palmerreport--2020-01-13--Lev Parnas just took his big swing at Donald Trump

It ’ s a storyline that may or may not add up to anything , but it just won ’ t go away .
Lev Parnas , who is currently awaiting criminal trial in relation to his role in Donald Trump ’ s Ukraine scandal , has become hellbent on the idea of playing a major role in Trump ’ s impeachment .
Just as the House appears ready to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate , Parnas just took his big swing .
Lev Parnas ’ attorney Joseph Bondy tweeted this last night : “ We brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 to HPSCI today , despite every stumbling block placed in our path since DOJ SDNY arrested him on 10/9/19.
” So what ’ s on this iPhone ?
We don ’ t know .
But we do know that when it came time for the Feds to share the seized evidence with Lev ahead of trial , Lev and his legal team fought in court for permission to share the contents of this phone with the House Intelligence Committee .
Lev appears to be trying to convince the House that he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and that he should be called to testify .
The evidence on the phone ostensibly backs up Lev ’ s version of events .
Of course the House has already closed out its impeachment process , having impeached Donald Trump on two articles of impeachment .
But if the House finds Lev Parnas ’ evidence and testimony credible , it can always announce new hearings and consider additional articles of impeachment – even as the Senate is holding a trial on the two existing articles .
We ’ ll see where this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but Parnas seems to believe that whatever is on his phone can help reduce his potential prison sentence .

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It’s a storyline that may or may not add up to anything, but it just won’t go away. Lev Parnas, who is currently awaiting criminal trial in relation to his role in Donald Trump’s Ukraine scandal, has become hellbent on the idea of playing a major role in Trump’s impeachment. Just as the House appears ready to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate, Parnas just took his big swing.
Lev Parnas’ attorney Joseph Bondy tweeted this last night: “We brought the contents of Lev Parnas’ iPhone 11 to HPSCI today, despite every stumbling block placed in our path since DOJ SDNY arrested him on 10/9/19.”
So what’s on this iPhone? We don’t know. But we do know that when it came time for the Feds to share the seized evidence with Lev ahead of trial, Lev and his legal team fought in court for permission to share the contents of this phone with the House Intelligence Committee. Lev appears to be trying to convince the House that he’s a credible witness against Donald Trump, and that he should be called to testify. The evidence on the phone ostensibly backs up Lev’s version of events.
Of course the House has already closed out its impeachment process, having impeached Donald Trump on two articles of impeachment. But if the House finds Lev Parnas’ evidence and testimony credible, it can always announce new hearings and consider additional articles of impeachment – even as the Senate is holding a trial on the two existing articles. We’ll see where this does or doesn’t go, but Parnas seems to believe that whatever is on his phone can help reduce his potential prison sentence.
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palmerreport--2020-01-14--The House just revealed how it’s going to make the Senate impeachment trial particularly ugly for Do

The House just revealed how it’s going to make the Senate impeachment trial particularly ugly for Donald Trump

Right now it ’ s up to Republican Senators whether they want to stick their necks out for Donald Trump by refusing to call any witnesses in his impeachment trial , or protect their own backsides by calling witnesses who could hurt Trump .
As of last night , the GOP Senate is in disarray on this , and we ’ re still waiting to see which way it ’ ll go .
But the House just revealed how it ’ s going to make the Senate impeachment trial a particularly ugly affair for Donald Trump , whether there are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to send managers to the Senate impeachment trial , and they essentially get to run the prosecution .
This evening the House announced that in the four weeks since it closed out its impeachment hearings , it ’ s collected a treasure trove of new evidence in Donald Trump ’ s Ukraine scandal – and it intends to put that evidence to use at the Senate impeachment trial .
This means that the incriminating evidence from witnesses like Lev Parnas will be introduced during the televised Senate impeachment proceedings , whether or not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to show up and testify .
The House has publicly posted a sampling of that evidence online , but as Politico ’ s Kyle Cheney is pointing out , the House is keeping a significant portion of the new evidence under wraps .
The new documents released today will ensure that the media will spend this week focusing on that incriminating evidence .
The additional evidence introduced at the Senate impeachment trial will ensure that most of the media spends the trial talking about how guilty Donald Trump is .
We knew Nancy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sleeve , and now we ’ re seeing at least some of it .
The kicker is that Trump and the GOP Senate still don ’ t know what else she ’ s sitting , meaning they have to make decisions about witnesses while in the dark .

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Right now it’s up to Republican Senators whether they want to stick their necks out for Donald Trump by refusing to call any witnesses in his impeachment trial, or protect their own backsides by calling witnesses who could hurt Trump. As of last night, the GOP Senate is in disarray on this, and we’re still waiting to see which way it’ll go. But the House just revealed how it’s going to make the Senate impeachment trial a particularly ugly affair for Donald Trump, whether there are witnesses or not.
The House gets to send managers to the Senate impeachment trial, and they essentially get to run the prosecution. This evening the House announced that in the four weeks since it closed out its impeachment hearings, it’s collected a treasure trove of new evidence in Donald Trump’s Ukraine scandal – and it intends to put that evidence to use at the Senate impeachment trial.
This means that the incriminating evidence from witnesses like Lev Parnas will be introduced during the televised Senate impeachment proceedings, whether or not the Republican Senate allows people like Parnas to show up and testify. The House has publicly posted a sampling of that evidence online, but as Politico’s Kyle Cheney is pointing out, the House is keeping a significant portion of the new evidence under wraps.
The new documents released today will ensure that the media will spend this week focusing on that incriminating evidence. The additional evidence introduced at the Senate impeachment trial will ensure that most of the media spends the trial talking about how guilty Donald Trump is. We knew Nancy Pelosi had to have something up her sleeve, and now we’re seeing at least some of it. The kicker is that Trump and the GOP Senate still don’t know what else she’s sitting, meaning they have to make decisions about witnesses while in the dark.
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palmerreport--2020-01-14--Lev Parnas makes his full court press against Donald Trump

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced today that the House will vote tomorrow to send the two existing articles of impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate for trial .
This comes even as Republican Senators are in disarray about whether to try to cover their own butts by calling witnesses that could be detrimental to Trump .
Lev Parnas , a key figure in Trump ’ s Ukraine extortion scandal , really wants in on whatever is about to happen next .
Last night Lev Parnas ’ attorney Joseph Bondy tweeted this video montage of Parnas appearing with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump universe , set to MC Hammer ’ s “ U Can ’ t Touch This ” : Today , Bondy tweeted another video montage with more photos of Lev , Trump , and the gang , this time set to Sister Sledge ’ s “ We Are Family ” : This comes after Lev and his legal team turned over thousands of pages of Ukraine scandal documents to the House Intelligence Committee .
They appear to be trying to convince House Democrats to call Lev as a witness and hold additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nancy Pelosi , Adam Schiff , and House leaders have been mum about this .
But if the Republican Senate tries holding a sham trial without witnesses , the House could hold its own competing hearings and having the witnesses testify while the Senate trial is going on .

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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced today that the House will vote tomorrow to send the two existing articles of impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate for trial. This comes even as Republican Senators are in disarray about whether to try to cover their own butts by calling witnesses that could be detrimental to Trump. Lev Parnas, a key figure in Trump’s Ukraine extortion scandal, really wants in on whatever is about to happen next.
Last night Lev Parnas’ attorney Joseph Bondy tweeted this video montage of Parnas appearing with Donald Trump and various other figures in the Trump universe, set to MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This”:
Today, Bondy tweeted another video montage with more photos of Lev, Trump, and the gang, this time set to Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family”:
This comes after Lev and his legal team turned over thousands of pages of Ukraine scandal documents to the House Intelligence Committee. They appear to be trying to convince House Democrats to call Lev as a witness and hold additional televised hearings on the Ukraine scandal. Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, and House leaders have been mum about this. But if the Republican Senate tries holding a sham trial without witnesses, the House could hold its own competing hearings and having the witnesses testify while the Senate trial is going on.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-14--Donald Trump isn’t ready for what’s about to happen to him

