Manchin and Murkowski Solid for President in Senate Impeachment Vote

Posted on February 4, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 4, 2020

Less than two days before the historic impeachment vote in the U.S. Senate, two senators who were thought to be swing votes, Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, announced they could not vote to remove the president from office.

Thus, they will vote for the president and no on the charges.

Most analysts had predicted the GOP’s Murkowski would hold the line. But Manchin was more of an educated guess. LifeZette called it. However, others thought Manchin would not defy his Senate leadership. So either he got a doomed cause waiver to help him in his home state or he’s planning a jump to the GOP. Either is possible and the party switch would not hurt him in deep red conservative West Virginia.

Murkowski’s independent libertarian-trending Alaskans probably just want the whole show over with and will have no problem with her vote.

The only remaining possible holdouts are Collins, Jones, Tester, and Romney.

Republican Susan Collins of Maine may vote guilty on one or both counts because she knows the president will win anyway and at least one guilty vote could help her in blue-leaning Maine. She could have received the done deal waiver from McConnell. The Left may also consider an anti-Trump vote a thrown bone because of her yes vote for Brett Kavanaugh.

Democrat Doug Jones of Alabama is in a hard place. He’s likely to lose this year no mater how he votes on impeachment, as he won in a fluke in 2017. However, even the slightest hope would be gone if he votes against the president. So does he vote to convict and pray the Democrats take care of him after he leaves office or does he vote with the president and hope GOP infighting once again gives him an upset victory?

Democrat Jon Tester of Montana was once considered a possible vote for the president on impeachment. But smart money now says he will vote with his party. But there’s a small chance he bucks them, which would help him in deep red Montana.

And then there’s Mittens.

Hates the president but loves his GOP Senate seat from conservative Utah. The pressure in Utah is already getting intense for him to hold up the GOP shield wall. Could vote with the president on one count and against on the other. Our call is that he sticks with the GOP on both counts.

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

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Next Three Days Vital for President Trump

Posted on February 3, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | February 3, 2020

Monday marks the beginning of three of the most important days in the history of modern America.

On Monday the resumption of the Senate impeachment trial will likely bring the process only two days away from a finish. Senators will get to make speeches on the Senate floor for or against impeachment. From those speeches a good count on the final votes on the charges before the Senate should be able to be discerned. Our call remains 55-45 for the president, thus handing him an impressive victory and complete vindication.

This is the de facto and de jure result no matter what the Democratic strategy may be to ignore the trial outcome and possibly embark on another impeachment investigation and vote. That would be timed for the GOP convention or the fall, when the Democrats still have control of the House. If they do that they will lose the House. So pray that they at least try.

The Iowa Democratic caucus on Monday looks like a close battle between Sanders and Biden. We think Biden will pull it off because many Sanders supporters are young and those under 30 do not usually vote or caucus in large numbers. Trump is probably pulling for Sanders, as are we, for the obvious reason of his non-electability in November. But the Democratic establishment will probably not allow his nomination, just as they cheated him out of it in 2016.

Tuesday brings more trial speeches and the State of the Union address by the president. Expect the Democrats to try a stunt to disrupt the president’s speech. Shouting from the audience, a walkout or boycott, even turning their back on the president are all in their playbook. One or more may take place.

Wednesday should close the chapter, for now, on one of the most divisive and unnecessary dramas in American history, as the Senate will likely vote to acquit President Trump on one count of abuse of power and another of obstruction of Congress. Current smart money has Democrats Manchin and Sinema possibly voting with the president on one or both counts. Jones could also jump to Trump on the votes.

Republicans Romney and Collins could vote to remove the president on one or both counts, with Romney the more likely guilty vote on both charges.

Stay with LifeZette for the latest fast breaking coverage on all these events.

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

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Trump Wins Witness Vote 51-49 – Acquittal Looks Solid

Posted on January 31, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | January 31, 2020

The Democrat House managers spent all day pathetically talking into the wind. But the decisions of Senators Alexander and Murkowski tipped the scales in a 51-49 vote against calling witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. With that, acquittal for the president is likely relatively close at hand.

Though Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer could still propose a series of amendments, all debatable for two hours, to hold up the verdicts for some time.

It is reported that negotiations are going on right now to finish the trial next week at the very latest. The Democrats may want the extra time to make Trump give the upcoming State of the Union address still under threat of impeachment. At that event they very well may try to embarrass the president in some way.

There is a also rumor the Democrats may eventually boycott the remaining votes by walking out of the Senate, only voting “present”, or some other kind of spoiled loser maneuver.

