Scoop: The GOP's ditch-Rudy strategy on impeachment

[brooklynite]

Source: Axios

Top House Republican sources tell Axios that one impeachment survival strategy will be to try to distance President Trump from any Ukraine quid pro quo, with Rudy Giuliani potentially going under the bus.

What they're saying: A Republican member of one of the impeachment committees told Axios: "[T]his is not an impeachment of Rudy Giuliani, it's not an impeachment of Ambassador Sondland. It's an impeachment of the president of the United States."
* "So the point is as long as this is a step removed, he's in good shape. ... If it's a step removed from the president, he doesn't lose any Republicans in the House."

A top House GOP leadership aide said: "Substance is focus. [The co-leadoff witness, Bill] Taylor says [he had a] 'full understanding.' But from who? Not POTUS. That’s big."
* An uber-connected Republican added: "Rudy will be cut loose because he was rogue."

Read more: https://www.axios.com/donald-trump-impeachment-republicans-rudy-giuliani-f192d64d-2bee-4597-8de8-3e0477b988de.html

[patricia92243]

1. They are making a mistake. Rudy will sing like a canary - and that will bring

it all back to Trump.

[Scarsdale]

3. I have a suggestion for the gop.

Imagine how this would proceed if tRump were a democratic president? The gop would all be tearing their hair out on TV, screaming abut a "lawless president" Instead they are supporting a person who is the least qualified of any president in this country's history. tRump is a worldwide JOKE. With his spray-on orange face, his lies, his self promotion. He is not intelligent enough to be in the WH. I hope the citizens see enough of this impeachment testimony to come to their senses. Vote out ALL gop, they are absolutely useless. Just like their "leader".

[pecosbob]

2. The wheels on the bus go round and round

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. The more people under the bus, the more likely the bus is going to caroom & roll over. . . . nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. The mob boss never makes a direct threat. He sends minions like Ghouliani to lean on targets

Rudy Giuliani was on a direct mission from tRump as his "personal lawyer".

tRump was merely reminding Zelinsky of the threats his underlings had conveyed.

1) The aid actually in fact WAS HELD UP for months while Ukranians died.

2) tRump did NOT release it. Lawyers finally determined he did not have the authority and went around him.

[lagomorph777]

7. Except, in this case, he did, and it's in the call notes he himself released.

Oops. Not a very clever mob boss.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. It's certainly direct enough that it scared the daylights out of Vindman & others

But as I remember it, he was careful enough to put them into separate sentences, to give "plausible deniability". That is what the Republicans have been running with. It is up to influencers to shoot that down, on the spot, repeatedly, with the facts (since this is counterpropaganda):

1) quid and quo in same phone call.
2) "Memorandum" is not a complete unredacted transcript, testified by Vindman.
3) Hiding complete transcript on server is a coverup.
4) Not just one phone call.
5) Parallel off-the-books Giuliani operation tightening the screws.
6) Trump did hold up aid for weeks or months, until lawyers determined he had no authority.

[lagomorph777]

10. Because he knows the Russiapublican base is too stupid to process more than one sentence at a time.

And I am not saying that sarcastically.

[Mc Mike]

6. Rudy did it.

It's just that tRump kept telling people to do what Rudy wanted them to do, while Rudy was doing it.

That's the only hole in their genius strategy.

[William Seger]

8. That, and Trump was the one who ordered the aid withheld

... just like Rudy said he would.

Donnie Jr. got off because he was deemed to be too stupid to realize he was committing a crime with the Trump Tower meeting. I don't think stupidity is a valid defense against impeachment; it should be an additional Article.

[lagomorph777]

11. Stupidity as an Article Of Impeachment