Month: January 2020

Bolton’s book says Trump impeachment attorney Pat Cipollone was directly involved in Ukraine plot

Posted on by Mark Sumner

As the Senate sits down to go through four hours of debate over hearing witnesses in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, The New York Times has released more information on what’s contained in former national security adviser John Bolton’s upcoming book. That information includes how Donald Trump ordered Bolton to squeeze Ukrainian officials for damaging slander of political opponents two months earlier than was known. Trump ordered Bolton to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shortly after his election and tell the incoming leader to meet with Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, specifically to orchestrate an announcement of investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden.

And just to cap off a week in which Republican senators admitted that they believe that Trump is guilty but aren’t going to do anything about it, it turns out that one of the conspirators in Trump’s Ukraine scheme has been sitting right on the Senate floor through the entire not-a-trial. Bolton’s book says that White House counsel Pat Cipollone was in the room when Trump gave Bolton his marching orders to extort lies from Zelensky.

Friday, Jan 31, 2020 · 5:44:21 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Donald Trump has made a response to the claim, saying that he “never instructed John Bolton to set up a meeting for Rudy Giuliani” while at the same time calling Giuliani “one of the greatest corruption fighters in America.” He also mentions that the meeting never happened.

Which might be because Bolton says he never made the call Trump demanded.

The Times says that the order from Trump came at a meeting attended by Bolton, Cipollone, and acting chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. Mulvaney’s involvement in the Ukraine plot has been evident from the beginning, as he directed the withholding of funds from Ukraine through the Office of Management and Budget. Bolton had previously referred to the whole affair as a “drug deal” dreamed up by Mulvaney.

But the claim that Cipollone—officially the lead counsel in Trump’s impeachment defense—was directly involved in the events at the core of the case should be explosive. Cipollone has been standing in front of the Senate denying that there are firsthand witnesses available, when he himself is a firsthand witness. He’s been denying facts of which he is a fact witness.

His direct involvement in the Ukraine plot should be an enormous siren sounding through the Senate proceedings. In legal terms alone, it’s indefensible.

However, since Republicans have already determined that the House team has proved its case, and they’re sticking with the Dershowitz Defense that Trump can do as he pleases … it’s not at all clear that learning that Trump’s lead counsel has been directly, repeatedly lying and covering up information right to the Senate’s face will have even a tiny effect.

Democrats Show Frustration at Losing to Trump, Again

Posted on by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | January 31, 2020

Two moments on Thursday were indicative of reality slowly, finally, grabbing hold of the Democrats and bringing them face to face with their impending defeat in the impeachment trial of President Trump.

The first was when Senator Elizabeth Warren called the credibility of Chief Justice John Roberts into disrepute in a question she posed from the floor of the Senate.

The question he had to read from his perch as presiding officer was, “At a time when large majorities of Americans have lost faith in government, does the fact that the chief justice is presiding over an impeachment trial in which Republican senators have thus far refused to allow witnesses or evidence contribute to the loss of legitimacy of the chief justice, the Supreme Court, and the Constitution?”

RELATED: Impeachment Trial Could Be Over Friday Night

Roberts sighed and was visibly peeved. He must have thought: Really?! From her?!

For a lying race hustler like Warren to impugn this guy was too much even for some Democrats, many of whom who looked thunderstruck from the floor of the Senate.

Adam Schiff quickly took the podium and complimented the Chief Justice. Why did she do it? Pure bitterness. She’s in her own little fuhrerbunker as her campaign and this impeachment collapse around her.

So she does the only thing she has proven adept at, she opens her yap and, this time indirectly, says something crashingly dumb.

The second incident was even better, schadenfreude wise.

RELATED: Bolton Video Guts Democrat Witness Strategy

The last question of the night was upon the Democrats and Schiff was preening and getting ready to answer it. Just after Roberts reads it and Schiff starts to rise, Nadler jumps up and rushes the podium.

Schiff calls, “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry,” trying to call him back and take the closing moment for himself. But no. Nadler holds fast and, with GOP open laughter permeating the Senate and Schiff sitting there like a gutted fish, Nadler throws a tantrum a second grader would be embarrassed to have engaged in.

And thus the night ends as Schiff is denied his final chance at lying.

Now, that’s entertainment!

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
Republican Lawmaker Launches Bill To Officially Classify CNN And Washington Post As ‘Fake News’
Fox Refuses To Air Super Bowl Ad About Abortion Survivors – Greenlights Commercial Featuring Drag Queens
‘The View’ Goes Off The Rails As Impeachment Lawyer Alan Dershowitz ‘Triggers’ Hosts By Defending Trump

The post Democrats Show Frustration at Losing to Trump, Again appeared first on The Political Insider.

