If breaking the law is not impeachable - what is? Irreversible damage to democracy is being done by Mitch McConnell and GOP senators.
3
The idea that removing a President from office through impeachment disenfranchises voters is absurd.
Senators are elected representatives with a responsibility to their oaths, the Constitution, and the people. Their role was to assess guilt or innocence; any that are remotely credible understand Trump to be guilty.
But now, since Republican Senators are too scared to do their jobs in confronting Trump, they want to do voters a favor by letting us decide in an election, after condoning interference in the same election.
Absurd, patronizing, and infuriating. Vote them all out.
4
“On Election Day, as a citizen I will allow that to enter into my decision who to vote for. But it’s not an impeachable offense,” Mr. Dershowitz said on “Fox News Sunday.”
And what would he have the citizens allow to enter their decision if, abiding by his interpretation, the impeachment never happened? What if the public had never found out that their President was trying to cheat in his upcoming election, in the same way he cheated in his first, and was using his personal lawyer to act on his behalf as the President and not just the Candidate Don Trump while discussing Foreign Policy, and was willing to besmirch not only his probable rival but also the thorn in the side of his friend Mr Putin, the newly elected reformer President of Ukraine, a country we are spending hundreds of millions supporting in their war against the Russians? Just to stack the deck more, and “because he could”? I am sorry to find all this out, and angry that it happened, but I am glad it came out before rather than after 2020 - we have a chance to get a better candidate sooner.
I would prefer an honest candidate to represent the Republican Party - aren’t there any left? Is the Party so weak without trump that they just melt like snowflakes without his chilling presence? No Republican with a greater attraction to the heart of middle America? Really? You would prefer to pave the road for a three or 4 term President, as long as you can keep a majority Senate?
Time for a change in the Senate.
2
Republicans keep calling this a “partisan” impeachment when Mueller, former head of the FBI and lifelong Republican, practically begged Congress to bring impeachment proceedings against Trump for multiple counts of obstructing justice, and that was before Trump’s extortion of Ukraine and his cover-up. It’s only “partisan” because Fox News does not tell the truth about the Mueller report, Ukraine, global warming, or anything else. They leave it to Democrats to enforce the law and then have the nerve to call it “partisan.”
4
Another thing Republicans are adamant about is the House did not do enough investigations and did not pursue evidence hard enough or fight for subpoenas doggedly and long enough. Well alrighty then. Let’s give the Republicans what they want.
3
"What do the Democrats get out of this?" First they defended the Constitution against this destructive force. Right matters. There is no dictator above the equal balance indeed in the Constitution. Also, the good people of the Country have made an internal pledge to themselves to vote out all Republicans on all levels. Let them reconsider what it means to work against the People.
3
“I think he shouldn’t have done it — I think it was wrong,” said Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, center right. “Inappropriate, was the way I’d say it. Improper, crossing the line.”
Alexander and his Republican colleagues are using magical thinking if they think Trump will play within the lines. The guardrails have been removed and past behavior is the best predictor of a person's future behavior.
4
In addition to its breathtaking cynicism, Alexander's rationale that the people rather than the Senate should decide Trump's guilt or innocence is both 1) profoundly ignorant and 2) self-contradictory. 1) In a representative democracy, the Senate represents "the people": conceptually, they are not opposed categories, though, practically, they can be when a given Senate, such as the present one, abdicates its representative duty; 2) "The people," in Alexander's pseudo-populist conception, in fact voted for Clinton, not Trump; another representative body, the Electoral College, voted Trump into office. Alexander can't have it both ways.
6
There is more than a little irony in the Cippilone and Sekulow leave it to voters mantra. On close inspection encouraging the suppression of evidence vote by the GOP Senators denied voters additional witnesses and documents critical to reaching an informed judgment. More than ironic disingenuous comes to mind. Carping about a lack of evidence depriving themselves of readily available witnesses and easily accessible documents indefensible.
Their deceit and treachery cynical since both continue to assist obstructing the production of documents, Bolton's book release, and the appearance of witnesses. The voters shafted by the GOP. Meanwhile 75% of Americans disagreed with the vote to suppress evidence.
3
And why wouldn’t the justice department do an investigation, oh that right Barr knew about it while it was going on,.....
4
They know it is impeachable, they are just scared!
They think that by doing this they will be re-elected , mmmm I don’t think so!
Lindsay Graham and Pat Cipollone should recuse themselves because there is an allegation that they knew what Trump was up to.
Probably one of the reasons no witnesses.
6
I know it's been said before but I just can't believe how far the Republican party has fallen ...Republicans have gone from seeking to remove Bill Clinton for misconduct, to supporting (and more importantly covering-up) the actions of a man who has cheated on multiple wives, is accused of multiple instances of misconduct, has used and abused our courts for his own personal gain, has abused our tax system for his own personal gain, has asked a foreign government to interfere in our election on multiple occasions, has cheated people out of money, has cozied up to our enemies, has bullied and mocked people publicly, supports white-supremacy (well this one I'm not surprised about). Yet they say soliciting information from a foreign government on a political opponent is not bad enough for them. Wow! Just wow! They've gone from despising Trump to pure fandoms and idolatry in such a short period of time. How sad for them and our nation that a con man has won them over. How sad for them that they believe their own propaganda. How sad for them that they have lost all moral ground. How sad for them for being so short-sighted.
4
According to Rob Portman, Joni Ernst, Lamar Alexander, Marco Rubio, and apparently many others Senate R's, '...while some of Mr. Trump’s actions were “wrong and inappropriate,” they did not “rise to the level of removing a duly-elected president from office..."'
Now that impeachment and removal from office has essentially been rendered a constitutional nullity, I hope Republicans will at least apologize to Bill Clinton. But of course they won't because they actually want markedly different standards depending on Party affiliation.
For now the standard can only be whatever Donald Trump WON'T do, and we've yet to plumb those depths. It's not obstructing justice or colluding with a foreign power to get help in the 2016 election. It's not illegally withholding military aid to an ally at war in an attempt to extort political dirt on an opponent in 2020. And it's probably not trading personal favors with Turkey or China or Saudi Arabia or Israel in exchange for seeing things more their way.
But heaven forbid a president Sanders or Biden or Klobuchar so much as jaywalks, let alone acts, say, based on various national emergencies. That will be portrayed by congressional R's as the end of the Republic.
3
Republicans’ Emerging Defense: Trump’s Actions Were Bad, but Not Impeachable.
Mens Rea, "Mr Trump", refers to criminal intent. The literal translation from Latin is "guilty mind." The plural of mens rea is mentes reae. A mens rea refers to the state of mind statutorily required in order to convict a particular defendant of a particular crime.
I am listening to Sen Inhofe (R-OK) speak on C-SPAN right now.
He has to be the dumbest man in the U.S. Senate. It is embarrassing. to listen to him.
7
Ahh the Republicans move to try and insulate themselves from the backlash of their poor handling of the non-trial and their violation of their oath. You can run but you cannot hide, November will be upon us fast and furious.
5
This is the argument that Trump should have made from the beginning rather than assert that there was no quid pro quo. What he did is precedent in foreign diplomacy, and politics in general. Even Obama, before his 2012 election, had a phone call with Russian ambassador Medvedev in which Obama enacted a quid pro quo by telling the Russians to give him more time to scale back nuclear missile defenses, as he would have more flexibility to do so after his election.
If Trump should have been impeached for desiring to unearth some details about Burisma (which is both in the national interest and beneficial to his campaign, not one or the other), then Obama surely should have been impeached for putting his election above national security.
4
@Dominic Ciarlante
Very tired of the "Obama did it" excuse. Deal with the facts. Trump not only tried but actually did bribe Zelensky into doing an investigation into Biden to benefit Trump, himself in the 2020 election. Zelensky only had to announce an investigation. He didn't actually have to do one. Wake up for goodness sake. Obama did NOT DO it. Find some new Fox talking points, or better yet for novelty try to create some of your own. "Obama did it" is so passe and getting old.
9
Oh please.
The republicans trash the Constitution, their oaths to serve the country, the facts, the truth, and you bring up Obama.
What a great defense of your dear corrupt leader.
Pathetic.
6
Shameful, complicit behavior, a disturbing and awful legacy. The only excuse he and the others can muster is that "it wouldn't make a difference in the final vote." They have shirked their responsibility to the American people, and have made clear that they have no interest in laying out the complete story. They are each responsible for allowing this monster that sits in the White House to intimidate, bully and act as corruptly as he chooses.
3
You may think Dershowitz is a “constitutional law scholar”, HE may think he’s a constitutional law scholar. Do constitutional law scholars think he’s a constitutional scholar? Nope.
10
@Richard J
Dershowitz taught a class at Harvard Law School called "Thinking About Thinking." Just think about that!
2
The modern G.O.P. is an unholy alliance between anarchists, nihilists, and fascists.
Anarchists: They don't believe in government itself, much less the Constitution or the Rule of Law. They have progressed from Reagan's "Government IS the problem" to Bannon's "deconstruction of the administrative state."
Nihilists: They believe in nothing. When confronted with facts and the truth, they cover their ears and sing, "La La La La La." This is the "alternative facts" (Conway) and "truth is not truth" (Giuliani) crowd. It is downright Orwellian.
Fascists: This is the camp that believe the president is above the law. The unitary executive theory. They have thrown separation of powers to the wind. It includes Barr, Pence, and Pompeo, among others. It includes the right-wing evangelicals who want to inflict their version of Christian Sharia Law upon the rest of us. It includes citizens like the Trump supporter who said of Mr. Trump, "he's not hurting the right people."
They do not see the inherent contradictions between each of these camps. How can you be a fascist and an anarchist at the same time? How can you believe in nothing, but seek to inflict your religious beliefs upon your neighbors? And so forth.
It is up to the rest of us to take advantage of the hypocrisy of this unholy alliance, and drive wedges between the incompatible factions of the Republican Party.
(Hint: Start by appealing to the Libertarians, such as the Koch wing of the party.)
3
@MidtownATL Basically a good analysis; thanks. The weakness is that these various Republican "factions" are not populated by people who could articulate any of these positions, and who wouldn't see a contradiction among the various permutations. They are not applying your rigorous logic to their positions.
What is emerging from the impeachment debacle is that Joe Biden and his son are at least exposed for the ethical and corrupt activities they were engaged in by an Obama administration that never did its job of oversight of even its vice president. The nation also has the opportunity to grasp that the president we elect is the one who determines foreign policy and protect us from corruption, foreign and domestic---Not, non-elected government bureaucrats and careerists.
2
Adam Schiff accuses President Trump with terms that fit Adam himself. Schiff will not change. Schiff shows his histrionic distortions in thinking, his slippery character, and endless cheating with the truth that emerges at the impeachment hearings. Even before Schiff began his committee's investigation he went on national TV to pronounce Trump guilty. It is Schiff who lacks character, cheats with the facts, with skewed logic, and promotes his own ambitions through soaring accusatory and shaming melodramatic speechifying.
Adam Schiff's favorite word "CHEAT" descrbes himself best!
3
It’s easy to admit wrong doing when you know there’s no consequences. It’s just the fig leaf in case of facing potential critics.
There is no trial taking place in the Senate since there are
no witnesses permitted by the Republican Senators; and
there are no documents which could support impeachment
permitted by the Republican Senators;
None of these Senators can be trusted to stay in office.
They are not worthy to serve our nation; all those who voted
against a thorough examination with witnesses and documents I think should lose their seats in the Senate.
They are betraying our nation; and should be named as
unfit to stay in office. All have forsaken their right to serve.
11
Then censure him with blunt language so he can't campaign on absolute exoneration.
8
How many parents of bullies are now going to try out the defense, "what my child did was wrong, but it is not suspendible behavior."
10
These republican (lower case is intentional) senators are trying to have things both ways, being afraid of back lash from their cowardly inaction (or lack of action). I propose a new phrase for them: "The Republican Party: Destroying American Democracy. One Senator at a time"
6
Republicans: Anything we do is ultimately fine. The rest of you will be severely punished.
Emerging, American authoritarianism at its finest.
6
The potus tried to bribe a foreign government, with pre appropriated TAX dollars, to investigate a political rival. You can’t tell me that’s not an impeachable offense.
12
And they would totally impeach a Democratic president if they did the same thing .
7
The republicans say that there was no crime. Schiff would argue that the reason that there was no crime is because Trump got caught. And Schiff uses the analogy that attempted murder is a crime. If Trump asked the Ukraine president to kill Hunter Biden Trump would be in jail. But if Trump told Ukraine, that they have to investigate and weed out corruption, including the doings of Hunter, before aid is released is that a crime?
The democrats argue that Trump abused his power by including Hunter in the investigation. And abuse of power is all one needs for impeachment. But should have Trump asked the Ukraine to investigate corruption, but exclude Hunter, would that also be an abuse of power? There is just not enough here to impeach Trump.
2
@ Jim
Shakedown-Extort-Coverup
Done by ghouliania, Lev and Igor through a back channel to avoid scrutiny.
The request for an ANNOUNCEMENT of an investigation.
To smear a political opponent. Nothing to do with real corruption. Burisma and Hunter Biden are one of many companies in Ukraine, and many company board members. Burisma, according to a presentation on its web site, produced just 1.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas in 2018, up from 0.1 bcm in 2010. It sells all the gas it produces in Ukraine.
To put that in perspective, the whole of Ukraine produces around 20 bcm of gas per year.
Ukrainian prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into Burisma in 2014 looking into suspected tax violations.
In 2016, a Kiev district court said it had found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Burisma president and owner Zlochevsky and ordered the Prosecutor General's Office to remove him from the authorities' wanted list.
This theory of corruption by Hunter Buden is absurd on its face. It is a theory created to smear a political opponent.
Trump is a liar, a cheat and a Con Man.
6
Republicans are operating from one principle; fear. They fear Trump's vengeful wrath if they oppose him.
They ought to fear their voter's vengeful wrath for the damage they're doing to the Constitution.
8
Personally, I think it is two principles: fear and power.
3
@kabee fear, power and don't forget the almighty dollar.
2
If no one is defending our nation from attacks and manipulation by Russia and others and the GOP wilfully violate the law how long will our Republic endure? The lesson I see here is that money and power within our nation have succeeded in the short term goal of protecting a proto-dictator serving the money interests but can it defend against "all enemies foreign and domestic" when the will of the People has been so perverted?
2
His behavior was bad but not impeachable??? Seriously??? I don’t think it takes much imagination to figure out how they’d be acting if Obama, Clinton, or any other Democrat did ANY one fo the things that Trump gets away with on a daily basis. Sadly, Trump has now provided an Republican approved blueprint on how an American president can get away with anything - deny, obstruct, refuse to cooperate in any manner, etc. As long as your Party controls the Senate (or House) you’re home free. Our political system is broken and breaking down. We are looking increasingly like those corrupt countries we used to condemn. Putin knows it, and is privately gloating over his huge success at sowing so many seeds of discord and shining a spotlight on our hypocrisy. Democracy in America is currently a joke. The Constitution has become nothing more than a piece of paper whose words are twisted, taken out of context, and used against “we the people”. Have we passed the Rubicon? Are we a nation in decline? I don’t know but I sure do worry about what kind of future we’re leaving our children and grandchildren.
10
Let's call it what it is: a FAKE trial.
8
There’s nothing wrong with investigating Biden’s use of public office for private gain. Nor was it wrong to delay payment of aid until the new government’s commitment against corruption could be assessed. Senators Alexander and Ernst should be explicit in their criticism of the president.
3
@Semper Fi — That’s why D.C. is a swamp. All of those transactions should be investigated, among others.
@ Jpdell
Ok. But let’s start Javanka and not with Hunter Biden.
1
@Jpdell
Laughing right now.
Just off the top of my head here are the offices trump’s swamp creatures currently serve in, in his cabinet and administration, or who have left for blatantly bilking us while in office:
HHS
Defense
Interior
EPA
At least 187 appointees have been
former lobbyists and/or Dc insiders.
But let’s start with Hunter Biden.
51 senators have irrevocably soiled their reputations and are now in infamy. The easiest way for them to go and go quickly is for the press to refuse them all coverage whatsoever.
6
Trump's impeachment was payback for Clinton. Had Clinton been censured, Trump would have been censured.
3
I'm listening to the trial as I write.
I'm asking this seriously...is Ken Starr drunk? His delivery is beyond bizarre. He's slurring words, pausing where there is no need to pause, rushing through phrases where he should pause, and has a strange tone in his voice. It's beyond off -putting.
But then...if I "had" to defend this man, I think I'd have to be in an altered state to do so.
4
I've lost all respect for the Senate Republicans ... what, then, is a presidential "misdemeanor"? A Republican needs to move to censure.
4
Today staunch Trump sycophant Rep. Mark Meadows unbelievably said, regarding Trump’s phone call and impeachment, “It doesn’t matter how perfect anything is”.
3
How do they know that without witnesses ???
3
The reason Trump has been vindicated, exonerated and acquitted is precisely this. HE DID NOTHING WRONG. Democrats are trying to use partisan divides to brainwash you otherwise. Wow, 3 years of making up lies to undo an election rigged in your favor. Is it any surprise that after that Republicans couldn't care less about what Democrats have to say??? It's time to move on to stage 5 "acceptance"
2
@RS
Ah, no.
It is because no witnesses and no documents were allowed in the senate “trial”. The treachery of trump would have been irrefutably apparent, even to his republican minions, if they had been allowed.
The transcript would have had trump saying: “I need you to do me a favor and announce an investigation of Biden. “
The emails would have shown trump saying “Get him to announce an investigation of Biden. Doesn’t need to investigate, just announce it.”
For republicans, the testimony given under oath, by a republican donor, a trump supporter, and a trump appointed ambassador, Gordon Sondland, who said: “Yes, there was a quid pro quo and everyone was in the loop” was not enough.
6
Republicans worship a president for whom corruption and lies form the foundation of his character. Alexander, Ernst and the others are only trying to emulate their hero.
