request was made.
Conversely, there was plenty of strong evidence to suggest that trump and his cronies were up to no good (including trump's own words). It was a Republican (appointed by trump) who initiated the Mueller investigation, not the Dems.
Facts actually matter if we would like to have a meaningful and honest discussion.
8
@DJOHN You're right. Imagine people more interested in "investigating the president for national security reasons" when they should be more interested in the business dealings of an ordinary citizen.
Oh my !
1
@DJOHN
" Mr. Biden, running for president, was directly involved with his son in shady dealings in the Ukraine."
Well, no actually, he wasn't. Only fringe conspiracy nuts believe that anything nefarious took place between Ukraine and the Bidens. Hunter probably got the position on the board because of who daddy was, but the facts stop there and everything else is unsupported speculation, or already conclusively disproven. It is all part of the public record but people with a tenuous grasp on reality have a sick obsession with it.
1
McConnell seems determined to hold a sham "trial" and acquit Trump.
Go ahead Senator, from recent polls it's clear that the majority of Americans are aware of and disapprove of your dirty scheme.
I can tell you this: your water-boy, Cory Gardner, will lose re-election here in Colorado.
Hopefully, the same goes for Ms. Collins in Maine, McSally in Arizona.
50
It is the fault of the Democrats who lacked the will and the strength to force the GOP Congress to follow the Rule of Law. Their arguments for the Constitution were so weak, any one who chose to ignore the document could easily do so, and the GOP did, but only because the Democratic Party's arguments were so poor.
3
@gratis
Had Democrats disqualified Joe Biden from running for the party nomination, they would at least have the moral high ground.
Joe bragged about his quid pro quo of demanding the firing of a prosecutor in exchange for cash from the American taxpayers. Absolutely a quid pro quo, and one that coincidently benefited his son. If that doesn't disqualify him to run for the presidency, then a possible quid pro quo is a silly thing to be impeaching the president.
They elected to pursue a factually deficient impeachment and are now whining that they don't have enough evidence to convict.
House Democrats were unwilling to get the Scotus to confirm the need to breach executive privilege, impeached, then sat on the impeachment for a month.
1
The work I do had required me to respond to multiple subpoenas for both documents and oral testimony. I was never advised that I could refuse to comply because I thought the argument being presented was not credible. I thought I had to follow the law. Silly me.
1
@gratis The outcome of this charade was already decided a long time ago, and it wouldn't matter if the Framers of the Constitution themselves made a miraculous appearance to explain the Constitution to the corrupt side of the senate. They absolutely know Trump is guilty, but they need him to stay in White House to keep giving them and their benefactors more money and power. Did you really think that this was a matter of intelligence and morality and that the democrats just weren’t effectively communicating with them?
1
The Bidens should be eager to testify. It will give them the opportunity to clear their names once and for all.
Hunter will say what he’s been saying all along: It was a mistake for me to take the job as being proven by the problem it is giving my father. But, at no time did dad ever convene in Ukraine for my benefit. I never asked him, and we never discussed my work there.
For Joe it will be a great opportunity to clear the air on a stage that the whole country will be watching, GOPs and Dems. He will convincingly, because it is the truth, prove that all his efforts in Ukraine, during that period was for the benefit of the United States.
To the extent that Fox News will distort his testimony, it’s irrelevant, that audience would not vote for him anyway.
I would not be surprised that if the Democrats agreed to calling the Bidens, the Republicans may have second thoughts.
5
@Don Flaks If we are "trading" witnesses, I will give you two Bidens for one Trump.
Investigating rivals is standard operating procedure for Republicans. Eight separate investigations of Benghazi in the Republican House ALL showed that the accusations were baseless. And they probably would have launched more investigations if the 2016 election had not intervened. The FBI recently cleared Hillary of any wrongdoing with her email server (again!). Years of Whitewater investigations turned up nothing.
This fact is why trump only wanted the investigation into the Bidens announced. An actual investigation would have uncovered the truth, and the truth is the last thing Republicans want.
If the Republican Senators insist on questioning Hunter Biden under oath, he should just say that he was offered the position for which he was qualified on the Burisma Board and accepted. And perhaps he should note, in passing, the blatant nepotism that permeates the current administration.
8
Biden has a long history in public life and is vulnerable to easily found controversial statements. The upside is he also has a long history of genuine accomplishment for the American people, unlike the bogus "president" we suffer today.
