Tag: Impeachment

Today Will Be A Busy Day

All eyes should be on their favorite news outlet for the live coverage of the impeachment proceedings……the AP breakdown the important stuff for the day………

IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS GO LIVE ON TV

Two seasoned diplomats, William Taylor and George Kent, will be the first witnesses to publicly testify in the House impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.

WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR TRUMP

The president comes face to face with the limits of his power, as public impeachment hearings will help shape how he will be viewed by voters next year and his place in history.

If that is not to your liking and not your cup of tea then there are several other important issues playing out today……

 

  • Key players. The Hill lists some key players to watch during the hearings, including House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who will be the first lawmaker to question the witnesses. Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the committee, will also be allowed to make an opening statement and question witnesses for up to 45 minutes.
  • Trump: “The circus is coming to town.” Trump called Sean Hannity a “brave warrior” and tweeted parts of his anti-impeachment rant. “The circus is coming to town. The corrupt, compromised, coward & congenital liar Adam Schiff Show on Capital Hill,” Trump wrote. “There is zero due process, none. It is yet another fraudulent hoax conspiracy theory. It is another Witch Hunt.”
  • The Democratic case. A top Democratic official tells the New York Times that the witnesses will help make the case that Trump is guilty of “serious misconduct” by trying to “bribe, extort, condition or coerce” Ukraine’s president to investigate one of his political rivals. Schiff said Tuesday that he believes Trump is guilty of both bribery and “high crimes and misdemeanors,” which are impeachable offenses under the Constitution.
  • The GOP defense. The BBC reports that a memo circulating Tuesday set out a “straightforward” Republican defense of Trump. GOP lawmakers are expected to argue that Trump was acting out of legitimate concerns about corruption—and that witnesses who say otherwise are “unelected bureaucrats” who are biased against the president.
  • Debunked claims. The Washington Post lists some debunked claims likely to surface during the hearings, including Trump’s argument that his July 25 phone call with Ukraine’s president was “perfect.”

How to watch. The proceedings will be aired live on C-Span and cable news networks, reports Business Insider. They will also be streamed on the websites of the House Intelligence Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

And now for the rest of the world……..

 

TRUMP, ERDOGAN TO MEET AT WHITE HOUSE

Relations between the two NATO allies are at their lowest point in decades, with Turkey turning toward Russia on security issues and Ankara facing a Washington backlash over attacks on Kurdish forces and civilians.

AS HONG KONG DESCENDS INTO CHAOS, CHINA MULLS OPTIONS

Analysts say that the violent protests, now in their sixth month, may give Beijing the justification it needs to take more direct action.

KABUL’S AIR POLLUTION MAY BE EVEN DEADLIER THAN WAR

A research group says more than 26,000 deaths in Afghanistan’s capital could be attributed to air pollution in 2017, compared to 3,483 civilians killed that year in the Afghan war.

I think that ALL Americans should watch the hearings and listen closely to the testimony……plus if you are planning to watch the circus then maybe you should be armed with the transcripts….and the old professor can help with that as well…..

…

3 transcripts were released….that of a Deputy Sec. of Defense, Laura Cooper……you may read the entire thing here…..https://docs.house.gov/meetings/IG/IG00/CPRT-116-IG00-D012.pdf

Christopher Anderson who was an assistant to the Ukraine Envoy….his testimony can be read here……https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/11/politics/read-testimony-christopher-anderson/index.html

Catherine Croft, a top State Department official….her’s can be read here…..https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/read-transcript-state-dept-official-catherine-croft-s-impeachment-testimony-n1080331

Read Yovanovitch’s testimony in full here. (Initial news coverage of her testimony is here.)

Read McKinley’s testimony in full here.