In politics it ’ s commonplace to lower expectations if you think something isn ’ t going to turn out well for you .
For instance , if you don ’ t expect your candidate to perform well in an upcoming debate , you leak that your debate preparations are going poorly .
That way , if your candidate turns in a mediocre performance , the public might end up seeing it as a positive surprise over the expectation that the candidate was going to bomb .
The Trump regime has never really shown that it has this club in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ narcissist like Donald Trump can ’ t handle the idea that he might be less than perfect at anything .
But as Trump continues to slide toward senility , and his political operation starts to resemble something more like Weekend at Bernie ’ s , we ’ re now suddenly seeing Trump ’ s handlers working hard to lower expectations .
First the Trump regime leaked last night that it expects a sufficient number of Republican Senators to vote in favor of having witnesses at the impeachment trial .
This was a clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news .
Now the Trump regime is leaking to the Los Angeles Times that Trump ’ s lawyers are “ scrambling to assemble their legal team and draft opening statements.
” Really ?
They didn ’ t know that Trump ’ s Senate impeachment trial was coming up ?
They forgot to set a calendar alarm or something ?
Considering the vast and often cartoonish level of incompetence that comes out of the Trump regime , and the fact that Donald Trump himself is increasingly asleep at the wheel , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t have its stuff together when it comes to the impeachment trial .
But this leak is a clear attempt at lowering expectations .
Team Trump is hoping that by announcing they ’ re likely to completely botch the trial , they might get credit for turning in a half-adequate job .
The real upshot , though , is that Trump isn ’ t ready for what ’ s about to happen to him .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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In politics it’s commonplace to lower expectations if you think something isn’t going to turn out well for you. For instance, if you don’t expect your candidate to perform well in an upcoming debate, you leak that your debate preparations are going poorly. That way, if your candidate turns in a mediocre performance, the public might end up seeing it as a positive surprise over the expectation that the candidate was going to bomb.
The Trump regime has never really shown that it has this club in its bag, probably because an insecure narcissist like Donald Trump can’t handle the idea that he might be less than perfect at anything. But as Trump continues to slide toward senility, and his political operation starts to resemble something more like Weekend at Bernie’s, we’re now suddenly seeing Trump’s handlers working hard to lower expectations.
First the Trump regime leaked last night that it expects a sufficient number of Republican Senators to vote in favor of having witnesses at the impeachment trial. This was a clear attempt at getting out ahead of bad news. Now the Trump regime is leaking to the Los Angeles Times that Trump’s lawyers are “scrambling to assemble their legal team and draft opening statements.” Really? They didn’t know that Trump’s Senate impeachment trial was coming up? They forgot to set a calendar alarm or something?
Considering the vast and often cartoonish level of incompetence that comes out of the Trump regime, and the fact that Donald Trump himself is increasingly asleep at the wheel, it’s possible that his barely-existent legal team really doesn’t have its stuff together when it comes to the impeachment trial. But this leak is a clear attempt at lowering expectations. Team Trump is hoping that by announcing they’re likely to completely botch the trial, they might get credit for turning in a half-adequate job. The real upshot, though, is that Trump isn’t ready for what’s about to happen to him.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-14--Where did Donald Trump go?

Where did Donald Trump go?

With Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ’ s announcement that the House will vote tomorrow to send articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial , today is one of the more fateful days of Donald Trump ’ s failing presidency .
This comes after last night ’ s revelation that Republican Senators are looking at voting to call witnesses in the trial .
You ’ d think he ’ d have something to say about it , considering how much he likes to foam at the mouth about these things .
But Donald Trump hasn ’ t tweeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of grotesque retweets of obscure accounts has gone missing .
Sure , Trump was at a football game last night , but so what ?
Even if he was up past his bedtime , it ’ s the middle of the afternoon by now .
There ’ s wifi on the plane .
He could have been tweeting up a storm all day today if he wanted to .
Yet he ’ s sitting there in silence , not even bothering to try to control the impeachment narrative today .
Of course this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day yesterday foaming at the mouth .
But there was something weird about his tweets yesterday , even for him .
He suddenly forgot how to spell the racial slur “ Pocahontas ” after having correctly spelled it dozens of times in the past , suggesting he didn ’ t write the tweet .
He retweeted several obscure tweets that used the same suspicious hashtag , which is not something that he would know how to do .
All day yesterday it felt like someone was ghost-tweeting for Donald Trump .
Today , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ghost .
This comes after he spent last week barely being able to put a sentence together during his public appearances , mispronouncing every third word , coming off as half-senile , and looking half-dead .
Now he ’ s gone missing on Twitter , when he should be participating in the fight of his life .
Where did he go ?
Everything about Trump ’ s behavior has been off since his fateful hospital run .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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With Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that the House will vote tomorrow to send articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial, today is one of the more fateful days of Donald Trump’s failing presidency. This comes after last night’s revelation that Republican Senators are looking at voting to call witnesses in the trial. You’d think he’d have something to say about it, considering how much he likes to foam at the mouth about these things.
But Donald Trump hasn’t tweeted anything today. Even his customary batch of grotesque retweets of obscure accounts has gone missing. Sure, Trump was at a football game last night, but so what? Even if he was up past his bedtime, it’s the middle of the afternoon by now. There’s wifi on the plane. He could have been tweeting up a storm all day today if he wanted to. Yet he’s sitting there in silence, not even bothering to try to control the impeachment narrative today.
Of course this comes after Donald Trump did spend all day yesterday foaming at the mouth. But there was something weird about his tweets yesterday, even for him. He suddenly forgot how to spell the racial slur “Pocahontas” after having correctly spelled it dozens of times in the past, suggesting he didn’t write the tweet. He retweeted several obscure tweets that used the same suspicious hashtag, which is not something that he would know how to do.
All day yesterday it felt like someone was ghost-tweeting for Donald Trump. Today, Trump has disappeared from Twitter like a ghost. This comes after he spent last week barely being able to put a sentence together during his public appearances, mispronouncing every third word, coming off as half-senile, and looking half-dead. Now he’s gone missing on Twitter, when he should be participating in the fight of his life. Where did he go? Everything about Trump’s behavior has been off since his fateful hospital run.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-14--Well here we go…

Well here we go…

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced today that she ’ ll hold a vote tomorrow to send the two existing articles of impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate for trial .
She held onto the articles over the holidays for strategic reasons that are now starting to become more clear , and she ’ s holding this vote amid breaking news suggesting that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell isn ’ t going to get to have the free-for-all that he ’ s been publicly threatening to hold .
Pelosi ’ s public statement today accused McConnell of trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asserting that “ The President and the Senators will be held accountable.
” This doesn ’ t appear to simply be empty rhetoric .
In the few weeks that Pelosi has been holding onto the articles of impeachment , John Bolton has announced that he ’ s willing to testify under subpoena at the Senate trial , and polling is showing increasing public pressure for that testimony to happen .
Last night , in an apparent attempt at getting out ahead of bad news , the Trump White House announced that it expects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will vote to call witnesses .
Shortly after this , Mitt Romney publicly confirmed that he expects to be one of them .
Romney ’ s weaseling aside , it ’ s clear that McConnell does not have control of his caucus right now , and that each Republican Senator is going to do whatever he or she thinks is personally best for his or her own reelection odds .
This comes even as Nancy Pelosi has the theoretical option of having John Bolton publicly testify to the House , while the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Republican Senate fails to call him as a witness .
This also comes as Lev Parnas is turning over thousands of pages of Ukraine scandal documents to the House .
We ’ re not entirely sure what happens next , but this won ’ t be the smooth sailing that Trump and McConnell have been openly fantasizing about .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced today that she’ll hold a vote tomorrow to send the two existing articles of impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate for trial. She held onto the articles over the holidays for strategic reasons that are now starting to become more clear, and she’s holding this vote amid breaking news suggesting that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell isn’t going to get to have the free-for-all that he’s been publicly threatening to hold.
Pelosi’s public statement today accused McConnell of trying to orchestrate a “cover-up” while asserting that “The President and the Senators will be held accountable.” This doesn’t appear to simply be empty rhetoric. In the few weeks that Pelosi has been holding onto the articles of impeachment, John Bolton has announced that he’s willing to testify under subpoena at the Senate trial, and polling is showing increasing public pressure for that testimony to happen.
Last night, in an apparent attempt at getting out ahead of bad news, the Trump White House announced that it expects that a sufficient number of Republican Senators will vote to call witnesses. Shortly after this, Mitt Romney publicly confirmed that he expects to be one of them. Romney’s weaseling aside, it’s clear that McConnell does not have control of his caucus right now, and that each Republican Senator is going to do whatever he or she thinks is personally best for his or her own reelection odds.
This comes even as Nancy Pelosi has the theoretical option of having John Bolton publicly testify to the House, while the Senate impeachment trial is going on, if the Republican Senate fails to call him as a witness. This also comes as Lev Parnas is turning over thousands of pages of Ukraine scandal documents to the House. We’re not entirely sure what happens next, but this won’t be the smooth sailing that Trump and McConnell have been openly fantasizing about.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-14--Who the hell is Stephanie Grisham?

Who the hell is Stephanie Grisham?

