crooksandliars--2020-01-24--Adam Schiff Argues For Trump's Removal: 'If Truth Doesn't Matter, We're Lost'

On the second day of House managers ' presentation of evidence , the day was spent making the case that Donald Trump abused the power of his office to extort Ukraine 's newly-elected president into interfering in the 2020 election by announcing an investigation into Hunter Biden .
That took around 8 1/2 hours or so .
And then Adam Schiff stepped up to close for the day .
Instead of summarizing the mountain of evidence they presented proving the abuse of power charge , Schiff went straight to the heart of the matter : Why Trump should be removed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aliza observed , as if he reached into the national soul and spoke for us all , at least those of us who still believe in truth and fact .
`` He 's guilty , you know -- is there really any doubt about this , do we really have any doubt about the facts here ?
Does anybody really question whether the president is capable of what he 's charged with ? ''
he asked rhetorically , and of course everyone who believes in the truth nodded along but no one thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and indeed they did n't .
That did n't matter .
He was just warming up .
`` No one is really making the argument , Donald Trump would never do such a thing , '' he said .
`` Because of course we know that he would .
And of course we know that he did . ''
The American people deserve a president they can count on to put their interests first , to put their interest first .
Colonel Vindman said , here , right matters .
Here , right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you something .
If right does n't matter , if right does n't matter , it does n't matter how good the constitution is .
It does n't matter how brilliant the framers were .
It does n't matter how good or bad our advocacy in this trial is .
It does n't matter how well-written the oath of impartiality is .
If right does n't matter , we 're lost .
If truth does n't matter , we 're lost .
The framers could n't protect us from ourselves , if right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know that what he did was not right .
When you get to the end of this speech -- and I ca n't stress enough how much I want you to watch it -- I dare you not to feel as though he reached straight into all the bruised and battered places in our national psyche and spoke for every one of us .
He did speak for every one of us .
Every one .
Plainly , and simply but with such honesty and passion .
Here are some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ listening .
Because they all need to not just listen but hear .
Hear what he said .
The republic depends upon it .
The full transcript is below .
But even now , our ally ca n't get his foot in the door .
Even now , our ally ca n't get his foot in the door .
And this brings me to the last point I want to make tonight , which is , when we 're done , we believe that we will have made the case overwhelmingly of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he 's done what he 's charged with .
He withheld the money .
He withheld the meeting .
He used it to coerce Ukraine to do these political investigations .
He covered it up .
He obstructed us .
He 's trying to obstruct you .
And he 's violated the constitution .
But I want to address one other thing tonight .
Okay , he 's guilty .
Okay , he 's guilty .
Does he really need to be removed ?
Does he really need to be removed ?
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he really need to be removed ?
He 's guilty , you know , is there really any doubt about this , do we really have any doubt about the facts here ?
Does anybody really question whether the president is capable of what he 's charged with ?
No one is really making the argument , Donald Trump would never do such a thing .
Because of course we know that he would .
And of course we know that he did .
It 's a somewhat different question , though , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretty obvious , whether we can say it publicly or we ca n't say it publicly , we all know what we 're dealing here with this president .
But does he really need to be removed ?
This is why he needs to be removed .
Donald Trump chose Rudy Giuliani over his own intelligence agencies .
He chose Rudy Giuliani over his own FBI director .
He chose Rudy Giuliani over his own national security advisers .
When all of them were telling him this Ukraine 2016 stuff is kooky crazy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe them .
He chose to believe Rudy Giuliani .
That makes him dangerous .
To us , to our country .
That was Donald Trump 's choice .
Now , why would Donald Trump believe a man like Rudy Giuliani over a man like Christopher Wray ?
Okay ?
Why would anyone in their right mind believe Rudy Giuliani over Christopher Wray ?
Because he wanted to , and because what Rudy was offering him was something that that would help him personally .
And what Christopher Wray was offering him was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was offering him was merely the information he needed to protect his country and its elections .
But that 's not good enough .
What 's in it for him ?
What 's in it for Donald Trump ?
This is why he needs to be removed .
Now , you may be asking , how much damage can he really do in the next several months until the election ?
A lot .
A lot of damage .
Now , we just saw last week a report that Russia tried to hack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
I do n't know if they got in .
I 'm trying to find out .
My colleagues on the Intel committee , House and Senate , we 're trying to find out .
Did the Russians get in ?
What are the Russians ' plans and intentions ?
Let 's say they got in .
And let 's say they start dumping documents to interfere in the next election .
Let 's say they 've started dumping some real things they hacked from Burisma .
Let 's say they start dumping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Burisma but they want you to think they did .
Let 's say they start interfering in our election again to help Donald Trump .
Can you have the least bit of confidence that Donald Trump will stand up to them and protect our national interest over his own personal interest ?
You know you ca n't .
Which makes him dangerous to this country .
You know you ca n't .
You know you ca n't count on him .
None of us can .
None of us can .
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now , you can say , well , he 's just joking , of course , he did n't really mean China should investigate the Bidens .
You know that 's no joke .
Now , maybe you could have argued three years ago when he said , hey , Russia , if you 're listening , hack Hillary 's emails .
Maybe you could give him a freebie and say he was joking .
But now we know better .
Hours after he did that , we know Russia in fact tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's no mulligan here when it comes to our national security .
So what if China does overtly or covertly start to help the Trump campaign ?
You think he 's going to call them out on it ?
Or do you think he 's going to give them a better trade deal on it ?
Can any of us really have the confidence that Donald Trump will put his personal interests ahead of the national interests ?
Is there really any evidence in this presidency that should give us the ironclad confidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know you ca n't count on him to do that .
That 's the sad truth .
You know you ca n't count on him to do that .
The American people deserve a president they can count on to put their interests first , to put their interest first .
Colonel Vindman said , here , right matters .
Here , right matters .
Well , let me tell you something .
If right does n't matter , if right does n't matter , it does n't matter how good the constitution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brilliant the framers were .
It does n't matter how good or bad our advocacy in this trial is .
It does n't matter how well-written the oath of impartiality is .
If right does n't matter , we 're lost .
If truth does n't matter , we 're lost .
The framers could n't protect us from ourselves , if right and truth do n't matter .
And you know that what he did was not right .
You know , that 's what they do in the old country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or the old country that my great-grandfather came from , or the old countries that your ancestors came from or that maybe you came from .
But here , right is supposed to matter .
It 's what 's made us the greatest nation on earth .
No constitution can protect us if right does n't matter anymore .
And you know you ca n't trust this president to do what 's right for this country .
You can trust he will do what 's right for Donald Trump .
He 'll do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before .
He 'll do it for the next several months .
He 'll do it in the election if he 's allowed to .
This is why , if you find him guilty , you must find that he should be removed .
Because right matters .
Because right matters .
And the truth matters .
Otherwise we are lost .

On the second day of House managers' presentation of evidence, the day was spent making the case that Donald Trump abused the power of his office to extort Ukraine's newly-elected president into interfering in the 2020 election by announcing an investigation into Hunter Biden.
That took around 8 1/2 hours or so. And then Adam Schiff stepped up to close for the day. Instead of summarizing the mountain of evidence they presented proving the abuse of power charge, Schiff went straight to the heart of the matter: Why Trump should be removed from office.
It was, as Aliza observed, as if he reached into the national soul and spoke for us all, at least those of us who still believe in truth and fact.
"He's guilty, you know -- is there really any doubt about this, do we really have any doubt about the facts here? Does anybody really question whether the president is capable of what he's charged with?" he asked rhetorically, and of course everyone who believes in the truth nodded along but no one thought any Republican in the room would nod and indeed they didn't. That didn't matter. He was just warming up.
"No one is really making the argument, Donald Trump would never do such a thing," he said. "Because of course we know that he would. And of course we know that he did."
Here's the punch line.
The American people deserve a president they can count on to put their interests first, to put their interest first. Colonel Vindman said, here, right matters. Here, right matters. Well, let me tell you something. If right doesn't matter, if right doesn't matter, it doesn't matter how good the constitution is. It doesn't matter how brilliant the framers were. It doesn't matter how good or bad our advocacy in this trial is. It doesn't matter how well-written the oath of impartiality is. If right doesn't matter, we're lost. If truth doesn't matter, we're lost. The framers couldn't protect us from ourselves, if right and truth don't matter. And you know that what he did was not right.
When you get to the end of this speech -- and I can't stress enough how much I want you to watch it -- I dare you not to feel as though he reached straight into all the bruised and battered places in our national psyche and spoke for every one of us. He did speak for every one of us. Every one. Plainly, and simply but with such honesty and passion.
Here are some of the reactions:
Rep. Schiff cuts to the heart of why Trump should be removed:
“You know you can't trust this president to do what's right for this country. You can trust he'll do what's right for Donald Trump.” — George Conway (@gtconway3d) January 24, 2020
Schiff is really making the case now. The REAL case. Telling the Senate "you know you can't count on him [Trump]. You know you can't. You know you can't."
This argument is for the so-called national security Republicans. — Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) January 24, 2020
Schiff is magnificent. Every American should be proud and should know what he says is true and right. There are not two sides to everything. — Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) January 24, 2020
A packed and attentive Senate floor for Schiff’s closing. From my position in the press gallery, it appears every senator is at his or her desk or standing in the back. — Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) January 24, 2020
Schiff’s closing, where he asked if senators had confidence that Trump would pick national interest over himself, was probably the most interesting moment so far of Dem arguments.
Chamber was dead silent and focused on him - didn’t see a single conversation on GOP side. — Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 24, 2020
Oh good, they were listening. Because they all need to not just listen but hear. Hear what he said. The republic depends upon it.
The full transcript is below.


crooksandliars--2020-01-24--WATCH LIVE: Senate Impeachment Trial Day 3

Opening arguments in President Trump ’ s impeachment trial began on Jan. 22 in the Senate .
House managers , @ @ @ @ @ Schiff ( D-Calif. ) , will present three days of opening arguments .
Then , @ @ @ @ @ to ask questions in writing .
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. will read the @ @ @ @ @ the appropriate side — defense or prosecution — can answer them .

