Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Impeachment Trial in Limbo: McConnell No Rules Just Stunts While Blaming Pelosi and DEMS

Impeachment Rules, Witnesses, Documents: I can't hear you
(You have to ask Mitch)

Major update on the following story here from the Washington Post (by Paul Waldman) – with this introduction:

Though articles of impeachment against President Trump have been approved by the House, the investigation — both official and journalistic — is by no means over. 

Newly revealed emails demonstrate not just why Democrats are so eager for Trump’s trial in the Senate to include testimony from witnesses we have yet to hear from, but also why Republicans are so frightened of the prospect:

An official from the White House budget office directed the Defense Department to “hold off sending military aid to Ukraine less than two hours after Trump’s controversial phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky, according to internal emails.

Michael Duffey, a senior OMB official, told Pentagon officials that Trump had become personally interested in the Ukraine aid and had ordered the hold, according to the heavily redacted emails, obtained by the Center for Public Integrity in response to a FOIA request. He also asked the Pentagon not to discuss the hold widely.

Now we know why House Democrats subpoenaed Duffey as part of the impeachment inquiry — and why he and other officials refused to comply as part of the White House’s stonewalling of the inquiry.

You might say that while these emails give us some more detail about how this policy was implemented, it doesn’t change the basic story.

Rest of story follows at link

Directly related is this story which is stunning, shocking, disgusting, and maybe unlawful and illegal statement from Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Fox with Hannity. It’s as if McConnell were acting like the foreman of a jury telling the court:

“I have made up mind in advance of this trial, and despite what the guilty evidence will show, I have predetermined that the defendant is innocent, so let’s make this trial as short as possible.” (His words have that impact). Specifics follow in the story below:

WASHINGTON (and from USA Today and other sites by Nicholas Wu) – Democratic lawmakers slammed GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his statement of his intention to be in (his own words on Fox with Hannity): “In total coordination with the White House” on impeachment strategy as Congress prepares for a historic vote to impeach President Donald J. Trump next week. 

In an evening interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, McConnell, described his planning with the White House this way in his own words:

We'll be working through this process, hopefully in a fairly short period of time in total coordination with the White House counsel's office and the people who are representing the president as well as the Senate.”

My 2 cents: The entire public should be outraged at this stunt in the making from McConnell… is words are stunning and just plain unbelievable.

Just image any trial with a 100% identified serial killer on trial and McConnell as jury foreman saying publicly: “Despite the evidence I believe the proof is fake, false, and ginned up, and the defendant also told me his is innocent so as the jury foreman I will make sure the verdict favors him as innocent and thus he must be exonerated.”

I would fully expect the entire country to rise up and say hell no, as many witnesses and documents as possible – be fair and open and honest with us: “We the People” not with the narrow-minded, closed-minded, one-sided politicians. 

Thanks for stopping by.


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