Pelosi: Impeachment Is Moving Forward

[blastula]

Amb. Volker is going the 'I should have seen it all along' route and is not providing Trump with cover.

He probably perjured the first time around, I though they went easy on him over that.

Both he and Morrison were trying to have it both ways, that they had concerns with the drug deal, but don't want to say anything wrong happened at the same time. Morrison especially, he went to the NSC lawyers to make them aware of the phone call, but is also trying to say nothing was wrong in the call. And they both resigned too, even though nothing wrong happened. Of course if they admit it was wrong, they are complicit.

Both seemed to have so badly wanted to achieve their goal of better relations with Ukraine, that they were willing to overlook some corruption to get there. I think they were annoyed it all came to light. But fuck them, if it didn't, Trump would have gotten his quid, turning us more into exactly the kind of corrupt nation they were trying to help Ukraine to grow out of (except for this one last heist).

 

[lpetrich]

The real reason for Trump’s meltdowns - MarketWatch

I’ve said this before: Trump spent most of his life as the CEO of a privately held company. ... This means no public accountability, no quarterly 10-Qs or annual 10-Ks to file with the feds.

Between 1995 and 2004, Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts was publicly held, though investors lost 90% of their money.

And yet Trump still has not learned — much less respected — the essential fact that he has been, for three years now, a public servant. ... Trump won’t release his taxes, even though all previous presidents have.

Trump on investigations:

As a private citizen, he called on lawmakers to investigate Hillary Clinton in the extreme. But investigations of him now? That’s a “witch hunt” and “presidential harassment.” It’s all very unfair, he complains. And no one has ever been treated as poorly as him, he adds.

Not even Richard Nixon?

 

[lpetrich]

Vindman Under Security Monitoring After Trump Attacks – The Forward

Vindman was one of the people who listened in on Trump’s calls with the Ukrainian president, in which Trump asked for a favor, now understood to be a request that Ukraine investigate Joe Biden and his son for corruption. Vindman expressed his concern over the call with National Security Counsel lawyers, and spoke to the House Intelligence Committee about the call in a closed-door hearing several weeks ago.

Michael Lieberman on Twitter: "“The Army has placed Alexander #Vindman, an expert on Ukraine and a central figure in the impeachment inquiry, & his family under 24-hour security monitoring after Trump targeted Vindman in tweets accusing Vindman of being politically opposed to Trump.” https://t.co/MuaOLkaWfU" / Twitter

Rick Wilson on Twitter: "An American solider and family are under government protection.
Because they're under attack.
Not by terrorists.
Not by foreign enemies.
They're under attack by the President of the United States. https://t.co/6ggEFWm3Hu" / Twitter

 

[southernhybrid]

Sadly, despite the evidence that Trump is guilty, these hearings don't seem to be changing anyone's mind. Still, it will be interesting to hear what Sonland has to say. Trump used to call him a great guy, but lately Trump is saying he hardly knows the man. Liar!

 

[Elixir]

Vindman Under Security Monitoring After Trump Attacks – The Forward

Vindman was one of the people who listened in on Trump’s calls with the Ukrainian president, in which Trump asked for a favor, now understood to be a request that Ukraine investigate Joe Biden and his son for corruption. Vindman expressed his concern over the call with National Security Counsel lawyers, and spoke to the House Intelligence Committee about the call in a closed-door hearing several weeks ago.

Michael Lieberman on Twitter: "“The Army has placed Alexander #Vindman, an expert on Ukraine and a central figure in the impeachment inquiry, & his family under 24-hour security monitoring after Trump targeted Vindman in tweets accusing Vindman of being politically opposed to Trump.” https://t.co/MuaOLkaWfU" / Twitter

Rick Wilson on Twitter: "An American solider and family are under government protection.
Because they're under attack.
Not by terrorists.
Not by foreign enemies.
They're under attack by the President of the United States. https://t.co/6ggEFWm3Hu" / Twitter

Epstein was under 24 hour security monitoring. Same threat basis.
.. just sayin'.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

And if Sondland suffers from fear of the perjury bug, he'll be the smoking gun and then we move to the next part of the Trump defense... it was wrong, but it wasn't impeachable.

We've gone from 'nothing happened' to 'nothing happened, but if it did it was legal' to 'something happened, but it was because of something else' to 'the perfect call' and 'first hand source'.

At the moment in the House, the GOP is effectively arguing that the man didn't kill his wife any of the days in the first 20 years of their marriage. Now we are supposed to believe that he kills his wife on some random day?