7
What I find most remarkable is that these fools, and there are fools, think Trump will "think twice" before engaging in this behaviour again. You Senate republicans just told him that it was "wrong and inappropriate" but not impeachable. You just gave him a get out of jail card and you think that he will now be a good boy. It is obvious that if any of you had children you were not involved in their upbringing since until a child is told "NO", he will continue the bad behavior.
7
You know who's really on trial? This GOP. And every minute of every day that they have "performed" has simply confirmed that NONE of them are fit to serve.
If I hear once more the bizarre nostrum that this is the only trial where the two sides haven't crossed the aisle to impeach --as if this were proof of Democratic wrongdoing, not a thorough indictment of their blind allegiance to criminality--I'll scream.
Yes. GOP. We all do grasp that and it's why what you are doing is a crime in and of itself. No. You have not pulled the wool over our eyes. We see clearly and we see that you are colluding, covering up, and aiding and abetting criminality. Many of us are now demanding an investigation into each and every one of you.
You can bloviate all day. Those who can read and write, who understand rule of law, who have a working knowledge of our Constitution and have functioning moral barometers know that what you are doing is inexcusable. You don't fool us for a minute.
We don't have to wait. Historians are already writing the books and every single member of this GOP is going down with the mark of a traitor next to his or her name. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.
So keep running the clock and running your mouths. Your gig is up. The moment you endorse his criminality, you'll have launched the beginning of the end of your run. Good riddance. A more corrupt, malign, self-serving group of people has never seen the inside of the Capitol.
7
The "Vessel" in Hudson Yards seems to be a venue for expression of the views of youth about life in Trumpland. Its first suicide signals many more to come.
Senate Republicans like Lamar Alexander are stipulating to the facts presented by the House Democrats: that Trump did it and it was wrong. Still, they are voting to acquit because they say impeachment should not be a partisan exercise.
In an exercise of circular logic, Republicans' longstanding defense of Trump's misbehavior, culminating in their vote to acquit is precisely what makes this partisan. When the Democrats have been arguing for facts and truth all along, they cannot then accused of being partisan. This only becomes partisan when one's party loyalty leads one to abandon truth, facts and constitutional duty.
8
I begin with a big sigh.
Republican Senators leaning on "the people's decision" cop-out need to remember that "the people" who elected THEM to office expect them to honor and uphold the Constitution. They ought to remember too that large populations in their "red" states are actually blue. The idea that there is some monolith of Trumpism is nonsense. Their appeal to performing the public will like an automaton is a red herring.
Defense of the Constitution calls for something more - courage, which they lack. Their contorted logic excusing Trump's misdeeds is completely unconvincing. Rather than creating a 50 shades of impeachable idea, they would garner more credibility if they simply stated the truth; the 5th avenue scenario is reality. Nothing Trump does will get them up on their hind legs.
Trump has managed to completely suspend critical thinking in his frothed up base. That is no reason to degrade the power of impeachment to keep him and future presidents in check. The Trumpublicans in the Senate are on the verge of unleashing presidential power that will certainly upend our constitutional system for good. They ought to think about how future generations will get that genie back into the bottle.
4
We have an opportunity here in the campaign. Make the case to voters about the corruption and self dealing, and Trump could be the most wounded first term president since LBJ.
4
Alexander, Rubio and company can pretend to take the high ground all they want, but it means nothing. The very least they can do at this point is to censure Trump, if they really believe he committed wrongdoing.
1
What we have here is a conspiracy of an entire political party to cheat and steal the next election - again - to hold onto their autocratic power! And they insult the majority of Americans by telling them to rely on a rigged election to preserve democracy and our Constitution.
Bottom line, the Republicans are not acquitting the trump. They are elevating him above the law and the nation.
Republicans cheating in elections - it's what they do. Just like that auto insurance ad's pitch - It's what you do.
5
How many senators would at the very least support a censure motion? Are they that scared?
1
Republican Senators, this is the moment of opportunity to save America. Do yourselves and the the rest of of us a favor. Use your votes to remove this monumentally corrupt, clearly unqualified excuse for a President from office as quickly as possible. Don't make us wait for November. Now's the moment, before he does any more damage to everything our nation once stood for.
1
Lame Duck Lamar was always Two Big No votes; and was chosen to:
(a) acknowledge stark reality (Trump is wrong about perfect call and obstructing Congress, and, FYI, Republicans will impeach a Democrat for far less) and
(b) re-package --- the GOP Senators' incredulous vim and missing vigor in judging Caesar Abuse us, Obstruct us --- into The People's job.
They are OFF COURSE of the Constitution, of course.
Presented with an impeachment trial, a Senator is to judge by their vote. Not to punt! They attempt to dilute their responsibility for their actual vote -- by substituting this referendum -- "too close to election".
It is complete nonsense that only children would fall for.
1
Didn’t Weinstein’s defense use the same argument?
5
Regarding Marco Rubio's comments: If the best interests of the nation were foremost in your mind, you think hiding the truth via witnesses and documents -- all blocked by the Trump Administration -- so that we're all kept in the dark, is in the best interest of the nation? Conduct a non-trial to sweep it all under the rug, whatever it might be? Rubio and his Republican colleagues are cowards, specializing in nothing but doublespeak.
9
the problem is - djt's pattern of bad behavior is constant.
from lying once/hour to false accusations, to diverting federal money to his businesses, to inciting bad behavior is fan club - he's the WORST of america.
allowing djt to stay in office only encourages constant bad behavior in all ways a human being can behave badly.
8
“If a call like this gets you an impeachment, I would think he would think twice before he did it again.” Does Alexander really believe that? I'm not sure which is more disturbing, him believing Trump would do it again and not caring, or actually being so blind and naive to believe Trump wouldn't.
10
Just curious as to what is supposed to now keep Trump from engaging Ukraine and other countries from helping him in 2020? Republicans say it is a bad thing to do but not so bad as he should not try it again right??
3
If I lived in Tennessee, I'd be calling for Senator Alexander's resignation.
He doesn't deserve a penny of his salary, funded by their hard-earned tax dollars, if he's just going to defer such a critical decision back to his constituents.
That's not representing the people who put him in office.
That's passing the buck.
5
@AGuyInBrooklyn
Sorry but Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn actually represent the people of Tennessee to a Tee. They voted for these types and seem to not care how their votes do not benefit them or their needs. Typical Republican mind think. Similar to " What's wrong with Kansas". It comes from watching too much Fox Noise, Limbaugh, Breitbart and Sinclair Broadcasting.
5
@kensbluck
...not to mention the Cable Companies like Verizon's Fios, which include Fox noise but do not include MSNBC or CNN in their basic cable plans, which most folks get. Vast Right Wing Conspiracy? I used to laugh at that theory. Not any more.
3
What nonsense. It was the trade off vote to enable Susan Collins to face her constituents in her upcoming and difficult re-election campaign. Corruption and cynicism have no bottom in the Republican Senate. You would think that a Senator retiring would -- just for personal reasons -- want to leave with a shred of decency. Not with the GOP. You did exactly what we expected Lamar Alexander.
11
Let's just be honest about what's happening. Republicans in Congress are too cowardly to confront Mr. Trump and his base of support. Their vote is one of fear, not conscience. There is no other explanation for it.
11
@JVG- They have no conscience. They care only about themselves and the lobbyists and corporations that own them.
4
They should vote, then, to censure.
Can/should dems move this as an amendment, or through some other procedure?
1
The GOP is AOK with extortion and obstruction of Congress. Got it.
5
Why are we not seeing more articles in the mainstream press about Mr. Trump and his cronies giving money to Republican Senators before the trial? Isn't bribing a jury a crime?
9
Trump has been a bad President. We don’t need him in that office with such great responsibilities. He lies to his supporters and represents himself as their defender and leader which they buy into and trust in his assertions that anything that they witness that contradicts that view is fake and contrived deception. The Republicans in office can dispel all those illusions among voters but they don’t do it. They are the real obstacle to stopping a rogue in office from wrecking the rule of law.
5
From the GOP's arguments in defense of Trump, we need to establish The New Rules for the United States:
1 - The President is immune from all laws and legal outcomes.
2 - The President can operate private businesses at his own discretion and the profits of those businesses take precedent over any national concerns.
3 - The President's family and friends will be provided with jobs, whether they are qualified or not. These jobs will be performed to serve the interests of The President before any national interests are taken into account.
4- The President is allowed to enlist the assistance of any foreign citizens including political leaders, military personnel and intelligence officers in getting himself re-elected.
5 - Journalists and news organizations serve the interests of the President and his political cronies, not the truth.
6 - All science and medical research shall be reviewed by The President and his party for revision and approval before being made available to scientists, doctors, and researchers.
7 - The President's religious beliefs take precedent over law.
8 - The President's opinions take precedent over facts.
That's the United States in 2020. Love it or leave, I guess.
7
@P. McGee Well done!
2
Sorry, Republican Senators, there is no defense for the indefensible.
5
Can we please stop rearranging the chairs on the Titanic. We know what we need to do. The Senate GOP has told us who they are. Let’s ignore them now and focus on winning elections. Donate, write, call, discuss, socialize - If we lose this election after this farce, there is not hope for this country.
51
@Dan
Ignoring the Republicans is typical democratic complacency. I’m tired of Democrats bringing knitting needles to a knife fight. Americans respect toughness and boldness. Democrats must be vocal and persistent about holding Republicans and Trump accountable.
8
@Dan
Why not rearrange the chairs on our nation's Titanic? The Republicans have rigged all the lifeboats for themselves and wealthy patrons.
While we donate peanuts, "write, call, discuss, socialize," the Republicans and their Russian and plutocratic friends are busy subverting America's democracy and rule of law. As Bill Maher keeps saying, the Democrats have to pull out all the stops and stop playing nice and following rules the GOP ignores to their benefit.
We can start by cutting the empty lifeboats loose so that the Republicans are forced to remain on the ship they are intentionally sinking.
5
Easier said than done. If you find a person that you believe to be rational and wise who happens to be a Republican, try to get that person’s opinion about all of this. Most of the time you will hear the same thing from them as from the most devoted surrogates for Trump. There is a loss of consensus about our mutual interests among our people. That is going to produce more people like Trump, including ones who can think.
5
Never thought the day would come when America would try to corrupt Ukrainian, my former homeland.
If Trump’s actions were just “inappropriate” and essentially very, very naughty, can someone please tell me what an impeachable offense would constitute? Does the president have to break a local law? Federal law? Is there anything he cant do with impunity?
7
Send money to the people challenging the GOP Senators and House members for their offices. Flush the GOP out of national politics until they learn to support the Constitution.
9
If Obama in 2016 had seen the possibility of Trump winning and told his staff to find which countries had significant Trump operations, and then called the heads of those countries and told them to find dirt on Trump on pain of losing US help, Republicans would have gone into orbit. And if Hillary had won, Trump would have carried on endlessly about the election being stolen etc. etc. Republican hypocrisy is absolutely boundless.
7
So if I understand this correctly Trump was bad but not as bad as having Pence as president.
5
When Rubio says “Just because actions meet a standard of impeachment does not mean it is in the best interest of the country to remove a president from office,” he is saying that it is not about the constitution it is about what is best for the GOP.
6
Alexander flushed his reputation as a reasonable Senate traditionalist, who would uphold the Senate’s honor and legitimacy, down the drain by his position on witnesses and documents.
Voting against impeachment after all the evidence was in for all to see would have allowed Alexander to say he wasn’t complicit in a cover up.
Now, participating in the coverup will be his legacy along with all the other Trumpo sycophants in the Senate.
5
Impeachment IS meant to remove a duly elected president. It is NOT meant to be a way to wait until the next election.
5
Senators Alexander, Ernst and others claim Trump's actions were inappropriate. They say let the voters decide but they are not urging voters to vote against him in 2020. They have not sponsored a Censure Motion. They have not clarified what was inappropriate so voters can make an informed decision in 2020. And they helped Trump hide documents and witnesses that would inform voters about the details of his inappropriateness. Let the voters decide indeed! Voters should defeat Trump and these senators. Their actions are inappropriate.
2
This sort of response from Republicans is a long-term disaster politically for their party. This will haunt their party into obscurity. Enough said.
6
Republicans stop saying let the people decide at the voting booth! It’s not about what he did, the point of the Impeachment is about the future of the upcoming election. All our intelligence has confirmed that there’s serious risk of foreign interference in the next election and by acquitting, the US is sending the message to the world that they don’t care about that risk.
2
What these Senators really mean is that impeachment is a political process, and politics are, at this point, nothing if not partisan. So, to act in the face of all available evidence and convict this President, would be bipartisan. That, they cannot have. There was no interest in having a trial. That evidence was entered anyway only made the Republicans' reasons for voting not to convict that much more strained and ultimately not credible.
3
Of course, this argument ignores the second--and equally serious--charge: Obstruction of Congress. The precedent the Republicans set means it's also acceptable for an impeached President to refuse to submit any documents or to 'allow' any testimony from Executive Branch members. Willingness to surrender on this is to say Congress has no oversight authority at all. Is your "Tax Reform" and appointment authority really worth these decisions?
4
I can understand this logic as long as Mr. Alexander and Mr. Sasse thank the whistleblower for his/ her patriotism. It was the action of this person that stopped and shed light on the whole mess. Since the plot did not go to completion, a generous person gives DJT another chance to clean up his act...
The House did its job admirably and their action is not diminished by the trial. It would be honorable if the Senate returned a "verdict" of a lesser nature e.g. a censure. That is unlikely given the partisanship but it is probably best for all of us to forgive for the moment but not forget for the future come November.
If the Republicans who agree that the President acted improperly were sincere, they would move to censure him. That would justify their assertion that the President acted improperly but that the behavior doesn't justify removal from office. Instead, they continue to fill the air with words to convince the public that they are thoughtful and concerned. If that were the case they would act to make it clear that they don't support what the President did. We can all, unfortunately, be confident that they won't.
2
Lamar Alexander said it: "Sure he did it. So what?"
Which is what Trump's Mick Mulvaney said, before they pulled him off the stage.
In Iowa a man on the street said on NPR, "Well, he's a businessman, not a politician."
To this Iowan and, I suspect, to many, especially those who paid more attention to the Super Bowl hype than to the impeachment, what Trump did was a legal technicality. He tried to make the Ukrainian an offer he couldn't refuse. So what? That's what the Godfather did. Having a Godfather as President isn't such a bad thing, as long as he gets the economy right.
(Of course, Mr. Trump is riding Obama's recovery, but that's another story.)
Mr. Schiff has convinced the jury of the American public a "crime" was committed. But the jury has nullified the verdict before it could hold Trump accountable.
13
Mr. Alexander states that the People can decide for themselves. But by withholding evidence and eyewitness accounts of the president’s actions before and after the call he’s not giving the People full disclosure. Partisanship has torn this country so far apart as to allow corporations and their lobbyists to control the lawmaker. The People matter only to the People. Lawmakers really don’t care.
14
I'm a Democrat, but i believe Lamar Alexander reached a reasonable conclusion. The problem is that the trial in the Senate has only 2 possible outcomes: acquittal, or removal from office, which is the political equivalent of the death penalty. Imagine you're a juror in a criminal trial in which a serious offense is alleged, but the only choices are acquittal or death. Fortunately our justice system has a more nuanced view, but not so the impeachment process. What Trump did was serious, but if you're a thoughtful Republican (there are some) you might conclude it was not serious enough to warrant cutting off his head.
5
Yes, except, he has been pushing the limits since even before he was elected. I see this not as a single issue, but the final straw out of many.
3
@AAC how can Lamar Alexander be reasonable about letting trump run for office again in 2020? He should know by now trump does not operate within rule of law.
3
Given Trump’s performance, removing him from office would be no loss to anyone. In addition, the only way that Republicans can replace this man is by the embarrassing process of uncovering the totality of his behaviors so as to end his control over them with respect to Republican voters. Sometimes the price of freedom is very dear.
2
Apparently, if we are to believe Mr. Alexander, the close proximity to the election helped him to deny witnesses. This echoes what McConnell used as a reason to deny Merrick Garland a hearing as a potential Supreme Court Justice. If the Republican caucus continues to use such warped trumped up reasons not to do their jobs (pun intended) - then perhaps we should shut down the Senate completely for a whole year prior to an election campaign, since they won't do anything of substance anyway.
17
Sound elections free of foreign interference in our elections is not up to the people, it's up to Congress.
By covering up what the President actually did the public is withheld critical information to make an informed decision in the next election.
The Republican congress are now co-conspirators in undermining of our elections. They know what they did. You can read it between the lines of their comments. They are ashamed of themselves while they slink away into the night, only to return to their powerful positions and continue the plunder our country.
Mitt Romney and Jeff Flake will not save them.
13
Senator Alexander's reflection is politically shrewd and morally bankrupt. Even his descriptive language: "inappropriate, "wrong" whatever paints a veneer over a president using a voted appropriation of military hardware to a small nation fighting with the most dangerous adversary the USA has in order to get himself reelected. If Obama had done that he would have been impeached and removed in a minute. Republican who deny that are lying. "Let the election decide" is an evasion that sounds patriotic, but is not. After all, how can we allow that if it is going to be manipulated by an already impeached president? Don't any of these "leaders" know logic?
7
Asking a foreign government to investigate a political rival is not grounds for removal from office? But committing perjury about a private sexual matter that had nothing to do with the office of the presidency is? The height of hypocrisy.
Ignoring congressional subpoenaes and instructing executive branch employees not to cooperate with a congressional investigation is not grounds for removal from office? Wait until a Democratic president does the same thing. Anyone think the Republicans will have the same response? Another height of hypocrisy.
And any senator who thinks Trump will think twice before doing it again is ready to buy a bridge in Brooklyn.
9
Rest assured, there is no red line he could cross that would have made Republican Senators remove Trump. As long as he’s got 90% Republican support, which is based on Make America White Again policy, they will violate any oath to protect him.
