Congress, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Politics

Mutually Assured Destruction: Unable To Block Witnesses, The GOP Moves To “Plan B”

In my recent Washington Post column, I stated that the Bolton leak accomplished its obvious design to throw the White House defense into disarray and to secure the votes for witnesses. However, I noted that the success could come at a price through ” a mutually assured destruction option: allow both sides to lay waste to each other and leave it to the public to pick through the ruins.” That appears to be the “Plan B” being discussed by Republicans in a game of chicken over witnesses.

According to Fox, after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., privately said he wasn’t sure there were enough Republican votes to block more witnesses, a plan is being floated that a package of witnesses would be put forward to include both Hunter Biden and Adam Schiff. Another plan would have President Donald Trump invoke privilege over all the current and former Administration officials. That plan would have the worst optics but President Trump does not appear worried about the optics.

In other words, this is about to get quite sporty in the Senate and, as my column discusses today in the Hill, it all could end up in the court of John Roberts.

336 thoughts on “Mutually Assured Destruction: Unable To Block Witnesses, The GOP Moves To “Plan B””

  1. Trump’s Team Gives Disputed Answer On Subpoenas

    THE QUESTION
    Describe in further detail your contention that all subpoenas issued prior to the House’s approving the impeachment inquiry were invalid.

    WHO ASKED
    Sens. Rounds (R-S.D.) and Murkowski (R-Alaska) asked the White House lawyers.

    THE ANSWER
    Trump lawyer Patrick Philbin said the White House’s contention is based on case law interpreting constitutional case law giving constitutional power to the House — not a House committee or individual member.

    “There is no standing rule in the House that provides the committees … the authority to use the impeachment power to issue subpoenas,” Philbin said.

    WHY IT MATTERS
    Philbin’s answer is highly disputed and was actually refuted by the most recent case law on the matter, which came from the federal district court in Washington. The White House legal team’s interpretation would be a dramatically narrower conception of congressional subpoena authority that it’s been in practice for decades.

    The House Intelligence Committee had subpoena authority well before the impeachment inquiry began, and the District Court decision indicated that the House’s claim to be in an impeachment inquiry delivered by Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sept. 24 was valid.

    Edited from: “Senators Pelt Trump’s Lawyers And Impeachment Managers With Questions”

    Today’s Politico

  2. John Bolton on August 27, 2019 to Radio Free Europe interview re: Trump’s July 25 phone call:

    [Zelensky] and President Trump have already spoken twice [in April and July 2019]. The president called to congratulate President Zelensky on his election and on his success on the parliamentary election. They were very warm and cordial calls. … The success of Ukraine maintaining its freedom, its system of representative government, a free-market economy free of corruption, and dealing with the problems of the Donbass and the Crimea are high priorities here obviously and high priorities for the United States as well.

    Bolton was fired by Trump in September 2019…and then changed his tune

  3. Moderate Republicans Raise Question..

    Trump’s Lawyers Cant Answer

    A pair of moderate Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), prodded Trump’s defense team on whether the president pressed Ukraine for the investigation of Joe Bidenbefore the former vice president launched his 2020 campaign.

    Collins and Murkowski noted that “witnesses testified before the House that President Trump consistently expressed the view that Ukraine was a corrupt country before Vice President Biden formally entered the 2020 presidential race in April 2019.”

    “Did President Trump ever mention Joe or Hunter Biden in connection with corruption in Ukraine to former Ukrainian President Poroshenko or other Ukrainian officials, President Trump’s Cabinet members, or top aides or others?” they asked.

    An attorney on Trump’s defense team, Deputy White House Counsel Patrick Philbin, dodged the question, saying he couldn’t answer it because the information was not in the House record.

    “I’m limited to what’s in the record, and what’s in the record is determined by what the House of Representatives saw,” he said, later adding: “So I can’t point to something in the record that shows President Trump at an earlier time mentioning specifically something related to Joe or Hunter Biden.”

    Schiff later refuted that assertion, arguing that Trump’s team was being disingenuous to get out of answering the question. “You’re not confined to the record in the House, nor is the president,” Schiff said. “The president could call witnesses if they existed. There’s nothing to prevent them from saying, ‘As a matter of fact, tomorrow we’re going to call such-and-such, and they’re going to testify that indeed, Donald Trump brought up Hunter Biden to President Poroshenko.’ ”

    Edited from: “Collins, Murkowski Ask If Trump Wanted An Investigation Before Biden Ran For President”

    Today’s Washington Post

    1. Regarding Above:

      Anyone who thinks Trump was sincerely concerned about corruption in Ukraine should pay attention here. Trump’s interest only began when Joe Biden announced his candidacy for president.

  4. the Bolton leak accomplished its obvious design to …. secure the votes for witnesses.
    ___________________________________________________

    I am glad that somebody else noticed the obvious.

    I was wondering how they were going to engineer the calling of witnesses after it seemed like there was no possibility of witnesses being called in the Senate.

  5. News claim McConnell say impeachment likely over Friday…

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/breaking-exclusive-anti-trump-cia-whistleblower-in-ukraine-hoax-was-the-leaker-in-the-russia-hoax-and-much-much-more/

    Coronas Virus, forget about containment, it sounds like it’s been in the wild since before Dec 8 2019 un-contained.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/big-china-update-airlines-cancel-more-flights-borders-closing-mayor-of-wuhan-says-government-was-warned-in-december-but-they-kept-it-secret/

      2. The witnesses should be called at this point precisely to hear Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, Adam Schiff and Ciaramella WB under oath. That would disband the Democrat Party and create various left wing splinter parties in its place….with no power whatsoever

        Bring it.