Washington Post on Youtube:
Opening arguments in President Trump’s impeachment trial began on Jan. 22 in the Senate. House managers, led by Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), will present three days of opening arguments. Then, senators will have 16 hours to ask questions in writing. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. will read the questions out loud, and the appropriate side — defense or prosecution — can answer them.


crooksandliars--2020-01-24--Rep. Ayanna Pressley Clobbers Betsy DeVos For Comparing Slavery To Abortion

Oh , Betsy .
You 're not very bright , are you ?
To be honest , I 've never met a forced-birther ( I refuse to call them `` pro-life , '' ) who was all that intelligent .
I say this from years of experience as a clinic defense volunteer/escort .
That does n't stop them from spewing forth their offensive comparisons , fallacious theories , and bad `` science '' all in the furtherance of controlling the bodies of women , and their sexual and reproductive lives .
Enter Secretary of Education , Betsy DeVos .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and compared today 's Pro-Choice movement to the nineteenth century 's pro-slavery movement .
DeVos even claimed Abraham Lincoln would have agreed with her .
During the Colorado Christian dinner in Washington , D.C. on Wednesday evening , DeVos invoked former President Abraham Lincoln and said `` he too contended with the 'pro-choice ' arguments of his day . ''
`` They suggested that a state 's choice to be slave or to be free had no moral question in it , '' DeVos said .
`` Well , President Lincoln reminded those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the American people that do not look upon that matter as being this very little thing .
They look upon it as a vast moral evil . ''
`` Lincoln was right about the slavery 'choice ' then , and he would be right about the life 'choice ' today , '' she said .
`` Because as it 's been said : Freedom is not about doing what we want .
Freedom is about having the right to do what we ought . ''
This did n't sit well with Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be of the highly-melanin-blessed persuasion , but also chair of the House Abortion Access Task Force .
Who 's taking bets about whether or not Betsy will take Rep. Pressley up on her offer ?
Because another thing I happen to know about these forced birthers is that they are f*cking cowards .
So , when called out by people with integrity and strength on their BS , they run for the hills .
They will weaponize anyone else 's tragedy to further their own cause , but when confronted on it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Take Black Lives Matter .
They make it theirs in the grossest way possible , but challenged by an actual Jew or an actual Black person ?
You can almost see them pull their invisible KKK hood over their heads .
They call me an Auschwitz guard while I 'm escorting ?
I ask them why they 're okay with God ordering the murder of innocent , already-alive Egyptian babies in Exodus .
They have nothing .
They hold signs saying , `` If Black Lives Matter , why are Black babies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those white folks give a good goddamn about the substance of the BLM movement .
So , when a Black man charges across the street to ask them what the hell they think they mean with that bullsh*t , they stammer , `` Hold on , lem me get my Black friend to talk to you ... '' and they push their one Black anti-choicer in front of them if he happens to have shown up that day .
So , does it surprise me that Betsy made this stupid , illogical , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hypocritical Christian control of women in the ( false ) name of morality ?
Not a bit .
She will never take Rep. Pressley up on her offer to get educated .
She has n't the courage , and she has n't the brains .

Oh, Betsy. You're not very bright, are you?
To be honest, I've never met a forced-birther (I refuse to call them "pro-life,") who was all that intelligent. I say this from years of experience as a clinic defense volunteer/escort. That doesn't stop them from spewing forth their offensive comparisons, fallacious theories, and bad "science" all in the furtherance of controlling the bodies of women, and their sexual and reproductive lives.
Enter Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. She spoke at the Colorado Christian Dinner, and compared today's Pro-Choice movement to the nineteenth century's pro-slavery movement. DeVos even claimed Abraham Lincoln would have agreed with her.
According to CommonDreams.Org ,
During the Colorado Christian dinner in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday evening, DeVos invoked former President Abraham Lincoln and said "he too contended with the 'pro-choice' arguments of his day." "They suggested that a state's choice to be slave or to be free had no moral question in it," DeVos said. "Well, President Lincoln reminded those pro-choicers that there is a vast portion of the American people that do not look upon that matter as being this very little thing. They look upon it as a vast moral evil." "Lincoln was right about the slavery 'choice' then, and he would be right about the life 'choice' today," she said. "Because as it's been said: Freedom is not about doing what we want. Freedom is about having the right to do what we ought."
This didn't sit well with Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who not only happens to be of the highly-melanin-blessed persuasion, but also chair of the House Abortion Access Task Force.
Dear Betsy,
As a Black woman & the Chair of the abortion access task force, I invite you to come by the Hill and say this to my face.
Would welcome the opportunity to educate you.
Regards,
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley https://t.co/Yx2EToUdLI — Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) January 24, 2020
Who's taking bets about whether or not Betsy will take Rep. Pressley up on her offer?
Because another thing I happen to know about these forced birthers is that they are f*cking cowards. So, when called out by people with integrity and strength on their BS, they run for the hills. They will weaponize anyone else's tragedy to further their own cause, but when confronted on it, they crumble. Take the Holocaust. Take Black Lives Matter. They make it theirs in the grossest way possible, but challenged by an actual Jew or an actual Black person? You can almost see them pull their invisible KKK hood over their heads.
They call me an Auschwitz guard while I'm escorting? I ask them why they're okay with God ordering the murder of innocent, already-alive Egyptian babies in Exodus. They have nothing.
They hold signs saying, "If Black Lives Matter, why are Black babies murdered here?" As if all those white folks give a good goddamn about the substance of the BLM movement. So, when a Black man charges across the street to ask them what the hell they think they mean with that bullsh*t, they stammer, "Hold on, lemme get my Black friend to talk to you..." and they push their one Black anti-choicer in front of them if he happens to have shown up that day.
So, does it surprise me that Betsy made this stupid, illogical, offensive comparison in order to further misogyny and hypocritical Christian control of women in the (false) name of morality? Not a bit. She will never take Rep. Pressley up on her offer to get educated. She hasn't the courage, and she hasn't the brains.


crooksandliars--2020-01-24--Mike Pompeo Cornered About Marie Yovanovitch During NPR Interview

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was backed into a rather uncomfortable corner during an interview with Mary Louise Kelly on NPR ’ s Morning Edition .
Although Pompeo wanted to stick to the topic of Iran , Kelly pivoted to the Ukraine scandal and specifically wanted to know how he responded to criticism from State Department personnel who resigned after Pompeo failed to back U.S .
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch while she was being targeted by nefarious characters outside the U.S. government while she was doing her assigned work combatting corruption in Ukraine .
Time and time again , Pompeo insisted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personnel .
A blatant lie , one he struggled to defend .
Listen to or read the exchange below and keep in mind that Mike Pompeo has never uttered one word in support of Ambassador Yovanovitch or any of the other dedicated , career diplomats who refused to participate in the corrupt plans of Donald Trump and his enablers , like Mike Pompeo .
MARY LOUISE KELLY : People who work for you in your department , people who have resigned from this department under your leadership , saying you should stand up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MIKE POMPEO : I ...
I ...
I don ’ t know— I don ’ t know who these unnamed sources are you ’ re referring to .
I can tell you this— MARY LOUISE KELLY : These are not unnamed sources .
This is your senior advisor Michael McKinley , a career foreign service officer with four decades experience who testified under oath that he resigned in part due to the failure of the State Department to offer support for foreign service employees caught up in the impeachment inquiry on Ukraine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to comment on things that Mr. McKinley may have said .
I ’ ll say only this .
I have defended every State Department official .
We ’ ve built a great team .
The team that works here is doing amazing work around the world— MARY LOUISE KELLY : Sir , respectfully , where have you defended Marie Yovanovitch ?
MIKE POMPEO : I ’ ve defended every single person on this team .
I ’ ve done what ’ s right for every single person on this team .
MARY @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward your remarks where you have defended Marie Yovanovitch ?
MIKE POMPEO : I ’ ve said all I ’ m going to say today .
Thank you .
The audio of the Pompeo NPR interview is available below , but there is ample new evidence today about the Ukraine scandal and Mike Pompeo ’ s involvement .
ABC News obtained a taped conversation reportedly of Donald Trump with Lev Parnas , Igor Fruman , Rudy Giuliani , and others .
The conversation took place on April 30 , 2018 , in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where the gang was having a private dinner where they discussed the Ukraine scheme .
Trump can be heard demanding Yovanovitch ’ s ouster , saying `` Get her out tomorrow .
I do n't care .
Get her out tomorrow .
Take her out .
Okay ?
Do it . ''
Lev Parnas recalled this dinner conversation during an interview with MSNBC .
After all , dining with a U.S. president in a private suite in his private hotel would be rather memorable , no ?
`` We all , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He responded to him , said Mr. President , we ca n't do that right now because [ Secretary of State Mike ] Pompeo has n't been confirmed yet , that Pompeo is not confirmed yet and we do n't have -- this is when [ former Secretary of State Rex ] Tillerson was gone , but Pompeo was confirmed , so they go , wait until -- so several conversations he mentioned it again . ''
This new recording , which backs up what Parnas claimed , is all the more reason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the impeachment trial .
The conversation took place the very same week Mike Pompeo was sworn in , which means he was aware of and/or participated in the scheme from the minute he walked through the doors of the State Department .
Either way you slice it , Mike Pompeo has been earning a reputation as a liar , which is a rather untenable position for the secretary of state to be in while they are representing the United States around the world .
The American people , and most especially our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the highest ethical and moral standards in the role .
UPDATE ( Karoli ) : But wait , there 's more .