Trump has blown up the budget deficit 60% versus the CBO forecast just prior to his inauguration. About 2 million lost health insurance by 2018, along with a failed attempt to take it away from 20 million more. ACA sabotage continues, with CBO expecting 6 million more uninsured by 2021 versus Obama policy baseline. Trade policy is a debacle, and corporate effective tax rate was cut nearly in half, yet job creation is about 20% slower than under Obama. Real wages grew faster in Obama’s last 3 years than Trump’s first 3.
So don’t let anyone tell you they support Trump because of the economy. That’s a phony rationalization.
11
Impeachment was:
Inappropriate - more like chewing gum in class than cheating
Partisan - because Republicans refused to investigate
Substitutes the Senate's judgement - and they are paid to do what?
Too close to election - didn't know that's in the Constitution
Would produce divisiveness - unlike what Trump has done
Would threaten our nation - unlike Trump without guardrails
Other - if more lame excuses for selling out democracy are needed
8
Guilty conscience is what is driving these statements. These Senators are trying to sleep after voting against their conscience. These statements are their attempts to rationalize to themselves why they voted the way they did so they can sleep. They also fear the potential public backlash. It’s sad and yes they deserve to be voted out of office.
9
Why doesn't it "rise to the level of impeachment?"
Because Trump doesn't rise to the level of "presidential."
Give him a blank map of the states; if he can't name 25 he's out the door.
9
If Republicans pretend the problem was just that phone call, they are deliberately ignoring its context. Trump and Rudy were not trying to prove Biden and/or Hunter B. did something wrong. That would have been bad enough. What they were trying to do was worse: to create a false narrative and drive suspicions to stain the reputation of their leading opponent. But unlike Hillary's emails and Benghazi, there was really nothing wrong in Ukraine that was attributable to Biden at all. Pure lies would do fine, as long as it was Ukraine that publicly announced 'its' investigation.
It is hard to prove that something never happened to people who want to believe it might have. The danger to our election was not the evident quid pro quo, it was the false charges against a good man that could tear him down into Trump's swamp of lies.
8
I served in the military, took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. I can say this with certainty, the Republican party is full of cowards.
15
@Rob
One could say that the Republican party along with Trump is the domestic enemy within who is trying to take down our Constitution and rule of law. Nov. 3, 2020, VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO.
1
If it is true that trump did nothing impeachable, why fear and block the evidence?
Such actions would make one think trump's behavior is impeachable.
12
The Republican led Senate has let the American people down, shame on you! This will not be forgotten by the history books.
5
Democrat candidates in Iowa, in the house and senate all kneeled during the Star Spangled Banner before the Super Bowl to protest President Trump and the democrat failure of the impeachment process.
3
With a Republican WH and Senate majority, we may not be safe from a corrupt president, AG, SOS, etc., and from the US President corrupting out elections by seeking foreign help and using taxpayer money as leverage, putting our national security at risk and costing Ukranian soldiers their lives, all so he can cheat to win (as usual) but I do sleep better at night knowing that Republicans will protect me from a president lying to me about an affair. I have nightmares not about our democracy crumbling and Trump becoming a dictator with no restraint...but about the US President lying about private, consensual affairs.
4
These Republican Senators will go down in history as the biggest disgrace in the U.S. Senate ever!
8
If perjury, torture and drone lynching hundreds of women and children weren't grounds for removing a president from office why would politicizing foreign aid be?
1
And, they all say these things with straight faces. They think that they’ve convinced reasoning people, that we now believe them.
Not all of us are that stupid, senators.
8
Did these white old republicans watch the super bowl! Half time show? That’s what the future looks like. Black white latino Asian. A handful of White folks want to “rule” over the rest of colored folks because they think
They only know what’s good for us!! It’s truly laughable except it’s not funny! Jared Kushner who has zero foreign policy experience says if Palestinians don’t recognize Israel they can’t have their own state! Come again. Who on earth does Jared think he is!!
Just don’t understand why republicans suck up to Trump!
9
At least in this article the Times did not call Alan Dershowitz the “celebrity law professor”. He’s a serious scholar so give him his due. He didn’t get to be Harvard Law School’s youngest tenured professor by being a schmuck.
2
@Paco - He is not a serious scholar. He is a devious successful liar who specializes in getting guilty rich people off the hook. Fill a jury box with educated knowledgeable people and he would lose every case.
Looks like everything is working out for the man who has no problem grabbing women by the genitals, lying to the world about everything and doesn't know the state Kansa City Chiefs reside in. Calls Bernie a communist while doing everything he can possibly do to help Putin carry out Russia's mission to increase their world power and global foot hold. The same people who impeached Clinton for allowing a girl to give him a "BJ" (for lack of a better term) in the White House is now clearing an obvious man who believes corruption is the best way to get a head. As unbelievable this all sounds it won't do anything but get worse. Not only will we not get the term limits we need in the Congress and the Senate, if re elected the first thing they will do is get rid of term limits for a standing President. We will see in this year of clarity, as the number say's, whether we contain any hindsight or even care to pay attention in the now. This year will be one for the History Books for sure. We have no one to blame but each one of us as individuals. All we need to do is vote but we also need to educate ourselves on who we vote for.
9
Inappropriate? Trump is a criminal, never mind that phone call. Yet more criminal is the republican cabal of senators who sole apparent aim is to destroy the Constitution. And, I fear they are succeeding.
6
Democrats should stage a walkout of the rest of the trial. Their further participation would only lend false legitimacy to a kangaroo court.
5
@Miker they should stage out the state of the union address. Protestors should stand outside the Capitol to say trump is guilty as charged and he should not stay in public office for a single day going forward.
3
Many good ideas in these comments about what Democrats need to do next, including proposing the President be censured. If the Democrats were bold, they would not attend the State of the Union tomorrow, and they would use the extensive media coverage to put these ideas out there to Americans.
4
Isn't it disingenuous then to refuse to hear more evidence? Though House Managers erred is describing evidence as overwhelming, Senate Republicans cannot be permitted to hide from their responsibilities. After all, President's Counsel informed the Senate that the proof required to remove is "beyond a reasonable doubt". This placed a moral burden to vote to permit witnesses and documents on those Republicans who were willing to admit that what Trump did was wrong.
1
Lamar Alexander says Trump’s actions were “crossing a line.” What does that even mean if there are no consequences? How many lines can a president cross before being removed from office? And saying the remedy is for voters to decide Trump’s fate ignores the glaring fact that the line Trump crossed compromises that election. He tried to cheat to win the election and thanks to senators like Lamar Alexander he’s been given the green light to do whatever it takes to win. No line can stop him. So how are we to trust the election will be fair?
6
Senate republicans are so partisan now that they don't even know they are partisan. Alexander, in post comments about his decision not to have a trial, exposed his true sentiments, as well as the partisan nature of other GOP polls. He essentially admitted that he was weighing Trump's "cons" against his "pros," lower taxes, conservative judges, removal of regulations, etc. In other words, as long as Trump is good for republican orthodoxy, he can't do anything or display any level of indecency that merits his removal from office. That's pure partisan politics. GOP senators need to be subjected to the same cheesy "eyes closed" test that Matthew McConaughey employed at the end of A time to Kill. Schiff should ask republicans to close their eyes, picture a president withholding funding to extract a promise to interfere with a US election -- and then imagine the president was Barack Obama.
5
Please. Lower taxes for whom? A better economy for whom? Stop the false equivalencies. The economy is only good for the very very rich. No one wants to be lower than middle class. Please. In NYC middle class is making 500k every year. Working class is less than 200k. Poor is less than 80k. Who is this economy good for???
1
@Sarah
I'm a middle class resident of New York City and I'm not even making 80k. Where pre-tell did you get these figures. Middle class New Yorkers making 500K a year? Point me the way, I want in on that kind of job.
1
If democrats win the presidency in 2020, I suspect republicans will employ similar tactics against them. I don’t see any end in sight now.
So rewrite the laws to clarify, so he, and future candidates, won’t do it again. This is the second time, that we know of, that Trump has requested help from foreign countries into our elections, against American citizens. At what point do you say enough is enough? Do something about it!
3
Okay, the Republicans will be okay with a Democratic President doing exactly the same thing?
5
Since these (banana)Republicans have gone on record as being fine with the heads of American government using their positions to impugn their political challengers, perhaps Speaker Pelosi should announce that the U.S. Congress is prepared to use its "power of the purse"to award significant financial aid to any country that forwards verifiable dirt on Donald Trump to the DNC.
This also includes 'sanctions relief' (Mr. Putin, are you listening?)
Again, these banana Republicans ought not have a problem with that, since it's exactly what they've just declared legal, with their votes.
Start making calls, Nancy.
5
What is potentially more disturbing than the mental gymnastics being employed by GOP Senators in rationalizing their decision to ignore evidence in the form of firsthand (not hearsay) testimony, is the Department of Justice’s cynical announcement of emails supporting the impeachment articles.
If this isn’t a message that AG Barr and the DoJ are on the side of Trump, not justice, I don’t know what is. A large chuck of the Senate can be in a passive aggressive state of denial, but the DoJ is actively supporting Trump’s obstruction.
This is scary.
6
Extremely scary and Barr needs to go, too!
A new narrative is emerging from Democrats and the Left Wing news media. Republicans admit that the Democrats "proved" their case, but it is not enough to impeach. This is as false as the Russian collusion. Listen and read what the Republicans say and it is totally different from this fable. The Left failed to prove their case. The Left had no case. The entire process was partisan and illegal. And even if everything they claim, and failed to prove, is true, it is not impeachable. There is no "moral" victory for the Left. You lost.
1
There needs to be consequences or Trump will feel empowered to continue to cheat in our elections. If the Republicans don't have the spine to impeach him., they should at least censure him. It's a slap on the wrist, but at least he wouldn't be able to claim "total exoneration".
The Republicans who are now trying to cover themselves by admitting that it was "bad", but not impeachable, would have no excuse not to vote for censure.
6
Bad, but not as bad as lying about a private, consensual affair, I guess. Yes, Republicans, we know Trump has to cheat to win. IT's the only way he's ever won. He can't win anything in a clean way. The perfect partner for Mitch McConnell. Everything around Trump dies or is corrupted, including now an entire political party and 40% of the American electorate. Not bad for an empty suited fraud, charlatan and blob of a human being. What Trump knows is that fear and bullying work ,and he knows exactly who to target so that they'll protect him at all costs, too scared of his retribution. Dems are spineless. Republicans, it turns out, at throughly without any skeleton.
5
Gotta give it to Lamar Alexander: He doesn’t want to pour fuel on the fire of the culture war so he bravely (ahem) sides with the man who has done more to debase American culture than any other.
That’s your legacy, Lamar: Cowardice in the face of indecency.
12
Senate Republicans as evidenced by their vote and explanations must know what it’s like to be “ a little bit pregnant “.
5
As far as I am concerned, the House should go right on investigating and impeaching for all other crimes Trump has committed. Hey Repubs; Do you believe a president should be impeached for crimes committed while trying to cover up an extramarital affair? Of course you do. Now allow me to introduce Stormy Daniels...
1
The US Senate doesn't deliberate at all, even about rubber-stamping Roy Cohn proteges into the judiciary.
2
The deep state conundrum continues.
Trump slipped away again leaving a dismembered deep state candidate in his wake.
The result of yet one more time Democrats insisted on playing blindfolded boomerang.
Now what?
Who to cram down the party’s throat at a brokered convention?
Can they get away with Hillary?
Who else is corrupt enough or pliable enough?
Sadly the country is divided already. Removal from office in an election year would exacerbate the divide and further inflame passions.
Trump has not "gotten away with it." Like Hester Prynne and her scarlet letter, Trump will forever wear, "impeached but not removed." All things considered, that badge looks like condign punishment.
3
@Neil Williams, I understand your point, but believe that Trump’s conduct was too egregious to sweep under the rug.
At minimum, the American people and the Constitution should have gotten a full trial, with documents, witnesses and cross examination.
2
We’re certainly finding out what it means to be a brilliant lawyer. Build a defense around anything that gets your client off the hook even if at first glance it appears totally bogus. Especially if you have questionable jurors like our senate.
1
@Two Americas — the Trump defense appears totally bogus after repeated glances, too. As well as in hindsight.
Isn't it funny how this reasoning (rationalization?) is only coming up now. I hope people turn out in droves to vote against every single one of these hypocrites.
12
That is our only hope. But I fear the uninformed people in our electorate will think the current economy is good, sustainable, and attributable to Trump - none of which is true, and only vote based on that errant thinking.
2
What I read here in the New York Times and the comment section should not surprise me. In their liberal Trump hating bubble, they do not see the effort to remove this president from before he even took office. The resistance started moments after the election was called in November in 2016 and continues unabated Shameful!
1
@Mitchell myrin
Trump is the most shameful President this country has ever had.
Unqualified, incompetent, unprepared and incurious, he's also a pathological liar, grifter and political shoplifter happy to rig elections for a brighter tomorrow of ill will and white spite.
His 2016 Russian and 2020 Ukrainian 'drug deals' are the hallmark of Trump Treason.
Resisting Trump is high patriotism.
5
@Mitchell myrin
Was there an entrenched resistance to President Obama? Yes-Leader McC. Make Obama a one term president
2
@Mitchell myrin if Republican senators believe trump was wrong, but not impeachable, they should agree he should not run for office in 2020. They know he will do wrong again and again.
No lessons learned as far as trump is concerned. He has no knowledge of how government operates. He has always bypassed legal channels. He will do it again.
2
If I could afford it, I'd send tap dancing shoes to 51 republican Senators.
4
The Republicans wrap themselves up in the Constitution only when it is convenient to do so. Now when their country calls them to take action under the provisions of checks and balances against Trump’s brazen acts of personal gain not only do the Republican’s demure but pass the problem to the voters to solve. Lesser representation should no one expect.
3
In your belief system, what would constitute an impeachable act, Senator Lamar Alexander?
85
@JS: God would have to strike the accused with a bolt of lightning.
8
@JS Ans. The exact same thing, only done by a Democrat.
37
@JS The language these Senators are using is so tepid it's laughable. It's like we're talking about some sort of minor transgression instead of behavior unprecedented in our Republic. The Constitution says nothing about evaluating that behavior through elections. It's very clear that there are three co-equal branches of government and the only recourse is that Congress, acting on behalf of the people, must correct what is clearly wrong.
9
How do they know if what he did was impeachable when they prevented a full presentation of what he did?
9
Something is seriously wrong with the GOP. As "devout Christians" shouldn't they follow the saying, "I fear no man, but God?" Yet, here they are mortified of Trump's shadow and begging their supreme leader, the way my six pound Chihuahua begs me, to allow them to jump on his lap so he can scratch them behind the ears. Everytime a Republican senator opens their mouth I imagine Trump saying, "You're such a good boy! Do you want a treat?" He has to stock up extra when he's visited by the two Senators from my state, Cruz and Cornyn, because no one likes treats as much as them.
Some states have cancelled their Republican primaries only allowing DJT on the ballot. For a group who like to label themselves as being the most patriotic and flag loving people on the planet (possibly the universe), not allowing anyone to contest Trump for the nomination seems to me to be the antithesis of a democratic America. Hey, what do I know? I'm just an American who likes having choices when it comes to who'd I like to lead my country and not be told I can only vote for John Doe.
12
I read so many comments about the 2020 election, taking back the Senate, finding someone who can beat Trump...
Trump was just given permission to do whatever he likes with and to the elections. I have zero problem envisioning him declaring himself the victor and his opponent the loser, regardless of votes.
Most important is making sure — gerrymandering and all else aside — that there isn’t so much doubling down by Trump (who ALWAYS doubles down) — I worry that people’s votes will simply be discarded.
That’s how it works in literally every other country on earth with this much obvious obstruction and disregard for law. We cannot let it happen in 2020.
9
This has been a Congressional debacle from the beginning, starting with the Demcratic haste in the House and Republican laissez-faire attitude in the Senate; neither side has been prepared for an Executive team that are adept team total capable of internal power mongering (easy) and inept as statesman (difficult).
I don't disagree that a de facto censure through impeachment was always the most likely outcome. However, the knowing and deliberate cover-up of evidence by the White House, the alleged involvement of White House defense counsel in the conspiracy to extort Ukraine and the deliberate indifference and knowing disregard and wilful blindness to the truth about the scope of corruption is what I find impeachable. In this regard, one expects Trump to be Trump, but one does not expect the Senate to cave to political pressure and tolerate rampant and ongoing moral turpitude in the White House. The American people have a right to know the truth - the outcome of a political show trial was always going to be acquittal, but by covering up the evidence, Sen McConnell and his GOP caucus became knowing accessories after the fact and co-conspirators. The GOP won the trial but may lose the election - and this was always the gamble which every Democrat understood. There was never any hope that the tribal GOP would do justice. Trump is a serial prevaricator and sociopath - and much of America likes him because he lies and does not care that he does so. What does that say about this country? The only exceptional thing about America is that we continue to believe the myth that we are exceptional, when the reality is that we endure and prosper despite the exceptional pettiness, tribalism.ignorance and corruption that pervades our local, state and federal government.
2
These Senators have great jobs and they want to keep them and they are very afraid they will loose them if Trump turns Mitch and Trump's mob on them. They are rationalizing immoral behavior from the person who should be beyond reproach, this President has been involved in personal misbehavior since day one. Their argument is that Trump won in 2016, we all know that win came with a little help from his friend Vladimir. How long do they intend to support this very damaging farce?
5
The Republican position here is exactly the same as the Democrats in the Clinton impeachment.
1
@Mkm — One glaring exception: the Senate Democrats participated in a full trial of Clinton, including the review documents and the questioning of witnesses.
2
Cheating is cheating, wrong is wrong, and you can't pretend that this was a fair trial without witnesses and documents.
This is a cover-up, it is un-American, and it shows that if you vote Republican you vote against American values.
8
Is it appropriate for the Times to refer to Mr. Dershowitz as a constitutional law scholar? Wouldn't criminal defense attorney be more apt.
