bipartisanreport--2020-01-10--Iran Responds To Allegations It Shot Down Ukrainian Jetliner

Tension surrounding Iran reached a deadly new height this week when a Ukrainian International Airways flight crashed right outside of an Iranian airport , which killed all 176 people on board .
Passengers included citizens of Iran , Canada , and a number of other countries .
On Thursday , officials in the U.S. , Canada , and Britain said that intelligence seemed to indicate that the plane had been hit ( presumably accidentally ) by an Iranian missile , which took it down .
Now , Iranian authorities are disputing that conclusion and calling on nations to release evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the flight .
Abedzadeh noted , the Associated Press explains , that sharing would be in line with international standards , although Iran has already struggled with adhering to those same standards .
The country initially said it would be barring Boeing ( and the U.S. ) from investigating the crash , although United Nation rules open the door for their participation because the plane was manufactured in the U.S .
Under those same provisions , France ’ s aviation investigation agency will also be participating in the post-crash inquiry , since the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CFM International , which is a collaboration between the French group Safran and the U.S. group GE Aviation .
In the meantime , international authorities already seem certain of their conclusions .
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said : At least 63 of the passengers on the doomed flight were Canadian citizens .
The plane was headed for Ukraine , where many of its passengers were set to take a connecting flight to Canada .
An idea for what sparked Iran ’ s apparent accidental strike on the plane is that the missile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on radar as an indicator of an attack .
The incident unfolded right after Iran launched missile strikes on U.S. bases in Iraq , which were in retaliation for Trump ’ s abruptly ordered assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani .
The perceived attack would have been perceived to be U.S. retaliation — meaning , essentially , that the passengers on the downed Ukrainian flight were caught in the crossfire of escalating violent conflict that President Donald Trump kickstarted .
Although Iran has given up its demands to keep Western interests like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Board ( NTSB ) out of the crash investigation , the Associated Press notes that there are concerns about sending NTSB employees to Iran , considering ongoing tension .
German-based airliner Lufthansa has already cancelled all flights into and out of Iran for a ten day period , and other airliners have been making similar changes .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that : The passengers were the victims of belligerent escalation .

Tension surrounding Iran reached a deadly new height this week when a Ukrainian International Airways flight crashed right outside of an Iranian airport, which killed all 176 people on board. Passengers included citizens of Iran, Canada, and a number of other countries. On Thursday, officials in the U.S., Canada, and Britain said that intelligence seemed to indicate that the plane had been hit (presumably accidentally) by an Iranian missile, which took it down. Now, Iranian authorities are disputing that conclusion and calling on nations to release evidence that they have about the fate of the flight.
Ali Abedzadeh, head of Iran’s national aviation department, insisted:
‘What is obvious for us, and what we can say with certainty, is that no missile hit the plane. If they are really sure, they should come and show their findings to the world.’
Abedzadeh noted, the Associated Press explains, that sharing would be in line with international standards, although Iran has already struggled with adhering to those same standards. The country initially said it would be barring Boeing (and the U.S.) from investigating the crash, although United Nation rules open the door for their participation because the plane was manufactured in the U.S. Under those same provisions, France’s aviation investigation agency will also be participating in the post-crash inquiry, since the plane’s engine was designed by CFM International, which is a collaboration between the French group Safran and the U.S. group GE Aviation.
In the meantime, international authorities already seem certain of their conclusions. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said:
‘We have intelligence from multiple sources including our allies and our own intelligence. The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.’
At least 63 of the passengers on the doomed flight were Canadian citizens. The plane was headed for Ukraine, where many of its passengers were set to take a connecting flight to Canada.
An idea for what sparked Iran’s apparent accidental strike on the plane is that the missile operators took the plane’s presence on radar as an indicator of an attack. The incident unfolded right after Iran launched missile strikes on U.S. bases in Iraq, which were in retaliation for Trump’s abruptly ordered assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. The perceived attack would have been perceived to be U.S. retaliation — meaning, essentially, that the passengers on the downed Ukrainian flight were caught in the crossfire of escalating violent conflict that President Donald Trump kickstarted.
Although Iran has given up its demands to keep Western interests like Boeing and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) out of the crash investigation, the Associated Press notes that there are concerns about sending NTSB employees to Iran, considering ongoing tension. German-based airliner Lufthansa has already cancelled all flights into and out of Iran for a ten day period, and other airliners have been making similar changes. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that:
‘If the international community needs to shut down that airport, so be it. We need to get to the bottom of this very, very quickly.’
The passengers were the victims of belligerent escalation.


bipartisanreport--2020-01-11--Trump Tweets In Arabic During Saturday Afternoon Iran Meltdown

This Saturday afternoon , President Donald Trump continued his tradition of bizarre Twitter displays of his desperate egomania — and this time , he used a foreign language to do it !
His most out of the ordinary Saturday afternoon messages included an arrogant proclamation about how supposedly great he ’ s been for the people of Iran , who he presumably tried to tell about this alleged greatness with a tweet posted in Persian .
Separately , he also claimed that the replacement southern border barriers that his administration has been putting up have been driving down border crossings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role of his administration ’ s over-the-top , draconian border policies in dragging down those numbers !
An English version of his message to the people of Iran read : Wrong .
Americans aren ’ t the only ones who were endangered by his recent reckless assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani .
If the very possible war reached Iran , the people of that country would have been in lethal danger too .
Starting a war that threatens people ’ s lives isn ’ t exactly a compelling way to communicate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is he really so inspired by the pro-democracy demonstrations in Iran that he mentions when at home , he routinely mocks protesters ?
At one point , he even suggested to a conservative website that protesting should be illegal .
That ’ s laughably ridiculous hypocrisy — although on Saturday , he did add the following : As for the southern border , alongside an image of his administration ’ s apparently updated barriers , he wrote : But again — that completely ignores the impact of the racist conglomeration of policies that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to try and block close to any and all asylum seekers from making it to the U.S.
They ’ ve demanded that Central American countries keep people from traveling north , they ’ ve kept detained migrants in well-publicized dangerous conditions , they ’ ve outright pressured those migrants into staying in another country — and more .
That ’ s the reality .

This Saturday afternoon, President Donald Trump continued his tradition of bizarre Twitter displays of his desperate egomania — and this time, he used a foreign language to do it! His most out of the ordinary Saturday afternoon messages included an arrogant proclamation about how supposedly great he’s been for the people of Iran, who he presumably tried to tell about this alleged greatness with a tweet posted in Persian. Separately, he also claimed that the replacement southern border barriers that his administration has been putting up have been driving down border crossings already — but he conveniently ignored the role of his administration’s over-the-top, draconian border policies in dragging down those numbers!
An English version of his message to the people of Iran read:
‘To the brave, long-suffering people of Iran: I’ve stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with you. We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage.’
Wrong. Americans aren’t the only ones who were endangered by his recent reckless assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. If the very possible war reached Iran, the people of that country would have been in lethal danger too. Starting a war that threatens people’s lives isn’t exactly a compelling way to communicate how great you are. Besides — is he really so inspired by the pro-democracy demonstrations in Iran that he mentions when at home, he routinely mocks protesters? At one point, he even suggested to a conservative website that protesting should be illegal. That’s laughably ridiculous hypocrisy — although on Saturday, he did add the following:
‘The government of Iran must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people. There can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters, nor an internet shutdown. The world is watching.’
The government of Iran must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people. There can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters, nor an internet shutdown. The world is watching. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2020
As for the southern border, alongside an image of his administration’s apparently updated barriers, he wrote:
‘The powerful Trump Wall is replacing porous, useless and ineffective barriers in the high traffic areas requested by Border Patrol. Illegal crossing are dropping as more and more Wall is being completed!’
The powerful Trump Wall is replacing porous, useless and ineffective barriers in the high traffic areas requested by Border Patrol. Illegal crossing are dropping as more and more Wall is being completed! #BuildingTheWall pic.twitter.com/2kdHNSMM04 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2020
But again — that completely ignores the impact of the racist conglomeration of policies that the president’s team has implemented to try and block close to any and all asylum seekers from making it to the U.S. They’ve demanded that Central American countries keep people from traveling north, they’ve kept detained migrants in well-publicized dangerous conditions, they’ve outright pressured those migrants into staying in another country — and more. That’s the reality.
Check out Twitter’s response below…


bipartisanreport--2020-01-11--Susan Collins Power Move To Force Witnesses Stuns Trump & GOP

The Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump will likely take place soon , considering the recent revelation from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) that she ’ s prepared to send the chamber ’ s impeachment case to the Senate this coming week .
( The resolution to do so will accompany the naming of managers for the House ’ s case , whose identities aren ’ t publicly known yet . )
Ahead of any actual resolution formally outlining rules for the trial , the closely watched Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins has revealed to reporters that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fairly small ” group of Republican Senators to allow for witnesses at Trump ’ s trial .
Witness testimony has been a main point of contention , with Democrats arguing that calling witnesses is necessary for fairness and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) countering that witnesses would supposedly turn the trial into a “ fishing expedition , ” despite the fact that every impeachment trial that the Senate has ever conducted has featured witness testimony .
Democrats want to hear from figures with firsthand insight into the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opponents , including Mick Mulvaney and John Bolton , the latter of whom said he ’ ll testify if subpoenaed .
‘ We should be completely open to calling witnesses .
I am hopeful that we can reach an agreement on how to proceed with the trial that will allow the opportunity for both the House and the president ’ s counsel if they choose to do so.
’ She did not reveal the identities of those in the group , but McConnell likely has to have the support of Collins and her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with any trial plan at all , so their voice could be decisive .
Collins and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski ( R ) have already said that they ’ re prepared to postpone even considering the question of witnesses until after opening arguments and initial ( written ) questions from Senators — but they ’ ve each also countered McConnell ’ s plan for full cooperation with the White House to speed through an acquittal for Trump .
Murkowski called that plan “ disturbing.
” Collins is one of a few top targets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside of the impeachment proceedings .
The group Republicans for the Rule of Law launched video ads targeting her constituents with demands that she support the presence of witnesses at the trial , and separately , her at times dramatically lowering popular support as measured in polls has driven the Cook Political Report to rate her 2020 re-election race a “ toss-up.
” Although in the past , she ’ s broken with the party on high-profile issues like health care and the impeachment of Bill Clinton — who she voted to acquit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s highly controversial U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have helped drive down her support .
Other incumbent Republican Senators facing toss-up elections in 2020 include Colorado ’ s Cory Gardner and Arizona ’ s Martha McSally , while two other seats — the one held in North Carolina by Thom Tillis and the open one in Kansas — are rated as “ lean Republican , ” which is the last stop before toss-up .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been rumored to be considering a run for that Kansas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

The Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump will likely take place soon, considering the recent revelation from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that she’s prepared to send the chamber’s impeachment case to the Senate this coming week. (The resolution to do so will accompany the naming of managers for the House’s case, whose identities aren’t publicly known yet.) Ahead of any actual resolution formally outlining rules for the trial, the closely watched Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins has revealed to reporters that she’s working with a “fairly small” group of Republican Senators to allow for witnesses at Trump’s trial.
Witness testimony has been a main point of contention, with Democrats arguing that calling witnesses is necessary for fairness and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) countering that witnesses would supposedly turn the trial into a “fishing expedition,” despite the fact that every impeachment trial that the Senate has ever conducted has featured witness testimony. Democrats want to hear from figures with firsthand insight into the president’s scheme to get Ukraine to investigate his opponents, including Mick Mulvaney and John Bolton, the latter of whom said he’ll testify if subpoenaed.
This past Friday, Collins explained:
‘We should be completely open to calling witnesses. I am hopeful that we can reach an agreement on how to proceed with the trial that will allow the opportunity for both the House and the president’s counsel if they choose to do so.’
She did not reveal the identities of those in the group, but McConnell likely has to have the support of Collins and her fellow “moderates” to move forward with any trial plan at all, so their voice could be decisive. Collins and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski (R) have already said that they’re prepared to postpone even considering the question of witnesses until after opening arguments and initial (written) questions from Senators — but they’ve each also countered McConnell’s plan for full cooperation with the White House to speed through an acquittal for Trump. Murkowski called that plan “disturbing.”
Collins is one of a few top targets for Trump opponents, both inside and outside of the impeachment proceedings. The group Republicans for the Rule of Law launched video ads targeting her constituents with demands that she support the presence of witnesses at the trial, and separately, her at times dramatically lowering popular support as measured in polls has driven the Cook Political Report to rate her 2020 re-election race a “toss-up.” Although in the past, she’s broken with the party on high-profile issues like health care and the impeachment of Bill Clinton — who she voted to acquit — recent developments like her support of Trump’s highly controversial U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have helped drive down her support.
Other incumbent Republican Senators facing toss-up elections in 2020 include Colorado’s Cory Gardner and Arizona’s Martha McSally, while two other seats — the one held in North Carolina by Thom Tillis and the open one in Kansas — are rated as “lean Republican,” which is the last stop before toss-up. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been rumored to be considering a run for that Kansas seat, but he quit that speculation.


bipartisanreport--2020-01-11--Ivanka Publicly Tweets To Jared & Immediately Regrets It

The Trumps would seemingly desperately like to ingratiate themselves with the average American and appear , uh , normal — but outside of the already in-place rabid base of supporters for President Donald Trump ’ s often brazenly racist agenda , that ’ s not happening .
This week , Trump ’ s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump posted a birthday message on Twitter to her husband ( and fellow presidential adviser ) Jared Kushner , but it ’ s not like everyone just looked the other way and said , oh , how nice !
Ivanka has been an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s most brazen activity .
She ’ s been right there in the administration .
Meanwhile , the Trump administration in which both of them are complicit hasn ’ t exactly made life brighter and more full of happiness for those unlucky enough to come into contact with it !
Examples include the high-profile , punitive separations of immigrant families that the Trump administration enacted ( and the president specifically praised ) along with the White House ’ s other attempts to block basic provisions from asylum seekers and immigrants in general .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ her opposition to family separation during a recent Face The Nation interview , Ivanka didn ’ t even take it — instead , she simply said that immigration policy was not her responsibility .
One Twitter user suggested in response to Ivanka ’ s tweet that she ’ s like Eva Braun , who was a family member of Adolf Hitler who palled around with him while he committed his heinous atrocities .
Many others had similar criticism for the attempted government leader .
In reality , Ivanka and Jared have presided over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kushner was laughably tasked with leading efforts at a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians ?
— and they ’ ve had only the most basic success .
Ivanka , for example , has been involved with providing workforce training opportunities to millions of Americans — which is not the same thing as providing her millions of jobs , as she and her father have both completely erroneously claimed she ’ s done .

The Trumps would seemingly desperately like to ingratiate themselves with the average American and appear, uh, normal — but outside of the already in-place rabid base of supporters for President Donald Trump’s often brazenly racist agenda, that’s not happening. This week, Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump posted a birthday message on Twitter to her husband (and fellow presidential adviser) Jared Kushner, but it’s not like everyone just looked the other way and said, oh, how nice! Ivanka has been an accomplice in some of her father’s most brazen activity. She’s been right there in the administration.
She tweeted:
‘Happy birthday Jared! Thank you for making each day lighter, brighter, and full of happiness!’
Happy birthday Jared! Thank you for making each day lighter, brighter, and full of happiness! 💕 pic.twitter.com/i2CrgVhIfI — Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) January 10, 2020
Meanwhile, the Trump administration in which both of them are complicit hasn’t exactly made life brighter and more full of happiness for those unlucky enough to come into contact with it! Examples include the high-profile, punitive separations of immigrant families that the Trump administration enacted (and the president specifically praised) along with the White House’s other attempts to block basic provisions from asylum seekers and immigrants in general. When presented with the chance to proclaim her opposition to family separation during a recent Face The Nation interview, Ivanka didn’t even take it — instead, she simply said that immigration policy was not her responsibility.
One Twitter user suggested in response to Ivanka’s tweet that she’s like Eva Braun, who was a family member of Adolf Hitler who palled around with him while he committed his heinous atrocities.
Ivanka Trump is Eva Braun. Think about it. — Jeffrey Guterman (@JeffreyGuterman) January 10, 2020
Many others had similar criticism for the attempted government leader. In reality, Ivanka and Jared have presided over many failed policy attempts — remember when Kushner was laughably tasked with leading efforts at a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians? — and they’ve had only the most basic success. Ivanka, for example, has been involved with providing workforce training opportunities to millions of Americans — which is not the same thing as providing her millions of jobs, as she and her father have both completely erroneously claimed she’s done.
Check out more Twitter responses…


bipartisanreport--2020-01-11--Obama Tweets Inspirational Weekend Message Like Our True Leader

While President Donald Trump remains squarely focused on what absolutely ridiculous insult he can dream up to throw at his political opponents less , serious issues like climate change continue to rock the United States and world .
Ongoing climate volatility has sparked massive fires in Australia that , throughout recent months , have destroyed fifteen million acres and counting , and that destruction has resulted in the deaths of an estimated hundreds of millions of animals and at least 25 people .
Trump has often questioned the validity of reports about climate change , but this past week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presence to sound an alarm .
He pointed people to those Australia fires , which have forced massive evacuations in addition to the loss of life and land .
He included a link to a story from New York magazine titled “ Global Apathy Toward the Fires in Australia Is a Scary Portent for the Future.
” He also added a link to a page on the Obama Foundation website that outlines ways to help those afflicted by the fires and some steps that activists have already taken .
As the high-profile former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the thing : Even with problems of this magnitude , each of us can still find a way to make change .
That ’ s why I ’ m proud of young people like Alice Mahar , a environmental activist in Melbourne .
Read about her and find ways you can help , too.
’ When in office , Obama attempted to bring the U.S. into the fold of global action against climate change via signing onto the Paris climate accord , which included commitments for signatory countries to dial back their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In a huff over the supposed negative effect of that deal on U.S. business , Trump abruptly moved to withdraw the United States from the agreement .
Under Trump ’ s administration , emissions of dangerous greenhouse gas in the United States actually temporarily went up .