Trump's impeachment trial might not wrap up today after all

Posted on by Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

Trump's impeachment trial might not wrap up today after allThought President Trump's impeachment trial was hours away from wrapping up? Think again.The Senate on Friday morning seemed headed toward acquitting Trump as soon as this evening, but The Washington Post is now reporting the impeachment trial is looking like it might actually last into next week, possibly not ending until as late as next Wednesday.According to the Post, the Senate may "take up a new procedural resolution laying out rules for the trial's endgame — which could include time for closing arguments, private deliberations and public speeches by senators." If the trial ends up lasting until Wednesday, this would mean Trump would have not yet been acquitted by the time he delivers his State of the Union address, which is scheduled for Tuesday. It also means the trial wouldn't be over in time for Monday's Iowa caucuses, much to the chagrin of Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).Politico's Jake Sherman is reporting the same, writing that the trial going until next week is now "likely," while Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told CNN Friday, "My guess is it probably is going to carry us over to the first part of next week." For now, the trial is set to resume at 1 p.m. Eastern. More stories from theweek.com Mitch McConnell's rare blunder John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi All the president's turncoats


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Trey Gowdy: “Both Sides are Wrong” in Whistleblower Fight

Posted on by Jack Hadfield

Speaking to Fox News, former Representative Trey Gowdy said that “both sides are wrong” in the fight as to whether or not to call the whistleblower to testify.

“I Don’t Need Him – I’ve Got the Transcript!”

Senator Rand Paul recently named the alleged whistleblower in a series of tweets, as his question was rejected by Chief Justice John Roberts.

Martha McCallum asked Gowdy whether it was acceptable for Senator Paul to name the alleged whistleblower.

“I like Rand but I think both sides are wrong on this,” Gowdy said. “We make 4-year-olds testify in court. We make women who have been sexually assaulted testify in court. So the notion that, if you are a relevant witness, that somehow you could escape being cross-examined, we don’t do it for anyone else, why would we do it for this whistle-blower?”

However, Gowdy continued, and noted that on the other hand, there is no need for the whistleblower to testify

“I don’t need him,” Gowdy said. “I’ve got the transcript. Why do I care what someone who overheard the conversation felt about it or thought about it or believed about it? I can read it for myself. Yes, the whistleblower is relevant, but he’s not material. There are 20 witnesses that I think would be more probative than a whistleblower of a transcript that you and I can read for ourselves.”

Why Was the Whistleblower on the Call?

McCallum then asked Gowdy if he was worried with the precedent that was set with the leak of the phone call between President Trump and Zelensky in the first place.

“I am, and the remedy for that is to limit the number of people who are on those calls,” he said. “There are consequences any time someone takes unprecedented acts, and if you’re going to listen to a conversation between the President and a leader of a foreign country, and then you’re going to violate that confidence and tell someone about it, the President should shrink the number of people who are on those calls!”

Gowdy went on to suggest that the calls should be limited to only a select few. ”

Maybe the Secretary of State and a subject matter expert [should be on], but there were what, a dozen people on that call? Do we really need a dozen people to take notes?” Gowdy asked. “I’d rather hire a court reporter and then let them read the transcript.”

I couldn’t agree more with Gowdy. I, for one, hope that the Senate will vote to stop taking witnesses, and get this “impeachment” sham over and done with! The American public are tired with wasting time on this nonsense. However, there must be a full investigation into the supposed whistleblower, and how the hell this got out in the first place, along with looking into Hunter Biden and his crooked dad, Sleepy Joe.

The American people need answers, but they also want impeachment finished.

The post Trey Gowdy: “Both Sides are Wrong” in Whistleblower Fight appeared first on The Political Insider.

Impeachment endgame: Here's what we know about how and when the Senate trial will end

Posted on by Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

Impeachment endgame: Here's what we know about how and when the Senate trial will endThere are a few things we know about the final stage of the Senate impeachment trial that begins Friday afternoon, but there are still quite a few things that are unclear about how things will go down. The Senate will hear up to four hours of debate from President Trump’s lawyers and from the Democratic House impeachment managers, starting just after 1 p.m., on whether to call witnesses. And then there will be a vote on whether to consider witnesses, probably around 5 p.m.


Posted in Uncategorized

Trump’s impeachment trial could extend into next week

Posted on by John Bresnahan

The Senate impeachment trial for President Donald Trump could drag into next week, even as GOP leaders appear to have the votes needed to prevent additional witnesses and testimony from being offered, according to Republican senators and aides.

Republican sources suggest the trial could extend into Wednesday of next week. The House Democratic managers and the White House want more time for closing arguments, and there are scheduling concerns due to the Iowa caucuses on Monday and Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

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