Senators Romney and Collins bucked the GOP and the president by voting for witnesses. Susan Collins will not pay a big price for her rebellion in moderate Maine. But in conservative Utah Mitt Romney could very well see a primary challenge.

A state legislator in Utah has already proposed a measure allowing for the recall of U.S. Senators, that’s how mad the Utah GOP is at Mittens for selling out his party and country.

Democrats wasted all day calling for the same witnesses they had every change to call during the House hearings they ran last month. But they decided not to call them then, waiting for the higher PR platform of the Senate to pull out their bag of tricks.

It was an error, as they don’t control the Senate. However, the Democrats hoped a combination of lies, media pressure, and threats would make GOP Senators come around and vote to extend the trial by weeks and then yet again vote to remove the president from office.

The plan crashed and burned on Friday, the smoldering embers lighting the way to presidential victory.

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

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Democrats Show Frustration at Losing to Trump, Again

Posted on January 31, 2020 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?”

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.

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.

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Thursday Night, the Hour Grew Late For Democrats in More Ways than One

Posted on January 31, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | January 31, 2020

As news of the Bolton and Schiff videos, clips that destroyed their witness argument, closed in on the Democrats the president’s opponents got stranger and more rabid. They knew they were likely to lose the whole match on Friday and they began to lash out at the GOP legal team, themselves, and at their real enemies, the voters of the United States of America.

Developments included:

GOP attorney Pat Cipollone made the argument that if a partisan impeachment like this was to remove the president from office for the vague charge of “abuse of power” then all future presidents, GOP and Democrat, would be subject to the same type of witch hunt.

Elizabeth Warren, in a question, tried to impugn the credibility of Chief Justice John Roberts. Roberts sighed after he read the question and even Adam Schiff defended Roberts during his response to the question.
The Democrats made repeated attempts to classify any negative information as “conspiracy theories”, even going as far as to label the legal record and established facts as such.When they didn’t do that, when repeatedly shown the record, they just merely punted the question and went back to their tired redundant talking points.
The GOP team made the point that numerous people, including Joe Biden, thought there was no need for witnesses in the 1998 Clinton impeachment trial.
Democrats consistently fell into GOP traps when it came to the CIA informer. When a GOP senator hinted at Ciaramella, a member of the Democrat legal team would whine about it, thus talking about the subject and using up their time. Which is exactly what the GOP team wanted them to do.
The Democrats began to insinuate that the American people are not fit to decide the presidency. Thus the Dems had the duty to it for them through impeachment. We’ll see those clips again.
As Schiff and his pals watched the day grow later, the pressure started to get to them in a very obvious manner. We heard more about “Russian propaganda” and “baseless smears.”The GOP legal team was hitting nerves and it was showing in the words and demeanor of all the Democrats in the room.

In the last question, and we’ll have more on this later, Jerry Nadler bolted out of his seat and stole the podium from Adam Schiff. Schiff seemed stunned by the move and tried to call after Nadler, as Nadler made his way to the podium. Nadler ignored him and proceeded to throw a tantrum.

The trial resumes, perhaps for the last day, Friday afternoon.

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

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Democrats Begin to Meltdown as Their Loss Looms

Posted on January 31, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | January 31, 2020

There was lots of drama on the Senate floor on Thursday as it began to dawn on Democrats that their years long campaign to drive President Trump from office was falling apart.

Developments during the day included:

In his opening remarks Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell sent a subtle message to his fellow GOP Senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul. He told him to back off on CJ John Roberts. Roberts had the day before squelched a Paul question that named CIA informer Eric Ciaramella.Rand Paul didn’t listen and did the same thing in the first GOP question of the day. Roberts cut him down. Paul was upset and walked off the floor of the Senate. But not much later in the day Roberts allowed almost the same question, just not from Paul and not naming Ciaramella by name. At such, the Democrats, most notably Schiff, went into their victim act and fake indignation shtick.
The GOP team focused on the dichotomy of Democrat statements that contended that keeping the president in office was an “urgent” threat to national security and the nation itself, yet they delayed moving ahead for a month.

Possible swing votes Democrat Senators Manchin of West Virginia and Jones of Alabama signaled they would be voting against Trump at least on witnesses. If Schumer doesn’t give them a waiver, for state political viability, to vote for acquittal he is insane. Another possible swing, GOP Senator Lamar of Tennessee, will stay with the president. That should hold the GOP defections to 2-3, not the 4 the Democrats need to win. It could be over by Friday night, possibly Saturday morning.
The Democrats attempted to use the words of Professor Jonathan Turley, a GOP House witness, in their Senate case. It didn’t work.
A main GOP message, well articulated by all GOP lawyers, was to implore the Senate to let the people, not impeachment, decide who inhabits the Oval Office.
Sensing victory on the general question, GOP Senator Toomey of PA dropped his one witness for each side deal.