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was backed into a rather uncomfortable corner during an interview with Mary Louise Kelly on NPR’s Morning Edition. Although Pompeo wanted to stick to the topic of Iran, Kelly pivoted to the Ukraine scandal and specifically wanted to know how he responded to criticism from State Department personnel who resigned after Pompeo failed to back U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch while she was being targeted by nefarious characters outside the U.S. government while she was doing her assigned work combatting corruption in Ukraine. Time and time again, Pompeo insisted he’d defended all State Department personnel. A blatant lie, one he struggled to defend.
Listen to or read the exchange below and keep in mind that Mike Pompeo has never uttered one word in support of Ambassador Yovanovitch or any of the other dedicated, career diplomats who refused to participate in the corrupt plans of Donald Trump and his enablers, like Mike Pompeo.
MARY LOUISE KELLY: People who work for you in your department, people who have resigned from this department under your leadership, saying you should stand up for the diplomats who work here.” MIKE POMPEO: I...I...I don’t know— I don’t know who these unnamed sources are you’re referring to. I can tell you this— MARY LOUISE KELLY: These are not unnamed sources. This is your senior advisor Michael McKinley, a career foreign service officer with four decades experience who testified under oath that he resigned in part due to the failure of the State Department to offer support for foreign service employees caught up in the impeachment inquiry on Ukraine. MIKE POMPEO: I’m not going to comment on things that Mr. McKinley may have said. I’ll say only this. I have defended every State Department official. We’ve built a great team. The team that works here is doing amazing work around the world— MARY LOUISE KELLY: Sir, respectfully, where have you defended Marie Yovanovitch? MIKE POMPEO: I’ve defended every single person on this team. I’ve done what’s right for every single person on this team. MARY LOUISE KELLY: Can you point me toward your remarks where you have defended Marie Yovanovitch? MIKE POMPEO: I’ve said all I’m going to say today. Thank you.
The audio of the Pompeo NPR interview is available below, but there is ample new evidence today about the Ukraine scandal and Mike Pompeo’s involvement. ABC News obtained a taped conversation reportedly of Donald Trump with Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, Rudy Giuliani, and others. The conversation took place on April 30, 2018, in a suite at Trump’s D.C. hotel, where the gang was having a private dinner where they discussed the Ukraine scheme. Trump can be heard demanding Yovanovitch’s ouster, saying "Get her out tomorrow. I don't care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. Okay? Do it."
Lev Parnas recalled this dinner conversation during an interview with MSNBC. After all, dining with a U.S. president in a private suite in his private hotel would be rather memorable, no?
"We all, there was a silence in the room. He responded to him, said Mr. President, we can't do that right now because [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo hasn't been confirmed yet, that Pompeo is not confirmed yet and we don't have -- this is when [former Secretary of State Rex] Tillerson was gone, but Pompeo was confirmed, so they go, wait until -- so several conversations he mentioned it again."
This new recording, which backs up what Parnas claimed, is all the more reason Mike Pompeo should testify before the Senate during the impeachment trial. The conversation took place the very same week Mike Pompeo was sworn in, which means he was aware of and/or participated in the scheme from the minute he walked through the doors of the State Department.
Either way you slice it, Mike Pompeo has been earning a reputation as a liar, which is a rather untenable position for the secretary of state to be in while they are representing the United States around the world. The American people, and most especially our foreign service officers, deserve someone of the highest ethical and moral standards in the role.
Mike Pompeo — who refused a House subpoena — would be a top witness for Democrats in the impeachment trial.
He is not set to testify, but he spoke to @NPRKelly. She asked the secretary of state if he would defend Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch: pic.twitter.com/1YoGWOSdqb — Morning Edition (@MorningEdition) January 24, 2020
Published with permission from Daily Kos.
UPDATE (Karoli): But wait, there's more.


crooksandliars--2020-01-24--'Take Her Out!': On New Audio, Trump Orders Associates To 'Get Rid' Of Yovanovitch

ABC News is reporting that it has a recording of Donald Trump ordering associates , including , Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman , to `` take her out . ''
Who is the `` her '' they are discussing ?
The sitting U.S .
Ambassador to Ukraine , Marie Yovanovitch .
And what exactly does `` take her out '' mean ?
Trump is famous for firing people on his show - it actually had the tagline `` You 're Fired ! ''
.
So if he meant to fire her , he could have just SAID `` fire her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say `` take her out '' , which in mobster terms actually means kill .
Put a hit out .
Remove .
Silence .
Permenantly .
Make them go away .
WAS DONALD TRUMP PUTTING A HIT OUT ON A U.S .
AMBASSADOR ?
Remember , Donald Trump famously said he could `` shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose any supporters . ''
Was he taking this murder fantasy to Ukraine ?
Back to the recording .
Sources told ABC News that the recording was made during a dinner at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 , 2018 .
In attendance - Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman .
Just a reminder - Trump denies knowing either man , even though there are numerous photos of Parnas with Donald Trump and his family over the years .
And this dinner was an `` intimate '' affair with few attendees at one table .
But you know , he does n't know him ( eyeroll ) .
In the audio , Parnas and Fruman begin by telling Trump that Yovanovitch was `` bad-mouthing him '' .
In response , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
`` Get her out tomorrow .
I do n't care .
Get her out tomorrow .
Take her out .
Okay ?
Do it . ''
Does this sounds like he was trying to get her fired ?
Following his demand , numerous people are heard laughing .
About firing or murder ?
Who knows .
Either way , it is surely a chilling recording - although at this point we only have the transcript .

ABC News is reporting that it has a recording of Donald Trump ordering associates, including, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, to "take her out."
Who is the "her" they are discussing? The sitting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch.
And what exactly does "take her out" mean? Trump is famous for firing people on his show - it actually had the tagline "You're Fired!". So if he meant to fire her, he could have just SAID "fire her."
No, he chose to say "take her out", which in mobster terms actually means kill. Put a hit out. Remove. Silence. Permenantly. Make them go away.
WAS DONALD TRUMP PUTTING A HIT OUT ON A U.S. AMBASSADOR?
Remember, Donald Trump famously said he could "shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose any supporters." Was he taking this murder fantasy to Ukraine?
Back to the recording. Sources told ABC News that the recording was made during a dinner at the Trump International Hotel in DC on April 30, 2018. In attendance - Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman. Just a reminder - Trump denies knowing either man, even though there are numerous photos of Parnas with Donald Trump and his family over the years. And this dinner was an "intimate" affair with few attendees at one table. But you know, he doesn't know him (eyeroll).
In the audio, Parnas and Fruman begin by telling Trump that Yovanovitch was "bad-mouthing him". In response, Trump exclaims, "Get rid of her! "Get her out tomorrow. I don't care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. Okay? Do it."
Does this sounds like he was trying to get her fired?
Following his demand, numerous people are heard laughing. About firing or murder? Who knows. Either way, it is surely a chilling recording - although at this point we only have the transcript.
UPDATE:
An interesting twist to this: The recording was made by Fruman, not Parnas, according to ABC. Fruman was at one point in a joint defense agreement with Giuliani--unclear if that's still the case. https://t.co/uKlWxDAWSR — Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 24, 2020
UPDATE 2:
Tonight, Joseph Bondy (Lev Parnas' lawyer) joined Rachel Maddow's panel, and she played the audio — obtained by ABC News, not Bondy — and it is as bad as you imagined. Bondy points out it's impossible to determine to whom Trump's orders are being directed (Parnas, Fruman, or his staffers,) but it places Trump at the proverbial scene of the crime. ~ Editor


crooksandliars--2020-01-24--Friday News Dump: Marsha, Marsha, Marsha! And Other News

I have never so fervently thanked God it was Friday !
What a week !
And then there was Marsha Blackburn , whose preparation for political life included her work as a publicist for a local mall : Sen. Tammy Duckworth says she was appalled by Sen. Marsha Blackburn 's attacks on Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman , a key National Security Council aide who testified before Congress on the Ukraine scandal .
`` For her to attack him is really quite shameful , '' says Duckworth .
pic.twitter.com/QgSc7jSfqL Senator @ MarshaBlackburn , I served with Lt. Col. Vindman in Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great distinction .
His commanding officer completely agrees with me .
Please provide evidence to back up your claim .
Otherwise , stop slandering a US soldier serving our great nation .
https : //t.co/Mqibbxi8Pu “ Get rid of her ! ''
is what the voice that appears to be President Trump ’ s is heard saying .
`` Get her out tomorrow .
I do n't care .
Get her out tomorrow .
Take her out .
Okay ?
Do it . ''
https : //t.co/6ndVioEplV This argument from GOP Senators is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts and looked at a relevant CRS report .
It 's nonsense , and everyone should say so .
Here are the facts : https : //t.co/yEfEc3NW5N https : //t.co/sfxyyBxoTy THE PRESIDENT CONFESSED TO THE CRIME IN SEPTEMBER AND CONFESSED TO THE COVER UP EARLIER THIS WEEK '' But honestly , we have all the material .
They do n't have the material . ''
https : //t.co/4qgThkAPaN In 2018 , Johnson County , KS ’ s commissioner told me about a dangerous feature in the county ’ s new ES & S @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( below ) , & experts now call it “ Permission to Cheat.
” Why did ES & S just testify that none of its customers use it ?
!
1/ https : //t.co/V3xTpWwrrk Sen. Schumer : “ It may have been the first time that many of my Republican colleagues heard the full story… not filtered through the kaleidoscope lens of Fox News , where at best things are left out , and at worst things are terribly distorted.
” https : //t.co/iQ2H4mFcVF DEPARTMENT OF OH GOD WE NEED SOMETHING TO MAKE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Terry Jones .
I was meant to interview him .
I asked for tea , so he opened a bottle of Chablis & got me drunk .
He was funny , brilliant and honest .
He was irrepressible and is seen here repressing the very young me .
Rest in Peace , Terry .
You were an inspiration .
pic.twitter.com/fNBJZwOFcX

