Impeaching President Trump?

[lpetrich]

Rashida Tlaib on Trump: “We’re going to impeach this motherfucker!” - Vox But she is almost alone in that, with her good friend AOC not making it a high priority. But that may change.

GOP lawmaker: Trump has engaged in multiple actions that 'meet the threshold for impeachment' | TheHill:

A Michigan Republican and member of the House Freedom Caucus accused President Trump of "impeachable conduct" in a break with his party.

Justin Amash on Twitter: "Here are my principal conclusions: 1. Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report. 2. President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct. 3. Partisanship has eroded our system of checks and balances. 4. Few members of Congress have read the report."
Justin Amash on Twitter: "I offer these conclusions only after having read Mueller’s redacted report carefully and completely, having read or watched pertinent statements and testimony, and having discussed this matter with my staff, who thoroughly reviewed materials and provided me with further analysis."
Justin Amash on Twitter: "In comparing Barr’s principal conclusions, congressional testimony, and other statements to Mueller’s report, it is clear that Barr intended to mislead the public about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s analysis and findings."
Justin Amash on Twitter: "Barr’s misrepresentations are significant but often subtle, frequently taking the form of sleight-of-hand qualifications or logical fallacies, which he hopes people will not notice."
Justin Amash on Twitter: "Under our Constitution, the president “shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” While “high Crimes and Misdemeanors” is not defined, the context implies conduct that violates the public trust."
Justin Amash on Twitter: "Contrary to Barr’s portrayal, Mueller’s report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment."
Justin Amash on Twitter: "In fact, Mueller’s report identifies multiple examples of conduct satisfying all the elements of obstruction of justice, and undoubtedly any person who is not the president of the United States would be indicted based on such evidence."
Justin Amash on Twitter: "Impeachment, which is a special form of indictment, does not even require probable cause that a crime (e.g., obstruction of justice) has been committed; it simply requires a finding that an official has engaged in careless, abusive, corrupt, or otherwise dishonorable conduct."
Justin Amash on Twitter: "While impeachment should be undertaken only in extraordinary circumstances, the risk we face in an environment of extreme partisanship is not that Congress will employ it as a remedy too often but rather that Congress will employ it so rarely that it cannot deter misconduct."
Justin Amash on Twitter: "Our system of checks and balances relies on each branch’s jealously guarding its powers and upholding its duties under our Constitution. When loyalty to a political party or to an individual trumps loyalty to the Constitution, the Rule of Law—the foundation of liberty—crumbles."
Justin Amash on Twitter: "We’ve witnessed members of Congress from both parties shift their views 180 degrees—on the importance of character, on the principles of obstruction of justice—depending on whether they’re discussing Bill Clinton or Donald Trump."
Justin Amash on Twitter: "Few members of Congress even read Mueller’s report; their minds were made up based on partisan affiliation—and it showed, with representatives and senators from both parties issuing definitive statements on the 448-page report’s conclusions within just hours of its release."
Justin Amash on Twitter: "America’s institutions depend on officials to uphold both the rules and spirit of our constitutional system even when to do so is personally inconvenient or yields a politically unfavorable outcome. Our Constitution is brilliant and awesome; it deserves a government to match it."

 

[ZiprHead]

Being from Michigan and the fact that most of the auto workers have turned on Bonespurs, Amash may be doing this for his own survival.

 

[Elixir]

He can safely caterwaul about the pResident from his seat in the House, as there are still plenty of corrupt Republican Senators covering for Cheato. When (if) you start seeing those jackasses leaving the barn, then Trump is in real danger of getting the boot.

 

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Being from Michigan and the fact that most of the auto workers have turned on Bonespurs, Amash may be doing this for his own survival.

Which makes it all the more impactful considering all of the Republican Senate seats that are vulnerable in 2020.

ETA: Trump Needs Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to Win in 2020.

