Category: Impeachment

House managers wrap up their opening argument for impeachment: Live coverage #4

Posted on (Updated by Laura Clawson

It’s the final day of the House managers’ opening arguments in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff delivered a closing argument for the ages on Thursday night, and now we get to find out what he left for the actual closing argument.

Schiff will again be joined by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler and Reps. Val Demings, Zoe Lofgren, Hakeem Jeffries, Sylvia Escobar, and Jason Crow. Daily Kos will have continuing coverage.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:18:38 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

As Val Demings is talking about the threat to Yovanovitch and other witnesses, and a recording shows that Trump told Lev Parnas to “take her out,” there is also this …

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Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:20:20 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

As Demings make clear, Trump’s attack on those who did testify, are another facet of his obstruction. 

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:20:53 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Jerry Nadler steps up to do what he did on Article 1 — review the case law around obstruction.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:24:02 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Nadler makes clear that this is not just a squabble over a few documents out of many produced on a case — which was exactly what happened in the “fast and furious” case that Republicans keep citing. That case was also not part of an impeachment. Which was something that Republicans claimed mattered… until Democrats actually launched an impeachment inquiry.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:30:56 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Nadler doing a good job of mocking the “pure fantasy” of the argument that Trump’s team has mounted on the pretense that obstruction is dandy because the House failed to check some box — a box they get to define.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:32:00 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Nadler: “President Trump stands alone” when it comes to a blanket rejection of congressional subpoenas.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:36:33 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Nadler is making the obligation to obey a congressional subpoena clear. But what Trump has done is what Andrew Jackson did with John Marshall—show Congress that even when the law is completely on their side, that doesn’t mean they can enforce it. There’s a reason why Trump keeps a portrait of Jackson behind his desk. And it’s not just the violent racism.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:40:13 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Nadler’s work these last two days — where he’s gone through the historical role of both abuse of power and obstruction — is outstanding.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:46:23 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Nixon

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:52:59 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Compare with above. 

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Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:54:47 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Nadler finishes up an excellent review of the legal case for obstruction (while I was busy riffling through slides) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren steps up to expand on the case, to show that Trump’s positions are inconsistent with his own DOJ.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 11:01:12 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Lofgren pointing out that it’s simply ridiculous for the White House to block all subpoenas, then claim that the House needs to fight for each one in court. That’s an absolute negation of impeachment — a removal of that power from Congress. 

The the executive can fight every stage of impeachment in court, there is no impeachment.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 11:11:51 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Lofgren sits down after another outstanding job, and Rep, Hakeem Jeffries us up again to show how Trump believes himself not just above the law, but the only source of law.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 11:13:32 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner No matter what happens, I want the House managers to walk back across Capitol Hill to a solid wall of praise. To roses and plaudits. They have, one and all, done a crackerjack job. They deserve a triumph, even if the Senate fails us. If you haven’t already thanked them, please do so. Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 11:16:03 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Jeffries doing what he’s done on previous points — an absolutely killer job. This time he is ripping up Trump’s objections to the impeachment, along with the basis of the letter that was written by Pat Cipollone.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 11:23:39 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Jeffries showing how carefully the House worked through the steps of the impeachment process. Which will, of course, have zero effect on the claims made by Trump’s attorneys, since what Trump’s attorneys are arguing is that Trump gets to define the terms of any impeachment. There are no terms that would have worked.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 11:27:36 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Jeffries showing how carefully the House worked through each step of the impeachment process. Which will, of course, have no effect on the claims made by Trump’s attorneys, since Trump’s attorneys are arguing that Trump can define what's valid and invalid.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 11:36:42 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Jeffries is doing another superb job of detailing how the claims of a partisan process, secret hearings, and denied rights are all simply lies. Expect Trump’s team to repeat those lies tomorrow as if Jeffries never spoke.

And expect Republican Senators to go out of the room tonight, still parroting those same unfounded claims.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 11:46:49 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

So … is the next break long enough for Adam Schiff to take a listen.

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Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 11:48:08 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Hakeem Jeffries steps down from a presentation that beautifully dissected the basis of Trump’s blanket obstruction. The Senate is now moving to a 30 minute dinner break.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 11:50:01 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Sen. Chuck Schumer stepping up to the camera to say that the House managers have set a “very, very high bar” for Trump’s lawyers. Schumer singles out Hakeem Jeffries and Adam Schiff for their strong presentations.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 11:53:39 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Schumer calls the recording of Trump talking about Yovanovitch “despicable conduct.”