  6. I don’t think the destruction is going to be as mutual as you think it is. Still nothing impeachable and Trump support soaring bigly in spite (almost surely literally) of the propaganda. Goo goo g’joob, yo.

  7. I have to more than chuckle about partisan Republicans who feign surprise about John Bolton. He’s the poster boy for the Republican neoconservatives, the name of a group of liberal interventionists who have been determined to use foreign policy along with the lives of our fellow military citizens for social engineering projects abroad that have produced nothing — unless you want to call chaos and illiberal democracies something.

    While no President should have a bunch of yes men on his staff, hiring this guy in the first place was the height of foolishness. With neoconservatives, it is their way or the highway. And it’s been that way for decades. While I don’t think Bolton will “lie” per se. He will use nuance as a way to imply that Trump sacrificed Jeffersonian Democracy to the whims of Darth Putin.

    1. . He’s the poster boy for the Republican neoconservatives, the name of a group of liberal interventionists

      Actually, ‘the neo-conservatives’ was a term coined by Peter Steinfels to describe a group of academics, publicists, and quondam officials who were disaffected with the regnant liberalism of the day. They were associated with eachother in a series of publications and letterhead organizations. They ceased to be a distinct tendency in the Republican Party more than 25 years ago, but they continue to be invoked as the boogymen by miscellaneous clowns, especially clowns associated with the Rockford Institute, The American Conservative, the v Mises Institute, and Ron Unz.

      1. Neoconservatives such as Charles Krauthammer, Bill Kristol, John Boltan, The Weekly Standard now defunct, numerous writers at National Review, in particular its editor, Rich Lowry, hardly left the Republican Party 25 years ago. They are never Trumpers, and if you would like to ignore that fact, that is your choice.

        1. None of these people represent a distinct tendency in the Republican Party, or ever did. I can explain something to you. I cannot comprehend it for you.

          1. They have all identified themselves as neoconservatives absurd They think the military can be used for social engineering projects abroad the way the liberals use government departments for such projects here at home. And they think, like many liberals, that somehow Democracy is the driving force behind a Constitutional breakthrough..

            This is an open board absurd. Anyone can read your comments on this one. And anyone who knows the slightest bit about neoconservatism is going to see that they know quite a bit more than you do..

      1. George:

        “Mespo impeaches, nay, eviscerates, the impeachers.”
        ************************

        Yeah and for no fee either!!! Well, Guess I’ve become a patriot! (2:40)

        1. One hell of a show last week at the Richmond Va pro 2nd Amd rally. 25-50 thousand Armed & Peaceful Citizens, nice.

          I hope Va can recall those b*stards, vote them out or most of Va joins WV

    3. The only”witnesses” on the Dem side are paid liars willing to perjure themselves.

      1. The only”witnesses” on the Dem side are paid liars willing to perjure themselves.

        Are there any other kind?

        Bill Clinton elevated perjury to a career skillset that Democrats do better than snipers in Bosnia

      2. Fun concept: Perjury is bad.

        If it weren’t for perjury, there would be no need for courtrooms.

        I once had legal problems with a “sworn policeman” as neighbor.

        He was a criminal.

        All he and his family did was lie in court which they knew could not be proved or disproved.

        They were sub-Asian and the wife said I had called her the g-word which was an absolute fabrication and lie.

        The truth is I used the g-word in Vietnam and privately but I never spoke to that woman, for fear of her hysteria, and never called her the g-word.

        If it weren’t for perjury, there would be no need for courtrooms.

  10. The title of this article should be “McConnell Fails.”

    Blacks, for example, vote in a 90% block for communists (liberals, progressives, socialists, democrats), which, incidentally, is an egregious perversion of democracy and one of the prime rationales for restricting the vote which the Greeks and Romans did, and the Founders and States did in 1789.

    Republicans should be voting in a 100% block in support of their Republican President and McConnell, as majority leader, should have secured (negotiated, cajoled, extorted, threatened, induced, forced) this existential, no-brainer, republican vote long ago. Members of political parties may disagree on any number of issues but not on retaining a president of their party, especially one who is clearly innocent of violating the letter and/or spirit of the law. If McConnell cannot communicate that, McConnell should resign, as should the majority whip.

    James Comey charged, prosecuted and convicted Hillary in 15 minutes, then he arbitrarily exonerated his fellow Deep Deep Stater right there in front of God and everybody. Officials prosecuted O.J. Simpson, a double murderer, for double murder, then, after all the damning evidence, including a 2-hour fugitive chase, blacks stacked his jury with blacks and Simpson walked right out of the courtroom to an acquittal party.

    Republicans must assimilate the concept of winning. After victory is obtained, they can debate pertinent legal, ethical and moral issues, if there are any. Ronald Reagan said, “The 11th Commandment prevails and that is: Thou Shalt Not Speak Ill of Another Republican.” There must be a price for treason among republicans. McConnell must exact it.

    3. “War is Hell. Combat is a Mother——!”

      – Unknown Soldier
      ______________

      “Of the 50, Campbell said, 31 service members had returned to duty.”

      – AP
      ____

      “My, oh, my, the sky is falling.

      I must run and tell the lion about it.”