30
When Nixon raised milk prices in 1971 as a result of political contributions he didn't know the episode would become one reason for his impeachment in '74. He broke the law in the same way as Trump has done with Ukraine. Extortion is not just unethical.
I have two questions: why can't the "perfect" phone call be reviewed, in camera, perhaps with Zelensky's(sic) agreement. Apparently Trump raised the subject 7 times, which makes context an essential perspective.
As well, I wonder why Bolton can't simply give an interview or publish a notarized statement. He is a private citizen.
32
Wondered that too. Bolton could at least confirm or deny the evidence already public, right?
5
@kevin sullivan Schiff "raised" it seven times.
But really, what choice do Republicans have?
If they can't find something -- anything at all -- the public may go on recognizing Biden as an honorable and respectable man.
Unlike some others.
4
Joe Biden's past and record is a treasure trove for Republican attacks. What Trump did was illegal, but we can't keep avoiding the question of what Hunter Biden was doing earning $50k a month working for a Ukrainian gas company as a lobbyist.
Republicans are trying whataboutism here, and we can't deny that Joe Biden has put us into this position to begin with. To absolve him as the victim is a bit too easy.
President Obama or Senator Sanders would have never been caught in a gray zone like the Bidens or Clintons.
11
@Audrey Joe Biden did not, in any way, solicit the Burisma board position for his son Hunter. He did not benefit from that position. A board position is not the same as other executive positions. A board member does not run the company as would a CEO. Joe Biden did not, "put us into this position," as you say it. Trump, Giuliani and his other minions have grabbed hold of a fake news conspiracy to smear his name. And you, Audrey, are helping them do it.
@Audrey
He is a lobbyist but he was paid to be a board member for the gas company.
If this were an ordinary trial, the presiding judge, John Roberts, would dismiss the demand for ‘testimony’ from one or both of the Bidens as a ‘fishing expedition’ and irrelevant to the case. That the Chief Justice cannot and that McConnell is pursuing a course designed to cover up the defendant’s offenses shows how far the Senate has deviated from the distinguished history of the institution.
61
@Ludwig No they are not. Nothing they did or said, in anyway, has a bearing on whether Trump solicited election interference in our elections.
22
@Ludwig Had the Bidens truly been suspected of a crime, the FBI would have been asked to investigate. Instead, Don Trump used his cronies, including his personal attorney, politicians beholden to him, and other shady private citizens to convey the demand for an investigation that Trump denies publicly (But even Mick Mulvaney says he did!). Trump has used all his powers to try and stop people from testifying and withhold documents. He's obstructed congress, which his another of the charges. This is not about the Bidens, Ludwig. It's about a president who has no understanding or respect for the US Constitution or the rule of law and no moral compass.
14
Sigh. You seem to have conflated things.
What info would the Bidens have on whether Trump abused his power during his dealings with Ukraine?
For some reason, they weren't even invited to the meetings or the calls. Go figure!
1
Trump’s Ukraine initiative always made sense to me. Just the right thing to do to reinforce to the American people that there really is a “rule of law” that applies to everyone equally, even the Bidens.
8
@Bernie Sanders Libertarian
You should feel assured , and it will "make sense to you" if Trump is not removed from office one way or another, there will be four more years to "lock up" Hillary Clinton, the Bidens , Adam Schiff , Pelosi, and Bernie Sanders for "corruption."
2
@Bernie Sanders Libertarian
Part of the famous Trump "crusade against corruption" that banned nepotism in the White House; insisted on scrupulous compliance to the Hatch act (which forbids political activity on the part of federal employees); banned any business with his own hotels to avoid even the appearance of impropriety; and established the strictest audits to keep federal taxpayers from assuming any of his politically-based costs?
It's funny that Bidens-in=Ukraine is the single strand of battling corruption that ever got Mr. Trump's attention.
It's also irrelevant. No matter what the Bidens did or didn't do, the president isn't allowed to exercise a retroactive veto on congressionally appropriated and authorized funds.
7
@Bernie Sanders Libertarian Perhaps you can help me out then. Why did Trump fire Yovanovitch? After all she was on the leading edge of protecting Ukrainian rule of law. She was one of the main critics of both Shokin and Lutsenko.
Why did Trump illegally withhold the $391?
Why are they hiding all and any evidence that would support that position?
IMHO, there are way too many facts that contradict your line of reasoning.
1
This is a good read. I hope everyone reads this cogent argument.