Adam Schiff’s perfect shutdown of Trump’s ‘executive privilege’ claims is mandatory viewing

Posted on by Walter Einenkel

Rep. Adam Schiff took time away from wiping the floor of the U.S. Senate with Donald Trump’s weak-sauce arguments, to go in front of cameras outside of the Senate to … wipe the floor with the president’s weak-sauce arguments. Speaking alongside the other House Impeachment managers, Rep. Schiff wanted to disabuse the Republican-media narrative that the reason there are zero witnesses being allowed into the Senate’s trial is because of some kind of legitimate claim on Trump’s behalf of executive privilege. Calling it a “camouflage” and explaining that the Chief Justice has already been empowered to make those determinations in the trial, Schiff very adeptly and succinctly debunks what will likely be a large part of the upcoming Trump defense.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF: I do want to address one issue that the president's team has been pushing out, not in the senate chamber but evidently everywhere else. And that is their last refuge. The last refuge of the Republican—not the Republican—of the president's team’s effort to conceal the evidence from the American people, and that is this claim of executive privilege. Now, we urged at the beginning of the trial that any witness issues be resolved at the beginning of the trial. The president's team wished to push that off, as did Senator McConnell, so that later in the process they could say, “well, if we were to entertain those questions now that would simply take too long.” That's nonsense. This is not a trial for a speeding ticket or shoplifting.

This is an impeachment trial involving the president of the United States. These witnesses have important firsthand testimony to offer. The House wishes to call them in the name of the American people and the American people overwhelmingly want to hear what they have to say. Now unlike in the House where the president could play rope-a-dope in the courts for years—that is not an option for the president's team here—and it gives no refuge to people who want to hide behind executive privilege to avoid the truth coming out. We have a very capable justice sitting in that Senate chamber empowered by the Senate rules to decide issues of evidence and privilege. And so if any of these witnesses have a colorful claim that they wish to make, or the president on their behalf, we have a justice who is able to make those determinations, and we trust that the chief justice can do so.

The Senate will always have the opportunity to overrule the justice, but what they fear, what the president’s team fears, is that the justice will, in fact, apply executive privilege to that very narrow category where it may apply. And here that category may be nowhere at all. Because you cannot use executive privilege to hide wrongdoing or criminality or impeachable misconduct. And that is exactly the purpose for which they seek to use it.

And finally, they have withheld hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of documents for which there is no colorable claim of privilege. Several of the witnesses that we seek to call have no even colorable claim of privilege. This is merely the latest camouflage and merely the latest effort to obstruct the Congress in its investigation and now to obstruct the Senate in the trial.

That’s a fact. Rep. Schiff continues to just land devastating body blow after body blow.

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ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos Makes Throat-Slitting Gesture On Camera To Cut Away From Trump Lawyer

Posted on by Guest Author

During an ABC News broadcast on Friday, anchor George Stephanopoulos made a throat-slitting hand movement to cut away from Trump attorney Jay Sekulow during the news outlet’s live coverage of the President’s impeachment trial.

George Stephanopoulos Shows How He Really Feels About Team Trump

Tim Graham, executive editor of NewsBusters, noted that Stephanopoulos could be seen on camera making the gesture at about 3:00 P.M. EST Friday.

The clip showed a Capitol Hill reporter asking Sekulow questions about Attorney General William Barr, Sen. Lindsey Graham, and lawyer Alan Dershowitz all making the argument that abuse of power is impeachable.

“We’ve got something very different from what you’re hearing up here,” Sekulow replied.

RELATED: Trump Attorney: Not Simply Going on Defense, We’re Going to Attack the Democrats

“We’ve got lawyers that will be put forward when our side of the case goes that represents multiple schools of thought on what is an impeachable offense,” Sekulow continued. “They have one thing in common: that the actions alleged and the actions of the president do not reach that level — no matter which school of thought you’re on.”

“We’re not afraid to put out both of those schools of thought because our position is you still have to meet basic, fundamental constitutional obligations and they haven’t,” he added.

BUSTED!

As Sekulow began to take another question, viewers could see Stephanopoulos on camera making a throat-slitting gesture to order the end of the broadcast’s feed. Stephanopoulos then immediately went to a panel segment to discuss the Sekulow’s remarks.