      – Chicken Little
      ____________

      37,461 Highway Deaths, 2019

      – NHTSA
      _______

      “Shhhhhhhh — It happens!”

      – Anonymous
      ___________

      “I’m a victim”

      – Victim, Candi Staton
      __________________

      “After World War II, the UK, USSR, and US detonated more than 2,000 atomic bombs. In Britain, 20,000 soldiers witnessed atomic blasts conducted by their own government. Only a few of them are still alive today and the nuclear glow of the mushroom cloud they witnessed still haunts them. “Nuclear detonations, that was the defining point in my life,” Douglas Hern, a British soldier who experienced five nuclear bomb tests, told Motherboard.”

      “When the flash hit you, you could see the x-rays of your hands through your closed eyes,” he said. “Then the heat hit you, and that was as if someone my size had caught fire and walked through me. It was an experience that was unearthing. It was so strange. There were guys with bruises and broken legs. We couldn’t believe it. To say it was frightening is an understatement. I think it all shocked us into silence.”

      – Vice

    1. And….so Hunter Biden forced Trump to try to leverage military aid appropriated by Congress for his political campaign? Of course not. There’s more than enough evidence to impeach Trump. There’s NO evidence Hunter Biden committed any crimes, as the Ukrainians have said, much less any evidence that JOE Biden did anything wrong. Hunter Biden’s foibles might have some relevance if somehow it directly implicates his father. Where are the dots to be connected? Rhetoric spewed by Fox News is not evidence.

      This is just more Kellyanne Pivoting: if Republicans can’t prevent Bolton from testifying that Trump actually said he was leveraging aid for political gain, it’s only “fair” that they get to trash Joe Biden’s son and imply that somehow his father is bad? Not only is there no logic to this, if Bolton does testify that Trump actually admitted that’s what he was doing, that eliminates the bogus claim that he was only trying to root out corruption in Ukraine, as if anyone believed this to begin with. More of the schoolyard mentality of tit for tat.

      This is the sad state of affairs the narcissist in chief has brought this country to. Trump has always been a selfish, disloyal and vindictive person, but where are the Republicans? What about their oath to protect and defend the Constitution? What about respect for the rule of law and Trump’s flaunting of the law, not just the law prohibiting withholding aid appropriated by Congress, but his disdain for the power of Congressional oversight and bogus claim of blanket privilege? What about respect for Joe Biden and his 8 years of service as Vice President? Borrowing from Joe Welsh: “Have you no decency?”

      1. Natacha should try watching the proceedings in the Senate trial on the news channel of her choice.
        Judging by most of her comments, she evidently watches “Fox News” exclusively.
        And non-stop.
        C-Span would be a good alternative for her, although we’d probably hear claims of bias from her if she saw something on C-Span she didn’t like.
        Exclusively watching someone like a Lawrence O’Donnell or a Rachael Maddow might placate Natacha, so that would be ideal for her.

          2. You should try reading her comments, Fishwings.
            And understand what is in them.
            Hope you don’t view this as an “ad hominem” attack.

      2. “Have you no decency?”

        your bff Bill Clinton porked a young woman and you cheered for him while your ilk destroyed her

        Yea, that narcissistic, pathological lying of your peeps has really paid off….for Americans to ridicule the DNC

        How is Jerold Nadler’s dying wife doing from cancer? Not that Jerold cares

        1. We’re not talking about Bill Clinton. What does Jerry Nadler’s wife or her cancer have to do with this? Where do you get off claiming that Nadler doesn’t care about his wife or her cancer?

          Step back about 20 paces and ask yourself why when people raise concerns about Trump you immediately pivot to attack Bill Clinton and dredge up events of 20 years ago, and to attack someone like Jerry Nadler as a bad or uncaring husband? Could it be due to the Fox News/Breitbart indoctrination that criticism of Trump should produce a response consisting of Kellyanne Pivoting instead of addressing the merits of the criticism of Trump?

          And, even if what you say about Clinton and Nadler is true, how does that answer issues about Trump and his unfitness for office, his errors, his narcissism or his vindictiveness?

          You have proved my point very concisely: this divisiveness and tribalism is what Trump has done to this country. People cannot even rationally discuss issues involving him with the discussion devolving into ad hominem attacks against Democrats or any person who criticizes Trump.

          1. “ We’re not talking about Bill Clinton. ”

            Like Herpes, Bill Clinton is the gift that keeps on giving.

            It is ALWAYS about Bill Clinton, and we thank you for playing.

            😘

            1. Anonymous – we know from the transcripts of the Clinton impeachment and trial, that Bill Clinton has genital herpes. Bill was kind enough to warn Monica about it.

      3. narcissist, kellyane pivot, puxxy grabber, etc. one tires of these histrionics. yawn

        1. AD HOMINEM!, Kurtz. AD HOMINEM!😃
          ( I wanted to save Fishwings the trouble of accusing you of ad hominen attacks).

      4. I guess you didn’t see the video of Joe Biden bragging about withholding military aid to Ukraine until they fired the prosecutor that was investigating the company that his son was working for? That was the son that was obviously unqualified for the job, and being paid an inordinate sum of money. That was the son that got the job because he last name was Biden. Can you say “influence peddling”? Can you “quid pro quo”?

        1. The EU wanted this CORRUPT prosecutor gone. Exactly what “influence” did Hunter “peddle”? Exactly how did Burisma benefit from Hunter’s seat on its board? Did the US purchase gas or oil from Bursima at some outlandish price? Have you answers to these questions?

