South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds (R) spoke out this week to say that President Donald Trump may be criminally prosecuted for inciting the riots at the U.S. Capitol building last week. However, he stopped short of saying that he would support Trump’s impeachment.
“In my opinion, what we had was an insurrection,” he told the Forum News Service. “We had violence. We had people killed. We had a mob that ignored direct commands. They attacked law enforcement officers. They damaged federal property. They clearly intended to stop us from performing our duties in the recognition of the electoral vote count.
“If there are (impeachment) proceedings brought against him (Trump),” he continued, “and even if the article of impeachment is not followed through in the Senate, if the article of impeachment to incitement of a riot or incitement of an insurrection are followed through in a criminal proceeding, that by itself would … stop him (Trump) for running for election to a public office again.”
Related: Top GOP Senator Says Trump May Be Criminally Prosecuted Over Capitol Riots
Rounds went on to say that many of Trump’s supporters were misled by him when it came to his claims of voter fraud in the election.
“When the story of this last 90 days is told, they will clearly lay out that the president of the United States misled very, very good, honest, patriotic Americans by telling them time and again that the election was stolen,” Rounds said. “I believe that history will hold him accountable.”
After the House voted to impeach Trump for a second time on Wednesday, Rounds added that the timing of impeachment for the purpose of removing Trump from office seems “moot.”
“The timing right now with the removal of office being the primary purpose would seem to me to be moot,” Rounds said, adding that he does not think Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will bring the Senate back into session before Trump leaves office next week. This means that an impeachment trial wouldn’t begin until he is out of the White House.
Read Next: AOC Claims She ‘Thought She Was Going To Die’ During ‘Close Encounter’ In Capitol Riot
This piece was written by James Samson on January 14, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
Read more at LifeZette:
Trump Takes Blame For Assault On The Capitol
Man Arrested After He Allegedly Discussed ‘Putting A Bullet’ In Pelosi Via Text
Top GOP Senator Claims Trump Impeachment ‘Clearly Is Not Going To Happen’
The post Top GOP Senator Says Trump May Be Criminally Prosecuted Over Capitol Riots appeared first on The Political Insider.
As Democrat lawmakers celebrate their vote to impeach President Trump a second time, several of those lawmakers are attempting to take things one step further.
Representatives Linda Sanchez (D-CA) and Joaquin Castro (D-TX) are working on a bill that would prevent the naming of anything – including schools, highways, or federal buildings – after the 45th President.
Sanchez claimed that her presence in the House Chambers last Wednesday as violent protests broke out in the Capitol building is the catalyst for drafting the legislation.
RELATED: Dem Rep. Swalwell Compares President Trump To Osama bin Laden
“I am working on a bill that would mean that nothing-not even a bench, no airport, no highway, no school-nothing-ever bear the name of this traitor.”
Rep. Linda Sánchez Doesn't Want Anything — 'Not Even a Bench' — Named After Trump After Riot https://t.co/ng0jYfWp2k
— People (@people) January 11, 2021
In a statement, Congressman Castro said that, “President Trump incited and insurrection that damaged some of our nation’s most significant and sacred federal property. Donald Trump should never become a future generation’s confederate symbol.”
In addition to supporting the impeachment and removal of Donald Trump, I am also preparing legislation that would prohibit any federal building or property from being named after President Donald J. Trump.
1/2
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) January 8, 2021
Sanchez claims that, the night before the protests, she called her husband to tell him where her will was. The security alerts came around 1:15 pm on Wednesday afternoon.
In an interview with “People” Magazine, Sanchez says that, “Something told me, ‘You better leave.'”
Both Sanchez and Castro voted for the second impeachment of the president.
RELATED: CNN’s Jake Tapper: GOP Needs ‘Political Exorcist,’ Republicans ‘Clearly Have Lost Their Minds’
In addition to calling Trump a “traitor,” Sanchez went on to say, “I don’t think he deserves any of the benefits that are conferred on prior presidents. I don’t believe that a seditious occupant of the White House should ever have anything named after him.”
Sanchez is also among a number of Congressmen and women who would like Trump removed via the 25th Amendment, which would strip the president of his powers.
However, she says she is not optimistic of that prospect. “Given that those around Trump have never stood up to him, I have a hard time believing that they will meet this moment with the, with the appropriate response. So we have also signed onto articles of impeachment to try to remove him.”
Julian Castro, Brother of Joaquin and former presidential candidate, is in total agreement with his twin. he tweeted out, “I gave him that idea.”
I gave him that idea. https://t.co/BAroYHCrM1
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) January 8, 2021
Both Castro brothers, natives of Texas, have also called for Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) to resign due to his and other Republican legislators objections to last week’s electoral college certification.