Read Volker’s testimony here……https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6540429/CPRT-116-IG00-D007.pdf

… another transcript was released to the public…that of Ukraine expert…..Bill Taylor and it can be read here……https://www.scribd.com/document/433753426/William-Taylor-testimony

The most recent release from yesterday…..State Department employee testimony can be read here…..https://www.scribd.com/document/433921637/George-Kent-testimony

…two transcripts released for public consumption……..first the transcript of the testimony from Col. Vindman…….https://www.scribd.com/document/434064258/Vindman-pdf

Second from Fiona Hill……https://www.scribd.com/document/434065486/Fiona-Hill-testimony

Now you are ready for the proceedings to begin…..

Not to worry I will post a short summary of the day’s proceedings…..

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Will This Impeachment Thing Be Fair?

If you listen to Trump and his toadies in the GOP then it will not be fair, If yoiu listen to the lap dogs of Trump, Jordan, Gaetz, Meadows, then this whle process has not been fair or transparent….but that is a lie….the so-called secret hearings that these slugs ran to a camera to bitch about were lying….there were 40+ GOPers on the committees that had access to the people and the testimony and yet to listen to the idiots with the mouths we had a flawed process.

And there is their attack…they are attacking the process and NOT one word about the evidence…..that to me is pretty telling.

If the impeachment process is to be fair and transparent then it needs to hold to four principles for the Senate’s trial…..

  • Trial procedures should be established before the trial commences. A trial can only be fair if the rules are agreed to in advance. For that reason, any supplemental rules or modifications to the existing rules should be agreed to before the trial commences.
  • The Senate should hear the full case before voting on the President’s removal. The Senate must allow members of the House to present the case for the President’s removal and the President should be afforded an opportunity to respond. Both should occur before a vote to dispose of or approve an article of impeachment.
  • The trial should be open to the public. An impeachment trial of a president is a matter of exceptional importance to the American people. They should be able to understand the case for the President’s removal and the President’s defense. The doors to the Senate chamber should be open and the American people permitted to witness the proceedings to the extent possible. Transparency should only be sacrificed to advance compelling interests such as the sanctity of Senate deliberations, the need to protect legitimately classified information, or the recognition of a whistleblower’s right to anonymity.
  • Each Senator should take seriously his or her oath to “do impartial justice” and to “support and defend the Constitution.” The question is not whether to support the President. The question is whether the President has committed treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors within the meaning of the
    Constitution.

Read CREW and Public Citizen’s full report here:

 

I have been reading the transcripts and so far those GOPers that have been the loudest and lying…..the evidence is mounting and the denials are looking more and more cowardly….

Like I stated earlier…..All the protests and criticism is about the process and so far NOT one word about the evidence.

That tells me the GOP is struggling to try and spin the truth into the bullsh*t of Trump and his Boyz.

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Go To The Transcript #6

IST is your one stop shopping for transcripts and info ahead of the impeachment hearings……

Tomorrow begins the impeachment public hearings in the House….to help my readers understand what is being used as evidence I have been posting the transcripts of the evidence that was given in a closd session of the committee.

Yesterday another 3 transcripts were released….that of a Deputy Sec. of Defense, Laura Cooper……you may read the entire thing here…..https://docs.house.gov/meetings/IG/IG00/CPRT-116-IG00-D012.pdf

Christopher Anderson who was an assistant to the Ukraine Envoy….his testimony can be read here……https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/11/politics/read-testimony-christopher-anderson/index.html

Catherine Croft, a top State Department official….her’s can be read here…..https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/read-transcript-state-dept-official-catherine-croft-s-impeachment-testimony-n1080331

For those that have not been keeping up with the releases then I can help there as well…..

As a service to my readers in the hope they will acquaint themselves with the evidence being presented….the transcripts so far…..

Read Yovanovitch’s testimony in full here. (Initial news coverage of her testimony is here.)

Read McKinley’s testimony in full here.