While President Donald Trump remains squarely focused on what absolutely ridiculous insult he can dream up to throw at his political opponents less, serious issues like climate change continue to rock the United States and world. Ongoing climate volatility has sparked massive fires in Australia that, throughout recent months, have destroyed fifteen million acres and counting, and that destruction has resulted in the deaths of an estimated hundreds of millions of animals and at least 25 people. Trump has often questioned the validity of reports about climate change, but this past week, former President Barack Obama used his Twitter presence to sound an alarm.
He pointed people to those Australia fires, which have forced massive evacuations in addition to the loss of life and land. He included a link to a story from New York magazine titled “Global Apathy Toward the Fires in Australia Is a Scary Portent for the Future.”
Obama added:
‘The catastrophic fires in Australia are the latest example of the very real and very urgent consequences of climate change. It’s on us to stay focused and protect the one planet we’ve got for the next generation.’
The catastrophic fires in Australia are the latest example of the very real and very urgent consequences of climate change. It’s on us to stay focused and protect the one planet we’ve got for the next generation: https://t.co/dqytauPeXf — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 9, 2020
He also added a link to a page on the Obama Foundation website that outlines ways to help those afflicted by the fires and some steps that activists have already taken. As the high-profile former president put it:
‘Here’s the thing: Even with problems of this magnitude, each of us can still find a way to make change. That’s why I’m proud of young people like Alice Mahar, a environmental activist in Melbourne. Read about her and find ways you can help, too.’
Here’s the thing: Even with problems of this magnitude, each of us can still find a way to make change. That’s why I’m proud of young people like Alice Mahar, a environmental activist in Melbourne. Read about her and find ways you can help, too: https://t.co/qAHFiBgw6b — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 9, 2020
When in office, Obama attempted to bring the U.S. into the fold of global action against climate change via signing onto the Paris climate accord, which included commitments for signatory countries to dial back their greenhouse gas emissions, among other things. In a huff over the supposed negative effect of that deal on U.S. business, Trump abruptly moved to withdraw the United States from the agreement. Under Trump’s administration, emissions of dangerous greenhouse gas in the United States actually temporarily went up.
Check out Twitter’s response to Obama…


bipartisanreport--2020-01-11--Pelosi Tweets At McConnell Like America’s Real Leader

Ever since the House impeached President Donald Trump , he and his allies have been flipping out over Democrats ’ decision to delay transmitting their case to the Senate for a trial .
They enacted that delay while advocating for fairness in the trial , which they ’ ve sought to have include key witness testimony from figures like Mick Mulvaney and John Bolton .
This week , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) denounced Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) over his obstruction push , which included him signing onto a resolution demanding that the impeachment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be simply dismissed by the Senate outright .
It ’ s unclear how constitutional that the resolution even is .
‘ By joining a resolution to dismiss , Sen. McConnell showed his true colors .
Americans have now seen what is at stake in a fair trial with witnesses & evidence , and new evidence has emerged .
Every Senator will have to vote : is their loyalty is to the President or the Constitution ?
’ As she indicates , no matter obstruction attempts from McConnell and his allies , Senate Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like whether to hear from witnesses .
Republicans want to delay even considering that question until after opening arguments and initial questions from Senators , and McConnell has announced that he has the votes lined up to proceed with that plan , although Democrats can propose amendments to the initial trial rules resolution anyway .
All of this will likely unfold soon , since Pelosi has indicated that she ’ s preparing to transmit the impeachment case to the Senate this coming week .
Perhaps she believes she ’ s extracted all that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican leaders have now shown their commitment to defending Trump no matter the costs and whose Democratic members have had a chance to drive home their demands for fairness .

Ever since the House impeached President Donald Trump, he and his allies have been flipping out over Democrats’ decision to delay transmitting their case to the Senate for a trial. They enacted that delay while advocating for fairness in the trial, which they’ve sought to have include key witness testimony from figures like Mick Mulvaney and John Bolton. This week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) denounced Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) over his obstruction push, which included him signing onto a resolution demanding that the impeachment case be transmitted within 25 days or be simply dismissed by the Senate outright. It’s unclear how constitutional that the resolution even is.
Pelosi tweeted:
‘By joining a resolution to dismiss, Sen. McConnell showed his true colors. Americans have now seen what is at stake in a fair trial with witnesses & evidence, and new evidence has emerged. Every Senator will have to vote: is their loyalty is to the President or the Constitution?’
By joining a resolution to dismiss, Sen. McConnell showed his true colors. Americans have now seen what is at stake in a fair trial with witnesses & evidence, and new evidence has emerged. Every Senator will have to vote: is their loyalty is to the President or the Constitution? — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 10, 2020
As she indicates, no matter obstruction attempts from McConnell and his allies, Senate Democrats intend to force votes on key questions like whether to hear from witnesses. Republicans want to delay even considering that question until after opening arguments and initial questions from Senators, and McConnell has announced that he has the votes lined up to proceed with that plan, although Democrats can propose amendments to the initial trial rules resolution anyway.
All of this will likely unfold soon, since Pelosi has indicated that she’s preparing to transmit the impeachment case to the Senate this coming week. Perhaps she believes she’s extracted all that she can from the Senate, whose Republican leaders have now shown their commitment to defending Trump no matter the costs and whose Democratic members have had a chance to drive home their demands for fairness.
Check out Twitter’s response below…


bipartisanreport--2020-01-11--Adam Schiff Makes Weekend Evidence Declaration

President Donald Trump threw the Middle East into chaos with his recent abruptly ordered assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani , who was also a top political leader in the country .
Trump ’ s administration has attempted to defend the strike by claiming that it was necessary to thwart some kind of imminent attack on U.S. interests — but in an appearance on Fox News this past Thursday night , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo himself admitted that the White House didn ’ t know when or where that presumed strike would take place .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Adam Schiff ( D-Calif. ) denounced the administration ’ s shallow reasoning in a Twitter takedown .
‘ I ’ ve been a member of the Intel Committee for over a decade .
Been briefed hundreds of times on threats — some imminent , some not .
When targeting a top gov ’ t official for killing : “ We don ’ t know precisely when and we don ’ t know precisely where , ” does not constitute “ imminent.
” ’ The de facto responses from the White House to Schiff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At a recent campaign rally in Toledo , Ohio — his first such event of 2020 — Trump railed on about Schiff , deriding him over his supposed “ pencil neck ” and referring to him as “ crooked ” and “ shifty.
” ( Trump definitely seems like he ’ s projecting on those last two points . )
Meanwhile , Pompeo has attempted to clean up the absolute mess of the claims the administration has made about intelligence that led to the Soleimani strike , but it ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even implied that Senators were lying when they said that the administration hadn ’ t presented them with any evidence of an actual imminent attack .
But again , it ’ s Pompeo himself who said on national television that “ there is no doubt that there were a series of imminent attacks being plotted by Qasem Soleimani ” but “ we don ’ t know precisely when and we don ’ t know precisely where , but it was real.
” Something happening somewhere at some point is not exactly the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of imminence that warrants increased danger for the United States .

President Donald Trump threw the Middle East into chaos with his recent abruptly ordered assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was also a top political leader in the country. Trump’s administration has attempted to defend the strike by claiming that it was necessary to thwart some kind of imminent attack on U.S. interests — but in an appearance on Fox News this past Thursday night, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo himself admitted that the White House didn’t know when or where that presumed strike would take place. That’s not imminent! House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) denounced the administration’s shallow reasoning in a Twitter takedown.
He posted:
‘I’ve been a member of the Intel Committee for over a decade. Been briefed hundreds of times on threats — some imminent, some not. When targeting a top gov’t official for killing: “We don’t know precisely when and we don’t know precisely where,” does not constitute “imminent.”’
I’ve been a member of the Intel Committee for over a decade. Been briefed hundreds of times on threats — some imminent, some not. When targeting a top gov’t official for killing: “We don’t know precisely when and we don’t know precisely where,” does not constitute “imminent.” https://t.co/1sL8uEVDWI — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 10, 2020
The de facto responses from the White House to Schiff in general are mockingly laughable at best. At a recent campaign rally in Toledo, Ohio — his first such event of 2020 — Trump railed on about Schiff, deriding him over his supposed “pencil neck” and referring to him as “crooked” and “shifty.” (Trump definitely seems like he’s projecting on those last two points.)
Trump calls Schiff, “Crooked”, “Shifty”, “Pencil Neck” in Toledo. This is the type of leader you get when a political party courts the uneducated, misinformed, racist & sexist. There is no argument; only vendettas, bullying & bluster masked as strength. pic.twitter.com/ylGGLS6IUz — Millennial Politics (@MillenPolitics) January 11, 2020
Meanwhile, Pompeo has attempted to clean up the absolute mess of the claims the administration has made about intelligence that led to the Soleimani strike, but it’s not working. This past week, he even implied that Senators were lying when they said that the administration hadn’t presented them with any evidence of an actual imminent attack. But again, it’s Pompeo himself who said on national television that “there is no doubt that there were a series of imminent attacks being plotted by Qasem Soleimani” but “we don’t know precisely when and we don’t know precisely where, but it was real.” Something happening somewhere at some point is not exactly the same thing as imminence! Especially not the kind of imminence that warrants increased danger for the United States.
REPORTER: Why are you saying that Soleimani presented an imminent threat against embassies here but not to senators during this week's briefing? POMPEO: We did. REPORTER: So senators are lying? POMPEO: I won't talk about the details. pic.twitter.com/91NoZLoJ1G — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 10, 2020
Check out Twitter’s response to Schiff…


bipartisanreport--2020-01-11--Trump Suffers Pre-Dawn Multi-Tweet Emotional Meltdown

