kentuck
kentuck's JournalDonald Trump could shoot John Bolton on Fifth Avenue and...
...not lose any conservative support.
Bolton, an ex-conservative hero, would be called a liberal traitor, as the angry mob dragged him thru the streets by his mustache.
Nobody crosses the Dear Leader.
Should one of the charges against Trump have been treason?
Would it have been too difficult to prove?
Or would it simply sound too unreal?
In my opinion, the evidence is there, The withdrawal of troops from Syria put them and our allies in harm's way from enemy forces.
Standing on a stage in Helsinki and denouncing American intelligence and favoring Vladimir Putin was a treasonous act.
Just as were his public statements denouncing our NATO allies to the benefit of Putin and Russia.
Also, his close alliances and deals with dictators that were not in the interest of the US.
He has betrayed our country in many ways and the Articles of Impeachment
only touch the tip of the iceberg with this Russian asset.
The end of separation of powers.
In a hostile takeover, Donald Trump has incorporated half of the Legislative Branch (Senate) into the Executive Branch.
They no longer work with the House as part of the Legislature. They now work hand in glove with the White House, protecting the Executive from the necessary oversight by the full Congress.
Without "Separation of Powers", our democracy cannot continue to work in the manner it has done in the past.
The Senate, with Republican leadership, has torn down the wall that separates the three branches of government. It is safe to say that the majority in the Senate is now working with an aggrieved dictator in the White House.
Why just one witness?
Even if it is John Bolton, that is not enough.
This is too important to sweep under the rug or pretend they can spin and control the message of only one witness. The Senate needs to get the full story. If that requires a dozen witnesses, then so be it. This crisis is not going to fix itself.
They should call Mulvaney, Pompeo, Rick Perry, Giuliani, Lev Parnas, Devin Nunes, Paul Manafort, Gordon Sondland, Maria Yovanovitch, the OMB staff, the National Security officials that heard the call from Zelensky, and others that might have information that will help the Senate get to the bottom of it.
One witness is not enough.
Is there anyone here that regrets Nancy and the Democrats impeaching Donald J Trump?
I do not!
I absolutely believe they did the right thing. Nobody knows where we go from here but I am glad there were courageous Americans willing to take a stand against lies and criminality.
History, I am certain, will show that impeachment was the correct vote. A vote against witnesses will not be rewarded by the voters.
Tomorrow should be dramatic and historic.
It would be surprisingly stupid...
...for the Republicans to vote against witnesses. Seventy-five percent of the people polled support witnesses.
Their base really doesn't care about witnesses so long as they vote to acquit.
After Alan Dershowitz' speech yesterday, they were feeling pretty good. He told them that abuse of power was not impeachable. Even with Bolton's revelations, there is not enough to impeach or convict.
So, they don''t have to take that gamble. It could really come back to bite them in the ass, if they do.
They could vote to have witnesses and, after the witness testimony, vote to acquit. That would be the least painful route for them to take.
But, it would really be unnecessarily stupid to not vote for witnesses.
Maybe that will be the Democrats' reward?
The "Whistleblower" and the ICIG...
Did the ICIG follow the correct procedure in reporting the whisleblower complaint to the NDI?
Did the NDI follow the correct procedure by sending the "urgent" complaint to the DOJ?
Did the DOJ follow the correct procedure by withholding the complaint from the House Intel Committee? Did they have that authority?
Did the ICIG do the right thing by informing the Congress about the hold on the "urgent" complaint?
Hunter Biden would be a "political" witness if he testified.
He would not be able to add anything to the facts of the case. He has no first-hand information. He would be used for purely political reasons to take the focus off the charges against Donald J Trump
The trial is not a game. There are rules that must be followed, even if the Republicans choose to make it political. Hunter Biden is a distraction. The charges against him are nothing more than a rumor.
Still, with 51 votes, the Repubs can call him as a witness. It's that simple. But, it should be noted that he would be nothing more than a "political" witness.
Does Dershowitz know everything that is in the Bolton manuscript?
Yesterday, he said that it didn't matter what information was in the Bolton manuscript, it would not be enough to impeach or convict. How would he know that?
His argument encouraged Republicans toward acquitting without any witnesses. It would be a precedent if no witnesses are permitted. Many people will argue that it was not a fair trial if that happens.
The acquittal would not be an exoneration. It would be a cover-up.
Nothing happens until after Senators question time
The Senate rules permit 16 hours of Senator questions. After that, the debate for witnesses will begin in earnest. It is likely that CJ Roberts will be drawn into a couple of rulings at that time, out of necessity, unlike CJ Rehnquist.
Perhaps he will rule that either side can call whichever witness they choose, relative to a majority vote of the Senate? Republicans should be able to call whomever they want, but it should be pointed out if the witness is for political reasons or is a first-hand witness to the charges in the impeachment?
Perhaps Democrats could call Mick Mulvaney and John Bolton?
As a surprise, perhaps the Democrats could ask that Don McGahn, from the Mueller Report, be called to testify? Republicans could not argue that he would have to be relative to the charges against Donald Trump.
There is a lot of maneuvering and strategizing left in this trial, unless Republicans choose to shut down the trial without witnesses.
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