“Dude, we SEE you!” Tim Graham wrote on Twitter.

RELATED: Rand Paul Invites Trump as Guest to Attend Impeachment Trial

“These guys are NOT going to like hearing the Trump side of this trial,” Graham said in his previous tweet.

That might be an understatement!

The mainstream media has been anti-Trump throughout his presidency. The sentiment comes through as subtle bias or explicit hatred for this President.

George Stephanopoulos appeared Friday to show us exactly what he and his news outlet thinks of Team Trump. We already know what they think.

But to see it expressed so explicitly is still a sight to behold. Wow.

The post ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos Makes Throat-Slitting Gesture On Camera To Cut Away From Trump Lawyer appeared first on The Political Insider.

Mike Pompeo got backed into a corner about Marie Yovanovitch during NPR interview

Posted on by Jen Hayden

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was backed into a rather uncomfortable corner during an interview with Mary Louise Kelly on NPR’s Morning Edition. Although Pompeo wanted to stick to the topic of Iran, Kelly pivoted to the Ukraine scandal and specifically wanted to know how he responded to criticism from State Department personnel who resigned after Pompeo failed to back U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch while she was being targeted by nefarious characters outside the U.S. government while she was doing her assigned work combatting corruption in Ukraine. Time and time again, Pompeo insisted he’d defended all State Department personnel. A blatant lie, one he struggled to defend.

Listen to or read the exchange below and keep in mind that Mike Pompeo has never uttered one word in support of Ambassador Yovanovitch or any of the other dedicated, career diplomats who refused to participate in the corrupt plans of Donald Trump and his enablers, like Mike Pompeo. 

MARY LOUISE KELLY: People who work for you in your department, people who have resigned from this department under your leadership, saying you should stand up for the diplomats who work here.”

MIKE POMPEO: I...I...I don’t know— I don’t know who these unnamed sources are you’re referring to. I can tell you this—

MARY LOUISE KELLY: These are not unnamed sources. This is your senior advisor Michael McKinley, a career foreign service officer with four decades experience who testified under oath that he resigned in part due to the failure of the State Department to offer support for foreign service employees caught up in the impeachment inquiry on Ukraine.

MIKE POMPEO: I’m not going to comment on things that Mr. McKinley may have said. I’ll say only this. I have defended every State Department official. We’ve built a great team. The team that works here is doing amazing work around the world—

MARY LOUISE KELLY: Sir, respectfully, where have you defended Marie Yovanovitch?

MIKE POMPEO: I’ve defended every single person on this team. I’ve done what’s right for every single person on this team.

MARY LOUISE KELLY: Can you point me toward your remarks where you have defended Marie Yovanovitch?

MIKE POMPEO: I’ve said all I’m going to say today. Thank you.

The audio of the Pompeo NPR interview is available below, but there is ample new evidence today about the Ukraine scandal and Mike Pompeo’s involvement. ABC News obtained a taped conversation reportedly of Donald Trump with Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, Rudy Giuliani, and others. The conversation took place on April 30, 2018, in a suite at Trump’s D.C. hotel, where the gang was having a private dinner where they discussed the Ukraine scheme. Trump can be heard demanding Yovanovitch’s ouster, saying "Get her out tomorrow. I don't care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. Okay? Do it."

Lev Parnas recalled this dinner conversation during an interview with MSNBC. After all, dining with a U.S. president in a private suite in his private hotel would be rather memorable, no?

"We all, there was a silence in the room. He responded to him, said Mr. President, we can't do that right now because [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo hasn't been confirmed yet, that Pompeo is not confirmed yet and we don't have -- this is when [former Secretary of State Rex] Tillerson was gone, but Pompeo was confirmed, so they go, wait until -- so several conversations he mentioned it again."

This new recording, which backs up what Parnas claimed, is all the more reason Mike Pompeo should testify before the Senate during the impeachment trial. The conversation took place the very same week Mike Pompeo was sworn in, which means he was aware of and/or participated in the scheme from the minute he walked through the doors of the State Department. 

Either way you slice it, Mike Pompeo has been earning a reputation as a liar, which is a rather untenable position for the secretary of state to be in while they are representing the United States around the world. The American people, and most especially our foreign service officers, deserve someone of the highest ethical and moral standards in the role. 

