Senators asked a whopping 93 questions of House impeachment managers and President Trump’s legal defense team Wednesday, the first day of the question-and-answer phase of the impeachment trial.
Alan Dershowitz is the Lindsey Graham of Roy Cohns.
Dershowitz is past his sell by date
“I want the whistleblower."
Again with the (irrelevant) whistleblower. What they really want is the whistleblower’s head on a pike as a warning to other potential whistleblowers.
Why are my tax dollars paying for Cipollone to be Trump’s defense lawyer?
And again what direct knowledge do either Biden have on the pressure campaign that Trump wants Ukraine to do on them?
Also when Bolton’s book comes out there are going to be Senators that will have a lot of 'splaining to do.
Roy Cohn is an example of someone who’s doing an amazing job, and is being recognized more and more, I notice.
I want Rudy’s head on a pike, trout, or bass (just not a billy bass).
Welcome back.
And may I take this opportunity to say, now that Ken Jennings has reaffirmed his status as the Ken Jennings of Ken Jenningses, that “Therapist to flag: ‘Can you show us on the doll where the president touched you?’” is still the Ken Jennings of TPM comments.
I’ll just say this: Adam Schiff is just so good that even though everyone knows the fix is in and conviction is impossible, he’s tied the Republicans into such fits that they literally don’t know what to do anymore.
He’s extracted a maximal political price from them if they do the wrong thing -which is what they’ll do or they wouldn’t be Republicans. He’s so good that sometimes I think there’s a chance of getting Trump out, even though there realistically isn’t until November.
I doubt Bolton’s book is going to come out anytime soon as Trump will, without any basis, classify substantial portions of it.
If Bolton is as shrewd as people say, he would have anticipated this, and should have a countermove. I don’t know what it would be, but maybe he’ll sing to the House or the media if Trump pushes him hard here.
And a crappie in his mouth.
When Trump is acquitted, the House will go back to work investigating the administration, and it is very likely that they will call Bolton in. If he refuses at that point, he was just playing games, but I suspect he’d testify despite any threats to Trump…him testifying after acquittal will be devastating to the Republicans and Trump, especially if he says what he said in the book.
That’s how he gets his revenge…he should know now that he has burned all the bridges to the conservative world by the reaction he got on Monday, so he might as well stand on principle and take out the crazy right wing that he doesn’t agree with. He can be the hero that saved the Republican party in the history books, or at least convince himself that’s how they will be written.
Bolton disputes the NSC and WH classification of his book and plans to publish in March 17, come Hell or high water. Prior censorship is still illegal in this country, but if they stop him in the courts and he really wants it out there, he can give it to the House and have them read it into the Congressional Record, (see Pentagon Papers for a precedent).
I heard tonight he is scheduled to go on 60 Minutes and do a long interview between now and the book release.
“Your election is in the public interest,” Dershowitz said. “And if a President does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment.”
Girls and certain men (psst: the blahs) excepted, of course.
OT:
Wells Fargo pulls Florida voucher donations over anti-gay school policies
Wells Fargo and Fifth Third Bank said they will stop donating millions to the program after a news investigation found many of the schools have anti-LGBTQ policies.
Any bets that the interview has already taken place and is in the can? That portions, if not all. of it will somehow make it into the public sphere over the next hours/days/weeks?
I don’t like Bolton, never have, but I do not underestimate his smarts. I am willing to bet that he is a sufficiently skilled tactician that he has not only anticipated what is happening now, but that he has a contingency plan or three up his sleeve to deal with it.
It’s clear he wants it all to come out and it will.
Here’s a non-hypothetical softball question someone should have entered about Ted Cruz (I know Cruz is not on trial, but neither is Hunter Biden and I keep hearing questions about him ): “If a political opponent said horrible things about your wife and told lies about your father, would you ever in the future prostrate yourself to said candidate because of your political ambition?” The question answers itself.
Seriously, Dershowitz should consider a stand up comedy career. Am I the only one who laughed my ass off during his ridiculous arguments?
Added:
His material and deadpan delivery were both spot on.
They sure got a lot of questions for people who don’t want to call no witnesses.
Schiff is awesome. Ron Johnson lobbed a softball question: if the House didn’t pursue subpoenas in the court because they would take too long to litigate, why shouldn’t the Senate do the same thing? Skip to 3:30 for Schiff, but really, watch Sekulow spread the garbage to truly appreciate Schiff’s response.
The Graham/Cruz question to Schiff was quite telling: “If Pres. Obama had evidence that Mitt Romney’s son was being paid $1 million/yr by a corrupt Russian company & Romney had acted to benefit that company, would Obama have authority to ask that that potential corruption be investigated?”
If Pres. Obama had evidence of criminal activity, he should have turned it over the FBI. Especially if it involved a political rival. It’s terrifying that we have Senators who don’t know this.