Well, ol' Fadin' Joe, I gotta agree with you on that.
October 03, 2019, 11:39 AM
sdy
I read reports that Pelosi has directed that the impeachment investigation focus on the telephone call with Ukraine.
At the moment, the DEMs appear to have a very narrowly focused "investigation" (or "coup attempt" for knowledgeable people)
Isn't it stunning that after 3 years of non stop Russia collusion claims, then a shift to obstruction of justice, that all the Russia stuff gets dropped and a single telephone call becomes the impeachment argument ?
Mueller writes a 400+ page report, filled with seeds for impeachment enthusiasts, and the DEMs abandon it. Mueller even wrote that he can't make a call, it is up to congress to pursue.
Pelosi wants the impeachment vote by the end of this year. Then the senate would probably act pretty quickly. The DEMs were always going to impeach from the House. The question was only when and on what charges.
I hope this DEM impeachment push triggers a 2020 voter turn out that brings the House back under REP control.
October 03, 2019, 11:49 AM
Veeper
quote:
Mueller writes a 400+ page report, filled with seeds for impeachment enthusiasts, and the DEMs abandon it. Mueller even wrote that he can't make a call, it is up to congress to pursue.
Yeah and he bamboozled my congresscritter in the process. Thanks Justin Amash. You truly are a douche bag of China's import.
“The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule it.”—H.L. Mencken
October 03, 2019, 11:54 AM
wcb6092
Pelosi Flat-Out Lies; Claims Schiff Used 'Trump's Own Words' In Fabricated Ukraine Call 'Parody'
Appearing Wednesday on ABC News, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) falsely claimed House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) “didn’t make it up” and used President Donald Trump’s “own words” when he performed a fabricated conversation between the president and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a recent hearing.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: The president was watching your press conference. He says he heard you talk about wanting to do prescription drugs, wanting to do [the] U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement, but now he’s calling you the do-nothing Democrats, says you can’t do it.
HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: Why can’t we do it? It’s up to him. That was our pledge during the campaign for the people, we would lower the cost of prescription drugs. I think that the president wants to do that, so I hope that he would cooperate. He does want the United States-Canada-Mexico free trade agreement. So do we, when we have assurances that there will be enforceability for America’s workers and America’s farmers. And we’re close, we’re on a path to “yes.” So, I think the president knows the argument that could be made against him, and he’s scared. And so he’s trying to divert attention from that, to where it’s standing in the way of legislation.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You say “he’s scared.” You know, he had another tweet right after the one I just talked to you about where he used a word I’m not going to repeat right here. Did you hear the fear in his voice when you spoke to him on the phone last week?
PELOSI: I saw the surprise in his voice that he didn’t understand that I thought what he did was wrong, that he was undermining our national security, that he was undermining our constitution by his actions, and he was undermining the integrity of our elections. He just didn’t see it.
[…]
STEPHANOPOULOS: I know you support chairman Schiff but was it right for him to have that dramatic interpretation of the president’s transcript of the phone call at the hearing last week.
PELOSI: I want the American people to know what that phone call was about. I want them to hear, it. So, yeah, it’s fair. It’s sad but he was using the president’s own words. So if he’s—.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, those weren’t the president’s words, it was an interpretation of the president’s words. They’re saying he made this up.
PELOSI: He didn’t make it up.
On September 26, Schiff performed what he called “the essence” of what Trump said to Zelensky in his opening statement as House Intel Chairman:
We’ve been very good to your country. Very good. No other country has done as much as we have. But you know what? I don’t see much reciprocity here. I hear what you want. I have a favor I want from YOU though. And I’m going to say this only seven times, so you better listen good. I want you to make up dirt on my political opponent, understand? Lots of it. On this and on that. I’m gonna put you in touch with people, and not just any people. I’m going to put you in touch with the attorney general of the United States, my attorney general Bill Barr. He’s got the whole weight of the American law enforcement behind him. And I’m gonna put you in touch with Rudy, you’re gonna love him, trust me. You know what I’m asking, so I’m only going to say this a few more times, in a few more ways. And, by the way, don’t call me again. I’ll call you when you’ve done what I asked.
This is in sum and character what the president was trying to communicate.
The words “reciprocity,” “make up dirt,” “political opponent,” and many more of the rhetorical flourishes do not show up in the actual transcript. Trump encourages Zelensky to “call me more often” and mentions Biden by name once — not eight times, as erroneously claimed by the so-called “whistleblower” who contacted Schiff’s House Intel Committee before going to the intelligence community’s inspector general.
There is no evidence for Pelosi’s claim that Schiff was communicating the truth. There is only evidence to the contrary, making this statement clearly false.This message has been edited. Last edited by: wcb6092,
_________________________ "Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." Mark Twain
October 03, 2019, 11:59 AM
parabellum
Incredible
October 03, 2019, 12:40 PM
Tubetone
quote:
Originally posted by wcb6092: Pelosi Flat-Out Lies; Claims Schiff Used 'Trump's Own Words' In Fabricated Ukraine Call 'Parody'
They're relying on the thoughtless automatons who's style of reasoning is "my truth" in an existential age.
