4 takeaways from 2 days of impeachment trial questions

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Daniel Bush

The White House legal team and House managers Thursday concluded two days of answering questions from senators in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Here are key takeaways from their arguments.

DEVELOPING: More GOP Senators Could Defect in Impeachment Trial

Posted on January 27, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | January 27, 2020

Respected political analyst Dr. Tim Blessing of Alvernia College in Pennsylvania has had a look at the Senate GOP caucus and how they may vote on witnesses in the impeachment trial.

“I did a count Friday night. The following are GOP Senators who have publicly left some air in their positions as per witnesses: Murkowski, Gardner, Ernst (though she appears to have walked hers back), Collins, Tillis (who also might be rethinking things), Portman, Inhofe (a bit of a surprise), Lankford (also a bit of a surprise), Toomey (who is quietly moving to a center position–but he cannot be re-elected if he does so), Alexander, Enzi, and Romney. I have no idea what Cruz is doing. If we get down in the weeds, some of these folks could switch.”

It’s a majority vote and current projections show that the Democrats only need to flip four GOP Senators in order to get witnesses.

If Dr. Blessing is right and witnesses are called to testify in the impeachment trial, this becomes an entirely different ordeal and one that could go in very strange directions.

LifeZette will provide additional updates as more information becomes available.

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

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Bolton Manuscript Leaked, Romney and Collins May Vote Against the President

Posted on January 27, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | January 27, 2020

Reports out of DC, on the heels of the selective leaking of John Bolton’s new book, is that Republican Senators Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine are likely to go south on the GOP trial process and vote to bring in witnesses.

If that happens the trial won’t be over by late this week/early next week. It could go on for weeks. If the duo votes against the president’s trial agenda the Dems would still need two more votes to win on the subject. They are targeting GOP Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.

The pressure to vote for witnesses was ratcheted up over the weekend with leaks from John Bolton’s new book that claim that the president directly told Bolton that the delay in military aid to Ukraine was tied to Biden.

Bolton is using the same team and strategy as has James Comey and the leak was coordinated to coincide with the impeachment trial, a vote on witnesses and, most importantly to Bolton, the availability to preorder his book online.

But bringing on witnesses is a two-edged sword for the Dems. Yes, the Dems may get Bolton. But the GOP could call Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, Adam Schiff, and Eric Ciaramella. As spiritually satisfying at it would be to watch Jay Sekulow munch on their still warm legal carcasses for lunch, the sooner this charade is over is the sooner the president can get back to undistracted work and the Congress can get back to whatever it does on a daily basis aside from fundraisers and hitting on lobbyists.

Bolton’s move can not only be seen as revenge for being fired by Trump, but as another chapter in the intramural GOP fight over a Cold War national security stance or the America First approach of the president.

If Collins and Murkowski vote for witnesses it is likely to throw some meat to their moderate supporters. Alexander is a lame duck and can vote the way he chooses without electoral repercussions.

Though if he desires an appointment in a second Trump administration this would not be the way to get it. And then there’s Mittens.

This would be a way for him to play to the press and shiv Trump at the same time. Given Romney’s notorious sanctimony and ego, it may be a temptation he is unable to resist.

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

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Romney: ‘Increasingly Likely’ There Will Be Republican Votes to Call Bolton as Impeachment Witness

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Zachary Evans

“I think it's increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton," Romney told reporters.

Romney Says He’s ‘Very Likely’ to Join Democrats on Call For New Impeachment Witnesses

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Rusty Weiss

Senator Mitt Romney has revealed he’d be in favor of new witnesses being called to testify in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.

Romney’s decision comes just prior to controversy over anonymous sources relaying information on a book manuscript by former National Security Advisor John Bolton to the New York Times.

The Times indicates that the manuscript accuses President Trump of withholding military aid to Ukraine until Joe Biden and his son Hunter were properly investigated.

Romney, however, was wavering already and suggesting he’d side with Democrats before the Times published that report.

“I think it’s very likely I’ll be in favor of witnesses, but I haven’t made a decision finally yet and I won’t until the testimony is completed,” the former presidential candidate said on Saturday.

If Romney was in favor of teaming up with Democrats before the Bolton report, he’ll most assuredly be demanding witnesses now.