Read Volker’s testimony here……https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6540429/CPRT-116-IG00-D007.pdf

… another transcript was released to the public…that of Ukraine expert…..Bill Taylor and it can be read here……https://www.scribd.com/document/433753426/William-Taylor-testimony

The most recent release from yesterday…..State Department employee testimony can be read here…..https://www.scribd.com/document/433921637/George-Kent-testimony

…two transcripts released for public consumption……..first the transcript of the testimony from Col. Vindman…….https://www.scribd.com/document/434064258/Vindman-pdf

Second from Fiona Hill……https://www.scribd.com/document/434065486/Fiona-Hill-testimony

You are now armed with the evidence….make of it what you will.

Please take some time and see what is being said……then make up your mind…..these people are not the enemy…. they serve their country with honor and diligence….

If more transcripts are released then I shall post them so that the readers of IST have all the evidence.

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“Magis Lego, Magis Scitis”

Go To The Transcript #5

The impeachment saga continues…….

Slowly the testimony of the witnesses in the impeachment evidence gathering hearings is being released….slowly but slowly……

As a service to my readers in the hope they will acquaint themselves with the evidence being presented….the transcripts so far…..

Read Yovanovitch’s testimony in full here. (Initial news coverage of her testimony is here.)

Read McKinley’s testimony in full here.

Read Volker’s testimony here……https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6540429/CPRT-116-IG00-D007.pdf

… another transcript was released to the public…that of Ukraine expert…..Bill Taylor and it can be read here……https://www.scribd.com/document/433753426/William-Taylor-testimony

The most recent release from yesterday…..State Department employee testimony can be read here…..https://www.scribd.com/document/433921637/George-Kent-testimony

Just yesterday we get two transcripts released for public consumption……..first the transcript of the testimony from Col. Vindman…….https://www.scribd.com/document/434064258/Vindman-pdf

Second from Fiona Hill……https://www.scribd.com/document/434065486/Fiona-Hill-testimony

Please take some time and see what is being said……then make up your mind…..these people are not the enemy….they have served their country with honor and diligence….

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Go To The Transcripts #4

The transcripts are trickling out at a speed that would allow ample time to read and understand….so far we have the testimony of a couple of ambassadors and State Department employees…..

IST has taken upon itself to help its readers by posting links to these transcripts for better clarity on the evidence that has been given…..to help the reader out these are the transcripts already released for public consumption….(please pass on the links to family and friends)…….

Read Yovanovitch’s testimony in full here. (Initial news coverage of her testimony is here.)

Read McKinley’s testimony in full here.

Read Volker’s testimony here……https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6540429/CPRT-116-IG00-D007.pdf

… another transcript was released to the public…that of Ukraine expert…..Bill Taylor and it can be read here……https://www.scribd.com/document/433753426/William-Taylor-testimony

The most recent release from yesterday…..State Department employee testimony can be read here…..https://www.scribd.com/document/433921637/George-Kent-testimony

The evidence is being made public slowly but slowly…..these are lengthy reads but well worth the time is the reader truly wants to have a good idea of what is happening before the public hearings start next week….

IST will continue to post links for these transcripts as they become available for public viewing…..Do not take anybody’s word to what they say….Read them for yourself and make up your own mind.

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Go To The Transcripts #3

The transcripts of the testimonies of the Congressional hearings witnesses is being made available to the public….and as an FYI service for my readers so that they can make up their own minds I have offered the transcripts as they have become available…..

In case you may have missed the other releases….you can read them all here on IST…….

Read Yovanovitch’s testimony in full here. (Initial news coverage of her testimony is here.)

Read McKinley’s testimony in full here.

Read Volker’s testimony here……https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6540429/CPRT-116-IG00-D007.pdf

And just yesterday yet another transcript was released to the public…that of Ukraine expert…..Bill Taylor and it can be read here……https://www.scribd.com/document/433753426/William-Taylor-testimony

This is ahead of the public hearings that are to begin next week…..please do not buy into the crap spread by the sycophants that there is nothing in these transcripts….that would be a lie…..I pray that my readers would take the time to see if what they are believing has any foot in reality or if it is all just so much stuff.

