impeachment inquiry hearings thread

[Ghost of LL 15539]

11 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

All Trump had to do was keep his mouth shut, but nope, he had to talk to the media on the way to the helicopter.    Ironically, if he had still been trotting out Sarah Huckabeef to throw bullshit at the media on a regular basis, he would probably not have said anything.  But no, it's Donald Fuckin' Trump, and he's in charge of his press, so he had to tell the whole world he wants China to investigate Biden.

And to some degree the Democrats are playing a bit of a probability game at this point, a la "Deal or No Deal."  I think to this point they have figured that they can keep the pressure on, and Trump will continue to make things worse for himself by either (1) exposing further evidence of his past impeachable conduct, or (2) committing new impeachable offenses.  The cost of delay, however, is that this shit could get normalized, other things could pop up to distract attention, and the Republicans could figure out a coherent defense.

So far, they're playing the right side of the game.  It happens to dovetail with the need to get a majority in favor of impeachment and removal, which is really starting to develop.  

But at some point, they're going to have to move.

[HOOK'EMHOOAH 1610]

18 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

All Trump had to do was keep his mouth shut, but nope, he had to talk to the media on the way to the helicopter.    Ironically, if he had still been trotting out Sarah Huckabeef to throw bullshit at the media on a regular basis, he would probably not have said anything.  But no, it's Donald Fuckin' Trump, and he's in charge of his press, so he had to tell the whole world he wants China to investigate Biden.

That fucker ONLY talks to the media in front a helicopter.

[yoladu 4094]

11 hours ago, Bama Chick said:

Question about this Sondland asshole.

If he’s our EU Ambassador why the fuck is he even involved in these Ukrainian discussions?

Ukraine is not in the EU.

 

I dunno, maybe a hearing where one could ask Sondland directly would get to the bottom of it.

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Sid Miller, Mr. Jesus shot himself. 

[Longhorn_Fan68 33881]

I can't believe people still fall for that shit - and they clearly do. this planet is exhausting

[Pig Bellmont 8719]

2 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

And to some degree the Democrats are playing a bit of a probability game at this point, a la "Deal or No Deal."  I think to this point they have figured that they can keep the pressure on, and Trump will continue to make things worse for himself by either (1) exposing further evidence of his past impeachable conduct, or (2) committing new impeachable offenses.  The cost of delay, however, is that this shit could get normalized, other things could pop up to distract attention, and the Republicans could figure out a coherent defense.

So far, they're playing the right side of the game.  It happens to dovetail with the need to get a majority in favor of impeachment and removal, which is really starting to develop.  

But at some point, they're going to have to move.

Well the impeachment inquiry has already implicated criminal conduct and abuse of power by the President, VP, Secretary of State, the Attorney General, White House lawyers/aides, Senior NSC officers and several ambassadors. I’d say they’re on a pretty solid pace here. 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Pig Bellmont

[deech 2291]

35 minutes ago, Pig Bellmont said:

Well the impeachment inquiry has already implicated criminal conduct and abuse of power by the President, VP, Secretary of State, the Attorney General, White House lawyers/aides, Senior NSC officers and several ambassadors. I’d say they’re on a pretty solid pace here. 

Don't forget the criminal mastermind behind it all.........

 

 

[Tuco 5076]

4 hours ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

Yikes

About the impeachment polling, it highlights the weakness of polls.  

It's one thing to oppose impeachment on practical, political grounds.  You can see that the Senate is not going to remove the President based on the Mueller Report (or on anything else really) and understand that there is some political risk in starting an impeachment process. But once the die is cast, there are a lot of people who are going to say, "Ok, cool.  Impeach the motherfucker."  He deserves to be impeached.  He deserves to be removed.  The Rubicon has been crossed.  The political risks, whatever they are, have already be incurred.  Backing down now would be a political disaster.  Impeach the motherfucker.   

[Tuco 5076]

And I don't necessarily think the GOP is misreading the tea leaves.  They are bragging about fundraising and how this could put purple district Dem House seats in play for them.  They are projecting strength, really, really loudly.  It's what you do when you have a weakness.  They are trying to spook some Dems from pushing ahead.  

Compare that noise to what Pelosi is saying.  Focused on the law/constitution.  Not saying a damn word about the potential political results.  She needs to make it clear this is not a political play, but a responsibility.  

