The Senate Trial of Donald J Trump 2020

[DDD Dad 14,251]

Just now, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

fuck you, don't give her away. she's funny, smart, and hot. sign me the fuck up

I'll give you funny and smart.  Hot?  Well, that's the beauty of individual preference.

[henrygandorf 29,174]

8 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Once you get in ankle-deep in a criminal conspiracy....you're in all the way.

in for a penny, in for a pound ruble?

[TwiceHorn 31,264]

I'm surprised, but not really, that Cipollone is such a dufus.  While most Trump lawyers are dufuses, this guy is a Chicago grad and made monster bucks as a commercial litigator.

The majority of big name, big firm lawyers are at least articulate even if they don't know wtf they're talking about.  He's not really a big name, though.

Sekulow being a dufus is unsurprising, same with Bondi.  They're just political hacks like Paxton.

[NameAlreadyInUse 5,106]

Anyone who could put up with the person who does those Hilton ads is a better fucking person than me.  I'm pretty sure I'd last about 15 minutes in the same room as her if both of us were going to continue to live.

[Cairn Horn88 8,165]

2 hours ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

@immamac , it's true, one can only listen to the WH counsel for so long before the little gray cells begin to asphyxiate and perish.

It is probably what the Senate Majority Leader was planning all along: we'll just let the WH council speak while we nap and then vote and go back to sleep.

Hmmm.  Anyone notice how Fox is “reporting” these hearings?  When Dems are presenting their position/evidence, Fox mutes the hearing while mocking and talking over these presentations.  

Edited January 23, 2020 by Cairn Horn88

[DDD Dad 14,251]

What the fuck was that just now?

[Pescado_Rojo 19,331]

20 minutes ago, NameAlreadyInUse said:

Anyone who could put up with the person who does those Hilton ads is a better fucking person than me.  I'm pretty sure I'd last about 15 minutes in the same room as her if both of us were going to continue to live.

I'd last about 15 seconds...then I'd need a sandwich. 

[atomheartbevo 89,409]

5 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Trump makes Nixon look like a Boy Scout. 

Nixon would have used the hell out of social media, but he sure as hell would not have done the dumbass stuff that Trump does in plain sight, nor would he have hired somebody like Rudy Giuliani to be his personal lawyer.

[atomheartbevo 89,409]

5 hours ago, Junior Miller said:

Never said anything about them being as bad or selling out the oval office. Just they are corrupt as well which is a fact and have contributed to the broken system. Name a Democrat that isn't financially profiting off their public office position? That's corruption. It's a big reason why they never went after trump for massive emoluments violations. 

I could be wrong, but the emoluments stuff is winding its way through the courts, don't remember if it was SDNY or state AGs or what, but it seemed more appropriate for those folks to handle it, while leaving the heavier stuff to the House.  Plus, the emoluments stuff is going to involve/implicate Trump family members.

If you want a stark contrast between both sides, look at what Al Franken did, and how he was driven out of the Senate by other Democrats, and then look at all of the stuff with Trump - the lawsuits, the payoffs, the joking about sexual assault, etc. and how Republicans embraced him.

[atomheartbevo 89,409]

5 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Now, does that mean no Democrats have ever been in on the take?  No, of course not.  But the vector from Russian oligarchs to the NRA to Republican politicians is not only well established, it's unique, and there's no way in hell it's the only path towards where we are now.  I mean, ENERGY (oil) is a far bigger pot of gold, and while #bothsides have acted the ass on the world stage in support of that commodity and our nearly unlimited demand for it, I have no reason to believe that there isn't an even darker story at play in that arena, and that it isn't playing out almost exclusively on the "right" side of the aisle.  Prove me wrong, because until that day, I'm just going to remain cynical about Republicans and everything they stand for.

If the Dems are on the take, they are putting themselves at risk with all of the investigations.

But I don't think the Dems are, at least not on the same organization-wide level that the GOP seems to be.

Otherwise, the GOP would have been investigating the hell out of the Democrats prior to the Dems taking control of the House last year.

