It looks unlikely we will have witnesses in the Senate but we will eventually know the truth over the next weeks, months and years. The depth of Trump’s dishonesty may catch a few off guard but most will be duplicitous and that includes all the Senators who vote against further evidence in this mock trial. We are witnesses to the decline of the GOP and to the functioning of our Constitution.
DJT is using self-pity as a personality strategy with the once-Republicans.
They are all cowards and driving our Country off a cliff.
5
This impeachment process is the main way to educate the American public, and the Republicans know it, so they want to shut it down.
Trump's attorney's are acting as if Trump should have a role in the proceedings, and no one is stopping them. They are bullying the U.S. Senate, insisting on calling extraneous "witnesses" to distract from the main issues. They are indignant that the House didn't follow "their" process and, as a result, Trump et. al. refused to participate, turn over documents or be involved in any way -- then they had the audacity to complain that they were excluded from the process. Really?
Now they're bullying the Senate. This is akin to a criminal charged in an offense deciding the process, witnesses, evidence and verdict.
The Senate has the upper hand but is cowed by Trump and McConnell. Protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. Uphold your oath to be impartial. Do your job!
2
A criminal coverup is what Trump republicans are all about. They know if witnesses testify the American people, even Trump supporters, will be forced to face the Truth, Trump committed a serious crime against America's interest for personal political gain.
Trump is a house of cards that will collapse as sure as you can say Trump Casino. Those republicans who vote for witnesses are very wise, setting themselves up to lead the republican party after the Trump republican party collapses.
3
David Frum wrote in January 2018: “If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy.”
And it appears from this impeachment trial, law and order and the Constitution too!
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-secret-reason-republicans-wont-impeach-trump
5
Dear Republican Senators,
If you are at all vulnerable in your state, and you do not call for more witnesses and documents, you will be gone anyway.
So why not do the right thing, and call for witnesses. You might get 'primaried', or your base will desert you, but you are still gone.
Still gone, either way.
Except you can't look in the mirror, your kids avoid you, and probably even your dog won't like you anymore. (They can sense these things.)
Respectfully,
A concerned citizen of the world.
7
@JRW Didn't realize Canadians were electing Senators or anyone else in the US.
1
Mostly, they're worried about more accusations. They know as well as we do, we're looking at a can of worms.
2
Senate Republicans can't handle the truth.
1
Look at all those famous Senate lawyers stuck in the muck of their own creation. Does their God love them or what?
2
It is unfathomable to me that the Republican Party has torn up the Constitution in defense of one of the most corrupt and vile men on Earth who unfortunately happens to be the President of the United States. Trump has destroyed our image around the world and is slowly destroying America.
Our only hope to come back from this nightmare is for Democrats to control all three branches of government.
7
Since the Republican leaders in the Senate keep saying that the House should have investigated this more, does that mean that the House has to do it over? It's not like there aren't plenty of things that Trump has done that warrant impeachment. I hope that the House comes up with more articles of impeachment, this time with plenty of court-validated subpoenas, and give Trump the distinction of being the only president impeached twice. Maybe three or four times.
2
The Republican Senate knows that is giving unrestricted power to Trump.
They want more power.
That is why they will do this.
They know that they can do this because no one can stop them.
They don’t care.
Trump has always said there was a coup.
And Trump always projects.
3
If the Republican Senators are SO afraid of voting for witnesses because they fear trump will torpedo their reelections perhaps they should honestly look in the mirror.
1st. Their fears seem more about keeping their jobs rather than finding the truth of this matter.
2nd. If they fear retribution from trump for taking a "principled" stand for the truth that would indicate to me that they KNOW that trump and the republican party would view them as disloyal and poison their reelection chances.
3rd. If they let him escape these two articles of impeachment, how will they EVER be able to stand up to a dictatorial president who threatens and bullies the co-equal branches of government?
4th. And finally, these senators may put on a strong face and make up some lie to justify their actions, but deep down inside they will forever feel the rot of their decision; to let a crook escape justice.
2
@Lalo They probably realize most of this already and are only concerned about reelection. That's all they care about.
1
@Lalo 5th. These republican senators are more afraid of trump than the American People. They seem to think that the people watching and listening to this trail will not understand or remember the lies coming from the trump lawyers.
They seem to think that the polls stating 70% of Americans want witnesses in this trial is Fake News.
They seem to think that closing their eyes and ears to the "First Hand" witnesses (like John Bolton) who have stated their desire to testify will make them go away.
But Americans are saying "think again". In the streets, in the courts, and at the ballot box; all of these guys have to go.
2
But it was a perfect phone call per Trump?
Shame on the Republican Senators for putting their careers first. Is Trump's case so weak that you dare not consider direct evidence? You've really washed your hands in the muddy stream.
4
The White House lawyers argue for due process but not for this trial. They want to hold the House Managers and the House majority to the highest standards and hold their client and themselves to the lowest. They are daring Democrats to behave as badly as Republicans continue to do.
This may be daring gamesmanship, but does anyone think for one moment it is what the Founders intended? Of course not. The Founders had thrown off the yoke of tyranny. The Framers wanted to prevent the president from becoming tyrant. Why doesn't the Republican party care about this?
1
@pi: "Due process" is endless delay in courts collaborating with lying lawyers for kickbacks. The IRS doesn't go after Trump-style operators because it can't afford the legal fees.
1
@Steve Bolger
"Congress asked the IRS to report on why it audits the poor more than the affluent. Its response is that it doesn’t have enough money and people to audit the wealthy properly. So it’s not going to."
https://www.propublica.org/article/irs-sorry-but-its-just-easier-and-cheaper-to-audit-the-poor
What about the truth? Where, exactly does that fall?
3
I think the case is already a no-brainer. Trump demanded an announcement of a fake investigation from a foreign power to take down the leading candidate in the present election. It was not even a real investigation, so it was purely and specifically intended to politically assassinate Joe Biden, not a bona fide investigation of corruption in Ukraine. It was really an attempt to corrupt Ukraine. The rest is prima facie obstruction.
3
With reports now that McConnell now has the votes to block more witnesses, Republicans will now likely live or die with whatever John Bolton says in the future, as well as other evidence. They may have judged rightly that America is tired of this back-and-forth, but if the America that holds to higher values than "the Great Divider" Trump has its way, then we won't let him forget that he's not getting away with this in November.
Will our disgrace of a president continue to recruit others outside of the US, in his double-down posture of "exoneration", to help him corrupt this election more than he's done already?
2
The Republican Senators have already made up their minds how to vote: they will vote for acquittal because it is in their own interests, chiefly concerning their own re-election - once again demonstrating they choose themselves over the interests and desires of their constituents. Republicans, as always, are the party of pathological selfishness.
A fish stinks from the head.
1
Sooo . . . if the potential corruption of the Bidens in tandem with Burisma in Ukraine was worth investigating last summer . . .
Why has no investigation into the Bidens and Burisma been started yet?
When Trump gets saved by republican senators under the guise of bizarre arguments of Trump's legal team under direct supervision of Chief Justice Roberts, the date should be forever marked in history for achieving following milestones ...
- Death of American democracy
- Birth of autocracy and imperialism
- Destruction of independence of judiciary & judicial system
- Elimination of morale and conscience in republicans
- Rise of cowardice among voters (for not taking to streets)
- Huge drop in collective intellect of the American society
4
@Assay: Atlas drop kicked it.
So, Bill Clinton should have been tossed out for lying about sex while Trump is golden even when lying about bribing an ally? How Trumpian.
7
@Eleanor: They humiliated a young woman. There's more than one Brett Kavanaugh out there.
1
Well their "fear" of consequences (for doing the right thing) is justified. But their feet are encased in Trump-dung and they're going to the bottom.
The jabberwocky is flagrant, the Dems will have a key slogan: "He committed the acts; they demanded a fair Trial and then barred the witnesses."
6
They let this Dershowitz guy teach at Harvard?!
Wow.
6
@Thom Marchionna; Maybe Jeffrey Epstein donated to Harvard to advance his career.
5
The Slytherin will remain loyal to He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, bowing before Him and carrying out his every desire. They stand by and gleefully watch as the dementors suck the life from our democracy and Constitution, all to glorify and protect their own self-interests. So very unbearable to watch for us rational creatures...
3
IF they Bow to the Emperor & do his bidding ,,How long will it be till be has them arrested for voting against what he wants???
5
It's known they say as the World's greatest deliberative body.
Nonsense.
It's clearly the world's most debilitated body.
The GOP are cowards. Afraid of social media rants by the idiot in the White House and the vitriol from Fake Fox News.
Take a look at your country America, it is forever changed.
Utterly embarrassing and disgraceful.
2
please email your Senators now
Americans deserve to see witnesses before the Senate.
https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state&Sort=ASC
1
What a farce to see the Republican Senate bawling about the tar pit judicial system they hath wrought. Behold the Doctor Frankensteins of jurisprudence.
4
Did McConnell screen 'head on pike' during the Republican meetings? One would like to imagine the tiniest bit of coercion is necessary, even though still inexcusable, for a full-on betrayal of the Constitution and the US.
4
So, I guess that, thanks to Mitch McConnell and his Republican Senate, not only can Trump shoot someone on 5th Avenue, but it would be legal.
I’m sure that is what the founding Fathers had in mind.
Right?
2
they all know what he did and know that it was wrong. They are all just too chicken to tell the truth. How very sad for America. I hope those running for re-election never come back.
3
Figures McConnell would play the fear card with his own Senate majority of spineless dust bunnies. What goes around comes around? Fear is also how Trump works his cult. Please do the right thing, fellas. And you are mostly white fellas. Do the right thing now that everything else has failed.
2
In other words, the rank and file Republicans are just as cowardly, vile, and corrupt as their master in the White House.
1
#TRUMP4LIFE . America Is this what you really want? Where are you?
1
Republican Senators fear that allowing additional witnesses & their testimony might make them appear foolish dupes for blindly following McConnell & Trump.
2
@Lewis Sternberg The republican senators fear of losing power under tumps plan of staying in power for life. #trump4life watch.
The doors the Republicans are opening will be impossible to shut. I am warning the folks of this country that if we don't get in the streets and start protesting this sham, then we deserve what we get. Trump will use his executive privilege as a means to stay in power, citing election interference by the democrats in their quest to impeach him, therefor unfair election. I hope America is listening, I remember the moving van pulling up the White House. Where are you America?
4
Senate Republicans are power hungry cowards.
2
GOP Senators, all wimps. Unbelievable.
4
As the president and Republicans make a travesty of the Constitution and sneer the face of US justice, the media report it as a sporting event or theater, but this stuff is dead serious and will get far worse if it is not stopped soon. If the GOP will do this now, affronting the entire nation, boldly lying in our faces, imagine what they will do in a few years. Anyone who has read the histories of the rise of authoritarian regimes would assume that groups like those "gun rights advocates" (think rifle-toting brownshirts) who recently marched in Virginia might soon be pointing guns at their Democrat opposition. Read about Hitler's rise; then call me a Chicken Little.
5
Who Knew the antichrist was actually MCconnell and not trump. MCconnell has masterminded this whole thing, he just needed dumb puppets to get elected to carry out the rest of his evil plan. Does this man realize he will be living the rest of his life in the shadows. What a horrible and despicable man. The Grim Reaper he calls himself!!
3
With or without Mr. Bolton’s testimony as a percipient witness, the Republican Senate will declare him not guilty on both charges brought by the Democratic House.
I presume The House will then subpoena Bolton and his documents. His testimony under oath will be placed in the indelible record created by the House, but cannot change the jury nullification of the evidence that Senator McConnell and his Republican jurors have accomplished.
The ultimate fate of the Republican party and President Trump will ultimately be judged by the voters in November. As the Founders intended, when political parties place their own interest above The National interest the people must assert their sovereignty. But when the party in power conspires to corrupt the election process as Trump may well do again, what is the remedy then? Were the President to be reelected, the people will soon know whether the Republic’s fate will be suicide or triumph over a corrupted political party.
3
Having watched some hours of the Impeachment trial what stands out to me is that Trump's lawyers are if one reads between the lines, asking the Senator to relinquish their own power as legislators. The idea of three branches of government is as all know, a brilliant solution by the founders to have an effective republic. If it was me as a Senator, and some pencil necked fellow appeared to tell me to release my power, undermine the republic, and allow corruption... I would take a look in the mirror and cote for witnesses and impeachment, before my powers to do so did not exist.
3
"If you want that money, you're going to have to give 10% of it to my re-election campaign"
3
Okay, so let me get this straight. Republican Senators, who were elected by the people, are being threatened by other Senators and the White House to ignore the need for witnesses - in a trial that holds great importance for this country. And are doing this so they can just get this over as quickly possible, and to not upset Trump. What ever happened to justice, and seeking the truth - wherever that takes you. We pay your salaries. Your job as an elected official is to protect your constituents and our country by getting to the truth when necessary - not to protect the President. He has a team of lawyers for that.
2
Its so hard to watch republicans stupidly humiliate themselves before their contemptuous leaders, Trump and McConnell, who lie so openly and mercilessly and without reservation precisely because none of their arguments have merit. I so hope this level of ugliness has an endpoint. Soon.
2
My disgust with the behavior of the Republicans in the Senate is beyond measurement. I used to think that being a US Senator was one of the most honorable positions to which an American could aspire. However, since Trump high-jacked the GOP, the Republicans in the Senate, and House for that matter, are more like extras for the "Walking Dead"!
1
So Republican Senators fear any new testimony will expose MORE corruption & abuse of power? Interesting........very interesting.
1
The Well of Iniquity is bottomless, yet its discovery, like that of the Fountain of Youth, remains just out of reach, a hidden mystery wrapped in enigma and subterfuge.
We, the grand American experiment, are the Roman Empire, redux, and we are in inevitable decline. We keep thinking, and hoping, that Trump is an aberration, but he is merely the instrument of our demise, not its cause. We are no longer a nation with a common purpose and respected institutions.
One might think that the vast array of news outlets is a good thing, but there are fewer ways to distinguish the legitimate from the bogus. We have starved, by stripping revenues, the legitimate free press, and left in its wake a vast collection of sources of unknown repute and with unknown motives.
We are less connected and collegial than in the past. The book Bowling Alone identified this phenomenon years ago and its predictions have come true. We care less about our collective well being.
Did the German people foresee what was to come when Hitler was elected into office? I think not. Evidently, we had no right to think that Republican Senators would act responsibly to end this circus. Trump began this plan to use Ukraine to bogusly advance his political cause only hours after the impotent appearance of Robert Mueller before Congress. Once acquitted, Trump has free license to engage in all sorts of corruption of our election. The worst is yet to come.
2
@Kayemtee Americans Need to be in the Streets protesting this, Like Right Now. Not sure if we are going to be able to get out of this mess. :Gotts to work ya know"
@Chris
In retirement, I have gone to two anti-Trump rallies, and remain One A to be drafted when called. If I were younger or had kids, I’d be organizing, not just attending. We need those who will be most impacted in the future by Trump’s policies to lead the way.
Senate Republicans are as corrupt as this president and prove it each and every day. Speaker Pelosi should turn right around and impeach Trump each and every day, new charges against him. Let's continue impeaching him until November when we'll vote him out of office on onto the gutters where he resides.
@EDC Ain't gonna matter, U really think trump is going to lose in 2020 legal or not? We are in much more dire situation than people think.
1973 - Nixon: I am not a crook
2020 - Trump I am a crook, so what!
1
@angel98 Yup, and he will continue cuz hes now king 4 life.
Trump and republicans are going to get emboldened!! Be prepared for an illegitimate Election and Trump using his executive privilege to be President for Life. I'm afraid that what it's going to take to get rid of this coup is the American People and I am afraid we are to wrapped up in our JObs to do anything about it. The United States has shown today it has no backbone.
2
There continues to be bipartisan support to limit President Trump's war powers, yet GOP is claiming that President Trump should be entitled to do what he sees fit.
So which is it... is he fit to make any decision he sees fit or he needs oversight?
Oversight like a fair impeachment trial?
So sad and fearful for our country.
@Heather: They think it is very sophisticated to hold and assert mutually contradictory beliefs simultaneously. It is a rationale of high-functioning schizophrenics.
2
Look at the backlog of tabled bills on Mitch’s desk; the Senate is certainly not high functional, they are paralyzed by politics, useless and vestigial.
1
A short term gain for Republicans means long term harm. They forget that the pendulum will swing back and there will be a Democrat in the White House. I am sure they will be all up in there trying to impeach a Democrat based on the broad precedent they have set. Justice Roberts is right there watching the whole debacle and does nothing. He knows that the argument for broad Article II powers is an aberration and not made in good faith. He would never allow the argument to be made in the Supreme Court.
@Baby Jane: There is no evidence that Republicans ever think that sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. They will gleefully do to others what they abhor when applied to them.
2
No, I think they aim to break the pendulum so that there can and will be no future Democrat in the White House.
"He would never allow the argument to be made in the Supreme Court."
...except from a Republican. The vile GOP seeks to end Democrats' ability to gain the White House (or any office) at all—thus their support for corruptible voting machines and processes and a mad, autocratic loser that vile-GOPers can hide such ulterior motives behind.
Maybe the positive here is that if the Republicans refuse to allow witnesses, they've laid all their cards on the table. They don't care about rule of law or democracy or principles of any sort: they care only about raw political power. They govern purely for the 40% of voters who back them. Other Americans simply don't matter and should, to the extent possible and by any means possible, be prevented from having any voice at all in their government. Fortuitously for the Republicans our flawed Constitution has enough anti-democratic features to permit their 40% to dominate all branches of government regardless of the will of the majority. Because of the Constitution's flaws, elections cannot save us.
For those of us outside the 40%, this leaves us with a choice: submit to this tyranny of an unjust and corrupt minority or do what the Founders did when they were forced to bend under tyranny: rebel. The unprincipled behaviour of the Republican Party is not only driving America toward civil war, it is making civil war the only righteous course of action for those who truly value liberty, justice, and democracy for all.
3
I am waiting for one Dem senator to ask of the president's team: Since you claim this does not rise to the level of impeachment, what exactly would rise to that level?
4
The conservative message: stay with Trump firm and Russians will come to help you in November, jeebus may come too.
The republican party looks more and more like a crime family or a cartel.
3
Dershowitz is dead-wrong & John Dean is right!
Dershowitz: “If the president does something which he believes will help him get elected, in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment!”
John Dean, Nixon’s lawyer: “Alan Dershowitz unimpeached Richard Nixon today. All Nixon was doing was obstructing justice and abusing power because he thought he was the best person for the USA to be POTUS. Agree with Alan and impeachment is gone!”
4
What a bunch of spineless craven cowards in the Republican caucus. Afraid of a nasty tweet from the 8th grade bully in the White House. (Apologies to 8th grade bullies, who usually grow out of their obnoxious personalities as they mature.)
3
It's now the Republispin party.
2
I think the Republicans would be better off to unanimously vote to convict and remove Trump, and then go back to their constituents and declare that they saved both the Constitution and the party, rather than hiding behind the blatant lies and half-baked defense of this president just to avoid becoming the object of Twitter shaming by a madman.
4
Profiles in cowardliness
4
I for once agree with the Republicans. Let them stonewall the evidence. Then when Bolton's book gets published in March, let those who read it vote for the man who blackmailed Ukraine if they can still stand the stink. Even if Bolton were to testify that Trump held a gun to Zelensky's head, demanding he "make up stuff" politically damaging to Biden, and produce photos or videos of this, the Republicans would still vote to acquit. Yes, I believe this. But the Republicans mght consider this: a vote against evidence, against removal of the Great Cheater from office is a vote condoning solicitation of foreign influence in domestic elections. In November, what's good for the goosephant may prove good for the ganderocrat.
1
How about the hypocrisy of Nadler, Lofgren, Schumer et al, to a man and woman, declaring back in 1999 that impeachment should never happen if it’s a completely partisan endeavor? And yet here they are doing exactly that. Trump was victimized by Dems and the FBI by that outrageous Russian “collusion” witch-hunt, and now this witch-hunt. Dems were calling for Trump to be impeached in 2017 based on his comments about NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem— just contemplate such nonsense for a minute. It’s why Trump supporters rightfully realize Dems have been on a never-ending witch-hunt to overturn the 2016 election. The amazing thing is all of these failed efforts are only increasing Trump’s chances of being re-elected in 2020. (That, and Don Lemmon and CNN uproariously laughing in the face of Trump supporters everywhere.)
2
And a lot of those witches have served or are serving time.
It's absolutely amazing that the GOP thinks that if they stifle witnesses this week, the evidence is going to go away. Poof!
It's not. It's going to come out little by little, drip by drop, or maybe in a gushing torrent, somewhere down the road ever closer to the election. There's Parnas/Fruman and Friends' SDNY trial. There's a Giuliani investigation and potential trial, there's a Firtash trial (if they can get him extradited). There's a potential trial for whoever/whatever comes flopping out of all the evidence from all of those. Likely on top of that, there's McGahn's testimony and evidence, Trump's financial information, Bolton's book, more importantly his receipts which will come out if he has to take the WH to court re: clearance issues.
$10 says if the Senate doesn't allow witnesses, the House Committees will be in session within a week or two, this time playing hardball, (re)issuing subpoenas and contempt citations (and threat of arrest...and actually doing it this time...all they need is one person in custody before people will sit up and take notice). They'll start with Parnas and Bolton (and their receipts), then Fruman, Giuliani and Nunes' aide, Harvey.
1
For the Republicans It's all about political calculus, expediency, and not incurring the rathe of Trump and his base. With Democratic ranks wavering they may not be far behind their GOP advisaries.
Effectively the function of federal government has been profoundly perverted with the crucial mechanism of coequal branches and checks and balances having been greatly weakened. This at a time when presidential powers already held a clear edge over the legislative branch.
Hear ye, hear ye. Schiff says the evidence is overwhelming. Nadler says Trump is guilty beyond all doubt.
"Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) tried to convince the Senate on Wednesday that it had to subpoena more witnesses and documents because it could not “rely on what was investigated in the House.”
Did Schiff just say, the House brought an impeachment to the Senate without enough evidence.7
However, I would like to hear from the whistle blower and have the Intel IG report available. If more witnesses and evidence needs to be introduced, let's get the good stuff.
The bottom line is, the President is not guilty of unspecified crimes, he did not commit.
@Mike No, he did not say that. He said that the House found lots of evidence, but there is even more that they could not access because of Trump's obstruction. That's the point of Article II of the impeachment charge. The Senate can, and should, give Trump the opportunity to address THAT charge by adjudicating whether it is necessary and proper to see the evidence that Trump is refusing to turn over. If the Senate acquits Trump without even bothering to test their power to insist to Congressional oversight, then they have rendered the Congress' co-equal status as moot. They should insist on release of the documents and witnesses on principle alone, even if they ultimately vote to acquit. To do otherwise is to neuter themselves.
1
The republicans have chosen trump over Country and Constitution, it appears that Justice Roberts is following.
Sad day for America when our elected (republican) officials will obstruct from obtaining all of the facts
Voters will remember this action in the Elections of 2020.
It's laughable that part of Mitch's reasoning for not allowing witnesses is that it could tie up the Senate. What exactly would they be prevented from doing? McConnell has been keeping the vast majority of legislation coming out of the House in his personal 'graveyard', never to see debate on the Senate floor. So the only thing holding a real trial would really prevent is approving more of the conservative judges he's trying to pack the federal court system with. Rhetoric doesn't get much more self serving than that.
4
Josh Marshall says it is the Senators up for election that do not want witnesses because the, uh, truth would be so harmful to Trump that it outweighs the appearance of a stonewall in November. They want the coverup. And that’s where we are: the GOP would rather have us suspect the worst than know the worst.
Im sure Collins and Gardner suspect we’ll know all by November. But they are taking the coverup a day at a time
It should take whatever time it takes to get it right. To do otherwise would dishonor our republic and those whose hands are present in the manipulation of it.
1
The Democrats are always promising new evidence and failing to deliver. It happened in the Mueller investigation. It happened in the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. It happened in the impeachment inquiry with the "whistleblower".
In the unlikely event the House comes up with new evidence this time around, the House can deal with it then. Impeach the president again. Tell the voters. There's no need to keep the Senate from its business while the House goes on its expedition in search of fish.
This horse is dead. Time to stop beating on it. Time to move on.
1
If Bolton had any integrity he would have testified before the House. Saying he would comply with a Senate subpoena is a safe bet, as he knew that it was unlikely to issue one, and even if it did, the White House would challenge it in court, delaying it well beyond the election.
1
In 2016 the Democrats made the presumably unelectable Donald Trump electable by nominating the actually unelectable Hillary Clinton. For 2020 the Democrats' sham impeachment followed by their going nowhere grandstanding in the Senate has been a similar road to their worst nightmare, four more years of a Trump White House.