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House managers wrap up their opening argument for impeachment: Live coverage #3

Posted on (Updated by Laura Clawson

It’s the final day of the House managers’ opening arguments in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff delivered a closing argument for the ages on Thursday night, and now we get to find out what he left for the actual closing argument.

Schiff will again be joined by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler and Reps. Val Demings, Zoe Lofgren, Hakeem Jeffries, Sylvia Escobar, and Jason Crow. Daily Kos will have continuing coverage.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:18:36 PM +00:00 · Barbara Morrill

Ongoing coverage can be found here.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:08:04 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Val Demings is up as the case officially moves into Article 2 — obstruction of congress. Though it’s a bit confusing, as both Jason Crow and Hakeem Jeffries seemed to present information on the cover-up before Schiff came in for an Article 1 closer. This is the first time in the trial I’ve felt the House managers’ case was feeling a little disordered after two well-choreographed days.

Hopefully, Demings is about to put it all back on track.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:11:08 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Demings talking to the blanket nature of Trump’s obstruction, including low-level officials who have no direct contact with Trump and former officials who had been out of their roles for months. Like Schiff, she speaks to the genuine heroism of those who did stand up to speak.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:13:47 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

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Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:17:23 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Val Demings appealing to the Senate’s need for oversight — which is something they’ll absolutely remember as soon as Trump is out of office. About the same time they remember how concerned they are about deficits.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:22:32 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Demings hands off to Rep. Sylvia Garcia, who goes through what’s become the ritual of thanking all the senators for being “good listeners,” even though it’s clear many have been anything but.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:26:43 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Garcia pointing out again what Crow detailed this morning—the cover-up really began before the investigation, because members of Trump’s White House realized that the July 25 phone call needed to be buried. And then the military assistance was also hidden from Congress and the public.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:29:27 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner While much coverage of the obstruction article has concentrated on blocking documents and witnesses, the House team has made it clear this included: 1) Over-classifying Trump's call. 2) Hiding the hold on military aid. 3) Concealing the whistleblower complaint. Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:31:46 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Garcia telling the Senate all the things that Trump has said about the impeachment inquiry is probably nothing more than a repeat of their morning talking points.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:33:40 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

I like Garcia squinting at the signature on Trump’s official declaration of non-cooperation and reading off Cipollone’s name.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:36:34 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

The Senate office has has indicated that Trump’s team is only going to speak from about 10 AM to 1 PM Eastern on Saturday.

That shouldn’t be taken as a sign they are going to wrap their case in a couple of hours. It’s more likely related to a tweet Trump sent on Friday morning complaining about TV ratings on Saturdays. McConnell will no doubt cooperate in giving Trump as many prime time evenings as he wants.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:41:39 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Schiff’s closing statement on Article 1.

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Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:43:06 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Garcia goes through a list of all the agencies who have already refused to provide documents while citing Trump’s order blocking cooperation with the inquiry. Then goes through some specific documents that came up in testimony, but which the public has not seen.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:52:21 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Garcia stops after reminding everyone of the scope of Trump’s efforts to block all witnesses and documents.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren steps up to start off by pointing out that even Richard Nixon didn’t just not block testimony, he ordered the White House staff to appear without subpoena.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:57:55 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

The OMB letter shows that Cipollone’s letter was an official White House order—which is a key element of proving obstruction.

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Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:03:35 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

While Trump ordered all officials to refuse to cooperate, Lofgren points out that in past impeachments not one witness was refused.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:10:30 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Lofgren wraps up her talk on blocked witnesses, after a convincing presentation.

Val Demings comes back to talk about the attacks made on witnesses who did agree to appear.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 10:15:50 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

This review of Trump’s attacks on Yovanovitch would be an excellent time to bring up the recording that emerged on Friday morning. 

"Get her out tomorrow. I don’t care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. Okay? Do it.” That’s not Trump telling Lev Parnas to fire Yovanovitch. If he needed to fire the ambassador, he could. And Parnas would have nothing to do with it.

Republican senators sure are selective in what they find offensive in Trump’s impeachment trial

Posted on by Joan McCarter

The third day of Donald Trump's impeachment trial once again featured Republican senators competing with each other to see who could show the most disdain for the idea of their constitutional duty and the oath they took to provide impartial justice. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, apparently felt one-upped by the odious Martha McSally of Arizona in the race to be Trump's favorite woman senator, so she stepped up her game by maligning decorated American combat veteran Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who still serves in uniform and who has been subject to threats of violence since he testified in the House impeachment investigation.