For all of the shouts of "lock her up" and what not, the Republicans don't seem very interested in actually investigating the Dems through legal means.

[atomheartbevo 89,409]

4 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Also, we used to have slaves, they counted for 3/5 of a person, we had a civil war, Lincoln freed the slaves, and then some other stuff happened too.

I mean, if we've gotta catch you up on stuff.

[atomheartbevo 89,409]

3 hours ago, TXSG8R said:

So Mitch took away their cell phones to make everyone attending even more angry and surlier about having to sit through this, right?  "Do you really want to call witnesses and have to sit there without your phone 8 hours a day for a month?"

Plenty of Republicans had Apple Watches on.  Not sure if that was laziness, ignorance, or deliberate.

[Anastasis 23,393]

c-span call in line doesnt disappoint. 

[Goredho 17,345]

1 hour ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

it's amazing to me that the entire R side of the Senate appears to be compromised. That's alarming.

Not sure why.  Anyone in the GOP uncomfortable with their direction had fled, retired, declined to seek re-election, died, etc... long ago.  What’s left are those that can justify everything Trump has done before the Ukraine scandal.  Why should anyone expect them to suddenly be reconstituted with morals, ethics and character ?

Its going to take a rebuke from voters, if that’s still allowed, or the 60% putting the 40% in their fucking place.

[RomaVicta 29,775]

2 hours ago, immamac said:

What trial? These jurors would all be cut. This is a fucking disgrace to the United States live on air. Why the fuck didn't they impeach McConnell instead of Trump?

Refreshing take. We need a real rain to wash away all of the cunts.

[RomaVicta 29,775]

2 hours ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

it's amazing to me that the entire R side of the Senate appears to be compromised. That's alarming.

 

No offense meant to you for arriving late. It's not something a rational person should easily believe. When the evidence gathers before your eyes, it is, indeed, alarming, my friend.

As it sinks in that the thing is far worse than you comprehend now, it goes from alarming to depressing to absurd to the realization that it's a whole different game.

On top of your own realization weighing upon you, you get to watch all of this through the media who is behind your own pace of perception. They yuck it up as they share inside insights about partisanship that are naive and hopelessly dated. They're witnesses to a huge story of the death of a republic, but they can't see it. They're intellectually limited and lazy.

It's all so painfully obvious, but the most important people refuse to believe their eyes.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,410]

Brutal take down by Schiff in his speech, even where he says that he would love to see the notes and documents, fully understanding that there is a chance that the notes exonerate trump.  It only take a few gop senators to get this info and we can acquit trump tomorrow when they show he’s innocent.  Of course we call know what they also know.

im hoping that later in the trial, Schiff hits home that the senators are only minutes away from swearing in President Pence.  All they have to do is follow the oath they took.  Repeat “President Pence” over and over.  Trump won’t look at Pence ever again in the same way.  It wouldn’t shock me if trump forces pence to announce that he will forego the presidency in that instance, which of course will go next to pelosi.  “Mike I need you to hold a press conference...”

[TwiceHorn 31,264]

A big reason the emoluments stuff isn't going anywhere in the courts, so far, is that the Constitution is mostly not self-executing.

To give a party a cause of action for violation of the emoluments clause, there needs to be a statute creating one.

For example 42 USC 1983 created the private cause of action for violating the 14th Amendment.

It actually should be ripe fodder for impeachment, though.  If all those fuckers didn't live in glass houses.

Edited January 23, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[henrygandorf 29,174]

more schiff; less nadler.

[TwiceHorn 31,264]

1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

Nixon would have used the hell out of social media, but he sure as hell would not have done the dumbass stuff that Trump does in plain sight, nor would he have hired somebody like Rudy Giuliani to be his personal lawyer.

Richard Nixon was an extremely intelligent, highly flawed and mentally ill man.  Trump is just highly flawed and mentally ill.

Edited January 23, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[burntorangebongos 10,681]

Nixon wasn't mentally ill until he was under extreme stress of losing the presidency. Then he got drunk and chatty with pictures. But there was never any evidence of mental illness prior to that period. 