Former White House chief of staff [and RNC Chairman] Reince Priebus warned in an interview that aired Sunday that President Trump needs to repeat his success in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in 2020 to win reelection.

Priebus told AM 970's "The Answer" that the president's path to victory in 2020 requires reigniting the support he received in working-class communities across the Rust Belt.

"[Trump] has to win Wisconsin and Michigan," Priebus told host John Catsimatidis. "We have to win Pennsylvania."

Thanks Reince.

And the reason this is so important, of course, is that Senate Republicans are only going to defend Trump if it is in their best interests. This significantly impacts those interests. If enough Republicans in the Senate realize that (a) Trump can’t win re-election and (b) Trump’s support is toxic to their own re-election, then they’ll support impeachment.

Of further note, there are already 12 Republican Senators who have significantly broken ranks with Trump. As that piece notes:

Conventional wisdom has maintained that Trump is safe from impeachment because Republicans will never abandon him, as my colleague John Hudak argues. But there are, and have been, ominous signs to the contrary from the very beginning of the Trump Administration. In the summer of 2017, both Republican-controlled houses of Congress passed a Russia sanctions bill by overwhelming margins (419 to 3 in the House and 97 to 2 in the Senate). The bill placed unprecedented restrictions on a president’s ability to lift sanctions that had been placed on other countries and was clearly a pre-emptive strike against a president whose administration began under a cloud of suspicion over Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump opposed the bill, but the margins were so big he opted not veto it to avoid the embarrassment of a certain override.

The next snub also came later that summer. After unsuccessfully voting more than 60 times to repeal Obamacare, a Republican-controlled Congress and White House failed to make it happen. When the bill got to the Senate, three Republican senators refused to go along, resulting in a second poke in the eye for the president.

Standing up to Trump on health care turned out to have few consequences. Twenty House Republicans voted against the 2017 GOP bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. Six of those House members decided not to run again. But of those who did run, nine won re-election and four lost their races.

The following summer, Trump held a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a humiliating press conference at which the President of the United States appeared to play lap dog to a Russian dictator. By my count at the time, 14 Republican Senators condemned Trump specifically in their statements and only 2 supported him. Going into the fall of 2018 there were about 14 Republican Senators willing to cross swords with the president; two declined to run again and one, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) died.

In January of this year, the Senate voted “To express the sense of the Senate that the United States faces continuing threats from terrorist groups operating in Syria and Afghanistan and that the precipitous withdrawal of United States forces from either country could put at risk hard-won gains and United States national security.” This vote was a direct rebuke in response to Trump’s abrupt call for troop withdrawals and it passed 68 to 23; 7 Republican Senators sat it out and didn’t vote, 2 voted with the president but the remaining Republicans voted on a resolution directly contradicting presidential policy.

But most prescient—particularly in light of Amash’s comments—is the conclusion:

As Republican Senators get accustomed to contradicting Trump and discover that there are no negative consequences, a Mueller report containing serious evidence of presidential wrongdoing might lead them to believe that they can go against him. Conviction in the Senate will require only 20 Republican desertions, and every one of these legislative rebukes should worry the president and ensure the White House keeps count.

For those who might not know it, there are 34 vulnerable Senate seats in 2020.

 

[lpetrich]

Could Don McGahn lead a Trump exodus? Republican lawyers may be ready to jump off sinking ship | Salon.com: "In stonewalling Congress and accusing McGahn of lying, Trump may have doomed himself with legal conservatives"

The article started out with how pResident tRump is stonewalling Congress about everything from his tax returns to security clearances.

There is one faction of the Republican party that may be peeling off, however, and it's the faction that Trump has been counting on to keep the Democrats at bay. I'm speaking of conservative lawyers, some of whom seem to feel a bit queasy about what they saw in the Mueller report and Trump's reaction to it. McGahn's testimony in the report is likely a big part of the realization that this is getting serious.