8
Would the Republicans please say exactly what an impeachable offense would be.
6
Whiners and Liars
I am coming to the reluctant conclusion that a significant number of Democrats and mainstream (liberal) media are whiners and, maybe to a lesser but still significant extent, liars.
And this starts with and most relevantly is based on Hilary’s inability to accept that she fairly lost the election. Instead of gracefully magnanimously maturely admitting she lost fair and square, perhaps even admitting that she should have campaigned in some of those deplorable states, she, Democrats and the mainstream (liberal) media whined that Trump‘s win was illegitimate. This “whining” was then compounding by the big lie claiming that Trump colluded with the Russians. This lie, still being repeated by Adam Schiff in the senate impeachment trial, has been the basis for several years of Hillary, the Democrat’s, and the mainstream media claiming Trump colluded with Russia. This lie, clearly discredited by the Mueller report and more recently shown to actually be based on gross incompetence or willful misconduct of the Obama FBI starting an investigation of the opposing party’s candidate (Horowitz’s words not mine) continues to be the foundation of Democrats and the mainstream (liberal) media.
@Robert
No one wines or lies more than Trump. Don’t kid yourself. Did you read the Mueller Report? It did not exonerate Trump.
2
Isn't this the exact same calculation that the Democrats made with Clinton? That, yes he did it, but there is no reason to impeach him.
Funny how the same answer provokes so much outrage now. Oh, and Clinton actually committed crimes (perjury, obstruction of justice)
2
@Wondering — Big difference: Bill Clinton underwent a full trial with witnesses and documents before Democratic senators declined to convict him.
Members of the Senate have every right to acquit— but not without conducting a full and fair trial.
3
@ANetliner
Big difference: House alleged crimes in Clinton case. Here, House did not allege crimes. They wanted witnesses to further tar Trump. They never reasonably expected Senate to convict
And it is not Senate's duty to have a full trial. And there certainly is no obligation to be fair to the House managers
Why is it so unreasonable, in an election year, to view impeachment as unduly chaotic and disruptive, and to view the coming election as the means to remove Trump? There has to be a reason that no prior impeachment occurred in a election year. I am really tired of all of the Democrats' posturing and moralizing on this issue. They always knew that there would be no conviction in the Senate. This is all just spin.
3
@Richard no it is not a spin. Trump really should not be allowed to run for public office. He will not learn. Republican excuse is poor thing trump doesn’t know how government operates. Jared Kushner says Bolton Mattis and kelly did not have in then what it takes (meaning bending rules and going rogue).
Trump should not be on 2020 ticket he does not deserve public office.
6
And you really believe the 2020 election will be fairly run without Russian interference, voter suppression and gerrymandering by the Republicans?
1
@Camille Dee
And you really think that Russia would stop if Trump were impeached? Why would they?
The Senate republicans are acknowledging now that Trump's actions were bad. But how bad were they? That's what they don't want to know, and what they don't want voters to know. Because then, most likely, they would have been forced to throw this guy out on his corrupt, perfidious bone spurs. That's why they refused to call for documentation and more witnesses.
Trump is bigly fond of the phrase "the likes of which the world has never seen before." Well, this unprecedented cover-up of Tump's cover-up on the part of the Senate republicans is the likes of which America has never seen before. Autocratic countries see it all the time.
4
Senator Alexander hopes that the consequences of the phone call would “resonate” with the commander in chief and that he would not do something like that again. Through all the criticism this CIC has seen, deservedly, nothing has diminished his unacceptable conduct in both a personal and political sense. The resonance he hears is a ringing endorsement to continue as usual. It will be interesting to say the least to see if his minions in the Capitol show any pushback when he resumes his despicable behaviors.
2
I am done with the Senate Impeachment Farce. These self-serving Republicans have given Donald Trump the keys to his kingdom. There is nothing more to see or hear except the fallout from that decision. I have nothing left to do but work to strengthen and protect my life in Trump's America and vote in my best interests in the primary election here in Ohio in March and the general election in November. If there is any justice or common sense left among American voters, many Republicans will find themselves looking for work in 2021.
7
What will the Democrats do when Ukraine officially requests US assistance with some corruption investigations they’ve got going on?
We are obligated by treaty to assist.
The Republican Senators are certainly spineless, corrupt, and traitorous , but they are not stupid. They know their vote will get them through the primaries and by the time November rolls around, much of America will have moved on and be more concerned about their 401ks, what the Kardashians are up to, or the prospects of their favorite football teams.
They have sold us out, but we enable it.
3
Mike Bloomberg they’ve written the script
Pls
Bring it home Advertise nay blitz advertise on Fox and Breitbart
They want $
Change the game
4
“Inappropriate, was the way I’d say it. Improper, crossing the line. And then the only question left is: Who decides what to do about that?”
It's you and your fellow Senators that's who Mr. Alexander. The House did it's job now it's time to do yours.
I understand why you and other Republican Senators didn't want to hear from additional witness and it's because it will be too damning and hard for you and others to convince the public that Trump did not do anything that's impeachable. As for John Bolton he could have done the right thing while the investigation was going on in the House. I have no respect for him and others that know what Trump has been doing all along. Trump is a criminal that has the full protection and support of the Republican party that will pay dearly in the next election. That's not the right time to deal with a criminal president, but you and the other Republican Senators left us no choice.
5
If Hillary were President, she would have demanded a hefty Ukrainian donation to the Clinton Foundation.
Poor Qaddafi....he didn't donate enough.
1
@RM sorry it doesn’t work that way. Kindly go to the foundation website or talk to officials there.
2
A Democratic administration launched Crossfire Hurricane, the investigation of the Trump campaign, during the months leading up to the 2016 election year. The FBI dispatched agents to foreign countries to solicit information from foreign nationals and foreign officials in hopes of uncovering crimes committed by Trump campaign members. Ukraine provided the “Black Ledger,” which showed Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort engaged in money laundering and tax evasion.
Trump did not deploy federal agencies against a rival political campaign or ask Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. He asked President Zelensky to “look into” Ukrainian investigations already conducted and share information with the U.S. attorney general. Zelensky readily agreed. (The Treaty With Ukrainian on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters requires the United States and Ukraine to assist each other in the conduct of criminal investigations.)
When Trump referred to the “talk about Biden’s son” during the July 25 call, he was referring to the Kulyk Dossier. The seven-page dossier was compiled by Kostiantyn Kulyk, the prosecutor assigned to the Burisma investigation. Rudy Giuliani, who has been briefed on the dossier, alleges it proves that the Bidens engaged in money laundering, bribery and extortion.
The Kulyk Dossier allegations may be proven wrong, but it is better sourced than the Steele Dossier, which triggered Crossfire Hurricane.
1
The president did, in fact, just shoot Lady Liberty on Fifth Avenue and is getting away with it.
7
"Just because actions meet a standard of impeachment does not mean it is in the best interest of the country to remove a president from office."
Congratulations, Senator Rubio.
You have just turned the United States into the Cuban dictatorship that your parents fled.
8
Republicans try to remove Bill Clinton from office for having an affair and they have someone now who has actually undermined our national security by his actions and Ukraine. they're all cowards and hopefully will be voted out of office
2
There's no right or wrong answer except that whatever helps remove Trump is best. If the Democrats fail in November, then they made the wrong choices strategically. The law of the land is no law applies while Trump remains in office.
3
Two thoughts on this:
1. Is this our new standard? If so, and it appears that this is what Republicans are embracing- when a Democrat is President- the rules remain the same.
2. If Trump did do something wrong- Censure him- otherwise, he'll do it again. Like a child- he needs to know that there are norms that we all live by.
1
The Republicans are not to be believed; they are afraid of Trump and losing their seats. So they say what Trump did was bad, but not so bad as to be removed from office? The GOP Senate lets Trump walk scot-free and Trump will become a madman unrestrained. He will know of no limits to his ability to bully, abuse, destroy, and give aid and succor to our enemies and competitors.
If what Trump did was bad, the Senate should stand up and tell him so. The Senate should vote to censure the President. To do anything less is a complete abdication of their Constitutional responsibility.
1
Senate Republicans should support a motion to DISMISS on insufficient grounds this present House impeachment farce. It should also announce that, henceforth, these same 51 Senate Republicans will summarily dismiss any and all future impeachment articles from the House that fail to either allege a crime or is not supported by a bipartisan vote of support of at least 10%.
1
He didn’t do it.
He did it but it wasn’t wrong.
He did it, it was wrong but it wasn’t illegal.
He did it, it was wrong, it was illegal, but the Democrats didn’t follow procedure.
He did it, it was wrong, it was illegal, but it doesn’t matter because he’s the president.
He did it, it was wrong, it was illegal, but impeachment is a political process and this is an election year.
He did it, it was wrong, it was illegal, but hey, we need to secure our lifelong pension and health care.
Can you imagine what lies and excuses Republicans came up with as children when they didn’t do their homework?
11
@T. Rivers now that republicans admit it why on earth do they want trump to run fir office again! Trump will never learn. Time and again his father had to bail him out of bankruptcy. His parents never taught him responsibility or accountability. Can’t you see!
2
once republicans gave up the moral ground, it's a slippery slope. All trumps bad actions have gone unpunished, and this will get even worse
3
@Hank It's up to the actual, patriotic Americans to do the punishing.
The GOP’s latest rationale for opposing impeachment is at best craven, at worst corrupt.
The U.S. Constitution doesn’t become inactive just because it’s an election year.
Trump’s offenses are far greater than a phone call. Trump attempted to advance his own political interest by:
-Withholding approximately $400 in military aid from a crucial ally.
-Pressuring a foreign leader to investigate a key Trump political rival and his family.
-Firing and bypassing American diplomats.
-Subverting a major American foreign policy objective.
If this doesn’t rise to the standard for impeachment, what does?
4
Here are four crimes Trump committed:
1. Seeking political aid from a foreign entity (Ukraine) which isa campaign finance violation and a "crime" according to special Counsel Robert Mueller.
2. Bribery in offering military aid and an Oval Office visit to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky if he would do "a favor" in opening criminal investigations on possible corruption by former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, who sat on the board of an allegedly corrupt company (Burisma Holding). This, of course, is specifically mentioned as an impeachable "High crime" in the Constitution.
3. Violating the Impoundment Control Act, as confirmed by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, in illegally withholding the military aid from Ukraine.
4. Violating the law concerning the requirement to release all whistleblower complaints deemed "urgent" to Congress by illegally withholding it.
That Republican Senate lawmakers can claim these crimes are not impeachable is tantamount to putting Donald Trump "above the law" and allowing him, in fact, to be the law. And that means that the Constitution and its "rule of law" has now been usurped by the lawless, autocratic "rule of Trump."
7
Hinted at here, but largely ignored, is the *fact* that if you take what seems to be this "respectable" Republican position, then you necessarily admit that Trump has personally and affirmatively lied about his actions several times per day, every day, since the Ukraine story broke. The President of the United States as the proverbial five-year-old with icing all over his face, denying that he ate the cake: this is where we are as a nation.
3
I look forward to seeing some of those Republican enablers of Trump lose their seats in November - hopefully enough to give control of the Senate to the Democrats.
8
Urgent for America to disinfect itself from our coronavirus, Donald Trump.
8
This all goes back to what the Liar in Chief said about being able to shoot somebody on 5th Ave and not lose votes. He was talking about supporters, but it clearly applies to the spineless, power hungry politicians in the Republican Party as well. Imagine how they would have reacted if Barack Obama had bribed Ukraine to dig up dirt on Donald Trump Jr. The stench from the right comes from the rotting of their principles and the decay of their souls.
3
Well, since I still want to know why Biden's son was anywhere near the Board of Burisma but Democrats clearly Do Not want me to know I just don't care what Trump did. No concern at all. Its easy to do. Just mirror what democrats are doing about Biden. They don't care, I don't care. Guess which one has been hurt the most? The one who never makes it to the ballot.
If 45 really believed his behavior was not legally wrong, he and the White House would not have tried to bury that conversation, use a non-government employee to negotiate with Ukraine (Giulliani), ban all WH employees from talking, remove the ambassador, and threaten potential witnesses and the whistle-blower.
The GOP is talking through their hats.
2
No matter how much they try to walk back their vote, those republicans sold our democracy , show their true colors , show that they have no spine to at least let witnesses speak , they cannot admit that they are part of a cult, and that won’t sit to well in a few months from now for them.
9
There are much wealthier people than Donald Trump, but most have an authentic education (academic performance not hidden), religious base, and have been raised to respect the rule of law and their fellow humans on earth. The bottom line is that Trump is an excellent example of what you can do if you're not afraid of nor respect anyone or anything period. In parallel and equivalent to the Billy Bush tape, he has grabbed the republicans in Congress by their genitalia and they have succumbed to his assault. He has brought out the ugly truth, front and center, that all republicans in Congress are sniveling cowards and would rather sell their souls to the devil than lose an election. They no longer represent the American people, only themselves. We put these traitors to the American people in there and it's time to take them out.
6
Amazing how their story changes. It's disgusting. Now they admit he did it, while during the whole process, they whined endlessly about how mean the Democrats are for even thinking such a thing. Slink back to your districts, liars!
Now that this ugly Senate farce is over, and republicans have to mop up their mess, they're trying to come up with a story. The story shouldn't change!! Adults should shun such leaders as that. It's pathetic that trumpies will just latch onto this version with the widest of eyes, insisting it was truth all along.
I would never walk around after a mean little guy like trump, wiping up his stinky messes and making excuses when he does it again. But the worst is when they insist the stink is actually delicious chocolate pudding for which America should be thankful.
Yep, I guess he can do whatever he wants. That is, as long as Barr, Pompeo, Kav and Mitch betray their oaths. After all, it's only honest people who avoid doing things just because they can.
8
A 50ish woman ambassador is going to "go through some things..."
Yelensky doesn't have to actually conduct an investigation, only announce one -- in other words, LIE about the rival candidate who threatens your chances of re-election.
And ole LaMar and the others are OK with this. Wrong, but not THAT wrong. Sheesh.
5
"I don't need to hear any more evidence to decide that the president did what he's charged with doing," Lamar Alexander, Republican Senator.
He was charged with abusing power, and obstruction of Congress. So what Senator Alexander said, was “I don’t need to hear any more evidence to decide that the president abused his power and obstructed Congress.”
This precedent is the worst case scenario. The US Senate has decided that it is not an impeachable offense for a president to abuse their power. It is fair to say, the US Senate has invalidated the US Constitution. The entire point of the Constitution is to prevent abuses of power. That was its ENTIRE point. If a president can’t be impeached because of an abuse of power, then there is no offense they could commit that would warrant impeachment.
I wish I was older. I’m only in my early 30s. Assuming there isn’t some kind of global catastrophe that drastically reduces life expectancy, I’ve got over 40 years to watch all of the ways that this decision is going to destroy and corrupt society.
5
When you invoke a process where the sole remedy is removal from office, the issue is not simply one of guilt versus innocence. Rather, the balance goes to whether the punishment fits the crime.
If, instead of impeachment, the Democrats had proposed a less severe consequence, censure, for example, they would have gotten something.
Since Nixon, the only President whose misdeeds were so great that he should have been removed from office was George W Bush. And despite his weapons of mass destruction fraud and neglect of oversight of capital markets that led the world on the way to an economic depression, no one proposed anything.
2
I only wish there had been no cheating by the Clinton-machine-controlled DNC during the 2016 primaries.
On a tremendously smaller scale than Trump of course, but it still doesn’t look good.
1
So is there anything in the Senate rules that would prevent them from issuing a "censure" instead of an "acquittal"? Are there enough Republicans that do indeed believe what the President did was "not correct" that it would pass? If so, why is that not being pursued?
2
With his actions, Trump broke his pledge to uphold and defend the constitution and broke laws. How do we know that? Simple, Trump and GOP senators blocked witnesses because there no witnesses exist who under oath could exonerate Trump of the misdeeds he was charged with by the House.
1
Can you imagine what would have happened if Obama told Hillary to not show up for any of her Benghazi grillings? If he told the ATF that "Fast and Furious" was 'perfect' so they don't need to obey Congressional subpoenas? Doesn't Congress get it? The blanket obstruction is just as bad, if not worse, than the solicitation of foreign interference, because it sets a precedent in direct contravention of constitutional checks and balances.
You can't have it both ways. You can't both claim that Trump did something wrong while also supporting the blanket obstruction. It would be like not seeking a search warrant on a murder suspect, but claiming that it's fine because you *think* the suspect *probably* only committed assault, all the while condoning the fact that he won't let police inside the door to look for bodies.
4
Translation : If a Republican solicits help from a foreign government it inappropriate but not impeachable; If a Democrat solicits help from a foreign government it impeachable.
Besides as Alexander said Trump was not knowledgeable on what to do so he needs to be excused.
4
I am wondering that since trump doesn't know what State the Kansas City Chiefs play are from, because he tweeted that the State of Kansas should be proud of there team for winning the Super Bowl, would that be a more Impeachable offense for the GOP members of the Senate, to vote for removal. trump will break out his famous sharpie and move the team from Missouri to Kansas, just to try and say he was correct. Just like the path of the hurricane. Pompeo should show trump a map of the US with names showing in each state and ask trump to point to the state he currently is in. I bet he points to Bangladesh every time.
2
In rejecting the importance of the Mueller report, and now a plan to not remove from office because 45's wrong acts were not impeachable offenses, the GOP is naively underestimating the strength of Russian influence on our elections and underestimating the lack of critical thinking of many in our country!
The Senators are out of touch with people who get their news from social media and react to trolls' disinformation. They simply do not understand how so much bad, false information voters are subjected to daily. They are completely and ignorantly out of touch and self-absorbed in maintaining their power at any cost!