This service from IST will continue as long as the transcripts are made available for public consumption.

Watch This Blog!

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

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Let’s Go To The Transcripts

For a couple of weeks the GOP has been harping on the “secret” testimony taken in the SCIF…..they went forward to the nearest camera and demanded the Dems give the testimony to the public (con job for they, the GOP, does NOT want the public to read these testimonies)…..well the Dems have released two of the evidence given by a couple of witnesses….

The first transcripts from closed-door testimony in the impeachment inquiry have been released. House investigators on Monday released the testimony of Marie Yovanovitch, the former ambassador to Ukraine, and of Michael McKinley, a former State Department adviser. Republicans have been demanding the move, notes the AP, saying that Democrats have been releasing skewed snippets of testimony so far.

  • Read Yovanovitch’s testimony in full here. (Initial news coverage of her testimony is here.)
  • Read McKinley’s testimony in full here.
  • More to come: The testimony of two big names will be released Tuesday, reports the Washington Post: Gordon Sondland, US ambassador to the European Union, and Kurt Volker, former special envoy to Ukraine.
  • New details: Outlets were still assessing the transcripts, but one item being reported is that Yovanovitch spoke about how Ukrainian officials warned her that Rudy Giuliani and other allies of President Trump were “looking to hurt” her. She also said Sondland advised her to tweet praise of Trump in order to save her job, reports NBC News. Yovanovitch was eventually removed from her post.

There are links to the two released transcripts above….hopefully all will read before they try to comment.

Please do not let the media tell you what the process is about…..read the questions and answers for yourself…..it will be interesting to see how many Trumpers actually read the transcripts or will they just follow the leader into that dead end street?

BTW, these are transcripts not memos like the phone call release by the White House.

I wish Americans would keep in mind that these people that the president attacks and insults have been loyal employees of the American people for decades….so it is a disingenuous slug that would try and paint these people as “enemies”….whether that person is in the White House or Congress or in the media.  It is a shame that these people cannot sue the bastards for slander or libel or something….lies are lies and saying the contrary does make them anything but lies.

As the transcripts are released then I shall post for those interested enough to see what is being said.

Be Smart!

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The Circus Comes To Town

By ‘circus’ I mean the impeachment process and by ‘town’ I mean to the people through their preferred news purveyor.

WE have had months of the back and forth dramatics by the GOP…the accusations, the insults, the lies (oh sorry…the misspeak) and the who;e process will step out of the shadows (GOP talking point) and into the light….only difference is that now the GOP members of these committees will show up so they can perform for the cameras…..

The first formal vote in the House related to the impeachment investigation of President Trump is in the books. In a largely party-line vote, 232-196, the House on Thursday approved the ground rules for the public phase of the investigation. This vote doesn’t address whether Trump did or did not act improperly in his dealings with the Ukraine government—instead, it merely outlines the rules for the inquiry into that question that will now proceed, per the AP. No Republicans voted in favor, while two Democrats—Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Jefferson Van Drew of New Jersey—voted against. Both of the dissenting Democrats represent districts won by Trump in 2016, notes the Hill. Independent Justin Amash, who left the GOP this year, voted in favor.

“This is something that is very solemn, that is something prayerful,” said Nancy Pelosi from the House floor before the vote. “What is at stake in all of this is nothing less than our democracy.” But GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Trump had done nothing impeachable and accused Democrats of trying to oust him “because they are scared they cannot defeat him at the ballot box.” An election is only a year away, he added. “Why do you not trust the people?”

To listen to the House GOP plus a few senators this process will bring the end of everything we hold dear…..they, the GOP, are still moaning about the process….but they seem to not know that the hearings in the House are not the trial to remove…that will take place in the Senate.

To be forthright…..Trump made is Twitter comment on the vote in the House….