After Democrats accused Trump of somehow cheating in the 2020 election before the first vote is cast, Trump lawyer Pat Cipollone hit them with, “Talk about cheating, you won’t even face him,” meaning they are afraid to face Trump in an election again.

Indeed they are. The late day and night got even more amusing. Details to follow in the next article…

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

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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.

Impeachment Trial Could Be Over Friday Night

Posted on January 31, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | January 30, 2020

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office is reportedly saying Thursday, LifeZette confirmed this with Hill Staff, that they have the votes to prohibit witnesses in a vote Friday afternoon and that the entire trial could wrap up with a Trump win Friday night.

Smart money right now is in almost a party line vote for acquittal on both counts with one, maybe two, Democrat defections. Call it 55-45 for the president.

LifeZette has also learned that social indicators in DC, sometimes better intel than political data, show that reservations at Capitol Hill restaurants are heavy from the Hill past 7pm Friday night. Those reservations were made since noon Thursday. Also, Amtrak reservations from the Hill to destinations all over the East Coast have increased substantially since Thursday afternoon.

If this is true, and votes can change as politics is fluid on a minute by minute basis, it would be a massive personal triumph for President Trump, his legal team, and the GOP. It would give him tremendous momentum going into his reelection campaign. It would also coincide, interestingly, with Brexit Day in the UK.

Conversely it would hand the Democrats a huuuge stinging loss after years of trying to unseat Trump with every move in their playbook. This news may have filtered down to the Senate floor, as Democrat House managers are sounding more bitter and desperate as the hours drone on.

Some Democrats are even talking about another impeachment investigation and vote in the House before the November election. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is said to be against that. At least, right now.

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

The post Impeachment Trial Could Be Over Friday Night appeared first on The Political Insider.

The Senate’s 2020 Democrats want impeachment witnesses. But that would mean skipping Iowa

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Daniel Bush

If the Senate extends the impeachment trial in order to hear from witnesses, it could hinder Senate Democrats running for president ahead of the nation's first 2020 nominating contest in Iowa on Monday.

Bolton Video Guts Democrat Witness Strategy

Posted on January 30, 2020 by LifeZette

By David Kamioner | January 30, 2020

Well, well.

One thing about DC is that everyone has said everything at one time or another for every reason.

So it is with former temporary Democrat savior and darling John Bolton. The Democrats wanted him on the witness stand in the senate impeachment trial of President Trump because, in an illegally leaked book passage to gin up book preorders, Bolton claimed that the president directly told him that Ukrainian military aid was completely tied to a political hit on Joe Biden by the Ukrainians.

Turns out, it was all a gimmick to sell books.

We know this because the president and the busy bees on his opposition research staff have unearthed a video in which former Trump National Security Advisor Bolton makes no mention of any quid pro quo in the Ukrainian matter. None.

They also found clips of Schiff personally trashing Bolton.

Given the Democrats obsessed on Bolton and his supposed damning indictment of the president during the entire Wednesday session of the trial they have some explaining to do when the Thursday session rolls around. No doubt Jay Sekulow and Alan Dershowitz can’t wait to hear it.

The first video is an August 2019 clip from Radio Free Europe. In the interview Bolton says the presidential relationship with Ukrainian president Zelensky was “warm and cordial.” He says not a word about misconduct on the part of President Trump. He even makes the GOP president’s case by saying fighting corruption in Ukraine was a “high priority” for Trump.

But now, with Bolton needing cash for a post White House career, he changes his tune. Well golly, what a surprise.

Seeing the clip the President Trump tweeted: “Game over.”

And what of the honesty and credibility of prospective Democrat star witness Bolton? Let Adam Schiff explain it to us, “This is someone who’s likely to exaggerate the dangerous impulses of the president toward belligerence, his proclivity to act without thinking, and his love of conspiracy theories,” Schiff said to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on March 22, 2018.

And in 2005…
“And particularly given the history, where we’ve had the politicizing of intelligence over WMD [weapons of mass destruction], why we would pick someone who the very same issue has been raised repeatedly, and that is John Bolton’s politicization of the intelligence he got on Cuba and other issues, why we would want someone with that lack of credibility, I can’t understand,” Schiff said, emphasis mine.

The GOP legal team will most probably be ready with those clips at the trial on Thursday. Fun will ensue.

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

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