Let’s see Trump and his supporters try to smear U.S. Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. He’s a serving military officer whose concerns are directly connected to national security, and he’s a direct witness to both the phone call and the way Ukrainian officials were treated in the White House. He is the first current member of the White House staff to defy Trump’s … Read More
Republicans Get The Impeachment Inquiry Vote They Want, Then Complain
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the White House’s bluff by setting up a House vote on the impeachment inquiry “that affirms the ongoing, existing investigation.” The White House had said it wouldn’t cooperate until the House held a vote on whether to hold an impeachment inquiry, and Pelosi is doing just that “to eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump administration may … Read More
As Today’s Witness Is A No-Show, Pelosi Moves To Formalize Impeachment Process
Pelosi writes: For weeks, the President, his Counsel in the White House, and his allies in Congress have made the baseless claim that the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry “lacks the necessary authorization for a valid impeachment proceeding.” They argue that, because the House has not taken a vote, they may simply pretend the impeachment inquiry does not exist. Of … Read More
More Damaging Testimony Coming To Impeachment Inquiry Committee, And Trump Can’t Stop It
Today the attorney for National Security Council official Tim Morrison announced that, if he receives an expected subpoena from the House impeachment inquiry, Morrison “plans to appear for his deposition”—even if Trump attempts to block him. Even though Morrison is a sitting White House official. Morrison is one of five officials up in the next round of testimony. In April, Donald Trump … Read More
Barr Opens Criminal Investigation Into His Own DOJ’S Russia Investigation
Attorney General William Barr made it clear again on Thursday evening that he is the most dangerous man in America. The Department of Justice has reportedly moved beyond conducting an internal review of the origins of the Russia investigation and instead moved into a criminal investigation. A person familiar with the matter said the time span covered by the inquiry … Read More
Lots Of Irregular Channels
The testimony Tuesday of Bill Taylor, the US charge d’affaires to Ukraine, has rocked the political establishment. Taylor told the House he encountered an “irregular” channel on Ukraine, guided by Rudy Giuliani, that produced “a weird combination of encouraging, confusing, and ultimately alarming circumstances.” Taylor is the guy in those text messages who described the administration’s handling of Ukraine’s request … Read More
(Mock) Indictment of Fruity-G
This comes from former prosecutors at Just Security. If this were an actual indictment, many of the names would be replaced with generic identifiers, such as Candidate-1 or Company-A. The Justice Department requires this practice to protect the reputations of individuals and entities that are not charged with any crimes. A jury is told the identities of these individuals and … Read More
Signs Of Desperation From Trump And His Supporters
The New York Times editorial board correctly asserts that the “storming of the SCIF” by Freedom Caucus members yesterday was done only because Trump-supporting Republicans are getting drowned in bad testimony, so they attack the process (an old defense lawyer trick): The entire spectacle was a circus — which was the point. This was a publicity stunt aimed at delegitimizing the … Read More
Podhoretz: Trump Will Be Impeached
Jesus. If you told me ten years ago that I would be quoting at length, with approval, a Podhoretz column, I would never stop laughing. But here we are. And his view is largely becoming the consensus view in the Capital, even by Republicans (which Podhoretz is). Trump’s defenders are dwindling, especially in the Senate. And he knows it. And … Read More
Breaking: Gaetz And Other Republicans Perform Desperate Stunt [And Other Impeachment news]
About two dozen House Republicans, chanting “Let us in! Let us in!” tried to storm the secure room where a Defense Department official arrived this morning to testify in the impeachment inquiry, refusing to leave even after they were turned back by Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee that was leading … Read More
Today In Impeachmentland
Today, William B. Taylor Jr., the United States ambassador to Ukraine, becomes the latest Trump administration official to make his way to Capitol Hill to offer his account to impeachment investigators as they search for answers about Trump’s pressure campaign on Ukraine. Taylor is expected to be questioned about a series of text messages from September revealed by a former colleague, Kurt … Read More
I Can’t Believe This A-Hole Is President: Part LXVII
When gently corrected by one of the astronauts about how other women have spacewalked, Donald Trump uses his middle finger to "fix" his hair. How is this even real life? pic.twitter.com/9bnj7XfY1m — Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) October 21, 2019 "We never agreed to protect the Kurds…we never agreed to protect the Kurds for the rest of their lives," Trump said at … Read More
Trump Caves On G7 Summit At His Resort
Trump was forced to abandon his decision to host next year’s Group of Seven summit at his private golf club after it became clear the move had alienated Republicans and swiftly become part of the impeachment inquiry that threatens his presidency. In a round of phone calls with conservative allies this weekend, Trump was told Republicans are struggling to defend him … Read More
Trump Openly Violates Emoluments Clause
As if his Syrian blunder wasn’t enough, and his Ukraine telephone call extortion wasn’t enough, Trump is now violating the Constitution brazenly. He has announced that next year’s G7 meeting will be held at the Trump National Doral in Miami. His acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney explains that there’s nothing wrong with this: MULVANEY: “Again, anticipating your questions, how … Read More
Mulvaney Says It Out Loud
Yesterday marked the day when even Donald Trump’s own people placed him squarely at the center of the impeachment inquiry into his efforts to extort Ukraine for personal political gain. White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney made a stunning admission of a quid pro quo by confirming that President Donald Trump froze nearly $400 million in U.S. security aid to Ukraine in part … Read More