I have never so fervently thanked God it was Friday! What a week!
And then there was Marsha Blackburn, whose preparation for political life included her work as a publicist for a local mall:
But honestly, how could Col. Vindman’s history of selfless service and sacrifice ever compare to this? #MarshaBlackburnIsATraitor #MarshaBlackburnIsTrash pic.twitter.com/EVA7ZwVCKt — Cliff Schecter (@cliffschecter) January 24, 2020
Democratic @SenBlumenthal says GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s Twitter attack on Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman “seems pretty striking and repugnant.”
“…We should never confuse patriotism with the ability to criticize one person in the government.” https://t.co/18oSn0zs9O pic.twitter.com/bdONaABIpQ — New Day (@NewDay) January 24, 2020
Marsha Blackburn doubles down on attacking Lt. Col. Vindman pic.twitter.com/GmwkFgTci9 — Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) January 24, 2020
Sen. Tammy Duckworth says she was appalled by Sen. Marsha Blackburn's attacks on Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a key National Security Council aide who testified before Congress on the Ukraine scandal.
"For her to attack him is really quite shameful," says Duckworth. pic.twitter.com/QgSc7jSfqL — CNN (@CNN) January 24, 2020
Marsha Blackburn is a United States Senator who has spent most of the afternoon in the middle of the third presidential trial in history mean-girling at a war hero on Twitter. — Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) January 24, 2020
Senator @MarshaBlackburn, I served with Lt. Col. Vindman in Russia, where he served with honor and great distinction. His commanding officer completely agrees with me. Please provide evidence to back up your claim. Otherwise, stop slandering a US soldier serving our great nation. https://t.co/Mqibbxi8Pu — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) January 24, 2020
“Get rid of her!" is what the voice that appears to be President Trump’s is heard saying. "Get her out tomorrow. I don't care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. Okay? Do it."
https://t.co/6ndVioEplV — Barbara Malmet (@B52Malmet) January 24, 2020
Houston keeps exploding.
It's almost as if relentless economic growth powered by an under-regulated chemical manufacturing industry with toxic repositories hidden near residential communities could have devastating externalities!
The Chron in 2016: https://t.co/sbT5try4F2 https://t.co/NyGvX5XVXi — Lydia DePillis (@lydiadepillis) January 24, 2020
Experience: I design my own prosthetic limbs https://t.co/7h2aErMTXd — The Guardian (@guardian) January 24, 2020
This is not fucking true - it’s either made up or from sources who only wish it would happen. https://t.co/AgiGS8V4LC — Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) January 23, 2020
This argument from GOP Senators is entirely baseless. I talked to legal experts and looked at a relevant CRS report. It's nonsense, and everyone should say so. Here are the facts: https://t.co/yEfEc3NW5N https://t.co/sfxyyBxoTy — Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) January 24, 2020
THE PRESIDENT CONFESSED TO THE CRIME IN SEPTEMBER AND CONFESSED TO THE COVER UP EARLIER THIS WEEK
"But honestly, we have all the material. They don't have the material." https://t.co/4qgThkAPaN — Matt Rogers 🎙 (@Politidope) January 24, 2020
In 2018, Johnson County, KS’s commissioner told me about a dangerous feature in the county’s new ES&S voting machines. I reported on it (below), & experts now call it “Permission to Cheat.”
Why did ES&S just testify that none of its customers use it?! 1/
https://t.co/V3xTpWwrrk — Jennifer Cohn (@jennycohn1) January 23, 2020
Sen. Schumer: “It may have been the first time that many of my Republican colleagues heard the full story… not filtered through the kaleidoscope lens of Fox News, where at best things are left out, and at worst things are terribly distorted.” https://t.co/iQ2H4mFcVF — Resistbot (@resistbot) January 24, 2020
Wearing a face mask does help if you do it properly.
Seto Wing Hong of Hong Kong University demonstrates the correct way to wear a face mask #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/dDZSBgAr1n — QuickTake by Bloomberg (@QuickTake) January 24, 2020
On this day in 2004, Mars rover Opportunity landed on the Red Planet at Meridiani Planum. Opportunity far exceeded its 90 day mission, working on Mars for nearly 15 years: https://t.co/MZHy7BdHS5 pic.twitter.com/KG3EzheUQr — National Air and Space Museum (@airandspace) January 24, 2020
34 US service members diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after Iranian missile strikehttps://t.co/aCOWs1CcBw — Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) January 24, 2020
In California's presidential primary, confusion and conflict over 'independent' voters https://t.co/vEXVeWq7dY — Los Angeles Times (@latimes) January 24, 2020
How Many Other Grifters and Spies Have Incredibly Damning Records of Donald Trump?https://t.co/y6eAlU5Bbc — emptywheel (@emptywheel) January 24, 2020
EXCLUSIVE: The New Orleans @Saints are going to court to keep secret hundreds of emails that allegedly show team executives doing public relations damage control for the area's Roman Catholic archdiocese amid its sexual abuse crisis. https://t.co/6i0DjcmYX4 — The Associated Press (@AP) January 24, 2020
'This is Dunkirk. This is 9/11': Al Gore implores Davos to tackle climate crisis || Via: Guardian https://t.co/YDr6Toxpbe — SafetyPin-Daily (@SafetyPinDaily) January 24, 2020
Soros gives $1bn to fund universities 'and stop drift towards authoritarianism' https://t.co/Bp2kAyVhO5 — Suburban Guerrilla Ω (@SusieMadrak) January 24, 2020
DEPARTMENT OF OH GOD WE NEED SOMETHING TO MAKE US SMILE
And a moose!
Moose tracks: Officials say a moose that was stuck on an active railroad bridge in Vermont was removed and relocated with minimal injuries. https://t.co/15K03v8Sym #odd — AP Oddities (@AP_Oddities) January 24, 2020
Twins blowing kisses💚💚
Instagram: thejackson_twins pic.twitter.com/OONlnwF9Tb — Cute Black Babies (@Lilblackbabies) January 23, 2020
36 years ago I met Terry Jones. I was meant to interview him. I asked for tea, so he opened a bottle of Chablis & got me drunk. He was funny, brilliant and honest. He was irrepressible and is seen here repressing the very young me. Rest in Peace, Terry. You were an inspiration. pic.twitter.com/fNBJZwOFcX — Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) January 22, 2020
This puppy will make your day better 💕 pic.twitter.com/ORqOnwU3Fj — Dogs Happiness (@DogsKisses) January 24, 2020
your daily dose of kittens pic.twitter.com/SK6R6nu07O — K (@kittensfolder) January 24, 2020
When your sleep buddy is a cozy guinea pig.. pic.twitter.com/67yIQBgTgD — Land of cuteness (@landpsychology) January 24, 2020
Hope you have a great weekend!


crooksandliars--2020-01-24--WATCH LIVE:  Senate Impeachment Trial For Friday January 24

Trump attorney Jay Sekulow pretends he and his team and Trump 's complaints had nothing to do with the Saturday @ @ @ @ @ three hours , followed by CNN 's Manu Raju discussing Trump being none too happy @ @ @ @

Can you help us out?
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crooksandliars--2020-01-24--WATCH: These CSpan Callers Got Everyone's Attention

More people than usual are watching CSpan this week -- their gavel-to-gavel coverage of the impeachment trial is what the @ @ @ @ @ So when the hearing was over CSpan2 switched over to callers .
Back to back @ @ @ @ @ Carolina '' and `` Annie in Eugene Oregon '' got everyone 's attention .
John @ @ @ @ @ to cry over what is happening to our democracy .
Annie in Oregon said after @ @ @ @ @ to be a registered Republican and that yes , right matters .

More people than usual are watching CSpan this week -- their gavel-to-gavel coverage of the impeachment trial is what the network lives to do.
So when the hearing was over CSpan2 switched over to callers. Back to back "John in Charlottesville North Carolina" and "Annie in Eugene Oregon" got everyone's attention.
John called Trump IMPOTUS and started to cry over what is happening to our democracy.
Annie in Oregon said after this week she is embarrassed to be a registered Republican and that yes, right matters.
Tweets ensued.
Yo, the best part of the #ImpeachmentTrials so far has been John from Charlotte who just called @cspan, named Trump the IMPOTUS, and started crying. — kristinky (@kristinky) January 24, 2020
Viewer on C-Span call-in just broke down crying after saying he's so upset by what he's witnessing.
They had to flip to the next line.#ImpeachmentTrials — Heidi Przybyla (@HeidiNBC) January 24, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-01-24--CNN Anchor Wallops Marsha Blackburn: 'Look At Me, Mr. President!'

Friday morning CNN 's Gloria Borger did not sugarcoat her feelings about Senator Marsha Blackburn 's behavior on Thursday .
Blackburn attacked LTC Alexander Vindman : Vindman lawyer responds : “ That a member of the Senate - at a moment when the Senate is undertaking its most solemn responsibility - would chose to take to Twitter to spread slander about a member of the military is a testament to cowardice.
” 1/2 https : //t.co/o8KDQd1H0w Vindman lawyer adds : “ While Senator Blackburn fires off defamatory tweets , Lieutenant Colonel Vindman will continue to do what he has always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with honor.
” 2/2 WOLF BLITZER : John Kirby is here with us right now .
It is really sickening when you think about this , John , what this senator is doing to this Iraq war veteran , son of Soviet Jewish immigrants to the united states came here without anything , settled in Brooklyn , he wound up in the University of New York at Binghamton , Harvard , went into the military 20 plus years ago , served in Iraq and now claiming he 's not even patriotic .
JOHN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this entire set , he 's the only one that actually has literally bled for his country .
I think he deserves the credit and the credibility that goes with that .
Look , you can argue whether you think he was the right guy for the job at the NSC or enough experience , there is a weak argument , but you can make those cases .
But to question his patriotism and his loyalty to the country when he has shed blood for it and when he has an impeccable service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BORGER : It is just a stunt .
It is a stunt because it is like '' Notice me , Mr. President !
Raise your hand !
Notice me !
Look at this , look at this on Twitter , please retweet me !
Tell me you love me , tell me you like me , please ? ''
And it is just embarrassing for her .
And , I mean , it is mortifying , honestly , and I think it is just a way to try and get noticed during this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your mouth shut and not supposed to be doing -- exactly what she 's doing and sort of saying , look , `` I 'm not taking this garbage seriously , and look at this guy Vindman and Mr. President are n't I fabulous ! ''