As Press Secretary to Donald Trump and his pirate ship administration for the past 198 days ( as I write this ) , Stephanie Ann Grisham has held exactly two fewer press conferences than she has had DUIs .
She has exactly two more failed marriages than she has held press conferences .
She has been accused of ( and twice fired for ) three more acts of plagiarism than she has held press conferences .
All this at the tender age of 43 and for the low , low price of $ 183,000 dollars a year , the latter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is little wonder that Stephanie Grisham should be a regular guest on Fox News , as luck would have it , in lieu of prison .
When she isn ’ t calling anyone who would object to the criminal antics of her boss “ human scum , ” she is deriding them for wanting to know why Donald Trump would retweet a racist meme depicting Democratic leaders in Muslim garb .
The very idea that the man who tried to ban all Muslims from entering the United States ( except the ones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) was being racist in intent with the retweet , Grisham maintains , is ludicrous .
“ I think the president is making clear that the Democrats have been parroting Iranian talking points and almost taking sides of the terrorists and those who were out to kill the Americans , ” Grisham told Fox News ’ Harris Faulkner recently , “ I think the president was making the point that the Democrats seem to hate him so much that they are willing to be on the side of countries and leadership of countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other words , wearing Muslim garb is the exact same thing as being a terrorist .
How exactly that is not anything but virulent racism is something that a three strikes plagiarist and two times drunk driver can not adequately explain , not even with the added incentive of $ 183,000 a year .
But this was Fox News , and naturally Grisham was tossed nothing but softballs .
Her inability to hit them out of the park notwithstanding is also a testament to the toxicity of the man she is defending .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ stock-in-trade .
After being fired from AAA for allegedly doctoring her expense account , she was then fired from MINDSPACE for allegedly plagiarizing parts of AAA ’ s website onto a presentation for one of MINDSPACE ’ s clients .
It was then that Grisham decided she was ready for Republican politics .
She volunteered for Mitt Romney ’ s team in 2012 , then viciously attacked him when he lost .
Then in 2013 Grisham took a job as spokesperson for Arizona ’ s Attorney General Tom Horne , a man who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and threatened to sue a city in the state for recognizing same sex marriages .
Next , as spokesperson for Arizona assembly speaker of the house David Gowan , Grisham revoked the press pass of a reporter mere hours after he penned an article critical of Gowan .
This brought her to the attention of Trump .
With her anti-freedom of the press bona fides , Grisham was a natural .
Grisham began life in the illicit Trump regime as Melania ’ s press secretary .
She helped draft Melania ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee .
Grisham was also instrumental in assisting the First Lady with her “ Be Best ” program , a program with the principal aim of fighting cyber bullying .
( Melania Trump was and remains one of the world ’ s leading experts on cyber bullying , being married to one of cyber bullying ’ s chief exponents . )
Grisham ’ s job was to design a brochure for the campaign , one she heavily plagiarised from an Obama-era brochure .
Grisham ’ s obscenely dishonest and loathsome record at everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to has made her ideal for Trumpland .
It appears that press conferences have been permanently cancelled at the White House .
Thankfully , at least , the podium made radioactive by Sarah Huckabee Sanders will never be further blasphemed by Stephanie Grisham , yet another deplorable addition to the toxic Trump assembly of his “ best people .
”

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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As Press Secretary to Donald Trump and his pirate ship administration for the past 198 days (as I write this), Stephanie Ann Grisham has held exactly two fewer press conferences than she has had DUIs. She has exactly two more failed marriages than she has held press conferences. She has been accused of (and twice fired for) three more acts of plagiarism than she has held press conferences. All this at the tender age of 43 and for the low, low price of $183,000 dollars a year, the latter compliments of your tax dollars.
So it is little wonder that Stephanie Grisham should be a regular guest on Fox News, as luck would have it, in lieu of prison. When she isn’t calling anyone who would object to the criminal antics of her boss “human scum,” she is deriding them for wanting to know why Donald Trump would retweet a racist meme depicting Democratic leaders in Muslim garb.
The very idea that the man who tried to ban all Muslims from entering the United States (except the ones from countries where he had business interests) was being racist in intent with the retweet, Grisham maintains, is ludicrous. “I think the president is making clear that the Democrats have been parroting Iranian talking points and almost taking sides of the terrorists and those who were out to kill the Americans,” Grisham told Fox News’ Harris Faulkner recently, “I think the president was making the point that the Democrats seem to hate him so much that they are willing to be on the side of countries and leadership of countries who want to kill Americans.” In other words, wearing Muslim garb is the exact same thing as being a terrorist. How exactly that is not anything but virulent racism is something that a three strikes plagiarist and two times drunk driver cannot adequately explain, not even with the added incentive of $183,000 a year.
But this was Fox News, and naturally Grisham was tossed nothing but softballs. Her inability to hit them out of the park notwithstanding is also a testament to the toxicity of the man she is defending.
Defending bad people is Grisham’s stock-in-trade. After being fired from AAA for allegedly doctoring her expense account, she was then fired from MINDSPACE for allegedly plagiarizing parts of AAA’s website onto a presentation for one of MINDSPACE’s clients. It was then that Grisham decided she was ready for Republican politics. She volunteered for Mitt Romney’s team in 2012, then viciously attacked him when he lost. Then in 2013 Grisham took a job as spokesperson for Arizona’s Attorney General Tom Horne, a man who proposed legislation in Arizona to arm teachers, and threatened to sue a city in the state for recognizing same sex marriages. Next, as spokesperson for Arizona assembly speaker of the house David Gowan, Grisham revoked the press pass of a reporter mere hours after he penned an article critical of Gowan. This brought her to the attention of Trump. With her anti-freedom of the press bona fides, Grisham was a natural.
Grisham began life in the illicit Trump regime as Melania’s press secretary. She helped draft Melania’s heavily plagiarized speech to the Republican National Committee. Grisham was also instrumental in assisting the First Lady with her “Be Best” program, a program with the principal aim of fighting cyber bullying. (Melania Trump was and remains one of the world’s leading experts on cyber bullying, being married to one of cyber bullying’s chief exponents.) Grisham’s job was to design a brochure for the campaign, one she heavily plagiarised from an Obama-era brochure.
Grisham’s obscenely dishonest and loathsome record at everything she he’s put her hand to has made her ideal for Trumpland. It appears that press conferences have been permanently cancelled at the White House. Thankfully, at least, the podium made radioactive by Sarah Huckabee Sanders will never be further blasphemed by Stephanie Grisham, yet another deplorable addition to the toxic Trump assembly of his “best people.”
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-15--Donald Trump has bizarre midnight meltdown after Lev Parnas sells him out

As the news just kept getting worse for Donald Trump as Tuesday went on , we kept waiting for him to address anything that was going on .
He didn ’ t even fire off his first tweet of the day until the middle of the afternoon , and it had nothing to do with anything relevant .
Then the House released text messages from Lev Parnas which revealed that Trump ’ s henchmen discussed hiring goons to target U.S .
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch , and Trump still couldn ’ t come up with anything beyond attacking Apple .
By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ midnight , the entire Democratic 2020 presidential debate had played out , and Donald Trump still hadn ’ t said anything about his worsening Ukraine scandal nightmare .
Then he finally decided to punch back – by lashing out at Tom Steyer ?
Trump posted this bizarre tweet : “ Steyer is running low on cash .
Nobody knows him .
Made his money on coal .
So funny !
” Whatever you think of Tom Steyer – and the polls say that most of you don ’ t think much about him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running low on cash .
Steyer is an actual billionaire , as opposed to Trump , whose financial existence is defined by debt and lack of cash .
So it ’ s now midnight on what ’ s turned out to be arguably the worst day of Donald Trump ’ s presidency to date , and all he can come up with is a bizarre meltdown about some also-ran candidate .
What , nothing about Lev Parnas ?
Nothing about Yovanovitch ?
Nothing about Biden or Warren ?
Donald Trump is more asleep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really have to wonder if he ’ s even the one posting these tweets at this point .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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As the news just kept getting worse for Donald Trump as Tuesday went on, we kept waiting for him to address anything that was going on. He didn’t even fire off his first tweet of the day until the middle of the afternoon, and it had nothing to do with anything relevant. Then the House released text messages from Lev Parnas which revealed that Trump’s henchmen discussed hiring goons to target U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, and Trump still couldn’t come up with anything beyond attacking Apple.
By the time it got to be around midnight, the entire Democratic 2020 presidential debate had played out, and Donald Trump still hadn’t said anything about his worsening Ukraine scandal nightmare. Then he finally decided to punch back – by lashing out at Tom Steyer?
Trump posted this bizarre tweet: “Steyer is running low on cash. Nobody knows him. Made his money on coal. So funny!” Whatever you think of Tom Steyer – and the polls say that most of you don’t think much about him at all – he’s not running low on cash. Steyer is an actual billionaire, as opposed to Trump, whose financial existence is defined by debt and lack of cash.
So it’s now midnight on what’s turned out to be arguably the worst day of Donald Trump’s presidency to date, and all he can come up with is a bizarre meltdown about some also-ran candidate. What, nothing about Lev Parnas? Nothing about Yovanovitch? Nothing about Biden or Warren? Donald Trump is more asleep at the wheel than ever. You really have to wonder if he’s even the one posting these tweets at this point.
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palmerreport--2020-01-15--Donald Trump is taking the Republican Senate down with him

As Republican Senator Mike Lee recently reminded us , even smart people sometimes forget important things .
On Wednesday , after leaving the Trump administration ’ s 75-minute classified briefing on the airstrike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani , Lee voiced his outrage in front of the cameras .
Calling it “ the worst briefing I ’ ve seen , at least on a military issue , ” he went on to criticize the Trump administration for being “ insulting and demeaning ” and said it was “ so distressing ” to be told not to debate the issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost speechless as he later told reporters , “ I get along great with Mike Lee .
I ’ ve never seen him like that.
” Lee seemed to say all the right things after the briefing , and he even came across as someone who is not afraid to show off an independent mind that is starting to break free .
The thing is , Lee overlooked something crucial when he came out swinging last week .
Apparently , Lee completely forgot that he had sold his soul to Trump , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a huge mistake .
Lee must have then realized that he needed to figure out a way to muzzle the small remaining piece of individualism that clung to life inside him .
On Sunday , he appeared on CBS ’ Face the Nation ready to engage in a cleanup session with moderator Margaret Brennan .
Lee mansplained that “ the problem there is not with the president , ” instead blaming the briefing on the briefers themselves and , in particular , Congress .
Lee also made a point of praising Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with great restraint and respect for the Constitution.
” Although Lee is still planning to sign Senator Tim Kaine ’ s resolution that would require Trump to get Congress ’ approval before further military action against Iran , he refused to take the opportunity to call out Trump ’ s actions .
Instead , Lee suggested that his support of the measure is only “ about the future question of what any president can do to get us into war.
” For a brief moment last week , Mike Lee showed us what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Unfortunately , he quickly remembered who he was , cleaned up his act , and fell back in line .
Having retraced his steps back from the precipice of rationality , Lee is now cleared to rejoin his GOP colleagues in the morally bankrupt land known as Trump ’ s good graces .