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

You gotta respect Vindman because he understands the legacy of Soviet totalitarianism and how he was able to escape it. I thought his testimony yesterday was much to that point.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I was a big fan of the assholerly behavior regarding his military uniform dress and rank by the GOP. My goodness, had the Democrats acted that way, the response would have been deafening!

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Looks like Sondland is finding Jesus and is willing to throw Pence (not misspelled) under the bus.

Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, told Vice President Mike Pence in early September that he was concerned US aid to Ukraine was being tied to investigations into President Trump’s political rivals.

The revelation is among the news in Sondland’s opening statement. It brings Pence ever closer to the alleged “quid pro quo” that is at the heart of the impeachment inquiry.

And we have this from his opening remarks.

I know that members of this Committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a “quid pro quo?” As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.

His opening statement is quite something. Trump will be fuming and back in Walter Reed.

 

[barbos]

You gotta respect Vindman because he understands the legacy of Soviet totalitarianism and how he was able to escape it. I thought his testimony yesterday was much to that point.

He was 4 year old when he left USSR. At best his understanding is second hand and it's doubtful that his father had any first hand experience of totalitarianism either. They left because of their last name, not because they were some kind of dissidents. Don't get me wrong, he is a great patriot and all that. but lets not get beyond that, cause there are millions and millions of Russians (including me) who understand legacy of Soviet totalitarianism way way better than him.

 

[barbos]

Looks like Sondland is finding Jesus and is willing to throw Pence (not misspelled) under the bus.

Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, told Vice President Mike Pence in early September that he was concerned US aid to Ukraine was being tied to investigations into President Trump’s political rivals.

The revelation is among the news in Sondland’s opening statement. It brings Pence ever closer to the alleged “quid pro quo” that is at the heart of the impeachment inquiry.

And we have this from his opening remarks.

I know that members of this Committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a “quid pro quo?” As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.

His opening statement is quite something. Trump will be fuming and back in Walter Reed.

He is throwing everybody under the bus

 

[Jarhyn]

Looks like Sondland is finding Jesus and is willing to throw Pence (not misspelled) under the bus.



And we have this from his opening remarks.


His opening statement is quite something. Trump will be fuming and back in Walter Reed.

He is throwing everybody under the bus

The wheels on the bus go thump thump thump, squish squish squish, crunch crunch crucnch.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Check out Sondland's lawyer's face in this shot.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Democrat Counsel preemptively attacking the 'Trump didn't know Sondland' defense.

House lawyer Daniel Goldman asked Sondland about two private phone calls he had with President Trump on July 25 and July 26.

...

Goldman pointed out that Trump "certainly took your call twice as it related to Ukraine on these two days."

Sondland responded, "He did."

 

[fromderinside]

You gotta respect Vindman because he understands the legacy of Soviet totalitarianism and how he was able to escape it. I thought his testimony yesterday was much to that point.

He was 4 year old when he left USSR. At best his understanding is second hand and it's doubtful that his father had any first hand experience of totalitarianism either. They left because of their last name, not because they were some kind of dissidents. Don't get me wrong, he is a great patriot and all that. but lets not get beyond that, cause there are millions and millions of Russians (including me) who understand legacy of Soviet totalitarianism way way better than him.

Of course you do. After all wasn't it you who told us that Ukrainians not soviet-client brought down that passenger jet over eastern Ukraine?

Thank you for your lip service.

 

[barbos]

Sonland is clearly lying when he says he did not know Burisma=Bidens

 

[Rhea]

Nunes started by saying, “poor Sondland, they are going to rip you apart, I’m so sorry you have to go through this.”


Tune has changed dramatically.

 

[Rhea]

Sonland is clearly lying when he says he did not know Burisma=Bidens

It feels like it... but with all the other bombs he’s throwing, why not this one?

 

[barbos]

You gotta respect Vindman because he understands the legacy of Soviet totalitarianism and how he was able to escape it. I thought his testimony yesterday was much to that point.

He was 4 year old when he left USSR. At best his understanding is second hand and it's doubtful that his father had any first hand experience of totalitarianism either. They left because of their last name, not because they were some kind of dissidents. Don't get me wrong, he is a great patriot and all that. but lets not get beyond that, cause there are millions and millions of Russians (including me) who understand legacy of Soviet totalitarianism way way better than him.

Of course you do. After all wasn't it you who told us that Ukrainians not soviet-client brought down that passenger jet over eastern Ukraine?

What the fuck are you talking about? And how the fuck is that relevant to the fact that Vindman was 4 year old when he left USSR?

 

[barbos]

Sonland is clearly lying when he says he did not know Burisma=Bidens

It feels like it... but with all the other bombs he’s throwing, why not this one?

It's important to save his own ass I guess.