[Js1 85450]

6 minutes ago, Tuco said:

And I don't necessarily think the GOP is misreading the tea leaves.  They are bragging about fundraising and how this could put purple district Dem House seats in play for them.  They are projecting strength, really, really loudly.  It's what you do when you have a weakness.  They are trying to spook some Dems from pushing ahead.  

Compare that noise to what Pelosi is saying.  Focused on the law/constitution.  Not saying a damn word about the potential political results.  She needs to make it clear this is not a political play, but a responsibility.  

This is true - they are screaming about their own internal polls showing impeachment hurting moderate House Dems but the public polling doesn't show this at all.  Lies, damn lies and cooked polling (aka, their 2018 strategy). 

[atomheartbevo 89762]

36 minutes ago, Js1 said:

This is true - they are screaming about their own internal polls showing impeachment hurting moderate House Dems but the public polling doesn't show this at all.  Lies, damn lies and cooked polling (aka, their 2018 strategy). 

The fact that so many Republicans are bailing on Congress shows their internal polls are very damning.

[Hugo Stiglitz 23367]

Democrats should write some potential articles of impeachment and leak them out to the press.  Something to create the perception this thing is moving quickly because Trump is trying to regain the narrative by stalling/obstructing. 

Potential Articles:

Abuse of Power - Ukraine arms for dirt on Biden

obstructing Congressional investigations. 

These are slam dunks to pitch to the public. 

[Hugo Stiglitz 23367]

Now is the time to stomp him democrats. 

[Message Board User 12395]

 

[horncyclist 1391]

3 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

 

Dems need to go for the kill shot. End our long national nightmare.

[Message Board User 12395]

Trump's going to lose his shit when he sees those numbers from Fox.

[Ghost of LL 15539]

1 minute ago, horncyclist said:

Dems need to go for the kill shot. End our long national nightmare.

I think the Democrats think that they can get even more evidence (or evidence of even more crimes).  

It's hard to say that they need to keep their powder dry when you've got a majority favoring removal.  But I think they would like a few more points.

 

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

3 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

Trump's going to lose his shit when he sees those numbers from Fox.

Those rallies in Minnesota and Louisiana this week are going to be volatile. I hope the attendees and protestors keep themselves under control.

[Hugo Stiglitz 23367]

3 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

It's hard to say that they need to keep their powder dry when you've got a majority favoring removal

But they moved that needle by leading and coming out in a show of force.  They must stay on offense and keep pushing the needle.  Sitting back and waiting seems more risky at this point.  

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

It's a tough call Hugo. I'm not opposed to what you're saying, momentum is picking up and that is good but Ghost of LL is not wrong. That delay on the Mazar's release is a wrinkle, but if they can get that info, it may not be related to the whole whistleblower complaint, but I think people's views would be cemented if they saw just how deep into the Russian money laundering, loan sharking, mob world DJ was/is.

[Hugo Stiglitz 23367]

23 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

It's a tough call Hugo. I'm not opposed to what you're saying, momentum is picking up and that is good but Ghost of LL is not wrong. That delay on the Mazar's release is a wrinkle, but if they can get that info, it may not be related to the whole whistleblower complaint, but I think people's views would be cemented if they saw just how deep into the Russian money laundering, loan sharking, mob world DJ was/is.

It’s more about perception management now for the democrats.  Just keep visibly advancing the impeachment process in the press, no more “waiting on the courts, documents..bullshit”. Start convicting Trump NOW in the court of public opinion.

[Pescado_Rojo 19427]

[Ghost of LL 15539]

16 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

It’s more about perception management now for the democrats.  Just keep visibly advancing the impeachment process in the press, no more “waiting on the courts, documents..bullshit”. Start convicting Trump NOW in the court of public opinion.

Here's another concern--if you're going to get a conviction in the Senate, you're going to need 20 Republicans.  The only way to get that is to have 20 Republicans convinced that the electoral risk/reward favors voting for a conviction.

God knows they're not going to vote out of concern for the well-being of the country or preservation of the Republic.  It's all about their electoral prospects.

For most Republicans, the thing that they have most to fear is a primary challenge.  And if this vote gets pushed until after the filing deadlines, then that concern goes off the table.

The first filing deadline for a Republican senator that is running for reelection is Arkansas (Tom Cotton) on November 12.  After that you have Texas on December 9 and North Carolina (Thom Tillis) on December 20.  Mississippi (Cindy Hyde-Smith) is on January 10.