“He has conducted himself shamelessly, and I think he has done this because he believes it’s the only way, the only chance, the only chance he has to win the Republican nomination for president.”
The post Democrats Drafting Bill To Prevent Anything Being Named After President Trump appeared first on The Political Insider.
CNN host Don Lemon shamed all 74 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump in this past election, not only lumping them all in with Capitol rioters, but also with Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan.
While sending off his own show to Lemon’s, Chris Cuomo asked for his fellow host’s reaction to, “Now what you hear is, ‘Well, you can’t say that everybody who voted for Trump is like the people who went into the Capitol.'”
“You need to think about the side you’re on,” Lemon responded. “Principled people — conservative or liberal — never on the Klan side. Principled people — conservative or liberal — never on the Nazi side. Principled people who are conservative or liberal never on the side that treats their fellow Americans as less-than.”
“That says that your fellow Americans should not exist,” he added. “That says your fellow Americans should be in a concentration camp or that sides with slavery or sides with any sort of bigotry.”
“Right,” Cuomo said. “And if they say, ‘I don’t agree with those people, I just like Trump’s policies—'”
“Well, then get out of the crowd with them,” Lemon fired back. “Get out of the crowd with them.”
Related: Don Lemon And Chris Cuomo Claim BLM Riots Were More Justified Than Capitol Riot
That’s when the two engaged in a deranged role-play, with Cuomo taking on the role of Trump supporter.
“I wasn’t in the crowd; I just voted for Trump,” Cuomo said.
“You’re in the crowd who voted for Trump,” Lemon replied. “If you voted for Trump, you voted for the person who the Klan supported. You voted for the person who Nazis support. You voted for the person who the alt-right supports. That’s the crowd that you are in.”
“You voted for a person who incited a crowd to go into the Capitol and potentially take the lives of lawmakers, took the lives of police officers, took the … innocent lives of the people who were at the Capitol that day,” he continued.
“You voted on that side,” he added.
Related: CNN’s Don Lemon Unravels – ‘Stop Saying We Have To Respect Trump Supporters Who Believe Bullsh*t’
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro said it best when he branded this entire exchange as “vile.”
He later added, “It’s this deliberate attempt to lump together anyone who voted for Trump and the Capitol rioters that undermines the possibility of unity. It also happens to be false and indecent.”
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) January 14, 2021
This piece was written by James Samson on January 14, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
Read more at LifeZette:
Trump Takes Blame For Assault On The Capitol
Man Arrested After He Allegedly Discussed ‘Putting A Bullet’ In Pelosi Via Text
Top GOP Senator Claims Trump Impeachment ‘Clearly Is Not Going To Happen’
The post CNN’s Don Lemon Shames Trump Voters – Lumps Them All In With Nazis, KKK, Alt-Right appeared first on The Political Insider.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has not given any definite indication on when the article of impeachment against President Trump, passed by the House on Wednesday, might make its way to the Senate for any possible trial.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) is urging that the latest round of impeachment articles, accusing President Trump of “inciting and insurrection,” be sent to the upper chamber “as soon as possible.”
Steny Hoyer says no decision has been made yet on when to send the article of impeachment to the Senate: “The Speaker’s talking to Mr. Schumer and will determine that, but I’m personally urging them to send it over as soon as possible.”
— Jason Donner (@jason_donner) January 13, 2021
RELATED: If Republicans Put America First, They’ll Remove Liz Cheney, Not Donald Trump
There is confusion in the Senate as well. Currently, the body is scheduled to reconvene on Jan. 19, the day before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
There is only one day, a pro forma session, scheduled before the official reconvening on Jan. 19.
The Senate is not allowed to do any business on that day without unanimous consent.
A 2004 resolution gives Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer the power to reconvene the Senate without unanimous consent which would create an emergency session.
McConnell has said that he would not invoke this resolution, but Schumer may put the pressure on to do it.
My full statement on the next seven days and the Senate schedule: pic.twitter.com/Nh5z3f79yq
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) January 13, 2021
As it stands now, unless McConnell calls a special session, the Senate would not receive any articles of impeachment before Jan. 19, and a trial would not begin before 1pm on either Jan. 20 or 21, making Donald Trump at that time the ex-president.
However, Chuck Schumer has stated, “But make no mistake, there will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate.”
RELATED: House Democrats Wonder If Capitol Attack Was An ‘Inside Job’
This would put the United States Senate in a precarious situation. Should the trial move forward, the Senate at that point is committed to completing the process.