          Even if you could answer these questions, how does that exonerate Trump?

          1. How did Burisma benefit? You already know. You’ve been told repeatedly. Your sole purpose is to keep repeating false propaganda.

            What was Burisma buying for $83,000 a month. Hunter had no relevant work experience. They paid him multiples of an Exxon executive.

            They are not a fashion house that sells more dresses because Hunter was affiliated with them.

            They are an oil and gas exploration and development company in Ukraine. They were under investigation in Ukraine. Joe Biden said on camera that he, and not Obama, set policy in Ukraine.

            Joe admitted into camera he told Ukraine they had 6 hours to fire the prosecutor or he would not give them $1 billion in aid. They fired the prosecutor. Shortly after, Burisma officials met with the Ukrainian government and apologized for false statements made by American officials against the prosecutor.

            So Burisma benefited by Joe Biden doing this. Burisma hires his drug addict son without work experience, and paid him multiples of the going rate of an Exxon executive. Then Joe Biden bragged on camera about a quid pro quo that happened to keep Burisma in business and out of jail.

            What did Burisma buy?

            There is a legitimate reason to investigate this. Appears Democrats can dish out endless investigations based on false accusations, Russian sourced fake dossiers, and even a doctored email from the CIA, but they can’t take a single legitimate one

            Also, as Ukraine has endlessly explained, they weren’t strong armed, weren’t pressured, nor were they offered a quid pro quo.

            That was Joe. The Democrat.

            1. Nothing you have said makes any sense. HOW did Burisma benefit in some illegal manner by Hunter Biden being on its Board? What do you, personally know and can relate that is anything other than slop you heard from Tucker, Hannity, Fox or Mark Levin. related to Hunter’s abilities or lack thereof that qualifies you to claim he had nothing to offer other than peddling influence illegally? What qualifications does one need to sit on a Board, anyway? I know of any number of wives of politicians that are on all kinds of Boards. He knows about American culture, politics and finances, for example, but in any event, WHAT DID JOE BIDEN DO THAT WAS WRONG? Have you any evidence? Any dots to connect? Can you disprove that the EU demanded the firing of the corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor, or that he wasn’t corrupt, but the bigger question is HOW DOES ANY OF THIS EXONERATE TRUMP? Why is Trump refusing to let witnesses testify? Why is he hiding the actual transcript of the call instead of releasing just the actual memo?

              The accusations against Trump are not false. As has been explained to you, but you refuse to believe, under federal law, mere solicitation of help from a foreign government with his campaign, in the form of smearing Biden, is enough. MERE SOLICITATION. That has been proven. Plus, the aid was held for 84 days. That cannot be denied. Bolton’s testimony destroys the claim of no direct evidence implicating Trump.

              When and how was the Steele Dossier disproven?

              1. Hmmm, what do I know?

                The video where Joe ISSN bragged about a quid pro quo to fire the prosecutor.

                The translated transcript of the meeting where Burisma apologized to Ukraine for the false statements prominent Americans made against their prosecutor.

                The fact Burisma was under investigation.

                Hunter’s pay and benefits package.

                The public announcement of his dismissal from the Navy for cocaine use.

                Hunter’s work experience.

                These are facts. They disprove your false propaganda so of course you don’t like it, but you can’t dispute any of it. That’s why you keep throwing tantrums about Fox.

              2. Natacha:

                Why do you ask questions when you will ignore the proof given, and then just repeat the same questions next week, pretending you don’t already know the answer?

                Answer – for you to spread fake propaganda.

                “When and how was the Steele Dossier disproven?” And again, you ask a question that’s been answered before. You keep spreading false propaganda.

                “The FBI’s conclusion is abridged with lawyerly lethality in the Horowitz report: “The FBI concluded, among other things, that although consistent with known efforts by Russia to interfere in the 2016 U.S. elections, much of the material in the Steele election reports, including allegations about Donald Trump and members of the Trump campaign relied upon in the Carter Page FISA applications, could not be corroborated; that certain allegations were inaccurate or inconsistent with information gathered by the Crossfire Hurricane team; and that the limited information that was corroborated related to time, location, and title information, much of which was publicly available.”
                So Corn finally got an answer to his confirm-or-debunk question. Did he pass along the verdict to his readers?

                He did not.”

                https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/01/10/david-corn-steele-dossier-just-checking-facts/

                “In the meeting, the primary sub-source told the FBI “that he/she had not seen Steele’s reports until they became public that month, and that he/she made statements indicating that Steele misstated or exaggerated the Primary Sub-source’s statements in multiple sections of the reporting,” the report reads.”

                https://thefederalist.com/2019/12/10/steele-own-primary-sub-source-cast-doubt-on-steeles-collusion-claims/

                1. Tune in next week when Natacha asks exactly the same question yet again, pretending she didn’t get the information above, multiple times. She’ll keep spreading пропаганда.

      5. “This is the sad state of affairs….”