I don't think Nancy Pelosi has any intention of dragging this out to January 10, 2020.  But that November 12 deadline is something worth considering.

[shnsajax 3591]

One of the many reasons Rudy is losing his fucking mind.

[Brisketexan 105181]

Just now, shnsajax said:

One of the many reasons Rudy is losing his fucking mind.
 

 

Seeing Rudy die in prison would make me smile.

[shnsajax 3591]

Seeing Rudy die in prison would make me smile.

If he ever goes it will happen at the speed of Paterno.

[henrygandorf 29194]

2 hours ago, Message Board User said:

 

i don't like the wording of these poll questions.

impeached but not removed is too specific, and almost misleading.  basically they're telling us that 4% of people think it needs to be done as a gesture, an obligation that the house has.  if i was not paying attention, but knew enough to know shit needed to be investigated, my answer would be closer to, "he needs to be impeached, so that people can start testifying and citizens can learn more about what actually happened, and once we do, then i'll let you know if i think he should also be removed."

there really needs to be a "want to learn more" option that goes along with it.  the inquiry phase (that i guess we're officially in now) is what people think of.  they think of the nixon hearings, which is when shit came to light.  the numbers are encouraging and growing daily, but people need to be educated.

i wonder how the 4% is broken down.  i bet half were confused by the phrasing of the question.

[Bookman 4639]

34 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

i wonder how the 4% is broken down.  i bet half were confused by the phrasing of the question.

This is America. Regardless of how the question is worded, 33% of people are going to be confused.

[henrygandorf 29194]

15 minutes ago, Bookman said:

This is America. Regardless of how the question is worded, 33% of people are going to be confused.

there's a scene in a west wing episode where josh is particularly annoyed by polling results.  he keeps saying it out loud, "67% of people think we spend too much on foreign aid, and 59% of people want it cut."  about the 3rd time he repeats it throughout the episode, will is like, "you like that stat, don't you."  and he replies, "there are 8% of people who think we spend too much on foreign aid, but don't want it cut."

[Aqua Buddha 14599]

2 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

Here's another concern--if you're going to get a conviction in the Senate, you're going to need 20 Republicans.  The only way to get that is to have 20 Republicans convinced that the electoral risk/reward favors voting for a conviction.

God knows they're not going to vote out of concern for the well-being of the country or preservation of the Republic.  It's all about their electoral prospects.

For most Republicans, the thing that they have most to fear is a primary challenge.  And if this vote gets pushed until after the filing deadlines, then that concern goes off the table.

The first filing deadline for a Republican senator that is running for reelection is Arkansas (Tom Cotton) on November 12.  After that you have Texas on December 9 and North Carolina (Thom Tillis) on December 20.  Mississippi (Cindy Hyde-Smith) is on January 10.

I don't think Nancy Pelosi has any intention of dragging this out to January 10, 2020.  But that November 12 deadline is something worth considering.

If the electoral prospects are so bad that 20 GOP Senators defect, why not just keep Trump on the ballot and ride those prospects out?  

[RayDog 682]

36 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

If the electoral prospects are so bad that 20 GOP Senators defect, why not just keep Trump on the ballot and ride those prospects out?  

If Moscow Mitch thinks his only chance of keeping a Senate majority is to get rid of Trump, he will get rid of Trump.

[atomheartbevo 89762]

3 hours ago, Message Board User said:

Trump's going to lose his shit when he sees those numbers from Fox.

Trump's going to definitely flip.  And lately, Fox News proper, not the evening roundup of idiots and Fox and Idiots in the morning, but the actual news segment of Fox News, has been dripping these kinds of stories over the past few weeks - they even broke a story or two that was pretty damning, and was exclusive to them.

The thing a lot of you all are missing is this:  If the Murdochs had wanted that poll squashed, it would not have seen the light of day.

The Murdochs want Trump and their viewers to see this poll.

[HenryJames 66135]

 

[Goredho 17413]

9 hours ago, RayDog said:

If Moscow Mitch thinks his only chance of keeping a Senate majority is to get rid of Trump, he will get rid of Trump.

I agree, but a majority of Americans could want impeachment and removal without the alternative outcome threatening GOP control of the senate.  What matters is the sentiment of Joe Voter in states where the GOP holds senate seats.  Do they think Trump is a villain or victim in this?  If they decide victim, Mitch won’t give a shit what 60% of Americans think.