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As Republican Senator Mike Lee recently reminded us, even smart people sometimes forget important things. On Wednesday, after leaving the Trump administration’s 75-minute classified briefing on the airstrike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Lee voiced his outrage in front of the cameras. Calling it “the worst briefing I’ve seen, at least on a military issue,” he went on to criticize the Trump administration for being “insulting and demeaning” and said it was “so distressing” to be told not to debate the issue. His incensed tone left Donald Trump almost speechless as he later told reporters, “I get along great with Mike Lee. I’ve never seen him like that.”
Lee seemed to say all the right things after the briefing, and he even came across as someone who is not afraid to show off an independent mind that is starting to break free. The thing is, Lee overlooked something crucial when he came out swinging last week. Apparently, Lee completely forgot that he had sold his soul to Trump, which means his little show of resistance was a huge mistake.
Lee must have then realized that he needed to figure out a way to muzzle the small remaining piece of individualism that clung to life inside him. On Sunday, he appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation ready to engage in a cleanup session with moderator Margaret Brennan. Lee mansplained that “the problem there is not with the president,” instead blaming the briefing on the briefers themselves and, in particular, Congress. Lee also made a point of praising Trump, saying that he “exercised his power with great restraint and respect for the Constitution.”
Although Lee is still planning to sign Senator Tim Kaine’s resolution that would require Trump to get Congress’ approval before further military action against Iran, he refused to take the opportunity to call out Trump’s actions. Instead, Lee suggested that his support of the measure is only “about the future question of what any president can do to get us into war.”
For a brief moment last week, Mike Lee showed us what an independent Republican senator might look like. Unfortunately, he quickly remembered who he was, cleaned up his act, and fell back in line. Having retraced his steps back from the precipice of rationality, Lee is now cleared to rejoin his GOP colleagues in the morally bankrupt land known as Trump’s good graces.
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palmerreport--2020-01-15--Where did Rudy Giuliani go?

Where did Rudy Giuliani go?

Over the weekend Rudy Giuliani showed up on the Jeanine Pirro show on Fox News and gave one of his most incoherent interviews to date , which was fitting considering that Pirro wasn ’ t much more coherent herself .
It was a sign that Rudy still very much wants to get out there and defend himself while spreading Ukraine conspiracy theories .
But then today happened .
The House released a treasure trove of Ukraine scandal evidence that had been turned over by Lev Parnas .
That evidence included a highly incriminating letter that Rudy sent to Ukrainian President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s personal attorney , and begging to work with Zelensky on Rudy ’ s favorite phony conspiracy theories .
This undercuts a lot of what Rudy has been claiming .
There ’ s also the nasty matter of Parnas and another Trump henchmen having apparently discussed hiring local goons to target U.S .
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch , and it ’ s difficult to imagine that could have happened without Rudy knowing it .
So you ’ d think Rudy Giuliani would be out there right now , tweeting up a storm about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secretly written in disappearing ink by Joe Biden , or some such nonsense .
But Rudy isn ’ t anywhere tonight .
It ’ s been nearly six hours since Rudy ’ s life got turned upside down by this document dump , and… nothing .
Then again , Rudy Giuliani has generally been afraid to address any of the allegations made by Lev Parnas to date .
Even as Rudy has frantically flung mud at everyone from the Bidens to Ambassador Yovanovitch to Hillary Clinton , he ’ s acting like Lev @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rudy ’ s addled brain understands that Lev is the one who ’ s going to take him down , and he ’ s simply afraid to touch it .

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Over the weekend Rudy Giuliani showed up on the Jeanine Pirro show on Fox News and gave one of his most incoherent interviews to date, which was fitting considering that Pirro wasn’t much more coherent herself. It was a sign that Rudy still very much wants to get out there and defend himself while spreading Ukraine conspiracy theories.
But then today happened. The House released a treasure trove of Ukraine scandal evidence that had been turned over by Lev Parnas. That evidence included a highly incriminating letter that Rudy sent to Ukrainian President Zelensky, introducing himself as Donald Trump’s personal attorney, and begging to work with Zelensky on Rudy’s favorite phony conspiracy theories. This undercuts a lot of what Rudy has been claiming. There’s also the nasty matter of Parnas and another Trump henchmen having apparently discussed hiring local goons to target U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, and it’s difficult to imagine that could have happened without Rudy knowing it.
So you’d think Rudy Giuliani would be out there right now, tweeting up a storm about how his letter to Zelensky was actually secretly written in disappearing ink by Joe Biden, or some such nonsense. But Rudy isn’t anywhere tonight. It’s been nearly six hours since Rudy’s life got turned upside down by this document dump, and… nothing.
Then again, Rudy Giuliani has generally been afraid to address any of the allegations made by Lev Parnas to date. Even as Rudy has frantically flung mud at everyone from the Bidens to Ambassador Yovanovitch to Hillary Clinton, he’s acting like Lev doesn’t exist. Maybe even Rudy’s addled brain understands that Lev is the one who’s going to take him down, and he’s simply afraid to touch it.
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palmerreport--2020-01-15--Donald Trump’s goon Robert Hyde goes off the deep end after Lev Parnas incriminates him

After the House released new Ukraine scandal text messages between Lev Parnas and Robert Hyde this evening , we all began asking the same question : who is Robert Hyde ?
That ’ s not a name that had previously been associated with the scandal .
It turns out Hyde is deeply connected to Trump , however – and let ’ s just say that Hyde isn ’ t taking today ’ s developments well .
Last month , MSN and the Hartford Courant reported that Robert Hyde is a congressional candidate who has donated thousands of dollars to Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now the House has released a text message conversation between Hyde and Lev Parnas about hiring local goons in Ukraine to do something bad to U.S .
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch .
Daily Beast managed to track down Robert Hyde , giving him the opportunity to tell his side of the story .
But Hyde apparently didn ’ t bother to refute the legitimacy of the text messages , or even try to tamp down the interpretations of the text messages .
Instead , Hyde ’ s response to today ’ s news was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giant b*tch.
” We suppose this means Robert Hyde isn ’ t planning to cooperate with the impeachment process any time soon .
But if these text messages are as legitimate as the House believes they are , then Hyde is looking at potential criminal liability in this Ukraine scandal .
With Lev already in the process of cooperating , Hyde might want to change his tune fast .

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After the House released new Ukraine scandal text messages between Lev Parnas and Robert Hyde this evening, we all began asking the same question: who is Robert Hyde? That’s not a name that had previously been associated with the scandal. It turns out Hyde is deeply connected to Trump, however – and let’s just say that Hyde isn’t taking today’s developments well.
Last month, MSN and the Hartford Courant reported that Robert Hyde is a congressional candidate who has donated thousands of dollars to Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign. Now the House has released a text message conversation between Hyde and Lev Parnas about hiring local goons in Ukraine to do something bad to U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch.
Daily Beast managed to track down Robert Hyde, giving him the opportunity to tell his side of the story. But Hyde apparently didn’t bother to refute the legitimacy of the text messages, or even try to tamp down the interpretations of the text messages. Instead, Hyde’s response to today’s news was this: “Bull Schiff is a giant b*tch.”
We suppose this means Robert Hyde isn’t planning to cooperate with the impeachment process any time soon. But if these text messages are as legitimate as the House believes they are, then Hyde is looking at potential criminal liability in this Ukraine scandal. With Lev already in the process of cooperating, Hyde might want to change his tune fast.
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palmerreport--2020-01-15--Donald Trump goes completely berserk after Lev Parnas reveals plot to hire goons to target Marie Yov

Donald Trump goes completely berserk after Lev Parnas reveals plot to hire goons to target Marie Yovanovitch

Yesterday Lev Parnas turned over a treasure trove of Ukraine scandal evidence to the House .
This evening the House released the first batch of that evidence , including WhatsApp text messages which revealed a bizarre plot to hire local goons in Ukraine to target US Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch for some kind of surveillance , harassment , and/or harm .
Donald Trump had been quiet on Twitter all day .
But just a few minutes after the House published this jarring new evidence , Trump suddenly came to life and went berserk with tweets .
Trump began accusing Apple of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its refusal to unlock iPhones without a warrant .
That ’ s ironic , considering Trump and his team were just exposed for hiring potential killers to target a United States Ambassador .
Then Trump tweeted this crap : Cryin ’ Chuck Schumer just said , “ The American people want a fair trial in the Senate.
” True , but why didn ’ t Nervous Nancy and Corrupt politician Adam “ Shifty ” Schiff give us a fair trial in the House .
It was the most lopsided & unfair basement hearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stands out is that Donald Trump is clearly worried about the growing possibility of Republican Senators voting to have witnesses testify against him at his impeachment trial .
That was already a brewing problem for Trump as of yesterday , and now today Lev Parnas has placed even more pressure on GOP Senators to cover their own backsides by calling witnesses .
Trump is clearly worried , and he ’ s right to be worried .