This weekend on Twitter , President Donald Trump continued obsessing over himself .
He responded to an array of news developments with his uniquely self-obsessed take , including the apology from FBI Director Christopher Wray for the bureau ’ s past mishandling of applications for surveillance of a Trump associate , Carter Page .
In that case , Trump explicitly demanded some kind of restitution from Wray — right there in front of the nation and world , the president demanded a political payoff from a top law enforcement official who normally , the president doesn ’ t even stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the kinds of debacles that Trump has normalized .
This weekend , he also lied about Democratic responses to his abruptly ordered assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani , railed about his impeachment , and even repeated for the well over dozenth time his seemingly completely pulled out of thin air claim that around 95 percent of Republicans approve of the job he ’ s doing in office .
He ’ s seemingly never even attempted to cite a source for that figure .
‘ “ FBI Director apologizes for FISA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to many to be a coincidence ! )
.
” @ FoxNews Chris , what about all of the lives that were ruined because of the so-called “ errors ?
” Are these “ dirty cops ” going to pay a big price for the fraud they committed ?
’ No lives were ruined because of the mishandling of the FISA surveillance applications — Trump is just fearmongering .
Carter Page was never even charged with a crime .
In every case in which a Trump associate was charged with a crime over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a well-supported case against them .
In the Dems and Soleimani case , Trump claimed that “ the Radical Left , Do Nothing Democrats… have spent the last 3 days defending the life of Qassem Soleimani , ” but that is straightforwardly false .
Democrats have not “ defended the life ” of the now dead Iranian general in question — they just haven ’ t .
In reality , they have questioned the president ’ s literal scorched earth approach , which draws Americans into danger too .
The answer to everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @

This weekend on Twitter, President Donald Trump continued obsessing over himself. He responded to an array of news developments with his uniquely self-obsessed take, including the apology from FBI Director Christopher Wray for the bureau’s past mishandling of applications for surveillance of a Trump associate, Carter Page. In that case, Trump explicitly demanded some kind of restitution from Wray — right there in front of the nation and world, the president demanded a political payoff from a top law enforcement official who normally, the president doesn’t even stay in touch with at all! These are the kinds of debacles that Trump has normalized.
This weekend, he also lied about Democratic responses to his abruptly ordered assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, railed about his impeachment, and even repeated for the well over dozenth time his seemingly completely pulled out of thin air claim that around 95 percent of Republicans approve of the job he’s doing in office. He’s seemingly never even attempted to cite a source for that figure.
In the FBI case, Trump tweeted:
‘“FBI Director apologizes for FISA Errors (of which there were far to many to be a coincidence!).” @FoxNews Chris, what about all of the lives that were ruined because of the so-called “errors?” Are these “dirty cops” going to pay a big price for the fraud they committed?’
No lives were ruined because of the mishandling of the FISA surveillance applications — Trump is just fearmongering. Carter Page was never even charged with a crime. In every case in which a Trump associate was charged with a crime over the Russia scandal, the government brought a well-supported case against them.
“FBI Director apologizes for FISA Errors (of which there were far to many to be a coincidence!).” @FoxNews Chris, what about all of the lives that were ruined because of the so-called “errors?” Are these “dirty cops” going to pay a big price for the fraud they committed? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2020
In the Dems and Soleimani case, Trump claimed that “the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats… have spent the last 3 days defending the life of Qassem Soleimani,” but that is straightforwardly false. Democrats have not “defended the life” of the now dead Iranian general in question — they just haven’t. In reality, they have questioned the president’s literal scorched earth approach, which draws Americans into danger too. The answer to everything isn’t a bigger gun.
Where have the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats gone when they have spent the last 3 days defending the life of Qassem Soleimani, one of the worst terrorists in history and the father of the roadside bomb? He was also looking to do big future damage! Dems are “unhinged.” — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2020
Check out Twitter’s response below…


bipartisanreport--2020-01-12--Trump Finishes Watching Sunday TV & Has Pelosi Induced Freakout

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been driving Donald Trump slowly apoplectic by refraining to pass the Articles of Impeachment over to the Senate .
Is it any coincidence that Trump took out the top military man in Iran and pushed America right next to World War III ?
The real question is : What will POTUS do before the Senate hearing begins ?
Hints of the answers can be found in his tweets .
Trump tweeted directly to the Iranian leader , perhaps unaware that would be an insult correspondence .
Instead , he should have sent Secretary of State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in person to negotiate .
He told Americans this is what he said : Get this , here was proof of what Trump ’ s people said he tweeted , and it included a few very significant differences : The president tweeted a huge lie , one that said the USA gave the Irainies $ 150 billion-plus to Iran.
” In truth , that was Iranian money America had frozen : Then Trump claimed that the Nuclear Agreement had “ no relation to reality.
” Possibly he noticed that otherworldliness in himself : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Post opinion writer Michael Goodwin ’ s opinion piece : Then , Trump went after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) as ‘ so weak.
’ Or did he really mean that he was “ so weak ?
” Check it out : Next “ Watters ‘ Words ’ went after the impeachment trial , too ” Of course , the president ’ s private attorney starred for Trump who agreed it was “ phony impeachment hoax : ” Jumping from one subject to another , the president nicknamed the Speaker “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerned about “ the stigma of impeachment attacked to my name : ” The president must have thought sending the tweet in Farsi would substitute for diplomacy : Here is the evidence of Trump ’ s alternative tweet : Twitter world went wild .
Check out how they responded to POTUS below :

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been driving Donald Trump slowly apoplectic by refraining to pass the Articles of Impeachment over to the Senate. Is it any coincidence that Trump took out the top military man in Iran and pushed America right next to World War III? The real question is: What will POTUS do before the Senate hearing begins? Hints of the answers can be found in his tweets.
Trump tweeted directly to the Iranian leader, perhaps unaware that would be an insult correspondence. Instead, he should have sent Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or Vice President Mike Pence in person to negotiate. He told Americans this is what he said:
‘Addressing Iran’s leaders: Don’t kill your protesters. Thousands have been killed or imprisoned so far, and the world is watching. More importantly, the United States is watching. Reconnect the Internet and let reporters move freely! Stop killing the great people of Iran!’
Get this, here was proof of what Trump’s people said he tweeted, and it included a few very significant differences:
‘Addressing Iran’s leaders [To the leaders of Iran]: Don’t [Do not] kill your protesters. Thousands have been killed or imprisoned [by you] so far , and the world is watching. More importantly, the United States [USA] is watching. [Turn on] Reconnect the Internet and let reporters move [roam free!] freely! Stop [the] killing [of] the [your] great Iranian people! people of Iran !’
The president tweeted a huge lie, one that said the USA gave the Irainies $150 billion-plus to Iran.” In truth, that was Iranian money America had frozen:
‘John Kerry got caught essentially admitting that funds given ridiculously to Iran were used to fund attacks on the USA. Only a complete fool would have given that 150 Billion Dollars Plus to Iran. They then went on a Middle East Rampage! @foxandfriends @PeteHegseth’
Then Trump claimed that the Nuclear Agreement had “no relation to reality.” Possibly he noticed that otherworldliness in himself:
‘Michael Goodwin, New York Post: “Trump’s peace through strength philosophy is what America needs. His (John Kerry) claim bears no relation to reality. The Agreement didn’t create opportunities for America & other signatories to confront Iran’s malign activities. It overlooked….’
Donald Trump wrote more The New York Post opinion writer Michael Goodwin’s opinion piece:
‘….and then helped to fund them…And zero progress was made on curbing those activities, until Trump droned Soleimani…Plainly, Trump is not a warmonger. He’s a deal maker & his record is that of someone who uses our military might as a deterrent, unleashes it with….’
POTUS really liked Goodwin:
‘….discretion, and only as a last resort.” Thank you to the great Michael Goodwin. Could not have said it better myself!’
Then, Trump went after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as ‘so weak.’ Or did he really mean that he was “so weak?” Check it out:
‘“Pelosi has made a mockery of Impeachment. Her Articles are so weak. But more importantly, she thought she could extort the Senate. She couldn’t.”@GreggJarrett @foxandfriends The Do Nothing Democrats are really run by the Radical Left. Too bad!’
Next “Watters ‘Words’ went after the impeachment trial, too”
Of course, the president’s private attorney starred for Trump who agreed it was “phony impeachment hoax:”
‘Great idea. This phony Impeachment Hoax should not even be allowed to proceed. Did NOTHING wrong. Just a partisan vote. Zero Republicans. Never happened before!’
Jumping from one subject to another, the president nicknamed the Speaker “Nervous Nancy:”
‘Why did Nervous Nancy allow corrupt politician Shifty Schiff to lie before Congress? He must be a Witness, and so should she!’
He was really concerned about “the stigma of impeachment attacked to my name:”
the stigma of Impeachment attached to my name when I did NOTHING wrong? Read the Transcripts! A totally partisan Hoax, never happened before. House Republicans voted 195-0, with three Dems voting with the Republicans. Very unfair to tens of millions of voters!’
The president must have thought sending the tweet in Farsi would substitute for diplomacy:
‘خطاب به رهبران ايران: معترضان خود را نكشيد. هزاران تن تاكنون به دست شما كشته يا زنداني شده اند، و جهان نظاره گر است. مهمتر از ان، ايالات متحده نظاره گر است. اينترنت را دوباره وصل كنيد و به خبرنگاران اجازه دهيد ازادانه حركت كنند! كشتار مردم‘
Here is the evidence of Trump’s alternative tweet:
Twitter world went wild. Check out how they responded to POTUS below:
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page . These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.


bipartisanreport--2020-01-12--Pelosi Tweets Sunday Video To Trump & Liberals Are Cheering

Donald Trump appears to have forgotten that he took America to the very precipice of World War III last week .
That is one of the many problems with his in-the-moment thinking : all before is forgotten , all ahead is free from concern .
Now that that the USA ’ s military has backed up Trump in their message to Congress , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) may be the only powerful adult in the many rooms of POTUS ’ unique mind .
Of course , she is up to the task , as her tweets show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 75th anniversary of “ Battle of the Budge.
” Then , she followed that with a power-punch comment that “ our veterans ” said “ pray for peace : ” Next , Pelosi reminded the president that he had been “ impeached , ” and there was nothing he or Senate Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) could do about the stain of it : Twitter readers lit up their world .
Check out what Americans were saying about Pelosi ’ s tweets : The Mueller Report Adventures : In Bite-Sizes on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people .
Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery .
Interestingly enough , Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order .