There is a way to "Get Rid of Trump," the mantra of the Democrats and their media allies for the last three years which has seen one bogus charge against Trump after another. Nominate a credible candidate and win the 2020 election.
Is Roberts only there to further soil the reputation of his own institution, building on the damage that the appointment of Kavanaugh did, and that McConnell did before that by unconstitutionally denying hearings for Garland? After all, legal scholars including, for instance, the author of the special counsel law, have argued convincingly in this paper that Roberts himself is explicitly permitted to call or subpoena witnesses. (In which case it would take a two-thirds majority to override him.) This isn't an impeachment trial in which he can do very little and then later slyly preen about doing very little very well. Our very democracy is at stake. The lackeys of the president have claimed that he cannot even be investigate for crimes much less be indicted, have said he is allowed to do anything at all in the name of being reelected, have said he could commit any crime no matter how heinous. How many more direct hits can our trust and faith in our government take? How dare any of these people say they care about corruption, the rule of law, the Constitution!
1
No, it's a vote to confront the trouble instead of avoiding it.
1
If the Senate wants to resume its business of gutting environmental laws, appointing unqualified judges, cutting health care and subsiding the rich, I'm good keeping them tied up with listening witnesses.
After the news of the Bolton bombshell just wondering if the Senate Republicans, who are on the verge of shutting this Impeachment trial down before allowing for direct witness testimony, are aware of how just how desperate a move this could be appear to be to the general voting public-or if they care? And also wondering if they ever heard of the adage that: 'Desperate moves are like stealing from the Mafia-They both can draw unwanted attention'.
In the not too distant pass, an engineer acquaintance of mine was told by his customer, "Let's not overthink this."
Now when things blow up or fall down, we figure the cause is most likely that somebody, somewhere, didn't want to overthink it.
Now Republicans in the Senate don't want to overthink Trump's impeachment trial by calling in more witnesses and ANY documentary evidence. They want to just get 'er done as with as much dispatch as is humanly possible.
I'm not looking forward to seeing what blows up and/or falls down as a result of the Republicans' unconscionable carelessness.
After hearing Dershowitz’s “anything is permissible” argument for an incumbent president if that president deems it in the national interest was the most terrifying moment of the impeachment trial and should send shudders to every American citizen. He may very well have paved the way for a dictatorship, presumably Trump’s dictatorship.
If he loses the election—what’s to stop him from declaring the election was rigged and that it is in the country’s best interest to overturn the results. Could he then declare another executive order to extend his term as he feels it is in the national interest.
Do you think the GOP will eventually step in and say: “enough!” In your dreams. They know that it is likely history will not look at them fondly—but that is going on the assumption that his side does not win. Senators will be even more loyal to him now, as their legacy depends on who will survive to write the history.
1
@HJ Yup, Someone Gets it. Problem is, everyone needs Disney+ and Iphone, So u know people are at their jobs right now instead of fighting for freedom. I feel we are doomed. For Real though!!
1
The system is working as it is designed: rigged!
You see, this is something regular folks already know. Laws are not really there to protect us, but rather to punish the weak and protect those in power. Just listen to Dylan's ``The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll'' to see how most folks witness justice in the U.S.A..
The fealty being paid to Trump is, after all, not unlike the fealty being paid to others in power.
4
Despite the ongoing trial Trump's numbers are improving which causes a cold chill in my heart. To think he could be reelected is a most scary thought. It seems the majority of the public is disassociated from politics or are deliberately ignorant of what is going on. This seems to be true in my neighborhood.
The coming acquittal is not unexpected; the GOP led senate has abdicated public service and replaced it with total party fealty. What's needed now is for Bolton to go on "60 Minutes" and tell us all his side of the story. And keep telling it all the way to November.
If the laws of a country allows to suppress witnesses from a trial that country is no longer free or Democratic.
Good. The faster the Schiff/Nadler/Pelosi/Schumer three ring circus ends the better. Let the electorate decide in November. The Dems claim they need to throw Trump out of office so he won't interfere with the election, like Hillary and Debbie Wasserman Schultz didn't do the dirty to Bernie, and try to do the dirty to Trump using a private investigator in 2016. This whole effort is a waste of time and taxpayer money. End it now and let the decision rest with the voters.
The Republican members of the United States Senate are bring eternal shame to themselves, the Republican Party. and the United States. Remember this when you vote in 2020, 2024 and 2028.
We are witnessing a turning point in the history of this once great nation. A deeply flawed and corrupt president, blindly supported by a depraved Republican party that is solely dedicated to maintaining power, is about to vote on the future of our government and democracy. There is little doubt which direction the vote will take. They will not allow any witnesses to come forward nor any evidence to be submitted that will illuminate the guilt of this president. The case will be dismissed.
The disservice that is being done to the American people is inestimable. The future of the presidency will be forever tainted by these cowardly elected officials who have violated their oath of office. They are not defending and protecting the Constitution, they are stuffing it into a shredder and tossing a match into the remains.
Once Trump is "cleared of all charges", he will be emboldened to take any actions he deems necessary to accomplish whatever he feels is vital to the Trump brand, not the United States of America. And there will be nothing we can do about.
He has finally shot someone in broad daylight on 5th Avenue and gotten away with it.
I fear, if he wins the next election, America will cease to exist as we know it. We have started on the slippery slope towards an autocracy.
Thank you Mitch McConnell et al. I hope selling out your country was worth it.
1
The kompromat on Barrasso, Graham et al, must be particularly salacious. Were the "campaign contributions" these Republicans accepted from trump's lawyers laundered funds from Russia?
If only someone could follow the money.
@Carruthers
Hey, who knows? Maybe Trump himself is making promises of riches to his followers. Now if there was only a way to see what he does with his money.
Maybe we could get a look at his tax returns and financial statements.
Yeah, like that's going to happen.
What fools we all are.
1
You either put yourself or the country first. And if you're going to do the former, then you belong in the private sector - period.
These Republican senators are so far down the trumpian rabbit hole that the US has disappeared from sight.
In a new Quinnipiac poll: 75% of Americans want witnesses including 49% of Republicans.
A vote to block witnesses is a vote against a fair trial, a vote for the "if the president does it, that means that it is not illegal," Nixonian, vision of America, and a vote against democracy.
A vote to block witnesses is a vote of cowardice.
The NYT reported the Justice Roberts can call witnesses when asked by the House Comittee. I suspect they will first hold the vote and, if denied, Dems will then "appeal" to him. I am by no means an expert in this sort of procedure, but I imaginge the strategy is to let the GOP stretch themselves as thin as possible with their cover up to then use this during the election campaigns. Perhaps a longue duree hope, anyway.
1
Now that Alan Dershowitz has redefined "public service" as "personal benefit" the GOP is justified in putting it's own interests above that of the country.
1
Let's see how the base, that mob holding us all captive in trump's nightmare, holds together.
Surely, even all those angry old white guys must recognize unfairness when they see it. They must see that trump is a simple-minded cheap crook. Don't they?
Well, yes, they do. As does the rest of the GOP, as does even the cipher who used to be Lindsay Graham.
They just don't care. We are living in a fun house of one-way mirrors. Trumpites get something out of trump I don't understand.
Is it the exploded deficit? Fouled environment? Opioid crisis? Exploded homelessness, economic disparity and dislocation? Is it the new crude politically incorrect discourse, the simple profane malapropism? The cruel treatment of refugees? The insults and threats?
All of the above, I guess. Murder on 5th Avenue comin' up next.
2
Senate republicans continue to "kiss the ring" of DJT. As does his legal team. I find myself both astounded and disgusted. And, in my humble opinion, Alan Dershowitz's statement is that of a fool, and left me scratching my head. Does he actually think the American people will buy that? As if Senators' constituencies matter.
Mitch McConnell will go down in American History as the most corrupt Senator of all time.
1
I really don’t know how Republicans could possibly make it clearer that they have zero actual interest in facts, the law, the Constitution, or anything other than their re-election and their power and their grabbing for themselves—and the toadying to Trump that they see as necessary.
And I’m pretty sick of hearing about what Susan Collins signalled, as she does her crummy little, “Gimme a soundbite so I can tell the suckers back home that I thought about it,” routine.
2
Mr. Dershowitz has just redefined "public service" as "personal benefit".
1
A relevant bit of humor:
A murder trial has reached its apex: a 12-person jury is ruminating if John and Jane Doe are guilty. The jurors have reached a deadlock, meaning their sequestration will almost certainly extend past the day of Super Bowl LIV [pun. LIV could be read "54" or Live--as in not murdered].
Juror #7, who is an avid NFL fan, says to his fellow jurors, "Listen, people get 86-ed all the time. We can't change that. Let's just wrap this up by letting these two fine people--John and Jane--of the hook. We do this, and none of us will miss Sunday's game between the 49ers and the Packers."
This appeal to justice did the trick. The Does walked, and everybody's Super Bowl Sunday game was saved.
1
The Republican Party have sold themselves out lock, stock and barrel to Trump and his endless corruption
I feel it's too late..... We let this man trash our constitution. The Republicans and Trump will declare he be president for life through executive order. They will get away with it too. No one will stop them, the only hope is people protesting to the point the country stops.....aint gonna happen!
Heaven forfend that the Senators we elect and pay handsomely to represent us go to a little extra trouble to prevent the current impeachment trial from turning into a show trial that would enable a known fascist wannabe to grab even more power. SO sorry to bother you! After all, nothing important is at stake here: just the home of the brave and the land of the free!
I'm surprised democrats want to extend this farce out any further than it has already gone. The case is embarrassingly, shockingly, weak, has highlighted how bad of a person Mr. Schiff and the House democrats really are, and provides ample proof of democrats extraordinary hypocrisy and their skill at double-speak. The "debunked by democrats" concerns about the Biden's activities in Ukraine would get a good airing, and there's no doubt they won't help his election case. If you read anything about Hunter Biden you can only see what a horrible person he is, and his father's support for him is simply another example of democrats "watch what I say, not what I do."
@DJOHN It sounds like you spend most of your reading time on the Fox News site. The case is not weak, but Republicans have united in calling it that just to get folks like you to repeat those talking points. I suppose you also haven't noticed that no new facts have been produced regarding Hunter Biden's dealings in Ukraine, but Republicans have whipped the innuendo into a froth. As for Mr. Schiff being a "bad person", I'd be curious as to exactly how you've arrived at that conclusion? He's certainly made far more sense, and been far more factual during these proceedings than his Trumpian counterparts. Perhaps if you stepped back from the rhetorical nonsense Trump and his lawyers have presented and took an in depth look at the facts presented, you might come to a different conclusion.
Is #BoycottBolton trending yet?
Put an end to this sham impeachment. If you need to, show the video snippets of house witnesses and media and state department officials commenting about the Joe/Hunter/Burisma conflict and concern.
In particular, the NYT article should wrap up the impeachment.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/us/politics/biden-son-ukraine.html
Did Trump have a legitimate reason to question the Biden/Burisma relationships? YES!
Does running for president give Joe a free pass from any questions? NO!
1
As Libertarian & summa cum laude graduate of Trump U. I demand that Michael Bolton be allowed to testify.
How dare these people say they care about corruption in Ukraine! How dare these people say they care about corruption anywhere!
1
Oh how I wish comments weren't moderated for civility.
Duh.Witnesses equal removal of the most abhorrent sub human to ever walk the earth and he's all yours GOP.
If you think that allowing witnesses would turn the Republican Party into the Hindenburg, you probably shouldn't say that out loud. You only make people wonder what you are afraid the witnesses will say.
Senators, please do not give unlimited power to the executive branch. The founding fathers are turning in the grave . Put America and the constitution First. History will not forgive you. Do not make this country a Banana Republic. What you are hiding? Why you guys are covering up a serious crime?
WOW. If one didn't know better, one might say Republicans are saying anything just to run out a predetermined clock.
https://mobile.twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1222917406210908160
Oh wait...
For Republicans and the Evangelicals- so called Christians- the daily Trump lies are their Manna. Nothing more adorable than a Trump lie. It's pure idolatry. His lies are send by god. He is their anointed king.
It would seem that Republican senators up for re-election face a bit of a dilemma: if they vote to include witnesses, trump will attack them viciously on twitter, and they will lose their base voters. While their base would never vote for a Democrat, they might not show up at the polls.
But if they don't vote to include witnesses, they may lose moderate independents. Either way, the Democratic base will come out in droves.
I'm beginning to feel a little bit more optimistic for the November elections.
11
@Andy Beckenbach Not if trump uses his executive order and deems the election unfair, he and the republicans will then use that as a way to declare "trump being president for life is what's best for the American People". Watch
WHY are our hard earned tax dollars paying for Trump (or any other government employee/worker) to engage in verbal/psychological abuse, and broadcasting thereof, of fellow citizens and/or for personal or partisan pillorying? He should do that, if he is incapable of refraining, on his own time and with his own dime. That means in/from a place not on government property, not using government owned- or leased equipment or services, not while eating food or drink in any way paid for or prepared or served or in any way provided via government funds (including in WH kitchens or tested by WH or related staff), and during a time when he dismisses and releases tax-payer provided personal protection.
1
With the way hings are progressing you'd think the Republicans would at least consider the fact that if they acquit him they are giving free reign to ALL future presidents whether they be Democrat or Republican. They are clearly only thinking in the moment and not about future implications. It's truly astonishing what they're willing to do just to win another election.
8
@Shanda The irony of using the word `reign' when you hopefully meant, rein, is apropos to where we are headed.
2
I think their end goal, with strategic gerrymandering, is to ensure that there are no future Democrat presidents.
2
While this trial is a bigger sham with each passing day, there is a bright side, sort of. Bolton's book (and media tour to sell it) will come out in March and lots of GOP senators will be held accountable in November. Trying my best to stay positive against all odds.
11
@George If Trump is acquitted, I believe Bolton may be shot on Fifth Avenue by Trump himself to really drive the point home to all those that doubt Trump's Reign. We've got the makings of a great and all powerful leader!
2
This trial should be at least half as long as the investigation into Hillary's emails. If no witnesses are called for the impeachment trial, there should be a march on Washington. What will Trump do next if he can get away with anything. I'm staying away from 5th Avenue.
10
Witness testimony would show that Trump chose to set up a shadow foreign policy centered on his personal lawyer, and orchestrated the illegal effort to withhold both vital military aid that had been appropriated by Congress and a coveted White House meeting unless Ukraine acted in a way that would hurt the former vice president and help Trump’s reelection.
In other words, the president put enormous pressure on a foreign power to intervene in an American election by harming his political adversary. Can you imagine the outrage of Trump supporters if, in 2012, Barack Obama had coerced, say, China into announcing an investigation into and digging up dirt on Mitt Romney, and then justified it by saying that a president has the power to ask any nation to undertake any investigation?
9
The point is that
In essence, during what they hoped would be the final hours of Mr. Trump’s trial, Senate Republicans were constructing a permission structure for not trying to get to the bottom of what happened, with the hope that voters would find their explanations satisfactory and reasonable
is an entirely reasonable expectation. Even if the percentage of Americans who claim to want to hear testimony is large, it's dubious to assert that the same percentage will, in November, be so furious at this travesty that they will simply vote against any trumpican on the ballot.
Why that is cannot be hard to fathom. Between now and then
the amount of money spent on media buys and
social media spending designed to distract and cathect
whatever anger might still be present upon Democratic
candidates instead of trumpicans will be ENORMOUS. There will be a multi month long media blitz campaign that will cost
many billions, supplemented by the usual propaganda
that comes very cheap, aka the contribution
from f-x etc.
Combined with
still more economic news that is a net positive +
additional beatings up on foreigners - allies
and enemies- and you have a formula for strong messaging
dominance.
So, trumpicans believe they have an arsenal of weapons, well positioned in a variety of ideal locations, to deflect and neutralize whatever their opponents can employ. This belief
seems highly plausible and is surely behind their current
calculation to veto any testimony.
2
The Republican Party forced the hand of Doug Ducey to appoint Martha McSally to replace Senator McCain. We ended up with a Senator that Arizonans did not vote for in the previous election. Senator McSally has been an dutiful soldier for President Trump. She has stated that she will be voting no for further witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial. Mark Kelly just got another campaign contribution from me this morning. It is time to vote out the enablers.
Regarding our other Senator, Kyrsten Sinema, she is a wild card. If she does vote with the Republicans on witnesses, she will surely be facing a primary challenger in 2025.
3
The President can’t abuse his power, per GOP. Therefore, he can and will obstruct any investigation.
If he can’t be investigated, he can’t be removed. But if he can’t be charged either, because DOJ mistakenly holds that he can be removed, then he can do whatever he wants to win re-election, with impunity. The GOP supports this by saying, we can’t overturn an election.
But what is overturning an election? Cheating, or stopping the cheating?
2
I'm kinda ambivalent on the issue of calling additional witnesses. On the one hand, it would be good to hear from Bolton, Mulvaney, Giuliani, Parnas, Biden, Biden, the Whistleblower, Schiff, each Schiff staff member who had contact with the Whistleblower, and whoever else can be dug up. Is there any way Zelensky can be subpoenaed? Would love to hear from him too. On the other hand, getting through all the witnesses would be a very lengthy process, thereby keeping some front-running candidates off the campaign trail and the Senate unable to do anything else while the President gets to run around campaigning and having rallies, making trade deals, building border wall, doing foreign policy, tweeting endlessly and keeping the MSM in a constant state of high dudgeon. What a dilemma!
Sadly money in politics allows hitting the hot buttons of fear and division through Fox News and zeroing in on people through Facebook and other social media and the Republicans seem to have the edge there since the well moneyed folks want to lower their taxes or be deregulated no matter the cost to society.
I think the Republicans face two options: (1) Vote for no witnesses and looking like conspirators in a cover-up to save Trump. (2) Vote for witnesses and damage Trump. The Republican Party will be discredited if the Republicans choose (1); Trump will be damaged if they choose (2).
This sham "trial" has marked the time in American history when Republicans, and the Chief Justice, renounced the Constitution and their oaths, in order to return us to, at best, a monarchy, and at worst, a dictatorship. Hearing Dershowitz defend any and all actions of a President as above the law was one of the most shocking statements I've ever heard, and absolutely overturns our entire history, let alone the reason we broke away from the monarchical rule of England. We are no longer defenders of democracy, as elections now have no real meaning if cheating is allowed and condoned. If Trump gets away with this he will never willingly leave office.
This is a perfect storm in favor of the republicans. Lawlessness nows protects the Oval Office, the 1% of Americans have most of the money and they could not be happier. Made even richer by the GOP the average American has little recourse other than to vote, however....
Russia and any other despot country has the personal invitation from Trump and the GOP to do as they please with our elections.
1
Dear Republican Senators (and using the term "Dear" very loosely),
Everything will come out, sooner or later. And when it does, it will only make you look even worse than you do now, which hardly seems possible.
75% and rising of the American public, including a plurality of Republicans, wants to see witnesses.
This is an opportunity to be on the right side of history or live in shame forever. The voters won't forget.
2
The logic of Mr. Graham is blatantly grotesque. It's unbelivevable how low he will go, but he apparently thinks he has nothing left to lose as the base of Trump is not receptive to any of the rule of law arguments. How can you determine a witness testimony is not of any importance before actually hearing the witness?
I'm astonished that not one GOP senator will stand for such a principle against the lost rep. leaders. I wonder how can any GOP supporter not find that unacceptable. It's quiet a basic procedure in any trial in the world, even political hearing.
DT has definetly been successful at setting new standards of normality. Propaganda by tweeter is effective. As he did with cambridge analytica.
there is so much content you could do multiple scandals movies.
This coup has been a long time in the making. Anyone thinking that John Roberts is not part of it has not been paying attention. This is the end game now but Americans seem to be much more interested in a football game then they are in watching our democracy go up in flames.
First, McConnell long ago “tied up the senate “. There are hundreds of bills passed by the House that languish on his desk, so that is a bogus complain. The senate has only just begun to work.
As for taking time, Schiff offered to make no challenge to any decision by the Chief Justice and called on the defense to agree to do likewise. That they won’t only speaks to the difficulty of defending the indefensible. So, the time complaint is also a red herring.
The Republican concern about the decision being partisan is the final red herring as it is their actions to block all witnesses and documents that serves to assure a partisan outcome. It is what they desire; however, it is not what the country deserves.
Their utter shamelessness was encapsulated in the words of one of the lawyers who claimed that accepting political dirt on an opponent from a foreign government would be just fine. From that point on I could not stop thinking that their morality is that of “right is whatever you can get away with “. It perfectly reflects the moral position of their client.
This is what the Republican party is: a cesspool of corruption. Remember that when you vote, and next November may be our final opportunity to do so.
1
The bottom line is that many people elected to the senate and house are corrupt. Their only goal is to preserve their seats of power and fill their pockets. We need term limits for all. Two terms and out. This will not only help keep corruption low but will enable other citizens the opportunity to serve our country. Their longevity in the senate or the house just helps them create their fiefdoms with the help of lobbyists and PACs. The last four-five years have been a good opportunity for all Americans to see their naked greed and self-serving actions. Enough! Term limits is overdue!
Republicans are terrified of McConnell, who in turn is equally terrified of Trump. Yet it's nothing compared to the agony felt by most Americans, who are watching Democracy be destroyed by fewer than 60 people. America has faced crises before, but never one so potent, so palpable and so self-inflicted as this one.
3
I weep for our once great democracy!!
With the long list of Trump’s self-serving and corrupt administration misdeeds, how could anyone expect a swift trial in the Senate? Everyone else with a job has to do the work. But the Senator’s who vote for no witnesses, or documents think they can vote away their responsibilities.
1
Republicans know Trump is corrupt and this may be the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. They only care about power, and the spineless "moderates" will cave at the end. The GOP, Trump and his attorneys are basically making the case for authoritarianism. Congress has ceded their oversight responsibilities. If someone as corrupt, but actually smarter and more disciplined than Trump, gains the Presidency, what is to stop that person from complete dictatorship? Apparently the powers of the President are unlimited, and uncheckable. People seem to forget that many dictators started out being elected, but then muzzle the opposition, fill government with toadies and intimidate those in their party. This is what we see happening here. The next election is more crucial than any in the last 100 years.
1
How Chief Justice Roberts can preside over this farce and not urge the Senate to call witnesses in the search for truth is disheartening. It is one more nail in the coffin of our democratic institutions. It renders null and void Americans' beliefs that no one is above the law or that trials are held to uncover the truth.....
The Supreme Court is sitting idly by as the Republicans make a mockery of Trump's impeachment trial undermining bedrock American principles.
1
Quoting My Cousin Vinny: "You think you got trouble NOW?"
1
Dear Senate Republicans -- please read: before you make your final vote on allowing witnesses and/or voting for Trump's acquittal, consider that 1) you vulnerable Republican senators may lose reelection anyway, and 2) Trump may lose in 2020 in a big way.
So all of this lying, covering-up, selling your integrity for the most criminal president in our history, will all be for nothing. You are going to lose no matter what. November 2020 is going to be a bitter moment for Republicans, as it should be.
And to think every moment of the past three years could have been avoided if only you had the courage to prevent Trump from being your nominee in 2016. Hope it was worth it for you. The rest of the country is paying for your failings.
2
A vote for witnesses is a vote for truth and transparency. Republicans are willing to risk everything, even our very democracy, to block witnesses and documents. They know the truth will only prove Trump’s guilt. But what they don’t seem to know is the truth always has a way of revealing itself. When it does, every Republican who votes to block witnesses and documents are trading potential short term gain for a permanently stained legacy. Sad!
2
Why would an innocent man, and a jury interested in the truth, not want all the evidence out and all the witnesses to testify? Wouldn’t you if you were innocent?
3
In other words, by doing all they can to help cover up Trump's "drug deal," the Senate Republicans are rendering themselves accessories after the fact to treason.
In a sane and just world, they would all be held accountable in a court of law.
2
It has gotten to the point where just reading The New York Times is like a foray into surrealism. This analysis essentially says that the Republicans don't want to allow Bolton's testimony because they fear it will lead to a chain-reaction of evidence exposing a bottomless pit of corruption. I can hardly believe it's the United States of America I'm reading about.
3
An impeachment without witnesses is a sham, reminds me of "kangaroo court" our media has been labeling courts in other countries.. A vote for not having witness is a vote for cover up.
The Republican Party is totally corrupted by Trump.
2
House Democrats will have to subpoena Bolton, Mulvaney, etc.
There is no reason not to get the truth out to the public and every reason to get the information to the American electorate.
To do nothing is to kiss the republic goodbye.
1
We're all in deep trouble when the U.S. Senate sees truth-seeking as a problem rather than its reason for being.