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Yesterday Lev Parnas turned over a treasure trove of Ukraine scandal evidence to the House. This evening the House released the first batch of that evidence, including WhatsApp text messages which revealed a bizarre plot to hire local goons in Ukraine to target US Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch for some kind of surveillance, harassment, and/or harm.
Donald Trump had been quiet on Twitter all day. But just a few minutes after the House published this jarring new evidence, Trump suddenly came to life and went berserk with tweets. Trump began accusing Apple of siding with “killers” due to its refusal to unlock iPhones without a warrant. That’s ironic, considering Trump and his team were just exposed for hiring potential killers to target a United States Ambassador. Then Trump tweeted this crap:
Cryin’ Chuck Schumer just said, “The American people want a fair trial in the Senate.” True, but why didn’t Nervous Nancy and Corrupt politician Adam “Shifty” Schiff give us a fair trial in the House. It was the most lopsided & unfair basement hearing in the history of Congress!
What stands out is that Donald Trump is clearly worried about the growing possibility of Republican Senators voting to have witnesses testify against him at his impeachment trial. That was already a brewing problem for Trump as of yesterday, and now today Lev Parnas has placed even more pressure on GOP Senators to cover their own backsides by calling witnesses. Trump is clearly worried, and he’s right to be worried.
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palmerreport--2020-01-15--Lev Parnas just blew up Donald Trump

Lev Parnas just blew up Donald Trump

Lev Parnas wants everyone to know that he and his fellow Donald Trump henchmen were surveilling U.S .
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch , and discussed hiring local goons in Ukraine to surveil her or worse .
Parnas gave this evidence to the House yesterday , and the House thinks the evidence is legitimate enough that it publicly released the phone messages in question today .
Let ’ s be clear here : Lev Parnas just willingly incriminated himself for crimes that appear to be even more severe than the crimes he ’ s already been arrested for .
Lev is admitting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surveil , harass , or perhaps harm a U.S .
Ambassador .
Parnas is blowing himself up in the name of blowing Donald Trump up , in the apparent hope that he can score significant criminal leniency with the post-Trump DOJ if he helps take Trump down .
The House just confirmed that it will present this new evidence , along with additional not-yet-revealed evidence , when it makes its case against Donald Trump in his upcoming Senate impeachment trial .
The House can use this evidence whether the Republican Senate allows witnesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence also places even more pressure on Republican Senators to cover their own backsides by voting to call witnesses .
After all , one of Donald Trump ’ s own henchmen just admitted to plotting to hire foreign nationals to target a United States Ambassador .
The infamous summary of Trump ’ s phone call with the President of Ukraine captured Trump saying that Ambassador Yovanovitch was going to “ go through some things.
” Is there an evidence trail proving that Trump knew his hired henchmen were doing this ?
We ’ @ @ @ @ @

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Lev Parnas wants everyone to know that he and his fellow Donald Trump henchmen were surveilling U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, and discussed hiring local goons in Ukraine to surveil her or worse. Parnas gave this evidence to the House yesterday, and the House thinks the evidence is legitimate enough that it publicly released the phone messages in question today.
Let’s be clear here: Lev Parnas just willingly incriminated himself for crimes that appear to be even more severe than the crimes he’s already been arrested for. Lev is admitting that he tried to hire people to surveil, harass, or perhaps harm a U.S. Ambassador. Parnas is blowing himself up in the name of blowing Donald Trump up, in the apparent hope that he can score significant criminal leniency with the post-Trump DOJ if he helps take Trump down.
The House just confirmed that it will present this new evidence, along with additional not-yet-revealed evidence, when it makes its case against Donald Trump in his upcoming Senate impeachment trial. The House can use this evidence whether the Republican Senate allows witnesses to be called or not.
This evidence also places even more pressure on Republican Senators to cover their own backsides by voting to call witnesses. After all, one of Donald Trump’s own henchmen just admitted to plotting to hire foreign nationals to target a United States Ambassador. The infamous summary of Trump’s phone call with the President of Ukraine captured Trump saying that Ambassador Yovanovitch was going to “go through some things.” Is there an evidence trail proving that Trump knew his hired henchmen were doing this? We’ll soon find out.
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palmerreport--2020-01-15--New text messages reveal Donald Trump’s people tried to hire goons to target US Ambassador Marie Yov

New text messages reveal Donald Trump’s people tried to hire goons to target US Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch

This evening the House formally released a treasure trove of new evidence from Lev Parnas in Donald Trump ’ s Ukraine scandal .
That evidence includes screen shots of encrypted WhatsApp messages , and some of the exchanges are disturbing almost beyond words .
The messages reveal that Donald Trump ’ s henchmen were plotting something sinister against U.S .
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch – and not merely trying to get her fired .
One person asks , “ What should I do with this ?
… They are moving her tomorrow … The guys over [ there ] asked me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what is in it for them … She ’ s talked to three people .
Her phone is off .
Computer is off … They are willing to help if we/you would like a price … Guess you can do anything in the Ukraine with money … It ’ s confirmed we have a person inside … Hey brother do we stand down ?
Or do you still need intel ?
” This tells us that Trump ’ s goons in Ukraine were discussing hiring local goons to do something illicit against Yovanovitch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the coming days as to whether these messages mean that they were looking to pay the goons to stalk and surveil her , or chase her out of the country , or physically harm her , or what was going on here .
This lines up with Marie Yovanovitch ’ s public testimony during impeachment hearings that she was tipped off to immediately leave Ukraine for her own safety , right after Donald Trump fired her for standing in the way of Rudy Giuliani ’ s corrupt antics .
Keep in mind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the House voluntarily , in an apparent effort at gaining criminal leniency .
You can find the full House posting here .
Also keep in mind that the House has only released a fraction of the evidence it ’ s obtained from Parnas .

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This evening the House formally released a treasure trove of new evidence from Lev Parnas in Donald Trump’s Ukraine scandal. That evidence includes screen shots of encrypted WhatsApp messages, and some of the exchanges are disturbing almost beyond words.
The messages reveal that Donald Trump’s henchmen were plotting something sinister against U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch – and not merely trying to get her fired. One person asks, “What should I do with this? … They are moving her tomorrow … The guys over [there] asked me what I would like to do and what is in it for them … She’s talked to three people. Her phone is off. Computer is off … They are willing to help if we/you would like a price … Guess you can do anything in the Ukraine with money … It’s confirmed we have a person inside … Hey brother do we stand down? Or do you still need intel?”
This tells us that Trump’s goons in Ukraine were discussing hiring local goons to do something illicit against Yovanovitch. There will be plenty of debate in the coming days as to whether these messages mean that they were looking to pay the goons to stalk and surveil her, or chase her out of the country, or physically harm her, or what was going on here.
This lines up with Marie Yovanovitch’s public testimony during impeachment hearings that she was tipped off to immediately leave Ukraine for her own safety, right after Donald Trump fired her for standing in the way of Rudy Giuliani’s corrupt antics. Keep in mind that Lev Parnas turned over these messages to the House voluntarily, in an apparent effort at gaining criminal leniency. You can find the full House posting here. Also keep in mind that the House has only released a fraction of the evidence it’s obtained from Parnas.
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palmerreport--2020-01-16--The real reason Lev Parnas is blowing up Donald Trump

Rachel Maddow has made the incredible announcement that Lev Parnas is appearing on her MSNBC show tonight , just one day after the House released evidence from Parnas which revealed a Trump regime plot to hire local goons to target a U.S .
Ambassador .
In so doing , Lev just confessed to even more serious crimes than what he ’ s been charged with – and that ’ s before getting to whatever he confesses to Maddow tonight .
So what ’ s he doing ?
There are two key factors to consider here .
First , Lev Parnas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecutors , after they seized it during a raid .
So by giving this evidence to the House and to the public , Lev isn ’ t revealing anything about his crimes that prosecutors don ’ t already have on him .
We don ’ t know if the SDNY has been planning to bring a superseding indictment against Lev for the plot against Yovanovitch .
But we do know that SDNY was already in a position to do so , because it already had the evidence .
So what ’ s Lev @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The second key factor is that Lev Parnas is actively cooperating with the House Intelligence Committee , while apparently not cooperating with federal prosecutors .
This , combined with Lev ’ s attorney ’ s recent demand that Bill Barr recuse himself , strongly suggests that Lev doesn ’ t think he can get a fair shake from the DOJ as long as Trump and Barr are in charge of it .
By cooperating with the House now , Lev appears to be angling for leniency from the DOJ after the election – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will lose the election .
That ’ s not a bad bet , considering Donald Trump ’ s 2020 poll numbers are already in the toilet .
Lev Parnas appears to be betting that by putting the incriminating evidence out there , he can help make sure Trump loses the election .
We ’ ll see what Lev has up his sleeve for tonight .