Donald Trump appears to have forgotten that he took America to the very precipice of World War III last week. That is one of the many problems with his in-the-moment thinking: all before is forgotten, all ahead is free from concern. Now that that the USA’s military has backed up Trump in their message to Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) may be the only powerful adult in the many rooms of POTUS’ unique mind. Of course, she is up to the task, as her tweets show.
The Speaker tweeted that she honored the 75th anniversary of “Battle of the Budge.” Then, she followed that with a power-punch comment that “our veterans” said “pray for peace:”
‘At the end of 2019, I led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. The message from our veterans was clear: pray for peace. @ThisWeekABC pic.twitter.com/8A6IJf7tOc’
At the end of 2019, I led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. The message from our veterans was clear: pray for peace. @ThisWeekABC pic.twitter.com/8A6IJf7tOc — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 12, 2020
Next, Pelosi reminded the president that he had been “impeached,” and there was nothing he or Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) could do about the stain of it:
‘The President has been impeached – and no amount of gamesmanship from Leader McConnell will erase that fact. #DefendOurDemocracy @ThisWeekABC pic.twitter.com/SWPASPFqeB’
The President has been impeached – and no amount of gamesmanship from Leader McConnell will erase that fact. #DefendOurDemocracy @ThisWeekABC pic.twitter.com/SWPASPFqeB — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 12, 2020
Twitter readers lit up their world. Check out what Americans were saying about Pelosi’s tweets:
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.


bipartisanreport--2020-01-12--New Trump Approval Poll Released Confirms Massive 2020 Blue Wave

In just about three weeks , the first votes in the presidential primary season will be tallied when Iowan voters gather to weigh in on party presidential nominees .
In the meantime , there ’ s a new poll out of the state that has bad news for President Donald Trump .
Although he and his allies have consistently claimed to have some kind of overwhelming support against impeachment from Americans at large , even in the “ red ” state of Iowa , which Trump won by just over nine percent in 2016 , only a slim plurality of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Only 45 percent of respondents said that they actively disapprove of Trump ’ s impeachment , while 43 percent of respondents said that they were in favor of it .
That ’ s hardly an overwhelming leading margin for the opposition !
Even fewer Iowa voters say that they ’ d definitely vote to re-elect Trump if the general election were held today .
More — 44 percent of respondents — say they ’ d definitely vote to elect someone else , while Trump ’ s “ definite ” base topped out at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exactly is he going to win the state with barely a third of the voters “ definitely ” in support of his candidacy in the midst of one of the final spikes in the presidential campaign season ?
From here on out , it ’ s campaign time until November — and Trump seemingly doesn ’ t have a winning base in place even in Iowa .
Partisan divides on the various questions fall pretty predictably , although glaringly — only 59 percent of Republican respondents said they believe that “ it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to try to gain political advantage over an election rival by seeking help from foreign countries.
” Just 59 percent !
The president ’ s plot to get Ukraine to investigate his political rivals ahead of 2020 is what drove House Democrats to impeachment .
As CNN notes , “ 92 % of Democrats say it ’ s not OK , as do 73 % of independents ” — both of which are , of course , larger majorities of people willing to admit the obvious than are found in the Republican camp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say they approve of Trump ’ s impeachment , while 90 percent of Republicans say they disapprove .
“ Among independents , more disapprove of the impeachment ( 48 % ) than approve ( 39 % ) , ” CNN adds .
Overall ratios are similar on the question of whether the president should be removed from office in his upcoming Senate trial .
“ 48 % say the President should not be removed from office , while 40 % think he should be , ” CNN says .
Only 51 percent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general election question , 40 percent of independent respondents said they ’ d definitely vote for someone other than Trump , while just 32 percent supported Trump .
Meanwhile , Trump is keeping up the pressure and public complaints .
On Sunday , he petulantly tweeted : Well , he ’ s impeached because of all the crimes !
Democrats have made their impeachment case evidence public to the tunes of hundreds of pages .
He can ’ t just wish that out of existence .

In just about three weeks, the first votes in the presidential primary season will be tallied when Iowan voters gather to weigh in on party presidential nominees. In the meantime, there’s a new poll out of the state that has bad news for President Donald Trump. Although he and his allies have consistently claimed to have some kind of overwhelming support against impeachment from Americans at large, even in the “red” state of Iowa, which Trump won by just over nine percent in 2016, only a slim plurality of voters oppose Trump’s impeachment.
Only 45 percent of respondents said that they actively disapprove of Trump’s impeachment, while 43 percent of respondents said that they were in favor of it. That’s hardly an overwhelming leading margin for the opposition! Even fewer Iowa voters say that they’d definitely vote to re-elect Trump if the general election were held today. More — 44 percent of respondents — say they’d definitely vote to elect someone else, while Trump’s “definite” base topped out at just 34 percent of respondents. How exactly is he going to win the state with barely a third of the voters “definitely” in support of his candidacy in the midst of one of the final spikes in the presidential campaign season? From here on out, it’s campaign time until November — and Trump seemingly doesn’t have a winning base in place even in Iowa.
Partisan divides on the various questions fall pretty predictably, although glaringly — only 59 percent of Republican respondents said they believe that “it is not OK for a US presidential candidate to try to gain political advantage over an election rival by seeking help from foreign countries.” Just 59 percent! The president’s plot to get Ukraine to investigate his political rivals ahead of 2020 is what drove House Democrats to impeachment. As CNN notes, “92% of Democrats say it’s not OK, as do 73% of independents ” — both of which are, of course, larger majorities of people willing to admit the obvious than are found in the Republican camp.
Meanwhile, 87 percent of Democrats say they approve of Trump’s impeachment, while 90 percent of Republicans say they disapprove. “Among independents, more disapprove of the impeachment (48%) than approve (39%),” CNN adds. Overall ratios are similar on the question of whether the president should be removed from office in his upcoming Senate trial. “48% say the President should not be removed from office, while 40% think he should be,” CNN says. Only 51 percent of independents oppose his removal. On the general election question, 40 percent of independent respondents said they’d definitely vote for someone other than Trump, while just 32 percent supported Trump.
Meanwhile, Trump is keeping up the pressure and public complaints. On Sunday, he petulantly tweeted:
‘Why should I have the stigma of Impeachment attached to my name when I did NOTHING wrong? Read the Transcripts! A totally partisan Hoax, never happened before. House Republicans voted 195-0, with three Dems voting with the Republicans. Very unfair to tens of millions of voters!’
Why should I have the stigma of Impeachment attached to my name when I did NOTHING wrong? Read the Transcripts! A totally partisan Hoax, never happened before. House Republicans voted 195-0, with three Dems voting with the Republicans. Very unfair to tens of millions of voters! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2020
Well, he’s impeached because of all the crimes! Democrats have made their impeachment case evidence public to the tunes of hundreds of pages. He can’t just wish that out of existence.


bipartisanreport--2020-01-12--GOP Defense Secretary Humiliates Trump During ‘CBS Sunday’ Appearance

Although violent tensions have somewhat simmered down in the region for now , the United States and world are still grappling with the ramifications of President Donald Trump ’ s abruptly ordered assassination of top Iranian General ( and political leader ) Qassem Soleimani .
In defense of the strike , President Trump himself claimed to Fox News host Laura Ingraham that Soleimani had been plotting attacks against four U.S. Embassies — but this weekend on Face The Nation , Defense Secretary Mark Esper brazenly admitted that there ’ s no actual evidence for that .
In other words , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recklessness has come up majorly short .
Esper started with a self-confident assertion of the supposed “ imminent ” threat from Soleimani , explaining : ‘ What the president said is that there probably and could have been attacks against additional embassies .
I shared that view , I know other members of the national security team shared that view — that ’ s why I deployed thousands of American paratroopers to the Middle East to reinforce our embassy in Baghdad and other sites throughout the region.
’ That makes for great talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an actually imminent threat to U.S. interests justifying the political and security volatility into which Trump has plunged the U.S. with Soleimani ’ s death .
Esper ’ s best defense was that we shouldn ’ t actually take the president ’ s words as based on any actual evidence .
That ’ s not reassuring !
That leaves nothing driving the president ’ s actions other than the whims of a narcissist .
Yes , that ’ s what he was saying , he admitted .
Esper continued : In other words @ @ @ @ @ @ @ founded on a whim .
The Defense Secretary admitted , on national television no less , that there ’ s no direct evidence for the president ’ s claims , despite those claims driving dangerous military engagement .
The Soleimani assassination followed an attack from an Iranian-backed militia on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq , but that , in turn , followed a U.S. attack on the militia that killed some of its members .
Suggesting that attacks would have spiraled well beyond that level implies an accusation that the Iranians were essentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States .
That ’ s a grave accusation !
And there ’ s no apparent tangible , direct evidence for it .
In response to those in Congress who ’ ve pointed to the lack of an imminent threat justifying the Soleimani strike , Esper claimed that only Congressional leaders got the most directly relevant intelligence — but he just admitted that there ’ s not even much of that there .
In other words , heading into the 2020 presidential election , there ’ s a lot on the line .