Friday morning CNN's Gloria Borger did not sugarcoat her feelings about Senator Marsha Blackburn's behavior on Thursday. Blackburn attacked LTC Alexander Vindman:
Vindman lawyer responds: “That a member of the Senate - at a moment when the Senate is undertaking its most solemn responsibility - would chose to take to Twitter to spread slander about a member of the military is a testament to cowardice.” 1/2 https://t.co/o8KDQd1H0w
Vindman lawyer adds: “While Senator Blackburn fires off defamatory tweets, Lieutenant Colonel Vindman will continue to do what he has always done : serve our country dutifully and with honor.” 2/2
The CNN panel was unanimous:
WOLF BLITZER: John Kirby is here with us right now. It is really sickening when you think about this, John, what this senator is doing to this Iraq war veteran, son of Soviet Jewish immigrants to the united states came here without anything, settled in Brooklyn, he wound up in the University of New York at Binghamton, Harvard, went into the military 20 plus years ago, served in Iraq and now claiming he's not even patriotic.
JOHN KIRBY: Of all the people in this entire set, he's the only one that actually has literally bled for his country. I think he deserves the credit and the credibility that goes with that. Look, you can argue whether you think he was the right guy for the job at the NSC or enough experience, there is a weak argument, but you can make those cases. But to question his patriotism and his loyalty to the country when he has shed blood for it and when he has an impeccable service record is beyond the pale.
GLORIA BORGER: It is just a stunt. It is a stunt because it is like
"Notice me, Mr. President! Raise your hand! Notice me! Look at this, look at this on Twitter, please retweet me! Tell me you love me, tell me you like me, please?"
And it is just embarrassing for her. And, I mean, it is mortifying, honestly, and I think it is just a way to try and get noticed during this trial when you're supposed to keep your mouth shut and not supposed to be doing -- exactly what she's doing and sort of saying, look, "I'm not taking this garbage seriously, and look at this guy Vindman and Mr. President aren't I fabulous!"


crooksandliars--2020-01-24--Rep. Jeffries Invokes Derek Jeter In Impeachment Trial — For Unity's Sake

Humor can be a great equalizer .
We know it can heal , and woooo-doggie , does this impeachment trial reflect some festering , potentially fatal national wounds .
I 'm not delusional enough to think one moment of levity injected by the savvy , brilliant Hakeem Jeffries can accomplish that healing , but it sure was a moment , and a welcome one , at that .
REP. JEFFRIES : Mr. Chief Justice , to the distinguished members of the Senate , counsel to the president , all those who are assembled here today , earlier this morning I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I ran into a fellow New Yorker who just happens to work here in Washington , DC .
And he said to me , `` Congressman , have you heard the latest outrage ? ''
And I was n't really sure what he was talking about , so to be honest I thought to myself , `` Well , the president is now back in town .
What has Donald Trump done now ? ''
And so I said to him , `` What outrage are you talking about ? ''
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said to me , `` Someone voted against Derek Jeter on his Hall of Fame ballot . ''
Life is all about perspective .
And I understand that as House Managers , certainly we hope we can subpoena John Bolton , subpoena Mick Mulvaney , but perhaps we can all agree tO subpoena the Baseball Hall of Fame , to try to figure out who out of 397 individuals , one person voted against Derek Jeter .
I was thinking about that as I prepared to rise today because what 's more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What 's more American than baseball and apple pie ?
Or , perhaps , the one thing that falls into that category is the sanctity and continuity of the United States Constitution .
Now , because the cameras are all trained just on Rep. Jeffries , we ca n't see who was laughing , but there was a good deal of laughter at that unexpected plot twist .
Something in the air just changes when a room erupts into laughter at an absurdity such as that one holdout over there at the Baseball @ @ @ @ @ @ @ die-hard Mets fan , I 'm not particularly invested in Jeter myself , but I AM invested in this trial , the toll Trump 's actions are taking on the country , and the attitude of the GOP senators who might ... just might ... vote for hearing witnesses .
We should not forget the larger point — that it is beyond morally reprehensible and insultingly intellectually dishonest for the GOP to vote against hearing these witnesses or the admission of OMB documents like they did with every single NO vote on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treating the Constitution like toilet paper .
Rep. Jeffries ' maneuver likely had the effect of snapping complacent , bored , cynical senators out of their stupor for just a moment to laugh and reset and begin to pay attention .
Maybe that very enjoyable moment was just the tiny mind-cleanse three or four of them needed .
Hope springs eternal .

Humor can be a great equalizer. We know it can heal, and woooo-doggie, does this impeachment trial reflect some festering, potentially fatal national wounds. I'm not delusional enough to think one moment of levity injected by the savvy, brilliant Hakeem Jeffries can accomplish that healing, but it sure was a moment, and a welcome one, at that.
REP. JEFFRIES: Mr. Chief Justice, to the distinguished members of the Senate, counsel to the president, all those who are assembled here today, earlier this morning I was on my way to the office and I ran into a fellow New Yorker who just happens to work here in Washington, DC. And he said to me, "Congressman, have you heard the latest outrage?" And I wasn't really sure what he was talking about, so to be honest I thought to myself, "Well, the president is now back in town. What has Donald Trump done now?" And so I said to him, "What outrage are you talking about?" And he paused for a moment and then he said to me, "Someone voted against Derek Jeter on his Hall of Fame ballot." Life is all about perspective. And I understand that as House Managers, certainly we hope we can subpoena John Bolton, subpoena Mick Mulvaney, but perhaps we can all agree tO subpoena the Baseball Hall of Fame, to try to figure out who out of 397 individuals, one person voted against Derek Jeter. I was thinking about that as I prepared to rise today because what's more American than baseball and apple pie? What's more American than baseball and apple pie? Or, perhaps, the one thing that falls into that category is the sanctity and continuity of the United States Constitution.
Now, because the cameras are all trained just on Rep. Jeffries, we can't see who was laughing, but there was a good deal of laughter at that unexpected plot twist. Something in the air just changes when a room erupts into laughter at an absurdity such as that one holdout over there at the Baseball HOF. Being a born and raised die-hard Mets fan, I'm not particularly invested in Jeter myself, but I AM invested in this trial, the toll Trump's actions are taking on the country, and the attitude of the GOP senators who might...just might...vote for hearing witnesses.
We should not forget the larger point — that it is beyond morally reprehensible and insultingly intellectually dishonest for the GOP to vote against hearing these witnesses or the admission of OMB documents like they did with every single NO vote on Tuesday. Every single one of them is treating the Constitution like toilet paper.
Rep. Jeffries' maneuver likely had the effect of snapping complacent, bored, cynical senators out of their stupor for just a moment to laugh and reset and begin to pay attention. Maybe that very enjoyable moment was just the tiny mind-cleanse three or four of them needed. Hope springs eternal.


crooksandliars--2020-01-24--In Extended Rant, Rudy Giuliani Says 'They' Are Trying To Kill Him

Rudy Giuliani appeared this morning on Fox & Friends , where he breathlessly expounded on the imaginary Ukraine conspiracies .
“ All of a sudden Biden has announced the most important guy in Ukraine , he is going to give out the money , then he hires Biden ’ s son , ” Giuliani said .
“ Do you know what happened in between ?
He made a deal with Biden , you be on board against ( former Ukraine president ) Poroshenko taking my company , when they move to take the company .
That ’ s when Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and within four months , the crooked oligarch sitting with $ 5 billion comes back to the Ukraine , he is not prosecuted .
He 's sitting there fat and happy with his company.
” “ Then we have got another bribe .
You don ’ t think the president of the Ukraine shared in that $ 5 billion that the crook kept ?
” Steve Doocy said “ The bribe to the president of the Ukraine , the amount of money I can ’ t be absolutely sure of .
Let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 10 million , ” Rudy said .
( Because as long as you 're making things up , why not pull a number out of your ass ? )
Doocy kept trying to interrupt .
“ That shouldn ’ t be revealed ?
From a lawyer who finds out about this ? ''
Rudy said .
`` Am I going to cover it up the way the Democrats and media cover it up ?
Absolutely not .
I prosecuted too many corruption cases to sit by and watch my country sold out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two other times , at least , in China.
” “ You don ’ t think if these things were said about Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. they wouldn ’ t be under investigation immediately ?
Instead of putting them under investigation , they are coming after me .
They want to kill me .
”

Rudy Giuliani appeared this morning on Fox & Friends, where he breathlessly expounded on the imaginary Ukraine conspiracies.
“All of a sudden Biden has announced the most important guy in Ukraine, he is going to give out the money, then he hires Biden’s son,” Giuliani said.
“Do you know what happened in between? He made a deal with Biden, you be on board against (former Ukraine president) Poroshenko taking my company, when they move to take the company. That’s when Biden came in and had the prosecutor fired, and within four months, the crooked oligarch sitting with $5 billion comes back to the Ukraine, he is not prosecuted. He's sitting there fat and happy with his company.”
(I probably don't have to tell you this didn't happen, but there's more.)
“Then we have got another bribe. You don’t think the president of the Ukraine shared in that $5 billion that the crook kept?” Steve Doocy said
“The bribe to the president of the Ukraine, the amount of money I can’t be absolutely sure of. Let’s say well in excess of $10 million,” Rudy said. (Because as long as you're making things up, why not pull a number out of your ass?)
Doocy kept trying to interrupt.
“That shouldn’t be revealed? From a lawyer who finds out about this?" Rudy said.
"Am I going to cover it up the way the Democrats and media cover it up? Absolutely not. I prosecuted too many corruption cases to sit by and watch my country sold out by a vice president who did it two other times, at least, in China.”
(Rudy, Rudy, Rudy. We're very sorry the drinking has apparently rotted your brain, but you don't get to do this -- at least, not on a credible media outlet.)
“You don’t think if these things were said about Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. they wouldn’t be under investigation immediately? Instead of putting them under investigation, they are coming after me. They want to kill me.”


crooksandliars--2020-01-24--Trump Reportedly Threatens Senators: 'Your Head Will Be On A Pike'

According to CBS News , Donald Trump has threatened Republican senators to vote for his acquittal or their `` head @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Shoot , that sounds like an abuse of power to me .
In @ @ @ @ @ like someone who should n't have any power at all .
And if these Senators @ @ @ @ @ decide he should n't either .
And some reaction from our side : I do @ @ @ @ @ like a juvenile and empty threat to me .
What are these people so afraid @ @ @ @ @ their souls for him ?
He 's not that powerful .
He 's not beloved @ @ @ @ @ .
Without the office he 's just a scared little Nazi with his re-enactor following @ @ @ @ @ him that power ?