2
McConnell hasn't been doing the work of the Senate anyway so what's the difference having a few witnesses to bring out ore details of Trump's crimes and misdemeanors.
1
The Republican Party is guilty of a massive dereliction of duty.
1
No, we don't want to hear from any more witnesses. Why would we want to hear from the only eyewitness to the crime?
1
So many reasons to impeach Trump that simply cannot be classified as a witch hunt, unless one is a Republican.
1
Can we at long last stop referring to the Senate as a "deliberative" body, much less the greatest? It was never true to begin with, but in the age of Mitch, it has been proven for all to see to be a caucus of cowards.
4
Let’s vote for Bernie or any other Democrat and watch the whole economy tank
1
Immediately write, email, post on FB (under any entry near the top) your GOP Senator. Copy this: "We want witnesses. Why are you afraid of Trump? What does he have on you?"
Email your senators and tell them what you think.
1
Are we now living in the United Mistakes of America?
2
The American people especially Republican voters should be concerned about what their representatives are doing.
I say especially Republican voters because this behavior is a sign for things to come in all judicial matters since the federal courts are now flooded with justices who believe and act like McConnell.
Would you still have faith in government or the justice system to protect you against monied interests poisoning your water or creating cancer villages?
My god, 60,000 Texans had to be evacuated when a petrochemical plant exploded and the local government refused to take legal action. Instead they told those people to seek assistance from the EPA. The organization dismantled by Trump's henchmen and who caters to monied interests.
Republicans refusing to hold their guy in the White House accountable for abuses of power, is exactly what local Republican officials are doing all across the country. They will get away with it because the public is getting pay back for having a black president.
Blah, blah, blah, lame excuse after lame excuse.
Please spare us, the GOP controlled Senate has every intention of declaring Trump innocent as they have already announced. They don't care what crime he has committed.
Documents or witnesses cannot be allowed, since the bold facts of the truth, would be on display. The more crimes that are exposed, the more crimes they must declare aren't crimes.
Trump doing anything to win reelection, since he has the best intentions of the Country at heart, is not a crime.
That one can now apply to the classic murder on fifth avenue, but instead of voters, it is Senators putting reelection and self interests above country and duty.
What if Trump loses the election and declares it fraud and refuses to leave office? What then Senators? Crowning a king is dangerous.
1
It's a vote for sane justice and the rule of law. Republicans can't have that.
No innocent party ever stands up to say, "You can't investigate me, I won't allow it, and you can't talk to witnesses or have documents!"
No uncorrupted official ever said, "Oh no. No witnesses! No documents! We don't need those!"
No American worthy of the name would ever stoop so low... would they?
I miss the innocence of our youth -- three years ago.
1
Think of Trump’s corrupt action to withhold Ukraine security funding as a cockroach. Where there is one, there are many. If the GOP ignores this first cockroach, the House will need to do their constitutional duty and call out the rest of them. It’s a rich field of choices, but suggest an investigation into Trump’s emoluments abuse.
1
There is a cease fire on in Ukraine. But the Congress and most of the NYTs op ed. writers pretend there is hot war where the Ukrainians are being harmed by Trump because he held up US weapons. Zelensky is working with France, Germany and Russia to end this travesty. The US and the right wing nationalist Ukrainians who started this mess seem the only ones who want to engage in this unprovoked warfare against Russian ethnic Ukrainians. Zelensky has already reached an agreement with the Russians to reopen the natural gas pipeline between Russia and Ukraine.
Earth to John Roberts: stop acting like an overpaid clerk and preside. You know, like the Constitution says. Tell the lawyers when they are out of line.
1
@Andrew he was always a corporate flack & mediocrity,
John Roberts is like a school Principal. He needs to let the teachers handle the situation but step in and take control when the time demands before the school is on fire.
If they think think that voting for witnesses means trouble, wait until they find out what voting against witnesses means.
One thing it means is supporting the dictatorial and lawless instincts of a madman.
There will be serious consequences for affirming this despicable, willful choice.
Trump, McConnell, and complicit Republicans have dragged America into the gutter.
1
If witnesses are not allowed at Donald Trump's impeachment trial, it will be a dagger into our democratic values and democracy around the world, an American historical governing atrocity, and a Republican Senate abomination -- unlike anything in the past!
Find out which local business owners in your area are owned by republicans, out them, and refuse to give them a penny of your hard earned money.
They seem to think that we don't notice these republicans.Oh we can just sweep it under the rug they say.Are they that naive?Do they live under a rock?Apparently so
1
If the Senate does not allow witnesses to testify they are shirking their duty. I personally will never vote for any Republican who stands behind this criminal president. He is clearly guilty of multiple crimes.
@ GO In answer to your final question-all Republican Senators want to sign up for making the US a Trumpian dictatorship!
What is most disillusioning is that half of America supports and even embraces this blatant abuse of law, justice, and indeed our Constitution. Trump is lost, devoured by his own insatiable ego and lust for power and control. The Republican Party itself has sold its soul to all that is right and good. But what is the engine which enables this runaway train to speed off its rails and onto the edge of a cliff? We look no further than the greedy, the nativist, the bigot, the religiously fanatical. Certainly, this America in which I was born is better than this. Or is it?
Republican Senators are being asked the wrong question. They are not simply voting against witness testimony or obtaining further documentation. As yesterday’s answers from Trump’s lawyers made clear, their vote for no witnesses and an eventual acquittal is a vote to make their branch of government powerless. Their vote against witnesses and a vote for acquittal is a vote for authoritarianism. They should be asked why they are voting for that.
They won’t answer, of course, because they don’t care.
I spent a good portion of my life living overseas, always trying to dodge the ‘Ugly American’ stereotype as best I could. The Ugly American....the loud, rude, ignorant American who has no respect for anything and anybody else. I must say that the divine being orchestrating the destruction of this nation could not have chosen a better caricature of an Ugly American to be at the helm of this ship as we go down than Trump.
Maybe this really is who we have always been. Even so, it breaks my heart that in a day, our Senate will officially vote to give all power to the Ugliest American of all.
Treason. Pure and simple.
Trump is guilty of putting himself and his interests above the needs and integrity of the country. He has committed treason against the United States and her interests.
And now, so will the republican senators that vote to knowingly keep the truth from coming out.
Why? Because the truth is inconvenient. Because it’s not politically expedient. And because it highlights their complicity in Trump’s high crimes and misdemeanors.
Cowards - all of them.
So this is how American Democracy and the American ideal dies. Not at the hands of a superior power or strategic mastermind. But under the heel of a self-serving, mentally and ethically deficient con man and his band of petty, small, selfish, ignorant supporters and enablers.
Let history remember the Trump family, Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham and all their ilk as a stain on humanity and history. They turned off the lights of the shining city on the hill. For shame.
Here's something for the know it all Trump, his slavish Senators and (un)cultured supporters: "apres nous, le deluge"!
Republicans know this administration is corrupt. They know that trump was guilty of what he has been charged. They don't want to anger trump and his base, so they participate in the cover up. Spineless and disgusting. Vote them out of office !
1
If this trial ends the way Mitch & Company are hoping for, the children and grandchildren of these cowardly Republican Senators should legally change their last names NOW, or face a future of being known forever as the descendants of those who let a serial-lying, narcissistic autocrat ruin what once was American democracy.
1
GOP just wants to legalize criminality for GOP presidents. If and when the country sees another democrat at that desk, they’ll feel differently and regain their “morals”
1
When these republicans senators vote to let trump off the hook, they will be committing treason...their votes will be destroying our democracy our constitution our legal system...not to mention warping reality, truth, common sense and decency.
Why are the Republican Senators so cowardly and unpatriotic? They have sworn to uphold the Constitution, and they are working to eliminate it, to create an autocracy. Shame on them!
An even bigger problem than the undeniable quid pro quo to help T try to get reelected is the harm done to Ukraine in its fight against Russian, meaning that T was helping Russia again, and Russia will help to try to reelect their minion.
History will not be kind to them
2
Does freedom of speech still exist? Is the first amendment valid? If the answer is no, our democracy is dead.
trump says bolton’s manuscript is full of lies. If that’s the case, how can the information be classified?
If it’s classified, I would think it must be the truth. And if that’s the case, bolton should get to state it without revealing the classified portion.
The entire country should be outraged! Do we really want king trump? fuhrer trump?
This is no longer about politics. It’s about right and wrong. It’s about freedom and tyranny.
Anybody voting against witnesses is a traitor by virtue of violating the constitution.
1
There will be more revelations about Donald Trump‘s nefarious activities, and when that happens these Republican senators, who have gang raped the Constitution by setting up a kangaroo court to protect Trump will receive the biggest backlash. While they are hanging on for dear life to Donald Trump’s base , they seem oblivious to the fact that the tide of public opinion is gradually turning against them and what is left of their reputations .
It’s one thing to be arrogant , it’s another thing entirely to be arrogant and stupid at the same time.
1
How is it that the President's threatening tweets to Republicans are not jury tampering?
This is like a Mafia thug telling a juror, "Nice family you have - it would be a shame if anything happened to them."
2
The media has finally gotten around to calling Trump’s falsehoods, misleading statements and embellishments what they are: lies. Now let’s be sure to apply the correct labels to these GOP senators. They are cowards, enablers, hypocrites and conspirators. I, for one, can’t wait for November.
Was it not Trump, himself, who said he could get away with murder on Fifth Avenue in broad daylight? This is the proof!
Was it not Roberts, himself, who said there are not Republican judges and Democrat judges? Show us the proof!
Voters in Colorado: Replace Cory Gardner!
2
shut it down !
the trial that wasn't a trial
alternative facts instead of the facts -
15,413 false or misleading claims from potus -
Shut it down ! Shut it down ! Shut it down !
Cried mitch mcconnell
The Republican rush for completing the trial quickly is the same argument that they used against Democrats for wanting the trial to start quickly. Intense hypocrisy.
Democrats wanted to complete the trial in 2020, not 2021 or 2022. Since the House *investigation* phase is subject to usual conventions (not established laws) regarding presidential privilege, it was always clear that court cases and repeated appeals and the addition of additional questions and appeals was a process that would take years. That process would effectively remove the impeachment clause, for a President, from the constitution.
In the trial, however, the Senate has **sole** control over the procedures. They can subpoena witnesses and the courts have traditionally been reluctant to interfere in impeachment cases.
Previous presidential impeachment trials and most criminal and civil trials have witnesses and at least 65% of Americans expect witnesses.
It's OK for the House to take years investigating their darling President, but not OK for them to sit another couple of weeks without shooting off their mouths.
The Senate is most certainly NOT the world's greatest deliberative body that Chief Justice Roberts claimed it was just a few days ago. It's a bunch of political hacks spineless to stand up to a ruthless President. Nothing more than that.
1
In GOP world Truth = Trouble.
If the GOP Senate votes as expected, there will no longer be American ideals, just American deals.
It’ll be death to America by suicide.
75% of people say, "Bring on the witnesses!"
Bolton, Pompeo, Mulvaney, and indicted Giuliani associate Lev Parnas should be testifying under oath. Let's find out what happened!
Defense lawyers, saying that anything a POTUS does to insure his re-election is OK, even if it involves a foreign government, is NOT OK!
Superbowl Justice.......
An American King.
Dershowitz has fully aligned with the hard right and, sadly, the hard right of Israel. He is a shill for Jared Kushner. I'm a Holocaust survivor's son. I understand the paranoia and fear and protectionism that many Jews, Orthodox or not, feel about Israel.
Trump's far right Fascist agenda, unfortunately, aligns with a paranoid view of the world. Paranoia is, in fact, Israel's (and the Jews) biggest enemy.
None of this is easy. To love is not easy. Tolerance is not easy. Fear and repression are far easier. Dershowitz is complicit with the Republicans in a massive coverup allowing a fully authoritarian Presidency more than likely leading to a second term inclusive of cheating the elections.
In every generation, goes the Jewish saying. We are challenged deeply as is our Christian and Muslim brothers. The right wing has reared its ugly head.
I don’t think republicans understand that the rent always comes due. In November vote those clowns out of office. Then prosecute them. They are all criminals.
These republicans are unable to live up to the deal of democracy. Truth leads to justice, at least it used to. They're all traitors.
It almost a bizarro world. First we elect a known criminal in the White House and then expect him to be impeached for a phone call?
The Republican Party has clearly demonstrated its priorities, and their priorities have nothing to do with sustaining and nurturing our Constitution and democratic republic--quite the opposite.
The Democrats tried the case against Trump in the Senate, where they made all those articulate, highly professional constitutional arguments and outlined the consequences and precedents if Mr. Trump is allowed to get away with seeking foreign interference in our elections and refusing to cooperate legally with Congress.
Meanwhile, the Republicans tried their case in favor of what Trump did in the court of public opinion, where they gave us Fox News talking points that never actually addressed the facts of the case against what Trump did. Dershowitz made stuff up to help acquit Trump.
A quick acquittal with no more relevant witnesses and the party-over-country Republicans are done and on schedule, right before Mr. Trump gives his State of the Disunion Address.
So, it looks like the Constitution is being laid to rest and truth and justice denied.
But truth has a funny way of enduring and slowly coming out. So now we persist and try Trump in the court of public opinion--hopefully aided by Bolton's book and all those other corrupt Trump shoes likely to fall and be reported by our free press.
Of course, like any viable dictatorship, Trump and the GOP are already trying to stop the publication of Bolton's book, and now we know why Trump says the press is the "enemy of the people."
15
@PB: Trump probably won't let Bolton make money from that book. He'll have it classified.
Yes, there will always be more incriminating evidence because there will continue to be more impeachable crimes. The Mueller report documented and uncovered multiple offenses, but Mueller obeyed the law knowing he could not charge a sitting president. The House then took up the charges, secured documents and testimony, and impeached the president. Since the impeachment a steady flood of evidence - much of it first hand - has been made public, and the senate is blocking that evidence along with the witnesses who brought it forth.
McConnell's senate has done its work - but lost its soul in the process. Through McConnell Trump has besmirched the honor of the senate while praising them for what they are doing. Nothing Trump does from this time forward will be a crime. Power without virtue corrupts; "absolute power corrupts absolutely."
13
I think the Republicans are about to win the battle, but lose the war. If we do not vote these Republicans out of office we deserve the dictatorship.
20
I’ve said from the start of this trial that there was no way Republicans will vote for witnesses. Not just for defense strategy but simple common sense: who wants to sit through this misery for weeks or even months more? As Jack Nicholson said in a movie, “I’d rather stick needles in my eyes.” Anything is better than this torture.
Wait... I’m confused. I thought the Democrats, when they impeached the President, said they had an “ironclad case” with “overwhelming evidence” to convict Trump in the Senate. But now they’re crying that they need to hear from Bolton? I guess the Dems weren’t being truthful about their case being so indisputable if they now feel they need more proof.
6
Bolton is just icing on the cake...for the benefit of our citizens who cannot wade through the legal arguments presented by the House, but would be persuaded by the sound bytes generated by a Bolton testimony.
1
The Democrats aren’t crying and they do have an ironclad case. Unfortunately it’s still not enough to influence the truth denying and intractable Republicans. Because John Bolton is a hard core Conservative, handpicked by Trump, the Dems are hoping that his testimony will finally convince Republicans to pay attention to facts and convict Trump.
2
@David T
(1) No one is crying.
(2) If additional evidence emerges in the course of a trial, of course it is requested and submitted. Standard procedure.
(3) That the evidence is overwhelming does not mean the GOP senate is required to believe it. They can ignore as much of it as they need to, and explain away the rest.
1
There were people I knew who joined cults. Hari Krishnas, Jesus People, and a couple of other obscure groups.
They signed over everything, and all you labors went to forward the cult leadership's goals.
Most left after a while when they woke up and decided that it wasn't a life they were living, but servitude.
Most republican voters are in servitude to the party's goals. They are sleeping on straw mats, eating watery miso soup, while the leader lounges on a golden chaise, and dines on burnt prime rib.
I hope enough of them wake up and leave before November, and that we have the grace to welcome them home.
9
Now the House Democrats made themselves into a punchline in Trump's rallies...
2
@novoad
Common decency has always been something to be mocked in those rallies. The crowd whoops it up as their country is destroyed.
1
I feel like we live in the "united states of russia"! I have a sober thought. What happens when trump decides to make himself "king for Life"? They, The republicans and trump aren't stopping people!! We have a coup going on from within the republican side of the government, and we are in trouble going forward. The only way this gets better is; We voice our opinions on the Streets. How Many of you are willing to show your disdain for such evil behavior? The voice of the people have been drowned out by technology, let us see real americans on the White House lawn like we did with Nixon. Where Are You America?
10
So the republican senators are basically saying that they will vote to acquit Trump no matter what Bolton or other material witnesses might say. A clear violation of their juror oath.
So the republican senators are basically saying that they will vote to acquit Trump because they are too busy and there isn't enough time to hear from Bolton and other witnesses with first hand knowledge of Trump's actions. A clear violation of their juror oath.
11
@P Locke And no one is holding them accountable..trump managed to trash our constitution and we let him get away with it. We all should be out on the streets protesting but we gotta pay for Disney+ and our tech somehow right?
1
As long as disinformation is planted and accepted as a "report", because it was on a website or talk radio show, anything goes. Hmm.
This will be recorded as a sad day for Republicans and perhaps mark the beginning of the end of the McConnell years of Senate control, which started with stonewalling everything Obama, refusing the Garland nomination and now enabling Russian disinformation to infect even the United States Senate.
It's a sad day indeed. And it's on us to fight for what is right regardless of whatever temporary mob mentality may infect the body politic.
They are banking on apathy and hopelessness.
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” -Robert F. Kennedy
6
As we can easily see, Xi’s Chinese government has learned nothing from SARS. They have done noting at all to address the underlying power based on fear that is the cause of this potential world-wide pandemic. Xi crushes anyone who tells an inconvenient truth that could stand in the way of his determination to present a perfect face to the world and take over as the sole superpower of the world.
This is exactly why we don’t allow the outing of a whistleblower. This is the kind of fear-based authoritarian country the Republicans are actively attempting to create in real time, right now.
8
I don’t really understand Republicans’ desire to get this trial ended. Are they suddenly going to tackle the backlog of work stuck on McConnell’s desk? Not likely. Call witnesses and let’s hear what they have to say. Bet it’s way more interesting than Trump’s attorneys have put forth. Anything less is a coverup.
10
@Jean Malone Bring the Whistle Blower in. We need to hear the Whistle Blower. Yes?
I can hear the Trumpster now: 'Complete exoneration'.
We should put additional security on every phone call from now to the election. Trump will be making land deals in Saudi Arabia, negotiating building hotels in Poland, and arrangements for golf courses in Albania. Does anyone have a shadow of a doubt that Trump will be emboldened to further push the constitution to its limit while he has the protection of the Republican party? We have entered the final phase of this democratic experiment. It is a sad day for patriots!
10
Bear any Burden!
We should all be prepared to “bear any burden” on behalf of our Republic.
These Senators all took an Oath. If they need to sit on uncomfortable chairs till all necessary witnesses are heard, they are doing their Constitutional Duty.
BEAR ANY BURDEN, Senators! On behalf of our Republic.
4
What will remain after the Senate acquits Trump will not be recognizable as the United States; it will be a fabricated, false, rump, cultish version of what we've known since 1789.
One where the rule of law is not a priority; where political allegiance to the leader is supreme.
There is a recent similar entity to compare it with:
Vichy France - 22 June 1940 to 9 August 1944.
Vichy United States - 31 January 2020 to ?
6
Their fear of tying up the Senate is ridiculous. They don't do anything, anyway. Four hundred bills waiting to be voted on. Yet, they sit on McConnell's desk.
11
Meanwhile, 3 of my family members in PA have been trying to call Pat Toomey's office to log their support for calling witnesses. NO CALLS are being taken! Apparently the system is "overloaded." Disgrace.
12
@CvilleReader - He cannot bear dissent....
1
I tried calling Toomey earlier in the week too, and the voicemail of my local office was full. I called his DC office and there was no answer. Can you imagine, in this day and age, no answering machine or person to answer. It's fear.
1
This is shocking and appalling!
If the Senate Republicans do not vote for more witnesses and the removal from office of President Trump, they will join most House Republicans as cowards and traitors to the US Constitution and the American people.
I am neither a Democrat nor Republican and disagree with both parties on many issues, but on this issue I do agree with Congressional Democrats--Donald Trump is an imminent danger to this country and should be immediately removed from office.
This is such an outrage that it calls for more than just an electoral response, but also mass protests and mass civil disobedience.
I would use stronger language here but my remarks would not be published.
8
Alan DERSHOWITZ (et al); So, since a sitting POTUS is also Commander-in-Chief of the American armed forces and is free to order them to action without Congressional approval so long as he’s not declaring war (so War Powers Act not relevant), may a sitting POTUS order the Army to send machine-gun toting soldiers to neighborhoods with large numbers of voters likely to favor his/her opponent in an election; or send the Air Force to bomb polling places or county registrars of voters in areas that heavily lean toward the sitting POTUS’ opponent or Congressional candidates of a party other than that of the sitting POTUS? For that matter, may a sitting POTUS enact martial law, and thus curtail or suspend elections, in order to help ensure his/her re-election or otherwise stay in power?
Your shockingly naive and stunningly selfish assertion that the re-election of a sitting POTUS is inherently and by definition in the nation’s best interest seems to say so.
One wonders if you and Republicans would be singing the same dangerous and anti-democracy tune if it were Ilhan Omar in the Oval Office.
11
Democrats need to appeal directly to Roberts. He could limit witnesses. Heck he could have witnesses submit just sworn affidavits and a one page summary of their testimony. I doubt any of it matters but at least if all them from Giuliani to Bolton and Lev had a written document submission it would maybe educate a percentage of the country.
4
This article, like so many others in my opinion, is is enabling trump and his supporters.
Example:
"They in turn could provide more damaging disclosures and tie up the Senate indefinitely, when the ultimate verdict — an acquittal of the president — is not in doubt"
This is reported as if it is a acceptable alternative view, and
suggests that it is ok for the Senate to disregard the truth, and their oath to act impartially, because they don't want to be "tied up", and also that a view which essentially means that Senators have decided that they will acquit Trump no matter what he has done is an acceptable position.
This kind of reporting suggests that the opposing sides just have opposing views (both kind of valid and reasonable) without anyone calling out their unbelievable damaging words and behavior.
I recently watched the impomptu press conference of Republicans in which each of them stepped up and told lie and after lie, and not one of them was ever really challenged on it, reporters just went to the next question.
This is extremely helpful to trump and his supporters and is, I believe, one of the main reasons that he is, and will continue to be, so successful.
At this point, as much as possible, every time one of them looks into the eye of the public and lies, they should be stopped and challenged and made to defend that lie or misleading statement. Otherwise, we are only playing into their hands and enabling their takeover of American Democracy.
10
@GAS
Wow, you wrote all of that without even considering the House Could have produced ALL of this same 'evidence' if They hadn't rushed to Impeach in time to impact the election? Really never made that connection or did you already know it just don't care. Believe us deplorables could never figure that out for ourselves and as long as we don't know, you shouldn't care?
@GAS
Very important comment.
Even though it’s obvious to me, I just don’t understand why it’s not to everyone.
Yes the media is failing us. But I don’t know if it because they’re inept or such capitalists that perpetuating the “both sides” approach makes more money for them.
What has been occurring in the Senate chambers is not a "trial" which is defined as having witnesses, but rather a "hearing" and it is a misnomer to think otherwise. From the beginning of the impeachment "hearing" the House of Representatives was at a disadvantage because of the Senate Republican majority which will vote not to impeach. The Senate will also decide that witnesses (which would open Pandora's Box) are not necessary. That was a given from the day the impeachment process began. Trump will now run around saying he was exonerated - but perhaps not so fast. The Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding Trump's non-disclosure of his taxes in late March - beginning of April and render their opinion in June. It is abundantly clear Trump's taxes hide the real issues with Trump and his funding from Russia. There is no other explanation as to why Trump would take his refusal to disclose his taxes all the way to the Supreme Court. I hope after this Senate fiasco concludes Chief Judge John Roberts will lead the Court in ruling that Trump must disclose his taxes. The only other hope Democrats have is nominating Mike Bloomberg who Trump is well aware will give him a run for his (Russian) money and win by a landslide!
3
The Republicans seem conflicted between being democratic and seeking the truth and being autocratic and covering up the truth and apparently will ultimately choose autocracy in order to save their jobs and keep power. It appears that much of this country is split between those who favor autocracy and those who favor democracy. People who oppose legalized abortion and those who oppose gun control laws are voting with the autocrats for their own agenda. The election in November will probably go a long way in determining whether the US becomes an autocratic state or not although most voters will probably be more concerned about issues like health care, education, immigration, etc.
