Below is my column in the Hill on how the second Trump impeachment could become a trial over reckless rhetoric in America. The House managers may be playing into that very danger by selecting some managers who have been criticized in the past for their own over-heated political rhetoric. As managers were replaying the comments of former President Donald Trump from prior years to show how his words fueled divisions, critics were pointing to similar statements from the managers themselves. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the leading impeachment manager, was chided for using “fight like hell” in a 2019 interview with The Atlantic — the very words replayed repeatedly from Trump. He also used that phrase repeatedly in prior years to ramp up his supporters in fighting for Democratic control of Congress. Speaker Nancy Pelosi blundered by appointing managers like Eric Swalwell who is notorious for his inflammatory rhetoric, in a trial where such rhetoric would be the focus of the managers. Swalwell’s comments not only include disturbing legal claims, but highly personal and offensive remarks like mocking threats against Susan Collins, R-Maine. Swalwell declared “Boo hoo hoo. You’re a senator who police will protect. A sexual assault victim can’t sleep at home tonight because of threats. Where are you sleeping? She’s on her own while you and your @SenateGOP colleagues try to rush her through a hearing.” Pelosi picked not only a member who has viciously attacked Republicans but one of the Republicans most needed by the House in this trial. If this trial boils down to irresponsible political rhetoric, the public could find it difficult to distinguish between the accused, the “prosecutors” and the “jury.” That is the problem with a strategy that seems focused not on proving incitement of an insurrection but some ill-defined form of political negligence.
Here is the column:
Eric Swalwell is an ass in all all the myriad of ass definitions.
Keep up the good work re.Swalwell.
What everyone ignores is the fact that the Senate cannot convict. This is an unconstitutional, therefore unlawful, proceeding. The Senate simply does not have the authority to declare it constitutional, and if it were to actually convict, private citizen Donald J. Trump he would simply sue. So it’s all theater, all nonsense, and we ourselves are the fools here.
A traitor and spy participating in a “fake” impeachment trial of the greatest American President.
What next in the Great American Schiff Show?
Also, and again, this shameless and fake innocence that all words mean the same thing, when Turley knows some demand action and others are symbols, is insulting to anyone with a legal education. Hell, a high school education. NO ONE is as dumb as Jon Turley’s Hill column pretends they are.
The jealousy and envy oozes.
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“If you’re so smart, why aren’t you rich?”
– Batman
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Just the facts, ma’am.
Anonymous you’re a creep,
Hide behind a acronym
“some ill-defined form of political negligence”
What is wrong with you, Turley? It is impossible to believe that a non-partisan person with above an 80 IQ cannot read Trump laying the groundwork for lying about the election FOR MONTHS prior to the election. The fallacious distinction between mail-in ballot and absentee ballot is a fine example. Did Trump plan, in July, that insurrectionists from your comment section would storm the capitol? Probably not, but intentionally destroying the peaceful transfer of power norm, selfishly stopping the transition for a month, conspiring with legislators from Georgia to Michigan ot Wisconsin to Pennsylvania to break the law and subvert Democracy isn’t “ill-defined negligence” and you know it.
How do you think the Turley “I’m a reluctant partisan” brand will play on TV after this feckless and dishonest performance? Unless, you’re angling for a Fox show, your denial of reality in the service of the the worst person to be President since Nixon is just a huge marketing error.
He tweeted Pence was a traitor AFTER he knew they had entered the Capitol and Tuvberville told him they were running away! How is that negligence, Jon?
No wonder the republicans want this over as soon as possible, they are co-conspirators. Can’t wait until they start incriminating themselves.
Re “reckless rhetoric”
As men of the Enlightenment, the Founders cherished the calming deliberation of facts, arguments, evidence — in a word: Reason.
Thus they created a legislative body where Reason could prevail. In Madison’s words, the Senate was created to resist “the impulse of sudden and violent passions.”
I don’t think the Founders would be happy with the Senate’s anti-Enlightenment turn.
Or of Jon Turley forgiving an incitement of a riot. Washington didn’t cheer on Shay. He arrested him
Is that you Maxine waters ?. Inciting violence and lies yet again…..
Ah, another tin hat wearing, koolaid drinking, lysol injecting, hyper partisan pinhead republican ZOMBIE!
“the impulse of sudden and violent passions”
Oops.