Although violent tensions have somewhat simmered down in the region for now, the United States and world are still grappling with the ramifications of President Donald Trump’s abruptly ordered assassination of top Iranian General (and political leader) Qassem Soleimani. In defense of the strike, President Trump himself claimed to Fox News host Laura Ingraham that Soleimani had been plotting attacks against four U.S. Embassies — but this weekend on Face The Nation, Defense Secretary Mark Esper brazenly admitted that there’s no actual evidence for that. In other words, yet again an explanation for this brazen recklessness has come up majorly short.
Esper started with a self-confident assertion of the supposed “imminent” threat from Soleimani, explaining:
‘What the president said is that there probably and could have been attacks against additional embassies. I shared that view, I know other members of the national security team shared that view — that’s why I deployed thousands of American paratroopers to the Middle East to reinforce our embassy in Baghdad and other sites throughout the region.’
That makes for great talking points — but it does not cover an actually imminent threat to U.S. interests justifying the political and security volatility into which Trump has plunged the U.S. with Soleimani’s death.
Host Margaret Brennan pointed out:
‘Probably and could have been — that sounds more like an assessment than a specific, tangible threat with a decisive piece of intelligence.’
Esper’s best defense was that we shouldn’t actually take the president’s words as based on any actual evidence. That’s not reassuring! That leaves nothing driving the president’s actions other than the whims of a narcissist.
Esper replied:
‘Well the president didn’t say that it was a tangible — he didn’t cite a specific piece of evidence.’
Brennan retorted:
‘Are you saying there wasn’t one?’
Yes, that’s what he was saying, he admitted. Esper continued:
‘I didn’t see one with regard to four embassies. What I am saying is that I shared the president’s view is that probably, my expectation was that they were going to go after our embassies.’
Watch:
NEWS: @EsperDod tells @margbrennan he "didn't see" specific evidence showing Iran planned to strike 4 U.S. embassies, despite @realDonaldTrump saying an attack at multiple embassies was “imminent." Watch more of Esper's interview on @FacetheNation today. pic.twitter.com/1Nud8waok1 — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 12, 2020
In other words — again, this entire operation was founded on a whim. The Defense Secretary admitted, on national television no less, that there’s no direct evidence for the president’s claims, despite those claims driving dangerous military engagement.
The Soleimani assassination followed an attack from an Iranian-backed militia on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, but that, in turn, followed a U.S. attack on the militia that killed some of its members. Suggesting that attacks would have spiraled well beyond that level implies an accusation that the Iranians were essentially preparing for all-out war with the United States. That’s a grave accusation! And there’s no apparent tangible, direct evidence for it.
In response to those in Congress who’ve pointed to the lack of an imminent threat justifying the Soleimani strike, Esper claimed that only Congressional leaders got the most directly relevant intelligence — but he just admitted that there’s not even much of that there. In other words, heading into the 2020 presidential election, there’s a lot on the line.


bipartisanreport--2020-01-12--Schiff Embarrasses Trump During Fiery ‘CBS Sunday’ Appearance

Among other long-standing consequences of President Donald Trump ’ s belligerence , the United States and world are still facing the wreck that he made with his recent abruptly ordered assassination of top Iranian General and political leader Qassem Soleimani .
The president and his allies have insisted that intelligence depicted an imminent threat to American interests that could be thwarted by Soleimani ’ s assassination — but during an appearance this weekend on CBS , House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff ( D-Calif. ) asserted that ’ s simply not true .
Discussing recent briefings for Congress about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration , Schiff explained : ‘ In the view of the briefers , there was plotting , there was an effort to escalate being planned — but they didn ’ t have specificity , and so when you hear the president out there on Fox , he is fudging the intelligence .
And when you hear the secretary say that isn ’ t what the intelligence said , but that is my personal belief — he is fudging .
When Secretary Pompeo… made the claim that the intelligence analysis was that taking Soleimani @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him in would make us less safe — that is also fudging .
That ’ s not an intelligence conclusion .
That is Pompeo ’ s personal opinion.
’ Indeed — as Schiff pointed out , in an interview with Laura Ingraham that aired last Friday on Fox , the president himself claimed that there were attacks being planned on four U.S. embassies in the Middle East , but — no matter the specificity of that claim !
— there ’ s no evidence supporting that idea .
During his own time on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mark Esper ( the second secretary who Schiff mentions ) brazenly admitted that he never actually saw any evidence depicting an imminent , planned attack on four embassies .
That ’ s a gravely serious accusation — but it ’ s unsupported .
That scenario leaves nothing but the whims of a narcissistic president and his enablers driving the country , even into potentially deadly violence .
Thousands of troops were mobilized for the Middle East following the spike in tension after Soleimani ’ s assassination .
These thousands of people were prepared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basis of the personal opinion of the president and those , like Esper and Pompeo , who are willing to enable Trump ’ s behavior .
Esper tried to rope Schiff himself into an excuse for the administration ’ s lack of evidence , but Schiff kicked that explanation to the curb .
The Defense Secretary had claimed that just Congressional leaders got the relevant intel about the supposed imminent embassy attacks , but Schiff said : ‘ There was no discussion in the Gang of Eight briefings that these are four embassies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exquisite intelligence that shows these are the specific targets… The briefing was much more along the lines of we don ’ t know precisely where and we don ’ t know precisely when.
’ That ’ s the explanation that Pompeo has used for the nature of the threat that he ’ s claimed was imminent — but something happening somewhere at some point doesn ’ t exactly equal an imminent threat .
Yet , the president has proceeded anyway .

Among other long-standing consequences of President Donald Trump’s belligerence, the United States and world are still facing the wreck that he made with his recent abruptly ordered assassination of top Iranian General and political leader Qassem Soleimani. The president and his allies have insisted that intelligence depicted an imminent threat to American interests that could be thwarted by Soleimani’s assassination — but during an appearance this weekend on CBS, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) asserted that’s simply not true.
Discussing recent briefings for Congress about the situation from high-ranking individuals in the Trump administration, Schiff explained:
‘In the view of the briefers, there was plotting, there was an effort to escalate being planned — but they didn’t have specificity, and so when you hear the president out there on Fox, he is fudging the intelligence. And when you hear the secretary say that isn’t what the intelligence said, but that is my personal belief — he is fudging. When Secretary Pompeo… made the claim that the intelligence analysis was that taking Soleimani out would improve our security and leaving him in would make us less safe — that is also fudging. That’s not an intelligence conclusion. That is Pompeo’s personal opinion.’
Watch:
.@RepAdamSchiff on @realDonaldTrump ’s assertion that there were multiple U.S. embassies targeted for attack by Iran: “He is fudging the intelligence” pic.twitter.com/CLKsFjdpUM — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 12, 2020
Indeed — as Schiff pointed out, in an interview with Laura Ingraham that aired last Friday on Fox, the president himself claimed that there were attacks being planned on four U.S. embassies in the Middle East, but — no matter the specificity of that claim! — there’s no evidence supporting that idea. During his own time on Sunday morning news shows, Defense Secretary Mark Esper (the second secretary who Schiff mentions) brazenly admitted that he never actually saw any evidence depicting an imminent, planned attack on four embassies. That’s a gravely serious accusation — but it’s unsupported.
Mark Esper on CBS: I didn't see the intelligence about Iran posing an imminent threat to 4 US embassies, but I believe President Trump when he says there was one pic.twitter.com/pAaMVXGAde — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 12, 2020
Schiff continued:
‘Frankly, I think what they are doing is overstating and exaggerating what the intelligence shows… I think he’s just plain wrong.’
That scenario leaves nothing but the whims of a narcissistic president and his enablers driving the country, even into potentially deadly violence. Thousands of troops were mobilized for the Middle East following the spike in tension after Soleimani’s assassination. These thousands of people were prepared for harm’s way on the basis of the personal opinion of the president and those, like Esper and Pompeo, who are willing to enable Trump’s behavior.
Esper tried to rope Schiff himself into an excuse for the administration’s lack of evidence, but Schiff kicked that explanation to the curb. The Defense Secretary had claimed that just Congressional leaders got the relevant intel about the supposed imminent embassy attacks, but Schiff said:
‘There was no discussion in the Gang of Eight briefings that these are four embassies that are being targeted and we have exquisite intelligence that shows these are the specific targets… The briefing was much more along the lines of we don’t know precisely where and we don’t know precisely when.’
.@RepAdamSchiff mSchiff responds to @EsperDoD’s intelligence assessment: “I don’t quibble with it,” says @EsperDOD is “just plain wrong,” adding that he doesn’t recall specific information about a plot to bomb the US embassy in Baghdad. pic.twitter.com/1tWdiS52Y1 — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 12, 2020
That’s the explanation that Pompeo has used for the nature of the threat that he’s claimed was imminent — but something happening somewhere at some point doesn’t exactly equal an imminent threat. Yet, the president has proceeded anyway.