[Hugo Stiglitz 23,356]

This is the important reporting. 

[Message Board User 12,389]

 

[tantric superman 4,667]

Everyone in Texas deserves to be castrated and then buried alive for allowing Cruz to be our Senator.

[RPM 26,215]

3 minutes ago, tantric superman said:

Everyone in Texas deserves to be castrated and then buried alive for allowing Cruz to be our Senator.

Hey, I've done more than my share to oust Rafael.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,410]

7 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

 

Such bs.  Even if hunter Biden is/was the most corrupt person in the world, it has no bearing on this case.  I’m still wondering why Bill Barr isn’t going after hunter if he’s such a criminal.

[TwiceHorn 31,264]

15 minutes ago, burntorangebongos said:

Nixon wasn't mentally ill until he was under extreme stress of losing the presidency. Then he got drunk and chatty with pictures. But there was never any evidence of mental illness prior to that period. 

Oh he was crazier than a shithouse rat.

[Cairn Horn88 8,165]

Vinny: Ms. Vito, it has been argued by me, the defense, that two sets of guys met up at the Sac-O-Suds, at the same time, driving identical metallic mint green 1964 Buick Skylark convertibles. Now, can you tell us by what you see in this picture, if the defense's case holds water?
[Lisa examines the picture]
Vinny: Ms. Vito, please answer the question: does the defense's case hold water?
Lisa: No! The defense is wrong!
Vinny: Are you sure?
Lisa: I'm positive.
Vinny: How could you be so sure?
Lisa: Because there is no way that these tire marks were made by a '64 Buick Skylark convertible. These marks were made by a 1963 Pontiac Tempest.
Jim Trotter: Objection, Your Honor! Can we clarify to the court whether the witness is stating opinion or fact?
Judge Haller: This is your opinion?
Lisa: It's a fact!
Vinny: I find it hard to believe that this kind of information could be ascertained simply by looking at a picture!
Lisa: Would you like me to explain?
Vinny: I would love to hear this!
Judge Haller: So would I.

[RPM 26,215]

1 minute ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

 I’m still wondering why Bill Barr isn’t going after hunter if he’s such a criminal.

Hey, hey, hey now. Logic has no business in this proceeding.

[Brisketexan 104,560]

Such bs.  Even if hunter Biden is/was the most corrupt person in the world, it has no bearing on this case.  I’m still wondering why Bill Barr isn’t going after hunter if he’s such a criminal.

It’s fantastic. It’s as if, in an impeachment involving Nixon’s break in of Dem HQ....the GOP insisted that what we REALLY need to see is the stolen documents.
The fucking criminal boldness of the GOP is the thing that still amazes me, even though it shouldn’t anymore.

[Hugo Stiglitz 23,356]

What you have to remember is Hillary bleached her missing emails to conceal all her crimes. 

[TwiceHorn 31,264]

6 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Such bs.  Even if hunter Biden is/was the most corrupt person in the world, it has no bearing on this case.  I’m still wondering why Bill Barr isn’t going after hunter if he’s such a criminal.

The other absurdity of this is, if Trump were interested in pursuing corruption broadly, why ask for an investigation of Hunter Biden, specifically?  That is a very minor aspect of the corruption.  Why not "Burisma" or the gas industry in Ukraine.

Not to mention all the other absurdity, as in "announcement."

[henrygandorf 29,174]

19 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

 

i'll trade hunter for bolton straight up.  or mulvaney.  i'll throw in the whistleblower.  and schiff.

you win the pennant with that trade.

the three of them should walk in tomorrow morning and be like "let's fucking do this, where bolton at?"

 

[Hugo Stiglitz 23,356]

Joe Biden should be jumping at the opportunity to testify in this thing. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,410]

2 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

i'll trade hunter for bolton straight up.  or mulvaney.  i'll throw in the whistleblower.  and schiff.

you win the pennant with that trade.

the three of them should walk in tomorrow morning and be like "let's fucking do this, where bolton at?"