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Rachel Maddow has made the incredible announcement that Lev Parnas is appearing on her MSNBC show tonight, just one day after the House released evidence from Parnas which revealed a Trump regime plot to hire local goons to target a U.S. Ambassador. In so doing, Lev just confessed to even more serious crimes than what he’s been charged with – and that’s before getting to whatever he confesses to Maddow tonight. So what’s he doing?
There are two key factors to consider here. First, Lev Parnas just got this evidence back from federal prosecutors, after they seized it during a raid. So by giving this evidence to the House and to the public, Lev isn’t revealing anything about his crimes that prosecutors don’t already have on him. We don’t know if the SDNY has been planning to bring a superseding indictment against Lev for the plot against Yovanovitch. But we do know that SDNY was already in a position to do so, because it already had the evidence. So what’s Lev risking here? Probably not much.
The second key factor is that Lev Parnas is actively cooperating with the House Intelligence Committee, while apparently not cooperating with federal prosecutors. This, combined with Lev’s attorney’s recent demand that Bill Barr recuse himself, strongly suggests that Lev doesn’t think he can get a fair shake from the DOJ as long as Trump and Barr are in charge of it. By cooperating with the House now, Lev appears to be angling for leniency from the DOJ after the election – which means Lev is betting that Trump will lose the election.
That’s not a bad bet, considering Donald Trump’s 2020 poll numbers are already in the toilet. Lev Parnas appears to be betting that by putting the incriminating evidence out there, he can help make sure Trump loses the election. We’ll see what Lev has up his sleeve for tonight.
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palmerreport--2020-01-15--What a bunch of garbage from Susan Collins

It ’ s clear that a growing number of Republican Senators have become nervous about the idea of a sham impeachment trial , and are now leaning toward trying to cover their own backsides by voting to have witnesses testify against Donald Trump .
Only four such Republican votes are required , and even the Trump White House has conceded that it ’ s likely to happen .
But it ’ s important to keep in mind that this isn ’ t about Republican Senators growing a conscience or a spine , or deciding to do the right thing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concepts when it comes to the current iteration of the Republican Party .
If these GOP Senators do vote to have witnesses , it ’ ll be because they ’ ve made the calculation that their own personal odds of holding onto their Senate seat will be improved by having witnesses – and not anything to do with what ’ s right or wrong .
We were reminded of this today by Susan Collins .
Susan Collins , who manages to speak out of both sides of her mouth while saying nothing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House just revealed from Lev Parnas : “ I wonder why the House did not put that into the record and it ’ s only now being revealed.
” When CNN explained to her that the House just received it on Monday , she said this : “ doesn ’ t that suggest that the House did an incomplete job then ?
” What an asshole .
Anyone who ’ s paid even a slight amount of attention to the news is well aware that Lev Parnas had to go before the judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to turn over this evidence to the House , which took time – and that Parnas just got his hands on it a few days ago .
Susan Collins knows this full well .
She ’ s playing dumb so she can play both sides .
Even if she votes to have witnesses testify , she ’ ll still spew this kind of dishonest crap in the hope of appeasing Trump ’ s base .
She ’ s garbage and she must be voted out in 2020 .

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It’s clear that a growing number of Republican Senators have become nervous about the idea of a sham impeachment trial, and are now leaning toward trying to cover their own backsides by voting to have witnesses testify against Donald Trump. Only four such Republican votes are required, and even the Trump White House has conceded that it’s likely to happen.
But it’s important to keep in mind that this isn’t about Republican Senators growing a conscience or a spine, or deciding to do the right thing for their country. Those are completely irrelevant concepts when it comes to the current iteration of the Republican Party. If these GOP Senators do vote to have witnesses, it’ll be because they’ve made the calculation that their own personal odds of holding onto their Senate seat will be improved by having witnesses – and not anything to do with what’s right or wrong. We were reminded of this today by Susan Collins.
Susan Collins, who manages to speak out of both sides of her mouth while saying nothing, said this about the new evidence the House just revealed from Lev Parnas: “I wonder why the House did not put that into the record and it’s only now being revealed.” When CNN explained to her that the House just received it on Monday, she said this: “doesn’t that suggest that the House did an incomplete job then?”
What an asshole. Anyone who’s paid even a slight amount of attention to the news is well aware that Lev Parnas had to go before the judge in his criminal trial and obtain approval to turn over this evidence to the House, which took time – and that Parnas just got his hands on it a few days ago. Susan Collins knows this full well. She’s playing dumb so she can play both sides. Even if she votes to have witnesses testify, she’ll still spew this kind of dishonest crap in the hope of appeasing Trump’s base. She’s garbage and she must be voted out in 2020.
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palmerreport--2020-01-15--Mike Pompeo hits the panic button

Mike Pompeo hits the panic button

Mike Pompeo abruptly canceled a classified briefing to Congress that was supposed to focus on embassy security .
Well , that solved any awkward questions that might be hurled at him given the new revelations from Lev Parnas .
Trump ’ s latest henchman , Robert Hyde , is in trouble for allegedly stalking the US Ambassador in Ukraine .
This is serious and must be investigated .
Robert Hyde ’ s tweets reveal he ’ s a nutjob , but those are the kind of mooks Giuliani and Trump love .
They can get them to do the stupid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They have built-in plausible deniability .
But the focus here should be on Trump ’ s words to President Zelensky that US Ambassador Yovanovitch was going to be “ going through some things.
” If he sent Hyde to harass or stalk Yovanovitch ( or worse ) , the question becomes why didn ’ t he just fire her ?
She was told by the State Department there was a security threat and to be on the next plane to the US .
Trump could have fired her and made her exit just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ?
It ’ s now coming out that the State Department knew the threat was coming from inside the President ’ s circle and , yet , the State Department did nothing about it .
Pompeo shut it down .
He didn ’ t report the incident to the FBI , the CIA nor any other intelligence agency .
When you quit gasping at that , you need to focus again on the reasons why Trump didn ’ t just fire her and avoid all this speculation and drama Hyde ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obvious .
The answer is always Putin .
Putin would love an incident within Ukraine that would pull our support from that country in its fight with Russia .
An assassination of our ambassador would do it and this is the kind of thing Putin is very adept at .
But it ’ s a serious international incident to kill an ambassador , so it would have to look like Ukraine did it , not Russia .
Trump knows what his instructions were .
So does Giuliani .
The real culprit here is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aid in having our ambassador assassinated if Putin asked , and we believe this is just what will come out .
These are serious accusations , but we now live in serious times .
Our President is a Russian operative in full .

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Mike Pompeo abruptly canceled a classified briefing to Congress that was supposed to focus on embassy security. Well, that solved any awkward questions that might be hurled at him given the new revelations from Lev Parnas. Trump’s latest henchman, Robert Hyde, is in trouble for allegedly stalking the US Ambassador in Ukraine. This is serious and must be investigated. Robert Hyde’s tweets reveal he’s a nutjob, but those are the kind of mooks Giuliani and Trump love. They can get them to do the stupid work, then deny knowing them. They have built-in plausible deniability.
But the focus here should be on Trump’s words to President Zelensky that US Ambassador Yovanovitch was going to be “going through some things.” If he sent Hyde to harass or stalk Yovanovitch (or worse), the question becomes why didn’t he just fire her? She was told by the State Department there was a security threat and to be on the next plane to the US. Trump could have fired her and made her exit just as quickly. Why didn’t he?
It’s now coming out that the State Department knew the threat was coming from inside the President’s circle and, yet, the State Department did nothing about it. Pompeo shut it down. He didn’t report the incident to the FBI, the CIA nor any other intelligence agency. When you quit gasping at that, you need to focus again on the reasons why Trump didn’t just fire her and avoid all this speculation and drama Hyde’s texting has caused. The reason is obvious. The answer is always Putin.
Putin would love an incident within Ukraine that would pull our support from that country in its fight with Russia. An assassination of our ambassador would do it and this is the kind of thing Putin is very adept at. But it’s a serious international incident to kill an ambassador, so it would have to look like Ukraine did it, not Russia. Trump knows what his instructions were. So does Giuliani. The real culprit here is Trump, not Hyde. Trump would aid in having our ambassador assassinated if Putin asked, and we believe this is just what will come out. These are serious accusations, but we now live in serious times. Our President is a Russian operative in full.
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palmerreport--2020-01-15--Rachel Maddow just landed the big one

Rachel Maddow just landed the big one

This week Lev Parnas blew up Donald Trump ’ s presidency by giving evidence to the House that he and Trump ’ s other henchmen discussed hiring local goons to target U.S .
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch .
This has sent shockwaves across the political landscape , just as the House is sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial .
The only thing Lev could do to make things even worse for Trump right now would be to appear on the Rachel Maddow show tonight and tell the whole world about Trump ’ s crimes .
So guess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Tonight !
9pm ET on MSNBC .
Giuliani associate Lev Parnas breaks his silence as he and his lawyer sit down with Rachel Maddow.
” That ’ s right , we ’ re less than six hours away from Lev Parnas going on live national television and spilling the beans .
Considering that Lev has been indicted on serious criminal charges , he may not be willing to discuss everything .
That said , the evidence he voluntarily gave the House this week implicates him in serious new crimes , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ willing to blow himself up in the name of blowing Donald Trump up , in the hope that it ’ ll lead to criminal leniency from the post-Trump Department of Justice .