This puts other priorities, such as Biden administration nominees and COVID relief, on hold.
Biden has urged the Senate to do their “Constitutional responsibilities” while also attending to “other urgent business.”
Today, in a bipartisan vote, the House voted to impeach and hold President Trump accountable. Now, the process continues to the Senate—and I hope they’ll deal with their Constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent business of this nation.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 14, 2021
There is also some question as to whether or not an ex-president can be impeached once he is a private citizen.
The United States Constitution provides for the process of impeachment, but says nothing about the timing of when the trial can take place.
On Wednesday, Pelosi called the president, “a clear and present danger” as she urged members of the House to support impeachment.
But there seems to be some confusion there as well.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) said on Sunday that it may not be until after Biden’s first 100 days in office before the House would send the articles of impeachment to the Senate.
But the urgency may be about more than a trial and conviction rather than how fast the articles of impeachment would reach the Senate.
According to reports from Vox, there is talk among Republicans that this second impeachment, and any subsequent trial and conviction, could bar Trump from ever running for office again.
From colleague John Roberts: A well-placed source tells me there is talk swirling among Republicans in Congress of a possible 2nd impeachment proceeding – and conviction against Trump – to insure he can’t run for re-election.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 7, 2021
The post Democrats Split On When To Send Impeachment To The Senate For Trial appeared first on The Political Insider.
A new poll from Axios-Ipsos shows Republicans are siding with President Trump over Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who signaled support of a second impeachment.
The numbers are actually quite astounding.
The poll was conducted during the early part of this week – when impeachment discussions were in full swing, and Democrats and the mainstream media were assailing the President for allegedly having incited an insurrection involving white supremacists at the Capitol.
“Republicans across the U.S. are siding with President Trump over Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — big time,” Axios writes.
The results show a vast majority of Republicans do not hold Trump responsible for the Capitol riots, believe he has a right to challenge the election, and still support him, with Trump supporters even sticking with him as their preferred nominee in 2024.
Republicans across the U.S. are siding with President Trump over Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — big time — according to a new Axios-Ipsos poll. https://t.co/jqkhRlfE6O pic.twitter.com/CgnV3xLttp
— Axios (@axios) January 14, 2021
RELATED: Report: Mitch McConnell Signals Support For Impeachment, Says It Will Help Rid GOP Of Trump
The Axios report is remarkable considering the fact that President Trump was a victim of character assassination by the usual suspects – the Democrat media – over the last several days, but also by Republican lawmakers.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) accused the President of having “summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack” in describing his actions leading up to the Capitol riots.
“There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,” she dramatized.
BREAKING: House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney announces she will vote to impeach President Trump. pic.twitter.com/zbs510SQgJ
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 12, 2021
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) meanwhile, reportedly viewed the Democrats’ effort to impeach the president as a means to “help rid the Republican Party of Trump and his movement.”
80% of Trump voters and 76% of Republicans in Battleground states are less likely to vote for a Member of Congress/U.S. Senator who votes for impeachment.
“Mitch McConnell Said to be Pleased About Trump Impeachment Efforts – The New York Times” https://t.co/AgL9JlkqeE
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) January 12, 2021
And yet, 64 percent of Republicans said they support Trump’s recent behavior, 57 percent of Republicans said he should be the 2024 GOP candidate, and just 17 percent think he should be removed from office.
RELATED: Trump Organization Fires Back After De Blasio Terminates All Contracts With New York City
Cowardice by some Republicans in siding with Democrats appears to be backfiring as the poll clearly shows support for Trump and not squishy lawmakers like Mitch McConnell.
McConnell, despite his reported support for ridding the party of the President and his supporters, has yet to commit to a vote on conviction in the Senate.
But he’s clearly got a voter problem.
“The survey shows why Trump could run again in 2024 (and possibly win) if he isn’t convicted — or banned from holding federal office — by the Senate,” Axios reports.
“It also shows the peril and opportunity for institutionalists like McConnell trying to reclaim the GOP.”
.@ByronDonalds .@kilmeade .@SteveDoocy Pres Trump didn’t intend for violence to occur. He told rally goers to protest peacefully. Most lawyers & Jonathan Turley, Alan Dersh, Andrew Mccarthy say his Jan 6 speech didn’t come close to meeting threshold for incitement. Also
https://t.co/NUjt0JZQYy
— Convfefe (@CovfefeForT) January 14, 2021
Fox News personality Tucker Carlson recently commented on what impeachment would mean for the President.
“By impeaching the president during his final week in office, Congress will not succeed in discrediting Trump among Republican voters,” he cautioned. “In fact, it will enhance Donald Trump among Republican voters. Obviously!”