1
Given what is happening, we need to give up this useless fiction that the laws apply equally to everyone. Although we will happily spend lots of money, time, effort, even newsprint to go after a "common criminal", it takes too much time and effort to go after Trump. In the case of Trump why make the effort because some say he will be acquitted anyway. And silly me, I thought presumption of innocence meant the "common criminal" might be found innocent. But it turns out in Trump's case the "jurors" have important things to do and besides, they might lose their jobs if they choose a guilty verdict. Important people shouldn't have to make that choice.
6
While I never blindly believed my country was always right or good, I do live here.
It turns out it hurts to lose it.
Why should we be surprised that Roberts endorses this sham? And yet, we are stunned.
The next step will be the devolution of all Federal cases to a similar form: No evidence or witnesses on the Fed side, and the Feds will always win.
Roberts has already given his approval.
8
It doesn't matter really what the Articles of Impeachment are because it's obvious that no one in history has ever deserved to be impeached and removed from office more than Donald J. Trump. If the impeachment clause isn't used now, than there isn't any reason to have it in the Constitution at all. The day the Republicans vote against removing Trump from office will truly be a day that will live in infamy.
12
So why is the language of "kingship" invoked to compare Trump's bid to be above the law? He is acting as if he were a king. But many Americans are not disturbed by that claim. They love kings, follow everything about the British monarchy, movies about kings. Compare his with a dictator which sounds more disturbing to an American ear. Dictators think they are above the law too. They say they act in the public interest, they act can be populists, they are not dynastic. Drop the comparison with kings and start with the one of dictator.
5
"Autocracies are regimes in which democratically elected leaders change the rules of the game to eliminate the competition. Autocrats must collaborate with subordinates to create a political base on which to rest their rule, but they also want to keep their crews loyal.
...would-be dictators: go after the courts, intimidate the press, hamper civil society, and use parliamentary majorities to push through new laws and constitutions."
Sound familiar? You bet it does!
5
Why is Mitch McConnell in such a hurry?
Rush rush rush to wrap this up without witnesses or evidence.
Does Mitch McConnell have some other pressing job he needs to get to? Aside from being majority leader of the U.S. Senate?
3
Mitch has lead them all into a ditch. There's no way out unless Justice Roberts can't get his 'Big Boy Pants' pulled up. It's his moment. History is being made. The line is drawn in the sand and America is at the crossroads.
Will The Executive Branch and its political party be allowed to blocked witness testimony and document evidence at trail?
This is a classic Constitutional Crises and every one of us, regardless of political party, are sworn to defend The Constitution of The United States of America. We are sworn to "Preserve and protect our Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic".
The Pentagon must be ready to act immediately after any vote to disallow witnesses and evidentiary documents from trial. They must act or they too become complicit.
1
A vote to block witnesses is a vote rewarding intimidation, bullying and autocracy and against democracy and due process. If Senators of any party buy the White House lawyers line that the President can do anything to further his own election because it is in the public good should be shameful and resign their seats as they have betrayed their oath and the Constitution. In an impeachment trial they have a duty to be impartial and that means coming to a judgement after the evidence has been heard, not before. Those Senators who vote against witnesses and even declare themselves already decided on their vote should be barred from this sacred jury.
8
Let Bolton testify! He would not be disclosing new information, let alone classified information. He would simply be offering eye-witness corroboration of what it is already alleged Trump has said. Republicans don't want this smoking gun. The Democrats must call for this evidence and let Roberts decide this, just as he decided not to allow Sen. Rand Paul's question.
1
Is the new standard of presidential (mis)conduct -- the Dershowitz Rule - that if he thinks it benefits the nation, it's legal? Is that it? If a president thinks a third term would benefit the nation, it's legal? If he think rounding up a group of US citizens would benefit the nation, that's okay too?
Is anyone else terrified?
6
The Republican MO is clearly "what can we get away with?"
American voters have yet to tell them they have gone too far.
5
401K....that’s what drives the electorate unfortunately.
2
How many Republican voters truly believe that if they were engaged in a trial to protect their freedom from incarceration they would be afforded the same Constitutionally-ludicrous protections as Trump's lawyers are endeavoring to provide? Even chimps are nonplussed by inequality and favoritism.
Trump's band of celebrity lawyers no doubt assume that they don't have to put up any real defense since the Senate will acquit him anyway. And, just like any celebrity, they get airtime to further stroke their egos.
This, all at the expense of the larger issue here. What the U.S.A. stands for and has fought to maintain in blood. The repercussions from this ---t-show will have terrible consequences both here and abroad for decades. But so long as the celebrities get their airtime - just not enough to make it real.
1
So, in a nutshell, what we are getting is a sham and a cover up. I guess the real surprise would have been if it had gone any other way.
6
So the Republican response to a national disaster is to muzzle criticism of their do-nothing national policy?
4
I suppose the clichee, you made your bed now lie in it, is appropriate here.
My only hope is that Republicans get a shellacking in November. Trump may win the presidency, but hopefully he'll face a solid wall of Democrats in both Houses next year.
1
The real trouble reflected in the Senate Impeachment trial are the self-absorbed ambitions of Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff who histrionically and repetitively accuse President Trump of selfishness in his dealing with Ukraine, when they really reflect their projection on to Trump of their own selfish political ambitions.
2
@Peter That is a bit of a stretch when he has multiple team members now in jail. Additionally he still has a criminal trial pending in NY (as person #1), the same trial that Cohen got 3 years for. It is laughable to assert Pelosi and Schiff are tainted by criminal activity.
2
In the end, the so-called "moderate" Republicans have protected some kind of undeserved reputation with the press for their moderacy, knowing full well they can vote for witnesses as long as the results of the vote are secure. It's a sham, and the press, which has been trying to handicap this trial since day -2, should stop pretending that the fix isn't in.
The Republican Party long since signed on to ending the democracy in favor of grifting, gerrymandering, vote suppression, infinite money, bribery, and getting help from Mother Russia. They are traitors to the person and deserve no respect or mercy going forward.
3
There is no excuse for not hearing from Mr Bolton.
Republican Senators say Bolton cannot be believed; are they suggesting Pinocchio Trump is honest and believable?
6
This may be a case of wanting to shoot the messenger, but I regret the overwhelming defeatist tenor of these recent NYT articles. By repeatedly reporting that the vote on witnesses is a done deal, the NYT is helping to make that happen by so depressing the majority of Americans who want witnesses that they will give up prematurely on trying to influence the Senate vote. Instead of going down fighting, feels like just going down.
3
@R. It's known as roller-coaster click bait.
People are witnessing Republicans bending the law in an attempt to give themselves an excuse in order to commit an atrocity against the people of this country and the Constitution.. This is why people have lost respect and trust in laws and institutions. A trial without witnesses is what happens in a dictatorship, not a representative democracy!
1
The main take-home message of this fiasco is that the Republicans in the Senate are as corrupt as Trump. If Trump were seriously and rigorously investigated, he would lost the presidency and spend many years in prison. Instead, he'll be drinking and telling stories with Vladimir Putin and his Senate buddies.
What a pathetic nation we have become...
18
No, the main take from this is that Dems have been obsessed with removing Trump from even before his inauguration. Schiff even maintained that he had more than circumstantial evidence to prove collusion with the Russians. Not true at all. A lie. A prevarication.
Trump will be acquitted and very likely will be re-elected. Buckle up.
They are all in it.
1
An acquittal of Trump will mean the end of our Republic. No longer will our Constitution have any meaning.The people must rise up in November and rid ourselves of the Trash which is Trump & the Republican Party, in particular those in the Senate.If Trump wins the National Election, we will then be known as the divided States of America, never to be United again.
8
I think even Putin must be shocked at how easily he has rolled over the Republicans in Congress. That all 53 Republican Senators would be such palpable cowards and abject traitors to their country has to be mind-blowing, and frightening, to all free governments and people in the world. Thankfully the Greatest Generation and Founding Fathers are gone and don't have to witness the bitter end of the nation and freedom they fought for.
14
Dear Mr. Bolton,
You appear to be the only individual able to save our country from the path it is taking. Please step up, as Parnas has done, and expose what you witnessed. You clearly demonstrated your refusal to go along with it, so expose it to protect our country. Force your evidence to be heard by the American people. Prior to your book. Prior to the vote of witnesses. Please do the right thing. I believe you will be rewarded by the American people, the GOP and in American history.
I call on you to be an American hero by exposing the truth.
Respectfully,
Heather
10
Sadly he could have come out a few weeks ago when the ball was in the House. And where is Rex? Where was Romney? History won’t be kind.
3
Sure enough, witnesses mean evidence. Republicans know full well that the evidence is damning. They are flagrantly working to obstruct the public's access to information. If this is not an abuse of their power, what is? How. Dare. They. If we citizens all them to get away with this, the country had better brace for upheaval and unrest, "the likes of which" (as Donald loves to say) the US hasn't experienced before.
4
Please, note: the point of this article is not that republican politicians would be in trouble with their constituents, because as we all know republican voters would vote for a fencepost, so long as the fencepost had that little R after it.
The point is that republicans would be in trouble only insofar that Trump would be proven even guiltier than he is now.
And guess what? Republican voters don't care about that one iota.
Must be nice having a voting base so ignorant, uneducated, and blindly loyal. It's a shame that democrats have to appeal to voters with more than two brain cells.
8
@M. Noone Many are not ignorant. They are smart, wealthy and educated. They just want lower taxes above all else.
After all, he has support of 90% of the Republicans.
If the republican party now represents American values then I am no longer an American but a foreigner in my own land. Never in my seventy years have I seen an entire party transformed into craven, cowardly lickspittles, who would support treason if committed by one of their own. Perhaps it is all that oligarchic Russian money flowing into republican coffers that instills fevered dreams of eternal power under a tyrannical king, but that America must NEVER be allowed to come to be. We must fight the republican party with all our might, and consign them to the dustbin of history.
10
Moreso than anything else, I think John Roberts is a coward. He has the opportunity to be an impartial judge and by hiding behind the Senate politics weakens our checks and balances.
It's been a good experiment. Time to update the constitution.
149
@Fred He is a coward if he just sits there and allows no witnesses. Everyone in the country knows a fair trial has documents and witnesses.
If Republicans won't call witnesses, they are part of the cover-up and corruption. Who will ever hold them accountable?
13
@Fred
Witnesses??? Bolton???
“If I had to say something I knew was false to protect American national security, I would do it," Bolton said in an interview with Fox Business in 2010. -Fox News"
"This is someone who's likely to exaggerate the dangerous impulses of the president toward belligerence, his proclivity to act without thinking, and his love of conspiracy theories," Schiff told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow during a March 22, 2018 appearance after Bolton was named national security adviser.
With Democrats now swooning over Bolton, architect of the Iraq War, who endlessly promoted the CIA lies, this impeachment and trial is an embarrassing circus.
And the nauseatingly sanctimonious Schiff piously proclaimed that "right matters", referring, of course, to Trump's offenses, which are likely typical in the transactional, grossly corrupt culture of Washington.
If "right" matters...
What about the "rightness" of GWBush's unprovoked war on Iraq based on CIA lies, responsible for more than a million deaths of men, women and children, and wrecking Iraq, turning the Cradle of Civilization into rubble???
What about the" rightness" of GWBush's approval of torture???
Those offenses deserved the outrage that has overwhelmed Washington for months.
3
@Fred Roberts is a Republican. Period. The fix is in; Trump will win re election; his first acts to eliminate Obamacare; Medicare; Social Security; Medicaid. Vote Wisely. Ray Sipe
11
If our democracy is to be viewed as Lincoln did, as government of the people, by the people, and for the people, then Alan Dershowitz's statement that the head of state is acting in the public interest when he does things to get himself re-elected is equivalent logically to L'etat c'est moi.
No wonder Dershowitz is considered, to put it politely, very far from the mainstream.
But he's at a hearing populated by senators who believe that serial adultery and grifting is Christian, and presided over by a justice who believes that unlimited money, bribery, and gerrymandering are an integral part of free and fair elections. So very far from the mainstream perfectly elucidates their point of view.
It's ironic that the, "republic, if you can keep it," will be lost to a party calling themselves, "republicans".
6
I learned two things yesterday from the questioning session. First, Senate Republicans are cowards and should lose their seats in the next election and second that anyone who took a class from Alan Dershowitz should get their money back because they learned nothing from this guy. By justifying any action that benefits the "Public Good" a president can do anything. Clearly the founding fathers did not intend that look at Article One and Two. They put limits on both as a check on each other. Dershowitz is a follower of Barr who thinks we should have an imperial presidency! We, as citizens should be outraged that we have a party that has clearly lost its way to keep their jobs. Term limits may be our salvation.
6
After this Senate vote, what will Trump, who has been given the green light to “do whatever I want”- what will he do next?
This will give Bill Barr, Mike Pompeo, Mitch McConnell, and all the dictator’s henchmen wiill do next.
Who will be arrested now?
7
Sail on, sail on
O mighty ship of state
To the shores of need
Past the reefs of greed
Through the squalls of hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on
It's coming to America first
The cradle of the best and of the worst
It's here they got the range
And the machinery for change
And it's here they got the spiritual thirst
It's here the family's broken
And it's here the lonely say
That the heart has got to open
In a fundamental way
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
1
… and more obstruction by the Democrats.
They're attempting an assassination of a Presidency.
1
@Peter Rasmussen Yeah, and anyone caught for any other crime, tried in court and found guilty is being "lynched".
1
@Almighty Dollar
That's just it.
There's no crime here, and the Dem's know it.
Their goal is to hinder any kind of progress, on anything.
1
So, the Trial of the Century rejects witnesses and new evidence?
Trump, the self-anointed Chosen One and America's dictator is confident that his Apartheid Republican Party's neutered lackeys succumbed to the wash of their queen ant's pheromones, rendering them powerless and impotent. Trump wins.
Democracy, the viability of which relies on an informed citizenry to function as the Founders intended, loses.
No witnesses allowed, no new evidence or testimony can be introduced by the thoroughly-indoctrinated Grim Reaper and his coalition of lobotomized retrievers in the U.S. Senate.
Trump's hired gun attorneys have put on a charade that tops the most absurd reasoning in any courtroom in the country.
They assert that no matter how egregious the crime, no matter if the "stable genius" blatantly and contemptuously disregarded and dismissed the rule of law which is the pillar of our once-revered U.S. Constitution, Trump is above the law.
Their defense: "Our client is omnipotent ("I alone can fix it"), possesses divine and inviolable powers ordained by God with "great and unmatched wisdom", trampled on and broke the flawed principles and laws penned by ordinary people 233 years ago, but did so in the best interests of the nation."
Following the exoneration and acquittal of our client we have a bridge to sell you. Dissenters should keep in mind the warning by the Imperial Wizard Donald Trump: 'I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too.'"
2
A vote for witnesses is a vote for democracy.
Wake up Senators!
3
They’re not even hiding it anymore. In fact they are rubbing it in your faces. Tomorrow you could very well wake up in a kleptocracy.
2
The Republican goose is cooked. At this point, doesn't matter if it's slow roasted by Bolton in the public arena or pressure cooked in the Instapot of a crooked Senate.
3
House Democrats should just impeach him again. Play the same hard ball, judicial/political rope-a-dope, jujitsu until they at least get some key witnesses. Since Democrats believe it's in the best interest of the country (as the professor argued?!) I guess they're allowed to do anything.
1
The trial must end quickly so that the Senate can do other business??!!!! They have done next to nothing for the past 2 years. What other business is more important than securing the Country against Tyranny? These Senators have surrendered their Duty, Honor, and Loyalty, as well as their Spines, Hearts, Souls, and Courage to the feet of Donald John Trump. The Dark Side commandeth and these chinless weasels obey. Vote! Vote! Vote! Protest! Protest! Protest!
8
Agree
Agree
AGREE!
I find it interesting that CNN and MSNBC report over and over that 70% of the Americans want witnesses. Yet it's not mentioned here. I would think that most Americans want this dog and pony show to end as soon as possible. It's sucking the life out of the news. If there's any 'blockbuster' revelations yet to be disclosed, you can bet this paper will eventually disclose it. At the perfect time.
1
Dictator ! Where, but an insane asylum, is a mentally ill narcissist told "he can do no wrong"? The most powerful and the sickest defended before a chamber of enablers with the Kafkaesque claim "what ever he wishes do do is ultimately best for Our Country!" Can't blame Dersowitz, he can be blackmailed for child abuse, just for being in the room where it happened. He'll makeup udder nonsense while he violently dribbles (a head?) before the crowd. Rand Paul, we so respected your father, are you going along with the end of Our Democracy? Have the Republicans no Honor?
5
I'll convict Trump.
I convict him panic; of knowing, by his acts of asking for help from a foreign country to help his re-election, that, come November 2020, he's vulnerable to, and/or certain of defeat. What hell that must be for him. It certainly is for the USA.
Panic doesn't become the "tough counterpuncher", the "stable genius" or the "brave" Trump who bullies others from the safe remove of his Twitter account and podiums before his selected audiences at rallies.
I like to believe, at some place within themselves and to their credit, that Republican US Senators are sickened that they're forced to shelter and cloak the likes of Donald Trump; that their standard bearer must be guarded from himself and they're the guards.
Obviously,Trump himself can't even believe he can be re-elected without calling in a ringer, Ukraine.
I don't feel one bit sorry for Republican US Senators having to abase themselves.
I've been looking for a perspective from history and found this blurb (from Wikipedia) --
"Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician and journalist who was the leader of the National Fascist Party. He ruled Italy as the prime minister from 1922 to 1943.
*** He constitutionally led the country until 1925, when he dropped the pretense of democracy and established a dictatorship."*** (Emphasis mine.)
Hmm... three years, eh? And how long has Trump been in office? Do the actions of his party strike you as fascistic? Investigating political rivals... calling those who don't cleave to his party line 'scum'... encouraging violence against his enemies... proclaiming that only his words are true -- even when they're outright laws? Proclaiming that that which happens (ie, facts) to be lies?
Some people think we're in a Germany, 1933 moment... I think we're in an Italy, 1925 moment. Only, this time they aren't in brown shirts -- they're in red hats.
9
@Art Likely
I think you are absolutely correct. Fascism is exactly what Trump's rallies remind me of. I wonder if the people that go to those rallies are prepared to face the fact that history will look upon them as fascists. Because it will, I believe.
3
"Lawmakers fear allowing new testimony would tie up the Senate indefinitely and open the door to a cascade of new accusations"
Which is exactly what the Dems want...for them - this is not about impeachment or "abuse of power" of any such thing.
For the Dems, all of this nonsense is about controlling and holding onto the narrative long enough to influence voters in their desperate, sad attempt to garner a win in November.
Hey - I get it. Fear is an incredible motivator. And the Dems live in fear of another embarrassing loss in November.
They can scream and yell from the treetops about how our President has committed these "crimes" and how democracy is in peril
They have no choice but to keep up the this noise because they have backed themselves into a corner with this impeachment crap - if it fails, so do they (of course they knew all of this would fail from the start but they decided to give in to their deep hatred of our President and moved forward with impeachment anyway).
So they are "all in" - No matter how horribly it divides our Nation - all that matters is to win in November.
And the sad thing is for them is - they know they will lose - they just can't admit it.
1
If the republicans are more concerned with the length of the trial than they are with a just outcome, then they are, once again, not doing their jobs.
9
n watching this woefully flawed impeachment process in which the "Impeachment Trial" is on the verge of not allowing witnesses to be called to testify and documents that could establish the guilt or innocence of the accused to be denied the light of day, changes need to be made. First, that we are even debating the matter of witnesses and documentation, let alone disallowing them makes clear that the entire impeachment process needs to be removed from Congress. First, the Supreme Court, presided over by the Chief Justice should become the jury. The origins of impeachment can begin in the House of Representatives but must be ratified by a Judicial College of independent, non partisan (not actively in any political party or activity) legal scholars, justices, journalists and judges appointed for a specific amount of time by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court would be sequestered and a unanimous verdict on either guilt or acquittal would be required to bring the trial to a conclusion.
Witnesses and documentation would be subject to subpoenas and in the event of a controversy, the Jurors would decide,
As an American citizen and voter I want the truth no matter how long the trial may take. We don’t need a Banana Republic as Trump would like have it.
No witnesses in a trial of this magnitude is a red herring and voters will remember this Fall!
2
Whether or not there are more witnesses allowed, the real problem is the final vote. That vote will say everything about the Republican attitude toward obvious presidential corruption.
5
The dragging of the proceedings may be an excuse but maybe they can limit the number of witnesses and again the time frame--one week, two weeks? The Democrats need to make the public see this issue as an obstruction of justice on the part of Republicans. In common sensical terms it is. If Republicans are so sure that truth and right is on their side, why the enormous effort to block witnesses? It does not make sense.
They need to make clear, as a teaching moment, that Trump's use of the Ukraine quid pro quo, or the blocking of witnesses now, is not in the public interest, nor is the justification that enabling his election is in the public interest. That is going down the slippery road of dictatorship. The civic culture and political level of the American public is very low, and they need to be reminded of the principles of democracy and how they work. Apparently this is not happening in schools these days.
1
But if trump is so innocent ad so "perfect" how could presenting evidence and witnesses open up the trial to additional accusations? Besides Dershowitz claims the president can do whatever he wants.
4
At this rate, the November election might be called off because unless donnie can be guaranteed by Putin another win with the electoral college states as he did in 2016, it will not be in the national interest of the country.
2
What other business does the Senate have? Neither Trump nor the Senate have a legislative agenda and McConnell refuses to let any House bill get a vote. At least by sitting in judgement of Trump the Senators are earning their salaries.
2
If a Senator can't or won't vote their conscience they have no business being in the Senate. To do otherwise is a travesty to representative democracy.
1
If one is rotten to the bone, as conservatives are, the refusal to hear Bolton testimony is obvious. As it stands now they think they can spin this trial and place blame on Democrats. With Bolton testimony it would be like opening the can with worms, no end of bad news in sight.
This is raw power, no concern for decency, honor or patriotism.
1
We would much rather have the Senate “tied up” for weeks or months flushing out the truth, and not selfishly hiding from it, than to prematurely shut down the impeachment trial of Donald John Trump and leave our nation with a president and a model of skirting both law, justice, and ethics that very well could be the first steps toward having no Senate at all, or at least one that continues to be freely and fairly and directly elected by we, the people of America.
2
"Lawmakers fear allowing new testimony would tie up the Senate indefinitely and open the door to a cascade of new accusations."
What are they worrying about??
Donnie had a "PERFECT" phone call.
Donnie NEVER lies.
Donnie has the best interest of every single one of those lawmakers (and all of the American people) as his first and only concern.
Bring on the witnesses and PROVE that every single one of the above attributes is 100% TRUE.
(If you think Alan Dershowitz is a font of the correct law, then you should equally accept the above assertions as valid, and IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST. Speaking just for myself, the phrase "head on a pike" keeps popping up in the back of my mind every so often. I wonder why ...)
3
Trump and the DOJ took care of the Mueller report. They are now taking care of this pesky whistleblower thingny and impeachment.
Do you really believe that they can't take care of the 2020 elections? This will all be over by kickoff time on Sunday and your democracy will just be a memory.
2
Politicians and integrity don't mix. Politicians and power go together. "Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely." Lord Acton.
The Dems are part of the problem. Dem politicians turn away from even Reasonable Term Limits (Say max 18 years as Rep or Senator or Judge). The Dems need to support some integrity, some limits, otherwise their whining looks largely arising from self interest. And we need to change the Great Compromise that structures the Senate. Get rid of the Electoral College with a voting process we can rely on.
But we know that the Repubs in Congress are amoral people. And so are many Dems. That is the way we like our politicians and politics. The two party spoils system.
1
The politics of fear. Republicans are falling in line out of fear. How terrible it is to see so little bravery from those who call themselves our leaders.
However, the Senate should recall, that by giving in to a bully, it lets all of the other bullies know they can do the same thing to you. Bravery is an essential ingredient in freedom, because cowardice puts a target on you for others to exploit.
1
While the story here is the willingness of the Republican to cover up and excuse the illegal and unconstitutional behavior of the President, one must note how the incompetence of Democrats made their job so much easier. For example, the president's defenders claim demands for testimony and documents from House committees were illegitimate because they were never authorized by a vote of the House. That appears to be constitutional nonsense, but how hard would it have been to anticipate that attack and fix it? Why in the world did Democrats decide to focus on the Ukraine affair and obstruction when there was so much more to pick from. They have failed to pursue the avenue with most potential--tax returns and financial records--that likely would have led to evidence of a statutory crime and one the every tax payer could grasp. Given the history of tax evasion by Trump and his family going back decades, and his unrelenting efforts to keep those records secret, you know he's dirty. Democrats refuse to recognize how the game is played. Why can't ordinary citizens have competent representation?
