Pelosi: Impeachment Is Moving Forward

[Cheerful Charlie]

https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/20190812_-_whistleblower_complaint_unclass.pdf

I just read the whistle blower's complaint. Pages 4 and 5 caught my eye. Several Ukrainian officials did in fact create some false dirt on the Bidens. This stuff, if leaked to friendly media such as Fox could have doomed Biden's candidacy and possibly lead to legal problems for both Bidens. Had not this whistle blower acted, it is possible that Trump's rat fucking dirty trick could have borne fruit.

This is going to put Ukrainian president Zelensky in a very uncomfortable position. Who authorized these activities, and will they be disowned by Ukraine? Will there be trouble for Ukraine from the Democratic leaders if Zelensky is seen as not being honest? Ukraine'sProsecutor General, Yuri Lutsenko, who made these allegations has some explaining to do.

Zelensky ran on a campaign of anti-corruption and has expressed a desire to fire Lutsenko if elected. Clearing all of this up is going to be an issue for Zelensky and his government. Lutsenko was fired on August 29, 2019.

This is going to get intense. Fox news has already started to use this false narrative to smear Biden.

It stated in the complaint that Lutsenko walked those comments back. Perhaps it was in a footnote.

Yes, but we still do not know who put together the original litany of lies and why. And we need Zelensky to announce to the world loud and clear that these claims are indeed false. This is still be passed around as true by Limbaugh and Hannity. This needs to be squelched repeatedly and with great force. Leaving little room to quibble.

https://theintercept.com/2019/05/10...ndal-ukraine-absolute-nonsense-reformer-says/

Robert Mackey has been debunking this from the beginning by a mere journalist doesn't seem to convince Hannity et al.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

President Trump: ...There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it... It sounds horrible to me.

dismal, you and the conservatives have really shown how bankrupt you are when it comes to political ideology.

Let's do a little test. Read the transcript. Tell me what the favor that was asked was.

To reopen the investigation into the Bidens and alleged Ukrainian servers falsely implication Putin of interfering in the election. This is what Giuliani was sent to Ukraine and Spain to facilitate. Zelensky knew full well what Trump meant and Trump knew what he meant.

https://theintercept.com/2019/05/10...ndal-ukraine-absolute-nonsense-reformer-says/
...
Update: May 12, 2019, 10:00 a.m.
The president’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, announced in a rambling Fox News interview Friday night that he was canceling his trip to Ukraine after people close to the incoming president, Volodymyr Zelensky, told reporters in Kiev that his new administration was not interested in being used to further the anti-Biden conspiracy theory. “This is definitely not our war,” a source close to Zelensky told the Washington Post. “We have to stay away from this as much as possible.”
...

Trump's phone call does not stand alone. There is context to all of this that needs to be considered.

 

[ZiprHead]

Support for impeachment rises seven points to 43 percent in new poll

That was quick.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

... A commentary on how people can be impervious to facts.

 

[Elixir]

President Trump: ...There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it... It sounds horrible to me.

dismal, you and the conservatives have really shown how bankrupt you are when it comes to political ideology.

Let's do a little test. Read the transcript. Tell me what the favor that was asked was.

Kind of odd that you couldn't read the 5 pages for yourself, dismal... Almost as if despite the fact that Trump himself said he had asked Zelensky to re-open the bullshit "Biden investigation", you think trumpdindunuffin. Is that the case, dismal?

 

[blastula]

Guess who said this,

“I want to know who’s the person, who’s the person who gave the whistleblower the information? Because that’s close to a spy,” he continued. “You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? The spies and treason, we used to handle it a little differently than we do now.”

And there's even audio. There are spies and traitors everywhere!

[YOUTUBE]MFhU6Qk_OIk[/YOUTUBE]

Add that to the Articles. Add every other time he witnessed tampered.

 

[blastula]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/...action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage

WASHINGTON — The whistle-blower who revealed that President Trump sought foreign help for his re-election and that the White House sought to cover it up is a C.I.A. officer who was detailed to work at the White House at one point, according to three people familiar with his identity.

The man has since returned to the C.I.A., the people said. Little else is known about him. His complaint made public Thursday suggested he was an analyst by training and made clear he was steeped in details of American foreign policy toward Europe, demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of Ukrainian politics and at least some knowledge of the law.