1
Republican apologists are looking at Trump's conduct through blinders focusing only on the phone call. This was a complex plot involving the smearing and removal of a highly regarded diplomat and an extensive pressure campaign on the new Ukraine government. It involved top administration officials and people currently charged with related crimes or under FBI investigation. The plot is just one part of a large portfolio of similar Trump conduct for which he shows zero remorse. Republicans are deluding themselves in a desperate attempt to save their seats and their corrupt party. They seem incapable of understanding that only real hope for them is to remove the reason for their self destructive degradation from office.
2
You know who I’m most mad at today? Every “progressive” that stayed home in 2016 because they said there was no difference between Trump & Hillary Clinton.
Trump’s electoral college victory rested on about 78,000 votes spread out across 3 states in the northeast. In each of those states, the number of registered voters who didn’t vote were enough to win it for Clinton. I am so mad at those people.
2
@Austin Ouellette Yes, and I'm equally mad at progressives who voted for Stein, and independents who voted for Johnson. The world would be in a much better place if they had held their noses and voted for the lesser of two evils.
What a masterful response by Alexander. Dramatic words, but in the end he said nothing.
One small moment captured the Democrat's predicament for me: Chuck Schumer in front of the cameras declaring that a trial without witnesses and documents is a "perfidy."
That may have left delighted leftists running for their dictionaries, but I'm guessing most out there who heard it were left scratching their heads and/or annoyed that the Dems were once again looking down their elitist noses, using highfalutin language, and demonstrating they are unable to effectively communicate with a large swath of Americans.
1
With the GOP senate willing to so completely cover-up Trump’s crime, there is the possibility that they know that much more serious crimes have been committed and are afraid those crimes (by Trump and by GOP senators) will be uncovered in a really thorough investigation. Was Russian money used to bribe GOP senators?
1
The Senate Republicans can care less about Trump’s lies and the Ukrainian lives that we’re lost.
It may seem trivial but now we have “Trump’s brain” Jared Kushner snarling while hectoring us with and the world about impeachment and his peace plan. Mike Pompeo is sure to smile smugly and blow up over the simplest questions. Putin will probably even chime in and maybe even congratulate and thank Mitch with a laugh.
I implore Pelosi, Adam Schiff and the other Democrats in Congress who have integrity and courage to continue fighting for what is right.
2
This is a hostile takeover, a Red coup. It is unfortunate that the Dems also practice what they condemn. If Hillary didn't corner the "Status Quo" superdelegates, and hadn't practiced massive voter suppression in Brooklyn, she would have lost the primary fair and square. Sanders would have beat Trump easily. We have a second chance. Sanders has the passionate support necessary to win this time. With any luck, and hand marked, hand counted paper ballots, We can win all 3 seats of government... a few mega-rich, religious fundamentalists and white supremacists, perhaps 25% of the population, will either grieve or get out their guns.
By Republican Party standard it is ok to obstruct justice, lie sand cheat on elections. We are now a banana republic. The question is can Sanders bring the needed far left to rip the far rights power away from the Republicans. We only need look at recent Central and South American history to see what lies ahead.
1
Marco Rubio states the Republican position explicitly.
"Just because actions meet a standard of impeachment does not mean it is in the best interest of the country to remove a president from office."
In other words:
Trump's actions are impeachable offenses.
Trump is guilty of the accusations made against him.
However, Republicans feel the public interest is better served dismissing impeachable offensives despite guilt.
Two words: Banana Republic.
2
The very stable genius who made the perfect phone call will not stand for even a slap on the wrist from his own party. He is perfect, remember, and smarter than everyone else. This approach from his Senate enablers will explode in their faces.
1
They keep inventing excuses to justify. Tomorrow there will yet another "reason."
Does integrity matter?
1
@David Henry
Dear David,
It should matter. It matters to me.
1
I have already donated to three Democrats outside of my home state, as well as to Joe Biden: Mark Kelly, Amy McGrath, Jaime Harrison. Right now, this is the only way I can fight this insane and corrupt Republican Party. Next donation will be to Fair Fight to help fight voter suppression.
2
Republican senators’ scheme:
Carefully choose words like “inappropriate” “improper” and even “wrong”—
But we don’t want the public to hear any more details, not even from first hand accounts and documents.
Sorry, the public won’t buy that.
1
They all must have failed the ethics course at Trump University.
2
@Senator Alexander: How can you determine what is “inappropriate” or illegal if you don’t call witnesses and get all of the information from the people who were witnesses to the President’s actions and motives?
This was spin control at its worst.
Republican senators will go down in history as moral cowards who were more intent on covering up what the President did then finding out what actually happened. Republican party first, nation second. Our founders would weep.
1
Why do we have a Senate? If it is for the people to decide, he would have been gone long ago. We were waiting on our government to go through proper channels, trusting the investigations to lead to the proper ends! It is illegal to conspire with a foreign power to win an election. The day after Mueller stated, the Justice department won’t indict him on the last election, he called another foreign power to get a favor to cheat in the next, Trump does not see anything wrong with this, as he has been bullying and cheating his entire life. Yet, we didn’t think the entire Republican Party, especially the Senate, would be so cowering. If the people are to decide, don’t you think we should do a thorough job and have the witnesses and documents made public to get to the truth. That’s what you could have had. The people didn’t assign 391 million to Ukraine for military aid. The people don’t get to vote on impeaching. The people are now being told it is okay to allow an attacking bully to use the power of his office to get re-elected and the people can’t even spend tax payer money to secure our elections from same corrupt bully. You have an obligation to fulfill. You have a sworn duty to uphold. You failed. The people will do all we can to sweep you all and Trump out of office! Justice will be served. The day of reckoning will come. Biden has already been investigated both here and in the Ukraine, and he did nothing wrong, You have failed to honor the rule of law.
3
The whole of the Republican Congress seems to have been afflicted with a rapidly transmitted, rapidly progressive degenerative disease. This outbreak is characterized by blindness, deafness, dishonesty, complete spinal degeneration, and the inability to reason effectively(aka, dementia). Their cowardice and their fealty to King Donald is the result of this insidious infection. This plague is deadlier to our nation than any known pathogen and ought to cause more panic than that currently engendered by the Coronavirus,
2
Lets see -- we have a President who has bribed a foreign government to help him cheat in the upcoming election. The Republican's judgement-- no removal from office and the voters in 2020 will solve this. How can voters decide if Trump and the Senate approve buying votes from Russia, China anyone willing to cheat.
1
It seems as it has been readily acknowledged by a significant number of Senators on both sides of the aisle that the President's behavior was minimally "improper".
This was acknowledged very openly by Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN-R), and while not meeting the threshold for impeachment, is there not the opportunity for censure?
Formally take away the storyline that this acquittal "EXONERATES" the President of all behavior, as it appears that there are sufficient Republican Senators who express that Sen Alexander "speaks for them".
Senate Republicans turning a blind eye to a very clear abuse of power, that they'd otherwise be howling bloody murder and seeking the same impeachment remedy if perpetrated by a Democratic President is yet another example of the hypocrisy that reigns under Majority Leader McConnell's rule. Though - very clearly...the Republican arguments against impeachment referencing a "coup" or "undoing the ballot box" mirror the Democratic arguments during President Clinton's impeachment.
Not only is our President's behavior threatening to our democracy, but this charade perpetrated by the legislative branch legitimizes these actions.
1
The country has been given over to the RNC mob. Thanks, Trump voters.
1
Dear Democrats,
Don't get mad. Get even. November 3, 2020.
Not only will we vote Mr. Trump out of office. But we will also remove the Republican majority in the Senate.
The most vulnerable Republican Senators are:
- Gardner (R-CO)
- McSally (R-AZ)
- Tillis (R-NC)
- Collins (R-ME)
- Ernst (R-IA)
- open seat (R-KS)
Vote every Republican out of office, from president to senator to dog catcher. Every last one of them.
4
@MidtownATL Also Cornyn in Texas is vulnerable.
1
Reality Check bottom line is evil flurishes in real world when good people stand idle an allow it to happen. Both demcrats an republican doing their best for us deplorables. Ask not what our government can do for us but what we can do for our beautifull country. Good start would be making voting manditory just like draft was for young men lost lives in war.
My problem with this decision by the Republicans is that, while they have chosen to keep their heads in the sand by having no witnesses or documents, they are keeping the electorate ignorant as well. You say the voters should decide? Fine and dandy, but won’t you please allow us to know the truth? How can we vote intelligently if all we know is what the president lets us know? It seems awfully dangerous to us all.
1
Oh please, let this surprise me and be the first pebbles of an avalanche.
I will not be holding my breath.
so spineless these people... aw poor babies, vote to convict the bully will make bad tweets, name call... not strong enough for that? don't belong in the Senate - 75% of their constituents favored witnesses and documents to make the trial fair to all - who knows? maybe the bully would have been exonerated but no one will ever know...
since its almost a certainty that the senators will wimp out lets at least hope for censure
2
Democrats rushed sending the case to the Republican-controlled Senate before getting testimony from Rudy, Rick Perry, and other cabinets members.
They could have issued numerous subpoenas and filed Contempt of Congress charges against all who defied subpoenas. There would have been more evidence and a historical record of it.
Only the surface was scratched here. There are numerous dirty deals orchestrated by Rick Perry, with Americans businesses and natural gas.
We will never know the full story of how corrupt the Trump regime is until he is out of office.
A trial without witnesses or testimony? What a sham! What a disgrace!
The Democrats blew it and the Trump regime will go down as the most corrupt in history.
3
Begging your pardon, Mr. Alexander, but this dude will not ‘think twice.’ Haven’t you learned? He doesn’t learn.
2
Please Republicans, just talk to each other, the rest of us are just so tried.
1
If someone you know in your life lies to you, cheats on you, bullies you and steals from you. Would you still trust that person and follow him/her? Chances are you wouldn’t. So why do we care or even listen to what anyone in the GOP has to say about anything? They are complicit in aiding corruption to hold onto power and to capitulating to a president they know lied and will do it again. They are cowards and their opinions and reasons are meaningless now. Let’s please just stop talking about what they say. The GOP has zero credibility. It is all just nonsense.
2
I guess you can print articles (aka smears) like this until the cows come home and it just doesn't matter. This one is over.
NEXT!
2
Would Alexander feel this way if it was a Democratic president who extorted a foreign government for dirt on a Republican candidate?
3
Will the Democrats seek to impeach the Ukrainian government?
Seems like the Ukrainians are cranking up some investigations.
Uh oh.
Trump is basically a mafia Don. And Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowsky, Lamar Alexander, et al, are simply his capos. They don't do what the Constitution mandates them to do, they obey their don, no matter what the cost. The country is being run by a political mafia, and if the Don gets "re-elected" (right) he'll shred the Constitution to pieces and his errand boys and girls will stomp on its remnants. Why not stop this "trial" now? We know what's going to happen and we know that Donald Trump committed impeachable offenses. Everyone knows how bad he is, everyone, they just don't care.
1
It’s a good defense. It kept Bill Clinton from being removed from office e—and he not only committed an actual crime of perjury, he also took advantage a young intern in the White House and while he was married and a father. Politics is always about what you can do, not the grand talk about your ideals.
2
How in the heck would Republican senators know how bad it is? They refused to call for further evidence when they ran their trial. It is clearly there, some of it begging to be examined. Shame on them (except Mitt).
I guess they heard from their constituents, whoops.
1
Except that if this had been a Democrat president. Fox News and it’s Republican paid enforcers would be howling for the death penalty.
1
Republicans have set the bar for Trump's conduct below ground level. They are all contemptible.
Every Republican quoted is only concerned with the phone call. No one excuses trump’s continuing obstruction of Congress and that rises to the level of removal.
29
@William Moersch , no, no it does not rise to the level of removal. Perhaps other views have validity, but some of us totally reject others' views.
1
corruption is not a republican reason for impeachment. how could it be?
17
The Senate is piloting the Titanic: they just spied the tip of the Trump iceberg and continue to insist his actions - at least, those that are visible above the waterline - are not dangerous enough to take down the ship. Republican Senator are fools, taking us all full steam ahead toward tearing a gaping hole in democracy as we have known it.
Fortunately, they will go down with the ship, and survivors - those of us who care about the Constitution, democracy, and justice - will carry on, sans the dead weight GOP.
19
Remember way back when the Republican senators first heard about Trump’s withholding of aid to Ukraine unless they investigated Hunter Biden? How did their initial reaction of “well, if true, it’s a crime and a threat to national security” as well as their remaining integrity vanish? #sad
1
Lamar Alexander: “The people,” he added. “The people, is my conclusion.”
Good sound bite. Also, an abdication of a Senator's oversight responsibility. Taken to its logical conclusion, sounds like Alexander would do away with representative government and opt for pure democracy, where the people vote on every issue.
Anybody think Americans are ready to go to the polls to decide the next budget? We can barely get them to the polls now for a Presidential election.
18
This week will mark the birth of Gilead, formerly the UXA, with the Senate’s de facto abolishment of the Constitution. Look for all of the things Margaret Atwood described coming true- denial of votes to women, and non-white populations, criminal prosecution of those intending to have abortions, the elevation of Doublethink to the law of the land, the will of the majority subverted to the whims of the billionaires, destruction of the environment, the list is endless. Although years in the making, it essentially all started this week.
5
The RNC pays Sekulow, et al. They also support over half the jurors. That's aside from whatever influence McConnell used over them last week. Talk about rigged process.
7
With esteemed members of the George Orwell Party now acknowledging Trump abused power, cowards like Lamar Alexander need to be asked at every opportunity: "What are you doing to stop him from doing it again?"
18
Republicans and Trump supporters who concede the call was not perfect, or not the way they would do things are woefully naive to think that Trump will learn anything from his impeachment or senate gathering (not trial). Clearly, fear of Trump’s wrath and bullying are only things they care about. Shameful. Vote them all out.
9
This was just the vehicle to remove him, when considering if he should be all you need is step back and view his conduct in every other instance and make the sane judgement that this man is unfit mentally, ethically and temperamentally for the job. You blew it Republicans, I'll never forgive you.
10
Guess he needs to shoot someone on 5th Avenue. Would that be impeachable?
4
Well, all of this is really just political theater; but, I am just wondering if a single Democrat would acknowledge
President Obama’s Private But caught-on-an-open-mike whispers to Putin’s shill is appropriate, or, for that matter, if his creation by Executive Order of the Dreamer legal morass was, just perhaps, at least, Presidential abuse of office?
4
@Truthbeknown
Does it not strike you as odd that your argument is a “what-about-ism?” The Obama hot mic thing is not aaaaanyway near the same level here...but for the sake of your argument lets pretend it is. In your description we should not prosecute crimes (generally speaking) because other people commit them too. Look, if you so eagerly want to live in a dictatorship/cleptocracy there are plenty of countries in the world to choose from. Your man Trump admires and promotes every one of them.
1
@Truthbeknown
Great attempt at gaslighting: no, it is not all "just political theatre", unless you are talking about the Republicans spouting words from scripts that have been pre-written for them.
Let’s be real, the democrats started talking about impeaching Trump shortly after he won, even before he took office. They were ready to impeach for ANY reason. If he forgot to flush-impeach!!
5
@DanielMarcMD because he’s been corrupt since the first day of office.
1
Perhaps they began talking that way because it was clear to anyone with a brain that Trump had cheated his way to his election. All we have learned since is the depth of the corruption. We knew his corrupt nature from the beginning.
1
@DanielMarcMD
It is - at best - faulty logic to link Democrat's rhetoric to Trump's corrupt and impeachable actions. It is akin to saying "he made me do it"!
Trump will take advantage of this and further his personal enrichment
Saying it does not ride to some made up level is pure Baloney
Do your jobs, protect the Constitution
7
Do they not understand that they are supposed to represent the people, as in a “representative democracy.” What a shameful abdication.
7
The phone call had a much longer lineage of Trump and his allies corrupting Ukrainian politics for personal gain. Start with Paul Manafort, Trump's campaign chairman and continue with Rudy and Lev's lobbying to oust the US ambassador over a year before the phone call. The long line of monkey wrenching extends on to the distortion of Muller's findings by Bill Barr -- no collusion and no obstruction -- parroted by Trump's backers in Congress and Fox News in endless echo-sphere loops. All the while with Trump attacking US intelligence agencies and siding with Putin and asking "why would Russia do this?".
It is way too convenient to attribute Trump's "inappropriateness" to a single phone call. The phone call is a perfect reflection of Trump's corruption of his office, from the get go, aided and abetted by those who are complicit in guaranteeing that Trump will, of course, continue to flout the rule of law. With 51 senators delusional about Trump taking any instruction from the outcome.
11
“I think he shouldn’t have done it — I think it was wrong,” Mr. Alexander said Sunday on “Meet the Press” on NBC. “Inappropriate, was the way I’d say it. Improper, crossing the line. And then the only question left is: Who decides what to do about that?”
“The people,” he added. “The people, is my conclusion.”
Political deflection at its worst...
This is nothing more than a cowardly excuse from an elected official who refuses to do the job.
24
Of course. With the acquittal now inevitable, Republicans are pivoting to save their chances in the upcoming election. Doesn't matter at all what they say, just watch and remember their votes.
11
The co- leaders of the Republican Party aka Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin thought that Donald Trump's actions were good for making them and their countries great again. They both opposed his impeachment and are against his removal.
And Bibi and Vlad will be back bigger and bolder hacking, interfering and meddling on behalf of their mutual pawn pet puppet in 2020 than they were in 2016.
Aided and abetted by their useful assets and idiots at Amazon, Facebook, Fox News, Google etc. along with Bill Barr, Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, Mick Mulvaney, Rudy Giuliani and Rick Perry.
The Iowa caucuses are about as democratic as the selection of a Roman Catholic Pope, an American Godfather and the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party.
Iowa isn't Classical Athens nor the Roman Republic
6
@Blackmamba
Dear Blackmamba,
I agree that the Iowa caucuses are a bit unusual, but I fail to see how they are "undemocratic". People vote with their feet instead of with ballots. What's wrong with that?