Right about the time the House voted to approve the rules for the next phase of the impeachment inquiry, President Trump took to Twitter with a familiar criticism. “The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!” he tweeted Thursday. And he wasn’t the only Trump to share the sentiment. While daughter Ivanka doesn’t typically weigh in on her father’s political controversies, she did so in a tweet quoting Thomas Jefferson in a letter to daughter Martha about life in DC: “…surrounded by enemies and spies catching and perverting every word that falls from my lips or flows from my pen, and inventing where facts fail them.”

Before you conservs have a stroke there is one thing you need to remember….. Thursday’s measure merely lays out the ground rules the impeachment inquiry will follow.

The humor for me  is the so-called ‘secret’ hearing in the SCIF….but about 45 GOPers are invited and did not show up and complained and moaned about the hearing is secret…..and when the vote came up to make all that process public they all, GOP, voted against making it so.

Perfect example of the silliness and the game being played.

Understanding the significance of today’s GOP establishment requires an understanding of what actually happened during Watergate. In standard U.S. mythology, Watergate was a triumph of American politics, in which bipartisan men of principle joined hands across party lines to protect the Constitution; the entire political spectrum agreed, the logic goes, that what Richard Nixon did was indefensible. In reality, the GOP of the time wasn’t that different from the GOP of 2019, and things could easily have gone the other way. Moreover, since then, much of the Republican Party has believed that Nixon was the victim of a monstrous injustice that must never be repeated.

https://theintercept.com/2019/09/28/impeachment-republicans-nixon-watergate/

Send in the clowns….

Who of the Committee members will be the first to act like an ass for the cameras?

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Impeachment: The Evidence

Closing Thought–29Oct19

Of course there is lots of talk about impeachment these days….both pro and con….matters not….if the evidence is there for impeachment then bring it forward….do your duty and then move it on to the trial in the US Senate….

Will the people involved look at the evidence or will they just hang on party lines and ignore any evidence presented.  My opinion they will not do anything to buck their base….whether the president is guilty or not….the money and re-election is far more important that the nation or the process.

The Office of the Speaker has issued a fact sheet for impeachment….it is 4 pages…I think most everyone can spare a few moments of concentration to learn the facts…(I could be wrong)……

Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s (D-Calif.) office on Monday released a “fact sheet” detailing allegations against President Trump amid House Democrats’ ongoing impeachment inquiry.

“President Trump has betrayed his oath of office, betrayed our national security and betrayed the integrity of our elections for his own personal political gain,” the document argues.

It goes on to list what Pelosi’s office calls proof of a “pressure campaign” and “cover up” by Trump related to Ukraine. The sheet includes quotes from Trump and the anonymous whistleblower who filed a complaint regarding Trump’s July 25 phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which he pressed for an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden

Read the full document provided by Pelosi’s office below.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/466755-read-pelosis-fact-sheet-on-trump-impeachment

I do not care about your personal likes or dislikes…..read the sheet and tell me which of the points is wrong and why….I am sure that more “evidence” will come to light but this is what we have so far…..

I am sure that Lindsey will become the darling of the GOP after his “resolution”……

A leading Senate ally of President Trump introduced a resolution Thursday condemning the Democratic-run House for pursuing an “illegitimate impeachment inquiry” and demanding that Republicans be given more chances to question witnesses. The nonbinding resolution announced by GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina gives Senate Republicans a chance to show support for Trump at a moment when the president is urging his GOP allies to fight harder for him as the House impeachment probe gathers momentum, the AP reports. Graham said the House process so far has been “a star-chamber-type inquiry” and accused Democrats of using it to damage Trump. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is a leading co-sponsor of the measure.

“If you can drive down a president’s poll numbers by having proceedings where you selectively leak information, where the president who’s the subject of all this is pretty much shut out, God help future presidents,” Graham told reporters. Rather than robustly attacking the substance of the evidence investigators are accumulating, Republicans have focused on asserting that House impeachment proceedings have been secretive and unfair. With lawmakers from both parties present, House investigators have been questioning diplomats and administration officials behind closed doors for several weeks. Democrats are expected to soon hold public hearings. Should the House vote to impeach Trump, both sides would be able to question witnesses during the trial the GOP-run Senate would then commence. Graham’s resolution calls on House Democrats to move forward with a vote so House Republicans and Trump himself can participate in the process, CNN reports.

