Happy Impeachment! Next step is removal. (Trump thread 98)

[TheClaws]

In the last thread, Trump was impeached by Congress. Now the question is when the articles will be sent to the Senate for Trial, as - at this stage - there is no guarantee from Mitch McConnell of a fair trial. Trump clings to his belief that his call to Zelensky was “perfect”.

Previous thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3732056-Trump-and-the-Giant-Impeachment-Trump-thread-97

Aaron Rupar @atrupar 6hr

TRUMP brags about turning the US military into a mercenary force: "We're sending more [troops] to Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia is paying us for it ... they're paying us. They've already deposited $1 billion in the bank."
twitter.com/atrupar/status/1216064565571735552?s=21

The lows keep coming.

edition.cnn.com/2020/01/11/politics/erik-prince-trump-campaign-qasem-soleimani/index.html

'"[Qasem Soleimani] is the Heinrich Himmler of the Iranian State," Erik Prince wrote in the September 8, 2015 memo to the Trump campaign, pegging Soleimani as the "muscle" behind the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "That Soleimani and his ilk are not already DEAD is a national disgrace for America."'

This extreme-right Fox commentator goes - weird. The shame is many of his MAGA drones parrot these thoughts without question.

Dan Bongino @dbongino 4hr

It’s a shame that the Iranian Mullahs and MS-13 would caucus for the Democrats. The Dems are a disgrace.

It's sort-of true in that I think most foreign governments which have to deal with his irrational attacks against them (Mexico, Ukraine, Iran, Iraq, the EU, China, Canada etc) would caucus for "anyone but Trump", and in a two-party system that would have to be the Democrats, really. Unless they felt able to support a Republican opponent for him, and one were available.

www.rawstory.com/2020/01/rick-wilson-drops-the-hammer-on-the-trump-kids-in-a-brutal-column-warning-of-a-trumpian-political-dynasty/

'“If he wins in 2020, we’re never getting rid of these dolts,” Wilson said the re-election of Trump will guarantee, “the rise of the Imperial Trumps, a family cult built on the remains of the moldering corpse of the GOP, featuring all the warmth of North Korea’s Kim dynasty and a kind of Hapsburg-jawed je ne sais dumbf*ck rien.”'

www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-01-10/donald-trump-cult-steven-hassan-moonie

m.dailykos.com/stories/2020/1/10/1910796/-Rachel-Maddow-Rips-NY-Times-on-Hillary-Coverage?detail=emaildkre

www.politicususa.com/2020/01/10/trump-admits-he-killed-soleimani-to-keep-gop-senators-with-him-on-impeachment.html

That one led me to this:

www.politicususa.com/2019/08/17/cost-of-trump-golf-trips.html

This, coupled with the protests in Iran, may not end well.

End Game WW3 @EndGameWW3 8hr

Urgent: Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander: In the coming days, we will talk about a major victory over the United States

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/13/trump-era-not-normal-michael-h-fuchs

www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-authorized-soleimani-s-killing-7-months-ago-conditions-n1113271

www.businessinsider.com/uk-abandoning-trump-iran-us-withdraw-leadership-world-qassem-soleiman2020-1?r=US&IR=T

'The UK is threatening to tear up its defense alliance with the US after President Donald Trump's Iran crisis triggered a rupture between the two countries.'

Let us hope.

www.cbsnews.com/news/impeachment-trial-white-house-expects-republican-defections-on-calling-new-witnesses-in-the-senate/

Indeed. Interesting link.

I'll believe it when I see it (especially in relation to Collins). But yes, let's hope ...

In the meantime, this is simmering away in the background.

edition.cnn.com/2020/01/13/politics/lev-parnas-house-documents/index.html

Collins is facing a tough re-election challenge this year - I will be amazed if she ends up (fully) going against Russian Mitch's rules.

One lives in hope though.

It does seem as if trump has performed the role of 'useful idiot' when it comes to the Soleiman killing?
www.standard.co.uk/news/world/donald-trump-nancy-pelosi-iran-dead-body-a4333391.html
And he retweeted a photo of a mutilated corpse 😳☹️😟😳
Wtf😟☹️

House voting Wednesday on sending the Articles to the Senate. The issue of calling witnesses is still undecided

thehill.com/homenews/house/478129-house-to-vote-wednesday-on-sending-articles-of-impeachment-to-senate

Supposedly more GOP Senators are in favour of calling witnesses. BUT (and this is a HUGE but), the list includes Collins, Murkowski, & Romney. All three famous for dangling the carrot then jerking it away at the last minute. And two 'wild cards', one of whom (Paul) is just as 'reliable' as the first three.

[[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/impeachment-white-house-expects-republican-gop-defections-new-witnesses-senate-trial/]

I'm not holding my breath for anything other than a 'show trial' in which, when the Dems want to call 'real' witnesses (Bolton, Sundland, etc), the GOP starts blustering 'tit for tat' for subpoenaing the Bidens, Hillary, et all.

Why is someone who had been impeached allowed to stand for office?

Oops. Linky:

www.cbsnews.com/news/impeachment-white-house-expects-republican-gop-defections-new-witnesses-senate-trial/

Why is someone who had been impeached allowed to stand for office?

Because an impeachment is not a verdict. It is more in the way of an indictment. Under the Constitution, he hasn't been found guilty so he has the full rights accorded to any citizen.

The House determines only whether or not the alleged conduct rises to the level of 'high crimes and misdemeanors'. The Senate actually makes the determination (verdict) as to whether or not the individual is guilty of those 'charges'.

If Scrotus is found guilty in the Senate there will be two resulting actions. Firstly, a vote on removal from office. Secondly, a separate vote on whether or not he should be disqualified from holding ANY government office, ever again. Note that removal involves a 2/3 vote. Disqualification from office only a simple majority. But you must have the first to have the second.

Thanks, Across.