Also Kellyanne Conway's husband George, law professor J.W. Verret, and even Andrew Napolitano of Fox News. Enemies that tRump cannot afford to make. Could Don McGahn, for instance, become a John Dean figure?

 

[Elixir]

Could Don McGahn lead a Trump exodus? Republican lawyers may be ready to jump off sinking ship | Salon.com: "In stonewalling Congress and accusing McGahn of lying, Trump may have doomed himself with legal conservatives"

The article started out with how pResident tRump is stonewalling Congress about everything from his tax returns to security clearances.

There is one faction of the Republican party that may be peeling off, however, and it's the faction that Trump has been counting on to keep the Democrats at bay. I'm speaking of conservative lawyers, some of whom seem to feel a bit queasy about what they saw in the Mueller report and Trump's reaction to it. McGahn's testimony in the report is likely a big part of the realization that this is getting serious.

Also Kellyanne Conway's husband George, law professor J.W. Verret, and even Andrew Napolitano of Fox News. Enemies that tRump cannot afford to make. Could Don McGahn, for instance, become a John Dean figure?

Yawn. Plenty of time for a nap while this tepid pot of water heats up. It will take more than "legal conservatives" to bring it to a boil.
Yeah, McGahn pulling a no-show at Cheato's behest puts a bit more flame under it, but until the American public is actually versed in the contents and implications of the Mueller report, it's not going to boil over (good job, BillyBarr!). If by some miracle Mueller himself testifies in a Congressional public hearing, that might stimulate some interest in Cheato's crimes on the part of Trump supporters who would also like to think of themselves as patriotic defenders of the Constitution, but sadly most of them will never read the report, or the Constitution. If hearings began tomorrow and continued non-stop unimpeded by further presidential obstruction, it would probably take until the next election to penetrate the skulls of significant numbers of Trumpsuckers and Evangelitards.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I remember when Jim Jeffords defected, ending (temporarily) the Republican control of the Senate in the early days of W. I was thinking maybe this radical movement was starting to splinter the party. One Donald Trump elected as the GOP candidate for President later...


...not so splintered. In fact, it seems to show just how important winning in politics seems to be.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Apparently somebody has been watching Fox news and listening to people like Alex Jones way too much. You can't reason with such people, so I won't bother trying.

Fox News is one of the mot trusted news sources according to polls.

I honestly can't take a statement like that seriously and must conclude you are just playing a heel.

You know why? Because they don't sugarcoat anything. They tell it like it is. Facts offend people. Fox News is one of the news outlets brave enough to call out Islamic terrorism. Everyone else tapdances around it while throwing out "Islamaphobe!" instead of real arguments.

Just remember when Muslims take over by 2050 and they are running through the streets of America beheading people for not being Muslim, don't say we didn't warn you. "Religion of peace" indeed. Even Sam Harris has called for crackdowns on Muslim communities.

Oh... I'll be there and I'll say "Half-Life didn't warn us" and the people will believe me... and they'll say "Why didn't Half-Life warn us, that prick!"

 

[Half-Life]

I honestly can't take a statement like that seriously and must conclude you are just playing a heel.

You know why? Because they don't sugarcoat anything. They tell it like it is. Facts offend people. Fox News is one of the news outlets brave enough to call out Islamic terrorism. Everyone else tapdances around it while throwing out "Islamaphobe!" instead of real arguments.

Just remember when Muslims take over by 2050 and they are running through the streets of America beheading people for not being Muslim, don't say we didn't warn you. "Religion of peace" indeed. Even Sam Harris has called for crackdowns on Muslim communities.

Oh... I'll be there and I'll say "Half-Life didn't warn us" and the people will believe me... and they'll say "Why didn't Half-Life warn us, that prick!"

Let's test it.

If a leftist says, "I hate Christians. They are bigots," it is meant with cheers and applause and thousands of likes on social media.
If a right-winger says "Islamic terrorism must be stopped," it gets bombarded with leftists saying "you bigot! Get out of this country! You're full of hatred!"