bipartisanreport--2020-01-12--Pelosi Owns Trump/GOP During ABC Sunday Appearance

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) has indicated that she ’ ll be sending the House ’ s impeachment case to the Senate for a trial this week , which will follow a lengthy delay in which Democrats advocated for fairness in that trial .
Their aims have included testimony from key witnesses and the production of evidence , so that even if Republicans vote down the case and acquit the president , Trump will still face public accountability for his corruption .
This weekend on ABC ’ s This Week with host George Stephanopoulos , Pelosi denounced Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for desperately trying to avert that accountability .
As she discussed , he joined a Republican effort to completely throw the impeachment case out whether or not the House even sends it , a move that would rest on questionable constitutional grounds at best .
Pelosi insisted : ‘ The fact is — one of the things that I think is really important and that I think people should be very aware of : very unusually , the leader of the Senate , Mitch McConnell , has signed onto a resolution to dismiss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If they want to go that route , again — the Senators who are thinking now about whether to vote for witnesses or not , they will have to be accountable for not having a fair trial.
’ Stephanopoulos asked why Democrats aren ’ t waiting for a court ruling on whether or not witnesses can testify even in defiance of the president ’ s wishes , to which Pelosi insisted : ‘ Because it will be — how long do the courts take ?
.. We have confidence in our case… We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to remove the president from office .
But we ’ ve done our job .
We have defended the Constitution of the United States .
We would hope that the Senate would do so as well.
’ That ’ s pretty direct !
Trump has long been flipping out over Democrats daring to investigate him , and those freakouts aren ’ t likely to stop anytime soon .
Asked if the House would consider subpoenaing witnesses who the Senate refused to target , Pelosi said she ’ d wait and see what the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same reply when asked if the House might file more articles of impeachment against the president .
Sought witnesses include former Trump national security adviser John Bolton , who ’ s said he ’ s willing to testify in the Senate if subpoenaed but who Trump suggested recently he ’ d try and keep from appearing via invoking executive privilege .
Trump has long contorted that concept outside of its original bounds .
McConnell has indicated that he ’ s preparing to delay the question of whether or not to hear from witnesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Senators for House impeachment case managers , who have not been publicly named yet but will be soon .
Meanwhile , Senate Democrats have indicated that they ’ re preparing to procedurally force votes on whether or not to hear from witnesses before the trial begins , which will force Senators to — as Pelosi indicates — go on the record with their support or lack thereof for actual legitimacy in the trial .
At the end of last week , Republican Senator Susan Collins ( Maine ) said that she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ensure that witnesses were heard from at the trial , but how that pans out remains to be seen .

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has indicated that she’ll be sending the House’s impeachment case to the Senate for a trial this week, which will follow a lengthy delay in which Democrats advocated for fairness in that trial. Their aims have included testimony from key witnesses and the production of evidence, so that even if Republicans vote down the case and acquit the president, Trump will still face public accountability for his corruption. This weekend on ABC’s This Week with host George Stephanopoulos, Pelosi denounced Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for desperately trying to avert that accountability.
As she discussed, he joined a Republican effort to completely throw the impeachment case out whether or not the House even sends it, a move that would rest on questionable constitutional grounds at best. Pelosi insisted:
‘The fact is — one of the things that I think is really important and that I think people should be very aware of: very unusually, the leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has signed onto a resolution to dismiss the case… Dismissing is a cover-up. If they want to go that route, again — the Senators who are thinking now about whether to vote for witnesses or not, they will have to be accountable for not having a fair trial.’
JUST IN: Speaker Nancy Pelosi tells @GStephanopoulos that "very unusually" Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell "has signed on to a resolution to dismiss the case" against President Trump. "Dismissing is a cover up," she adds. https://t.co/P6iz1jjwYE pic.twitter.com/8KelOtjpRG — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 12, 2020
Stephanopoulos asked why Democrats aren’t waiting for a court ruling on whether or not witnesses can testify even in defiance of the president’s wishes, to which Pelosi insisted:
‘Because it will be — how long do the courts take?.. We have confidence in our case… We do think there’s enough evidence to remove the president from office. But we’ve done our job. We have defended the Constitution of the United States. We would hope that the Senate would do so as well.’
Pelosi: "Clinton allowed witnesses to come forward. Pres.Trump has prevented that from happening."@GStephanopoulos: "Why not wait for the courts to rule?" Pelosi: "Because it will be— how long do the courts take? … We have confidence in our case." https://t.co/G6Ef3GUsED pic.twitter.com/A6WQ86tXku — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 12, 2020
That’s pretty direct! Trump has long been flipping out over Democrats daring to investigate him, and those freakouts aren’t likely to stop anytime soon. Asked if the House would consider subpoenaing witnesses who the Senate refused to target, Pelosi said she’d wait and see what the Senate does — and she gave the same reply when asked if the House might file more articles of impeachment against the president.
.@GStephanopoulos: "If the Senate does not subpoena John Bolton and other witness will the House move to subpoena?" Pelosi: "Well, it's not excluded…but we'll see what they do. But we do think there's enough evidence to remove the president from office" https://t.co/G6Ef3GUsED pic.twitter.com/FdHqqdbeJg — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 12, 2020
Sought witnesses include former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, who’s said he’s willing to testify in the Senate if subpoenaed but who Trump suggested recently he’d try and keep from appearing via invoking executive privilege. Trump has long contorted that concept outside of its original bounds.
As Pelosi pointedly summarized:
‘I don’t like to spend too much time on his crazy tweets because everything he says is a projection. When he calls somebody crazy, he knows that he is.’
JUST IN: Speaker Nancy Pelosi responds to Trump's tweets, telling @GStephanopoulos, "I don't like to spend too much time on his crazy tweets because everything he says is a projection. When he calls somebody crazy, he knows that he is." https://t.co/G6Ef3GUsED pic.twitter.com/8cWuCN8N8P — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 12, 2020
McConnell has indicated that he’s preparing to delay the question of whether or not to hear from witnesses until after opening arguments and initial questions from Senators for House impeachment case managers, who have not been publicly named yet but will be soon. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats have indicated that they’re preparing to procedurally force votes on whether or not to hear from witnesses before the trial begins, which will force Senators to — as Pelosi indicates — go on the record with their support or lack thereof for actual legitimacy in the trial.
At the end of last week, Republican Senator Susan Collins (Maine) said that she was working with a small group of Senators to ensure that witnesses were heard from at the trial, but how that pans out remains to be seen.


bipartisanreport--2020-01-12--Trump Spazzes Into Sunday Morning Multi-Tweet Conniption Fit

Remember , Donald Trump ’ s astounding order to shoot down the top Iranian military official , he brought us to a hairsbreadth of World War III .
Someone has managed to wrest his phone away from him , resting those poor tired thumbs for at least a few minutes , then it was off to attacking the media and the Democrats .
Trump tweeted about two sports events , softball tweets .
Then , he tweeted to the Iranian government .
He urged it to “ NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS.
” That may not have been a smart move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was ill-advised could slide America back onto the precipice of war .
Serena Williams won again in an Australian match .
And Trump tweeted “ she a great player and an even greater person : ” Next , POTUS congratulated Tennessee for its football win on Friday .
Interesting .
After all , that was House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ’ s ( R-TN ) home team , and he had not complimented them as quickly or at all perhaps : Then , he was back to the Iranian leaders : ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS .
Thousands have already been killed or imprisoned by you , and the World is watching .
More importantly , the USA is watching .
Turn your internet back on and let reporters roam free !
Stop the killing of your great Iranian people !
’ After that , he was attacking the media and Democrats : ‘ George @ GStephanopoulos , ask Crazy Nancy why she allowed Adam “ Shifty ” Schiff to totally make up my conversation with the Ukrainian President & read his false words to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I said it ?
He got caught !
Ask why hearing was most unfair & biased in history ?
’ Twitter world went nuts .
Check out how they feel about Trump this morning below : The Mueller Report Adventures : In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page .
These quick , two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people .
Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery .
Interestingly enough , Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order .

Remember, Donald Trump’s astounding order to shoot down the top Iranian military official, he brought us to a hairsbreadth of World War III. Someone has managed to wrest his phone away from him, resting those poor tired thumbs for at least a few minutes, then it was off to attacking the media and the Democrats.
Trump tweeted about two sports events, softball tweets. Then, he tweeted to the Iranian government. He urged it to “NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS.” That may not have been a smart move, given that anything he might say that was ill-advised could slide America back onto the precipice of war.
Serena Williams won again in an Australian match. And Trump tweeted “she a great player and an even greater person:”
‘Congratulations to @serenawilliamson another big win. She is a great player and an even greater person. Our members in Virginia (Tennis) will never forget you!’
Next, POTUS congratulated Tennessee for its football win on Friday. Interesting. After all, that was House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-TN) home team, and he had not complimented them as quickly or at all perhaps:
‘Congratulations to the Great State of Tennessee. You’ve got yourselves a fantastic football team. Big WIN last night!’
Then, he was back to the Iranian leaders:
”To the leaders of Iran – DO NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS. Thousands have already been killed or imprisoned by you, and the World is watching. More importantly, the USA is watching. Turn your internet back on and let reporters roam free! Stop the killing of your great Iranian people!’
After that, he was attacking the media and Democrats:
‘George @GStephanopoulos, ask Crazy Nancy why she allowed Adam “Shifty” Schiff to totally make up my conversation with the Ukrainian President & read his false words to Congress and the world, as though I said it? He got caught! Ask why hearing was most unfair & biased in history?’
Twitter world went nuts. Check out how they feel about Trump this morning below:
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.


bipartisanreport--2020-01-14--Trump Shrugs Off Soleimani Imminent Threat Fabrication