According to CBS News, Donald Trump has threatened Republican senators to vote for his acquittal or their "head will be on a pike."
Shoot, that sounds like an abuse of power to me. In fact, that sounds exactly like someone who shouldn't have any power at all. And if these Senators are smart, they'll decide he shouldn't either.
Here's the report:
Wow.
WATCH/LISTEN:
"One Trump confidant tells CBS news that GOP Senators have been warned: "Vote against the president, and your head will be on a pike." via @CBSEveningNews pic.twitter.com/PRfv5oLuSt — Justin Goodman (@JustinPGoodman) January 24, 2020
And some reaction from our side:
Since Trump’s White House seems unaware, threatening a juror with physical violence is a felony offense. — Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) January 24, 2020
Disturbed by the fact that Trump’s goons are threatening Senators to either support his corruption or face retribution?
Take action and speak up.
Text CONVICT to 21333 to contact your Senator and let them know that it’s time to put country over party.#RightMatters — Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) January 24, 2020
This is th Mob President — Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) January 24, 2020
This should make anyone within earshot of what was said sick to their stomach. And I have to tell you, knowing Trump, "head on a pike" are words intentionally chosen. Yovanovich was threatened & so was Stormy Daniels. And there are others. Will not one R Senator speak the truth? — Joel C Richmond (@jcrsaltman) January 24, 2020
“Officer if you give me a speeding ticket your head will be on a pike.”
*subsequently jail*
This is the shit that happens in the normal world with threats like these.#RightMatters https://t.co/59FyMFzUMR — Anime_Now (@Anime_Now90) January 24, 2020
I don't know. It seems like a juvenile and empty threat to me. What are these people so afraid of that they would sell their souls for him? He's not that powerful. He's not beloved. He's not smart. Without the office he's just a scared little Nazi with his re-enactor following. Why are they giving him that power?


crooksandliars--2020-01-25--'He Did Nothing Wrong In His Mind!' Screams Lindsey Graham

Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) , a close ally of President Donald Trump , on Thursday complained that the president ’ s impeachment trial should end quickly because the American people “ need a break.
” “ I love Joe Biden but I can tell you if the name was Trump , there would be a lot of questions asked , ” Graham said moments before House managers were expected to argue for the impeachment of President Donald Trump .
“ I want the public to understand , the claim Democrats are making — there ’ s no there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump “ thought he was doing something wrong , he would probably shut up about it.
” “ The president believes that the Ukraine interfered in our election , ” Graham continued .
“ I can tell you without any doubt it was the Russians who hacked into the DNC .
It was not the Ukrainians .
I can not say that there was nobody in the Ukraine that had worked with [ Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort ] that did a number on him .
I don ’ t know.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president ’ s point of view , he did nothing wrong in his mind , ” the South Carolina Republican insisted .
When it came to calling Joe and Hunter Biden as witnesses , Graham said that he preferred to “ end this thing sooner rather than later.
” “ I want the American people to pick the next president , not me , ” he added .
“ And so I think the best thing to happen is to have oversight of Ukrainian potential misconduct and move on to the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my vote to extend the trial.
” “ The country needs a break from this , ” Graham said .
“ If you think there ’ s a whistleblower problem , we can deal with that outside impeachment .
”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a close ally of President Donald Trump, on Thursday complained that the president’s impeachment trial should end quickly because the American people “need a break.”
“I love Joe Biden but I can tell you if the name was Trump, there would be a lot of questions asked,” Graham said moments before House managers were expected to argue for the impeachment of President Donald Trump. “I want the public to understand, the claim Democrats are making — there’s no there there.”
According to Graham, if Trump “thought he was doing something wrong, he would probably shut up about it.”
“The president believes that the Ukraine interfered in our election,” Graham continued. “I can tell you without any doubt it was the Russians who hacked into the DNC. It was not the Ukrainians. I cannot say that there was nobody in the Ukraine that had worked with [Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort] that did a number on him. I don’t know.”
“All I can tell you is from the president’s point of view, he did nothing wrong in his mind,” the South Carolina Republican insisted.
When it came to calling Joe and Hunter Biden as witnesses, Graham said that he preferred to “end this thing sooner rather than later.”
“I want the American people to pick the next president, not me,” he added. “And so I think the best thing to happen is to have oversight of Ukrainian potential misconduct and move on to the election. I am not going to use my vote to extend the trial.”
“The country needs a break from this,” Graham said. “If you think there’s a whistleblower problem, we can deal with that outside impeachment.”


crooksandliars--2020-01-25--Sen. Sherrod Brown Rips 'Spineless Republicans', Trump's 'Lapdog' McConnell

During a short break in Donald Trump 's impeachment trial , Senator Sherrod Brown shared his frustration with his colleagues ' fear-based lockstep behavior .
As the trial has gone on , McConnell has been working on Republican senators to spurn a call for witnesses and documents , something that triggered an angry response from Brown .
`` Donald Trump does n't want witnesses ... and new information and documentation , '' Brown said , `` Therefore , Mitch McConnell who is Donald Trump 's lap dog does n't want information and witnesses ; therefore , 52 other relatively spineless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't want information .
They 're scared . ''
`` I talk to Republicans all the time quietly , individually .
Many of them tell me that Trump 's a liar .
A few said Trump 's a racist , '' he continued .
`` They 're all afraid of him .
They 're afraid he 'll campaign against them in their state .
They 're afraid he 'll attach a nasty nickname to them .
In this chamber , it 's like the Iraq war when I was in the House 15 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the business .
Republicans are afraid of what Donald Trump will do , '' he said .
If only those `` spineless Republicans '' had a way to rein in Donald Trump and exercise some power .
If only .

During a short break in Donald Trump's impeachment trial, Senator Sherrod Brown shared his frustration with his colleagues' fear-based lockstep behavior.
As the trial has gone on, McConnell has been working on Republican senators to spurn a call for witnesses and documents, something that triggered an angry response from Brown.
"Donald Trump doesn't want witnesses...and new information and documentation," Brown said, "Therefore, Mitch McConnell who is Donald Trump's lap dog doesn't want information and witnesses; therefore, 52 other relatively spineless republicans don't want witnesses, don't want information. They're scared."
"I talk to Republicans all the time quietly, individually. Many of them tell me that Trump's a liar. A few said Trump's a racist," he continued. "They're all afraid of him. They're afraid he'll campaign against them in their state. They're afraid he'll attach a nasty nickname to them. In this chamber, it's like the Iraq war when I was in the House 15 years ago."
"Fear does the business. Republicans are afraid of what Donald Trump will do," he said.
If only those "spineless Republicans" had a way to rein in Donald Trump and exercise some power. If only.


crooksandliars--2020-01-24--Senate Impeachment Trial For Friday January 24


crooksandliars--2020-01-25--Mike Pompeo Releases Bitchy Statement Against NPR's Mary Louise Kelly

In yet another in an endless string of embarrassments for the U.S. State Department since Trump took over , his Secretary of State released this tersely worded statement today .
Noticeable that Pompeo accused Kelly of lying about their interview being off-the-record , yet it 's his pettiness and bullying that betrays his own lying .
Kelly said neither Pompeo or his aides ever asked to be off the record .
And secondly , his little dig about her not being able to identify Ukraine on a map , pointing to Bangladesh instead , was just another bald-faced lie from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Master 's degree in European Studies from Cambridge University .
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo launched an extraordinary attack on a respected NPR journalist on Saturday , a day after reports emerged of him swearing at and trying to humiliate her by asking her to identify Ukraine on a map .
In a sharply-worded statement issued by the state department , Pompeo accused the reporter , Mary Louise Kelly , of lying to him and being part of an “ unhinged ” media conspiracy “ in a quest to hurt President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ final line of the brief statement – “ It is worth noting that Bangladesh is NOT Ukraine ” – appears to suggest that Pompeo believes Kelly identified a different country when he asked her to point out Ukraine on an unmarked map produced by aides .
The claim contradicts the experienced foreign correspondent and radio host ’ s own recollection of the encounter , in which she said she had no trouble identifying Ukraine , after which Pompeo put the map away and insisted : “ People will hear about this .
”

In yet another in an endless string of embarrassments for the U.S. State Department since Trump took over, his Secretary of State released this tersely worded statement today. Noticeable that Pompeo accused Kelly of lying about their interview being off-the-record, yet it's his pettiness and bullying that betrays his own lying. Kelly said neither Pompeo or his aides ever asked to be off the record. And secondly, his little dig about her not being able to identify Ukraine on a map, pointing to Bangladesh instead, was just another bald-faced lie from Pompeo. Mary Louise Kelly has a Master's degree in European Studies from Cambridge University.
Source: The Guardian
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo launched an extraordinary attack on a respected NPR journalist on Saturday, a day after reports emerged of him swearing at and trying to humiliate her by asking her to identify Ukraine on a map.
In a sharply-worded statement issued by the state department, Pompeo accused the reporter, Mary Louise Kelly, of lying to him and being part of an “unhinged” media conspiracy “in a quest to hurt President Trump and this administration”.
The bizarre final line of the brief statement – “It is worth noting that Bangladesh is NOT Ukraine” – appears to suggest that Pompeo believes Kelly identified a different country when he asked her to point out Ukraine on an unmarked map produced by aides.
The claim contradicts the experienced foreign correspondent and radio host’s own recollection of the encounter, in which she said she had no trouble identifying Ukraine, after which Pompeo put the map away and insisted: “People will hear about this.”


crooksandliars--2020-01-25--Jay Sekulow Spews Debunked Russian Propaganda From Senate Floor

