Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Thursday, October 3, 2019

No. Rep. Schiff did NOT taint the whistleblower's complaint.

UPDATE:

Trump, leaving the WH, just asked China and Ukraine to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden. That's an impeachable offense and Trump yelled it to the media as he left the WH!

AMAZING!



The President cannot use the power of his office to pressure foreign leaders to investigate his political opponents. His rant this morning reinforces the urgency of our work. America is a Republic, if we can keep it.
Quote Tweet
The New York Times
@nytimes
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Breaking News: President Trump publicly urged China to investigate the Bidens amid an impeachment inquiry for a similar, but private, request to Ukraine nyti.ms/2OjmYCT





What the whistleblower did in seeking clarity from Rep. Schiff is a standard, legal procedure, despite what the GOP's ignorant, clueless president said yesterday.


I am told by spokespeople for both @SenatorBurr and @MarkWarner that it would be ***standard practice*** for intel committee to tell a potential whistleblower to hire counsel and file a complaint with an agency IG or the IC IG.

**Bipartisan. Both parties say this.**



Pence is distancing himself from Trump on Ukraine. Rush is turning on Fox News. Rudy is throwing the State Department under the bus. And Trump is lashing out in all directions at once. This kind of thing happens when a scandal begins to consume a presidency. It'll get worse.

23 comments:

Ray Cranston said...



The Trumpers are refusing to talk about impeachment and Trump's manic crazy presser yesterday with the president of Finland. What an embarrassment to America! Trump's having a melt down. We need to get him out of office asap before he does anymore damage to America.

Anonymous said...

"Current and former U.S. officials studying the document pointed to several elements that, they say, indicate that the document released by the White House may have been handled in an unusual way.

President Trump has said the call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky was transcribed “word-for-word, comma-for-comma.”

You have to be a total idiot to believe anything this man says.

Dervish Sanders said...

Not that Pence ISN'T involved, but I heard Dotard is implicating Pence so no Congressional republican will vote to convict thinking the result will be president Pence. As they say on the Stephanie Miller show, "Mike Pence is up to his albino eyebrows in this".

Dave Miller said...

The question for all of us relates to this...

The Trump Admin, is backed by a 5-4 majority on SCOTUS that believes in the power of the Unitary Executive. They will run the clock out on this never facing justice before the 2020 elections.

Since we're not gonna see them removed before the elections, won't it be better for the US to see the GOP defeated in 2020?

No doubt they're a lying Communist congratulating norm smashing duo seeing in themselves the best hope for America even as they destroy our reputation across the globe, but really, what are the Dems options?

Let's not forget, the Nixon SCOTUS cases were heard by the Warren Court. Does anyone expect this group to uphold those precedents?

Anonymous said...

He really has the emotional maturity of a 4 year old.

He reminds me of a little boy who got caught touching something he knew he shouldn't touch. Then, instead of feeling bad he goes ahead and breaks it.

Possumlady

Shaw Kenawe said...

Unfortunately,Possumlady, what Trump is breaking is the United States of America.

And the spineless Republicans are letting him do it.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Dave

I'm not so sure that the SCOTUS would not look at facts that are in front of us and decide on a polictical remedy, instead of the law.

I believe we have to go forward and apply the law to what Trump has done. Let's not lose sight of what Trump did: He used the office of the US presidency to extort (holding back Congressionally approved foreign aid to Ukraine) the leader of a foreign country to dig up dirt on his political rival. There's no question here, since Trump has admitted it and the crime is even in the redacted whistleblower's complaint. It's in plain sight.

The real question is are we a nation of laws or men? Do we allow a rogue president to get away with criminal behavior?

Ducky's here said...

Seen on Digby's blog:
"Donald J. Trump, acting president of these United States, is in "precious bodily fluids" territory."
---------
ano matter how derange he becomes, the far right is unlikely to have him removed.
They have threatened open revolt if that occurs and it's true that we would be on uncharted ground.
Still,your question is most cogent, shaw.

Anonymous said...

Shaw...

No doubt there are laws that as we speak, are being broken. [Whistleblower statute for one] But let's remember, we've got judges on SCOTUS who refused to say that Brown v Topeka was correctly decided. The single most important law regarding equal rights and racism in our time, has not been affirmed by some of those conservative judges you're counting on.

This is going to be a slog because Trump will sully everyone around him to stay in power. In the end, I believe we will find that Trump, Pence, Barr and maybe Pompeo are all involved. Eclipsing the Nixon Trioka of Nixon, Haldeman and AG John Mitchell.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Ducky, at this point, there's no reason for the Trump supporters to continue to support him unless they have no problem with a lawless president. And obviously they have no problem with that. I've read some of the far right blogs, and they're either ignoring these events (Trump asking another country to investigate his political rival) or they're demonizing the people who are uncovering Trump's crimes.

History will not be kind to those people.


"precious bodily fluids territory? Indeed. The other day, on a blog, I wrote it was Captain Queeg and the strawberries redux.

Michael K. said...



For your information, Shaw:

Congress can remove a president for a terrible misuse of power that isn’t literally against a law.

LONG TIME READER FIRST TIME POSTER said...

Trump has violated this oath of office, ignored the Constitution, obstructed justice and violated the Emoluments clause for starters. The Republicans have been fine with all of this. Trump will most likely be impeached by the House and not by the Senate in a trial. Trump will claim exoneration as he did with the Mueller Report, and the Democrats and this country I am afraid will pay the price. Lip service by a few Republicans who find the whistleblower's revelations "disturbing" notwithstanding.
Trump is cornered, but he is not backing down, he has doubled down. Today he has blatantly and openly asked the Chinese to investigate the Bidens. It is a deja vu replay of 2016 when he also openly asked the Russians to interfere in the election.
I don't see any of this ending well. I hope I am wrong.