1
@rawebb1 You made excellent points there. One more, I think, is why don't the Democrats take up the Republicans offer of trading the Bidens for other witnesses? For heaven's sake Joe Biden should volunteer to testify. Actually, he should demand to testify.
So, Republican Senators would rather have a sham court than court peril with Trump by upholding the rule of law!
1
Senators probably think “Why have more evidence if we will acquit anyway? We’ll just look worse.” Republican senators and Trump are identical. Only thinking about themselves, about covering up unethical behavior. The GOP has been completely corrupted.
3
If the GOP makes the presidency a dictatorship, what are you going to do when the president is a Democrat? The days of Dems doing the right thing while you cheat are ending. If a president can just make up one non-existent privilege or right after another to avoid oversight, then they are a dictator. First it is Immunity, the attorney client, the executive, the national security. if all those fail, which have all been debunked in prior court cases, just make up a new one. Instead if absolute immunity, I'm going to make up executive discretion immunity. After you beat that one, I'll call it grand poobah privilege. After you beat that one, I'll call it high mucketymuck exception. every time you win in court, the president just makes up a new thing. That is what the GOP wants. That is what they will get.
Amazing that they are so eager to turn over their power to this absurdity in the Oval Office.
3
The R opposition to witnesses, because they are afraid of damaging allegations is shameful, wrong, against their Constitutional oath, and un-American to me.
I will never vote R again, at any level of Government. This generation of R’s are hopelessly corrupt and a threat to our Republic.
2
AND not voting for witnesses is also trouble.
A powerful and glaring destruction of democracy, courtesy of the Republican Senate. They have betrayed their oath
and the American people.
1
Of course the gop doesn't want more witnesses. The evidence is already overwhelming that DJT is guilty. It's apparent in the defense. If DJT thinks anything he does is in the public interest then nothing he does is impeachable. As he's a stable genius then obviously he thinks that him being POTUS is in the public interest; and it keeps him out of jail. In short, DJT is a king and you can't impeach a king. Thank you gop for making your thoughts on demonocracy clear.
1
They, the Republicans, may have one this battle but they will lose this war.
2
The republicans don't want their heads on pikes so they will ignore their constitutional duties, their oaths, and the Senate, and vote that the "trial" should end without a trial.
As a Colorado voter you can bet I will do everything to see the end of Gardner. He cheated the country, along with the other frightened republicans, of the trial we needed.
In any case, it's pretty obvious that trump is guilty or he would have insisted on witnesses to prove his innocence and embarrassed the dems.
2
I guess we will need to wait for John Bolton's book to come out to hear the truth to come out. It will never happen in the Senate.
Republicans know the impeachment is a cover-up trial. History will be written that way and if they don't see that, they really are blind to the bigger picture. If they were truly being impartial, they'd hear witnesses with prudent information regarding the case, but their only interest is protecting their vile leader. I suppose I am relieved and a little surprised that one of my Republican Senators actually voted for hearing witnesses. I have a new found respect for Romney, Collins, and Murkowski, but I wish just one more had the mind to think. The upside is that every little thing they do will be heavily weighted at the ballot box in ten months. I imagine quite a few of those senators will be in for an early retirement.
82
@Stephen
For Collins, a yes vote for witnesses is a way out of her troubles in Maine. It is a cover for her since only three Republicans will say yes. It was all decided when Moscow Mitch put the threats on them.
All comes down to the guy holding the gavel: will he or not cast a vote to break the tie? I doubt it since he is a Republican hack.
17
@Stephen
Collins is in danger of losing her election and has probably been given permission by McConrnell to vote for witnesses as long as he has enough votes against it. For a while I had some hope for Romney, but he seems to be wavering. Is he waiting to see if there aren't enough votes against calling witnesses before choosing? Who knows. This has become such a corrupt process on the part of Republicans that it is difficult to trust any of them.
14
@Stephen There isn't going to be a "history" if these clowns stay in power. Look what they have already done. He will use his executive privilege for everything including staying in power.
15
After listening intently to Alan Dershowitz's latest argument that if a president deems his/her election as good for the country, then enlisting a foreign power to help win the election is not impeachable - after actually realizing he was serious - is it any wonder why so many people hate attorneys?
The Republican Party is turning American from a nation of laws to a nation of guffaws. It would indeed be laughable if there wasn't so much at stake. My question: will my country survive even one term of the Trump Presidency?
I shudder to think what will be left after two.
142
Mr. Dershowitz, and those who agree with or fail to vigorously dispute his vision of the presidency and national elections, have lost their way and joined gone over to the Dark Side.
13
@Darth VADER
Ha! And it's the Dark Side of the Farce. . .
7
@Len Trump has said many times he has no plans to leave the Presidency so if he gets another term, he will be in for life. Who would stop him when nothing has worked so far?
10
Republicans are complicit in this criminal and Fascist takeover of our government. My father did not fight in World War 2 for this.
29
Republican Senators desire to be re-elected is so powerful that it dictates their every move. Truth be damned. The Senators from Texas are among the worst of the bunch. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn will go down in history as cowards who failed themselves and their constituents.
I cannot imagine being afraid of Donald Trump. He is nothing but a self centered, willfully ignorant bully. I cannot imagine telling my constituents that I cowered before him. What shame will follow these two men for the rest of their lives.
31
“The Republican Party should not become a mere sucked egg, all shell and no meat, the principle all sucked out.” - Abraham Lincoln
Mr McConnell and Mr Trump have managed to suck all of the principle out of this party. How disappointing they would be to Mr Lincoln.
169
@GlennC
I agree Glenn. But then again, a recent poll showed that Republicans believe Trump to be a greater president than President Lincoln. Bizzaro World.
12
@GlennC
They have principles
1. Corporate power 1st over people
2. Speak to the base and appease them with racism, xenophobia, and right wing Christianity
3. Maintain power at all costs
6
@GlennC Were Lincoln alive today, he would not be a Republican. He wouldn't even know them.
The GOP is the party of Trump, not of Lincoln:
https://www.vox.com/2016/7/20/12148750/republican-party-trump-lincoln
5
A whole bunch of damned cowards. Afraid of a bellowing bully. Afraid of not being supported by their own party. Mind blowing,,,, afraid of Moscow Mitch.
Is the entire party now owned by Putin,,Kim, Erdogan, Xi ?
It IS NOT the party of Conservatives. a trillion dollar deficit? There is nothing 'conservative' about that. It is NOT the party of Christians, two divorces, multiple porn stars, he has cheated on absolutely every one of them.
Trade? Three years of low and no trade, he finally gets something through that is no better than what was,,, and calls that a victory?
Lies, cheats, steals, Emoluments Clause?
And a bunch of wimps that are afraid of him.
24
@Deanalfred
Each of Republican Senators seating on the fence is getting thousands of threats, hate emails, tweets and social media attacks.
The hate campaign from Trump’s brown shirts is very real folks.
'Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, is not in favor of calling witnesses to the impeachment trial.'
Of course he's not. All the witnesses testimonies are unfavorable to his client. Just like with the Garland fiasco, McConnell's partisanship is damaging the integrity of the process.
16
The impeachment trial shows that the Republicans are not interested in learning the truth, or in discovering the level of corruption in the Trump administration. They do not care about democracy, or the republic, only their only skins. Polls show Cory Gardner 20 points behind any Democrat; he will lose anyway, why not stand up for what is right.
15
"Lawmakers fear allowing new testimony would tie up the Senate indefinitely and open the door to a cascade of new accusations."
Don't know that it will take all the Senate's time. They've been really good at getting almost nothing done since Moscow Mitch declared that his goal was to make Obama a one term president.
As for the "cascade of new accusations", I'd add
"As is should".
12
The Times writes, "[Republican] lawmakers fear allowing new testimony would tie up the Senate indefinitely and open the door to a cascade of new accusations."
First, these Republicans don't care about the law; otherwise, they'd practice it.
Second, these Republicans (shallow as they are) obviously don't understand the meaningful benefit of "short-term pain, long-term gain" -- otherwise, they'd realize that a fair trial (lengthy or not) might diminish what they will surely face if they don't allow witnesses: Utter Disaster Ahead, and Long-Term Repudiation.
9
Their schedule ? Seriously ? The most non productive Senate in modern history ? The gop really needs to understand, unlike trumps base, many of us are capable of free and rational thought, based on truth and facts.
16
“They in turn could provide more damaging disclosures and tie up the Senate indefinitely, when the ultimate verdict — an acquittal of the president — is not in doubt.”
In other words, we’re letting Trump off, don’t mess us up with the truth or facts. Unfortunately that’s been the typical Republican response, Trump just made it worse.
4
Dershowitz is setting a terrifying precedent when claiming that it is "in the interest of the public" when the President cheats on elections. He is claiming that there is nothing, in effect, the President can do that he can be Constitutionally held to account for.
What does this mean when Trump refuses to recognize the results of his loss in the 2020 election?
Is he going to claim that the democratic transfer of power is no longer "in the interest of the public"?
Does it not seem that this nightmare is where all of this is leading?
8
Republican Senators are going to be in trouble either way. Trump's crimes are going to come out eventually. Those trying to defeat calling witnesses are counting that voters will forget about all of Trump's misdeeds and the Republican cover-up by November.
News flash: Democrats will never let voters forget. The campaign for the White House and the Senate will be flooded with sound and video bites underscoring Republican corruption.
The far better course is to support a fair trial with witnesses and documents, and then, if they wish, for Republicans to dismiss the impeachment charges. That will play far better with Americans, and will pull the potential fire power of Democrats' attacks.
But what do I know? Republicans seem to be convinced that a death march for their party is the best strategy.
12
As someone said on the endless TV loop last night, the Senate once heard 16 witnesses in the trial of a corrupt federal judge; why can't they a hear a couple of witnesses in the trial of a President?
The answer of course is that the Republican bloc in the Senate has even less fealty to the Republic than the Roman Senators who tugged on Caesar's toga after he crossed the Rubicon.
There was a way, now discarded, for Republicans to refuse to remove Trump. Acknowledge his error in extorting Ukraine but say the voters should decide so late in his term. But no, they followed logic chopping White House lawyers down the rabbit hole of saying that a President may cheat on behalf of his re-election if he believes the national interest requires his continuance in office. '"I Am the State" said Louis XIV.
Please Mr. Burr, make room for Republican Senators in your plot in the graveyard of history.
6
Republicans in Congress are failing to uphold their sworn oath.
Democrats, continue to proceed with care. The Democratic parties past, and current failings have also contributed to the current morass we all inevitably find ourselves in.
Any fair trial, and impeachment, requires any and all witnesses who are willing to testify. Subpoena or no subpoena.
Have a good day everyone.
1
Are all the Republicans in the Senate so afraid of "Political Peril" that will vote to acquit without allowing 'all' the evidence to be put forward? Short term releif for a long-term disaster for the Republican Senators
1
No, the GOP is afraid of the the truth.
3
What has the tutelage of Roy Cohn and Roger Stone wrought on this nation and world?
We finally see the revenge of the man who would have extended his paranoid, evil McCarthy witch hunt, and another mentor whose entire career was one of outrageous shredding of truth. Had it not been for one Republican with the courage to finally stand up to their party member's blatant cruelty and lust for power, this country would have been plunged into ruin.
Don't expect another GOP member to display such patriotism and valor.
The protege of both these men has been unleashed and now, backed by others, it appears that America hurtles towards Mob rule, with Mitch McConnell providing the muscle and Putin conducting the orchestra.
Sad.
5
As a Reagan Republican, I am alarmed at the mere husk of a Party that remains post-Trump, who is the ultimate anti-Reagan. Trump's egocentric, demagogic, conspiratorial and autocratic worldview has derailed Reagan conservatism and eviscerated the GOP. No longer a "Morning in America" Party optimistically emphasizing opportunity for all Americans, supporting free enterprise, standing up to Russia and other autocrats, Trump's odd new dystopian Party is fearful, angry, insular, insulting, divisive, and petty. It embraces autocrats like Erdogan and genuflects to Putin. It is simply an entity that stokes the dear leader's immense (and unmerited) ego. Sen. McConnell (along with House Trumpian sycophants like Mark Meadows or Jim Jordan) have hastened the demise of the GOP, and the rise of Speaker Pelosi and an ascendant Democratic Party.
121
@Wesley
Reagan had a different style, but he had the same policies as Trump. He also used the same tactics, questioning patriotism if you disagreed.
Trump is Reagan without the smile.
19
@Wesley Ronald Reagan opened the door to this nightmare.....please stop pretending he was a great president because he was not, he was the beginning of the end which we are now living through.....and on the other side of the aisle Bill Clinton(a GOP Lite guy and not an authentic Democrat) premantly hurt the Democratic Party, he was impeached and remains an embarrassment to all Democrats and a stain on the Democratic Party.
14
@Wesley
I sympathize with your plight. Your party has betrayed you, and is about to betray the whole country. There is only one thing left for the American voting public to do, for we have the final check on this disastrous situation, the ballot box. I implore you, and any like-minded members of your party, to vote for every Democrat on your ballot this November. Please understand that I'm not trying to turn you into a Democrat. This is a one-time request. We, the American voting public, must send the strongest possible message to Republican office-holders that protecting, promoting, and enabling this despicable man will not be tolerated. They will only respond to losing power for, clearly, that's all they care about, so corrupted have they become. As you cogently pointed out, opportunity, free enterprise, and standing up to our enemies- all good American, and formerly Republican, values have taken a back-seat to naked power. Join with me and the rest of the citizenry that abhors where our country is headed, and restore hope, pride, and purpose to our troubled land.
November 3, 202, is the date. Vote!
13
Just a word to the Senators, if you are worried that there will be more incriminating evidence coming with additional witnesses, the Constitution does provide the process to remove a lawless president for just this reason.
You're also in luck as I hear this process is in it's late stages. It could bring both a speedy end to these proceedings and then install a duly elected Republican Vice-President Mike Pence as the new President. As an aside, Democrats are no fan of him either. Just wanted to let the Republican Senators know that they have this tool in case they might have forgotten.
4
Seeing this trial play out, with its anticipated effects on our democracy must be beyond the wildest dreams Putin ever dared consider. Throw in Brexit, Iran, Jerusalem, and the former KGB officer has played his hand brilliantly. western democracies crumble and erode under the weight of the ignorance their electorate and the infinite corruption of the legislators sworn to defend them.
Pelosi and the Democrats perhaps miscalculated when they opted to not wait for the courts to rule on the various subpoenas and opted to push this to the senate. Does anyone know, is there anything to prevent the house from issuing further subpoenas or if the investigation is tied to an article that has been acquitted by the senate is it voided?
5
Testimony from witnesses would no doubt implicate some of the very Senators and Reps. who are complaining the loudest, along with Aides, and the Rosemary Woods brigade of assistants. A real love fest of accomplices and enablers. I, for one, regret we won’t hear every morsel. Our US government has been corrupted, rotted from the inside out and now after way too long we are seeing it with our own eyes. And so is the rest of the world.
5
I'm about to go on jury duty. I'm assuming they'll allow witnesses and documents! Let's hope that this Senate "trial" provides no templates for jurisprudence at large!
4
I think we all know by now that Trump is guilty of many, many things. Some are impeachable offenses and others are just embarrassing, unpresidential actions that are tearing the nation apart, destroying alliances with other countries, and are going to cost the country a fortune over the long haul.
Shame on the Republicans. They could have ended this fiasco for all of us the world over and are choosing not to. Their excuses, explanations and enabling of their own ambitions will be their defining feature when history is written. To date there have been no profiles in courage, no outstanding examples of patriotism, and no vision for our future that would make this terrible hurt and national nightmare go away.
6
Senate Republicans are spineless. Their forthcoming vote against witnesses is confirmation that the impeachment process is a total and complete political sham—a forgone conclusion that can be rigged and manipulated as the party in powers sees fit to run interference for an out of control POTUS. Trump will only become more autocratic and brazen when he is let off the hook by Republicans who are too weak and scared of Trump’s base to dare hold him accountable. Come November, as more information comes to light about Trump’s corruption, the voters will not have the kind of collective amnesia that the GOP uses as their central political strategy.
3
republicans know this was nothing more than a very poor political coup attempt by democrats
and it's time to put it to an end and move forward in a positive direction
there's many reasons to be grateful living in the greatest country in the world
the question is, will you allow yourself to be happy?
1
@Brasto ...So you think extortion of a foreign government is ok? Stand up and tell us what you believe in.
1
We all know they won’t remove Trump. I would love a full trial. But I can live with the GOP contrived acquittal. The problem these guys have is that more, much more, is going to come out. And there is every chance Trump will escalate. Do these guys actually think it ends here?
8
Do you suppose that, privately to themselves, these Republican Senators reflect on what it means that they are so intent on having not think about what their man is doing?
2
Your GOP Senator in action:
"Witnesses make it VERY hard for me to honor my oath to remain impartial, very difficult."
3
They don’t fear tying up the senate. That’s thinly veiled pretense.
They DO fear the truth and to what extent it may come out.
8
Well at least you have to hand it to Trump. He’s made the trains run on time and he keeps the sun coming up every morning. Having a constitutional democracy and international reputation aren’t everything.
2
Mitch has managed to make Congress into something that’s unrecognizable. Being a Senator meant something, carried an air of independent authority that countered authoritarian rule. That’s gone. The countries place in the world has taken yet another step down.
6
Is not the real question: What can moderate Republicans extract from trump and how can they leverage their power against him in exchange (dare I say - a "quid pro quo") for trump not insuring their defeat in 2020?
30
@Allen82 No, because Trump doesn’t keep his side of a bargain.
3
The fear of the tweet versus the jury tampering payoff for a vote.
2
@Allen82 Moderate Republicans don't exist anymore.
5
". . .constructing a permission structure" is a brilliant description. And, yet again, Susan Collins disappoints by setting the first brick in the structure by asking about the possibility of more than one motive in the President's actions. How did she ever get the reputation as a "moderate" Republican?
11
If ever cynicism found a voice in how we conduct our politics, it is with this group of 53 Republican senators. It's really quite stunning how little they care about the 79% of Americans who favor a proper trial of this president.
This "trial" will fizzle out. The jury's has been in since the first day and no one really expected Trump to be convicted. But to acquit him on the basis of quashed evidence and testimony? That fact will be a huge talking point for every Republican senator looking to be re-elected—and every Democrat looking to unseat him or her.
Susan Collins gets cover for being able to vote for witnesses and thus tell her constituents how independent she is from the pack. (Right!)
10
@Robert Burns Collins gets no such cover; the only reason she'll vote for witnesses is because she knows there is no 4th vote. The people aren't stupid.
Adam Schiff was one hundred percent correct. If doing what’s right doesn’t matter, no constitution or judicial process will save our republic. The whole world is watching and knows we’ve lost our way.
11
This entire charade of a trial one of the most shameful episodes in American history. Republican Senators have made it clear that their loyalty lies with their party and not the country with their failure to even go through the motions of having a fair trial or trying to figure out what happened. Their acceptance of such a broad theory of presidential impunity is also tremendously dangerous as a president.
9
The Republican defense of Trump is in the Fox News style: find one ridiculous outlier in Constitutional law to scream at everyone that extorting Ukraine to slime the Bidens is not an impeachable offense, when all other con law professors, including the four who testified in the House, say Trump’s behavior is exactly what the Framers feared — a President who gets foreign help to win and dies their bidding, not ours. When it comes to foreign interests and foreign favors, Trump is not only guilty, he’s a repeat offender. It won’t be the American people who decide the election, it will be Russia (or Ukraine, or China) because they are already hacking our election with Trump’s encouragement, if not help. Just like Fox News freak outliers in science give cover to Republicans to sacrifice our atmosphere to climate change, Dershowitz gives them cover to sacrifice free and fair elections.
9
If a hungry person robs a bank Alan Derschowitz thinks it's the right thing to do and should not be illegal. The hungry person gets fed. The grocer is paid for the food. The cops have something to do. We are all better off. Get over it. Hungry people do this all the time.
4
All along, Republicans have been afraid to call witnesses because they know every single one will confirm the President’s impeachable conduct.
Now, they’ve united around an argument that NOTHING Trump does can be impeachable, as long as he believes his own re-election is in the national interest. That gives the green light to a President using every ounce of his vast power, including compelling foreign interference, to rig the election in his own favor. That is simply a dictatorship, not a democracy.
Even for a party that is as corrupt as the GOP has become, it is frightening and disturbing to see them erasing our 244-year-old system of government before our eyes.
We’d all better vote to remove these folks in November, because this is likely the last chance we’re going to get to vote at all.
10
I Donald Trump have decided that in the national interest to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus I will implement a plan to prevent it's spread.
1. People are saying that all the Democratic candidates have been exposed. Under my unlimited by the constitution powers and in the nations interest I will have them quarantined in Antarctica until 2021. They say it can be spread electronically so all communication to them will be cut off as a matter of public health.
2. It has been show that it is most effectively spread in gatherings. In the interest of public health, I regret that I will have to suspend all elections for the time being.
3. MSM has been show to sow fear and panic among the population. In the interests of the nation I an cancelling their broadcast licenses, and seizing their properties.
4.MAGA MAGA.
1
So much for sunshine being the best disinfectant. The republicans now see it as solar radiation to be avoided at all costs. That may explain Sen. McConnell's rather pasty appearance.
4
"Honest Abe" was the nickname of the patron saint of the Republican party. The leaders of the contemporary version of the Republican party are timorous vassals of the epidemic liar "Dishonest Donald". It is as simple and as shocking as that.
5
What happened to the signatures in the oath book - signed by four senators at a time - right in front of the CJ of the SCOTUS on the sacred podium of the US Senate? Was the book destroyed right after everybody signed it?
2
The U.S. Senate is being threatened by Trump's attorneys that he/they will delay the impeachment process for weeks or months if the Senate calls witnesses.
This is another shake-down.
It's mind-boggling that Republican senators are knuckling under, too. This is what cowardice looks like.
8
Gosh, so Republicans fear "allowing new testimony would tie up the Senate indefinitely and open the door to a cascade of new accusations." Perhaps that's because they fear what casting sunlight on them would show: their thoroughly inept and duplicitous leader and their own transgressions in supporting him.
Depending on who's counting, 75% to 80% of Americans want a full and fair trial, with witnesses, documentation, and the appropriate seriousness that a corrupt administration deserves in the examination of its likely treasonous behavior. Anything less undermines every American principle.
3
Commentators on MSNBC this morning were asking themselves what has so markedly changed in the country since the Watergate era and the House Impeachment maneuverings that led to the resignation of Nixon--when he was clearly guilty--in contrast to today, when another clearly guilty president (of crimes more serious than Nixon's) is about to be given a pass.
Some cited the role of the internet. Some pointed to the partisan divisions of the present. Some thought it was the divisive nature of Trump himself.
I have another suspect.
I believe the United States political system was never intended to operate in a two-party framework where all the Liberals are in one party, and all the Conservatives are in another, with Moderates trying to find a place for themselves and doing so precariously inside one or the other.
That's not how the two parties were composed in 1974, and for the preceding 185 years of American history.
Back then, both parties had as members Liberals, Moderates and Conservatives. They formed temporary, dynamic factions both within the party, and with factions from the party across the aisle, to settle disputes and pass legislation.
The vice president in 1974 was Nelson Rockefeller, a Liberal Republican.
A leading voice in the Senate at the time was Henry Jackson, D-WA, a Conservative Democrat.
America can not long endure without dynamic factions and without Liberals, Moderates, & Conservatives forming them constantly to solve the issues of the day.
3
I can’t think of language vile enough to describe the Republican Party.
9
GOP Senators are, by nature, cowards.
6
Where are the copies of the TOP SECRET manuscript now???????????
Top Secret manuscript laying on open desk at White House and at the NY Times. Bolton's computer must be retrieved in put in White House safe computer system .
deputy White House counsel John A. Eisenberg, placed a rough transcript of the call in a computer system typically reserved for the country’s most closely guarded secrets.
Mr. Trump later directed that a reconstructed transcript be released amid intensifying scrutiny from House Democrats
3
@libel
TOP SECRET ...Security breach at White House. Who made the copies ?
Classified information that is not under the personal control and observation of an authorized person, will be guarded or stored in a locked security container as prescribed below: a. Top Secret. Top Secret information shall be stored in: 1. A safe-type steel file container having a built-in, three- position, dial-type combination lock approved by the GSA or a Class A vault or vault type room
If Bolton's book deals with emoluments violations in detail in China and Turkey, what then?
How does taking bribes from foreign powers fit into Professor Dershitowitz's novel defense? If the prez believes it is in the national interest, then it is o.k.?