        Almost 4 million jobs created since election.
        More Americans are now employed than ever recorded before in our history.
        We have created more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs since my election.
        Manufacturing jobs growing at the fastest rate in more than THREE DECADES.
        Economic growth last quarter hit 4.2 percent.
        New unemployment claims recently hit a 49-year low.
        Median household income has hit highest level ever recorded.
        African-American unemployment has recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
        Hispanic-American unemployment is at the lowest rate ever recorded.
        Asian-American unemployment recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
        Women’s unemployment recently reached the lowest rate in 65 years.
        Youth unemployment has recently hit the lowest rate in nearly half a century.
        Lowest unemployment rate ever recorded for Americans without a high school diploma.
        Under my Administration, veterans’ unemployment recently reached its lowest rate in nearly 20 years.
        Almost 3.9 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps since the election.
        The Pledge to America’s Workers has resulted in employers committing to train more than 4 million Americans. We are committed to VOCATIONAL education.
        95 percent of U.S. manufacturers are optimistic about the future—the highest ever.
        Retail sales surged last month, up another 6 percent over last year.
        Signed the biggest package of tax cuts and reforms in history. After tax cuts, over $300 billion poured back in to the U.S. in the first quarter alone.
        As a result of our tax bill, small businesses will have the lowest top marginal tax rate in more than 80 years.
        Helped win U.S. bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
        Helped win U.S.-Mexico-Canada’s united bid for 2026 World Cup.
        Opened ANWR and approved Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
        Record number of regulations eliminated.
        Enacted regulatory relief for community banks and credit unions.
        Obamacare individual mandate penalty GONE.
        My Administration is providing more affordable healthcare options for Americans through association health plans and short-term duration plans.
        Last month, the FDA approved more affordable generic drugs than ever before in history. And thanks to our efforts, many drug companies are freezing or reversing planned price increases.
        We reformed the Medicare program to stop hospitals from overcharging low-income seniors on their drugs—saving seniors hundreds of millions of dollars this year alone.
        Signed Right-To-Try legislation.
        Secured $6 billion in NEW funding to fight the opioid epidemic.
        We have reduced high-dose opioid prescriptions by 16 percent during my first year in office.
        Signed VA Choice Act and VA Accountability Act, expanded VA telehealth services, walk-in-clinics, and same-day urgent primary and mental health care.
        Increased our coal exports by 60 percent; U.S. oil production recently reached all-time high.
        United States is a net natural gas exporter for the first time since 1957.
        Withdrew the United States from the job-killing Paris Climate Accord.
        Cancelled the illegal, anti-coal, so-called Clean Power Plan.
        Secured record $700 billion in military funding; $716 billion next year.
        NATO allies are spending $69 billion more on defense since 2016.
        Process has begun to make the Space Force the 6th branch of the Armed Forces.
        Confirmed more circuit court judges than any other new administration.
        Confirmed Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
        Withdrew from the horrible, one-sided Iran Deal.
        Moved U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
        Protecting Americans from terrorists with the Travel Ban, upheld by Supreme Court.
        Issued Executive Order to keep open Guantanamo Bay.
        Concluded a historic U.S.-Mexico Trade Deal to replace NAFTA. And negotiations with Canada are underway as we speak.
        Reached a breakthrough agreement with the E.U. to increase U.S. exports.
        Imposed tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum to protect our national security.
        Imposed tariffs on China in response to China’s forced technology transfer, intellectual property theft, and their chronically abusive trade practices.
        Net exports are on track to increase by $59 billion this year.
        Improved vetting and screening for refugees, and switched focus to overseas resettlement.
        We have begun BUILDING THE WALL. Republicans want STRONG BORDERS and NO CRIME. Democrats want OPEN BORDERS which equals MASSIVE CRIME.

        1. We’ve covered this laundry list of self-aggrandizing lies before. The economic matters are more due to Obama than Trump, who has no right to take credit for the booming economy he inherited. “Commitments”, “optimism”, “agreements” and “on track” mean nothing unless these things come to pass. Most of what Trump tries to claim credit for as being “good” aren’t, and require nothing more than a Sharpie to sign Executive Orders. Rolling back regulations will result in more consumer fraud, personal bankruptcies, water, air and soil pollution and cancer deaths. In fact, it was the rolling back of consumer credit regulations that resulted in the 2008 recession. “Tax cuts” benefit mostly the wealthy, and have resulted in historic deficits that our grandchildren will have to pay for. Several million Americans have lost health coverage due to Trump, and many will die because they can’t afford primary care. The funding for opioid treatment and VA health came from Congress, not from Captain Bone Spurs. Regulation of prescribers writing scripts for opioids is from the local and state level, not federal. Trump has nothing to do with this any more than he caused the sun to come up this morning. Military funding comes from Congress, not Trump. Trump threatens tariffs, and then backs off. China historically enters into agreements and then doesn’t do what it promised, just like Trump does when dealing with contractors.

          Only 30 ft. of new wall has been built, and this is from funds diverted from military budgets, primarily to pay to replace below-standard housing for our troops and their families. DEMOCRTS HAVE NEVER, AND DO NOT ADVOCATE FOR OPEN BORDERS. THIS IS ANOTHER CONSTANTLY REPEATED LIE. Most crime is committed by US born criminals, not immigrants, and especially not illegals. Blaming crime on illegals is ANOTHER TRUMP LIE.

          Moving the embassy was done with a stroke of a pen, and has no relevance to the lives of the average American, other than the fact that it pisses off Muslims generally because Palestinians also claim Jerusalem heritage, and Netanyahu wants to make it look like the US supports Israel in its conflicts with Palestinians. Why should the US get involved in this dispute over control of Jerusalem, anyway? Trump primarily did this to curry favor with wealthy Jews to get campaign contributions. In fact, Kushner’s Middle East Peace Plan calls for allowing Israel to keep the land it illegally occupied that belongs to the Palestinians on the West Bank, dissolving sanctions for this illegal conduct, in exchange for an agreement not to build further housing, but allowing Palestinians to establish their own state. They would have to build bridges to go around the illegal Jewish settlements because their area would not be contiguous. How is this good for America? Palestinians already reject this.

