They could just dink around.
What’s next? Executive privilege claimed for any communication, past, present, or future, with anyone Trump or his Adminstration has or may talk too?
Obstruction, in full view, 24/7.
“…a President and his senior advisers must frequently consult with individuals outside of the Executive Branch, and those communications are also subject to protection.”
The subset of people never having been employed in the Executive Branch, that Trump and his senior aides might consult with and thereby be off limits to Congressional questioning or oversight, numbers as of today approximately 7.7 billion persons. Actually, Trump is claiming every person on the planet is off limits to Congressional interviews or testimony. Probably a compelling enough argument to get a 5-4 finding from SCOTUS in their favor. It's an Article II thing. Ask Trump, he'll tell you all about it.
https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/Great. House Democrats are now the drunk who lost his keys in the middle of the block, but who’s looking for them under the corner street lamp because the light is better there.
Subpoena the important witnesses. Hold contempt votes. Push the courts to enforce the subpoenas and contempt citations.
Impeach.
I’m starting to get the sense that Pelosi thinks that if she continues to give him more rope, Trump will keep doing and saying more to show his corruption and criminality and that will bring the public (Republicans won’t yet budge) further along on supporting impeachment or totally abandoning Trump - that he’ll “self impeach.”
Not sure if I agree, but the public may not pay attention to much before September anyway. I’d rather move forward now, but I guess we’ll see if Pelosi has a timeline in mind.
Nadler should hold a press conference and implore the Russians to give him everything they have on Trump, and promise to reward them mightily if they do.
Let’s see Fox News and Kellyanne Conway bitch about that and claim Trump would never stoop so low as to do such a thing.
Another good slow-walking tactic, like calling Watergate witnesses from 1974.
This is beating around the bushes.
And they still haven’t charged any one with contempt of Congress.
Impeachment Now!
Thank you! That belief is in my back pocket, as well. Really fucking frustrating, though, just waiting, and waiting, and waiting. - Varuca Salt
Maybe, maybe not. But Executive Privilege is limited to the time the Executive is, you know, the Executive.
In other words, Mr. Purpura, Executive Privilege doesn’t cover Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Effectively it does when the people pursuing Trump are a bunch of surrender monkeys when push comes to shove.
All of the Democratic candidates should say, in their various press conferences, “Russia, China, I’m sure our press would reward you bigly for any embarasing information you have on Donald Trump, or any video or audio recordings you have of him committing crimes.”
You know, I have been a faithful supporter of Pelosi’s slow but sure strategy, knowing, from much of my experience, that things often look much different on the inside than they do from the outside. That often there are contributing factors that we, the general public, are unaware of or less sensitive to. That second-guessing those on the inside can often result in bad mistakes. I don’t want to be a Monday night quarterback.
But I am really, really beginning to get tired of all the pussyfooting now and really want someone to show some spine. This new strategy strikes me as more than weak – it feels like they are running out of ideas and strength.
I may be missing some of the finer points here (wouldn’t be the first time, won’t be the last), but WTF is this supposed to prove? Does anyone have any idea???
This news today depressed and disgusted me.
So the President himself will be called?
from @rickjones
I’m starting to get the sense that Pelosi thinks that if she continues to give him more rope, Trump will keep doing and saying more to show his corruption and criminality and that will bring the public (Republicans won’t yet budge) further along on supporting impeachment or totally abandoning Trump - that he’ll “self impeach.”
from @tsp Thank you! That belief is in my back pocket, as well
[/quote]
@rickjones and @tsp …There is something very VERY wrong with Dem messaging.
The polling is that support for Impeachment is below 50% overall. However, there has been less interest in differentiating
-
IMPEACHMENT
-
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
In terms of what each entails and actual support for each and why
Look:
The GOP is the best at messaging because their product is the bigotry and hate of a segment of the population (even though public support for Democratic policies is always consistently higher than for the GOP ones).
For whatever reason, the Dems are the worst party in the modern era…in terms of message savvy.
The lack of focus on the DIFFERENCES between Impeachment and Impeachment Inquiry is an example. of this. If the GOP’s effectiveness hinged on this focus, the differences would be distilled into strategy, tactics, talking points and slogans.
I’m getting the impression with Pelosi and company that it is not that they just don’t care. I’m wondering if they can’t see the forest for the trees.
EDIT to add … it is not
Naw. They’re just looking at a different set of metrics. If it’s impossible to remove him because of McTurtle and a recalcitrant Senate, then why expose the folks in low-margin districts where it may cost seats and possibly even the House.
Not that I agree with them (I think with all of his latest shit where he’s bragging about doing in 2020 what he got away with in 2016 is more than enough to impeach), but they’re not coming from a place of not caring, but rather caring from a different point of view.
…and any communication via any means by anyone who has been within a 10,000-mile radius of any extant or potential property which does or which could be owned by the president, any member of his family, or by one of Ivanka’s handbags.
Or he could hold a rally and implore the Russians to give him everything they have on Trump.