Eventually this leaky hog manure lagoon will burst and cover all the apologists and supporters with sugar. That's what they will tell us it is, and some will believe.
These people remind me of the grandparents of a friend, who were in Germany before and during tWW2. The old lady would always say, "Hitler was good".
4
Charlatans, Cowards and Fools.
NOVEMBER.
13
Can't NY Times come up with another Bombshell at the last minute?
2
@Robby Sadly to me as a Reagan Republican, Mitch and the Senate GOP simply wouldn't care. Their mind is made up based solely on politically defending the dear leader Trump. The them that is more important than pursuing truth wherever it leads. So even a trusted NSA Director pointing out Trump's lies at the center of this investigation doesn't move Mitch.
1
Okay, Republicans, you may actually keep the truth from coming out about Trump till after the election, but the truth will come out. There is no way you can stop it and if you don't stop Trump now and defend our Constitution and democratic institutions, you will pay dearly. For all the reported impacting moments from yesterday's questions and answers, my favorite wasn't reported on. We knew Dershowitz was going to claim expansive executive authority. Okay, maybe not as expansive as he actually did, basically saying Trump is entitled to abuse his power however he wants, for as long as he wants, and as much as he wants. Yet, my personal favorite was getting more to the point of how Trump sees his presidency, as the call was 'perfect' because he thought he got what he wanted, the Republicans are allowing him 'to do whatever he wants' and Dershowitz gave the elitist argument for him at do so. All this can be summed up in his own words from the Access Hollywood tape before the election, 'when you're a star, they let you do whatever you want, you can grab them by the ____' and he effectively has. When a person tells you who they are, believe them the first time! Evangelical leaders do not be fooled, you will reap what you sow. Justice will be served. The day of reckoning will come. Come what may. All you good and just people "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we don't give up". Be sure we get paper ballots for a recount.
4
While it should be disgusting to every American, you have to give the GOP credit for the creativity involved in coming up with months worth of excuses, phoney logic, painful logic, and perverse reasoning. I'm not capable of it. But then again, I have a soul.
5
Once the acquittal of Trump is achieved, I no longer want to hear reports of how much Senate Republicans revile Trump personally in private, even as they support him publicly.
Going forward, public opposition to Trump will be all that matters. Will be the only expressions given any credence.
They can keep their private, cowardly hand-wringing to themselves.
264
@Biff
Funny! I have been considering sending hand lotion to Collins. Her hands must be raw from wringing them before she backs McConnell. Just stop the charade, lady! We all know how you will vote. every. time.
8
Wait, I thought the impeachment and removal standard set by Republicans against Bill Clinton was lying under oath about a consensual affair in a civil suit. Or maybe having a private email server if Hillary had been elected (followed of course by execution for treason as some suggested at Trump's nominating convention).
And the idea that Senate Republicans are too busy to extend the trial is laughable when all they do is approve right wing robots to the federal judiciary.
Not only is Trump's guilt strongly implied by current House evidence, there is no evidence exonerating him. None. Dershowitz's assertion that corrupt actions are ok in a reelection campaign is preposterous on its face. And Bolton's new book almost certainly confirms the corrupt quid pro quo at the heart of the impeachment articles. More evidence would likely show Mulvaney, Pence, Perry, Barr, Pompeo and their lackeys are complicit and also unfit to serve.
What's more, our NSA (and the Russians) have almost certainly vacuumed up all the phone and text traffic from Rudy et al's escapades in the Ukraine. Adam Schiff strongly implied that information is being withheld from the House intelligence committee much as Trump's worst call readouts are locked away in a super secret NSC server.
The whole Republican establishment in DC appears rotten to the core. And they're not even trying to hide it. All for a man who is manifestly and criminally unfit to serve. The stink of this sham will never go away.
9
the GOP whines and bemoans its position and responsibilities, when its members have voluntarily accepted to act like a tribe, rather than as stewards of the US constitution. should members of the GOP remain committed to the strategy of speedy acquittal, it will be self-evident that they and their party leader serve a very narrow set of interests: e.g., white, male, well-heeled, elite, heteronormative, christian. theirs isn't conduct consistent with lowercase d democratic leadership. it is tribalism. and i fear the GOP's tribal leader is going to get his way.
4
'Lawmakers fear allowing new testimony would tie up the Senate indefinitely and open the door to a cascade of new accusations.'
Translation: The Senate is afraid of an honest, fair trial.
The people of this country deserve better.
6
Apparently Republicans in Congress will do almost anything to avoid a Pence presidency...
4
@OBSERVER I have noticed that there are only”Trump 2020” campaign sign. Where are the “Trump/Pence” signs?
1
There is a line where partisanship becomes treason. And the Republican senate has crossed that line. They have created a Presidency where wrong is right and the king can never do wrong. The entire American experiment was based upon the denial of a leader who could do anything and suffer no consequences. Shame on the GOP - one can only hope that they feel the consequences of their betrayal of this country in the next election.
6
Given the Dershowitz's testimony yesterday, it is imperative that we hear from witnesses. There is no doubt that if no witnesses are called, and the President is acquitted based on current knowledge, we will see much more foreign interference in our coming elections, and we will see a Presidency with unlimited, unchecked power. The Republican's in the Senate must stand for the Constitution, and the powers of the Congress or this democracy is sunk.
4
Our esteemed senators being of a certain age, I posit that deep vein thrombosis is a real threat here. The possibility of tying up the whole senate for weeks or months (assuming court challenges) is why the whole discovery process should have taken place in committee. That is the precedent that should be set here. The House has the option of reopening the investigation.
1
This quote from MLK Jr. says it all.
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."
7
Odds are Trump will be acquitted tomorrow.
Odds are Trump will start violating even more laws and insulting more world leaders and ... basically massaging his personal Macho image even more [if possible] Saturday.
6
Machiavelli would blush. The problem for McConnell's Senate is that no matter how often and how emphatically they sweep Trump's misdeeds under the rug, the stubborn beast slithers back out again at the most inconvenient moment. It's alive!
4
All the kings horses and all the kings men...just watch this administration and it’s enablers unravel over the coming months. It ain’t over people I firmly believe it is darkest just before dawn.
2
I would like to thank Nancy Pelosi for putting Republicans in this lose lose situation. Republicans look bad if they don't call witnesses. They also look bad if they do and they don't convict. Either way they will pay at the polls. In the end the truth will come out with or without witnesses. Nancy you are truly a master politician. Mitch for all his cynical manipulations can't hold a candle to you.
5
What would you do if you thought there were only 24 hours left till the Republic Died? This is not an alarmist hypothetical question anymore! The senate voting for impeachment is the last wall of defense between a megalomaniac who has and will continue to do everything necessary to gain and maintain power even if that means pushing the republic over a cliff to its death. As where you may believe we can make a difference by voting in the next election or the senators think they need only worry about surviving the next election or verbal retribution…this is what we all need to worry about. Trump has corrupted the Justice department from the top down with the support of a sycophantic attorney general who firmly believes in the unitary theory. Trump has castrated the legislative branches power of Checks & Balances with the support of Mitch McConnell. Now his legal team has made the argument it’s OK to have foreign intervention in our elections and Derschowitz has gone as far as to rationalize that Trump can’t even be charged with abuse of power no matter what he does to be reelected. Trump knows he can declare a state of emergency that by law can delay elections. Is it really that crazy to think that if he were losing the next election he wouldn’t scream we can’t trust the results because they were “rigged?”
5
@Gary, Donald's screaming has become the Republican Party's stomach growling for food. They're in survival instinct mode.
Another question is - to what lengths will the administrators go, when citizens demand return to democracy?
Will they turn a blind eye to zealous supporters' physical conduct, when a would-be dictator will undoubtedly be enlisting it? An extrapolation of the Dershowitz defense is that the President can do anything in the name of public interest. The seeds of survival at all costs are being spread; and The People have reason to vocalize concern.
This outcome, though pre-ordained, is so disappointing and frustrating, but the fight for our constitution and our democracy is not over. It moves to the 2020 election. Every senator who voted for this coverup should pay a price for that vote. Democrats need to take back the Senate and end the reign of Mitch McConnell for good.
6
Is this a threat? Let fair minded senators vote according to their constitutional obligations. New witnesses especially John Bolton will unnecessarily prolong the trial and will not add any information for the senate to consider. Senators can decide whether Bolton's information already leaked is credible or worth considering. Prolonging the trial and making it an unending partisan circus will harm the US in many ways including its preparedness to keep the Wuhan Corona Virus from infected more Americans than the 2 reported cases. Russia has closed its entire border with China and so has North Korea.
The virus has now been detected in 15 countries across all continents except Africa and Antarctica. A month ago I would have said chicken little and the sky is falling but now I am ready to call it a global emergency. the only somewhat good news is that the natural recovery can be possible and the 7000 infected so far will be naturally cured when their immune system clears the virus. Wuhan Corona virus unlike HIV and hepatitis C virus seems curable and not chronic persistent viral infection. Now that we know the virus better it is time to nip it in the bud with all our might.
1
@Girish Kotwal
McConnell and Graham have been BRAGGING that they are not "impartial".
"Fair minded senators"?? In the Republican party ... er ... Cult of Trump??
Which ones are those? Give us a list of at least 4.
2
Your first paragraph is belied by the second.
“Lawmakers fear allowing new testimony would tie up the Senate indefinitely and open the door to a cascade of new accusations.”
Your second paragraph makes clear that what they fear is the wrath of Trump. This is a common mistake made by journalists these days in the age of post truth politics-assuming that what a politician claims is what he really believes. Clearly, “lawmakers claim that allowing new testimony.....” is More accurate.
3
Can someone explain how pressuring a country to provide evidence is a rival in exchange for aid is less impeachable than consenting sex with an intern that was of legal age?
4
@ELBOWTOE
Joe Biden is no one's rival until he is your party's nominee for starters. Secondly, aid was released without any promise of any investigation. Not sure how simpler it can be made so if you still don't understand might not be explainable to you.
"Allowing the House to force the Senate into a drawn-out impeachment trial would set a dangerous institutional precedent," [say Republicans].
Oh, well, in that case let's just set a little ole' harmless precedent of judging the president a monarch beyond the reach of any limitation or punishment.
4
"..Senate Republicans were constructing a permission structure for not trying to get to the bottom of what happened.."
The schoolchildren don't want to be in trouble and their parents are willing to go along with their excuse for skipping class because, at the end of the year, they need the good grade.
3
Dershowitz. The man who defended Klaus Von Bulow, OJ and Jeffrey Epstein. This is the man who gets to set precedent for the checks and balances of power in this country?
He has done nothing but defend guilty, powerful, wealthy men his entire life. His weak arguments hold up to no scrutiny, but we have to sit and watch as again it is proven that this is not the land where all men are created equal - some men get passes on anything they choose to do.
7
Donald Trump is currently on trial for allegedly viiolating the Constitution and by extension his responsibilities to every American citizen. Harvey Weinstein is currently on trial for allegedly criminal acts and violating the rights of who knows how many women. For some mind-scrambling reason only one of them is currently required to answer for his actions in front of witnesses and accusers. Why is that?
This will be on the test.
5
"To Senate Republicans, a Vote for Witnesses Is a Vote for Truth"
So it won't happen.
3
I don't suppose the Senate can try itself for obstruction of justice...
3
“Remember Republicans,” he wrote on Twitter, “Witnesses are up to the House, not up to the Senate. Don’t let the Dems play you!”
Jury tampering and obstruction of justice. It's being established that the President of the United States is above the law. That's OK, though, because that is what Trump supporters want.
5
I have been so demoralized to watch this man escape every lawsuit, every act of prostitution, every Jeffrey Epstein, Trump University, unpaid contractor, General Flynn, casino bankruptcy, subpoena of Deutsche Bank, subpoena of tax records, subpoena of DOJ, subpoena of Treasury, subpoena of NSA, accusations of molestation, lies, historical ignorance, inability even to read, Michael Cohen, refusal to read PDBs, violation of emoluments, Supreme Court decisions, death of children in cages, separation of four-month-old babies, nepotism, and incompetence, indictment of his campaign officials, NSA head, personal lawyers, ripped up records, refused witnesses to foreign policy conversations.
He has conquered and emasculated both the Senate and the Supreme Court.
It seems to me the capital is full of faint-hearted polite people.
The House should at least have fined people defying their subpoenas. And I know that when Democrats are in power, they will be bullied into playing by the rules again.
Our country is no longer a major force in the world. Brilliant public projects and breakthroughs are happening in The Netherlands and Asia. The experiment is over. All because of no speedy trials?
Except this one, of course.
6
The dysfunction is alarming.
2
If Manchin votes to acquit — he just was reelected and is 72 years old — he should be kicked out of the party.
4
@Skier
Yes!! Kick him out!! Then he can just switch his affiliation to Republican instead of crossing over to vote from time to time. Much better for all concerned, no?
I'm sorry. I can't watch the farcical proceedings in the Senate any longer. Seeing and listening to the non-stop fake and misleading arguments, fake concern for future Presidents and fake outrage by Trump's attorneys, all the while knowing that Republican Senators had their minds made up not to convict Trump before this charade even started, is too depressing. I haven't felt this depressed since Trump was elected. Wake me up when it's over.
5
@Jay Orchard
Well said. Me too. This is major life stress. The future is unknown but between climate change
and the prospect of living under a dictator as mentally unhinged and cruel as trump is the future is absolutely terrifying.
The Senate is tied up indefinitely. It is there to consider legislation and Mtck calls himself the grim reaper and does not bring tied any bills to the floor. So it is tied up. Everything except Senate pay checks. Block this, tie up that, don't consider that legislation and block witnesses. Impose tariffs, obstruct justice, confine them, don't listen to this witness and definitely don't call that one; block bookstalls and don't believe your lying eyes.
Everything is blocked except of course environmental protection and carbon reduction.
Block, disallow, dismantle, tie up, can't do this, can't even discuss that, ban these people put other people into cages. Land of the free.
Anyone see a pattern here at all?
1
The lawyer who spoke about impeachment of Judges not being the same as a Presidential one, has made a valid point. Given this line of thinking, even utilizing information from overseas for political purposes could be seen as legitimately safeguarding national interest.
As far as getting politically sensitive material on Biden is considered, it is a 'quid pro quo' that can perhaps be also absolved on pragmatic political stability considerations.
That leaves the matter of investigating Ukraine servers for cyber attack on 2016 elections. This may have strategic dimensions while the Biden issue could be just a red herring. The political heft to get to bottom of this matter is only with Senate.
Oh well. Even if Republicans throttle the impeachment trial and acquit, we can at least look back and say that the whistleblower and then the House stood up to the lawless President, and actually forced the release of that military aid to Ukraine, so that it did not, at least for the time being, end up in the clutches of Trump’s beloved Putin.
Just trying to look on the bright side, I guess...and hoping Democrats go into the November election proud of having blocked the further advance of authoritarianism at home and abroad...for now.
137
@Jared I think I share your attitude and feel resigned to the Senate delivering an acquittal on Friday, but I hold out hope for some kind of epiphany of moral courage from a few of he Senators for Bolton to testify.
It really feels as though the whole country is standing outside an enormous glass house, Trump is standing there dressed as an 8 year might be dressed, a pile of throwing rocks at his feet, holes pockmarking the building, and Trump looking up at everyone and saying, wasn't me.
What do you say or do when someone flat out lies to you? Try reasoning with them?
The House has given it their best shot, I suppose. However, whenever the House Managers are accused of not doing enough to use the subpoena power I feel a pang of doubt they they truly did their best.
I wonder what arguments would sound like if the House claimed "inherent contempt" and in the subpoena demand spelled out the penalty as $5,000.00 a day for refusing to comply.
Money talks, and so maybe if this were applied to all subpoenas, then the likes of McCahn and Bolton would be compliant toward the House and not a supplicant to the President.
2
@Jared
If the whistle blower won't testify then no one should. It sets a terrible precedent when a whistle blower can make accusations and the defense team is not allowed to even investigate any possible motives or conflicts of interest. Innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around.
The whistle blowers lawyer tweeted the following 10 days after Trumps inauguration.
"Coup has started. First of many steps. Rebellion. Impeachment will follow ultimately. Lawyers"
I firmly believe that the Senate should not do the job which the House should have done.
They didn't call these people when they were working on Impeachment, claiming that they could make the case without them. Well they should not get them now.
If there were not needed during the HOuse impeachment phase, then they aren't needed now.
3
@Judy Weller
The Senate would call witteness if they wanted a fair trial instead of a cover-up. They know if they call wittenesses it will show the little man in the White house is corrupt and guilty and deserves removal from office.
2
@Judy Weller
That is simply not true. They did call Bolton and his aides, who refused and and one of his aides sued them.
1
@Tim C If a witness does not come voluntarily you subpoena them and if nesessary filw a lawsuit to get them.
Adam Schiff did not want to go to the trouble of a lawsuit. He thought he could get the Senate to his work for him by having them testify in the Senate. Well that sort of trickery did not work out as planed.
It appears that in the short-run, again, that McConnell and Trump will prevail. In making a sham of this impeachment process, possibly damaging the relationship of the three primary branches of government for an indeterminate period, McConnell has shown no respect for any principle other than that of maintaining power for elites at the expense of the many. I could go on in this vein, but will not.
As a concerned citizen, and admittedly a liberal, all I can think to do is to channel my rage and despair into the hopefully positive acts required to remove Trump and as many of his backers from office as possible: Register voters, campaign for Democrats in tight races, join with progressive groups in taking collective action, writing to and talking with my network of friends and family, supporting the Democratic nominee for president, speaking to the vast and significant policy differences between the Democratic and Republican platforms and the negative actions of the Trump Administration, all the while emphasizing that integrity, the rule of law and respect for other human beings is a paramount virtue of any liberal democracy or democratic republic. We must not lose hope; we must trust in truth and virtue and love of fellow human beings, and use those traits to find individual and collective power in this perilous time. Rally for justice! Rally for the dignity of the common person! Rally as patriots for the notion of what the United States can be!
10
As I understand it, the Unitary Executive role was proposed and adopted by both Federalists and anti-federalists for complementary reasons.
We presently have a unitary executive (UE). That is, we have just one president at a time, and there is nothing inherently wrong about the idea. But differing opinions about the scope of the UE's powers have been a source of contention even among the framers. On the one hand, a single executive has a greater dynamic range and fidelity of power usage in his decision-making process. Its power is not divided as is congressional power is divided into a bicameral legislature. On the other hand, a single executive is uniquely answerable for its decisions - he cannot just pass the buck. So one primary reason for having a UE is, in fact, because an individual - as opposed to multiple executives - is by his solitary nature subject to greater transparency and restraint.
The intent of the framers was clearly not to empower the executive with ultimate unquestionable authority over all issues related to the executive branch, including his own election. The Framers wrote that the executive shall "... take care that the laws be faithfully executed ..." So, even a unitary executive must take care that he does not violate the limits of his power including bribing of foreign officials, receipt of emoluments and many other examples of power abuse. That is to say, when the president does it, it certainly can be illegal.
3
McConnell's former staffer says allowing witnesses would be a "Hindenburg" experience for the Senate. However, one could as easily argue that a rushed, pre-determined, Senate trial that dismisses new evidence from the president's National Security Adviser will be a far greater disaster for the GOP, the Senate and the nation. Bolton will presumably say under oath that the president lied regarding the central issue in this trial, and the "greatest deliberative body in the world" needs to live up to its reputation, and stop operating out of fear of Trump. Simply seek truth wherever it leads.
5
This is how Republicans always win: cheating. Republicans create laws that leverage their smaller numbers into significant wins. They gerrymandered themselves into this presidency, despite a 3 million popular vote loss.
Republicans win because they beaver on down to the lower political realms to elevate individuals into public office who fit and support their agenda. ALEC - the American Legislative Exchange Council - has been a most effective unit at fostering a conservative agenda across our country. Families like the Kochs, the Waltons and the Mars Candy family, with their deep pockets, gladly fund the Council's retrograde initiatives on the environment and public health.
Present Republican values seem opposed to what many of us assume are core American values, such as honesty, openness, a willingness to share to promote the greater good, an open and mostly transparent government, a foreign policy that promotes international harmony and accord, a trade policy that aims at balance and fairness, and a government that the people can trust.
Instead our government is primarily led by a coterie of business and financial interests headed by a president with six bankruptcies, three marriages, international business interests, 16,000+ lies and misstatements on his word since he assumed office, 19 women who say he sexually assaulted them, and who frequently golfs at his own resorts on the public dime.
As the Chinese curse goes, "May you live in interesting times."
7
Yes, Gathering the evidence was the Democrats job. Why were they unable to do it? President Trump strongly pressured anyone with any information not to testify and absolutely no documents have been turned over to the House. The Democrats’ were obstructed from doing their job. And that’s one of the articles of impeachment.
10
The trouble with allowing witnesses is the risk that first hand evidence of the facts, will disclose incontrovertible truths.
By the WH lawyers arguments only first hand evidence is credible and every first hand witness serving the president in the executive branch is immune from testifying.
This leaves only one witness with first hand evidence who can provide evidence of the president's actions and beliefs. Donald Trump.
And by his lawyers' arguments about due process, Trump must testify and be cross examined.
Note: presidents are not immune if they are covering up their crimes.
4
Republicans are fundamentally and permanently changing the political and constitutional landscape for the sake of their own survival. Democrats must now accept that a return to any kind of political norm is impossible, even if they re-capture the White House and Senate. Republicans have clearly demonstrated that, if given the chance, they will do and say anything to retain their political power, including embracing the bizarre idea that a president who believes his re-election is in the best interest of the country is free to secure that re-election in whatever way he chooses. This is the text book definition of a dictatorship.
In this new world it will become imperative that Democrats understand that a return to "normalcy" will do nothing less than provide Republicans with that opportunity. To this end, Democrats will be forced to manipulate the Constitution and the rule of law to guarantee that once out of power Trump and his allies have no avenue of return.
This is the tragic legacy the Republican Senate is about to enshrine. That playing by the rules in good faith is seen as a sign of weakness and opportunity, and that one's own political survival, by any means at any cost, is paramount.
5
I wasn’t alive at the time, but if I remember my US History correctly, the Supreme Court voter unanimously to make admissible the evidence that Nixon tried to cover up in Watergate.
Somehow I doubt we will see the Supreme Court intervene on behalf of justice today.
What good is a system of checks and balances when each branch of government acts in the interest of its (corrupt) party leadership?
4
You heard it here folks, Republicans have decided that Trump is their only way to keep power and they are willing to let him do whatever he wants - as Trump has insisted himself.
Fair warning to Republicans - Trump won't always be in the White House. You're playing with fire here, and it will be interesting what happens if a Democrat takes the White House in January 2021 with the unlimited power bestowed upon him/her by the Republicans.
Say hello to environmental regulations, green new deals, and rights for LGBTQ people.
This "trial" is the last gasp by the GOP - as the midterms showed, America is against this President. How fortunate that the 2020 election comes in a redistricting year for the Democrats. That means the next decade will be gerrymandered and controlled by the Democrats.
The Republicans have fought tooth and nail to maintain gerrymandering, have shown that Presidents are allowed to completely ignore subpoenas. They can't argue anything against a Democrat President or the Democrats shaping this country without their input.
You reap what you sow.
7
The only way to end this is to vote in November for the Democratic nominee. If everyone who wants a change takes that action in November, then Tyrannical Trump will be out. Ending this is not complicated.
3
For Mitch McConnell, it is all about retaining Republican control of the Senate and the power he wields as majority leader. He has made the political calculation that the Republican incumbents up for reelection jn November will have a better chance of winning by not voting for witnesses and counting on voters to forget their vote come election day than to defy Trump and risk angering the Trump base and lose their votes in November. Also , having no further witnesses at the trial will help prevent further serious revelations to emerge (especially if Bolton testifies) that could further expose the unfairness of the trial and the injustice brought about by an acquital.
For us in the resistance we need to focus all of our energies on beating Trump in November, retaining control in the House, and regaining control of the Senate. This is all we can do and the future of the Republic depends on it.
3
Republicans bet that we’ll have forgotten by November and they are right.
Trump will make sure of it.
The only question is: which country will be the victim of his next drama to distract?
4
The allusion of the U.S. Senate as a deliberate body is now all but completely dead. The Mitch McConnell, Republican controlled Senate in attempting to prevent witnesses from testifying in the Impeachment Trial of Donald Trump clearly illustrates absolutely contempt for citizens of this nation.
It is not that the public will not learn of what Bolton and other possible witnesses in the trial has to say. The release of his new book and interviews in the press from now through November will ensure that. The only possible hope of the Senate ever regaining any sense of respectability starts with the defeat of Republicans seeking reelection to the Senate and removal of McConnell as majority leader.