Axios’ report and polling seem to confirm Carlson’s assessment.
The post Poll: Republican Voters Are Siding With Trump Over Mitch McConnell appeared first on The Political Insider.
As the House voted to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday, much praise was given to Congresswoman Liz Cheney for being one of the ten Republicans who voted to impeach.
Cheney is the #3 Republican in the House, which added weight to her stance.
But it was her father Dick Cheney and his legacy – a legacy she clearly plans to continue – that is arguably the most impeachable offense in American history.
House officially has the votes to impeach Trump for the second time. 10 Republicans vote yes:
John Katko (NY)
Liz Cheney (WY)
Adam Kinzinger (IL)
Fred Upton (MI)
Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA)
Dan Newhouse (WA)
Peter Meijer (MI)
Tom Rice (SC)
Anthony Gonzalez (OH)
David Valadao (CA) pic.twitter.com/shL72IO5sT— The Recount (@therecount) January 13, 2021
President Trump has been at war with the Bush faction of the GOP since he announced his campaign for President in 2015.
Trump was right when he called President George W. Bush and Dick Cheney’s war in Iraq the “worst single mistake” in U.S. history.
“The worst single mistake ever made in the history of our country: going into the Middle East, by President Bush,” Trump told The Hill in 2018.
Trump added, “Obama may have gotten (U.S. soldiers) out wrong, but going in is, to me, the biggest single mistake made in the history of our country.”
Why was it such a colossal mistake? President Trump had an answer for that too.
—@realDonaldTrump: “The worst single mistake ever made in the history of our country: going into the Middle East, by President Bush.”https://t.co/Bi1S6E3aCG
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) September 19, 2018
“Because we spent $7 trillion in the Middle East,” Trump said. “Now if you wanna fix a window some place they say, ‘oh gee, let’s not do it.’ Seven trillion, and millions of lives — you know, ‘cause I like to count both sides. Millions of lives,” Trump explained.
“To me, it’s the worst single mistake made in the history of our country,” Trump reiterated.
This is a charge President Trump would repeat throughout both presidential campaigns and during his time in the White House.
Today, a majority of Americans agree with Trump on the wrongness of the Iraq War, including military veterans.
But what does Liz Cheney think? She agrees with her father who still says “I was right about Iraq.”
Unbelievable.
Oh: and the only small pockets of opposition to the partnership between pro-war Dems and Liz Cheney to fund Endless War came from anti-war factions on the right and left – could call them "populists". Here's @mattgaetz working with @RoKhanna to denounce this militarism: pic.twitter.com/J1zMjHie4i
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 8, 2020
But Trump’s radical break with the Establishment’s foreign policy isn’t limited to Iraq.
Just weeks ago, Cheney and the Democrats worked hand-in-hand to block President Trump from removing troops from Afghanistan, where we have been mired for 20 years.
In October of 2019, Democrats (and many Republicans) voted overwhelmingly to condemn President Trump’s effort to withdraw troops from Barack Obama’s war in Syria.
Remember when Democrats at least pretended to be anti-war, when Bush was President?
RELATED: Ben Sasse And The GOP Aim To Purge Trumpism, Return To Bush-Era
But despite all the establishment praise being given to Cheney and a handful of anti-Trump Republicans this week, it is the “America First” foreign policy of Donald Trump that has completely flipped the script on this front in the GOP.
Republican members of Congress like Rand Paul, Matt Gaetz, Thomas Massie, and many others are staunchly opposed to needlessly starting another war like Iraq, and Trump’s position on this issue has largely helped solidify this sentiment among Republican voters.
Donald Trump Jr. has helped too.
This aged well. Bernie should really thank @realDonaldTrump for pulling our amazing troops out of DC’s endless wars https://t.co/GX5JrdNC7R
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 10, 2020
Congresswoman Cheney will continue to pursue a foreign policy agenda like her father’s – one that puts America and our soldiers last.
She will find a more willing partner in a President Biden than she did with President Trump.
If there was an administration that deserved impeachment, it was Bush-Cheney for the disastrous foreign policy they foisted upon America – one that was continued by Barack Obama.
We are still dealing with the repercussions of Obama (and Hillary Clinton’s) disasters in Libya and Syria.
President Trump set a new course for America. Along the way, he secured four Middle East peace deals.
The Republican Party and Congress would do well to remove those who would take us back to the disastrous foreign policy of the past, and continue to build upon the Trump path to peace.
The post If Republicans Put America First, They’ll Remove Liz Cheney, Not Donald Trump appeared first on The Political Insider.