13
@Carol Cogent my foot. The Dems are too cowardly and beholden to their corporate donors to care
From a broad viewpoint, vast corruption is already a part of the US Government. Rich powerful people and institutions are used to being able to do anything they want and virtually always get away with it. Donald Trump grew up and was inculcated with that attitude. Laws are irrelevant. What is important is what one can get away with. "As President I can do anything I want."
Do whatever you want and whatever one can get away with to maintain power and wealth is fundamental to our corrupt legal process.
In this particular case, expecting Old White Senators, who have been instilled with that philosophy, to change their minds on the cornerstone of their professions as Senators is very, very unlikely.
GOP Senators will say, "yes".
16
@DGP So it's pointless to try? Even to mention it?
We should just let it happen and get on with our grocery shopping?
@DGP
The son of the old white Pelosi is employed as CEO of a Ukrainian company whose owners are not eligible to run a Ukrainian company because they are felons. You cannot make this stuff up.
When Trump ran for office, he asserted that the system was rigged to favor the rich and the powerful. Those who voted for him suspected he had achieved financial success by influencing politicians.
We were well aware that Billary went from "dead broke" in 2001 to having a net worth of half a billion dollars on a civil servant's salary and Bill's pension. It is available in plain sight in their tax returns. We knew that all of their partners in the Whitewater enterprise were convicted of felonies except for Bill and Hillary and Hillary was the lawyer for the corrupt enterprise that brought down an S & L. Then there was also the thinly disguised "donations" of $100,000 in futures trading Hillary got by reading the WSJ. Right.
Given a choice between the guy who got ahead buying influence and the Hillary who grew her wealth exclusively by selling influence, we chose to have the guy who admitted the system was rigged on our side for the novelty of it all.
It drive Democrats insane.
Once upon a time, the Republican party was populated by people who had principles. Yes, there were Republicans who disagreed with each other on policy instead of voting in lock-step. And the party included people with courage who were real patriots and would not think to sell out the voters just to win an election. As a young man, I was impressed to see there were people like Lowell Weicker, Howard Baker, William Cohen, and others who actually wanted to know what Nixon did and took seriously whether he should be impeached. The current Republican party believes in one thing only: winning and holding on to power. And ironically, that will be their undoing and lead to massive losses.
50
@T. Schultz "The current Republican party believes in one thing only: winning and holding on to power."
Not one thing ONLY. There's gold in them thar hills !
4
@kenneth Republican Representative Chris Collins had that gold in his hands until he was sentenced to 26 months in prison for insider trading.
1
Must have been a long time ago.
Thank you, Mr. Geltzer, for reminding us that the Senate is about to sanction State corruption, not dissimilar to that of Russia, Hungary and others. Mulvaney admitted quid pro quo, telling us to "Get over it." Bolton called this operation a "drug deal." We are witnessing the death of democracy and the rule of law.
157
@Mark Paskal We may be witnessing a strong attack, Mark, but I think the "death" is far from certain.
2
Thank you for providing a different angle (to me) on the Senate proceedings. There is so much going on, characters I would never want to meet in real life and all being done in the name of one man. It is a shame that it has come to this but the Dems have their eyes on the Constitution and that must be protected at all costs. Again, thank you.
37
The sad truth of the matter is that the GOP would not be resisting any of this except for the fact that a large portion of our fellow citizens will follow and believe Donald Trump no matter what the evidence shows. There fore the GOP is deathly afraid of a constituency that no longer cares about the rule of law, the constitution, and our democracy.
37
@Vito I think you meant to say that they are afraid of a constituency that.DOES care.
@Vito GOP is not afraid. Why should they be? the dems are too cowardly to pose a threat
Finally someone is focusing on the 'announcement' which clearly shows interest in rooting out actual corruption was NOT the motive. In fact, covert investigation would be more effective...
12
With every passing day; having just returned home from Mountain Home Air Force Base, a place of dignity and service; the fact is clear: Mr. Trump is guilty as charged by the House and must be removed from office without further delay.
124
@Alan C Gregory Very convincing, Alan. Especially since you're now back home. That in itself is a very powerful argument ???
1
Thank you for this very compelling argument, and for highlighting the way it would unfold in the media environment in which we live. Your phrase "political and media allies" speaks to the truth of today's world...with Fox being so clearly partisan. So important to note that all Trump wanted was a public announcement of an investigation into the Bidens--this would be enough to create the disturbing sound bites that would echo throughout the right wing noise chamber. And all those people who rely on these sources would hear what they needed to say Trump is being unduly persecuted and the real danger is the corrupt Joe & son. Truly feeding the propoganda machine that passes for news these days.