          The world laughs out loud at Trump’s stupidity, incompetence, narcissism and arrogance. His arrogance has resulted in tribalism in this country that will take a long time to heal. Distrust for America and her values, even by allies, is something else Trump has caused, and will also take a long time to heal.

          1. Natacha – wait, let me get this straight. Trump reversed most of Obama’s policies, and the economy boomed. The market reacted favorably to his election…and all these gains are because of Obama?

            Wow, you can reverse most of his policies, and years later keep doing better and better than he ever did, get manufacturing jobs back, negotiate favorably to America, and it’s all because of…Obama.

            That’s really foolish.

      6. You are funny and you are proving that whatever you are saying is definitely Natcha brain talking but most likely coming from a part of your body much lower and in back.

  13. Telling Sentence From Column

    “..but President Trump does not appear worried about the optics”.

    Trump is never concerned with optics. That is precisely how he blundered into a Special Counsel Probe and subsequent impeachment.

    1. Seth / Peter Shill / Enoch Poor / / John Burgoyne / Dead Alpha Male Military Officer is back to rally his Media Matters shtick and remind us that Trump is doomed, Doomed, DDDDOOOOMMMMMEEEDDDD!!!

      1. Estovir, your mental state is becoming increasingly questionable. Talk about bad optics! And absurdly you imagine yourself as the most brilliant of comics.

        It’s really sad. Your maturity level must be stuck in 10th Grade. And the exchanges I have with you take me back to high school.

        Insanely you bragged of being like ‘kryptonite’ to me on these threads. You were only half right. ‘You are kryptonite to these threads and any intelligent discussion’.

          1. Didn’t realize you were on Dorothy’s team. Kudos for your bravery in this crowd, did log cabin send you.

    2. Blundered into a Special Counsel probe?” Did you follow any of the report on FISA abuse and the establishment’s insurance policy? Did you even read the call transcript on the Ukraine call? Have you done any fact-checking other than reading leftist headlines? Inquiring minds want to know!

      1. Skipper: the actual transcript hasn’t been released. Trump won’t allow it. Wonder why?

      2. Skipper, we all saw Trump call on Vladimir Putin to “find Hillary’s emails”. Wikileaks then came through like an answered prayer. Trump then went public again saying, “Thank God for Wikileaks!”

        Those optics alone were so absolutely terrible that Trump has only himself to blame for the Mueller Probe and subsequent impeachment. No politician with any common sense would call out to a foreign belligerent like that then praise a criminal hacking.

        Therefore to say that Trump is blameless for Professor Turley’s assessment is a total denial of Trump’s presidency.

        1. Peter, you can accuse Trump of bad optics but he didn’t deal against the US while dealing with Russia. That was done by Obama and Hillary, but you were too worried about the optics to notice.

          1. Leave it to the Democrats to impeach for Treason, Bribery High Crimes and Misdemeanors or Bad Optics.

            Of course bad optics is in the eye of the beholder and that gets to the heart of what’s been going on for the last 4 years. Donald Trump’s first impeachable bad optic was when he and Melania came down the escalator. The optics were never going to get any better for the Democrats and they attempted to make sure of that with the various traps that were laid since. The worst optic for the Democrats is seeing the President being sworn in on January 20, 2021.

        2. Here, we see another example of how Democrats fervently wish that Americans never found out about Hillary’s lawless behavior and lies. The lies Obama covered up. Remember when he claimed he heard about her server when everyone else did, and then later it came out that he was using an alias to email her on that server. LOL. Democrats are so funny when they try to sound morally outraged.

          Many of us were saying that North Korea, China, Russia, and even our allies have Hillary Clinton’s emails. Why? Because the reason why they use a closed server, with strong security measures, is because countries around the world constantly try to steal our information electronically. That’s also why it was against the rules for Hillary Clinton to take her Blackberry into Korea where it was probably hacked. She’s really negligent with classified and sensitive information, but protecting her correspondence from the Records Act was worth it. Worth more than our country.

          Of course many countries have her emails. She kept them on a bootleg server in her bathroom, where people with no security clearance whatsoever had physical access to it, had it maintained by private sector IT guys with zero clearance, and then, just in case spies missed it, she had it backed up to the Cloud. What kind of idiot does that? One who cares about keeping damaging communications secret, against the law, than she does about protecting our nation’s interests. If it was anyone else, they’d be in prison.

          Stating the obvious, that other countries have her emails, isn’t espionage. It’s remarking on the terrible vulnerability Hillary Clinton caused due to her own hubris.

          This is a coup. Who knows. Maybe uneducated activists will manage to turn the US into a Single Party Socialist state, and we’ll all be fighting over toilet paper, and dumpster diving. The fall of great civilizations often happen from within. We’re trying to protect these activists from their own folly, and we don’t want to be dragged down with them. But maybe they’ll win, and the entire country will fall to ruin.

    3. oh but perhaps the optics he’s going for are the ones you dont like.

      and maybe those optics are more powerful than you suspect.

      1. Trump was referring to the 30,000 emails bleach- bitted from her private server.
        If the claim is that Trump got “an answered prayer” in response when he jokingly asked WikiLeaks to produce those 30,000 private server emails, where are they?