 

Cruz would hide from the press if hunter Biden and Bolton both showed up at the senate. 

Edited January 23, 2020 by Nice Guy Eddie

[henrygandorf 29,174]

3 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

The other absurdity of this is, if Trump were interested in pursuing corruption broadly, why ask for an investigation of Hunter Biden, specifically?  That is a very minor aspect of the corruption.  Why not "Burisma" or the gas industry in Ukraine.

Not to mention all the other absurdity, as in "announcement."

there are many aspects to this whole ordeal that i find horrifying, but the hunter biden part just kills me.  right now, you have a bunch of maga-hat-wearing fox-news-watching mopes started bar fights saying "sure, we'll let our guys talk, just as soon as that ole hunter biden comes to testify."  so basically you bring in a completely irrelevant person and turn the sideshow up to 11, or you lose the shouting match.

lose-lose-lose.

[pacman 7,324]

2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Nixon would have used the hell out of social media, but he sure as hell would not have done the dumbass stuff that Trump does in plain sight, nor would he have hired somebody like Rudy Giuliani to be his personal lawyer.

I laugh every time Trump apologists say the Democrats decided to impeach Trump when he was elected.

That makes him the biggest idiot in the world to still try to pull off this level of corruption anyway.

Edited January 23, 2020 by pacman

[GW Hayduke 1,952]

[bolverk 29,397]

57 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

A big reason the emoluments stuff isn't going anywhere in the courts, so far, is that the Constitution is mostly not self-executing.

To give a party a cause of action for violation of the emoluments clause, there needs to be a statute creating one.

For example 42 USC 1983 created the private cause of action for violating the 14th Amendment.

It actually should be ripe fodder for impeachment, though.  If all those fuckers didn't live in glass houses.

Isn't that DC/Maryland emoluments case dealing with the Trump hotel still plodding through the courts? I want to say it passed the standard of showing cause by stating it was taking away business from other hotels in the DC region, especially a conference center hotel that was partially publicly financed.

[Blotto 23,428]

3 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Once you get in ankle-deep in a criminal conspiracy....you're in all the way.  It's why you shouldn't get in one in the first place.

The GOP is firmly in the "we better all hang together, or else we'll surely hang separately" territory.  They really have no other rational choice.  They have to be all-in on the criminal syndicate, because if they don't, they lose its protection.  This is exactly how every criminal organization functions.  Anyone who has spent more than a millisecond in organized crime investigation/prosecution recognizes all of the markers from how the party is conducting itself these days.

So true. Setting aside any criminal prosecutions, as soon one of the GOP Senators strays from the pack, Trump will shit all over them and effectively end their career in the GOP, the party of Trump. They have no way forward in politics unless they continue stroking Trump's cock. If they had any concern for the well being of this country they would have ensured that Trump wasn't  the nominee in the first place. They are in it til the end, whatever that may be. The f'n spineless twats that remain would rather watch Trump shit all over the constitution and fleece the country than look for another gig. 

[henrygandorf 29,174]

13 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Isn't that DC/Maryland emoluments case dealing with the Trump hotel still plodding through the courts? I want to say it passed the standard of showing cause by stating it was taking away business from other hotels in the DC region, especially a conference center hotel that was partially publicly financed.

yeah, my understanding in regards to emoluments is that there is some precedent-setting case already out there, and they just don't see the use in throwing more shit on the pile.

one of the more underrated criminal acts of this administration is the outright abuse of the judicial system.  tax returns?  go to court.  evidence?  go to court.  witnesses?  go to court.  court's taking too long?  oh well lol.  

the most transparent president.  ever. 

[joe dirt 285]

51 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Such bs.  Even if hunter Biden is/was the most corrupt person in the world, it has no bearing on this case.  I’m still wondering why Bill Barr isn’t going after hunter if he’s such a criminal.

i keep tryna figure out why them dumb shits want him to testify here. i was gonna ask the surly collective, but, well, yeah. 

