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'What the kids did do, was absolutely wreck the Trump campaigns voter tracking and ID system'

Impeachment Inquiry

You are here: Home / Archives for Politics / Impeachment Inquiry

Procedural Open Thread: The Work Continues

by Anne Laurie|  February 14, 20219:35 am| 270 Comments

This post is in: Impeachment Hearings, NANCY SMASH!, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republican Venality

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi denounced the senators who made Donald Trump's acquittal possible as a ‘cowardly group of Republicans’ and blamed McConnell for not allowing the House to deliver the impeachment charge to the Senate while Trump was still in the White House pic.twitter.com/cVu6gtT8uL

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 14, 2021

I didn’t jump in on the WITNESSES NOW debate earlier, because I remember all too vividly the Repubs lying and showboating during the Iran-Contra hearings, which made it possible for that era’s monsters to finish destroying the evidence, sometimes by killing (even more) nameless not-American people. Those hearings not only gave VP Bush (and, later, his even more vile spawn) a free pass to the Oval Office, they made Oliver North a celebrity, and wealthy — and those were the days before GoFundMe.

What I said or didn’t say here wasn’t gonna change anybody’s calculations, most specifically those of the Democrats running Impeachment Two, and I’m willing to accept their political acumen in this area is more to the point than mine. YMMV…

show full post on front page

And there it is from @StaceyPlaskett — the clearest explanation for why no witnesses: "Other individuals who may have been there with the president were not friendly…to us and would have required subpoenas and months of litigation."

— Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) February 13, 2021

Biden statement late Saturday on the Senate impeachment vote. pic.twitter.com/jznihzyCm0

— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) February 14, 2021

Why did Dems take this action? McConnell made it clear that there would be no other Senate business during the trial. Weeks without Merrick Garland & other confirmations, no Covid relief bill. Dems could get no other material witnesses w courage to testify. No votes would change.

— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) February 13, 2021

I mean, I don't think that impeachment was a bad idea. You do it because it's the right thing to do. But it was always going to end this way and it's not likely it has long term electoral impacts either.

— Erik Loomis (@ErikLoomis) February 13, 2021

there is one nominally functional if occasionally feckless party and one that is thoroughly corrupted and operates almost wholly on malign intent and bad faith. https://t.co/l0QdW6kwZx

— Peloton InfoSec Analyst (Incident Response) (@CalmSporting) February 13, 2021

the new democratic administration has already made life immeasurably better for immigrants, asylum seekers, trans members of our military, and other groups. so i will be voting for that party while occasionally being very frustrated at them. everybody can do their own thing.

— Peloton InfoSec Analyst (Incident Response) (@CalmSporting) February 13, 2021

I realize we’re in the moment and whatever happened just now looms large but the idea that “Dems folded and didn’t call witnesses” is going to be the thing people remember about this episode even days from now is totally nuts, sorry.

— Josh Barro (@jbarro) February 13, 2021

I hate to be that guy but from a political standpoint, most voters don’t care about the trial, would rather the Senate focus on COVID relief, and delaying the trial will not change the outcome. It’s bitterly disappointing but politically this is the right move for Dems

— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) February 13, 2021

…when you realize you will have to cover boring-ass legislative wrangling… https://t.co/FB5nuP8b7s

— Alex Hazanov. (@alexhazanov) February 13, 2021

Does it suck that Trump isn’t going to face consequences for this? Absolutely. Is it Democrats fault that he won’t? Not at all and if you think it is you’re just not thinking very clearly.

As always, this is Republicans fault and you are doing what they want by not blaming them.

— Tiger Beat Anarchy ???????? (@SJGrunewald) February 13, 2021

Also recall that there is pretty decent evidence that stuff like checks and geneous UI is what kept Trump afloat, and do that.

— Alex Hazanov. (@alexhazanov) February 13, 2021

Donald Trump is a former president today because of us. Never forget that. In a democracy, voters do have the ultimate power. And when you do not vote, you surrender the only real power you have. https://t.co/keQusQK4p4

— Jeff Fecke (@jkfecke) February 13, 2021

Procedural Open Thread: The Work ContinuesPost + Comments (270)

Friday Morning Open Thread: Happy Year of the (Metal) Ox

by Anne Laurie|  February 12, 20217:24 am| 121 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Foreign Affairs, Impeachment Inquiry, Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat

Happy #ChineseNewYear everyone! May good luck and prosperity follow you everywhere. This is the year of the Ox – symbol of hard work, positivity and honesty – all things needed in abundance this year. pic.twitter.com/j7l18JUh7I

— Layla Moran 🔶 (@LaylaMoran) February 12, 2021

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I spoke today with President Xi to offer good wishes to the Chinese people for Lunar New Year. I also shared concerns about Beijing’s economic practices, human rights abuses, and coercion of Taiwan. I told him I will work with China when it benefits the American people.

