Whilst Biden and Harris are busy doing their jobs, there's an Impeachment Hearing going on... (#125)

[Roussette]

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House Impeachment Manager @RepDianaDeGette is making the case the insurrectionists believed they were “following President Trump’s marching orders.” They believed they were fulfilling “his instructions” and “wishes.” She added: “The President told them to be there.”

After playing other video of insurrectionists saying they only came to Washington because they were following orders, DeGette presents a tweet from the leader of the Proud Boys. She notes his avatar is Trump - that's the level of loyalty to the commander in chief t.co/Dke8zPpGbR

Chansley wrote a note for Pence saying he was coming for him.

But since being charged, the confession and regret simply cascades, @RepDianaDeGette says. t.co/YfdMroQNgW

DeGette's presentation raises the crucial questions in this impeachment trial:

1. Had Trump simply conceded or let the legal challenges run their course, would Jan. 6 have happened?

1. Had Trump and allies not organized that rally, would the riot have taken place?

Rep. Raskin: "January 6th was a culmination of the president's actions. Not an aberration from them. The insurrection was the most violent and dangerous episode — so far — in Donald Trump's continuing pattern and practice of inciting violence. But I emphasize so far."

@DuncinToffee

DeGette's presentation raises the crucial questions in this impeachment trial:

1. Had Trump simply conceded or let the legal challenges run their course, would Jan. 6 have happened?

1. Had Trump and allies not organized that rally, would the riot have taken place?

Hang on, am I being stupid? Surely the answer to both those questions is: "of course not"?

Rep. Raskin plays a video montage of Trump, over the years, praising the violent acts of his supporters.

Hang on, am I being stupid? Surely the answer to both those questions is: "of course not"?

Many Republicans don't seem to think so

Many Republicans are either being deliberately obtuse or are hard of thinking.

For example Hawley's press office tweeted

"You're not going to get anything but condemnation from me for what happened with those criminals at the Capitol," Hawley says on @FaulknerFocus. "But that doesn't make this trial any more legitimate than it is, which is totally illegitimate. No basis in the Constitution."

How can Hawley say there is no basis in the Constitution? (Rhetorical question, he just is another obfuscator of truth.)

Managers are now making their case that Trump's lack of remorse showed that he "intended what happened on January 6th."

Its funny how defenders of the constitution
object when it says they are wrong

Rep. Ted Lieu: “It took President Trump 3 days before he lowered the flags of the US. And President Trump, who was commander in chief at the time, did not attend and pay respects to the officer who lay in state in the very building that he died defending.”

Follow the money....

www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/02/jan-6-protests-trump-operation-paid-3p5mil/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=twitt_jan-6-tp35q-02/09/20

OpenSecrets unearthed more than $3.5 million in direct payments from Trump’s 2020 campaign, along with its joint fundraising committees, to people and firms involved in the Washington, D.C. demonstration before a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.

The Trump campaign paid Event Strategies Inc., a firm named in a permit for the rally that also employed two individuals involved in the demonstration, as recently as Dec. 15, just three weeks before the attacks on the U.S. Capitol. That’s according to the most recent FEC filings covering spending through the end of 2020.

But the American public may never know the full extent of the Trump campaign’s payments to organizers involved in the protests. That’s because the campaign used an opaque payment scheme that concealed details of hundreds of millions of dollars in spending by routing payments through shell companies where the ultimate payee is hidden

@DuncinToffee

Rep. Ted Lieu: “It took President Trump 3 days before he lowered the flags of the US. And President Trump, who was commander in chief at the time, did not attend and pay respects to the officer who lay in state in the very building that he died defending.”

Bugger, that is the saddest thing I've read today, and yet not unexpected of Trump.

Both sides are in disagreement over whether the impeachment is constitutional or not. However, they can't both be right, so surely the constitution can't be black and white, and there is room for interpretation? Which sort of defeats the point of even having a constitution, if both sides can find evidence within it to support their case.

This might be a completely inane comment, and I'm really just thinking out loud, but I'm wondering why there's even a question of this. Either the impeachment is constitutional or it isn't, there shouldn't be room to argue about it.

Agreed, @FridayNightAtTheBronze. The Constitution is so engraved in stone, like the Ten Commandments, how on earth can there be doubt as to its interpretation?

. @tedlieu cites resignation statements by WH cabinet members to show even close allies saw direct tie between Trump's rhetoric and the 1/6 attack. Among them: Former Transportation Sec. Elaine Chao, who is married to Mitch McConnell.

Lieu making clear this is a bipartisan impeachment, showing videos of lots of Republicans blaming Trump for the riot.

Jaichangecentfoisdenom

Agreed, @FridayNightAtTheBronze. The Constitution is so engraved in stone, like the Ten Commandments, how on earth can there be doubt as to its interpretation?

That's always how I always thought of the American Constitution- a very rigid set of rules which are clear about what is and isn't allowed. But it would appear this is not the case.

.@RepTedLieu: Trump's a "danger" because he would have us believe a future president can do the same thing. Impeachment is "about the future." I'm not afraid he will run again, "I'm afraid he's going to run again and lose because he can do this again."

I 'lost' yesterday due to side effects of my 2nd covid jab. Thanks for keeping me up to date AND for the new thread.

Back in the 'real world' today, unfortunately.

@AcrossthePond55
Your title was much better! I started this thread last night because often there is a lot of activity overnight and we were nearly done!
Hope you can find this one

FridayNight I agree about the Constitution being black or white. I presume it's a case of clutching at straws as they have little to push back against and no argument, all because of a clinical setting out of the facts from the Impeachment Managers

I agree about the Constitution being black or white.

I think with the Constitution there are some who believe in interpreting it literally as the Founding Fathers wrote it. There are others who feel that it should be interpreted in light of today's morals and ethics. And the twain never shall meet.

Happy to hear you had your second jab Across. My MIL had hers last week and now has to wait until April for the next