Then there's the ongoing middle-school brat behavior on display for the handful of reporters who are allowed to tell us about it. Which, by the way, Sen. Susan Collins thinks is too many. She wants one whole group of reporters, those sitting in the front row of the gallery where they can actually see what's happening, to be booted—presumably so they don't have a clear view of the Republican senators who are doodling, playing with toys, working on crosswords, chomping gum, and wandering around the chamber and leaving it for long stretches at a time. All in defiance of the rules they swore to follow. And once again, Chief Justice John Roberts might as well have been a potted plant in response.

They all complain that they're not hearing anything new. They're all saying it verbatim, repeatedly and uniformly, almost as if they have nothing new to say. But given that they're also not paying attention, perhaps they're missing the new news.

What they do selectively hear, however, is horribly offensive to their very delicate ears. Collins tattled to Chief Justice Roberts that Rep. Jerry Nadler had suggested that Republicans were abetting a cover-up—that one deeply offended Lisa Murkowski, too.

They were even offended by Rep. Adam Schiff's remarkable closing remarks Thursday night: "Because in America, right matters. Truth matters. If not, no Constitution can protect us. If not, we are lost." Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming was deeply offended on behalf of all his Republican colleagues who had to sit through Schiff's uncomfortable truths, none of which any Republican will really contest—they just think it doesn't matter.

Oh, the humanity. By the way, not a single one of them publicly chastised their colleague Blackburn for her gross attack on Lt. Col. Vindman's patriotism.

Adam Schiff Wants Trump Removed Because He Won’t Do “What’s Right For This Country”

Posted on by Guest Author

When the never-ending impeachment trial of Donald Trump adjourned on Thursday, Congressman Adam Schiff explained why the President – who is accused of no crime – has to be removed from office.

Schiff said it is because of what Trump might do.

“You can’t trust this president to do what’s right for the country,” Schiff said. The Democrat also said Trump must be removed from office now, “before he continues his efforts to corrupt our next election.”

RELATED: Pelosi Says No Matter What Happens Next, Trump Will Be ‘Impeached Forever’

His argument assumes that if Trump wins again in 2020, the election results would be inherently tainted.

Democrats No. 1 Mission: Get Trump

Republicans have insisted that Democrats have looked for ways to attack Trump since day one. Of course, Democrats feign innocence. Yet, in his closing remarks Thursday night, Schiff was explicit that his party’s primary mission is to undermine Trump.

“Now, you may be asking how much damage can he really do in the next several months until the election?” Schiff said. “A lot. A lot of damage.”

Schiff continued, “Now, we just saw last week a report that Russia tried to hack or maybe did hack Burisma. OK? I don’t know if they got in; I’m trying to find out, my colleagues on the Intel committee, House and Senate, we’re trying to find out, did the Russians get in, what are the Russians’ plans and intentions?”

“But let’s say they got in,” he said. “And let’s say they start dumping documents to interfere in the next election — let’s say they start dumping some real things they hacked from Burisma; let’s say they start dumping some fake things they didn’t hack from Burisma but they want you to believe they did.”

“Let’s say they start blatantly interfering in our election again to help Donald Trump,” Schiff imagined. “Can you have the least bit of confidence that Donald Trump will stand up to them and protect our national interest over his own personal interest? You know you can’t.”

“Which makes him dangerous to this country,” Schiff insisted. “You know you can’t. You know you can’t count on him. None of us can. None of us can.”

Fear-Mongering Schiff

Schiff did not hesitate to spread fear even further.

“What happens if China got the message?” Schiff went on. ” Now you can say, well, he’s just joking, of course. He didn’t really mean China should investigate the Bidens. You know that’s no joke. Now maybe you could have argued three years ago, when he said, ‘Hey Russia, if you’re listening, hack Hillary’s emails.’ Maybe you could give him a freebee and say he was joking. But now we know better. Hours after he said that, Russia did indeed try to hack Hillary’s emails.”

“There’s no mulligan here when it comes to our national security,” Schiff said, alarmingly.

Schiff blathered on trying to frighten anyone willing to listen finally ending with this warning.

“If right doesn’t matter, we’re lost,” he said. “If the truth doesn’t matter, we’re lost. The Framers couldn’t protect us from ourselves if right and truth don’t matter. And you know that what he did was not right.”