— President Biden (@POTUS) February 11, 2021

President Biden: "I have also announced that it shall be the policy of my Administration that no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall, and that I am directing a careful review of all resources appropriated or redirected to that end." https://t.co/0ehTIyKmEu

— Josh Dorner (@JoshDorner) February 11, 2021

This is great, and I really hope TANF and SNAP are next. https://t.co/dUYD2pcbRC

— Annie Lowrey (@AnnieLowrey) February 12, 2021

Elsewhere…

"Saturday is looking better all the time, I would think, for a final vote," Republican @RoyBlunt says of Trump impeachment trial. per @LauraLitvan.

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) February 11, 2021

Why give away billable hours for which they’ll never be paid? https://t.co/bg7TcN8ycb

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) February 11, 2021

Friday Morning Open Thread: Happy Year of the (Metal) OxPost + Comments (121)

Continuing Impeachment Trial Open Thread

by Cheryl Rofer|  February 10, 20215:11 pm| 151 Comments

This post is in: Impeachment Hearings, Open Threads, Rofer on Nuclear Issues

The previous thread was getting long. I’m not sure how much more there is to go – I am not watching, just getting snips from Twitter as I get some other stuff done.

I found this interesting – the nuclear football that follows the Vice President around was also at risk. You can see the military aide carrying it at 0:13 in the video.

Truly remarkable footage of Vice President Pence and his family being escorted out of the Senate chamber. President Trump was back at the White House, continuing to trash Pence, according to multiple people. pic.twitter.com/Vr3c5EBwTR

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) February 10, 2021

Stephen Schwartz follows the nuclear footballs and collects photos of them. I asked him to verify. Here’s his answer –

Correct, although that's a different military aide than was seen carrying it earlier in the afternoon that day from the House to the Senate. https://t.co/rAtaTNMte5

— Stephen Schwartz (@AtomicAnalyst) February 10, 2021

Sorry for the duplication. That seems to be the way this works.

Continuing Impeachment Trial Open ThreadPost + Comments (151)

Impeachment 3 – Procedure Over Content

by Cheryl Rofer|  February 9, 20214:00 pm| 173 Comments

This post is in: Impeachment Hearings, Open Threads

Here’s the live feed:

And here’s the video that the House Impeachment Managers showed. Damning.

Open thread

Impeachment 3 – Procedure Over ContentPost + Comments (173)

And that is official — IMPEACHED AGAIN

by David Anderson|  January 13, 20214:30 pm| 341 Comments

This post is in: Impeach the Motherfucker!, Impeachment Inquiry, Open Threads, Violent Insurrection at the Capitols

And that is official --- IMPEACHED AGAIN
And that is official. President Donald J. Trump has made history. He is the first president to be impeached twice.

The official intra-party fight for control of the GOP is off and running as well.

And that is official — IMPEACHED AGAINPost + Comments (341)

Impeachment Hearings Open Thread

by Betty Cracker|  January 13, 20219:00 am| 200 Comments

This post is in: Domestic Politics, Impeach the Motherfucker!, Impeachment Hearings, Open Threads, Politics, Trumpery

Here we go again, citizens!

The Democrats serving as impeachment managers are Representatives Raskin, DeGette, Cicilline, Castro (Joaquin), Swalwell, Lieu, Plaskett, Neguse, and Dean. (Thanks, Baud!) The Trump defense strategy on the Republican side is rather less clear to me, but I assume we’ll hear from the kooks in the Sedition Caucus, which comprises most House Republicans.

Open thread!

PS: Sorry for squashing not one but TWO posts, but I’m gonna leave this one up for impeachment hearings discussions.

Impeachment Hearings Open ThreadPost + Comments (200)

I’d Like To Introduce Ryan Grim and Glenn Greenwald To Reporting At a Publication Called The Intercept

by Adam L Silverman|  October 19, 202012:46 pm| 181 Comments

This post is in: 2020 Elections, America, Domestic Politics, Foreign Affairs, Impeachment Inquiry, Information Warfare, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security

Glenn Greenwald, co-founder of The Intercept, and Ryan Grim, the DC Bureau Chief of The Intercept, both had thoughts over the weekend over the recent Giuliani and Bannon pushed misinformation and agitprop campaign against VP Biden.

Democrats knew the entire time that this would be Trump’s final move, and that this would roughly be how it rolls out. If there does turn out to be a ton more that is legit and credible, they can blame Russia all they want, but they’ll have themselves to blame for walking into it

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) October 18, 2020

Right but the primary turned on electability, and Democrats calculated that Trump’s plan to weaponize Hunter — which he telegraphed so thoroughly he got impeached — wouldn’t be effective. We’re about to see if that was a good bet.