58
If there is any real issue involving the Bidens then the Senate should ask federal law enforcement to do an investigation and present their findings to the appropriate congressional committees. There is a time and place for that.
What the Bidens may or not have done is totally irrelevant to the charges against Trump.
The Article I and Article II institutions must fulfill their respective roles fully but with the restraint necessary to ensure they do not overreach to fulfill partisan ambitions.
The Senate is trampling the Constitution with their out-of-scope attempt at theater.
82
@Patrick Borunda "What the Bidens may or not have done is totally irrelevant to the charges against Trump."
I do not see that it is irrelevant. If there is a possibility that a crime was committed then Trump had a right to ask. Also, even if no crime was committed but Joe Biden exercised improper influence then that too makes him less attractive as president.
In other words you are saying, "let us not ask what the truth is" and my answer is, I disagree.
2
@Patrick Borunda What the Bidens may or not have done is totally irrelevant to the charges against Trump.
Exactly!
3
@Ludwig In other words what YOU are saying is,
If we can find one thng Biden did wrong, then we should pay no attention to anything Trump did wrong.
3
McConnell will do what is most beneficial to Trump,
and will do what is most damaging to democracy.
That's just the way he rolls.
222
@Blue in Green
Please, let's not make light of Sen. McConnell's treasonous behavior by using breezy terms such as "That's just the way he rolls." Unless you expand the sentence to "over the Constitution."
13
@Blue in Green
Actually, McConnell always does what is best for Mitch McConnell. At the moment, his fortunes appear to coincide with those of Donald Trump. However, if Trump begins to falter in the polls, McConnell will do what he always does---serve his own interests at the expense of truth, justice, civility, democracy, the rule of law, or the constitution----all of which he cares nothing about.
5
One point of clarification: Ukraine did not "refuse" to do the deed, Zelensky was within 2 or 3 days of going on Zakaria's GPS Sunday show on CNN, (presumably to include the announcement, which trump wanted done on CNN) when the scheme was made public and the interview cancelled (Fareed has since confirmed the scheduling and cancellation of the interview).
And one can hardly blame Zelensky for capitulating, he had little practical choice. The fate of his country was at stake and the mob boss made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
146
@J Darby ,
I don't think what Trump did was right and I think he is not a good President, by any means, but what the Biden's did seems like corruption to me and I don't see why it is wrong for the US to withhold taxpayer dollars from countries that allow our elected officials to enrich themselves illegally.
And the statements that the Biden's were already investigated and cleared is not true- they disclosed to an Administration official and got a green-light. That is not an investigation that is box checking.
3
@J Darby
Zelensky did not capitulate! He could have refused at the very last minute. He did refuse the offer, and he did the right thing.
2
@Willt26 Was George Bush appointing Hunter Biden to the board of Amtrak corruption? Get a grip, man!
4
“Senate Republicans should not push for the corruption of our democracy...”
But that horse is out of the barn. Republicans are not even giving lip service to caring about democracy - or the constitution, rule of law, country over party, “family values,” honesty, or courage. They care about one thing. Retaining power. So the answer to the question in the headline is: they won’t even hesitate.
257
@ML
"They care about one thing. Retaining power."
And money. They really, really care about money.
26
@ML The Republican party of so-called patriots shredding the US Constitution and throwing it in the trash right before our eyes.
7
@Saints Fan
Learn the facts behind that video clip. Biden was working at the behest of the U.S. State Department and most of the European Union. On of the reasons they were trying to oust Shokin is because he was supposed to be investigating Burisma -- but wasn't.
4
It seems pretty clear what the answer will be.
23
Don’t count on it from the GOP, and here’s the Ironic Quote of the Day from Lying Majority Leader McConnell on fairness:
“Finally, some fairness. This is the fair road map for out trial," he says of the proposed rules resolution he will soon formally introduce, saying it will bring the "clarity and fairness that everyone deserves."
54
@Bronx Jon The only reason he has a "road map" is because he's trying to drive a tank thru Miss Liberty.
3
@Bronx Jon - I had to turn off coverage of the trial today when McConnell started talking about bipartisanship. I had to work today, I couldn't afford to be as sick as listening to his lies and hypocrisy would have made me.
3
@Bronx Jon
Mitch McConnell understands fairness at approximately the same level as a pet rock understands fairness----which is to say not at the level of any honest human being. Look up the term deceitful in any up-to-date dictionary, and you will find a photo of Mitch McConnell.
1