The Next President of the United States

[Jon MW]

Trump, Ivanka, and Jared plundered Trump's vet's charity to the tune of $2.8M. Is that not an impeachable offence?

Trump has been ordered by the courts to pay back $2M+ to various other charities so the case is cut and dried.

Impeachment can only be done for high crimes and misdemeanors.

It is unclear whether a sitting US President can just be prosecuted for a 'normal' criminal offence.

[bookiebasher]

I want one.....

https://www.frontpagelive.com/2019/11/14/elizabeth-warren-sells-mugs-for-billionaire-tears-after-one-started-crying-on-tv/


If a politician in this country advocated a 2p tax after your first £50 million Typhoon Trev would be less happy than he is now ,

if that is possible.

[typhoon13]

Oh I see its take the piss out of me time

Yes I had £30 at 29/1 but I would gladly give it up to see a smartie ass bookie sail down the Swanee

By the way Lizzie still continues to drift

[Karabiner]

Trump, Ivanka, and Jared plundered Trump's vet's charity to the tune of $2.8M. Is that not an impeachable offence?

Trump has been ordered by the courts to pay back $2M+ to various other charities so the case is cut and dried.

Impeachment can only be done for high crimes and misdemeanors.

It is unclear whether a sitting US President can just be prosecuted for a 'normal' criminal offence.

Was Bill Clinton denying having sexual relations with MonicaL a high crime or a misdemeanor?

And is looting a charity of $2M+ and using it for campaign funds not?

[MintTrav]

Thanks.

It seems to be clear that the House will impeach and the Senate will clear him. It would need something really significant for enough Senators from his own party to turn against him, and it doesn’t seem to be there, from what we have seen so far. It’s not impossible - Republicans turned against Nixon and forced him out but, unless something new and dramatic comes out, it won’t happen. Impeachment will be horrific for the Presidential candidates who are Senators, chaining them to Washington next Feb/Mar, at the height of Primary season. Super Tuesday is on 3 March, but several Primaries fall in the weeks just before and after that.

Warren has come on really strongly lately, challenging Biden for the lead. She is an unusual candidate who would have had no chance in the past, but her time may have come, partly due to Sanders reshaping the race last time. Most of her pick-ups have come from Sanders, who has dropped away in third, and from Harris, but not from Biden. Biden is still slightly ahead of her and should pick up natural supporters when some of the others drop out, but the momentum is with her at this point. She’ll probably underperform in the early States, so don’t take that as an indication of her having peaked. She’s a close second favourite, with the two well clear, against a favourite with a capacity for own-goals. Doesn’t seem too bad

[Karabiner]

I read something the other day on Twitter about the possibility of introducing a secret ballot in the senate.

I'm not sure how likely that might be, but I'm certain it would greatly increase the chance of impeachment should it happen.

[MintTrav]

The impeachment hearings have been disappointing so far, with witnesses who were pretty dull and weren't actually witness to anything. The most interesting bits have been the sparring between Adam Schiff and Devin Nunes, the leaders of the two sides on the Committee and the continued emergence of Elise Stefanik (NY), a rising star for the Republicans. These Committees are often where members make their name, and Stefanik has already enhanced her growing reputation this week. The strange set-up requires the Committee Majority Leader and Minority Leader to sit side-by-side as they tear each other apart.

Click to see full-size image.

The two witnesses on Day 1 were pretty boring and hadn't seen anything, the big moment being that someone else who wasn't there had told one of them he had overheard a phone call. On Day 2 the former US Ambassador to Ukraine, sacked by Trump, came along to tell us how badly she had been treated. Although she was more engaging, and received a lot of praise from both sides, Nunes killed her testimony right at the start:

Nunes: Were you involved in the July 25th Trump-Zelensky phone call, or preparations for the call?
Yovanovitch: No, I was not.
Nunes: Were you involved in the deliberations about the pause to military sales to Ukraine as the Trump Administration reviewed newly-elected President Zelensky's commitment to corruption reforms?
Yovanovitch: For the delay in......
Nunes: For the pause
Yovanovitch: No, I was not.
Nunes: Were you involved in the proposed Trump-Zelensky, later Pence-Zelensky, meetings in Warsaw, Poland on Sept 1st?
Yovanovitch: No, I was not.
Nunes: Did you ever talk to President Trump in 2019?
Yovanovitch: No, I have not.
Nunes: Mick Mulvaney?
Yovanovitch: No, I have not.
Nunes: Thank you Ambassador. I'm not exactly sure what the Ambassador is doing here today. This is the House Intelligence Committee that's now turned into the House Impeachment Committee. This seems more appropriate for the Sub-Committee on Human Resources....