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) October 18, 2020

Spare me the bullshit of how Biden (and the EU) wanted the prosecutor fired because he wasn’t vigilant enough about fighting corruption. The US & EU don’t care if their puppet regimes tolerate domestic corruption. Why is the US VP dictating who the Ukrainian prosecutor should be?

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 18, 2020

From Robert Mackey’s reporting in The Intercept from May 10, 2019 (emphasis mine):

VIRAL RUMORS THAT Joe Biden abused his power as vice president to protect his son’s business interests in Ukraine in 2016, which spread last week from the pro-Trump media ecosystem to the New York Times, are “absolute nonsense,” according to Ukraine’s leading anti-corruption activist. That evaluation is backed by foreign correspondents in Kiev and a former official with knowledge of Biden’s outreach to Ukraine after President Viktor Yanukovych was deposed in a popular uprising in 2014.

The accusation is that Biden blackmailed Ukraine’s new leaders into firing the country’s chief prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, to derail an investigation he was leading into a Ukrainian gas company that the vice president’s son, Hunter, was paid to advise.

The truth, Kaleniuk said, is that Shokin was forced from office at Biden’s urging because he had failed to conduct thorough investigations of corruption, and had stifled efforts to investigate embezzlement and misconduct by public officials following the 2014 uprising.

Properly debunking this particular conspiracy theory is easier said than done, though, since it is set in Ukraine, a country with byzantine political intrigue at the best of times, and these are not the best of times. The rivalries between political factions in Kyiv are so intense that even the country’s new anti-corruption agencies are at each other’s throats.

There is no question that Biden did, during a visit to Kyiv in late 2015, threaten to withhold $1 billion in loan guarantees unless Shokin was dismissed. But the vice president, who was leading the Obama administration’s effort to fight corruption in Ukraine, did the country a favor by hastening Shokin’s departure, Kaleniuk said, since he had failed to properly investigate corrupt officials.

“Shokin was fired because he attacked the reformers within the prosecutor general’s office,” Kaleniuk said, “reformers who tried to investigate corrupt prosecutors.”

Before it reached the Times, the frenzied speculation about Biden, and the supposed meddling in the 2016 election by anti-corruption prosecutors in Ukraine, was regularly featured on a network of far-right websites that work to boost Trump and undermine Democrats. Among the first outlets to promote the idea of the Ukrainians as the real meddlers was Sputnik, a Russian state-owned news agency. That theme, and related conspiracy theories about Ukraine and Democrats, were then featured in a series of opinion columns by John Solomon, a columnist for The Hill in Washington. Solomon’s stories, based on interviews with disgruntled, far-right Ukrainian officials who had previously been featured in Sputnik, have been enthusiastically embraced by the conspiracy theorist-in-chief.

Much more at the link, as well as at this subsequent reporting by Mackey in The Intercept.

We know that all of the Hunter Biden was doing illegal things in Ukraine, and elsewhere by leveraging his father the Vice President misinformation and agitprop was first seeded in RIA Novosti in May 2014. It was an early attempt to dirty up VP Biden, as well as Secretary Kerry and VP Cheney by suggesting their children were engaged in illegal activities in Ukraine and other post-Soviet states in case any or all three of them ran for president in 2016. Once again, here’s the screen grab with the link to where I found it.

I'd Like To Introduce Ryan Grim and Glenn Greenwald To Reporting At a Publication Called The Intercept

It was also an attempt to throw as much garbage out there to make it difficult for anyone who was not a Ukraine and Russia expert to cover what had been going on with the Maidan Movement, the backlash against Russian interference in Ukraine, and Russia’s response of both scarfing up Crimea through a manipulated and unreliable plebiscite and invading eastern Ukraine as part of an unconventional warfare campaign that leverages Russian special operations, Russian backed private military companies (Wagner Group), and Russian speaking/ethnic Russian Ukrainians living in Donbass and other eastern Ukrainians. I was involved with working on this problem set from January through May 2014 when I was assigned, under temporary assigned control, as the Cultural Advisor to the Commanding General of US Army Europe. This included doing an assessment and report for the Commanding General of US Army Europe on the Maidan Movement, Ukrainian and Russian oligarchs and the effects of their activities on the politics and economy of Ukraine, and Putin’s intentions for Ukraine.

Perhaps Mr. Greenwald and Mr. Grim should read the reporting in a publication called The Intercept.

Open thread!

I’d Like To Introduce Ryan Grim and Glenn Greenwald To Reporting At a Publication Called The InterceptPost + Comments (181)

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