RELATED: Pelosi Threatens the President: ‘One Way or Another’ We Will Remove Trump

The Mask Has Been Ripped Off Dems

Schiff and his party have been out to get Donald Trump through any means necessary from the beginning. This impeachment trial is simply their latest attempt, thus undermining its credibility severely.

Adam Schiff just said in plain English that his primary goal is to remove Trump, no matter the results of this trial. The mask has been ripped off.

Now, can we finally end this debacle and get on with the business of the country?

The post Adam Schiff Wants Trump Removed Because He Won’t Do “What’s Right For This Country” appeared first on The Political Insider.

House managers wrap up their opening argument for impeachment: Live coverage #2

Posted on (Updated by Laura Clawson

It’s the final day of the House managers’ opening arguments in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff delivered a closing argument for the ages on Thursday night, and now we get to find out what he left for the actual closing argument.

Schiff will again be joined by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler and Reps. Val Demings, Zoe Lofgren, Hakeem Jeffries, Sylvia Escobar, and Jason Crow. Daily Kos will have continuing coverage.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 9:07:09 PM +00:00 · Barbara Morrill

Ongoing coverage can be found here.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 7:24:07 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Just as how Jeffies’ description of the “no pressure” claim on Thursday gave fresh insight into how that claim is ridiculous, Crow’s review of the excuses provided for the hold show really opened up just how much Trump’s team scrambled, especially at the end, in an effort to paper over the scheme.

Adam Schiff is back again to close out the discussion of Article 1 … which seems to be coming out of sequence as we’ve already had a couple of discussions on Article 2. It seems something happened near the beginning this afternoon that caused Schiff to shuffle things around a bit.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 7:26:46 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Schiff is saying it in nicer terms, but what much of the evidence shows is that Trump is an incredible patsy. Give him one hint that someone has said a mean thing about him, and you can get him to do anything you want. 

Trump extorted Ukraine. But in the process, Giuliani and Parnas played Trump like a toy piano. They got him to jump whenever they wanted.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 7:32:14 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Schiff shows how the conflict in Ukraine isn’t about Ukraine. It’s about Putin flexing his muscle and using Trump’s weakness to exert his reach across Europe.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 7:34:22 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Schiff plays a video of John McCain discussing the promise and peril of Ukraine. It will be interesting to see if that gets any response from Senators. Some Republican will surely find a way to call it offensive.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 7:40:40 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Schiff spending considerable time concentrating on how Trump’s actions threatened Ukraine, and how just the hint of a schism between U.S, and Ukraine was seen as a victory for Putin.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 7:50:57 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Schiff makes it clear that the cost of Trump’s actions to the United States has been tremendous. “It’s painful to see our allies distance themselves from the United States. It’s more than painful, it’s dangerous … But if we’re going to condition our support for our allies on how willing they are to be dragging kicking and screaming into our politics … we’re not going to have a single ally left.”

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 7:55:55 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

The bigger cost to Ukraine is not that withholding aid meant they were short of bullets on the front line—it was a signal that their most vital alliance was no stronger than their willingness to engage in corruption.

The bigger cost to the United States was being revealed as a source of corruption who judged allies by their willingness to engage in partisan politics — even when that required them to lie.

And the total damage for both was tremendous.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 8:01:02 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Every time a clip of Marie Yovanovitch comes up, it shows again just how deeply decent she is. And makes the scheme to threaten and smear her seem all that much more despicable. 

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 8:05:59 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Schiff shows how Trump’s Ukraine scheme is only part of the larger effort to undermine U.S. elections.

Trump

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 8:15:04 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Schiff digging deep on the *deliberate* damage Trump has done to the U.S. intelligence community. "I hope it was worth it. I hope it was worth it [for Trump]. Because it certainly wasn't worth if for the United States."

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 8:23:23 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Schiff invites the senators to put themselves in the shoes of Joe Biden or Marie Yovanovitch, then think again about whether Trump abused his power.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 8:30:25 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Schiff uses the term “imminent threat” in describing Trump, after earlier mentioning how Trump’s attacks on the intelligence community weakened the ability to convince anyone about the attack on Qassem Soleimani. That seems like a very deliberate choice of words.

Friday, Jan 24, 2020 · 8:32:14 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Schiff finishes the discussion of Article 1, and McConnell sends the Senate into a 15 minute break.