Trump provided the entertainment with his suicidal tweets. It must be hell for the Republicans on the Committee, busting their asses to defend him, only for him to randomly make things worse.

[Jon MW]

Trump, Ivanka, and Jared plundered Trump's vet's charity to the tune of $2.8M. Is that not an impeachable offence?

Trump has been ordered by the courts to pay back $2M+ to various other charities so the case is cut and dried.

Impeachment can only be done for high crimes and misdemeanors.

It is unclear whether a sitting US President can just be prosecuted for a 'normal' criminal offence.

Was Bill Clinton denying having sexual relations with MonicaL a high crime or a misdemeanor?

And is looting a charity of $2M+ and using it for campaign funds not?

Clinton's crime was perjury.

You do, somewhat, make a reasonable point - in that 'misdemeanors' can basically include anything you want it to as long it's sufficiently 'bad'.

I think on a national level the President stealing money from a charity probably does count as less serious as lying to a Grand Jury but ultimately it obviously just down to politicking.

[MintTrav]

At the impeachment hearing, former wrestling champion Jim Jordan beats up the current Ambassador to Ukraine.




Jordan is almost always in his shirtsleeves in committee or at press conferences and has taken a lot of heat for it. Jim just doesn't like wearing jackets “I get fed up at these witnesses who, I think, aren’t being square with me or my colleagues and, more important, the American people. I can’t really get fired up and get into it if you’ve got some jacket slowing you down.” I can understand that, but he doesn't wear one anytime else either, looking quite odd at times. His abandoned jacket has its own Twitter account and tweeted this week "Nice. Arguably one of the most viewed hearings this year and here I am sitting on a chair in @Jim_Jordan's office. I could have been a star." - https://twitter.com/jjordansjacket?lang=en.

Click to see full-size image.

[MintTrav]

Members show off the finest side of the democratic system that they wish to share with the rest of the world.

[tikay]

Crikey, that's an eye-opener.

[RED-DOG]

Appreciating this MintTrav.

[bookiebasher]

That first clip was stage managed . The republicans knew full well that  he could only allocate
his time to staff counsel .

I enjoyed watching the ambassadors testimony more than the 1st day.

Must be very hard to stay calm in the face of such intimidation .

Appalling way to treat someone with over 30 years exemplary service .

Really hope Trump gets what’s coming to him.

A really odious bully , it just needs one of his team to out him.

Pompeo has been very quiet , a complete coward for not defending the ambassador .

He might b first to crack , then the cards will fall pretty quick.

Also Bolton’s testimony , if he ever does , should be dynamite.

[MintTrav]

I don't understand what is going on here. I have heard Jordan, Stefanik and Schiff (twice) say they don't know who the whistleblower is. But everyone in Washington knows who it is, not just the politicians and media, and his name is all over the internet. Okay if they don't want to name him, but saying they don't know his identity is more than weird. How is it ok for them all to lie brazenly during the legal process which is part of one of the biggest events in US history?

[MintTrav]

There's been so much going on. In the last few days:

- Former Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick joined the Democrat Primary contest, because another moderate candidate is just what the race needed to liven it up.

- Pete Buttigieg took a shock monster lead in the latest Iowa poll at 25%, far ahead of Warren on 16%, with Biden and Sanders both on 15%.

- Barack Obama stuck his oar in, warning the party against trying to "completely tear down the system", interpreted as an attack on Warren and Sanders in particular.

- The Democrats won the Louisiana Governorship, on top of their recent win in Kentucky. This is more important than it might seem as an indicator of which way the wind is blowing, especially as Donald gave a lot of support to the GOP candidate.

- Roger Stone, a unique character in US politics, was finally convicted after a lifetime of undermining democracy, the 34th and final person convicted as a result of the Mueller investigation.

- Trump had an unscheduled hospital 'check-up', prompting questions about his health.

- There were new calls for Trump's advisor Stephen Miller, who has a major input into immigration policy, to resign after hundreds of emails he sent to Breitbart came to light, most of which promoted white nationalism or racist immigration stories.

- The impeachment and the Primary race continued.