Truth is whatever I say it is, according to that kind of thinking. Don't judge me because it's "my truth" is given credence as actual truth-finding among that crowd.
It's the process of asserting a statement as fact and if you like it, then it's "your truth." QED.
_______________________________ NRA Life Member NRA Certified Range Safety Officer
October 03, 2019, 12:47 PM
feersum dreadnaught
and, the next big reveal fizzles.
Apparently, the closed door testimony by Kurt Volker is yet another nothing burger.
"Rep. Jim Jordan: Ambassador Volker has been very impressive and as I said, has said NOTHING, nothing that coincides with what Democrats are saying with their whole impeachment narrative."
Volker is also the head of the McCain Institute for International Leadership. If he couldn't find a way to screw over the administration, there really must be nothing there...
Here is a full transcript of Jackson’s October 2 report:
7:11 AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: And now to another key figure in the impeachment story, Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. This morning, his business deals during his father’s time as vice president are drawing new scrutiny. Our chief White House correspondent Hallie Jackson has got that part of the story. Hey, Hallie, good morning.
HALLIE JACKSON: Savannah, good morning. These revelations at the heart of the whistleblower complaint, that President Trump asked a foreign leader to search for information to back up unproven claims about Joe and Hunter Biden, involve Ukraine. Well, now, the President’s trying to highlight the Bidens’ connection to a different country, making more questionable allegations, described by the Biden camp as conspiracy theories.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Biden China Trip Under Scrutiny; New Questions Surrounding Official Travel With Son Hunter]
A 2013 trip to China getting new attention this morning, not for what Joe Biden did, but for who he brought with him. His son, Hunter, joining the then-Vice President on the official visit to Beijing, along with Hunter’s daughter Finnegan. Unknown to the press back then, Hunter Biden was forming a Chinese private equity fund, planning to raise money, including from Chinese investors. Years later, Hunter Biden acknowledged that during the trip he met with a Chinese banker, which his spokesperson describes as a social visit, not a business one. Ten days after the Bidens’ trip, Shanghai authorities issued the fund’s business license, something President Trump has seized on as he pushes back against the impeachment inquiry.
DONALD TRUMP: When Biden’s son walks out of China with $1.5 billion in a fund and the biggest funds in the world can’t get money out of China, and he’s there for one quick meeting and he flies in on Air Force Two, I think that’s a horrible thing. I think it’s a horrible thing.
JACKSON: But according to Hunter Biden’s spokesperson, the company itself filed its paperwork a month before Air Force Two took off for China, with the fund in the works for months prior. As for that claim the company was worth $1.5 billion, not even close, his spokesperson says. More like just over $4 million, with Hunter Biden putting up 10%. And even that didn’t happen until 2017, four years after the China visit, since Biden was initially an unpaid board adviser, not a company owner, his spokesperson says. There have been no allegations of corruption or impropriety on the part of the former Vice President.
NBC’s Josh Lederman traveled to China with the Bidens on that 2013 trip.
JOSH LEDERMAN [NBC NEWS NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER]: It didn’t strike us as unusual at the time to see Hunter Biden on the trip. But we didn’t know that behind the scenes Hunter Biden was meeting with a Chinese banker that he was starting a private equity fund with.
JACKSON: Biden’s 2020 campaign calling the President’s claims a “dismantled conspiracy theory,” adding, “Donald Trump’s degradation of his office is unacceptable and speaks to his recognition of what 70 polls have made clear, Joe Biden would beat him like a drum.” And Biden advisers tell me after having seen the Trump playbook at work in 2016 they want to make sure they are aggressively fighting back against what they see as baseless claims against their candidate. Savannah?
GUTHRIE: Alright, Hallie Jackson, thank you.
October 03, 2019, 01:47 PM
sjtill
Nobody would buy this plot for a Netflix series, would they? Too implausible?
_________________________ “ What all the wise men promised has not happened, and what all the damned fools said would happen has come to pass.”— Lord Melbourne
October 03, 2019, 01:50 PM
sdy
I'll post a letter from REP Kevin McCarthy to Pelosi, but first here is some background.
The path forward may not be with House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, who Pelosi has lost confidence in, sources say.
One possibility, according to Democratic sources familiar with deliberations, is moving impeachment proceedings out of the powerful House Judiciary Committee
The path forward, sources say, may not involve House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., who has this far been the public face of the most consequential congressional investigations into the Trump administration. Pelosi has clashed repeatedly with the judiciary chair in recent weeks and, according to several sources, has lost confidence in him and prefers to have House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff be the public face for making the case against Trump.
The Democratic source who discussed the possibility of Schiff leading impeachment proceedings said Pelosi is “upset” with how Nadler has handled the hearings especially after last week’s testimony by Corey Lewandowski — a session that was widely panned as a disaster for the Democrats when the former Trump campaign manager repeatedly refused to answer the panel’s questions.
Nadler “looked awful,” said one committee member. “He had all these staff members around him and it looked like he didn’t know what to do.”