The Dems will soon vote on the process…..

Democrats plan to hold a House vote on impeachment after all. The resolution won’t authorize the impeachment inquiry that’s already begun, the Wall Street Journal reports, but this will be the first formal vote affirming it. It will establish a formal process and next steps, Democrats said. The measure will allow for the disclosure of deposition transcripts; Republicans have complained that the process has lacked transparency. It also will spell out President Trump’s due-process rights in the inquiry. “We are taking this step to eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump Administration may withhold documents, prevent witness testimony, disregard duly authorized subpoenas, or continue obstructing the House of Representatives,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote to Democrats

I have noticed that Graham and all the GOP sycophants are pissing and moaning about the process….not one has gone to a camera a defended any of the accusations…..there is an old saying….”if you cannot defend the act then attack the process”…..and the GOP is doing just fine on that level.

It is time to start to wrap this up……the American people needs to concentrate on the 2020 vote and any diversion will keep them from making a proper choice.

Be Smart!

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“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Closing Thought–11Oct19

Impeachment is all the rage……and Trump’s news service, FOX News, has some bad news for the president….

President Trump has been known to dismiss unfavorable polls as “FAKE NEWS,” but the latest one comes from an outlet he has praised in the past. Fox says that according to its poll, a record 51% of voters want Trump to be impeached and removed from office. Another 4% want him to be impeached but not removed from office, and 40% oppose impeachment. Fox says support for impeachment has gone up among all groups since July, including Republicans. According to the poll, 39% of voters think doing what is best for the country is most important for Trump—and 55% think it is doing what is best for himself. On the issue behind the impeachment inquiry, 66% said it was inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate a political rival.

The Fox poll, conducted Sunday through Tuesday, found that just 43% of voters have a favorable opinion of Trump—though that still puts him a point ahead of Nancy Pelosi, and 16 points ahead of Rep. Adam Schiff. Only 26% had a favorable opinion of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Other polls have delivered similar results, the AP reports. A Quinnipiac University poll in early October found 45% in favor of removing Trump from office, and a Washington Post poll the same week had 49% in favor. In late September, a CBS poll found 55% of voters, including 23% of Republicans, in favor of the decision to launch an impeachment inquiry, though not all of them wanted Trump removed from office

Not looking too good for Trump even on the FOX polls…..but it matters NOT.

It is a momentary look into the minds of the people…all that can change with a good glass of warm milk.

But Trump could not let the poll just die with the next poll…no he had to make a bigger deal than it probably was (as usual)….

A new Fox News poll delivered bad news for President Trump, showing that 51% of respondents supported his impeachment and removal from office. It caught the attention of Trump himself, who clearly wasn’t pleased. “Whoever their Pollster is, they suck,” the president tweeted, adding that Fox “is also much different than it used to be in the good old days.” Echoing a complaint he delivered in August, the president wrote that the network “doesn’t deliver for us anymore,” per the Hill.

Despite Trump’s criticism, Fox’s bipartisan polls “are among the most reputable in the industry,” according to Politico. Democrat Chris Anderson and Republican Daron Shaw have conducted the polls since 2010, and they’re managed at Fox by Dana Blanton, Chris Stirewalt, and Arnon Mishkin, all of whom were the subject of a recent profile in the Los Angeles Times. A Trump campaign spokesman complained that nearly half of the respondents were Democrats, but “that is consistent with their past surveys and mountains of other research that show that more Americans identify as Democrats than Republicans,” per Politico.

Will Trump ever learn that throwing gas on a fire seldom puts it out?

Doubtful!

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”