With lawyers like these , who needs enemies ?
Jay Sekulow went full tin foil hat word salad in the well of the Senate floor this morning , in his introductory argument to his jury : 100 senators and presumably 130 million or so American people .
First he claimed that just because all of our Intel Community and Robert Mueller determined Russia DID interfere in our elections , does n't mean Ukraine DID N'T .
This is called , in legal terms , the `` Why not both ? ''
argument , and is usually accompanied by a cute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begin introducing our arguments , I want to correct a couple things in the record as well .
That 's what we 're doing today .
We intend to show over the next several days that the evidence is actually really overwhelming that the president did nothing wrong .
Mr. Schiff and his colleagues repeatedly told you that the intelligence community assessment , that Russia was acting alone , responsible for the election interference , implying they somehow debunked the idea there might be interference from other countries , including Ukraine .
Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president Trump thought , quote , Ukraine , not Russia , interfered in our last presidential election .
This is basically , what we call a straw man argument .
Let me be clear .
The House Managers , over a 23-hour period , kept pushing this false dichotomy that it was either Russia or Ukraine , but not both .
They kept telling you the conclusion of the intelligence community and Mr. Mueller was Russia alone with regard to the 2016 elections .
Of course that 's not -- the report that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Although there is some information in letters regarding Ukraine , and I 'm going to point to those in a few moments .
In fact , let me report -- I think I 'll talk about those letter right now .
This is a letter dated May 4 , 2018 , to Mr. Yuri Lutsenko .
He 's the general prosecutor for the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine .
It was a letter requesting that his office cooperate with the Mueller investigation involving Ukraine issues and issues involving Ukraine government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signed by Senator Menendez , Senator Leahy and Senator Durbin .
I 'm doing this to put this in an entire perspective .
House Managers tried to tell you the importance -- remember the whole discussion , and my colleague , Mr. Purpura , talked about this , the conversation between President Zelensky and president Trump and the bilateral meeting in the Oval Office at the White House , as if an article of impeachment could be based upon a meeting not taking place in the White House but taking place some place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pace that is the aural equivalent of a college freshman 's 2-page paper quadruple-spaced with 1.5-inch margins so that it takes up 4-1/2 pages , just so he can get to the page that can have a `` 5 '' typed on the bottom of it before he turns it in .
• That Ukraine argument is sh*t. Ukraine interfered because three Democratic senators wrote to their prosecutor 's office asking them to cooperate with Mueller ?
• He could n't get away from that crappy argument fast enough .
All he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was trying to offer `` perspective . ''
He could n't even FINISH the second sentence he started before he did a Chevy Chase pratfall into his next point , which was an attempt to say it did n't matter where the Trump/Zelensky meeting took place .
Even that point was a humongous fail .
He read Dr. Fiona Hill 's testimony that Pres .
Zelensky just wanted a meeting with Trump , it did n't matter where .
He claimed triumphantly that such a meeting DID indeed take place — at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
On Sept. 25 , 2019 .
After aid had been released .
After there was outrage about it being withheld .
After the public learned Bill Barr held back the whistleblower 's complaint , which had been deemed credible and important .
So , how , exactly does this approach from Sekulow help his client , Donald John Trump ?
Only the best people , amirite ?

With lawyers like these, who needs enemies?
Jay Sekulow went full tin foil hat word salad in the well of the Senate floor this morning, in his introductory argument to his jury: 100 senators and presumably 130 million or so American people. First he claimed that just because all of our Intel Community and Robert Mueller determined Russia DID interfere in our elections, doesn't mean Ukraine DIDN'T.
This is called, in legal terms, the "Why not both?" argument, and is usually accompanied by a cute GIF.
SEKULOW: So as we begin introducing our arguments, I want to correct a couple things in the record as well. That's what we're doing today. We intend to show over the next several days that the evidence is actually really overwhelming that the president did nothing wrong. Mr. Schiff and his colleagues repeatedly told you that the intelligence community assessment, that Russia was acting alone, responsible for the election interference, implying they somehow debunked the idea there might be interference from other countries, including Ukraine. Mr. Nadler deployed a similar argument saying that president Trump thought, quote, Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in our last presidential election. This is basically, what we call a straw man argument. Let me be clear. The House Managers, over a 23-hour period, kept pushing this false dichotomy that it was either Russia or Ukraine, but not both. They kept telling you the conclusion of the intelligence community and Mr. Mueller was Russia alone with regard to the 2016 elections. Of course that's not -- the report that Bob Mueller wrote focussed on Russian interference. Although there is some information in letters regarding Ukraine, and I'm going to point to those in a few moments. In fact, let me report -- I think I'll talk about those letter right now. This is a letter dated May 4, 2018, to Mr. Yuri Lutsenko. He's the general prosecutor for the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. It was a letter requesting that his office cooperate with the Mueller investigation involving Ukraine issues and issues involving Ukraine government or law enforcement officials, it's signed by Senator Menendez, Senator Leahy and Senator Durbin. I'm doing this to put this in an entire perspective. House Managers tried to tell you the importance -- remember the whole discussion, and my colleague, Mr. Purpura, talked about this, the conversation between President Zelensky and president Trump and the bilateral meeting in the Oval Office at the White House, as if an article of impeachment could be based upon a meeting not taking place in the White House but taking place some place else.
Notice three things, please.
Sekulow is speaking at a pace that is the aural equivalent of a college freshman's 2-page paper quadruple-spaced with 1.5-inch margins so that it takes up 4-1/2 pages, just so he can get to the page that can have a "5" typed on the bottom of it before he turns it in.
That Ukraine argument is sh*t. Ukraine interfered because three Democratic senators wrote to their prosecutor's office asking them to cooperate with Mueller?
He couldn't get away from that crappy argument fast enough. All he could say about it was that he was trying to offer "perspective." He couldn't even FINISH the second sentence he started before he did a Chevy Chase pratfall into his next point, which was an attempt to say it didn't matter where the Trump/Zelensky meeting took place.
Even that point was a humongous fail. He read Dr. Fiona Hill's testimony that Pres. Zelensky just wanted a meeting with Trump, it didn't matter where. He claimed triumphantly that such a meeting DID indeed take place — at the U.N. General Assembly. When, though? On Sept. 25, 2019. After aid had been released. After there was outrage about it being withheld. After the public learned Bill Barr held back the whistleblower's complaint, which had been deemed credible and important. So, how, exactly does this approach from Sekulow help his client, Donald John Trump?
Only the best people, amirite?


crooksandliars--2020-01-25--Republican Senators Exercise Selective Outrage At Trump's Impeachment Trial

The third day of Donald Trump 's impeachment trial once again featured Republican senators competing with each other to see who could show the most disdain for the idea of their constitutional duty and the oath they took to provide impartial justice .
Sen. Marsha Blackburn , a Tennessee Republican , apparently felt one-upped by the odious Martha McSally of Arizona in the race to be Trump 's favorite woman senator , so she stepped up her game by maligning decorated American combat veteran Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman , who still serves in uniform and who has been subject to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the House impeachment investigation .
Then there 's the ongoing middle-school brat behavior on display for the handful of reporters who are allowed to tell us about it .
Which , by the way , Sen. Susan Collins thinks is too many .
She wants one whole group of reporters , those sitting in the front row of the gallery where they can actually see what 's happening , to be booted—presumably so they do n't have a clear view of the Republican senators who are doodling , playing with toys , working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wandering around the chamber and leaving it for long stretches at a time .
All in defiance of the rules they swore to follow .
And once again , Chief Justice John Roberts might as well have been a potted plant in response .
They all complain that they 're not hearing anything new .
They 're all saying it verbatim , repeatedly and uniformly , almost as if they have nothing new to say .
But given that they 're also not paying attention , perhaps they 're missing the new news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , is horribly offensive to their very delicate ears .
Collins tattled to Chief Justice Roberts that Rep. Jerry Nadler had suggested that Republicans were abetting a cover-up—that one deeply offended Lisa Murkowski , too .
They were even offended by Rep. Adam Schiff 's remarkable closing remarks Thursday night : `` Because in America , right matters .
Truth matters .
If not , no Constitution can protect us .
If not , we are lost . ''
Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming was deeply offended on behalf of all his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Schiff 's uncomfortable truths , none of which any Republican will really contest—they just think it does n't matter .
Oh , the humanity .
By the way , not a single one of them publicly chastised their colleague Blackburn for her gross attack on Lt. Col. Vindman 's patriotism .

The third day of Donald Trump's impeachment trial once again featured Republican senators competing with each other to see who could show the most disdain for the idea of their constitutional duty and the oath they took to provide impartial justice. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, apparently felt one-upped by the odious Martha McSally of Arizona in the race to be Trump's favorite woman senator, so she stepped up her game by maligning decorated American combat veteran Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who still serves in uniform and who has been subject to threats of violence since he testified in the House impeachment investigation.
Then there's the ongoing middle-school brat behavior on display for the handful of reporters who are allowed to tell us about it. Which, by the way, Sen. Susan Collins thinks is too many. She wants one whole group of reporters, those sitting in the front row of the gallery where they can actually see what's happening, to be booted—presumably so they don't have a clear view of the Republican senators who are doodling, playing with toys, working on crosswords, chomping gum, and wandering around the chamber and leaving it for long stretches at a time. All in defiance of the rules they swore to follow. And once again, Chief Justice John Roberts might as well have been a potted plant in response.
They all complain that they're not hearing anything new. They're all saying it verbatim, repeatedly and uniformly, almost as if they have nothing new to say. But given that they're also not paying attention, perhaps they're missing the new news.
What they do selectively hear, however, is horribly offensive to their very delicate ears. Collins tattled to Chief Justice Roberts that Rep. Jerry Nadler had suggested that Republicans were abetting a cover-up—that one deeply offended Lisa Murkowski, too.
They were even offended by Rep. Adam Schiff's remarkable closing remarks Thursday night: "Because in America, right matters. Truth matters. If not, no Constitution can protect us. If not, we are lost." Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming was deeply offended on behalf of all his Republican colleagues who had to sit through Schiff's uncomfortable truths, none of which any Republican will really contest—they just think it doesn't matter.
Oh, the humanity. By the way, not a single one of them publicly chastised their colleague Blackburn for her gross attack on Lt. Col. Vindman's patriotism.
Published with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-01-25--Sen. Tim Kaine Shot Down Trump Team’s Bogus Ukraine Arguments