4
In regards to the headline for this article, a vote against witnesses is also a vote for trouble for the Republican Party. McConnell may be holding his underlings in solidarity against calling witnesses, so he'll most likely win this battle. But come November, it's not going to look to good for those up for reelection. I'm sure the Democratic challengers are already working on their campaign ads...
2
As Mitch McConnell corrals Senate Republicans away from calling witnesses and toward a Friday night acquittal, it's clear that the vote stands at this point 50-50, evenly split, which means no witnesses and a swift resolution.
That means any one of the 50 Republican Senators voting with McConnell could decide the issue and swing the result the other way.
Each should ask him/herself: Do I want to be responsible for what Donald Trump and this administration do into the future after February 1? If the future turns out badly, do I want history to say of me "you could have stopped it, and didn't?"
I know many of them are just looking for the exits (and any argument to justify voting the way they decided to long ago).
But history will record this: they changed the United States irreparably with the acquittal of a clearly corrupt and guilty president and they neutered the power of the Senate to perform its constitutional duty of executive oversight. They will all bear that on their epitaphs.
As for Mitch McConnell: he will surely go down in history as
the greatest American political villain since John C. Calhoun proselytized nullification during the 1820s.
8
It's absolutely shocking that Republican after Republican is saying that no matter what evidence comes out they will vote for acquittal. In other words, no matter how guilty Trump may be they will vote for acquittal. It's shocking.
4
I say, let the Republicans withhold the witnesses. It’s clear that even with the witness testimony, no hearts and minds will change (they’ve already said as much). However, the electorate may be so incensed at the lack of judicial process, it may just usher in a real blue wave.
4
I remember,, in 1973, sitting Vice President Spiro Agnew was under investigation (secretly, it appears) for taking bribes in the 1960s as Maryland Governor. He was charged with the crime, entered a Nolo Contendre plea, and resigned as Vice President. It certainly ended his political career, and was of benefit to anyone who wanted to see him out of office. It likely also was of harm to Richard Nixon, under investigation for his role in the Watergate scandal.
Investigating any political figure for past misdeeds is inherently in the public interest, and also inherently advantages and disadvantages political enemies and allies. Should Agnew not have been investigated because some rival was advantaged? Of course not.
The decision to investigate anyone for past corruption is always in the public interest, especially if that person is seeking election to high office. The voting public has a right to know, either of the existence of a crime, or the lack of exercise of good judgement.
This is substantially different than, say, ordering the Treasury to make payments to a sham corporation, with the money then stolen or diverted to a political use. In such an instance, there is no public interest served.
I know these revelations concerning Joe Biden's not recusing himself on Ukrainian matters were news to me. I once supported him as a Presidential candidate, but I no longer support his candidacy
2
@RM
Just what in your mind he did wrong and why would he recuse?
1
@Fred
Read up on "appearances of conflict of interest". If he had no control over his son's employment, he had a responsibility to remove himself from any situation involving the Ukraine and its energy policy. His failure to do so brings all Obama administration initiatives involving the Ukraine under suspicion.
In my career, there was a very powerful Chief of Staff at the Public Utility Commission who was in charge of making recommendations on utility company petitions for rate increases to the entire PUC. The law firm that represented several utility companies hired his son to a lucrative job. That made the PUC decision in every utility case where that law firm represented the utility company suspicious. Integrity in government requires that situations creating such suspicions be avoided.
The Democrats are worried that some foreign diplomat might stay in a Trump hotel, paying the rack rate for a room. But they see nothing wrong in Joe making decisions involving the Ukraine while his son holds a $80,000 a month no show job for which he has no qualifications, other than his father running the show on the Ukraine in the Obama administration. You see nothing wrong there?
One of the most appalling things I've witnessed in this sordid cover up is the once-respected lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, posing as a neutral party and invoking the former Republican standard bearer, President Lincoln, as a precedent and analogy in order to establish a new government of the Trumps, by the Trumps, and for the Trumps.
5
The Republicans, led by Mitch know exactly how naked their emperor is. It doesn't matter to them. They are gambling that public interest in this will wane before election day, and they also know that Donald's chances against a weak slate of Democratic candidates look pretty good at this point. Biden has been damaged by this, which was really the whole point from the beginning. The real gamble for Mitch are those Senate seats in swing states. They have no interest in precedents or the long-term damage they're doing to the country. The next election cycle is all that matters.
2
From what I read from reporting and comments, most people believe this farcical trial will reflect poorly on the Republicans for generations to come. There also seems to be a resignation that this matter has been decided and nothing will change the outcome.
Sooner or later everyone will understand that this is the beginning of the end, not an end in itself. If Trump is acquitted, every argument the defense attorneys have presented will become precedent! In future elections, candidates will be able to do anything to affect the outcome of an election including using taxpayer funds to coerce foreign powers to dig up and manufacture dirt on political opponents.
The Republicans are willing to stop at nothing to win an election, even when it is blatantly improper and at one time considered illegal. This acquittal will render the FEC powerless. If no one can be punished then why bother having rules or regs? Katy bar the door!
Despite crushing negative publicity that is certain to come, and the blowback from voters who will reject Republicans en masse, why are Republicans so confidently defiant? Could it be that they have calculated they have all the means (money and dirt) to win in November - not just the presidency but also retain the majority in the Senate? McConnell appears cocksure they will (against all polling) prevail in November. He must know something we don't!
This is the beginning of the end, and I'll never trust the integrity of another election.
5
The rationalizations offered by Republican senators and by the Trump defense team against calling witnesses are absurd, but the one that gave me the biggest laugh was offered by a member of the defense, don't remember who. He said more witnesses would prevent the Senate from undertaking the important work they cannot conduct while sitting silent during the trial, or words to that effect. "I thought, Important work they can't conduct? Their '
'important work' for the last 10 years has been to do nothing. Except tp obstruct anything Barack Obama wanted to do, to appoint unqualified or barely qualified judges to the Federal bench, and to reward their most ardent monied supporters with a budget busting tax break."
4
Here is what the Republicans don't realize.
As soon as the Trump Presidency is over, everyone who worked there, like John Bolton, will be writing books about what really went on.
Right now, historians, seizing upon the opportunity, are preparing books of their own to display, for all eternity, what went on during the Trump administration.
The Trump enablers will have their reputations trashed until the end of time.
They'll be up there with every American political disgrace of the past two hundred years.
3
Left asked for and received the FBI investigation when the Kavanaugh smear went live. Despite that investigation the left today is loud and unrelenting that Kavanaugh is il-legitmate and not deserving of his Seat. So why agree here? To what benefit? To satisfy democrats? That is impossible short of handicapping Trump so badly he has no chance of winning in November.
The republicans criticized the House for not pursuing subpoenas in the court, even though, as the Dems explained, it could take years to get a decision. We now get the hypocritical argument from the republicans that they won't call witnesses because it could drag out the impeachment trial. We are losing our Democracy in real time.
2
Senate Republicans don't look like they are ignoring relevant information, they look like they are intentionally, actively, and purposefully blocking and burying information that would expose the truth about Trump's actions. In doing so, they are revealing their own lack of ethics, honor, or commitment to the American people
4
Courtesy of Premier Mitch McConnell and his politburo of Republican senators feverishly working day and night to install a General Secretary in the Oval Office, welcome to the Democratic Peoples Republic of America, where fear and hatred rule and truth, democracy and independent thought have no place. We do have a chance to end this horrendous nightmare starting in November, 2020 and with each upcoming election for the cabal of current Senate Republicans. America, please don't ever forget what is happening in our Senate right now. We will have opportunities to reverse it.
1
Senate Republicans are afraid that new testimony could "open a door of new accusations" and so they are banning together to block the vote on Friday.
What a bunch of real "impartial" Senators. They are more afraid of the truth than of losing their clout and/or their Senate seat.
So much for caring or giving a hoot about the country much less "public interest."
7
I can't help but think of the people who have literally died to give us what we have being let down by people who are worried about what may or may not happen to their jobs.
Complete moral failure.
4
What's most amazing about this whole ordeal is the movement of the proverbial goalposts in defending Trump. It went from a perfect call, to not that bad, to no actual quid pro quo, to the new defense from Dershowitz, who in essence argues that there are no goalposts. The audacity is laughable.
How do Republicans put this genie back in the bottle for future presidents? They do have no shame, so I expect they will have selective amnesia in the future, but the precedent is being set. They are saying and allowing that a president could use their office for any number of personal and political favors from foreign governments without repercussions. The Presidency is now for sale.
1
@Tiago You ask how Republicans put the genie back in the bottle. The somewhat recent history of Republican behavior indicates that they will go forth as though this new standard applies only to Republican presidents and representatives. Their representatives and presidents have a different/lower standard.
Hiding their collective heads in the sand will have unforeseen and potentially disastrous consequences. Trump of course will be emboldened, so who knows what he'll do to win the 2020 election and to exert his power? Based on Dershowitz's definition of executive power, Trump could lean on all sorts of foreign and domestic influencers to swing the election in his favor. He can make even more sweeping and impulsive decisions about foreign policy, the environment, judges and more. He will seek vengeance on his perceived "enemies", including the mainstream media. Dershowitz clearly loves publicity and uses intellectual mind games to gain attention and promote non-mainstream ideas with little thought of what the results will be. Unfortunately he has given the Republicans the most risky excuse possible - that what Trump did is perfectly acceptable.
1
The republicans are suffering from the fear of the unknown. If they were to allow documents and witnesses, it could possibly turn out so damming they would be left with no choice but to remove the president from office. Rather than face that possibility its just easier to avoid it entirely. Regarding getting bogged down with a drawn out impeachment trial - what an excuse! It's not like they have a packed schedule! They've done next to nothing for the past two years. At least if they were to take the trial into a documents and witnesses phase they would be doing something.
2
Pro tip, Senators: The cascade of new accusations, and revelations, is coming no matter what you do. The question is what side of history you're going to be on.
3
When the truth is not your friend witnesses are not welcome. The GOP and trump's defense team are a stain on the nation. That trump is guilty and must be removed from office is clear. That the US is no longer a democracy or a great nation is also clear.
Vote all republicans out of office.
2
“We don’t need Mr. Bolton to come in and to extend this show longer, along with any other witnesses people might want, and occupy all of our time here in the Senate for the next few weeks, maybe even months,” Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas and a close ally of Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, said Tuesday evening on Fox.
What a great argument [my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek], especially when "Grim Reaper" McConnell has about 400 bills passed by the House collecting dust on his desk, and is not about to have the Senate even consider, let alone act on them (not either vote them up or down - ah, yes, the "Merrick Garland" treatment, a McConnell specialty).
Those Republican Senators are collecting a paycheck, and doing no work at all. They should all be retired as soon as possible.
3
The Republican Party always had the image of being “tough on crime”, the party of Law and Order. McConnell et al, seem to be intent on single handedly destroying that image and replacing it with that of a party for whom the end always justifies the means. Now I grant that this may always have been so with the GOP when I think of the likes of Nixon and Agnew and some of the schemes that Regan got behind, but still, they were never as blatant as this. November is not that far off, there is all sorts of ammunition here for the Democrats that will just go off later should it be suppressed now, so Republicans, are you strong, independent, reliable individuals or sheep to be lead by threats from a man who would sell his soul to the devil for another term in office (if he already hasn’t)?
3
"It would tie up the Senate..."
Tie up the Senate?
Shocking!
Only Mitch McConnell is allowed to tie up the Senate!
McConnell has bragged that the Senate is where legislation goes to die, as he tables much of the legislation passed by the House, refusing hearings on legislation about - among other serious issues - gun control.
Over a hundred million people vote in our elections.
But after all, this is Mitch McConnell's world.
The rest of us just have to live in it.
3
It deeply saddens me because I believe this highlights an even larger issue then partisan politics.
It highlights what many Americans feel...our voice no longer matters! The corrupt politicians have control and they could care less about anyone but: GOP party, retaliation from Trump, their own involvement in Ukraine coverup, and/or reelection.
So instead of draining the swamp, Trump joined it and is making it stronger.
I challenge the GOP to put the vote of witnesses to the American people. Let us Americans make that decision since Senators have proven they are not our voice any longer.
The second issue it highlights is we no longer expect our President to have respect and/or character. We no longer instill in our children respect if we allow our President to belittle our constitution and the American people. As a mother of 3 sons, this deeply saddens me. His behaviors have demonstrated time and time again that he will attack anyone who disagrees with him, he will lie excessively, and he will make decisions without considering expert advice. This is not only appalling, but unacceptable in a WORLD leader.
While I continue to remain optimistic that some Senators will put the truth first and vote for witnesses, it saddens me it's even a question.
3
Allowing the Executive Branch to block witnesses is tantamount to creating a dictatorship. A vote by the GOP not to hear witness testimony should trigger the Pentagon which is tasked with defending the constitution against traitorous actions.
Any Senator who votes to block witness testimony is a traitor to The Constitution. This is why the 2nd amendment exists, The Right To Bear Arms to defend The Constitution of The United States of America from exactly this kind of attack on our Democratic Republic by a partisan majority.
Justice Roberts holds the key to defending The Constitution but so far, he seems like he's just along for the ride. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THIS CONSTITUTIONAL CRISES.
2
In plain English, Republicans are fully cognizant that witnesses and evidence will show Trump is unequivocally guilty.
Yet, these poltroons will ignore their duty to the Republic and repudiate their oaths of office to excuse the most corrupt president in my lifetime. Which includes Nixon.
2
Unfortunately, it makes no difference whether witnesses come or don't come. Republicans will support POTUS no matter what. As Dershowitz asserted, POTUS can do not wrong. It's all in the national interest. Just as Nixon's Watergate affair was in the national interest. Because keeping these leaders in power to Republicans is all in the national interest. No matter what. So why bother wasting time listening to witnesses.
Besides it's all obvious that POTUS has no regard for ethics, honesty, or fairness. And he most certainly tried to get help from foreign powers against his political opponents. But he must win at all costs and is above the law. It's all in the national interest.
1
Voters of Maine: Replace Susan Collins! Not only did she vote for Kavanaugh, she is supporting Trump.
3
It's gone on since November, 2016. Schiff and Pelosi have been searching, non-stop, since he first won the office. Might as well completely stop any forward progress, just keep trying to fry him until he gets re-elected, which is looking more and more likely, due to a weak field of opponents. If Trumps walks, Schiff is going to go completely nuts looking for something else.
So Trump says Bolton's book is totally false, but also 100% classified.
How does that work?
6
Republicans don't want to hear more, because the more they hear, the more obvious it is that Trump is a criminal. Hard to ignore, though, that allowing Trump's criminal actions to go unchecked sets a new standard and creates a massive zone of Presidential corruption, for both Trump and future presidents.
2
To America a vote to deny witnesses on the basis of his attorneys declaring Trump absolute ruler is the end of our Constitution, our laws and our Republic.
2
As Republicans lined up on Wednesday to block witnesses, one has to wonder how Nancy Pelosi feels as she watches Republicans act in their best interest, not like what AOC and the rest of 'the squad' and those 'Justice Democrat types elbowed to the forefront in their rush to get Trump Impeached.
Pelosi knew if the Impeachment of Trump fell short it would provide him with a bottomless supply of amnutioin to fire at Democrats up and down the ticket during the 2020 election cycle.
I can only hope these newcomers in the House are taking notes on how they messed things up, and royally for the upcoming election. And where's AOC these days, out on the stump for Bernie Sanders, another finger in the ribs of the Democrat Party?
With that said, Nasncy Pelosi has her hands full like never before, trying to upend Trump as he appears at rally after rally and loaded for bear, just looking to defame Democrats, one after another, pounding his chest, mockingly, exclaiming, I told you, no collusion, no nothing-anywhere. "My conversation about arming Ukraine was perfect".
And with that said, let's get the final four in place as soon as possible for who will run to defeat this president. Be it Warren, Sanders, Biden, or whoever. But let's get Pelosi and Schumer the space they need to get the show on the road and quit wasting what valuable time and resources the Dems have left.
1
We have all heard the Republicans lawyerly arguments by the best and brightest — who have shown consummate skill in appearing to “demonstrate the truth” by their own statements of the facts and resultant, well twisted conclusions. However, the lawyers are not subject to perjury laws, and should not be confused as witnesses as they reconfigure the “facts” in their clients’ best interest — and their clients are the Republican Senators — NOT America.
1
Why is Neal Katyal's comment about needing 2/3 majority to overrule Roberts in matters of discovery not being discussed broadly? Either here or any other MSM outlets? Yet another proof of decline in our societal ability to have meaningful debate.
1
Nixon should not have resigned based on this defense
1
I appreciate the fretting and wrinkled eyebrows about what a dangerous "precedent" the GOP might be setting by refusing to hold Trump accountable for the latest of his corrupt and indefensible actions. But let's not kid ourselves: no precedent is being set at all. That's because we all know that if the shoe was on the other foot, and a Democratic leader would engage in any of the behaviors Trump has, the GOP would not hesitate to tar and feather him/her. And let's not kid ourselves that McConnell--in spite of his assertion that "the people" should have a say in such things as Supreme Court picks in an election year, for example--will rush to fill any such seat, right up until election day. That's because the GOP has devolved into a mob of idealogues who don't just believe that they are "right" about this issue or that, but that their "cause" is righteous, and any behavior---no matter how crooked, shameless, or hypocritical--that they have to employ in service of that "righteous cause" is not only justifiable but in their minds "honorable." They simply have no decency, or shame.
This article should be read a thousand times by bernie and his followers. Maybe they learn something from republicans.
Translation: Republicans know Trump is a corrupt President and they'll do whatever is necessary to prevent testimony from witnesses who will expose his criminal nature to the American people. This is why Trump's lawyers advised him not to testify for the Mueller investigation. Our president doesn't begin to know how to tell the truth.
222
@Aurora The witnesses that haven't yet testified will be in the forefront and scrutinized between now and November. If the Republicans don't let them testify now they will be standing behind every Republican running for re-election in November. Watch Ms Stefanik defending Trump before her NY constituents. Watch Susan Collins lose her re-election bid. The House Democratic majority will swell and the Senate will become Schumer's boys and girls club in 2021 if Republicans vote to acquit without witnesses. The reactionary stance of senate Republicans under Moscow Mitch will be their downfall. A short term solution bound to fail in the long term.
18
@Aurora
Donald Trump didn't run a covert stealthy subtle campaign.
And the Republican Party is the preferred partisan white European American voting majority.
The truth is that Donald Trump is the one and only Article II executive office President of the United States that we have.
3
@RLW - I'm not so convinced as you that karma will save the day. We live in the Trump era, where our president - on almost a daily basis - does thing that any other president would be hung for. How quickly we forget what absurd, unAmerican, sometimes criminal thing Trump did yesterday. Also, there were no witnesses at Clinton's trial; something Republicans will be quick to throw in Democratic faces. Of course, the big difference there is that Clinton handed over tens of thousands of documents, didn't invoke executive privilege once, and even testified before a grand jury. McConnell knows what he's doing. He's gambling that people will forget the impeachment by November. He may be right.
9
Senate republicans will be in more trouble as information continues to trickle out (after they’ve acquitted Trump) from Bolton/his book and other sources.
In some way, I prefer their acquittal of him now because the consequences they will suffer from election defeats will be severe.
184
@MM Agree, MM. As hard as this is to stomach, let them win this battle. But they will lose the war: they will be CRUSHED in November.
24
@MM Absolutely correct. Acquittal by the Senate on Friday (or any other day for that matter) will be a short term victory for Trump but a long term victory for Democratic Congressional candidates in November.
112
@MM, I respectfully disagree. Your statement implicitly assumes he will commit no further atrocities before November - and that there will even be an election, which he and his free-range toadies could find several ways to undermine. As much of the Republican cancer pervading our government as possible must be removed as swiftly as possible. We must demand a full and fair trial, and let the evidence lead us where it may.
15
Growing up,my parents taught me that America was the greatest country on earth, the defender of the oppressed,the protector of democracy and the leader of the free world. They told me that American culture, education and business helped Canada prosper and supported progress and democracy worldwide. Now I'm in my sixties, much has changed in the last 40 years. America has created vast worldwide inequality, a race to the bottom on wages,infrastructure,safety nets,education and so much more. My parents are spinning in their graves watching the right wing impose their libertarian agenda on America, as I despair about what could have been. Thank God my country still resembles a democracy, although even that is shaky at times!
40
@Bosox rule
My dad was in the 101st during WW II. He did not fight to defeat the Nazis so that the US could become a dictatorship.
I was raised as you were.
Can we Yanks still come to Canada? My wife and I visited for a week last August.
All of my grandparents immigrated from Europe in the late 1890s-early 1900s so their kids could live a better life.
I intend to find out what it takes to move to Canada and become a Canadian.
5
I see a larger dilemma emerging here than loyalty to McConnell or dragging this out for weeks. How on earth could any of the GOP senators endorse Trumps defense as outlined by Dershowitz? For centuries to come, this precedent of agreeing that the President is completely above the law and acting in the national interest of the country in doing anything at all to win re-election. This is a policy of totalitarian despots, and oppressive regimes. Which one of the GOP Senators wants to sign up for making the US as totalitarian dictatorship?
177
@GO
"Which one of the GOP Senators wants to sign up for making the US a totalitarian dictatorship?"
Apparently, they all do.
18
@GO
I’m betting it’ll be all of the GOP senators who sign on to that belief. Perhaps 50 years from now “GOP” will have the same meaning as “Benedict Arnold” has today.
It’ll either go that way or the GOP bet pays off and we become a one party dictatorship....for a while anyway.
8
@GO ALL the GOP senators will sign to make the US a totalitarian dictatorship. The only thing they have heard in this whole process is trump's legal team. They did not listen to the Democrats...they doodled, did crosswords, & played with fidget spinners like having short attention spans (not insulting people with true ADD).
10
I imagine there are plenty of Republican senators, Mitch McConnell possibly among them, who, were their private truths to be told, would love to be done with Trump era and all its manifest malfeasance and corruption, and return to the comfortable "normalcy" of the way things were before. But it is a fact that ever since the Reagan/Fox News inflection point, the nation's Great Society muscle fiber has been atrophying at an alarming rate, largely supplanted now by the banana-republic model of a few haves and a lot of have-nots. It's going to take an Elizabeth Warren or equal, I fear, to get the ship of state back on course, and resume the American experiment.
43
@Pino Katz
Nah, just a democratic party that can lick its wounds after you lose again in 2020 and learn the lessons from both 2016 and 2020. Sure, democrats learning from their mistakes is a tall order and may be a bar they are not able to clear but that's what is needed to regain any footing you think has been lost.
@Pino Katz You really believe that this batch of trump sycophants is not 100 percent behind their hero? Even Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney have any doubts about him? They may put on a great show and shed their crocodile tears, but the proof is in their actions. That they bend to the will of Trump and McConnell is all that needs to be said.
2
@Pino Katz I disagree with the McConnell statement you made. Have you seen his loving look he gives trump at press conferences? Fawning all over this man. McConnell & the others need to answer to the voters & be voted out.
3
Unbelievable. How do we expect Gen Z or younger to not have a growing nihilistic view of the world with this, with climate change inaction, etc.
We’ve told them you win with good behavior. However, we are DOING very different things than we tell them to do and showing that THAT is how you actually win.
Things like this will cause the next generation to lose faith in justice, in courts, in fairness.
The disaster is not this president, but the descent and betrayal of what we hoped our children’s beliefs as attitudes about the world would be.
61
@Hu Freedom is that what we told them? Really? Have you seen a movie lately or played a first person shooter video game? Is that really what we're telling them?
Yes.
We all grew up with the model of integrity being President George Washington’s honesty (the legend of the cherry tree). Our kids and grandkids are growing up with a diametrically and diabolically different impression of the Presidency and of the value and importance of honesty, truth, and integrity.
Horrible, indeed.
1
I hear you, but my experience with Gen Z is and even most of Y is they see what’s happening with open eyes and no way will they let it continue. The kids are alright. Let’s band together, do our job and vote out the pathetic GOP senators who are too chicken of an orange wimp to do their jobs and let out the truth.
1
Republican Senators must realize that the still hidden witnesses and documentation will some day be available to journalists and historians who will judge the motives and wisdom of these Senators. The decisions they make will be scrutinized for their impact on our nation's future.
26
They obviously don’t care for America or truth but only their own short term interests. This is not the America I was taught we had.
1
@cjg
Gee, wonder if that applies to anything that happened with Kavanaugh too? Think we might learn some truths about that fiasco in the future? Only if someone in the media decides to look into it? Good thing no one is huh?
We the People must not forget who refused to pursue the truth, just as they refused in the Kavanaugh nomination case. Republicans are betting we will forget by November, and sure we’ll do so in the case of those whose re-election races are later than that.
It’s hard not to see, in many cases, a betrayal of the oath they swore before this “trial” began. Let’s hope.