Political Chic said...


New
Trump's friend Rudy Giuliani is in bed with a number of slimy characters in the Ukraine, including a Russian under US sanctions. He has some very corrupt clients there.

That's all you need to know to tell you that Trump is not the least bit interested in rooting out corruption.

This was all about colluding with a foreign power to help him defeat a political opponent. Trumptards are being massively abused.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Mike, Thanks for reinforcing that fact. I don't think many people know this.

LTRFTP If enough Republicans come to their senses and understand what a threat Trump is to America, he may be impeached and found guilty. It's up to the Republicans in the Senate to decide if their allegience is to Trump or to America.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Asinine Lady Why the insulting name for yourself? Should I take what you posted seriously? Or are you a parody? You just joined Blogger either today or the last two days ago.

Dave Miller said...

Shaw... that Unknown above was me... somehow I got signed out.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Dave did you hear or read about Kurt Volker's 9 hours of testimony?

And Trump's invitation to China to involve itself in our elections to find dirt on the Bidens?



Les Carpenter said...

Trump is publically talking about his egregious offense against our democratic republic and claiming he has done nothing wrong. I am enjoying watching him act the innocent role and seeing the many examples that clearly show he was pressuring foreign leaders to investigate Biden and pushing them to go public with their investigation. Trump knows his acts were criminal just as much as anyone.

He can't 'get his" soon enough.

He is functioning as president EXACTLY as he did in business. He learned his thuggery in the private sector where it worked for him so successfully. It's only natura for him to continue to function in the ways that gave him success in the private sector.

More popcorn please!

Dave Miller said...

Shaw... re:Volker.

It's a mess. And he arrived with printed backup.

I'm trying to understand what it would take for the GOP to move off of Trump?

Why can't Mitt Romney move the needle. He has 5 years til he's up for reelection. In UTAH! Where he'll never lose.

He should step up and say enough is enough. Not on Twitter, but in a speech. And make the case for removing Trump.

Sometimes it just takes one person to open the gate so the others can go through it.

Les Carpenter said...

America is a Republic, if we can keep it.

Paraphrasing Benjamin Franklin. We are currently engaged in a test of wills. How it turns out will determine our future. Whether we remain a democratic republic pr we become just another 3'rd world banana republic.

I fear foe our nation.

Thank you tRump.

Dave Miller said...

Shaw... are there now 2 Republican Senators standing up?

Senator Ron Johnson [R] said yes, he was told the aid to Ukraine was being held up for essentially political purposes.

We didn't have the internet, minute by minute news, etc back in 1972-74 so info didn't drip out all day long. But I'm sensing that maybe people are starting to ask if Trump is worth all the disruption. Is backing Trump worth losing your Senate seat? Is backing Trump worth the total destruction of the GOP?

Clearly, there are some who advocate for this, especially in the blogging class. But they, with Trump's 35%, are potentially the last of the dead enders.

I'm happy Trump is struggling right now. And I'm sorry and worried for America. I can stomach political disagreement and truly believe elections have consequences. But there are norms and expectations for an American president. No student of the office, or of history, Trump just wants to win. Whatever winning means. He picks fights solely to fight, not to advance any policy initiative or direction.

He lies, obfuscates and sullies our image. He publicly trashes our closest allies while defending our sworn enemies. He congratulates communist leaders, quietly excusing their brutal oppression and torture of their people. He demonizes opponents personally, as opposed to their policies. He's crude, gross, non apologetic and as the famous tape proves, sexist to the nth degree.

He currently holds the office, but in no way upholds the values of the presidency. It's time he goes...

And I'm sorry that there are people who would continue to support a man such as this.

Here's the link on Senator Johnson.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/4/20899096/ron-johnson-trump-sondland-ukraine-aid

Shaw Kenawe said...

RN and Dave

What Trump does brilliantly is to wear people down. When contractors would sue him for bills not paid, he’d lawyer up, delay, stonewall, re-schedule. Finally, the contractor would run out of money for lawyers and settle for pennies on the dollar.

Think of the last three years. Has there been one quiet, relaxed, day without drama? The country has had to deal with daily outrages, some so brazen and unprecedented that they were beyond comprehension. People’s nervous systems cannot take this kind of daily abuse. They start to shut down. It’s not that they don’t care; they care too much. But the daily assaults are too painful to take.

Trump LOVES this. Rather than the drama wearing him down, it gives him vital life force. He thrives on adrenaline and Diet Coke. Chaos is the state of his mind and the state of his being. This is part of his pathology. Now, he’s really on full display.


His fans think all this is incredibly humorous. He’s going to be more and more outrageous every single day - daring anyone to stop him. And so far, nobody really has. His delusions are propped up by his family, fans and sycophants. Anyone who crosses him is kicked to the curb. He cares not for the country or its people. He is totally absorbed in SELF.

“We’ll have to see what happens.” That’s what Trump says when he doesn’t know the answer to a question. I’m afraid to see what happens. Our country is being run by a madman. He might just run it into the ground.

Les Carpenter said...

The nuts who continue to support Trump, justify his outrageous behaviors, and make excuses for him are the REAL enemies of our republic, and, they are the ones rational thinkers need fear the most. Folks like those at the looney tune right-wing latrines.