[TwiceHorn 31,264]

8 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

yeah, my understanding in regards to emoluments is that there is some precedent-setting case already out there, and they just don't see the use in throwing more shit on the pile.

one of the more underrated criminal acts of this administration is the outright abuse of the judicial system.  tax returns?  go to court.  evidence?  go to court.  witnesses?  go to court.  court's taking too long?  oh well lol.  

the most transparent president.  ever. 

The emoluments cases are tied up on the issue of standing, which is where an enabling statute would help a lot.  Even if they dodge the standing bullet, there's still an uphill battle on actual liability.

What Trump has done with the courts would not be abusive if he were a private citizen, most likely.  But as the nation's highest government official who is immune from prosecution, and probably on general principles, he owes the country more candor.  I'm all over the obstruction of the function of government article.

Edited January 23, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[bolverk 29,397]

3 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

The emoluments cases are tied up on the issue of standing, which is where an enabling statute would help a lot.  Even if they dodge the standing bullet, there's still an uphill battle on actual liability.

What Trump has done with the courts would not be abusive if he were a private citizen, most likely.  But as the nation's highest government official who is immune from prosecution, and probably on general principles, he owes the country more candor.  I'm all over the obstruction of the function of government article.

"Standing" That's the term I was looking for. Didn't the courts find that DC and/or MD do have standing and that the case could proceed?

[TwiceHorn 31,264]

50 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

there are many aspects to this whole ordeal that i find horrifying, but the hunter biden part just kills me.  right now, you have a bunch of maga-hat-wearing fox-news-watching mopes started bar fights saying "sure, we'll let our guys talk, just as soon as that ole hunter biden comes to testify."  so basically you bring in a completely irrelevant person and turn the sideshow up to 11, or you lose the shouting match.

lose-lose-lose.

Another absurdity is the shifty Schiff narrative.  The guy speechifies pretty well, but his paraphrase of "the transcript" and early barking about bringing forward the whistleblower were monumental errors, colossal fucking blunders that played right into Trump's hands.  Neither issue is central to anything, which is why Schiff should have kept his fucking trap shut.

Edited January 23, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[Gil Bang 25,897]

1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

Richard Nixon was an extremely intelligent, highly flawed and mentally ill man.  Trump is just highly flawed and mentally ill.

one of my college professors had been a lower-level Nixon staffer.  

He once talked about Nixon's trip to China.  Several weeks before the trip, the staff prepared a 1000 page briefing book for Nixon.  Within a few days, Nixon returned it to the staff, with margin notes on most of the pages. 

[henrygandorf 29,174]

5 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

What Trump has done with the courts would not be abusive if he were a private citizen, most likely.  But as the nation's highest government official who is immune from prosecution, and probably on general principles, he owes the country more candor.  I'm all over the obstruction of the function of government article.

in what is sure to be a sweeping oversimplification, you could say that most everything that has gotten trump in trouble has to do with him acting like he's still a private citizen.  he doesn't even understand the rules yet. 

[TwiceHorn 31,264]

5 minutes ago, bolverk said:

"Standing" That's the term I was looking for. Didn't the courts find that DC and/or MD do have standing and that the case could proceed?

Second Circuit reversed the district court's dismissal on standing, Fourth Circuit affirmed in that case.  Both subject to en banc review (whole appeals court sitting).  Standing is a very preliminary issue, both cases have a long way to go if standing is found.

Edited January 23, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[TwiceHorn 31,264]

3 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

in what is sure to be a sweeping oversimplification, you could say that most everything that has gotten trump in trouble has to do with him acting like he's still a private citizen.  he doesn't even understand the rules yet. 

That's the damned truth.  A sleazy, corrupt private citizen whose first answer to any question is "what's in it for me?"

Edited January 23, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[elguapo 4,583]

4 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Another absurdity is the shifty Schiff narrative.  The guy speechifies pretty well, but his paraphrase of "the transcript" and early barking about bringing forward the whistleblower were monumental errors, colossal fucking blunders that played right into Trump's hands.

The people who care about this narrative were never going to be persuaded anyway.