Senate Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pledged on Sunday to help Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) change the Senate’s rules on impeachment trials if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) doesn’t hand over the two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump this week.
“And the Supreme Court must rule on our schedule and the president must adhere to our timelines.”
The House impeached Trump Dec 18.
A one-week trial and conviction could have removed Trump before he blew up the Middle East with a gangland hit slash war crime.
If we have war with Iran, it’s on McConnell’s head. This is all still because he wants more judges and to prevent anti-corruption legislation from advancing.
This is McConnell’s war, and he is positively giddy at the possibility that it will provide cover for him to clean up the crimes he committed to bring us to this point.
This is how Organized Money disposes with the business of the country. Think on it the next time you hear the phrase “good corporate citizen.” Foreign policy < favorable tax rates, crooked laws.
ETA: and by the way, there is plenty of evidence to suggest the Iran shit is being done for exactly the same reason Trump withheld aid from Ukraine: it’s not in the US national interest, it’s just a distraction he needs from impeachment, Deutsche Bank revelations, etc. This Iraq distraction is another instance of the same misconduct Trump has been impeached for. It’s like an accused murderer derailing his own trial by killing a juror.
You know what keeps the Senate from “getting on with the business of the American people,” Lindsay? Moscow Mitch McConnell and the rest of you who empower him. Take a look at that huge pile of House-passed bills that is sitting on his desk and on which he refuses to even allow debate. You’re proud that he’s “the grim reaper” of legislation, remember?
“Knock knock”
“Who’s there?”
“Control Freak. Now you say, ‘Control Freak who?’”
Nancy Pelosi sees a hanging curveball…
just waiting on Gardner, Tillis and Ernst.
It’s not the rules of the Senate. It’s the Comstitution. McConnell pocketed the Medici Garland SCOTUS nomination, so Graham and anyone else can o fuck themselves on ‘niceties’. It really make me wonder what kompromat they have on him.
The Speaker of the House has gotten under little Lindsey’s thin skin. He needs at least 51 votes to do whatever it is he is proposing which may or maynot be constitutional.
Oh, and Senator Graham, 57% of Americans want Trump tried, want witnesses and want him removed from office.
What are the rules covering reactivating a retired military officer to active duty status?
If Graham is so interested in the Constitution, he’ll recuse himself. Because there’s this pesky little Oath Senators are obliged to take. The one that he’s already told us he’ll violate in a heartbeat.
The majority of all Americans, meaning almost all sane Americans, want a free and fair trial. They’ll definitely notice if there’s a preemptive dismissal.
Don’t they have to vote on changes like that?
He seems a bit panicked as he should.
Is Iran supposed to take my eye off Impeachment or is Impeachment supposed to take my eye off Iran?
When there are so many clusterfucks…
This guy sometimes gets on my last nerve but nails it here.
We can always count on Lindsay to see things through. Boots will not lick themselves, you know.
Well, no. The Chief Justice, as presiding judge, would have to rule on whether a change in the rules could permit the case to go forward if the prosecutors–the House–are not given a reasonable chance to prepare. And then the Senate could overrule him with a majority vote.
What it comes down to is whether McYertle could maintain his majority for such a move.
Edit: CBS reported tonight that it would take 67 votes to change the rules. I’m not confident that that’s accurate, but I’m not an expert on this.
This is a trial balloon. If some Republicans will not commit, this won’t go anywhere.
Dear Lindsey, may your proctologist be a frustrated trombonist!
I apologize deeply for leaving a Trump tweet here, but this is some serious batshit crazy. Get him out now please. War Powers notification by tweet? Something the Courts have ruled as having no legal standing.
Kinda ominous.
Watch Israel or Saudi Arabia pull a sneak strike on one of our facilities shortly that they’ll blame on Iran just to nudge things along.