Category: witness

Watch Jim Jordan try to explain his ‘facts’ that aren’t facts

Posted on by Walter Einenkel

Rep. Jim Jordan spoke briefly to the press on Wednesday and tried his mightiest to pretend it’s no big deal that an FBI informant has been charged with lying about Joe and Hunter Biden’s Ukrainian business ties. 

Alexander Smirnov was the source behind what many Republicans hoped would be smoking gun evidence that proved massive corruption on the part of Joe Biden and his family. But it turns out that one of the GOP’s star witnesses in the bogus push to impeach Biden is at best an indicted liar and at worst a Russian mole. 

After repeatedly insisting that the facts, as he sees them, are still the same (even if his biggest corroborating witness lied about everything), the chair of the House Judiciary Committee had this delightful exchange with one of the reporters.

Rep. Jim Jordan: So it doesn't change the fundamental facts.

Reporter: How does it not change the facts? Those are no longer facts. They aren’t true.

Jordan: The four things I just said are absolutely true. Did Hunter Biden get put on the board of Burisma? Yes. Was he paid $1,000,000 a year? Yes. Did Joe Biden condition the release of tax money for the firing of the prosecutor who was applying the pressure? Yes.

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The first two things on Jordan’s list, which are true, are not against the law. You may not like them, but they’re not illegal—and Republican legislators are not racing to create laws that might curtail these potential conflicts of interest. On the other hand, we might want to do a teensy, tiny bit of investigation into Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and the billions in Saudi money he’s received since leaving the White House. 

Jordan’s last “fact” rests on the assumption that by conveying the Obama administration’s conditions that Ukraine fire corrupt prosecutor Viktor Shokin before the United States would give the country aid, then-Vice President Biden was helping out his son’s new employer, Burisma. 

That’s a lie.

In fact, Hunter Biden’s former business partner and previous star witness for the GOP, Devon Archer, took all the air out of Jordan’s bag of bullshit when he testified that President Biden did not help his son’s standing on the Burisma board. In fact, Archer said Shokin’s ouster “was bad for Burisma” because the energy company “felt like they had Shokin under control” and he was unlikely to slap heavy sanctions or oversight on the company.

Unfortunately for Republicans trying their best to target Joe Biden and his family, there is no there there— and there never has been. At every stage of this political theater production, Reps. James Comer and Jim Jordan have had to admit they have no actionable evidence. 

Watch as Jordan denies facts for a full five minutes in the clip below.

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Democratic voters know Joe Biden is old and MAGA voters like to pretend that Trump isn't just as long in the tooth. Both men were old the last time we did this and the only thing that’s changed is Biden is now a successful incumbent, while Trump is busy juggling trials and indictments.

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Nancy Pelosi Says Even if President Trump is Acquitted ‘He Will Not Be Acquitted’

Posted on by Guest Author

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi left members of the press confused during her weekly briefing Thursday when she said that President Trump “will not be acquitted” even if he actually is acquitted by the United States Senate.

‘He will not be acquitted’

“When this is over, do you think that President Trump will understand that he’s got a Congress watching this? Or will he be emboldened because the Senate will have acquitted him?” asked a reporter.

“Well, he will not be acquitted. You cannot be acquitted if you don’t have a trial. You don’t have a trial if you don’t have witnesses and documentation,” replied Pelosi.

Pelosi then doubled-down in saying she wanted more witnesses in the ongoing Senate impeachment trial, insisting that Republicans must allow further investigations or “pay a price.”

“It’s about a fair trial. They take an oath to have a fair trial. We think that would include witnesses and documentation. The ball is now in their court, so either do that or pay a price,” warned Pelosi.

RELATED: Pelosi Frets: End of the World If Trump Wins in 2020

Pelosi spoke with reporters Thursday after signing her Articles of Impeachment, saying the entire process is not a “question of proof” but “allegations.”

“It’s not a question of proof, it says what allegations have been made. That has to be subjected to scrutiny as to how we go forward, but it should not be ignored in the context of other events that could substantiate some of that,” said Pelosi.

RELATED: Democrats Have Already Decided Trump is Guilty, They Just Need To Find Something To Make Him So

Pelosi Living in Fantasy Land

What kind of fantasy land is Pelosi living in?

If the Senate acquits President Trump, which it looks like they will likely do this week, how in the world can she still say “he will not be acquitted?”

Trump Derangement Syndrome obviously takes many forms. The usual TDS is just partisan Democrats saying ridiculous things just to oppose Trump.

But now the Speaker of the House believes even if the President is acquitted, he really won’t be? An elected official of this ranking is just going to completely ignore reality?

If this isn’t proof the Democrats have completely lost it, I don’t know what is.

The post Nancy Pelosi Says Even if President Trump is Acquitted ‘He Will Not Be Acquitted’ appeared first on The Political Insider.

GOP Senators Plan for Acquittal After Witness Vote – Impeachment End Game in Sight

Posted on by Guest Author

If the vote to call witnesses fails, Senate GOP leaders might pursue a quick end to the ongoing impeachment trial.

Vote to Acquit Could Come as Early as Friday

Politico reports that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is mulling over using procedural moves to end debate and vote for Trump’s acquittal. It is expected that the vote to call witnesses will fail and Democrats will be unable to introduce more evidence. If that happens, Senator John Barrasso says the vote to acquit could come as early as Friday.

“The question is going to come to ‘Have you heard enough to make a decision or do you want witnesses?’ If people say, ‘We’re ready to vote,’ we’re going to vote right then,” said Barrasso.

RELATED: Report: Mitch McConnell Plans to Acquit Trump on Impeachment Charges

Politico reports, “Barrasso suggested that an acquittal vote could take place as soon as Friday — if senators don’t agree to subpoena additional witnesses or documentary evidence. Under the organizing resolution that controls the proceedings, Democrats could offer additional motions if the Senate votes down deposing additional witnesses — including former national security adviser John Bolton — but Republicans could then move to shut down debate and call for an up-or-down vote on acquittal.”

“We would,” said Sen. Joni Ernst of the quick acquittal vote. “If it fails, no more witnesses, no more documents. Then we would, I would think … I would imagine that then we would roll into that.”

If Democrats were to try to stall, it would be seen as a partisan attempt to hurt Trump. Democrats might want to go ahead and end this fiasco and risk doing any further damage to their party as the 2020 election nears.

RELATED: After Their Rush to Judgment, Democrats Now Seek to Stall on Impeachment

Please, Just Stop Already

Senate Democrats are already trying to figure out how to outwit McConnell if Republicans pursue this strategy.

“So the rules would have the vote on the articles come up immediately after a failed vote on witnesses. I think we are exploring what our options would be if we lost that witness vote,” said Sen. Chris Murphy according to Politico. “McConnell I would imagine would go straight [to the acquittal vote]. The rules don’t provide for anything.”

After Trump’s lawyer’s presentation, there are supposed to be 16 hours of questions to the House managers that will no doubt be highly scripted by both sides.

And so on, and so on. Can we just end this already?

The post GOP Senators Plan for Acquittal After Witness Vote – Impeachment End Game in Sight appeared first on The Political Insider.

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

Posted on 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.

RELATED: Seven Senators Who May Hold the Key to Trump’s Presidency

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.

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?

The post Romney Says He’s ‘Very Likely’ to Join Democrats on Call For New Impeachment Witnesses appeared first on The Political Insider.