Speaking to reporters today after Team Trump concluded its first day of opening arguments in the impeachment trial , Senator Tim Kaine concisely outlined Trump ’ s suspicious behavior around the withholding of Ukraine aid , and then pointed out that by defending it , his defenders had just made the case for hearing witnesses and seeing documents even stronger .
SEN KAINE : I do n't think the White House pokes holes in the Democratic case .
I do think they put assertions on the table that they think poke holes in the case .
But those assertions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' word for it .
The assertions have to be proven .
Some of the assertions they made , they were artful and lawyerly but we know them to be false .
So let me give you an example : Jay Sekulow says well , the president paused aid to other countries .
That 's true .
But when he went through the examples , he paused aid to the northern tribal countries and he announced he was doing it .
He paused aid to Lebanon and announced he was doing it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ where President Trump paused aid to a country , in this case Ukraine , and hid it from Congress .
He hid it from Congress in violation of the Impoundment Control Act , he hid it from Congress by not turning the whistleblower complaint over .
So if they only withheld aid once and tried to hide it , why did they try to hide it in this instance where they made it public in all the other instances ?
So , I do n't really think they poked holes in the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they asserted facts which can easily be proven or disproven if witnesses and documents are available , as they would be in a trial in any court in this country .
Later , Kaine reiterated more explicitly how the defense team had strengthened the Democrats ’ argument : SEN. KAINE : [ T ] hey made the case today about six facts , which can be proven or disproven if there 's witnesses or documents , because it was almost like in a way they were making the argument for the very thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American public deserve .
As Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe pointed out , the only reason for refusing to allow witnesses and other evidence is because Trump and his Republican toadies are afraid of the facts .

Speaking to reporters today after Team Trump concluded its first day of opening arguments in the impeachment trial, Senator Tim Kaine concisely outlined Trump’s suspicious behavior around the withholding of Ukraine aid ,and then pointed out that by defending it, his defenders had just made the case for hearing witnesses and seeing documents even stronger.
SEN KAINE: I don't think the White House pokes holes in the Democratic case. I do think they put assertions on the table that they think poke holes in the case. But those assertions, you can't just take the lawyers' word for it. The assertions have to be proven. Some of the assertions they made, they were artful and lawyerly but we know them to be false. So let me give you an example: Jay Sekulow says well, the president paused aid to other countries. That's true. But when he went through the examples, he paused aid to the northern tribal countries and he announced he was doing it. He paused aid to Lebanon and announced he was doing it. I believe there's only one instance where President Trump paused aid to a country, in this case Ukraine, and hid it from Congress. He hid it from Congress in violation of the Impoundment Control Act, he hid it from Congress by not turning the whistleblower complaint over. So if they only withheld aid once and tried to hide it, why did they try to hide it in this instance where they made it public in all the other instances? So, I don't really think they poked holes in the case. But I will say this, they asserted facts which can easily be proven or disproven if witnesses and documents are available, as they would be in a trial in any court in this country.
Later, Kaine reiterated more explicitly how the defense team had strengthened the Democrats’ argument:
SEN. KAINE: [T]hey made the case today about six facts, which can be proven or disproven if there's witnesses or documents, because it was almost like in a way they were making the argument for the very thing we've been asking for and the American public deserve.
As Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe pointed out, the only reason for refusing to allow witnesses and other evidence is because Trump and his Republican toadies are afraid of the facts.


crooksandliars--2020-01-25--Laurence Tribe: GOP Is Afraid Of The Truth Or They'd Allow Witnesses

On MSNBC today , Laurence Tribe discussed the “ surreal ” aspects of the Trump impeachment trial .
“ Every day new stuff comes out .
It all confirms what we pretty much know , ” he said , meaning we know that Trump “ shook down Ukraine ” and was “ trying to cheat in the election.
” The only real mystery is what happens as a result .
The other surreal aspect is that Trump is trying to block witnesses from testifying by threatening to claim executive privilege .
“ He 's saying , you know , your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am obstructing Congress .
Well , I dare you to try to get witnesses because I am going to obstruct Congress , ” Tribe said .
Tribe predicted that Trump ’ s lawyers will “ deny , distract , delude , dissemble ” in their trial presentations , rather than “ putting on a real case.
” There ’ s only one reason for avoiding a “ real case , '' i.e .
one with documents and witnesses , and that ’ s fear of the facts .
TRIBE : The only excuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually peering at the people who were in the room and asking them , well , what did the president say , exactly , is that you are afraid of the truth .
Because if there ’ s anything there that might exonerate him , and it ’ s hard to imagine , then of course the president would want it to come out .
Jay Sekulow would want it to come out .
Pat Cipollone would want it to come out .
The only way to explain the fact that they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presence of the chief justice behind them , is that they hope they can get away with continuing the cover-up .
And that 's what , as I said , makes this so surreal .
Kafka could n't have written a better script .
Lewis Carroll couldn ’ t have written a better script .
And it would be amusing if it were n't so dead serious .
Even worse , the cover up puts everyone at risk .
“ We are all potential victims of someone who thinks he is above the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even if you have already done so , make sure to call your senators today and tell them that a trial without witnesses is un-American .
Their phone numbers are here .

On MSNBC today, Laurence Tribe discussed the “surreal” aspects of the Trump impeachment trial. “Every day new stuff comes out. It all confirms what we pretty much know,” he said, meaning we know that Trump “shook down Ukraine” and was “trying to cheat in the election.” The only real mystery is what happens as a result.
The other surreal aspect is that Trump is trying to block witnesses from testifying by threatening to claim executive privilege. “He's saying, you know, your second article of impeachment claims that I am obstructing Congress. Well, I dare you to try to get witnesses because I am going to obstruct Congress,” Tribe said.
Tribe predicted that Trump’s lawyers will “deny, distract, delude, dissemble” in their trial presentations, rather than “putting on a real case.”
There’s only one reason for avoiding a “real case," i.e. one with documents and witnesses, and that’s fear of the facts.
TRIBE: The only excuse for not looking under the hood and actually peering at the people who were in the room and asking them, well, what did the president say, exactly, is that you are afraid of the truth. Because if there’s anything there that might exonerate him, and it’s hard to imagine, then of course the president would want it to come out. Jay Sekulow would want it to come out. Pat Cipollone would want it to come out. The only way to explain the fact that they are trying to hide it, despite the presence of the chief justice behind them, is that they hope they can get away with continuing the cover-up. And that's what, as I said, makes this so surreal. Kafka couldn't have written a better script. Lewis Carroll couldn’t have written a better script. And it would be amusing if it weren't so dead serious.
Even worse, the cover up puts everyone at risk. “We are all potential victims of someone who thinks he is above the law,” Tribe pointed out.
Even if you have already done so, make sure to call your senators today and tell them that a trial without witnesses is un-American. Their phone numbers are here.


crooksandliars--2020-01-25--Jay Sekulow Calls The Waaaaahmbulance For Trump

Jay Sekulow , Donald Trump 's personal attorney , got up to address the Senate in his first chance to rebut three days of brutal , devastating legal maneuvering by the House Managers against his client .
And you know what he did ?
He asked the Senate and the American people to put BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I 'm sorry .
Let me try again .
He asked us to put ourselPWAAHAHAHAHEEEHAHAHAHAOHMYGODHAHA Okay .
Maybe I can get through it this time .
He asked us to put ourselves in TruMPFFFFEWHHAHAHAHAHAHOOOOOOOMMSHAHAHAHAHAHAHEEEEFFFPPPPPTPFFFHTHAHAHAHA I AM SO SORRY here just read the transcript ... SEKULOW @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McConnell , Democratic Leader Schumer , House Managers , Members of the Senate .
Let me begin by saying you can not simply decide this case in a vacuum .
Mr. Schiff said yesterday , I believe it was his father who said , you should put yourself in someone else 's shoes .
Let 's for a moment put ourselves in the shoes of the president of the United States right now .
Before he was sworn into office , he was subjected to an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within six months of his inauguration , found a Special Counsel being appointed to investigate a Russia collusion theory .
I think I 'm okay now .
I got ta say , most of us knew the White House defense would be filled with Right Wing Nut Job tin foil hat-wearing drooling conspiracy theory bullsh*t. So Crowdstrike appearing in the first 30 seconds of his presentation was no surprise .
Honestly , though , I did NOT see the `` Try a Little Tenderness '' angle coming .
Put ourselves in Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be subjected to an FBI investigation ?

Jay Sekulow, Donald Trump's personal attorney, got up to address the Senate in his first chance to rebut three days of brutal, devastating legal maneuvering by the House Managers against his client. And you know what he did?
He asked the Senate and the American people to put BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I'm sorry. Let me try again. He asked us to put ourselPWAAHAHAHAHEEEHAHAHAHAOHMYGODHAHA
*cough*
Okay. Maybe I can get through it this time. He asked us to put ourselves in TruMPFFFFEWHHAHAHAHAHAHOOOOOOOMMSHAHAHAHAHAHAHEEEEFFFPPPPPTPFFFHTHAHAHAHA
I AM SO SORRY here just read the transcript...
SEKULOW: Mr. Chief Justice, Majority Meader McConnell, Democratic Leader Schumer, House Managers, Members of the Senate. Let me begin by saying you cannot simply decide this case in a vacuum. Mr. Schiff said yesterday, I believe it was his father who said, you should put yourself in someone else's shoes. Let's for a moment put ourselves in the shoes of the president of the United States right now. Before he was sworn into office, he was subjected to an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation called Crossfire Hurricane. The president, within six months of his inauguration, found a Special Counsel being appointed to investigate a Russia collusion theory.
I think I'm okay now. I gotta say, most of us knew the White House defense would be filled with Right Wing Nut Job tin foil hat-wearing drooling conspiracy theory bullsh*t. So Crowdstrike appearing in the first 30 seconds of his presentation was no surprise. Honestly, though, I did NOT see the "Try a Little Tenderness" angle coming. Put ourselves in Trump's shoes? Imagine how it felt to be subjected to an FBI investigation?
*stares in Hillary Clinton*