        1. Wikileaks delivered the DNC hacks shortly after Trump called on Putin. What’s more, Trump’s friend, Roger Stone, has essentially admitted to knowing in advance that the DNC hacks were coming.

          2. That does not change the fact that Trump was talking about the 30,000 deleted emails from Hillary’s private server.
            It was the DNC emails that WikiLeaks published, not the private email servers Trump was talking referencing.
            Those are two distinct groups of emails, and the earlier comment by “Seth” was misleading in that it suggested that those 30,000 deleted private server emails were what WikiLeaks delivered.
            That was not the case, and anyone can go back to his statement at the time to verify that he was talking about the bleach- bitted emails.

            1. Anonymous, whatever!! It’s bad optics for an American presidential candidate to publicly call on the Russian leader to help his campaign. So Professor Turley’s statement was totally on the mark. But you’re so steeped in What Abouts you think you can What About this away. That’s where we are in the Trump era.

              1. Yeah, “whatever”. I think facts and accurate are important, but hey, that’s just me.
                Seth should just continue to do what works best for him.

          3. The DNC hacked emails were published on July 22, 2017.
            Trump’s comment about getting the deleted SERVER emails was on July 27, AFTER the DNC hacked emails were published by WikiLeaks.
            Trump was clearly talking about the Hillary 30,000 private server emails that “vanished”.
            If someone wants to bring up the issue of Trump’s July 27th comment, it’d be better to know what the basic facts are.
            The DNC hacked emails were published 5 days BEFORE Trump made that comment, not delivered as “an answered prayer” after Trump’s July 27 comment.
            And he was clearly talking about the Hillary private server emails, not the DNC emails that had already been published.

          4. Of all the DNC/Hillary Emails that prove multiple crimes which ones were shown to be false?

            Not a one correct?

    4. “Trump is never concerned with optics.”

      Peter, isn’t it wonderful to have a President that worries about the country instead of the optics?

  14. Oh, by “Plan B”, I thought you meant that the GOP hoped to prevent the fertilized Trump from implanting into the uterine wall of the GOP. The sane Republicans tried that back in 2015-2016, and it didn’t work. So all that’s left now is either an abortion, or to eliminate the monstrosity a la Ancient Greek infanticide.

    1. In other words allow only RINOs who are the right wing of the left and ditch the Constitutionl Republic in favor of a socialist dictatorship. Less words more accuracy.

    2. Trump is Herakles and the evil RINO scum tried like so many snakes to strangle him in the cradle, and failed

      Like Herakles he is presented with Olympian challenges and like the hero he will prevail

      now, let’s see a fun video based on a movie about the famed Herakleid Spartans of old

      1. @Mr Kurtz:

        Trump may be Heracles in your fever dreams, but in the real world, he’s a tub-o-lard in physique and Chucky in behavior. And that you and too many others celebrate that is indicative of why this ostensibly-democratic republic is in such poor shape.

  15. I’m more in line with unilateral assured destruction which appears to be working since the DNC 100% and the GOP to some extent continue to ignore the largest voting block of registered voters so unilateral is workingi for us as American Citizens. However to give you something worth while on the subject here is a list my sister who works for Mayo sent concerning the
    Corona Virus.

    “Just keep washing your hands. With antibacterial soap.

    When someone sneezes the germs are alive for hours and may still be on the arm of a chair or other things you touch. Especially in restaurants, etc.

    At home wash your fruit and vegies in vinegar water. And keep a breathable mask with you just in case you get stuck in a room full of sniffers and sneezers.

    Same precautions as normal flus. The only difference is you can be contagious with this flu for up to two weeks before you have any symptoms.

    Avoid full elevators but I don’t think that where you live this is a problem. And wear that mask when you go to the VA or on the bus to and from Tucson. Buses and taxi’s don’t get cleaned well enough to kill germs. Might want to take Lysol wipes with you for your bus trip and hotel rooms.

    The minute you have flu symptoms (especially in the lungs) go to a doctor/clinic. It can be cured if treated in time. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.”

    The lesson contained therein is bipartisan or cross partisan won’t work if the virus strikes first as it gets a two week head start. It is of course Pelosian in nature with a twist of Schumerian as the follow up.

    1. Michael,

      Great advise, spot on, but I’ll be going no where near a doctors office or hospital full of sick people. You should hear the calls from people with 1st hand knowledge out of Wuhan China area.

      People should have already prepared, but many thought we were crazy, acting like boy scouts. Always be prepared.

      Advise: Get healthy as fast as one can, secure water & there’s other stuff but it’s boring for most.

      We’ll know for sure soon, few days/week/s, if the DC, congress, senators & military/big pharma start fall over soon.

      In the mean time I’ve already been staying away from public places.

      1. Yes Oky they make fun of survivalists all the time dont they. all paranoiacs…. until the SHTF

        the epidemic is now bigger than the 2003 SARS outbreak.