It would be interesting to see an overlay of impeachment poll numbers on a map. Or polls limited to voters in states where the GOP holds a senate seat.

[GW Hayduke 1953]

When and who is the next public testimony? I thought the ex-ambassador to Ukraine was today. 

[sachick 1189]

16 minutes ago, GW Hayduke said:

When and who is the next public testimony? I thought the ex-ambassador to Ukraine was today. 

tomorrow. if she shows up.

[jimmyjazz 46001]

For what it's worth, the stooge duo of "Todd and Don" were ranting on KLBJ-AM this morning about the lack of due process being afforded to the President in these testimonies.

I'm surprised those idiots can tie their shoes.

[Js1 85450]

2 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

For what it's worth, the stooge duo of "Todd and Don" were ranting on KLBJ-AM this morning about the lack of due process being afforded to the President in these testimonies.

I'm surprised those idiots can tie their shoes.

That is a bold assumption. 

[Chad Fuck 17699]

1 hour ago, GW Hayduke said:

When and who is the next public testimony? I thought the ex-ambassador to Ukraine was today. 

Pretty sure it's tomorrow.

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Pete Sessions is being reported as Congressman 1 in the arrest of the two Rudy associates this morning. 

https://twitter.com/Tom_Winter/status/1182307562055770114?s=19

Edited October 10, 2019 by cactusflinthead

[Js1 85450]

3 minutes ago, cactusflinthead said:

Pete Sessions is being reported as Congressman 1 in the arrest of the two Rudy associates that got arrested this morning. 

https://twitter.com/Tom_Winter/status/1182307562055770114?s=19

His attempted return to Congress is off to a great start! 

[Ghost of LL 15539]

1 minute ago, Js1 said:

His attempted return to Congress is off to a great start! 

Forget it--it's Waco.

[Hugo Stiglitz 23367]

 

[Longhorn_Fan68 33881]

2 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

 

this is starting to get interesting

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

Have they tried inquiring at various Trump properties?

[Francisco 2.0 32395]

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/10/ukraine-impeachment-inquiry-white-house-authority-michael-duffey-who-led-wisconsin-gop/3930233002/

 

Quote

Another Wisconsinite is reportedly tangled up in the probe into President Donald Trump's efforts to get Ukraine to investigate his opponent Joe Biden.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Michael Duffey, a politically appointed Office of Management and Budget official, was given authority by the White House to keep aid to Ukraine on hold after career budget staff members questioned the legality of delaying the funds.

 

Quote

Duffey previously served as executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

"While career civil servants put an initial hold on the aid, Michael Duffey, associate director of national security programs in OMB, was given the authority for continuing to keep the aid on hold after the career staff began raising their concerns to political officials at OMB, according to people familiar with the matter," the newspaper reported.

 

Quote

Duffey also began overseeing the process for approving and releasing funds for other foreign aid and defense accounts, according to the report.

Trump's order to withhold nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine in July is at the heart of House Democrats' move to launch an impeachment inquiry to investigate allegations that Trump used U.S. foreign policy powers to benefit himself politically.

Some sources told the Wall Street Journal that Duffey "took on the role because he was new to the job and wanted more insight into the apportionment process."

 

Quote

But his involvement was not typical.

"The involvement of a political official like Mr. Duffey in the apportionment process is unusual, according to several former OMB officials," the report said.

Duffey left Wisconsin's Republican Party in December 2016 when he was named to then-President-elect Donald Trump's national security team at the Pentagon.

 

Quote

A native of Wauwatosa, Duffey held a number of high-level campaign positions in Wisconsin, including state director for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. 

Duffey also worked in Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Department of Defense. He  previously served as the agency's liaison to the White House for then-President George W. Bush.

In July 2015, he returned to Wisconsin to take over as the day-to-day manager of the state Republican Party, replacing Joe Fadness, the former executive director. 

 

[SimonBolivar 10958]

2 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

Forget it--it's Waco.

Paging Chet Edwards

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

11 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/10/ukraine-impeachment-inquiry-white-house-authority-michael-duffey-who-led-wisconsin-gop/3930233002/

 

 

 

 

 

 

I guess the saying is true then: when you say Wisconsin, you’ve said it all. 

The piles of corruption getting higher and higher. 

What a day. 

[henrygandorf 29194]

47 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

Have they tried inquiring at various Trump properties?

trump properties are basically sanctuary cities for organized crime associates and foreign govt stooges.

[Bama Chick 28596]