The whistle-blower’s expertise will likely add to lawmakers’ confidence about the merits of his complaint, and tamp down allegations that he might have misunderstood what he learned about Mr. Trump. He did not listen directly to a July call between Mr. Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine that is at the center of the political firestorm over the president’s mixing of diplomacy with personal political gain.

It's a bit sketchy for the Times to be identifying him that much. His identity doesn't really matter at this point, since none of his info was first hand. It could all be corroborated without him anyway.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

So if the House does pass articles of impeachment, what do you think will happen at the Senate?

 

[Politesse]

So if the House does pass articles of impeachment, what do you think will happen at the Senate?

It'll stop right there. But we won't forget.

 

[lpetrich]

Hillary Rodham Clinton: Trump is a "corrupt human tornado," former Secretary of State says in exclusive interview - CBS News

"My view is that, given the latest revelation, which is such a blatant effort to use his presidential position to advance his personal and political interests, there should be an impeachment inquiry opened," Clinton said. "And I think, sadly, there are a number of grounds. But this one is incredibly troubling.

"The most outrageously false things were said about me. And unfortunately, enough people believed them. So, this is an effort to sow these falsehoods against [Vice President Joe] Biden. And I don't care if you're for the [Democrats] or you're a Republican, when the president of the United States, who has taken an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, uses his position to in effect extort a foreign government for his political purposes. I think that is very much what the founders worried about in 'high crimes and misdemeanors.'"

 

[Ford]

So if the House does pass articles of impeachment, what do you think will happen at the Senate?

It'll stop right there. But we won't forget.

I was gonna go with "about as far as Merrick Garland's nomination."


A moderate, sober, careful jurist with a long record of public service wasn't even given a hearing. Instead, a seat was filled by a guy who cried in his confirmation hearing because someone asked him if he tried to rape a girl in college.

This is what we've come to.

 

[lpetrich]

So if the House does pass articles of impeachment, what do you think will happen at the Senate?

It'll stop right there. But we won't forget.

AOC recommended going ahead with impeachment, because Republicans who vote against it will get a "stain" on their records.

AOC uses her bully pulpit:
Public Citizen on Twitter: ""What he has already admitted to is impeachable." Louder for the people in the back, @AOC! https://t.co/4W2bZ4ODev" / Twitter

Ryan Struyk on Twitter: "this is amazing (via @CNN) [url]https://t.co/kyMUYO09R2 https://t.co/RIgAz5gZD1" / Twitter[/url] - several Senate Republicans had not read the whistleblower complaint, and one of them who did said that it raises "more questions than answers".

then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "There is almost no excuse for a member of Congress to have not read the whistleblower report by now.
It’s a few pages. This is literally our jobs.
If you don’t have the commitment to be here and do the work, cut your fancy fundraisers & make the time, or quit.
cc: @SenateGOP https://t.co/JVNmsLaVW6" / Twitter

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

So if the House does pass articles of impeachment, what do you think will happen at the Senate?

It'll stop right there. But we won't forget.

Kinda. The Senate will have to hold a trial, and then the vote will be against removing him from office. At that point he can claim "See? I was vindicated!" He's counting on people not forgetting the verdict.

But during the trial, what do you think will happen?

 

[lpetrich]

Ocasio-Cortez defends impeachment inquiry - CNNPolitics

Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's demand for a narrow inquiry focusing on Trump's conversations with Ukraine an "understandable directive."

"This Ukraine allegation is head and shoulders, one of the most serious and urgent allegations that we have seen come out of this administration to date," she told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "Cuomo Prime Time," arguing that it had convinced more lawmakers on impeachment than any other issue.

... Ocasio-Cortez characterized the inquiry as a chance to preemptively protect the upcoming 2020 election and stop interference before it happens.

"We have the opportunity to act now to prevent a profoundly destabilizing action and intervention in our democracy before it happens," she said. "And I think that is a profoundly urgent action that we need to take right now.

Sort of like 2016, but worse.


Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Then why did you confess to it? https://t.co/Yu1vPC7YzI" / Twitter

Donald J. Trump on Twitter: "THE GREATEST SCAM IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN POLITICS!" / Twitter

Nelson Wendella on Twitter: "@realDonaldTrump https://t.co/cTl5fEg31m" / Twitter - the picture's text:

The Volatile Mermaid on Twitter: "Imagine if a woman president got on Twitter every morning to complain about people being mean and unfair to her. Weak. Hysterical. Shrill. Bitch. Unfit to lead." / Twitter

The Volatile Mermaid on Twitter: "How many times have you heard “Trump is so awful we won’t have another male president for decades”? How many times did people say that about W? Or LITERALLY ANY MALE POLITICIAN and there have been some REALLY bad ones. ZERO. THAT is my fucking point." / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

NBC Correspondent: Trump Called Pelosi, Asked ‘Can We Work Something Out?’ on Whistleblower Complaint

“The president actually said to Nancy Pelosi, ‘Hey, can we do something about this whistleblower complaint? Can we work something out?'” Przybyla told Melber, based on he conversations with sources in Pelosi’s office.

“And [Pelosi] said, ‘Yes, you can tell your people to obey the law,'” Przybyla recounted. “So she quickly swatted that down and made it clear that it is full steam ahead” on impeachment.

‘Can we work something out?’ Trump desperately pleaded with Nancy Pelosi to avoid impeachment — and was stunned to find out he failed - New York Daily News

Donald J. Trump on Twitter: "There has been no President in the history of our Country who has been treated so badly as I have. The Democrats are frozen with hatred and fear. They get nothing done. This should never be allowed to happen to another President. Witch Hunt!" / Twitter

He was running scared. I love that.

Ryan Struyk's page screenshot is from Here's what Republican senators are saying about the whistleblower complaint - CNNPolitics

But some of the most influential people on Capitol Hill -- Senate Republicans -- didn't have much to say in the hours after it came out.

Many Senate Republicans said on Thursday that they haven't read the whistleblower complaint yet. Others said the complaint doesn't change things and raises "more questions than answers."

Ocasio-Cortez: Ukraine allegation one of the most serious we have seen - YouTube - full interview with Andrew Cuomo on CNN

As Republicans Face Impeachment Dilemma, Romney Is a Lonely Voice of Concern - The New York Times

Mr. Romney’s public statements reflect what many in his party believe privately but are almost uniformly unwilling to say: that they are faced with damning revelations about the president that are difficult to explain away, and are unsure of whether there is more damaging material to come. What’s more, they are contending with a leader whose appetite for political payback for real or imagined slights is insatiable, and who is responding to the crisis with angry new threats and accusations that will only increase the pressure on them to choose a side.

Republican Govs. Phil Scott and Charlie Baker support Trump impeachment inquiry - The Washington Post

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, both outspoken critics of Trump from the Northeast, said Thursday they favored the investigation, but Scott added that he would wait for more information before calling for further action against the president.

 

[TV and credit cards]

I think it would help if the media defined “high crimes and misdemeanors” for the general
public; it’s history and meaning at the time the phrase was adopted. I don’t know that people are necessarily connecting it to “abuse of office”. The two terms need to be spoken in tandem and connected.

And this: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ward-about-trump-ukraine-matter-idUSKBN1WC0E1 They opened their mouths, they better be willing to step up.

 

[southernhybrid]

According to a couple of recent polls, support among Americans is increasingly supportive of impeachment. I don't have a link because I saw the polls on tv and I don't have time right now to look for a link. But, this is similar to what happened when Nixon was under investigation. When he resigned, there were still about 25% of Americans who supported him. This may be what happens with Trump. His hardcore base will believe the right wing media pundits and continue to support him, but hopefully others will finally see the man for who he really is.

 

[PyramidHead]

Aaaaaaaaaaand the House Dems are on recess.

 

[dismal]

Kind of odd that you couldn't read the 5 pages for yourself, dismal... Almost as if despite the fact that Trump himself said he had asked Zelensky to re-open the bullshit "Biden investigation", you think trumpdindunuffin. Is that the case, dismal?

I can read it myself. That is not the problem here.

This was a test to see if anyone here had any a)reading comprehension and b) intellectual honesty.

Apparently no one does.

 

[Harry Bosch]

Kind of odd that you couldn't read the 5 pages for yourself, dismal... Almost as if despite the fact that Trump himself said he had asked Zelensky to re-open the bullshit "Biden investigation", you think trumpdindunuffin. Is that the case, dismal?

I can read it myself. That is not the problem here.

This was a test to see if anyone here had any a)reading comprehension and b) intellectual honesty.

Apparently no one does.

Simple question: do you favor allowing US Presidents to use government resources to compel foreign governments to gather political dirt on opponents?