        Not just Hubei but all adjacent provinces are totally locked down. i have friends in contiguous states who are strictly quarantined and can’t go out of city. all highways are blocked. trains cut off and airports too. the scale of the quarantine there is enormous. we are talking about numerous cities, city after city, the size of chicago or bigger.

        food prices are skyrocketing. a head of cabbage is now 150 yuan. at exchange rate of around 7 that is over $20 a head. and they eat a lot of cabbage. unlike us they do not like canned goods and shop more frequently. so the household larders will be very thin very soon. resupply is difficult considering the enormous quantity of food these huge cities regularly consume.

        that the US press is whining all the time about the impeachment and missing out on reporting on the biggest quarantine in human history is ….. not surprising!

        you might as well forget the worthless US lying mass media. they’re busy after 3 years still trying to rehabilitate Hillary!

        try the SCMP from Hong Kong for good updates

        https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3048136/china-faces-bigger-epidemic-sars-complicated-and-grave

        1. Mr K,

          You’re saying it well.

          I’m think for the Ret. speical forces that went public a decade or 2 & explained to anyone the would listen just how this stuff might roll out

          I don’t want to hype this. Is this the real deal or another head fake?

          Regardless, people should have all ready had plans, like water, shelter,food, equipment, etc.

          Shelter in place early or bug out?

          No worries? “Fear Not, God the Father & his son Jesus Christ are firmly in control”

          BTW: WC Fields always felt that next the SHTF pint bottles of whiskey or single malt scotch would make great barter items. LOL;)

          Or it could just be snake bite medicine.

          1. yes the great thing about laying back a case or two of whiskey bottles, is even if like me you rarely drink, and even if the apocalypse does not materialize, they have a long shelf life and make excellent Christmas gifts

            MREs and stuff get old and gross. this guy on youtube eats old C rations and stuff, check him out

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVOIgPrDH7E

            of course ammo has a long shelf life too

  16. I have no objection as a Constitutional Centrist but demand that ALL witnesses or accusers be subpoened starting with Nancy Pelosi, Schiff and the rest hiding behind the unappropriate name of ‘managers.’

    Pelosi signed the document, Pelosi is the Chief Accuser, Pelosi must face the accused or his legal representatives and be placed under oath as the one she takes for her job has not a shred of compliance to it’s credit.

  17. Jonathan: I am not as sanguine as you that there are enough votes to compel John Bolton or any other administration official to testify. Republican Senators are running scared. One of Trump’s associates has already warned: “If you vote against the President your head will be on a pike!” Republican Senators know there will be political consequences if they go against Trump. One of those in deadly fear is Senator James Lankford. In an NPR interview he said that Senators should review Bolton’s book manuscript “in private”. Lankford didn’t say how this could be a substitute for compelling Bolton to testify under oath and subject to cross examination. In the same interview Lankford took two contradictory positions. First, he argued that House Democrats could have gone to court to compel Bolton’s testimony but failed to do so because they didn’t want to tie the case up in the courts for months. Without any embarrassment Senator Lankford then said he didn’t want to call any witnesses because it would “stretch out the process” in the courts for months! Consistency is not Lankford’s forte. Lankford knows that Trump will use executive privilege to fight any subpoena for witness testimony so he wants to wrap up the trial quickly without incurring Trump’s wrath. A “mutually assured destruction option” is not the worst thing that could happen. Bring on all the witnesses and let the American people decide. The worst thing would be for Republican Senators not to call any witnesses and continue the coverup!

    1. The coverup strted with two parts. One is the notion that all GOP are the same. RINOs are in no way Constitutional Republic devotees The second is the secrets of the basement meeting and the refusal of the socialist party under pelosi to allow witness es to be called. A third is the socialists refusal to produce witnesses using a form of executive privilege and a fourth is openly hiding key witnesses claiming they are ‘managers’ or in Pelosi’s case to big to fail uhh falluhhh whatever to be called.

      NEXT came the current garbage which you referred to,

      No problem with calling witnesses but letting the prosecution pack the list is unethical, immoral and antietical to any but those with immoral criminal intent.

    2. the people can decide all the want in the regularly scheduled election which is less than a year away. you guys are trying a no confidence vote which is a parliamentary system method and we don’t have that. get with the program!

  18. Let’s project Hillary. At his point what difference does it make? What if Bolton testifies that Trump said he wanted a quid pro quo and was going to bomb San Francisco if he didn’t get one? Did it happen? No. Was the aid released? Yes. Did anyone in Ukraine feel pressured? No.

    Let me date myself. In the 50s, there was a song called Standing On The Corner Watching All The Girls Go By. There was a line in the song that said, “They can’t lock you up for what your thinking….’ That was true at the time. But now, the Democrats want you to believe that this president can be impeached IF he thought about a particular action and then didn’t do what he might have thought about. You should be afraid……very afraid.

    And the congressional pearl clutching about quid pro quo is ridiculous! They do it all the time: You vote for this and I’ll vote for that. You support something I want and I will support something you want.

  19. Pingback: ABQ News Albuquerque - Fox Radio ABQ.FM - Mutually Assured Destruction: Unable To Block Witnesses, The GOP Moves To “Plan B”

  20. Mutually assured destruction in Washington DC? And the down side of that is…..?

    Heck, if this is all Trump’s doing, we should be dancing in the streets.
    It’s a win win situation for Americans

    3. Yes, this would be a dream come true if it happens. That’s why I’ll believe it when I see it. The establishment doesn’t want it’s dirty laundry aired. There are so many other children of Senators and Congressmen who have cashed in…they’re all exposed. But maybe TDS is causing them to self destruct.

      1. No, it’s not the real “MAD” as these politicians would still be around…
        God we need term limits so badly.

        1. All those who believed that Trump ordered up a golden showers in Russia while making a secret pact with Putin are clearly suffering from mental illness…a form of hysteria…TDS for short.

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