1
If Repubs think this particular inappropriate behavior - a gross understatement - is not sufficient to remove a POTUS from office, then they should suggest a less severe but effective remedy - maybe an official statement of condemnation or temporary removal from office. Certainly their excuse that the voters should decide in the next election is disingenuous because they refuse to allow witnesses and documents that would provide information to allow an informed vote.
9
Two thoughts occur to me. First, by acknowledging that he is in fact guilty of using Congressionally approved military aid to pressure a foreign government for an investigation into Biden, they are also acknowledging that he and his White House staff have lied repeatedly about that pressure campaign, and sought to cover up evidence and testimony that would prove it. They're basically acknowledging BOTH of the articles of impeachment.
Second, they claim to be reluctant to remove him from office and overturn the will of the people, but seem to forget that Nixon's re-election was much more recent to his Impeachment inquiry than Trump's. Moreover, Nixon won in a landslide 49 states to 1, where Trump lost the popular vote. Republicans in Nixon's era nevertheless reached the conclusion that cheating in an election wasn't something that Congress can support and it was important to the republic that they do the right thing. That conscience is sorely lacking today.
28
@George
Good point about Nixon. I remember being in Washington during Watergate and although I was young, I remember a sense that there was a moral current or certainty running through it all that corruption, election tampering, lying and refusing to cooperate with Congress were WRONG under our system of government and the adults in power were all loyal to those beliefs, regardless of party affiliation. Sadly, that is not the reality for my children.
1
There are two glaring errors in the Republican's purported "reasoning" about this issue: the first is their fixation on that phone call as being the wrong that was done, instead of all the machinations and subterfuge in the form of deliberate actions taken by Trump and his minions to first try to blame Ukraine for meddling in the 2016 election, and then to implicate Joe Biden in illicit activity because of his son's relationship to Burisma. The second error is their assertion that they have enough information to even come to a conclusion, when the obvious truth is that there is a lot more information that was withheld from them and the Democrats - meaning that it is very likely Trump's actions were in fact much worse than what is known at this point in time. Given his public record of lies and deception at every turn, it is kind of hilarious to watch them grasping at straws on his behalf. I'm sure some of them are quaking in their boots and hoping nothing further comes to light before November. Good luck with that!
19
And now comes Phase II , a massive misinformation campaign to deceive the general population via tens of millions of dollars in agitprop campaigns, and as many distractions as possible with Benghazi type investigations that accomplish only one thing: change the voters perception of reality.
6
‘Well, I know that it was inappropriate for him to shoot Democracy in the head, but it was a small bore bullet that he used.’ The republican senators using the intellectual and verbal gymnastics that was in evidence last week reminds me that the u.s. senate is NOT, and probably never was, the worlds greatest deliberative body. And if it is, we’ve reduced deliberation and objective debate, reason and logic right down to an insignificant nub!
15
Since now the president can now do anything he wants if he thinks his re-election will be best for the country, we will never have another impeachment or maybe another fair election. The puppet Republican senators have made that clear and maybe damaged our Republic irreparably.
7
No one beats Senate Republicans for hubris, mendacity and bad faith. Except for Trump, who will be gone for good in less than a year. I hope they think it was worth the stain on their political careers, which will last the rest of their lives.
8
GOP Senate: "After vehemently denying Trump's transgressions and treason for months, we admit the whistleblower, our country's diplomats and employees and Democrats were completely right about the facts.....but we do not want to see any more facts or witnesses because the truth is uncomfortable....and those things are just not that important in our universe....and because Grand Old Power trumps the Constitution"
Nice GOPeople
November 3 2020
119
Trump is no choir boy, but there are a host of past Presidents from both parties who fit his profile. And their screw-ups had infinitely more detrimental impacts on America. JFK and the Cuban Missile screw-up? Yeah, I can remember the look on my parents' faces during the infamous JFK TV broadcast to the nation when we were 30 minutes from a world wide nuclear holocaust. The WWII generation of presidents and Congress who sent 50,000 of my generation to a needless death in SE Asia? Yeah, compare that to Trump's phone call and then grow the hell up. Amaze us all....
1
The Cuban missile crisis that is generally cited as some of the most effective leadership in American history?
4
@Mike
You forgot to mention "W"and 9/11 that happened on his non-watch.
It is over 17 years of war, and we are still having troops slaughtered.
Any genius comparisons from the grown up's will be appreciated.
Many people forget two important facts regarding the supine Republicans. 1) Russia hacked the RNC server as it did the DNC server, but it did not release the data. It would not be too far fetched to believe that there is probably some interesting kompromat on it. (see https://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/12/10/report-russian-hackers-had-rnc-data-but-didn-t-release-it.) 2) The NRA laundered rubles to get Trump and other Republicans elected. (see https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/us/nra-russia-maria-butina-investigations.html. )It's my guess that Republicans toe the line not just because they are afraid of Trump's tweets and his goon squads (after all, they go after Democrats daily) but that they have a much deeper fear.
8
Gun misfired on 5th Ave.
3
Russia if you're listening. If you really want to destabilize the USA further now is the time to bring out the obvious dirt you have on our President and the Senators. Maybe those who oppose Trump and have those Western European connections can use them to bring up dirt on Trump? Since the gloves are off and there are no longer any rules regarding getting foreign help to win an election maybe the Democrats should play by the rules that have now been set by the Senate & the Executive Branch? All is apparently fair in love, war & politics.
6
I have never worked for, or donated to a candidate in my life, but I’m going to now! The Republican Party must be defeated or we have lost our republic for good.
16
@Paul
Thank you, Paul. I started donating and working for candidates in 2018 for the first time in my life. And I am doing the same in 2020.
2
Shameful.
The Republicans in the Senate are poised to dishonor all those Patriots and Freedom loving persons that shed tears, blood and their lives, from Bunker Hill, Valley Forge, WWI and WWII, to the present day.
Cry for the Country that used to be Free as egotistical, short sighted madmen and madwomen put self interest before the best interests of the Country.
Weep, freedom lovers as we stare into the Abyss of waiting Tyranny.
God help us all as those elected to lead us certainly will not.
6
Senator Alexander, if I'm supposed to decide at the ballot box in November, how can I do that without full information about what Trump did? Trump is hiding the documents and witnesses that fully expose his wrongdoing. The Republican cover up is disgusting.
357
@Gail - Mr Alexander might want to consider that the American People DID say something last November - which is why the house was able to impeach. How dare you disregard my vote.
47
@Gail
Vote against corruption.
A vote for Trump is a vote for more corruption. He will only be bolder and more corrupt now, Mitch McConnell will be more lawless and out of control.
20
JFM.
Sorry misread your comment.
I'm sorry, but the Republicans can't have it both ways. They can't say it's "wrong, but not THAT wrong..." An example of "wrong, but not THAT wrong" would be, oh I don't know, having sex with an intern then trying to cover it up because its highly embarassing to yourself and your family. Something like that might qualify as "wrong, but not THAT wrong...." But clearly, soliciting foreign help to influence an election is an egregious, impeachable offense, and an affront to American democracy. Every American who stops and thinks rationally about this know it too.
In any case, the wonderful thing about voting to acquit Trump is that it means the Republicans will be tethered to an anchor in 2020. Good luck with that.
279
@jackie
Yes, and the punishment for treason, traditionally, is death.
23
@jackie You should have read Norman's comment before responding. It's pretty clear from your comment that you either did not read his comment or missed part of it.
8
@jackie
Trump lies to everyone, including Congress every time he opens his mouth.
16
The Republicans know exactly what the president did and rather than shining the light of evidence on the behavior for the country to assess, they took their oath and the Constitution and threw it in the rubbish heap. As we face the demise of democracy the Republicans, once the party that saved the Union, has become the rubber stamp for an autocrat. Shameful.
298
@M.B Not to mention their oaths to be impartial in the impeachment trial. I expected more from John Roberts but I was wrong.
13
@M.B Spot-on, except that you're giving credit to the wrong Republican Party for having saved the Union.
5
@Javaforce, why did you expect more from John Roberts? He wrote:
-Citizens United
-McDonnell v. United States
-Rucho v. Common Cause/Lamone v. Benisek
-Holder v. HLP
Which means he believes in unlimited money from corporations in campaigns, bribery, gerrymandering, and that everything is fungible, in that order.
His response to a president who is accused of using his national security powers for corrupt purposes, if he had to write about it, would have been: Finally, corruption is going international!
This man has singlehandedly converted the Constitution into a suicide pact for our democracy. Why on earth would anyone rely on him to protect our democracy?
2
Now the republicans own all of this - from this point on the consequences for having this stable genus running our country and representing us wholly belongs to the republicans. The Democrats did what they could to give the Republicans an out and recovery some degree of normalcy for our country.
The trump madness will continue and we all know who to thank for this!
6
Maybe Mr Bolton should have honored the House subpoena to testify. He surely knew then what he knows now. His last-minute “playing” with the process was foolish. Who’s idea was that stunt? And we don’t even know yet just how damaging it will be, but it will be bad.
7
After this, there is no such thing as a patriotic, decent Republican. Each and every one of them are whipped lapdogs of Donald Trump, soiling our Constitution.
4
Mitt Romney might have cause to disagree with that assessment.
2
What a great deal to be a lawmaker making and imposing laws on the rest of us they are above. Indeed, Republicans think trump shooting anyone on Fifth Ave doesn't merit jailing him either, with all evidence of the crime protected and shielded behind executive privilege (to commit crimes).
We are witnessing the equivalent of how Gotti and other mobsters got away with crimes so often by tampering, bribing and threatening jurors - in this case senators - a true bargain, cheap to buy off and easily intimidated with a mere tweet.
Isn't this the right-wing conspiracy Hillary warned us about many years ago? In this case the Republicans conspired with the perp to get him off regardless of the facts, evidence, witnesses or documents.
Who knew, the elites get special preference and impunity from the local courts all the way to the court in the Senate? Imagine anyone of us claiming any of the same privileges and pretexts as the trump to get off a speeding ticket, DUI or more serious crimes.
4
So, the next, obvious question for these have-it-both-ways Republicans is “will you vote for Trump in November?” My guess is that they will. And not only that, in the next few months they will be onstage somewhere buttering up Trump like you wouldn’t believe.
Trump is the only one who’s tried to overturn the will of the American people. He asked a foreign government to help him win the next election. These Republicans admit that he did it and that it was “wrong” yet they still think he deserves the honor of being President of the United States.
No matter how they try to paint over it, the rot is all the way through the Republican Party.
15
Well, if the President didn’t do anything impeachable we will never know because Republicans were too scared of evidence and witnesses. This was a corrupt decision made out of cowardice. Republicans have demonstrated that America is weak, and done so in front of the world.
Shame on them,
6
UNCLE!
If this is the GOP game of "US Constitution Monopoly," I'll play.
"China, if you're listening, please help us defeat Donald Trump in 2020!" You may use any means possible. We're like you, we pretend we have the rule of law.
Xie Xie
6
If being an ego maniac, bigot, rabble rouser, pathological liar, philanderer, admitted sexual predator, wanna be traitor, alleged serial obstructor of justice, law breaker, money launderer type demagogue is not impeachable, then what is?
Maybe what Trump said, he could kill somebody on 5th Ave. and nobody would care?
I doubt whether the republicans would even consider this an impeachable offense since they are mindless jelly fish.
7
Same people who impeached Clinton over two adults having consensual sex, say what?!
8
The Senate came off as a bunch of doddering old fools well past their "good until" date, that were conned by the greatest Deceiver of them all into voting against the impeachment articles, even though they now admit that what 45 did was "inappropriate." Well, then, act! The House gave you the proof on a silver platter, yet you still think that mobster in the W.H. will have your back. He won't.
4
Republicans: soft on crime.
7
but why not witnesses you cowards??????
4
Would anything made them vote even to hear witnesses ? They are like a town that defends its golden boys after a rape.
4
His corrupt act was described by the founders as the reason to impeach and remove.
Confucius say;
When heads are in sand, only one way they can talk.
5
America is still here. I hope we can find it. Voting in the Presidential election is worthless. You can hav a candidate receive three million more votes than another and they still won’t be installed in office. Justice is no longer available to us as Congress has demonstrated. Fly the flag upside down.
26
@Bill Salmon And now some curt rules that if the Electoral College Rep for a particular state goes against the votes of the voters in that state, that is not illegal. So yes, what do our votes count for...we did not want Trump and now we see over and over again why.
7
Agree. this is why we need to vote in such overwhelming numbers that the suppression, miscounts, and other attempts by the republicans to hang on to their power for a few more years won't have a chance.
15
@Bill Salmon the UXA, which will be named Gilead, formerly the USA.
1
The obstruction of Congress is worse than the call, as it sets a very dangerous precedent.
34
@DisplayName
(1) it was a perfect call. I did nothing wrong
(2) It wasn't wrong and we do it all the time.. Get over it
(3) I did nothing wrong, but those Democrats are all wrong and they hate America
(4) It may have been wrong but it does not matter because anything a President does is OK
(5) Yes, it was wrong but we're not going to do anything about
(6) Michael Cohen could not have fixed it any better. Of course, he's in prison.
5
can we listen respectfully to those with other views?
or, when we hear people with other views, do we need to reject, attack and undermine their intentions and morals?
May this polarized country one day heal, and re-learn mutual respect in political dialogue.
is it possible some Senators actually believe the actions of Trump are not cause for removal from office? Is that within the world of possibilities? Or those with different views than our own must be "other" and labeled evil?
5
@for justice It will never heal, the only solution is to break it up permanently.
2
@for justice you’re espousing the kind of moral relativism that is exactly the opposite of justice as fairness, the injustice that MLK warned us against, and through sophistry, projecting the intentions of the corrupt onto the people who stand by the law.
6
@for justice
"is it possible some Senators actually believe the actions of Trump are not cause for removal from office?"
Not based on any rationale that they have put forward for consideration. We're not obligated to "listen respectfully" to sheer nonsense.
6
The problem with that thinking is that they really don't know how bad his actions were because they chose to not call witnesses or look at any evidence. What they might have uncovered could have shown that it was far worse then they really knew or it could have exonerated him.
I think most of us and the GOP understood that it would have been far worse.
26
Obviously additional witnesses and evidence wouldn’t have cleared Trump. They would have spent weeks on witnesses and additional evidence if any of it was likely to show him in a better light. How they can believe that their obviously false and/or self serving statements would lessen the divide in our country or encourage Americans to trust their government more is mind-boggling.
And what about the second article of impeachment, which is not secondary or conditional on the first? What about obstruction of Congress?
8
Trump, or any future President, is now free to call upon a foreign power to interfere directly in our elections with no fear of impeachment or any other consequences. Quid pro quo will now be a weapon of choice in all future Presidential elections.
6
It is encouraging that at least a few Republican Senators are willing to offer mild criticisms of Trump, but that is not enough. Trump is betraying America, and the Republicans are providing him cover.
The strongest reason to impeach and convict Trump is that he endangers our National Security by repeatedly and consistently aiding a foreign power, Russia.
Secretary Clinton pointed out that Trump is Putin’s puppet. Speaker Pelosi told Trump that all roads lead to Putin with him. They are both entirely correct.
Convicted felons Roger Stone and Paul Manafort know the details of this, but they will not talk because Trump promised to pardon them if they keep quiet.
Trump’s tax returns would also show that he is in hock to Putin-connected Russian oligarchs, which is why Trump is so desperate to hide his financial records. Mueller was prevented from investigating Trump’s finances by Rod Rosenstein, and William Barr terminated the investigation prematurely.
Remarkably, virtually the entire Republican delegation in Congress is in complete denial of all of this.
The GOP has become the Gang of Putin!
17
The traitors have already cancelled the Republican primaries, watch how they cancel the 2024 election. We live in Russia!!!
6
Garbage, plain and simple.
He's guilty, they are petrified of him.
32
These people are traitors to the constitution.
Simple as that.
No way to excuse it.
46
then why should those people cheat to get their kids to colleges should go to jail?
10
@MK
Billionaires don't pay any taxes, why should I?
1
When I listened to Dershowitz tell us that no matter what a (Republican) president does as long as he “believes” he’s acting “in the public interest” then its get out of jail free, I was reminded of Trump’s statement: “I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in broad daylight and walk away free.” So true. It turns it that the Republican Party believes that this is a presidential perk - as long as the president is Republican. And the sight of John Roberts sitting there like a potted plant quietly listening to this drivel was equally disgusting. This is our country. A minority of voters elected a president whose crimes have been excused by a Senate which was elected by a minority of voters so that the wishes of a majority of voters to at least hear witnesses can be thwarted and the country can be run like a banana republic. God help us!
32
@Avatar
Why didn’t the Democrats request Justice Roberts intervene? It’s just another way the Democrats failed to be bolder during the impeachment hearings.
1
The country elected a business man to run the country. The upcoming election will be a chance to remove both the corrupt CEO and the Board of Directors.
7
Lamar, The people who should decide— are the same people who elected Hillary, yes?
7
The real enemy here are the one's with the names, Lindsey, Mitch, Ted, and others in the GOP that care more about a man then the Country. The question is why. Is it about holding onto power and doing anything to keep it. It can't be because Trump puts the Nation above anything else. Clearly he has proven he is unqualified to be President yet people (his supporters) believe he is the savior. The one who has delivered us from the evil Democrats of the last administration. I think his supports including those elected Republicans have been taken by the greatest con man the world has seen and they are afraid to admit it. Like most people who have lost money position or power as a result of a con they are afraid to come forward. That is what has happen in the Senate. The Republicans are afraid to admit they made a mistake.
15
@Joe Yoh I’m no longer buying false equivalencies. When one side is about governing and the other is about division and abject nihilism, there is no point in having a conversation. There were plenty of candidates the Republicans could have run that were not as stupid and corrupt as Donald Trump. The fact that many people reject him and his surrogates in Congress is a sign that a least one side has standards. We have the right to be embarrassed and angry at this utter ridiculousness.
6
@Joe Yoh projection.
1
@john can we listen respectfully to those with other views?
or, when we hear people with other views, do we need to reject, attack and undermine their intentions and morals?