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I honestly can't take a statement like that seriously and must conclude you are just playing a heel.

You know why? Because they don't sugarcoat anything. They tell it like it is. Facts offend people. Fox News is one of the news outlets brave enough to call out Islamic terrorism. Everyone else tapdances around it while throwing out "Islamaphobe!" instead of real arguments.

Just remember when Muslims take over by 2050 and they are running through the streets of America beheading people for not being Muslim, don't say we didn't warn you. "Religion of peace" indeed. Even Sam Harris has called for crackdowns on Muslim communities.

Oh... I'll be there and I'll say "Half-Life didn't warn us" and the people will believe me... and they'll say "Why didn't Half-Life warn us, that prick!"

Let's test it.

If a leftist says, "I hate Christians. They are bigots," it is meant with cheers and applause and thousands of likes on social media.
If a right-winger says "Islamic terrorism must be stopped," it gets bombarded with leftists saying "you bigot! Get out of this country! You're full of hatred!"

It's like a Ben Garrison cartoon became sentient.

 

[Half-Life]

Apparently somebody has been watching Fox news and listening to people like Alex Jones way too much. You can't reason with such people, so I won't bother trying.

Fox News is one of the mot trusted news sources according to polls.

Of ignorant, poorly educated and easily manipulated white people who thought a reality TV celebrity conman would bring coal back.

He's been doing very well, even in spite of the fact that the Dems have been desperate to prove collusion for 2 years breathing down the man's neck. They said "Wait for the Mueller report. It'll prove it." It comes out there was no collusion and they still scream "There was collusion! I know it! I just know it!"

In spite of all this hatred, he's kept his cool and got unemployment levels down. The man lost over a billion dollars in a decade proving that he's actually a "rags to riches" story relatable to the every man and the Dems still hate him. It''s hard to find a stronger President.

Obama had 8 years with no one breathing down his neck and the best things he did was shed tears on stage when black kids died.

 

[Half-Life]

It's like a Ben Garrison cartoon became sentient.

I can promise you that this stuff is happening. How often do you see leftists speaking out against Islam? Never. But, you sure do hear a lot of hatred for Christians. We point out that Muslims throw gays off rooftops and execute women for not wearing the hijab in their countries. The left calls Christians bigots instead. The left foams at the mouth when Mike Pence says "I believe being gay is a sin." How come they don't foam at the mouth hearing about the wild Muslim countries?

 

[Worldtraveller]

Let's test it.

If a leftist says, "I hate Christians. They are bigots," it is meant with cheers and applause and thousands of likes on social media.
If a right-winger says "Islamic terrorism must be stopped," it gets bombarded with leftists saying "you bigot! Get out of this country! You're full of hatred!"

It's like a Ben Garrison cartoon became sentient.

"Sentient" might be a bit of a stretch.

 

[lpetrich]

Fox News is one of the mot trusted news sources according to polls.

Only for right wingers. Political Polarization & Media Habits | Pew Research Center gives a more comprehensive picture. Out of 36 news sources, only the Wall Street Journal was trusted by all and only Buzzfeed was distrusted by all.

The "consistently liberal" trusted 27 sources that the "consistently conservative" ones distrusted, and they were the only ones to trust 4 sources. They and "mostly liberal" ones trusted an additional 8 sources, those two and "mixed" ones trusted an additional 10 sources, and those three and "mostly conservative" trusted an additional 5 sources.

The "consistently conservative" trusted 7 sources that the "consistently liberal" ones distrusted, and they were the only ones to trust one source, the Rush Limbaugh show. They and "mostly conservative" ones trusted an additional 5 sources, and these two and "mixed" ones trusted an additional source, Fox News.

There was no source distrusted by the "consistently liberal" and "consistently conservative" ones while being trusted by those between them.

If anything, it shows that liberals are more broad-minded and more willing to take in a variety of news sources than conservatives are.