Romney says ‘very likely’ he’ll be in favor of witnesses but won’t decide until after opening arguments.https://t.co/BFLH3suVfo

— Rusty Weiss (@rustyweiss74) January 27, 2020

Romney Wanted to Hear From Bolton From the Start

Senator Romney was suggesting he’d like to hear from Bolton weeks ago.

“I would like to hear from John Bolton and other witnesses, but at the same time I’m comfortable with the Clinton impeachment model when we have opening arguments first and then we have a vote on whether to have witnesses,” he said.

Democrats would need four Republicans in total to side with them on calling new impeachment witnesses.

Other key individuals that Democrats hope to see defect had listened to the impeachment managers opening arguments and were outraged at the suggestion that if the Senate fails to bend to the whim of their House colleagues they’d be engaged in a “cover-up.”

“I took it as offensive,” Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said last week. “As one who is listening attentively and working hard to get to a fair process, I was offended.”

Are her offended sensibilities going to outweigh the obvious media collusion with the Bolton revelations?

Aside from Romney and Murkowski, the resistance would also likely need Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Cory Gardner of Colorado to join their side. Collins and Murkowski have, like Romney, been vocal in the idea that they’d be open to new witnesses.

My statement on the start of the impeachment trial→ https://t.co/6WZXI8sfyV

— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) January 21, 2020

Romney and Political Pressure

Prior to the onset of the impeachment trial, Romney issued a statement explaining his mindset regarding witnesses.

“I have made clear to my colleagues and the public that the Senate should have the opportunity to decide on witnesses following the opening arguments,” he said.

“I will conclude by noting that this is not a situation anyone would wish upon our country,” he continued. “It is difficult, divisive, and further inflames partisan entrenchment. There is inevitable political pressure from all sides.”

The idea that Romney can be so easily swayed from day to day seems to suggest he easily crumbles under that political pressure.

Or is he really being swayed at all? Perhaps this has been the plan all along.

Back in October, Romney hinted that he’d vote to remove the President should impeachment pass in the House of Representatives.

Appearing in an interview with ‘Axios on HBO,’ Romney, according to the outlet, “made it clear that he’s open to voting to remove Trump.”

This is just a continuation of the Senator’s opportunism when it comes to swiping at Trump or praising him when it suits his own needs. Does he smell blood in the water?

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Crucial Moderate Senators Are ‘Offended’ and ‘Stunned’ After Nadler Accuses Senators of ‘Cover-Up’

Posted on January 24, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | January 24, 2020

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a woman known for her easily riled independence and from a functionally libertarian state, has said she was ‘offended’ when Dem impeachment manager Jerry Nalder said the Senate would be engaging in a ‘cover up’ if they didn’t vote with the Dems on witnesses in the Trump impeachment trial.

They didn’t and Murkowski hit back.

“I took it as offensive,” she told the press on Wednesday. “As one who is listening attentively and working hard to get to a fair process, I was offended.”

Now, she could have sucked it up and kept her problem to herself.

But the fact that she chose speak out was a signal as to where her leanings lie on the entire deal. That would quash the Dem plan to bring four Republican Senators (Alexander, Murkowski, Romney, and Collins are most often mentioned) over to their aisle on procedural votes and then on convicting the president.

Alexander of Tennessee is not running for reelection this year and thus he’d pay no political price for voting with the Dems.

But he probably wants to retire to an ambassadorship or another such bauble when he leaves the Senate.

Ticking off a president who is likely to be reelected forestalls that anytime soon.

Murkowski is more moderate than the rest of the Republican caucus. But she is holding firm for now.

Then there’s Mittens.

His record with Donald Trump is well known. Romney has called the president some very untoward things and has commented negatively on everything from the president’s politics to his personal character.

But this former governor and son of a governor likes the status of office and conservative Utah may not readily forgive his apostasy on the Trump verdict. Smart money says he’s reluctantly safe.

Collins of Maine is the only one of the group who has defected. On one procedural vote, she went south on the GOP. The party won anyway.

So she’s let very purple Maine know she doesn’t have blinders on. But she held fast on Kavanaugh while under tremendous leftist pressure. She’ll hold here when it counts.

The Dems wrap up today and the GOP takes over tomorrow as the trial marches on.

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

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