May this polarized country one day heal, and re-learn mutual respect in political dialogue.
is it possible some Senators actually believe the actions of Trump are not cause for removal from office? Is that within the world of possibilities? Or those with different views than our own must be "other" and labeled evil?
3
If the Republicans cannot get a President of their own party to admit he did something wrong here, it is hard to imagine they can in good faith think the President will not do the exact same thing again. That makes removal from office a must.
15
The Republicans haven't just moved the goalposts- they have put them on skates and each senator slides them around at will.
23
As with addictions, those loyal to destructive policies and dependent on an misinformed and extremist base must engage in denial and justification. Had the charges been broader focusing on damage to the nation and the office from emoluments to deregulation of toxins, climate regulations and public protections it might have been harder for Republicans to defend. The obvious corruption uncovered will continue to work against Trump but Democrats should also continue to publicize the damage he has done to public health, safety and environmental sustainability. These crimes are far greater than his petty extortion.
2
@Al M absolutely true. There should be a new and unique 24/7 cable TV show that continuously delivers evidence of his damaging policies and life-long crimes. Not biased, not subjective, not opinionated, just facts. There is no shortage of material and there will be more every minute. He’s just getting warmed up. Launch the station ASAP and defend it as long as possible. Before the GOPolitburo seeks to shut it down.
1
The quotes I’ve read from Senators Rubio, Alexander, and Murkowski, et al, are perverse rationalizations. The refusal to allow witnesses is an excuse to avoid having their noses pushed into what they know is there.
That quote from George Orwell’s “1984” about the Party’s final act of not believing what your eyes and ears are telling you is so frighteningly real.
What leverage is on these Republicans?
37
@historyRepeated Doublethink, what Trump and the Republicans are masters of.
5
@historyRepeated Follow the money. The Russian money donated to the NRA and through all the Pacs. Until the sources of all the money is available for all to see, no election will represent the will of the people. Prime example - Where are DT’s tax returns?
As usual, the Dems and Reps are taking the opposite positions that they did during the Clinton impeachment. Clinton clearly was guilty of an illegal act (perjury) but that wasn't considered to be enough to warrant removal from office.
The WSJ has an editorial today praising Alexander. Those who think Trump should have been removed should read it.
3
@J. Waddell Clinton was not guilty of perjury. After he left office, he was not tried it convicted because there was no evidence of perjury. He misled under oath, which is wrong, but he did not lie.
Trump broke several laws in his attempt to blackmail Ukraine, including seeking foreign assistance in a campaign and illegal impoundment, both are far more serious than misleading under oath in a civil trial.
2
@paul
LOL.....depending on what the meaning of the word "is" is....
Without any sanctions at all from the GOP-led Senate, why would Trump ever be chastened by being impeached? Do Republicans really think any comments from those in Congress will dissuade Trump from continuing the same anti-democratic behavior? He will take the opposite attitude, that Congress caught him, but his GOP backstop turned away any attempt at sanctioning that action.
The sham "trial" in the Senate communicates that cheating in order to win an election is OK with GOP, essentially acknowledging what happened in 2016 and giving a green light to what Trump is likely planning for 2020. GOP senators looked for any excuse they could manufacture to not have to face Trump's wrath, and the likely primary challenge that would result. They clearly think far more of themselves and their party than they do of the country, and the health of its democracy.
1
@KenP
One can add that Alan Dershowitz said with a straight face that trump can do "anything he wants to get re-elected" because trump getting re-elected is in the public interest. So if anything this impeachment has formally unleashed trump, not restrained him.
2
So when don jr decides it's in the nation's best interest to continue his father's policies, the senate just okay'd his election by any means necessary. That will include election fraud, including reporting results that simply didn't happen or altering our votes to please his plan.
Good going, republicans. Mr. Rubio - how does it feel to bring about a society your parents fled?
26
denied witnesses so the could continue the farce that it wasn't 'that bad' cuz the witnesses would have revealed for all that it was much much worse. How do these people sleep at night?
3
The exceedingly pointless Sen. Joni Ernst offered up some truly nauseating explanations for Trump’s behavior yesterday on “State of The Union”. “It’s not something I would do but let’s focus on corruption and Burisma” as if Donald Trump and his family aren’t the most corrupt people ever to occupy the White House. This Culture War is just beginning. I hope the entire Trump family is ready to be in court perpetually for the next decade.
25
The laughable part are the expressed hopes that Trump will be chastened.
All of 2016 and 2017 people suggested that Trump wouldn’t be as bad as he would give us to expect; it was an act to get elected, he would feel the weight of the office, his cabinet would advise him, and oh yeah, Congress would prevent his worst instincts. Every month the media would find the evidence of the long awaited pivot. Never came, and instead all the guardrails quit or surrendered.
Instead after the Mueller report failed to call for his indictment Trump made his infamous call to Ukraine. He’s getting worse.
Look, Trump is an old man who hasn’t changed since 1970, right down to his hair and spray on tan. Now his pathologies are being rewarded with the presidency, emoluments, grifts as party and government pay him rent, and the psychic satisfaction of making Republicans surrender. He’s not going to become a better person or president. He’s only becoming worse.
7
But wait, if the voters are to decide, shouldn't we have all the facts?
17
Next thing to happen is for some overriding 'emergency' as a pretext for Trump (and his GOP swamp, plus their donors behind the scenes, Putin and MBS) says the next election is not in the 'American public interest' or can't be held due to the coronavirus, or some pretext for making this upcoming rigged election mute or non-functional somehow.
The real question is what the American Public is willing to do about it? I refer to the American Public that may be 'busy with everyday life' but is conscious, sane, moral and truly patriotic (despite any differences in policy options), the people who understand the connection of 'civil society' to the 'rule of law' and genuine 'checks and balances' in Constitutional democracy. The people who understand that if we do not address the coming climate catastrophe immediately we are all more than 'lost'.
So We, The People must wake up again to our own power, to make general strikes, to organize economic boycotts (like taking our money out of banks and put into credit unions), to get some business on our side, to hold massive, sustained demonstrations until the 'leadership class' wakes up.
And frankly, we need to send the GOP into the dustbin and reform the DNC to stop with 'super delegates' and other oligarchy-related manuevers.
As soon as we depose this Nation of Trump and his lying, greedy, criminal swamp of cheats, fraudsters, white supremacist, GOP cohort.
We, The People must now do and act -- or Orwellian dystopian fascism ahead!
3
Leave it to the Republicans to determine that election tampering is not an impeachable offense. Excuse me, that THEIR election tampering is not an impeachable offense.
14
Willful ignorance on the part of the Senate Republicans does not excuse the political felony delivered by Mitch McConnell, and what can only be described as a crime syndicate.
The Senate was given the moral authority to protect the government from executive sabotage or disability. In acceding to Republican ambitions and threats, the Senators have branded their legacy as enablers of despotic rule while breaching their duty to defend the Constitution against all threats, foreign and domestic.
At a time when leadership was needed, they were cowed by the power of the Speaker and the President. At a time when courage was needed, political calculus prevailed. At a time when honor and sacrifice was called for, it could not be found.
This is as the Republican leadership, and their sponsors, want it.
The primary difference between the Godfather and the Republican party is that nobody questions the motivations of the Republicans.
8
@Tony E Apologies - Meant "Majority Leader", Not "Speaker"
I find this argument un-persuasive. Now, if the Republicans actually believe this, will they risk the vindictiveness of Trump and the obstruction of McConnell and actually vote for a Senate censure of Trump's actions? If they actually believe that his behavior was wrong and should not be repeated by him, or any president, then they should have the strength of their convictions and show the American public know that they disapprove. Sen. Alexander and all the others, America is waiting, show us your real colors!
1
“Republicans’ emerging eleventh-hour bad-faith defense” is more like it.
1
No witnesses, no trial, abdication of duty by GOP Senators. Democracy in crisis. Zero checks and balances. if Obama had done the same, they would be foaming at the mouth in their eagerness to impeach.
But if the House had not flipped in 2018, they would never have pursued this. Lesson: get out and vote, take your friends and neighbors with you. Vote for whomever the Dems put forth. Let's end this nightmare in 2020.
6
It’s never a good defense -
Sure my client is guilty but so is yours - because basically it’s an admission.
1
All right Senator Alexander and others, if Trump has done something “wrong” and “inappropriate” and indeed illegally withheld $391 million and directed a wholesale unprecedented obstruction of Congress—
Then let’s go from there.
3
The Democrats certainly changed the rules of warfare in the US Congress. Whether you believe Trump was guilty or not guilty this sham impeachment was sloppy, rushed, purely political and a game changer.
They all lie, they all alter the game in their favor, do you think this Quixotic mission was appropriate ? Do you believe this will make our country safer, stronger ?
My opinion is absolutely not.
Let us put this stupidity behind us and strengthen our resolve to help the poor, in their own countries, take care of the sick and continue to show the world that while we have differences we will settle them at the ballot box and we will continue to lead.
3
That’s Trump, yep says the republicans he’s a bad boy. Just not a bad enough boy to be punished. After all he just cracked democracy, he didn’t break it. And Russia, well he just tried to colluded with Putin’s people but wasn’t successful, much. So nothing to see here, move on says the man behind the curtain, move on......
5
well, trump is a buffoon but has done nothing to warrant removal from office. Thus, I can understand their view.
perhaps we can listen to others' views with empathy and respect, or we can shut down and reject, and undermine the character of those with different views.
enlightened beings can listen open heartedly. less developed beings attack, reject accuse.... which are you?
6
@Joe Yoh
How can asking a foreign government to interfere in our elections be considered doing nothing wrong?
@lyndtv actually he was asking them to investigate corruption. Something we should be doing. So you believe the Biden family is corrupt ? Otherwise why do you reject an investigation?
4
Yes, Trump's actions are and were treason and impeachable. Also, the Republicans just proved they too are guilty and impeachable.
Now we just need a will and a method to impeach the whole lot of them.
4
"“I don’t think it’s the kind of inappropriate action that the framers would expect the Senate to substitute its judgment for the people in picking a president,” he said on Sunday."
Lamar Alexander should be ashamed of himself. This entire argument that, "let the voters decide" is a copout, a punt, a terrible precedent to have when serious wrongdoing has been documented multiple ways.
The president cheated to win the next election, just as he cheated in 2016 by encouraging Russian help. This is totally unacceptable, and any mealy-mouthed Senator who tries to brush it off as "inappropriate" behavior instead of impeachable behavior has got it all backwards.
They will go down in history as total cowards, caving to their craven desires to stay in office and kowtow to a man who knows no boundaries.
You simply can't sugar coat this. Were the tables reversed, a Democratic president would already been removed for the same actions taken by Donald Trump.
6
So will the Republicans support a censure motion? Doubt it.
1
You think their reasons are their actual reasons? Bad but not impeachable? Malarkey!
Their reason is to hold on to power. That’s it.
Using tax dollars to get a foreign country to meddle in elections? Our framers would have cast him out of the country. This is exactly what they were worried about.
Wake up. These people are bad people. They use FoxNews to create propaganda that created an alternative universe for voters. They lie and lie and follow Trump’s lead that anything goes as long as they are in power. They don’t believe in our system of government.
Wake up!
Our constitution is not being followed.
Out country is being taken over.
There is no GOP any more.
There is only a government coup by trump, McConnell, foxnews and all the small weak people of congress.
Wake up!
These people are bad, like Putin bad, people.
They are not following the constitution!
6
What have we learned here? Power hates the Truth.
4
The last line in this article typifies Republican dishonesty throughout this process. "If a call like this gets you an impeachment, I would think he would think twice before he did it again," said Lamar Alexander. If this was simply a matter of an inappropriate request in a phone call there would have been no impeachment at all. But it wasn't. It was an ongoing conspiracy to pressure Ukraine to announce a baseless investigation of Joe Biden. A conspiracy that took place over months, that apparently involved several high-level administration officials, Republican legislators (Nunes, at least), and a cast of shady private characters. A conspiracy, in short, to subvert our upcoming election. As Republicans cycle through one rationalization for defending the president after another, they continue to obfuscate the facts that the Democratic managers clearly proved.
4
They will ignore any action that allows them to pass tax cuts for their donors and allows them to stack the courts with judges to deliver their agenda that is unwinnable at the ballot box.
Nothing more, nothing less.
At least after Trump, we never have to hear about morals, family values, law & order, or fiscal discipline again.
2
Please, expecting trump to learn (let alone a lesson) is simply contradicted by the facts of his entire life.
The senate is broken by its own admission (see the alaska senator's remarks).
In between elections, the congress is supposed to act. Its not supposed to leave it to the people when they lack courage or a moral center.
1
I find this argument persuasive. At the very least, it reassures me that in this hyper-partisan age, both sides are at least dealing with a similar set of facts. We all agree on what happened, most of us agree it was wrong, the main disagreement is simply on whether or not it warrants removing a President from office for the first time in our nation’s history. As someone who was strongly in favor of impeachment and removal, I’m persuaded two reasonable people can have differing views on removal.
Perhaps the Senate acted in exactly the way the Framers would have wanted. I’m glad removal takes 2/3 of the Senate, because without that amount of bipartisan support, I don’t think Americans would have accepted it.
7
@Katie H. This is not reassuring at all. It continues the "hyper-partisanship" because this is merely the Republicans saying, now don't hold against us that we voted for Trump, supporting him no matter what his crimes are and then minimizing those crimes when it suits us so we are not considered similar criminals, by our support. What is reassuring then about this weak response on their part?
2
@Katie H.
It wasn't just "wrong." Laws were broken. Money was being used to create a fantasy that the Bidens did something wrong, all for political gain.
Worse, innocent soldiers were dying in battle as the political game was being played.
If this is acceptable to you, then what isn't?
4
@Katie H. Normally, I would be opposed to removal for a petty offense, but the danger here, the whole issue is precisely about election-meddling, so there must be a means of prevention. Do you or anyone else know of anything that would absolutely block meddling?
2
Even the commenters here got it wrong, Trump knows that there is not "dirt" on Biden. What Trump tried to extort was an announcement of an investigation with no evidence. Similar to what Comey illegally did to Clinton for Trump.
50
@Howard64
YES!!!! That fact always gets lost in the shorthand phase, “dig up dirt on Joe Biden” that reporters and even some Congressmen used and continue to use - as if there were dirt to dig up and as if Trump were interested in someone doing actual digging. Gordon Sondland even had to correct his questioner to emphasize that it was an announcement on CNN that Trump wanted. Can’t you just see Trump responding to a question about it all having been investigated and debunked by holding out his arms and saying, “do you think that the President of Ukraine would be doing an investigation if the Biden’s weren’t dirty?” Thank you to the whistleblower for saving us from that.
1
This new Republican defense is as about as incomprehensible as it is indefensible and in so many ways it reflects Trump's mindset -- and not by contrition, but by an innate inability to decide about something one way or the other and the fact that sometimes you can't have it both ways.
6
“World’s Greatest Deliberative Body”??? Hardly.
69
So will you at least censure him and put the Senate on record that it's wrong to intimidate a foreign power into taking your side to disrupt an American election?
Of course you won't. It's not in your own personal self-interest.
Like Bill Barr, you don't care how you'll be remembered, if it means absolute power now. It's pointless, of course, to ask you to look in the mirror at night. That assumes you have a reflection.
38
@Bill Camarda
It is up to Democrats to aggressively pursue censure. It is the logical next step, especially with a handful of Republicans stating they believe that what Trump did was wrong, just not impeachable.
2
A variation of the Clinton defense—some irony there.
6
It’s okay for a President to cheat in the election by coercing a foreign government to investigate your rival; as long as you get carried on that Presidents coat-tails. What you might call legal quid pro quo.
24
Rubio says that obstructing Congress wasn’t proved! What a joke. Trump only said he was not going to cooperate and he didn’t. Wouldn’t hand over any, not one document and told his staff members to defy subpoenas which many did. Prima facie case. The argument for executive privilege doesn’t apply for illegal action coverups. Soliciting aid in an election from a foreign government is illegal. Cutting off Congress approved aid is also illegal. Continuous lying about what he did is also insulting to the public and Congress.
59
Unfortunately Rubio isnt up for election til 22
2
When John Durham's indictments start coming down a lot of the commenters are going to work hard to show how he is part of an X-Files style conspiracy by the Republicans to keep Trump in office.
Just as hard as they work to ignore the clear conflict of interest of the Bidens in Ukraine, China and elsewhere, and the national interest in investigating whether or not Biden misued his position in relation to that clear conflict of interest.
You know. The one described by the Ukranian prosecutor in a sworn deposition. The one where the kid gets a million dollar per year job a month after the dad is named point man in the Ukraine.
Oh. Yeah. That's right. Those facts are inconvenient. The only motivation you'll believe is that Trump wanted to scuttle Biden's election chances.
News flash:
Biden never had a chance at being elected president.
Never.
No one had to do anything; he'll do it all by himself with his mouth and his record.
Stop whimpering and give it up.
5
@Objectivist I suppose it will now be ok to elect a "by any means necessary" Democrat version of trump to push thru extreme policy that bypasses established procedures and fact based analysis.
4
@Objectivist You certainly dont seem to be very "objective". Biden will be the next president, plain and simple. If you don't like it you can move to Canada.
2
@Objectivist Trump proved that "conflicts of interest" don't count. Or weren't you paying attention?
4
The integrity of US government, of the very country itself, is secondary to maintaining the support of their populist constituencies to remain in the offices they profit from.
6
Mr. Alexander’s argument that only 100 people should not “steal” the ballot from millions is kind of shaky considering what happened when the Supreme Court ruled in the Bush-Gore “election”. How many are on the Supreme Court? 9. They didn’t abdicate their responsibility based on that Alexander’s argument. But you can argue that Bush-Gore election was “stolen”. Did the country recover? Not sure it ever did, especially looking back.
21
It’s not bad enough for Republicans because they benefit and assume that by Democrats will never regain the Presidency. The disdain for truth threatens American democracy.