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This week Lev Parnas blew up Donald Trump’s presidency by giving evidence to the House that he and Trump’s other henchmen discussed hiring local goons to target U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. This has sent shockwaves across the political landscape, just as the House is sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial. The only thing Lev could do to make things even worse for Trump right now would be to appear on the Rachel Maddow show tonight and tell the whole world about Trump’s crimes.
So guess what? Rachel Maddow just tweeted this: “Tonight! 9pm ET on MSNBC. Giuliani associate Lev Parnas breaks his silence as he and his lawyer sit down with Rachel Maddow.”
That’s right, we’re less than six hours away from Lev Parnas going on live national television and spilling the beans. Considering that Lev has been indicted on serious criminal charges, he may not be willing to discuss everything. That said, the evidence he voluntarily gave the House this week implicates him in serious new crimes, so it’s clear that Lev is willing to blow himself up in the name of blowing Donald Trump up, in the hope that it’ll lead to criminal leniency from the post-Trump Department of Justice.
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palmerreport--2020-01-15--“Sure sounds like a mob hit”

“Sure sounds like a mob hit”

Even as the House names its Senate impeachment trial managers today , shockwaves are still resonating from the evidence that the House publicly released last night from Ukraine scandal figure Lev Parnas .
The text messages between Parnas and Donald Trump associate Robert F. Hyde appear to reveal that they were plotting to hire local goons to target U.S .
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch .
There has been a lot of discussion about precisely what Trump ’ s goons were plotting to do to Yovanovitch .
At the least , the text messages reveal that they were surveilling her in some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not getting away ” suggest that there may have been something far more sinister going on .
In fact multiple former prosecutors think this was a conspiracy to physically harm the Ambassador .
Former SDNY federal prosecutor Mimi Rocah tweeted that “ As a former mafia prosecutor , this sure sounds like a mob hit was being planned on a public servant in a foreign country by associates of the POTUS .
A POTUS who said she was ‘ going to go through some things . '
” Former U.S. Attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bone-chilling .
We must know all the facts & particularly whether there was a conspiracy to harm an Ambassador.
” For his part , Robert Hyde is offering a very different interpretation of the text messages .
He tweeted this : “ How low can liddle Adam Bull Schiff go ?
I was never in Kiev .
For them to take some texts my buddy ’ s and I wrote back to some dweeb we were playing with that we met a few times while we had a few drinks is definitely laughable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with this Lev guy .
”

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Even as the House names its Senate impeachment trial managers today, shockwaves are still resonating from the evidence that the House publicly released last night from Ukraine scandal figure Lev Parnas. The text messages between Parnas and Donald Trump associate Robert F. Hyde appear to reveal that they were plotting to hire local goons to target U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch.
There has been a lot of discussion about precisely what Trump’s goons were plotting to do to Yovanovitch. At the least, the text messages reveal that they were surveilling her in some manner. But words like “She’s not getting away” suggest that there may have been something far more sinister going on. In fact multiple former prosecutors think this was a conspiracy to physically harm the Ambassador.
Former SDNY federal prosecutor Mimi Rocah tweeted that “As a former mafia prosecutor, this sure sounds like a mob hit was being planned on a public servant in a foreign country by associates of the POTUS. A POTUS who said she was ‘going to go through some things.'” Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance tweeted that “This is bone-chilling. We must know all the facts & particularly whether there was a conspiracy to harm an Ambassador.”
For his part, Robert Hyde is offering a very different interpretation of the text messages. He tweeted this: “How low can liddle Adam Bull Schiff go? I was never in Kiev. For them to take some texts my buddy’s and I wrote back to some dweeb we were playing with that we met a few times while we had a few drinks is definitely laughable. Schiff is a desperate turd playing with this Lev guy.”
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-15--Something Russian this way comes

Something Russian this way comes

It ’ s a disjointing sensation , awakening one morning and seeing a building I was in just two scant nights before ( and actually possess keys to ) featured on the international news .
It ’ s a sobering reminder of what a small world it can occasionally be , particularly when the world is shared with Vladimir Putin .
The building in question , that houses a group I meet with once a week , was also home to an early summer “ fun day ” attended by the late Dawn Sturgess in June of 2018 .
Ms. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the hand of Putin .
I didn ’ t know her personally but I mourn her passing as any concerned neighbor would .
She was a victim of the impersonal machinery of political murder casually practiced all-too-frequently by the Putins of the world .
She lived in a house near where I live , now boarded up and abandoned .
I doubt Dawn Sturgess has ever been in Putin ’ s thoughts for more than a moment , if that .
Putin ’ s aim , to employ a binary nerve agent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military officer and double agent named Sergei Skripal , failed to kill him and killed her instead .
It is a tragedy that sometimes plunges me into sadness .
Dawn Sturgess is the forgotten little person who represents us all .
It didn ’ t take this incident to cause me to hate Vladimir Putin – I already hated him for years , and I still do – but it gave my hatred sharper direction and laser focus .
It transformed my hatred from vague to active .
It reminds me that Putin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I see when I look at him .
His wealth and his power do not engender awe , they instill contempt .
I hate him the way I would hate anything repellant , malignant and obscene .
And I know he ’ s not finished with us .
Soon his malignancies will be parroted on every street in every American city .
Soon the chambers of America ’ s very own Capitol building will reverberate with Putin ’ s talking points , his conspiracy theories , his lies .
Vladimir Putin is alive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personally .
His goal is to deprive you of your certainty , to confound and obliterate your reality , to make the very rational act of knowing seem unattainable , lost in a sea of equivocation .
To make America weak again .
For Putin ’ s next trick , during the trial of Donald Trump ( a criminal , a traitor , a child rapist , a thief ) in the Senate , Republicans will derail justice and pollute the process with Putin ’ s claim that Ukraine , not Russia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They will distract from Trump ’ s criminal behavior by alleging that then Vice President Joe Biden corruptly protected his son Hunter , who served on the board of the Ukrainian company Burisma , by getting the venal and compromised Ukrainian prosecutor , Viktor Shokin , fired .
They will insist that the man or woman who first brought Trump ’ s crimes to national attention , the whistleblower , be put on trial himself , or herself , instead of the criminal , the traitor , the child rapist , the thief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quid pro quo , that for every relevant witness called by Democrats , they be allowed to call an irrelevant witness to reinforce the lies and talking points of Vladimir Putin .
Make no mistake , very soon your government will betray you on national television .
They will do the bidding and disseminate the lies of America ’ s greatest enemy .
And they will do it shamelessly , without irony , without apology , in the sacred building conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect a criminal , a traitor , a child rapist , a thief .
They will do it to promote the will of a red-handed Russian dictator and assassin .
They will do it on behalf of the murderer of Dawn Sturgess , the voiceless little person who never hurt anybody .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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It’s a disjointing sensation, awakening one morning and seeing a building I was in just two scant nights before (and actually possess keys to) featured on the international news. It’s a sobering reminder of what a small world it can occasionally be, particularly when the world is shared with Vladimir Putin.
The building in question, that houses a group I meet with once a week, was also home to an early summer “fun day” attended by the late Dawn Sturgess in June of 2018. Ms. Sturgess was a hapless nobody who died at the hand of Putin. I didn’t know her personally but I mourn her passing as any concerned neighbor would. She was a victim of the impersonal machinery of political murder casually practiced all-too-frequently by the Putins of the world. She lived in a house near where I live, now boarded up and abandoned.
I doubt Dawn Sturgess has ever been in Putin’s thoughts for more than a moment, if that. Putin’s aim, to employ a binary nerve agent called novichok to murder a former Russian military officer and double agent named Sergei Skripal, failed to kill him and killed her instead. It is a tragedy that sometimes plunges me into sadness. Dawn Sturgess is the forgotten little person who represents us all.
It didn’t take this incident to cause me to hate Vladimir Putin – I already hated him for years, and I still do – but it gave my hatred sharper direction and laser focus. It transformed my hatred from vague to active. It reminds me that Putin is a murderer. That is all I see when I look at him. His wealth and his power do not engender awe, they instill contempt. I hate him the way I would hate anything repellant, malignant and obscene.
And I know he’s not finished with us. Soon his malignancies will be parroted on every street in every American city. Soon the chambers of America’s very own Capitol building will reverberate with Putin’s talking points, his conspiracy theories, his lies. Vladimir Putin is alive and he’s coming for you personally. His goal is to deprive you of your certainty, to confound and obliterate your reality, to make the very rational act of knowing seem unattainable, lost in a sea of equivocation. To make America weak again.
For Putin’s next trick, during the trial of Donald Trump (a criminal, a traitor, a child rapist, a thief) in the Senate, Republicans will derail justice and pollute the process with Putin’s claim that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 presidential election. They will distract from Trump’s criminal behavior by alleging that then Vice President Joe Biden corruptly protected his son Hunter, who served on the board of the Ukrainian company Burisma, by getting the venal and compromised Ukrainian prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, fired. They will insist that the man or woman who first brought Trump’s crimes to national attention, the whistleblower, be put on trial himself, or herself, instead of the criminal, the traitor, the child rapist, the thief. They will insist on their own quid pro quo, that for every relevant witness called by Democrats, they be allowed to call an irrelevant witness to reinforce the lies and talking points of Vladimir Putin.
Make no mistake, very soon your government will betray you on national television. They will do the bidding and disseminate the lies of America’s greatest enemy. And they will do it shamelessly, without irony, without apology, in the sacred building conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. They will do it to protect a criminal, a traitor, a child rapist, a thief. They will do it to promote the will of a red-handed Russian dictator and assassin. They will do it on behalf of the murderer of Dawn Sturgess, the voiceless little person who never hurt anybody.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-01-15--This is all slipping away from Donald Trump