23
In 1998 Jerrold Nadler said there should never be a partisan impeachment process. Such a process he said would damage the public's confidence in the political system and invite retribution. I guess hypocrisy is acceptable if you hate someone enough and can't accept the results of a democratic election?
The House had to prove a case of "high crimes and misdemeanors". They could have called any witness they wanted to. Apparently, they were rushing to protect the 2020 elections but then sat on the articles for a month and now aren't in a hurry? If they failed to prove their case it isn't McConnell's fault.
Bolton is a private citizen. No one can stop him from complying with a subpoena from the House. The House voted instead. They felt they had proved their case. The Senate now chooses more witnesses.
Personally, I want to hear witnesses. I agree with Dershowitz. What Bolton alleges does not qualify as an impeachable crime, but I'd like to hear what he has to say. I'd like to hear from Hunter-did he really earn $60,000/month at Burisma? I'd like to hear from Joe-did he know what Hunter while he was trying to get a prosecutor fired who was investigating Hunter's business arrangement? I want Schiff to testify under oath he didn't conspire with the whistleblower.
But, the only bipartisan vote was in the House against impeaching Trump. We shouldn't have had a partisan impeachment to begin with.
Ending it quickly is what's best for the nation. Nadler said so himself.
8
@jkemp If the House had attempted to subpoena witnesses (which they did on one or two), this would still be tied up in courts. No subpoenas would ever have been deemed legal. trump & his hand picked courts would back him all the way to stop any witnesses. Every document the House tried to get was never turned over. trump & barr said they would not honor any requests for anything. So how could this have been accomplished in the House without going on for a year or more?
2
@jkemp
Nothing any private citizen Biden offspring did warrants extorting a foreign power to gain something of value to a presidential campaign. Doesn't matter if he did it for $1 or $1M.
Nothing done lawfully warrants hiding the evidence. That alone allows for an adverse assessment, so GOP, please bring on clarifying witnesses.
Extortion and bribery are inchoate crimes - which means the ask is the crime, it matters not if it was answered. Trump did this. He has admitted to it.
There is corroborating evidence. There is a fact, first-person witness ready to testify.
The senate republicans are about to say that any executive or court officer can do the same forever with no consequences.
Do you really want that world?
3
@jkemp If we never had a partisan impeachment, then we would never have an impeachment at all, no matter how it may be warranted by the facts. That is the reality of our two party system.
1
Blocking even the most obvious of witnesses makes the Pres. look guilty, and makes Republicans look complicit, which they are. Hopefully this decision, if it comes to pass, will have severe repercussions in the elections.
43
I expected to lose, but the outcome when it arrives always hurts. Let’s win come November.
16
@Pb of DC
Watch for a sudden state of emergency. He is going to lose and pull a stunt. He is not leaving quietly.
"Congratulations on your victory Mr Bloomberg. I am here to help with the peaceful transferal of power"
I don't think so.
1
"Senate Republicans were constructing a permission structure for not trying to get to the bottom of what happened, with the hope that voters would find their explanations satisfactory and reasonable."
What a wonderfully astute observation. I particularly like the phrase "permission structure." How do you forgive yourself a sin when you know you've committed a sin? You convince yourself your was not a sin. Republicans are currently going through the mental landmarks of moral secession.
Roy Blunt provides a surprisingly rare bit of honesty too.
“If you really want to shut the Senate down, just send them a vague article of impeachment.”
I detect more than a small amount of projection. If Roy Blunt were in the opposite position, he would use a vague article of impeachment to shut down the Senate. Now what does that say about Roy Blunt and the caucus he represents?
Republicans are apparently displeased they can't return to stacking the courts and refusing debate on House legislation. Something tells me voters are not going to find their explanations satisfactory and reasonable.
15
@Andy I wish more people in Missouri would see the true side of Roy Blunt. He has been in so long that he is automatically voted for because the name is familiar on the ballot & has been for a long time. There should be term limits on these guys.
1
@Andy The Republican excuses stink to high heaven. If this sort of corruption is allowed to flourish, it will only become worse.
If this sort of problem can not be solved by ethical due process and more Americans lose hope and have nothing left to lose, then the future may well turn violent.
1
@Andy The Senate is essentially shut down anyway. As I am sure you agree - their legislative output is laughable.
1
Witnesses bear inconvenient truths as Guggenheim's documentary film was titled. Allowing our republic to descend into a rabbit hole of lies, corruption and injustices is the path to authoritarianism, led by the likes of Mitch McConnell.
22
Ending the whole mess as early as possible isn't sought by the GOP because of potential "trouble," that is unless the democrat drive to use the entire cooked-up initiative to somehow illegitimately damage the President is what that word means. It's the same here as the Mueller investigation. It was fraudulently started and will end after a worthless going along with the press supported fiction.
3
Following his acquittal, every negative Trump campaign ad should prominently make use of the word, "cheater". And every negative ad against Senate Republicans, whether vulnerable or safe, should tie them to the support of cheating for Trump's re-election.
If the positions were reversed, it's what Republicans would do. And they wouldn't feel sorry about it.
20
The founding Fathers are responsible.They didn't want a true democracy, they came upwith this republic so the common people wouldn't be able to voice their views through a one man one vote system. They didn't want a parliamentary style government. In parliament we oust a leader or a party through a vote of non confidence. Executive privilege has grown so vast that it is approaching outright dictatorship. Dershowitz laid it all out yesterday.
12
@Tom I so agree with the vote of no confidence on government leadership. The US uses the American voters as the vote of no confidence but it takes 4 years or more for that to happen.
4
@Tom actually, the founding fathers were trying to prevent this but unfortunately, they had far more faith in those elected to Congress then they should have. The idea was that the ethics and morals of the members of Congress would have prevented them from succumbing to the vicissitudes of that segment of the common people who would happily re-elect Trump even if he, as he wants put it, shot someone in broad daylight. In fact, the worse he behaves the more they stand by him because to do otherwise would be to admit that they ignored the fact that he is a moral and ethical black hole.
2
Yes, a vote to call for witnesses would be trouble; there is rumor that Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee is interested in calling witnesses, but then he has nothing to loose since he is not running for re-election. I used have much respect for him, since the days he was governor of Tennessee, but no more, obviously he is not with the program, it is time for him to go. Thank you.
5
The Republican party of fiscal responsibility, law and order and states rights is dead. It's now the party of self enrichment and personal interests.
13
Watch 12 angry men, and then look at this from any senator's perspective. Do you want to sit in these uncomfortable chairs for 5 months, without your phone, when u know very well that the outcome is the same?
3
@Professor Ice This is weak. This is very weak.
Senators are elected officials they know full well what the job entails and you're suggesting the people should favor easy choices for Senators rather than difficult choices?
@Professor Ice
In that story / film, the outcome was, in the end, different than what was expected.
I have lost all faith in the party dearest, neither balancing the budget, refusal to control spending on all but the wealthiest of citizens and corporations, condoning criminal behavior. Shame.
16
Just because you swore an oath to God, your constituents, and the Constitution is no reason to get mixed up in something like this. We have people who have never read the Federalist papers or the Constitution or a book in the past year writing to me.
Can we call Chief Justice Roberts Kaptain Kangaroo for now on? He is presiding over a kangaroo court. Plus the Roberts Court would more accurately be called the McConnell Court hence forth.
This country is a lie.
24
I didn't think even today's GOP would go this low. Profiles in moral cowardice! Meanwhile when Bolton's book and more damaging info comes out they will have to answer for their complicity. We need to put country over party and vote all of them out!
22
The entire trial led by the GOP has been a textbook lesson in gaslighting.
17
A Republican Senate vote NOT to call witnesses says they are covering up treasonous acts against the Constitution and the American people. Destroying the Constitutions destroys Democracy and the voters vote out these Republicans in November.
15
@John How can be trust, given the Presidents behavior, that the 2020 elections will be fair? Answer: We can't, and that's why he MUST be removed from office.
1
@John If they manage to stay in power, I predict the fighting will go to the streets.
The GOP is aimed toward not hearing new witnesses in the Trump impeachment. Yet, 3/4 of Americans want to hear from new witnesses (https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=3654)
No new witnesses will convince them the Senate is covering up of evidence to help Trump. Then, 3/4 of Americans will turn on the GOP in 2020, costing them the Senate.
Thinking it will all "blow over" is wrong. A recent study of obituaries of Watergate GOP featured in their obituaries their votes to acquit Nixon or not, making them the most important thing they ever did; votes on Trump will be remembered for life and won't "blow over" (https://www.justsecurity.org/68154/lessons-for-life-the-obituaries-of-republicans-who-opposed-nixons-impeachment/)
Voting against witnesses may appease Trump today, but it will cost them the Senate in 2020.
12
From Mitt Romney’s vote on whether to call witnesses, we will learn what kind of president he would’ve become had he won in 2012: Honest, ethical, principled and patriotic? Or just like Donald Trump?
19
@Raised Eyebrows
Myth will march right along in lockstep with his republican colleagues.
Chief Page Boy Roberts did a fine job reading the staged questions from yesterday. Such a clear voice, good diction and projection. I think he will have a long career in the MAGA Patriot Courts — opening soon in an abandoned mall, right next to the Wall Smartest People Camps.
11
Alt-title; “A Vote for Witnesses Is a Vote for Trouble, but also Truth”
After all, “We got Trouble right here in River City, and that begins with ‘T’, and that rhymes with ‘E’, and that stands for Emperor”.
5
Why on earth should Republicans or any responsible Senator allow the US Senate to be used as a bailout agent for the biased, histrionic, prevaricating Adam Schiff and his team of Trump haters and despisers?
2
@Peter Why, because Trump is clearly guilty of trying to un-ethically use his presidential power to cheat in the upcoming elections. Without free and fair elections our Democracy is dead because elections are the key element of our Democracy. I might also add this: Just because most of the intensely dislikes Trump does not eman that he is not guilty. You are assuming that if they hate him then he must be innocent. That's some pretty flawed reasoning.
6
Just because you can get away with a lie doesn't make it the truth. Watching these Republicans lie so carefully and even expertly, watching them cover up for a man who is the single most unethical character I've seen on the political stage in my lifetime, watching them use that character's poison as a means of gaining political victories -- in the end I am not sure what I am witnessing. Is it really a complete breakdown of the Republican party into a collection of scared puppets for a disgusting rogue president? You got your victory over Hillary, but supporting Trump is truly a moral breakdown.
14
Yes, Republicans feel it is unpatriotic to seek truth. They realize what a fraud and criminal their Leader is, and are complicit in covering up this mess they have aided and abetted. The Senate of Shame - S.O.S. indeed
9
I’ve turned off my NYT notifications on my phone, and going forward am limiting myself to 10 minutes a day of news. This is so depressing it’s affecting my daily activities.
13
Senate Republicans are not only proving that they are cowards, but also that they are willing to vote against popular opinion.
They are willing to subjugate their own powers for a horribly vacuous and pathetic president*.
The grift must just be that good.
When the next Democratic President comes around we should remind the GOP that the following could happen:
- Investigate Mitch McConnells wife, Elaine Chao, who has a role in the administration and who’s family is deeply involved in Chinese business. How has her family benefited? How do her and Mitch get so rich on their taxpayer funded salaries?
- Since nepotism is all the rage for the GOP, perhaps launch investigations into Ivanka and her Chinese trademarks. Investigate how Jared Kushner qualifies to lead any policy at all in his gifted White House role, and what money he continues to bring in from his real estate business as well as Saudi Arabia.
- Investigate Rick Perry
- Prosecute Rick Scott
The Republican Party has devolved into a shameless grift. Their is no desire to govern for the people. They believe that power is an end unto itself and if you disagree you are an enemy.
And they all hide behind Faith. The lowest of the low.
15
@R trump was so adamant about Hunter & Joe Biden being corrupt that he couldn't look on his own front door step. He & his family, McConnell & his family, Ben Carson & his family, all doing exactly the same things the GOP are trying to do to the Bidens. If you want to fight corruption fight it in your own country first.
2
@R
Regressives don't care about public opinion unless they can use "deferring" it: "Let The People Decide" to their advantage.
Otherwise when they want to do something, they just do it and The People be damned.
The photo caption might as well read:
Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, is not in favor of a fair a democratic Senate.
11
Schumer is a loser. Everything he touches turns to dust and blows away. Every time he speaks I see the masks of comedy and tragedy. He's a pretender. Sad face. Happy face. He's an actor.
Hakeem Jeffries should challenge Schumer for his seat in the Senate in 2022. Hakeem is an authentic young man who is going places. Schumer is a pretender.
3
@Billy McConnell is pimping out the GOP elected officials to trump for his own career. McConnell wants to die in the chair of the Majority Leader.
2
@Billy
Schumer is old school.
He also lacks fire in his belly.
1
Can’t match the skill of POTUS, though, can he...?
1
“'For the sake of argument, one could assume everything attributable to John Bolton is accurate, and still the House would fall well below the standards to remove a president from office,' said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina."
Graham's argument is the same as Mulvaney's: “Get over it!” So what if President Trump held back the Ukrainian money illegally. That’s not impeachable. “Get over it!”
8
Yes we know that no matter what a witness testifies to republicans are all in with trump. But I would like to hear what Bolton has to say. Also to Peter Baker because I want to hear what he says does not mean I love Bolton. What a ridiculous article!! Trying to spread hypocrisy around? Do better NYT!
2
Honor, Duty, Truth, Bravery, Country ... where are the "best and the brightest" in our Government?
Since when did being craven sycophants to a wanna be Dictator become the norm for the GOP?
I have hope for 2020 ... the young, the progressives, POC, those that "sat out" the 2016 election ... I believe people will come out and sweep the refuse out of our government.
5
Dershowitz's dirge is the swan song of democracy that our Republican senators hide behind. When is the fear of simply seeking the truth a political statement? The unfettered power of future presidents could be a frightful moment going forward when unstable leadership holds the post. "Hopelessness is the enemy of justice."
179
@Steve C. Dishing the Dersh. This is when someone says one thing and then claims later they meant something completely different.
11
@Sheriff of Nottingham
Isn't that what Mick Mulvaney did recently. And isn't that how Trump has, so far, avoided losing the people he has promoted and then betrayed?
7
@Steve C: Dershowitz spins tautology down to a black hole. A more groveling sycophant is unimaginable. What a megaton crock of manure "justice" is in the USA.
9
If Republicans do not vote to hear the eye witness testimony it makes them complicit in the cover up that McConnell is trying to put over on America. America now knows there is testimony and documentation that is relevant to the matter that has yet to be heard due to the administration's obstruction. Americans need to hear this evidence so we can judge for ourselves what occurred and make informed voting decisions.
46
@Catalina
Insert Melania's infamous jacket quote here ___.
4
@Catalina COMPLICIT, indeed! And it doesn't seem to bother any of them.
8
@Catalina Absolutely correct. But what will be the near term repercussions? In a few states, maybe Colorado, it could cost them. For most the appearance of betraying Trump would be more costly. Long term though, as the country becomes less white, and as older citizens die off, it will accelerate the irrelevance of the GOP.
5
Pathetic. Senate republicans united in one effort: to block evidence and information.
And their excuse boils down to: If a president wants to win an election, and thinks the nation would be better if they won, then bribing or threatening is actually a virtue.
Mitch can set the rules. He can allow, for example, two witnesses and that's it. It wouldn't be indefinite, and it wouldn't require a flood of new accusations.
But republicans won't even do that. They want nothing but silence, and for this scandal to go away. And act like it's patriotism.
The simplest answer is usually correct. Throwing all this complexity into the simple constitutional rules? That's not what innocent men do.
Have some common sense, vaunted American free thinking republicans! You love to think of yourself as libertarian, free from all this lying. But when push comes to shove, all republicans are trumplicans now.
26
@deb And if it does usher in a new set of accusations, then so be it. There are plenty more examples of Trump corruption that should be put on the table. The GOP has been covering for this crook since Day 1. What they are afraid of is having to admit they were WRONG...that this country is worse off for their GOP president, not better. And they are to blame.
3
Both Republicans and Democrats continue to use the analogy of "trial" to "impeachment."
"Trials do not allow admission of surprise evidence" assert the Republicans.
"Trials have witnesses" assert the Democrats.
What I have not heard (maybe I missed it) is that rules in criminal trials are designed to keep the state from overpowering the defendant by sheer force. Falsifying incriminating evidence or withholding exculpatory evidence would be within the purview of the state if not explicitly disallowed. Even with these rules there are plenty of cases in which the state abuses its power.
Impeachment is the polar opposite. Impeachment is an attempt to reign in a powerful defendant by a state that is at best equal. Rather than using its strongest position to put forth its strongest argument, state is ceding much of its otherwise equal power to the defendant.
I believe this is why there are few rules for impeachment in the Constitution. The founders expected a gloves-off pitched battle from both sides. Under McConnell, the Senate is fighting with one had tied behind its back.
13
"In essence, during what they hoped would be the final hours of Mr. Trump’s trial, Senate Republicans were constructing a permission structure for not trying to get to the bottom of what happened, with the hope that voters would find their explanations satisfactory and reasonable."
In other words, for not doing their jobs and abdicating their constitutional responsibilities while hoping their bosses (us) will let them get away with it.
Want to get to the bottom of it? In November, give them all Trump's favorite line. "You're fired!"
23
The Senate Republicans are just too lazy with their three day work week and going with the flow so that Trump can continue to flaunt the Constitution-they seem not to care that they are setting the precedent that any incumbent president can use taxpayer money to bribe a foreign country to deliver damaging material on an opposition candidate.There is now abundant data hacked from social media which a foreign country can collect.We have to assume that in four years a Democratic President can withhold foreign aid until a country with lots of damaging data provides it to the incumbent.Collecting info and selling it for money or influence will become lucrative.Trials are about precedent-this sets a fearful precedent-are the Republicans certain that they are comfortable with the green light they are giving an incumbent to collect information from any corrupt and sordid source?Republicans act as though the Trump conversation was idle chatter-it was malicious and will continue if it is not stopped!
16
"Heads on a pike."
"Danger. Danger. Danger."
12
Vote people. Forgawdsakes vote this time.
-C
23
Republicans to the country, Who needs the stinking truth anyway. Just shut up and count your money.
11
I had a dream about little black Sambo,and in the dream our President was Sambo and he was telling the story of the tigers that were about to eat him. The Tigers were like Parker in The Life of Pi..he never knew what they would do but he was always aware of what they were capable of. And the audience at the rally had come to listen as Donald used babbling obfuscation to keep the tigers at bay. It was obvious they were real, but only in Sambo's head.
And as he stood at the podium it seemed Donald might melt into a mound of golden butter at any moment, but somehow he persisted and remained erect and the audience applauded wildly...and they came back again and again and again, never tiring of the remarkable show. I know it's silly but it makes as much sense as this impeachment.
1
You mean it would open up a cascade of the TRUTH — which would be so very inconvenient for the GOP. This is gross dereliction of duty. Speed and suppression of evidence is NOT a strategy that should be allowed. It’s is about saving face for the Party. It is not about what is right for this country. And It’s appalling!
25
Can you just imagine what will happen to our democracy and our country if witnesses and documents are blocked by the republicans and they use their majority to acquit Trump? They will be turning a monster loose who will now have even more power to complete plans to further weaken our position with allies and other countries and create domestic upheaval within our own country. All this, and for what? A Trump tower in Moscow? More money and possessions for the Trump family?
I wonder if the cowardly, trembling-in-fear republicans have even considered that if they acquit Trump, they will be directly implicated in the cover-up when the truth comes out, and it soon will, and they will be personally responsible for every horrible thing that Trump accomplishes when he's turned loose on the world again.
20
@Wally Wolfd, yes I can imagine. Go back and look at what has happened to Turkey under Erdogan. The next step is to start cracking down on protests and the opposing party. Then when they get confident enough, they will try to rewrite the Constitution.
This follows a predictable pattern. The question is why we have so many treasonous Republicans.
3
So this is how our democracy ends. This republic is done. To Hamilton, Madison, Paine, nice try, but you couldn’t think of everything.
22
The absolutely cowardice on display in the GOP conference disgusts me. It’s a betrayal of not only senators’ oaths of office, but of the ideals of our nation. They are not our nation’s leaders, they care not about governing or their constituents, only about their power. It feels to me like the American experiment has come to an end.
14
So Trump REMAINS impeached and will be for life... regardless of whether he is removed or not, by the Senate.
Why would the RNC even be interested in allowing an Impeached 1st-term President to run on their ticket for a 2nd term? How is it even LEGAL that an Impeached 1st-term President is qualified to run for a 2nd term, as an Impeached President?
wild and wooly times ahead.
20
@Scooter
Why would it matter to you if democrats had a candidate who could beat him in November?
@GregP
He was beaten last time, by nearly three MILLION votes.
1
Al Franken: perhaps we could use his vote now.
9
Essentially all democrats supporting more witnesses and essentially all republicans supporting no more witnesses is clear evidence that neither side is independently analyzing the evidence. Rather the members are following their party leaders like well behaved sheep. This make the entire process a meaningless sham. We deserve better government. A curse on both their houses.
1
@Charles Hodge The two sides are nowhere near comparable. This kind of reasoning is outdated. Both parties are no where near the same. The Democrats have shown the evidence they could gather, and much was withheld by the Trump admin. It essentially means that a President can do anything they want, and no one can do anything about it. That spells doom....and mic that with the racial and religious hatreds that the president spews, and his mafia like corruption, and we are deep deep possibly non-repairable trouble.
2
Fear, indeed, seems to be the chief motivator of GOP senators: fear of Trump, fear of the bully, fear of losing their job... When did it become OK for Americans to tremble in their boots rather than do what's right?
18
Taking the abuse article off the table for a minute, the obstruction article has been proven.
Even if the newest member of the Crazy Rudy G club, Allan D, is correct that the President can do absolutely anything he wants, there. is. still. the. obstruction. The House Managers have proven that beyond any doubt.
12
@PaulinVA But according to Allan D(ershowitz): 1) Obstruction isnt obstruction because the Pres. had the nations (and his) best interests at heart and 2) Even if it is obstruction, obstruction isn't impeachable because he (ALLAN D) says so now.
2
Dershowitz is arguing that legality, morality and ethics is not universal. It is what we think it is. Therefore if I shoot you, it is ok, as long as I think it is for the benefit of the public. Doesn't matter if it also benefits me to shoot you. Because the motives are mixed, we can't infer corrupt, self-serving behavior. In what reality does this defense make sense?
24
"unpublished manuscript contradicts "
Show the sentences you refer to! If you have the manuscript prove it.
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Hopefully the 75% of Americans who want witnesses be questioned will remember what to do in November.
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The irony of all ironies is that Ukraine, rather than the GOP, is finally dealing with its corruption.
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After all the twisted contortions by the White House dream team, seeking to legalese people into a state of confusion, there will be two things that will matter after this trial is over: on record, who did and did not vote to hear Bolton, who did and did not vote to acquit Trump.
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I can totally understand the republicans not wanting witnesses. The republicans have learned from the Kavanaugh fiasco. The democrats will have witnesses line up to lie. And it doesn’t matter how far fetched the accusations are. The democrats and the press will all believe or pretend to. The democrats and the press even gave Avenatti credibility.
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@Jim Where is your proof that the witnesses against Kavanaugh lied? Dems gave Avinetti's CLIENT credibility not Avenetti himself. They ditched him as soon as his personal truth came out, more than I can say for the Republicans I see.
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@Jim Hm...well Avenatti was certainly right about his allegations that Trump paid-off Stormy Daniels. And Trump lied through his teeth about it, until it became no longer possible to lie about it.
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@Jim Except the accusations have been substantiated repeatedly. And the confirmed serial lier is the accused - wake up man.
Ignorance is strength. Really resonates, doesn’t it?
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Why, if Bolton is now a private citizen can't he just appear on any one of the highly reputable talk shows and talk and talk?
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@Sari
He will after his book is published. Unfortunately, the countless other former administration officials who have described Trumps incompetence and corruption don't seem to have much impact on republicans.
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Cory Gardner, my senator from Colorado, I will be voting for you in the fall.
No more witnesses, this charade needs to end, and the senate needs to get on with business.
They haven’t “gotten on with business” in eleven years. Do you think re-electing your speed bump will make the change?
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@Francis Not to worry - I will counter your vote. As a 35 year Republican I expect more courage out of my Senator. He has simply turned "Casper" and disappeared - much like his courage. And if you look at the Senate business - they don't do anything under Moscow Mitch except appoint judges that are sometimes qualified.
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I am outraged. The corruption is disgusting. The shirking of duty is disgusting. The erosion of democracy is disgusting. So much for checks and balances. These “leaders” need to be removed.
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To Senate Republicans seeking the truth is looking for trouble.
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