Donald Trump has operated with a lawlessness that makes people shudder .
As a one-man wrecking ball , he has crashed into one U.S. institution after another , leaving behind serious cracks .
Take leaving the Iran Nuclear Agreement as an example , that led to him nearly bringing America into Worlld War III .
Monday morning , the president stood behind his decision to assassinate Iran ’ s top military leader General Qassem Soleimani .
The U.S. president claimed that the general was an imminent threat to the American soldiers , diplomats , and other personnel .
Then , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shifted , saying that it really had not mattered , due to Solemani ’ s history .
True , the general was not a good character , but Trump needed to understand that he can not just go around the world taking out bad characters .
If that were true , what about the others : North Korea ’ s Kim Jong Un , Russia ’ s Vladimir Putin , and Saudi Arabia ’ s Mohammed bin Salman , among others ?
Taken to an extreme , how secure would the U.S. president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed that to question his actions was unpatriotic .
There was a problem with that line of thinking — the man in the Oval Office was not the U.S. Only dictators , not democracies , refuse to let people question them .
The president tweeted , according to MSN : The White House confirmed that Soleimani had been indeed been assassinated on Trump ’ s order of a drone airstrike when the he came to Baghdad , Iraq .
Originally , all the president ’ s men claimed that Soleimani had been an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the area .
The general had set up satellite proxies to carry out attacks away from Iran ’ s soil .
The question then became , now that he was dead , who would control these various groups ?
Not only Democrats were alarmed about the attacks .
A few Republicans have also joined them after the congressional briefings .
Senator Mike Lee ( R-UT ) came out of the military debriefing extremely irritated by how the military had handled it .
He said they were condescending , lacking details , and escaped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an interview last week , POTUS said that Iran was ready to attack four embassies .
Therefore , it was necessary to assassinate Soleimani on January 3 , 2020 .
It did not take long for Defense Secretary Mark Esper to say that he had not seen detailed evidential information proving that Iran had been planning such an attack .
Other institutions that Trump has shaken were the military , the attorney general ’ s role , and the Senate led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) .
All have all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Mueller Report Adventures : In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page .
These quick , two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people .
Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery .
Interestingly enough , Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order .

Donald Trump has operated with a lawlessness that makes people shudder. As a one-man wrecking ball, he has crashed into one U.S. institution after another, leaving behind serious cracks. Take leaving the Iran Nuclear Agreement as an example, that led to him nearly bringing America into Worlld War III.
Monday morning, the president stood behind his decision to assassinate Iran’s top military leader General Qassem Soleimani. The U.S. president claimed that the general was an imminent threat to the American soldiers, diplomats, and other personnel.
Then, the man sitting in the Oval Office shifted, saying that it really had not mattered, due to Solemani’s history. True, the general was not a good character, but Trump needed to understand that he cannot just go around the world taking out bad characters.
If that were true, what about the others: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, among others? Taken to an extreme, how secure would the U.S. president be from other foreign entities?
Trump claimed that to question his actions was unpatriotic. There was a problem with that line of thinking — the man in the Oval Office was not the U.S. Only dictators, not democracies, refuse to let people question them. The president tweeted, according to MSN:
‘The Fake News Media and their Democrat Partners are working hard to determine whether or not the future attack by terrorist Soleimani was ‘imminent’ or not, & was my team in agreement. The answer to both is a strong YES., but it doesn’t really matter because of his horrible past!’
The White House confirmed that Soleimani had been indeed been assassinated on Trump’s order of a drone airstrike when the he came to Baghdad, Iraq. Originally, all the president’s men claimed that Soleimani had been an “imminent risk” to Americans throughout the area.
The general had set up satellite proxies to carry out attacks away from Iran’s soil. The question then became, now that he was dead, who would control these various groups?
Not only Democrats were alarmed about the attacks. A few Republicans have also joined them after the congressional briefings. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) came out of the military debriefing extremely irritated by how the military had handled it. He said they were condescending, lacking details, and escaped in fewer than two hours.
In an interview last week, POTUS said that Iran was ready to attack four embassies. Therefore, it was necessary to assassinate Soleimani on January 3, 2020. It did not take long for Defense Secretary Mark Esper to say that he had not seen detailed evidential information proving that Iran had been planning such an attack.
Defense Secretary Esper said:
‘What the president said was that there probably could be additional attacks against embassies. I shared that view. The president didn’t cite a specific piece of evidence. I didn’t see one with regards to four embassies.’
Other institutions that Trump has shaken were the military, the attorney general’s role, and the Senate led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). All have all been apparently walking in lockstep with Trump.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.


bipartisanreport--2020-01-14--Trump Supporting Ex-Congressman Facing Prison Time

In a bizarrely fitting twist , the two first members of Congress to endorse Donald Trump ’ s presidential candidacy in 2016 have now both pleaded guilty to federal crimes .
One of those now former Congressmen — New Jersey ’ s Chris Collins — is facing a sentencing at the end of this week , and federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney ’ s office for the Southern District of New York have now filed a request with the judge for Collins to be sentenced to nearly five years in prison .
They point to the glaring hypocrisy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his decision to repeatedly break the law while serving in Congress , where he ’ s tasked with collaborating in making the law .
‘ In committing insider trading and later lying to federal agents to cover it up , and in continuing to actively serve in the House of Representatives during that time period , Collins came to embody the cynical idea that those in power who make the laws are not required to follow them .
This surely was not lost on him , but it did not cause him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commit multiple crimes while holding one of the most visible and prestigious jobs in the United States.
’ ‘ It is critically important that the sentence imposed on Congressman Collins drive home the message that status does not constitute a basis for leniency .
Collins ’ s decision to break the law while making the law — a decision that he made twice , ten months apart — was brazen .
A sentence at the top end of the Guidelines range is necessary to assure the public that those in power do not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s legal team had previously requested a sentence of no actual jail time at all for the former Congressman .
Instead , they asked for a sentence including probation , house arrest , and a “ substantial ” fine in light of a list of supposed positive attributes of the federal criminal including his supposed “ exemplary character , acceptance of responsibility , long history of community and public service , [ and ] extensive record of charitable acts.
” In their own memo , prosecutors reference this argument and insist that all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should have known better and thus deserves the 57 month sentence that they ’ re seeking .
His brazenly corrupt intent is just further established .
There was no innocent mistake here .
Besides the charge for the original insider trading , Collins has also pleaded guilty to lying to investigators .
His son and another man have also pleaded guilty in the same case .
As for the other Trump-supporting imminently ex-Congressman to face federal criminal charges , California ’ s Duncan Hunter pleaded guilty late last year to campaign finance law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he and his wife used large amounts of campaign money for entirely personal expenses , like globe-spanning travel and even accommodations associated with extramarital affairs that the Congressman had while in office .
It ’ s not yet clear what Hunter ’ s sentence might be .
Collins and Hunter are among an ominously long list of the president ’ s associates and top supporters who have faced serious criminal charges .
Although Trump has repeatedly dismissed the Russia investigation as a “ witch hunt , ” half a dozen of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

In a bizarrely fitting twist, the two first members of Congress to endorse Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy in 2016 have now both pleaded guilty to federal crimes. One of those now former Congressmen — New Jersey’s Chris Collins — is facing a sentencing at the end of this week, and federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York have now filed a request with the judge for Collins to be sentenced to nearly five years in prison. They point to the glaring hypocrisy and willful flaunting of basic legal standards inherent in his decision to repeatedly break the law while serving in Congress, where he’s tasked with collaborating in making the law.
They wrote:
‘In committing insider trading and later lying to federal agents to cover it up, and in continuing to actively serve in the House of Representatives during that time period, Collins came to embody the cynical idea that those in power who make the laws are not required to follow them. This surely was not lost on him, but it did not cause him to hesitate in making the choice to commit multiple crimes while holding one of the most visible and prestigious jobs in the United States.’
Thus, they continued:
‘It is critically important that the sentence imposed on Congressman Collins drive home the message that status does not constitute a basis for leniency. Collins’s decision to break the law while making the law — a decision that he made twice, ten months apart — was brazen. A sentence at the top end of the Guidelines range is necessary to assure the public that those in power do not stand above the law.’
Read more here.
Collins’s legal team had previously requested a sentence of no actual jail time at all for the former Congressman. Instead, they asked for a sentence including probation, house arrest, and a “substantial” fine in light of a list of supposed positive attributes of the federal criminal including his supposed “exemplary character, acceptance of responsibility, long history of community and public service, [and] extensive record of charitable acts.” In their own memo, prosecutors reference this argument and insist that all it does is set up how Collins should have known better and thus deserves the 57 month sentence that they’re seeking. His brazenly corrupt intent is just further established. There was no innocent mistake here.
Besides the charge for the original insider trading, Collins has also pleaded guilty to lying to investigators. His son and another man have also pleaded guilty in the same case.
As for the other Trump-supporting imminently ex-Congressman to face federal criminal charges, California’s Duncan Hunter pleaded guilty late last year to campaign finance law violations. Over a period of years, he and his wife used large amounts of campaign money for entirely personal expenses, like globe-spanning travel and even accommodations associated with extramarital affairs that the Congressman had while in office. It’s not yet clear what Hunter’s sentence might be.
Collins and Hunter are among an ominously long list of the president’s associates and top supporters who have faced serious criminal charges. Although Trump has repeatedly dismissed the Russia investigation as a “witch hunt,” half a dozen of his associates were criminally charged in its wake.