The Democratic source called the Lewandowski hearing an “abject failure. Complete embarrassment.”
There have been several reports that Pelosi will try to ram impeachment thru quickly w no REP inputs. She changed the committee rules so that REPs aren't even required to be present when witnesses testify
October 03, 2019, 02:04 PM
wcb6092
CNN is Refusing to Air a Trump Campaign Ad About Biden and Ukraine
Despite stating that news networks don't or shouldn't take political sides, CNN is refusing to air a Trump campaign ad that accuses former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, of corruption in Ukraine. As a reminder, Hunter Biden was paid $50,000 per month to sit on the board of a Ukrainian gas company, despite having no experience in the field. He was paid while his father served during President Barack Obama's tenure in the White House. The Daily Beast was first to report:
“CNN is rejecting the ad, as it does not meet our advertising standards,” a network spokesperson told The Daily Beast. “Specifically, in addition to disparaging CNN and its journalists, the ad makes assertions that have been proven demonstrably false by various news outlets, including CNN.”
“CNN spends all day protecting Joe Biden in their programming, so it’s not surprising that they’re shielding him from truthful advertising too, and then talking to other media outlets about it,” Trump 2020 communications director Tim Murtaugh responded in a statement. “Our ad is entirely accurate and was reviewed by counsel, and CNN wouldn’t even describe to us what they found objectionable. This isn’t a cable news channel anymore, it’s a Democrat public relations firm.”
Videos at the website
_________________________ "Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." Mark Twain
October 03, 2019, 02:04 PM
2012BOSS302
As Dems Investigate Trump, State Dept Hits 130 Hillary-Connected Officials with Security Violation Warning
For Republicans, the Hillary Clinton email scandal is a political gift that keeps on giving.
For Democrats, however, it’s an ongoing headache that shows no signs of subsiding years after the scandal first emerged.
Clinton’s use of an unsecured, private email server during her time as secretary of state was a hot-button issue during the 2016 election and played an undeniable role in her defeat.
Now, the issue is roaring back into the headlines. Over a hundred bureaucrats who have connections to the email scandal have been warned about security violations by investigators, in a move that could end up “draining the swamp” in Washington at an important time.
According to The Washington Post, some 130 government officials from the Obama era have now been contacted after it was discovered that they sent messages — some were sensitive or classified — to the infamous unsecured Clinton server.
“Those targeted were notified that emails they sent years ago have been retroactively classified and now constitute potential security violations,” The Washington Post reported.
“In virtually all of the cases, potentially sensitive information, now recategorized as ‘classified,’ was sent to Clinton’s unsecure inbox.”
It isn’t clear exactly what will happen to the bureaucrats. Some are no longer with the State Department, but some may still be working for the government in Washington.
This has led to speculation that the Trump administration may be trying to “purge” potential opponents from the ranks, an accusation that the administration has flatly denied.
“The process is set up in a manner to completely avoid any appearance of political bias,” an unnamed State Department official told The Post.
Still, one former official — again unnamed by The Post — told the paper that the official warnings were “a way to tarnish a whole bunch of Democratic foreign policy people” and potentially force them out of government positions.
And some observers suggested that the renewed pressure on Clinton’s associates could be a way for the Trump administration to dig up dirt against “higher-ups” who may still be within the government.
“(T)he smaller fish in the State Department are learning of their own culpability in corresponding with her on a private server,” American Thinker columnist Thomas Lifson noted.
“Just the kind of leverage a determined prosecutor could use to obtain plea deals implicating higher ups. Ask General Flynn or Paul Manafort what that sort of pressure could mean.”
But regardless of whether the renewed investigations into the email scandal are part of a routine push or a specific tactic being carried out by the Trump administration, they may have an important effect: Reminding the American people of Democrat corruption right as the 2020 election season heats up.
Indeed, a handful of Trump allies are currently under scrutiny for what liberals are calling corruption. Figures including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani are facing questions about the handling of the Ukraine situation, all while House Democrats pursue half-baked impeachment proceedings.
By bringing the Clinton email issue back into the light, the current administration seems to be providing a strong contrast between the scandals. The scale of abuses from the last president’s cabinet, with hundreds of people implicated, is an important context that may make the Ukraine issue seem minor in comparison.
It remains to be seen whether that is part of a purposeful move by President Donald Trump, but it wouldn’t be the first time he out-maneuvered Democrats and stayed standing while critics on the left fell flat.
Ha! That's great. and "...what the hell is on Joey's head?"
October 03, 2019, 02:17 PM
Tubetone
quote:
Originally posted by wcb6092: . . . . assertions that have been proven demonstrably false by various news outlets, including CNN.”
What? CNN says it won't air the ad because fake corrupt news already got the conclusion they wanted? - so they now won't air a contrary view.
Ha. Ha. That's rich.
_______________________________ NRA Life Member NRA Certified Range Safety Officer
October 03, 2019, 02:21 PM
wcb6092
_________________________ "Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." Mark Twain
October 03, 2019, 02:24 PM
parabellum
quote:
Originally posted by SIG228: President Trump trolls Sleepy Joe....