And so it begins .
While some Republicans are at least trying to appear above board , the crazy ones are front and center .
Rand Paul thinks that approving witnesses like John Bolton means also approving witnesses who have nothing to do with anything , like Hunter Biden .
He didn ’ t say it in those exact words , but he doesn ’ t have to .
We ’ ve all heard them talking about subpoenaing Joe Biden .
For what , no one knows .
He had nothing to do with “ president ” Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden was the victim .
With that said , perhaps he should testify .
Trump would also like for Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff to testify , but that is so not happening .
Trump should be focusing on witnesses who can demonstrate his innocence , but we understand why he doesn ’ t ; there are none .
It ’ s much easier to sit behind his Twitter account and stir the pot .
It is amazing how Republicans in general want to “ avoid ” things .
As reported by Politico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his concerns about Chuck Schumer ’ s plan , stating : “ It won ’ t surprise you that we ’ re thinking about that too and how to avoid that as much as possible.
” No , Cornyn .
No one is surprised .
It is amazing how most Republicans have totally given up on the truth in favor of putting their party over our country .
There are , however , a handful who , at least from first appearances , want to conduct the trial as it should be conducted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in wanting to vote for witnesses , but he has been most vocal .
Romney has never cared about ruffling Trump ’ s feathers , but others who have cowered in his presence now seem to trying to please their more moderate constituents .
Susan Collins for one has been vocal about including witnesses .
She is joined by Lamar Alexander ( R-TN ) , who is retiring at the end of this year .
According to Politico , Alexander wants to hear the evidence and then vote on the need for additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have a vote on whether we have witnesses or not , ” he said .
Politico also reports that Mitch McConnell is spearheading writing rules for the trial , and he wants it to mirror Bill Clinton ’ s impeachment .
In that trial , the parties undertook opening arguments and then subpoenaed three witnesses .
Either way , McConnell is the “ man in the middle.
” He has hardline Trump backers who want to immediately dismiss the case , but he must contend with those who want to actually hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Lisa Murkowski ( R-AK ) .
McConnell doesn ’ t have the votes to simply dismiss this matter .
Romney , Murkowski , Collins , and Alexander are all leaning toward voting for witnesses .
Roy Blunt ( R-MO ) also seems to be leaning that way , saying that Trump has consistently asked for a fair hearing to make his case , “ and I think that ’ s ultimately what will happen.
” With 47 Democratic Senators on board , if four of the Republicans vote with the Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
He will get his wish of a “ fair hearing ” and an opportunity to “ make his case , ” though we all know he has none to make .

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And so it begins. While some Republicans are at least trying to appear above board, the crazy ones are front and center. Rand Paul thinks that approving witnesses like John Bolton means also approving witnesses who have nothing to do with anything, like Hunter Biden. He didn’t say it in those exact words, but he doesn’t have to.
We’ve all heard them talking about subpoenaing Joe Biden. For what, no one knows. He had nothing to do with “president” Trump’s attempted blackmail of Ukraine. Indeed, Biden was the victim. With that said, perhaps he should testify. Trump would also like for Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff to testify, but that is so not happening. Trump should be focusing on witnesses who can demonstrate his innocence, but we understand why he doesn’t; there are none. It’s much easier to sit behind his Twitter account and stir the pot.
It is amazing how Republicans in general want to “avoid” things. As reported by Politico, John Cornyn (R-TX) voiced his concerns about Chuck Schumer’s plan, stating: “It won’t surprise you that we’re thinking about that too and how to avoid that as much as possible.” No, Cornyn. No one is surprised. It is amazing how most Republicans have totally given up on the truth in favor of putting their party over our country. There are, however, a handful who, at least from first appearances, want to conduct the trial as it should be conducted.
Mitt Romney isn’t alone in wanting to vote for witnesses, but he has been most vocal. Romney has never cared about ruffling Trump’s feathers, but others who have cowered in his presence now seem to trying to please their more moderate constituents. Susan Collins for one has been vocal about including witnesses. She is joined by Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who is retiring at the end of this year. According to Politico, Alexander wants to hear the evidence and then vote on the need for additional witnesses. “It’s important to have a vote on whether we have witnesses or not,” he said.
Politico also reports that Mitch McConnell is spearheading writing rules for the trial, and he wants it to mirror Bill Clinton’s impeachment. In that trial, the parties undertook opening arguments and then subpoenaed three witnesses. Either way, McConnell is the “man in the middle.” He has hardline Trump backers who want to immediately dismiss the case, but he must contend with those who want to actually hear evidence, such as Romney, Collins, and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
McConnell doesn’t have the votes to simply dismiss this matter. Romney, Murkowski, Collins, and Alexander are all leaning toward voting for witnesses. Roy Blunt (R-MO) also seems to be leaning that way, saying that Trump has consistently asked for a fair hearing to make his case, “and I think that’s ultimately what will happen.” With 47 Democratic Senators on board, if four of the Republicans vote with the Democrats, it will be too bad for Trump. He will get his wish of a “fair hearing” and an opportunity to “make his case,” though we all know he has none to make.
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palmerreport--2020-01-15--Looks like Michael Flynn is going to rot in prison for a lot longer than we thought

Michael Flynn has already taken a get out of jail free card and turned it into a six month prison sentence , when he screwed up his very lenient cooperating plea deal at the end by sabotaging the trial of his former business partner Bijan Kian .
Now Flynn has apparently decided that six months in prison isn ’ t long enough , because he ’ s making the one move that can hand him a much longer sentence .
It was difficult to imagine Judge Emmet Sullivan giving Michael Flynn much more than the six months in prison that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Flynn is formally requesting to withdraw his guilty plea .
If the judge grants this , it ’ ll mean Flynn will have a criminal trial – and when he ’ s found guilty , he ’ ll get a much longer sentence , because he ’ ll get zero credit for his original plea deal .
It could also mean that the additional criminal charges Flynn originally dodged with his plea deal will now be brought against him as he heads into trial .
Flynn will be very lucky if Judge Sullivan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him to the six months he ’ s slated to get .
If Flynn gets his way , he could rot in prison for years .
It ’ s more clear than ever that Flynn isn ’ t playing with a full deck , and that he has no idea what ’ s good for him at this point .
Michael Flynn could be hanging onto the delusion that Donald Trump is going to magically pardon him .
But Trump has consistently allowed his own co-conspirators to rot in prison , including Paul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pardoning them .
Trump appears to be afraid that pardoning a co-conspirator could set off a legal battle that could result in the courts ruling that he can ’ t pardon his family and/or himself on his way out the door .

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Michael Flynn has already taken a get out of jail free card and turned it into a six month prison sentence, when he screwed up his very lenient cooperating plea deal at the end by sabotaging the trial of his former business partner Bijan Kian. Now Flynn has apparently decided that six months in prison isn’t long enough, because he’s making the one move that can hand him a much longer sentence.
It was difficult to imagine Judge Emmet Sullivan giving Michael Flynn much more than the six months in prison that prosecutors are now recommending. But now Flynn is formally requesting to withdraw his guilty plea. If the judge grants this, it’ll mean Flynn will have a criminal trial – and when he’s found guilty, he’ll get a much longer sentence, because he’ll get zero credit for his original plea deal. It could also mean that the additional criminal charges Flynn originally dodged with his plea deal will now be brought against him as he heads into trial.
Flynn will be very lucky if Judge Sullivan refuses his request, and simply sentences him to the six months he’s slated to get. If Flynn gets his way, he could rot in prison for years. It’s more clear than ever that Flynn isn’t playing with a full deck, and that he has no idea what’s good for him at this point.
Michael Flynn could be hanging onto the delusion that Donald Trump is going to magically pardon him. But Trump has consistently allowed his own co-conspirators to rot in prison, including Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen, rather than pardoning them. Trump appears to be afraid that pardoning a co-conspirator could set off a legal battle that could result in the courts ruling that he can’t pardon his family and/or himself on his way out the door.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.