5
The defense story has been shifting ever since the issue came to light (before the impeachment inquiry began). Even now, after the process is essentially over, the Republicans are continuing to obfuscate. Meanwhile, their half-truths, innuendo, and outright lies are being amplified by Fox News et al. This morning's NYT article about Joe Walsh illustrates just how successful the GOP's misinformation campaign has been. Trump challengers of either party have a difficult task ahead--logic and truth will not be effective tools. As the saying goes, you can't have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.
5
Not many who care to notice ,doubt that the rich have one justice system and the non-rich another justice system.
Trials without evidence or witnesses cut short at the behest
of the accused.
Solemn oaths taken before god and country ignored at best ;at worst, made a mockery of the meaning of an oath.
How long can a individual , a country, a civilization last where the rule of law does not exist and solemn oaths taken
by those deemed worthy to take them mean absolutely nothing to these people?
The abyss beckons.
15
I have such low expectations of how our current government runs in our diametrically opposed two-party, house-and-senate system that I knew Trump would never have been removed. Why didn't Democrats pursue censure instead? Now his base is even more charged up, swell. And Democratic candidates lost valuable campaigning time being stuck in Washington.
2
@dc There is no such thing as censure in the Constitution. It has no meaning whatsoever.
Could Senator Alexander possibly believe having been impeached will make Trump think twice before soliciting foreign interference in an election again? More likely he just wants to avoid acknowledging what Trump will do now that Alexander and his colleagues have acquitted him both of doing exactly that, and of covering it up.
5
Senator Alexander has lit the gasoline that has been sitting on the culture wars.
7
These republicans who have failed to do their job in protecting our Constitution must be removed from office by We the people or as the first republican who did honor the Constitution so boldly said “And that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
—Abraham Lincoln
8
So, the President is corrupt. But how corrupt?
The GOP doesn’t want to know, and they don’t want the American people to know either, even though they say the American people should hold him accountable in the fall.
Hiding the truth only perpetuates division, it doesn’t resolve it. It’s the Senates’ duty to break the President’s obstruction and expose the facts, even if they vote to acquit.
64
@Tim As a result of the precedent set by the Republican Senate, the President can now do anything to get re-elected, including voter suppression, closing polls in democratic districts, throwing votes away, intimidation at the polls, banning African-Americans from voting, etc., etc.
128
@Tim They know he's a crook. But he is their crook. They know who and what he is. They, however, do not care. They have proven that they are liars and cheats and cannot be trusted to be fair or reasonable.
They will cheat in the next election until they have won. That's the only way they CAN win. So holding them accountable, with their resounding resolution to support election cheating, may be a bit difficult.
10
@bobandholly. Repeating that like a mantra doesn’t make it true. But it makes it far more likely Trump will be re-elected because emotional bitterness will blind Democrats to truths that could actually help them win in 2020.
2
“Enduring an impeachment is something no one should like,” Mr. Alexander said. “If a call like this gets you an impeachment, I would think he would think twice before he did it again.” This level of willful ignorance boggles the mind. Unless your main choice of residence has been under a rock the last three years, Trump has clearly demonstrated that introspection and self awareness are not his strong suit. If Senator Alexander is expecting any change in Trump's behaviour, other than to leverage the Senate's decision to conduct himself even more egregiously, he is a fool indeed.
29
Turning off the news media until the Democrats nominate someone. Nothing else to do. I’ll vote for anybody but Trump in election day. Even my dog is smarter and more trustworthy than Trump.
76
It’s clear to me that the “balance” achieved through gerrymandering over the last 40 years is destroying the government. We need single-party control of both houses. And this is in sight; the post-Trump GOP is to weak and corrupted to do battle with an unshackled, post-Clinton DNC.
1
If the Senators are not going to impeach him, they need to come up with a unanimous resolution to censure him, otherwise we will hear no end to the Trump “vindication”. Republican Senators cannot be let off so easy by just acquitting him. The evidence of his actions behind the scene to manipulate and abuse his power for personal gain are clear. Mr. Trump needs to be held accountable.
230
The notion that Republicans need to censure the president rings hollow to me, simply because they have just made it abundantly clear that they will not cross the president in ANY way.
This president will not accept censure from them, and so it won’t happen. He owns them, and he just proved it.
9
@Steve
Good idea about censure. It's no up to Democrats to aggressively be vocal about pursuing it.
4
@Steve Being censured would would wound and sting any man of integrity and a single ounce of honor. Regrettably, those are not defining characteristics of Donald Trump. Censure would mean nothing to him.
7
Which is more appalling and a greater miscarriage of justice? The all-white jury in To Kill a Mockingbird (after witnesses) convicting the innocent Tom Robinson or the Republican jury of the Senate (without witnesses) apparently about to determine that the President's actions were not impeachable?
7
Firstly, no republican including Mr Trump raised the issue of Ukrainian impropriety while it was alleged to be ongoing.
The republicans held the majority in both the house and senate at that time. None of the republicans, or their bureaucratic whistle blowers tweeted a peep.
Because nothing had happened.
Only after Mr Trump used Facebook, with Mr Zuckerberg's help, and Russian influence, to win the electoral college for the office, did any red flags go up.
Still, it was only after 3 years in office that Mr Trump began his work. That of misusing his position as POTUS to aid his bid for reelection in 2020, and obstructed congress doing it.
Senate republicans voted to deny witnesses and evidence be included in the impeachment vote.
Testimony that could prove perjury by the president.
No, Mr Lamar is misrepresenting facts
This was a breach of the US constitution and law by Mr Trump. Illegal criminal acts from the beginning.
Mr Trump, Mr McConnell, and along with senate republicans have ensured there will be no end to it
6
Oh, yes, it is very bad, but not impeachable. But when it comes to the 2020 election, all these Republican senators will line up behind Mr. Trump. So in the end, they don't think it is bad at all. It's really just about power. That's what they want and they are not too fussy about what norms and rules they need to trample to get it. And, oh yes, they are very afraid of President Trump--very afraid.
7
What happened to the Republican party's vision of free trade? American leadership around the world? International alliances? Budget deficits-not a word on a trillion dollar deficit this last fiscal??? Not a whisper about tax breaks NOT paying for themselves??? Let's remind them on 11/3.
5
“ Enduring an impeachment is something no one should like,” Mr. Alexander said. “If a call like this gets you an impeachment, I would think he would think twice before he did it again.” Mr Alexander, despite the Mueller investigation Trump did this anyway. Why would anyone expect him to change?
201
@Daniel
Especially when he made this call for bribery and extortion the very next day after the Mueller Report.
Also, Mr. Alexander, he does not 'think' at all.
Who will he call next?
41
@Daniel Yeah, seems Senator Alexander is neglecting that we're dealing here with someone who suffers from Malignant Narcissistic Personality Disorder. He can't help himself from doing all this stuff, it's a disease. So, lacking any attempt to "cure" him, we should indeed expect he will keep on acting like someone with Malignant Narcissistic Personality Disorder, no?
7
@Daniel Agree entirely. Alexander is hoping that people will forget this. Now, for better or worse, history will not forget him.
4
Four years ago, Mitch McConnell and Republican senators created a rule that a Democratic President may not appoint a Supreme Court judge in an election year. Now they have created a rule that a Republican President cannot be removed from office for abuse of power and obstruction of justice in an election year. What’s next: Democratic presidents can never fill a Supreme Court vacancy and Republican presidents can’t be removed from office no matter what they do?
We are supposed to be electing a president, not anointing a king. I thought it laughable to believe that Trump would refuse to leave office if he were defeated in November. Now, I am not so sure. If he loses, the margin of victory better exceed that of the phantom millions of non-citizens who he will claim voted against him.
6
@IMS Unlikely that trump will not win the election, but even if he doesn’t, he will declare a national emergency, declare the election results null and void until a thorough Senate investigation is carried out, which will take at least eight years.
In the realm of Presidential Powers this was a minor matter. It might have been bigger if the aid was withheld beyond the lawfully defined time. Obstruction of Congress was never a winner; Congress had so many other options before impeachment and took none of them.
4
If you admit that the evidence shows Trump did what he is accused of, there is no question, he should be removed. This would be the strongest case for impeachment EVER. It is exactly why the clause was written.
I am thoroughly disillusioned with the state of American politics.
7
@Steve Don't be "disillusioned with the state of American politics." Be angry with the people who made it that way --and do all you can to get them out of there and make it better.
Americans have been led by corrupt people before. Americans have had corrupt systems that only protected the rich and powerful before. We did something about it.
We can again. In our era, it starts with voting out EVERY Republican, everywhere. Next, constitutional amendments to overturn the horrible Supreme Court decisions on campaign finance, voting rights, and gerrymandering -- all made entirely by Republican appointees. So, too, we need to overturn the Court's limits on "honest services" laws, which have liberated politicians to be more corrupt -- in that case, a set of awful decisions made by justices of both parties.
Your hopelessness and cynicism is precisely what Donald J. Trump and Mitch McConnell want. But we've had eras of reform before. It's time for another -- if we Americans choose.
6
So are these Republicans willing to censure Trump? if not, why not?
5
@NCSense - Because you already played the impeachment card. Censure was the better option, Democrats picked the wrong way forward in December.
2
“If a call like this gets you an impeachment, I would think he would think twice before he did it again.”
Surely he jests. Alexander and his fellowmen are full of .... Junior tried to get dirt from a Russian lawyer, our president was implicated in Roger Stone's trial and he again hit up Ukraine for dirt. This is Trumps third strike. How many more strikes until he is out? Presenting the facts does not make impeachment a purely partisan undertaking, ignoring the facts makes it so.
6
Lying about affair is impeachable, but strong arming another country for information in a rival - of benefit only to one person - is not. If you think that is ok, you need some serious soul searching.
Vote blue if you want our democracy back.
24
@northeastsoccermum - um, clinton was acquitted, so no committing perjury is not Impeachable.
5
@Mkm
It’s only true that the Clinton Trial is precedent for the concept that committing perjury per se is not a reason for removal from office. Clinton’s perjury was about a personal matter not a governmental matter. It wasn’t a violation of his oath of office and that’s what saved him.
This should have been their original defense if they really believe that. Now it smacks of dishonesty and a lame attempt at saving face. GOP politicians are sniveling "dogs" who fall in line behind their alpha. I hope they get what they deserve this November. That is all I can do but hope karma bites them in the tail. There are no Patriots in the GOP.
5
I’m wondering, after our republic has been restored with the Constitution and rule of law in force again, will all of the GOP members of Congress be tried for capital crimes at Nuremberg type trials, or just the ringleaders?
26
Imagine it’s 1998, Monica never happened, instead Bill Clinton withheld military aid to Saudi Arabia to get dirt on the Bush family and the Republican House has impeached him for that. Would the Democrats in the Senate have voted to remove him from office?
1
@Arnold Forget the hypothetical. The difference between then and now: Bill Clinton did not need to cheat to win reelection.
46
Didn’t happen. So what’s your point?
Never do the right thing? Never use the Constitution as intended? Further lay waste to any accountability?
15
@Arnold yes, I believe many would have. But your hypothetical is invalid: Clinton never would have done what Trump did.
14
There is no Senate Republican with integrity and leadership skills. Very sad to see. They are passing on their responsibilities to the electorate. What a shame.
85
@Jean Senator Alexander's remark that 'the people' should decide what to do about Trump's abuse of power is infuriating. Is the whole concept of Republican ideals not that elected representatives should carry out the will of their constituents? Republic - its even in the name!
But now that it is not 'politically viable' for Sen. Alexander to take a stance, he'd rather defer responsibility to the millions of Americans scattered across the nation who have no direct avenue to hold Trump accountable in any way...except for voting for representatives.
1
@B Alexander So true, and I worked for a moderate Republican on the Hill for years, who would take many unpopular stands, but they were the right things to do. I am very sadden by this no one has any integrity in that party any longer.
1
If extortion and obstruction aren’t impeachable, I don’t know what is. The threat has already been made to impeach Biden should he win in November. Let the Republicans try it. They’ve already said anything goes with Trump.
45
Remember, articles of impeachment can only come from the House of Representatives, so they would need to retake the majority in order to impeach.
5
Right, but can we get over obsessing about the craven cowardice of the Senate and GOP in general and get on with campaigning on the issues that got us a more nearly sane and pragmatic House majority? If we vent about DT for several months, the disenfranchised who vote will fall back on the cult mentality and reelect this fraud. Please let us get back to health care, wage growth, and infrastructure and let this pathetic incompetent and demagogue be who he is. Certainly he will do that job nicely because he can't help it.
16
Saw the trial on C-SPAN.
Love the following comedic bits:
• The prayer and oath taking during each and every session
• Cipollone, the lead defense attorney, turning out to be a co-conspirator in the drug deal
• Collins seeing the light only after McConnell has done the math
• Philby, Trump’ attorney, repeating a Russian propaganda verbatim in his closing argument
• The official stand of Trump’s defense team — “We know that Trump abused his power by withholding congressionally approved aid to an ally so that he can dig up dirt on his opponent and cheat in the elections. This we acknowledge and agree with the house managers. But Trump is president and this is an election year.”
Brilliant comedy!
If only it’s not a tragedy for the rest of us.
302
@Opinioned!
The appropriately named Philby. A traitor.
19
@Opinioned! If the majority of the American people could only understand all of your excellent points, we'd be in good shape. Unfortunately, there is a percentage of people out there who only have the mental capability to respond to "lock her up," "only I can fix this" and "witch hunt."
5
Excellent points, all!
Typo correction: Trump’s counsel isn’t Patrick Philbin (not Philby).
3
Only Republicans pretend to believe Trump will be chastened by McConnell’s impeachment charade. I am sure they know the truth, but are simply refusing to speak it because truth has become an anathema to their party. The truth is they have confirmed Trump’s belief that he can do anything he wants with no consequences for his actions. As he becomes more brazen in his assault on our democracy they become more passive and compliant. He will emerge from this impeachment fiasco emboldened and unchained, convinced that nobody can or will stand in his way as he transforms our country into a bleak, unrecognizable parody of itself. Alexander and the rest of the turn coats in congress are cowards who are beneath contempt. They now have the destruction of our democracy to answer for. So do we, if we don’t vote blue in November. We must vote blue as though our lives depends on it. Because they do.
74
Failure to call witnesses and hold an honest trial raises the question of President Trump's legitimacy. You can argue that his actions may not be grounds for you to support removal, but the obstruction of justice and cover up by the Republican Senate is a stain on our country. As political partisans the Republican Senators were going to vote to acquit, so let's suppress any evidence that would make our vote still more embarrassing.
94
It's time for all Republican Senators who do not approve of Trump's actions vis a vis Ukraine to put their mouths where their hearts are and say so unequivocally on the Senate floor or, better yet, in a signed resolution to that effect.
15
The Republicans argument is not nuanced! It is a loud and enthusiastic of defense of doing whatever is possible to gather opposition research on political opponents using taxpayer money as a bribe to cough up information.This is a blatantly specious argument.Trump played with the House’s ( taxpayer) money to try to extract information from Ukraine to use in his political campaign.He tried to get their newly democratically elected leader to buy into a Russian theory that Ukraine was the country who hacked the 2016 election.Trump did all this while Ukraine was fighting a hot war on its border with Russia.This is outrageous-that Republicans think this is excusable behavior tells you all you need to know about the shabby, situational ethics of Republicans.
60
If their pockets were not filling up with profits from the stock market, they would feel differently. Trump has neutered the Senate Republicans.
39
If those Republican Senators who are not simply carrying Trump’s (and Putin’s) water truly believe that he did something wrong that didn’t hit their threshold for removal from office, they should vote for censure. To do nothing is to serve as an accessory after the fact for Trump’s crimes.
118
@Harvey I believe those GOP senators are carrying something a lot less attractive than water for Trump.
7
Not only will Trump ignore Republicans Senators who acknowledge that his call with Ukraine wasn't perfect, no matter what these Senators may say before they let Trump off the hook, Trump will call the Senate vote to acquit him "perfect" as well.
7
Lamar Alexander, Marco Rubio and some other GOP senators are, now that it’s official that the trial is not a trial but a sham, showing themselves to be somewhere around a millimetre out of lockstep with trump. Stay tuned for trump to denounce them as members of the radical left Deep State.
Alexander’s milquetoast departure from trump’s perfect-call defense: That while what trump did was wrong (“crossing the line”: line? what line?), he did not believe trump should be removed from office by the Senate. Rather, the people should decide in November.
Rubio, in a fine example of newspeak, declares: “Just because actions meet a standard of impeachment does not mean it is in the best interest of the country to remove a president from office.” Not a Republican president, at least, right, Marco?
Let’s say the Senate is right to abdicate its responsibility, turning trump into the Supreme Leader he so craves to be, and that the proper course of action is inaction, letting the people decide in November. Should they not at least have all the facts? The relevant witnesses, the relevant trail of documentation, so that they know who did and knew what when, who was pushing for whom to do the doing? You *do* want the electorate to make an informed decision, don’t cha, Lamar?
Or is an informed public the absolute last thing the GOP wants?
42
They should of sanctioned him and be done with it. The
only thing accomplished was the release of information
that will help with people make a decision in November.
Personally I intend to read Bolton’s book once released.
7
The Democrats did not impeach until Trump had done something which was clearly wrong, despite many calls to go after him prior to that. Pelosi made that clear when beginning the impeachment process. In fact, many of the Republicans have agreed that Trump’s actions were wrong, affectively confirming the House’s impeachment publicly. Yet they use partisanship and division as reasons to not convict. Acceding to the truth would be the only non-partisan action they could have taken. Disallowing witnesses and evidence simply offers them cover to not confront themselves or Trump supporters with further proof of Trump’s wrongdoing. Their choices allow them to placate only those who blindly support Trump. An acquittal vote further alienates those who see their partisan action and further divides our country. It also establishes that the American public absolutely cannot trust their governing bodies. A truly sad moment for our country.
21