 

[ZiprHead]

Apparently somebody has been watching Fox news and listening to people like Alex Jones way too much. You can't reason with such people, so I won't bother trying.

Fox News is one of the mot trusted news sources according to polls. You know why? Because they don't sugarcoat anything. They tell it like it is. Facts offend people. Fox News is one of the news outlets brave enough to call out Islamic terrorism. Everyone else tapdances around it while throwing out "Islamaphobe!" instead of real arguments.

Just remember when Muslims take over by 2050 and they are running through the streets of America beheading people for not being Muslim, don't say we didn't warn you. "Religion of peace" indeed. Even Sam Harris has called for crackdowns on Muslim communities.

STUDY: Watching Only Fox News Makes You Less Informed Than Watching No News At All

 

[Loren Pechtel]

There is a difference between doing something dumb and trying to join a terrorist group. One of them admitted "I am going to join ISIS. Period." He made it known with no remorse. You guys need to wake up and realize they are terrorist sympathizers infiltrating the government under the guise of peace and then their true colors come out. They want Sharia law in the U.S. The left is complicit because this means Christians will get wiped out, yet so will all the atheists ironically.

The left isn't trying to get rid of Christianity. They just want Christians to mind their own business and quit trying to impose their religious ideas on everyone else. Quit trying to get the law to enforce your religious ideas and you'll see the opposition to Christianity disappear.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Apparently somebody has been watching Fox news and listening to people like Alex Jones way too much. You can't reason with such people, so I won't bother trying.

Fox News is one of the mot trusted news sources according to polls. You know why? Because they don't sugarcoat anything. They tell it like it is. Facts offend people. Fox News is one of the news outlets brave enough to call out Islamic terrorism. Everyone else tapdances around it while throwing out "Islamaphobe!" instead of real arguments.

Just remember when Muslims take over by 2050 and they are running through the streets of America beheading people for not being Muslim, don't say we didn't warn you. "Religion of peace" indeed. Even Sam Harris has called for crackdowns on Muslim communities.

They don't sugarcoat things, they just make them up. What Faux Noise isn't telling you is that in America you're in more danger from right wing terrorism than Muslim terrorism. It's just the right wing terrorism isn't the big, splashy suicide attacks.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I honestly can't take a statement like that seriously and must conclude you are just playing a heel.

You forget--those who are polled include the Faux Noise watchers. The right only has Faux Noise, the left has several news sources to dilute the vote. Thus he's probably correct.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Of ignorant, poorly educated and easily manipulated white people who thought a reality TV celebrity conman would bring coal back.

He's been doing very well, even in spite of the fact that the Dems have been desperate to prove collusion for 2 years breathing down the man's neck. They said "Wait for the Mueller report. It'll prove it." It comes out there was no collusion and they still scream "There was collusion! I know it! I just know it!"

Just because Faux Noise is trusted by the right wing doesn't mean it's right.

The Mueller report clearly showed collusion. The only reason His Flatulence wasn't charged was Mueller wasn't allowed to--the DOJ directed that a sitting president can't be indicted.

In spite of all this hatred, he's kept his cool and got unemployment levels down.

Kept his cool? Does "tweetstorm" not mean anything to you?

And he inherited "low" unemployment levels. (I use quotes because I believe the yardstick has been messed up by the gig economy. If unemployment really were as low as the numbers say we would see wages increasing.)

The man lost over a billion dollars in a decade proving that he's actually a "rags to riches" story relatable to the every man and the Dems still hate him. It''s hard to find a stronger President.

We have only one president, how would we find a stronger one?

In comparison to the other options, though, His Flatulence is probably the worst. It's very clear he doesn't understand the job.

Obama had 8 years with no one breathing down his neck and the best things he did was shed tears on stage when black kids died.

Nobody breathing down his neck? You didn't see all the attacks that Faux Noise kept shouting about?

 

[ZiprHead]