Senate Democrats may have lost an early battle with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to call witnesses for the upcoming Senate impeachment trial. But many Dems are refusing to concede the war over bringing in additional evidence into their proceedings, which will decide whether President Trump should be acquitted or removed from office for his Ukraine pressure campaign.
And I hope they are relentless on insisting that there are witnesses and testimony. Don’t let #ditchMoscowMitch and the other GOPpers get away with this.
Don’t bet on 4 Republicans because:
“Never underestimate the stupidity of people in large groups.”
Well, now that there’s a pause in getting into a full scale war it’s time to return to impeachment, hey Donnie. And, while I hate what MoscowMitch is trying to do, it beats a war and now we’ll go back to attention on impeachment, until tRump comes up with some other distraction.
“Mitch can’t prevent his members from taking tough votes,”
One of Moscow Mitch’s most-important functions is that he uses his position as majority leader to distort the business of the Senate, to paralyze government on behalf of Organized Money, and to either shield his members or provide voting stunts they can use to generate campaign materials.
McConnell’s approach to leading the Senate is to violate the Hatch Act every day, to protect GOP critters from having to expose their ignorance and incompetence.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said. “I think the enterprise has been tribal and political so far, but perhaps the actual taking of an oath will have an effect.”
Yeah, the oath worked real good on Trump.
I want an SNL sketch with candidate-Trump gleefully plotting the crimes he’ll commit in office, then Roberts comes in to lead him to the inauguration, but when he informs Trump there’s an oath, Trump is devastated because he knows that he won’t be able to follow through with his criminal plans after he whispers those magic words into the Chief Justice’s ear.
Asking for a Baldwin. (… and Kate McKinnon).
There is still a card to play. Joe Biden could say that in order to break the stalemate between House and Senate, he will testify in the Senate if Trump also testifies. Seriously.
Biden needs to face the fact that, wrongly, the media will keep repeating the Trump allegations. He needs to have an unfiltered public appearance, at some point. Or having it made clear that Trump is scared and hiding stuff. And Biden gets to look “middle-ground”, dealmaker and like he’s hiding nothing.
And the time for Biden to do this is now, before the articles go over. Assume that there is no way Trump would testify. If Biden makes this move now, and Trump refuses or even hesitates, Pelosi can withhold the articles saying it’s rigged and we now all know Trump is weak, scared and hiding. If McConnell says “wait and see” on those two witnesses, it’s clear he knows Biden would win the showdown. Pelosi can again withhold the articles. This prevents McConnell from using Biden’s offer/proposal to call just Biden.
And there’s a chance Trump will appear because his masculinity/alpha-thing can’t take it. Which is disaster for Trump. The media frenzy would drive Trump crazy.
Pelosi needs to have Schiff conduct further hearings, subpoena witnesses, and enforce them for any scofflaw refusing to comply. Moscow Mitch needs to know it can only get worse for his cult leader.
Whitehouse is correct. You cannot trust Moscow Mitch or any other rethug.
OT but… What has happened to the Deutsch Bank story? Was it a rethug plant like the Bush TANG story - true but using counterfeit documents so the whole thing could be killed?
I wish the Dems would figure out a jiu-jitsu strategy to turn every Hunter Biden reference into a Baby Trump reference:
I do not at all mind the idea of Biden testifying, but a deal where he’d do it if Trump does is a bad bargain, and wouldn’t lead anywhere either. Trump will never agree to appear and his appearance wouldn’t necessarily be useful even if he did.
But if Biden were to say he’ll appear if the Senate calls witnesses, plural form definitely required, then maybe the game would be worth the candle.
Bargaining with terrorists often ends badly.
I can see the ads in a few months.
“He was impeached”
“But he did not want show evidence or witnesses to clear his name”
“He is still impeached”
“Vote for (whomever) to finish the job.”
good luck with that – given that McConnell can fix it so that only one vote is allowed on the question of witnesses --and that vote can only be taken after argument and questions have been completed.
I mean, if 53 Senators are going to vote to not decide on witnesses until Point X, and Democrats try and force votes before Point X, they are going to be ruled out of order by the Chief Justice.
Now, at that point, any Democrat can request a vote on the CJ’s ruling – but does anyone really see any incentive for any Republican to vote against Roberts enforcing the rules they just passed? All it will accomplish will be making it look like the Dems are obstructing the trial for no good reason…
McConnell took a shot at her for trying to “reach into the Senate and dictate our trial proceedings to us.”
Yes, Moscow Mitch cares deeply that the independence and authority of the Senate will not be compromised by any outside body.
Until Trump tells him to bend over.
I sent a missive to Senator McSally today urging her to insist on fact witnesses and evidence. Pressure, folks; do what is available for you to do.
the problem with this scenario is simple. If the Senate subpoenas Bolton, Mulvaney, etc, and Trump (or Mulvaney, etc) ask the court to determine whether Presidential privilege concerning the conduct of foreign policy, or a Senate subpoena, takes precedence, what is McConnell going to do?
Is he going to delay the trial while the case wends its way through the courts, and try to enforce the Senate subpoena despite Trump telling him “no”?
Or is McConnell going to cite House precedent, and say “we can’t delay our proceedings because of court cases, and so we are going to withdraw the subpoenas just like the House did.”?
My guess is that McConnell will choose Door Number 2.
Any trial in the Senate without the sworn testimony of fact witnesses is an absolute FRAUD perpetrated upon the American people.
I’m talking about political theater. It wasn’t necessary for Ukraine to start an investigation, simply say that they were going to. Same here. It’s all theater, especially for Republicans, and you’re getting mired in the weeds.
I hope they don’t accept anything from #MoscowMitch that isn’t in some way ironclad.
How that can be accomplished, I have no idea.