Open Thread | Impeachment Inquiry Public Proceedings Begin

Posted on November 13, 2019 by rikyrah

Well, today is the day.
The public testimonies for the Impeachment Inquiry for Donald Trump will begin.

There are so many charges that should be brought up on him, going back to Russia and betraying this country with Russia.

But, the Democrats seem to want to keep it simple and focus on Ukraine.

Here are our facts.

The Congress of the United States allocated a certain amount of aid- both financial, as well as military good – for the Country of Ukraine. Ukraine, which is involved in a war with Russia, needs both the financial and military assistance – TO SURVIVE.

Sometime earlier this year, those in the know, realized that the aid wasn’t exactly getting to Ukraine. Those civil servant professionals definitely noticed…as did members of Congress.

The President’s lawyer that he doesn’t seem to pay – Rudy Guiliani – begins to get loud that he’s going over to Ukraine – because of some supposed dirt on the Biden family. Folks begin to ask what is he doing, and the trip is ‘ cancelled’.

Found out from a segment this week on Maddow, that, even though Rudy didn’t go…that didn’t mean that this Administration’s message didn’t get to Ukraine:

Trump administration models corruption even as it scolds Ukraine

Rachel Maddow reports on the latest developments in the Donald Trump impeachment inquiry and its adjacent criminal investigations and scandals, including new reporting on Secretary Rick Perry helping a political backer secure a valuable natural gas contract with Ukraine, and notes the irony of the Trump administration lecturing Ukraine on corruption.

Hayes, too, focusing in on Perry….no wonder he was trying to get out of there:
Rick Perry is up to his neck in the Ukraine scandal

According to a report from the Associated Press, Rick Perry helped his political supporters secure a “potentially lucrative” energy deal in Ukraine.

And, from LarryO too:

THE LAST WORD
Fmr. Defense Dept. official: Transcripts show Trump playing ‘dirty game’ with Ukraine aid

Evelyn Farkas tells Lawrence O’Donnell that the impeachment investigation transcripts show that Trump is acting against the national security interests of the U.S. by siding with Russia over American allies. Lawrence also discusses with Rep. John Sarbanes and John Heilemann.

 

 

So, it was clear to the professional civil servants that the aid was being held up and WHY it was being held up. It was clear to the professionals that what was being done was ILLEGAL, and it’s why, if the reporting is correct, that Bolton had the State Department release its aid to Ukraine a mere week before his resignation.

It was also clear to the professional civil servants that there was a foreign policy being enacted in the United States’ name that DID NOT originate from within the Secretary of State’s Office. That the personal lawyer of the President was indeed operating a shadow foreign policy towards Ukraine that had nothing to do with the national interests of the United States of America, but, dealt with the 2020 political fortunes of Dolt45. The ABUSE of the levers of power for PERSONAL gain. Nothing could be more clear.

Let’s also get this straight: when Dolt45 talks about THE TRANSCRIPT..

He’s not talking about the ACTUAL TRANSCRIPT OF THE CALL IN QUESTION WHICH IS ON THE SECRET SERVER…

What he calls ‘the transcript’ is actually an outline of the call that is missing a lot. How do we know that it’s missing a lot? Because we know now that Lt. Colonel Vindman filled in the ellipses and the blanks in ‘ the transcript’ in his reports up the food chain when he reported his concerns about Dolt45’s impropriety.

I either want a copy of what Lt. Colonel Vindman sent up the food chain, or I want to read the ACTUAL transcript that’s on the SECRET SERVER. But, no, we don’t need the outline that is missing crucial points. The thing is…even the OUTLINE is bad enough to show the impeachable offenses…but, I want more. I think the American people deserve to find out all that there is.

Also remember that we had the ‘ Three Amigos’ helping Rudy with Ukraine foreign policy:
Rick Perry- Secretary of Energy
Kurt Volker- U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine
Gordon Sondland- Ambassador to the European Union – and, folks continue to point out that Ukraine is NOT PART OF THE EUROPEAN UNION – so, why did have anything to do with its foreign policy.

Don’t forget – Sondland is NOT a civil service professional. He bought his position with a $ 1 million dollar donation to Dolt45, who now says that he doesn’t know him. Sondland also had to moonwalk back his testimony. He remembered so much more after others testified about his involvement.

Remember, in all the hours of testimony so far, the GOP hasn’t brought forth ANY WITNESSES TO DEFEND DOLT45.

Not a one. They had the opportunity to bring witnesses forth. They had the opportunity to question every witness that has been there. They have the opportunity to call witnesses FOR Dolt45 in these open proceedings. So far, nothing. They have absolutely no line of defense for Dolt45 that includes, you know, defending him on the merits.

From NBC, these are going to be the GOP talking points for defense:

* The July 25 call summary — the best evidence of the conversation — shows no conditionality or evidence of pressure, the memo claims.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and President Trump have both said there was no pressure on the call, it says.
* The Ukrainian government was not aware of a hold on U.S. security assistance at the time of the July 25 call.
* Trump met with Zelenskiy and U.S. security assistance flowed to Ukraine in September 2019 — both of which occurred without Ukraine investigating Trump’s political rivals, the memo says.

Since the only committee involved in the Open Session Inquiry is the Intelligence Committee, the GOP has shoved Jim Jordan on the Intelligence Committee. Jim ‘ I protected a molester at The Ohio State University’ Jordan. THIS is their ‘star’, because, of course….

Remember…don’t get bogged down in ‘ quid pro quo’.

No. Let’s just call it what it was BRIBERY AND EXTORTION.

And remember, Dolt45 wanted it announced on CNN. The Ukraine President felt so boxed in that he had already set the date and planned an interview with Fahreed Zakharia.

But, no bribery or extortion?🙄🙄

https://twitter.com/Green_Footballs/status/1194335485172355072

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94 Responses to Open Thread | Impeachment Inquiry Public Proceedings Begin

  2. eliihass says:
    November 14, 2019 at 6:48 pm

    “…The Senate confirmed Steven Menashi to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday by a vote of 51–41. Every Republican present except Sen. Susan Collins supported Menashi; every Democrat present opposed him.

    With this confirmation, Donald Trump has flipped the 2nd Circuit to a majority of Republican appointees—a momentous shift in the balance of power that could help the president shield himself from criminal liability and congressional scrutiny in a jurisdiction, New York, which he previously called home.

    Menashi, a 40-year-old White House attorney, is one of Trump’s most controversial judicial nominees. His past writings include inflammatory and offensive remarks about women, Muslims, LGBTQ people, and racial minorities.

    Menashi worked with Stephen Miller, a white supremacist White House aide, to craft Trump’s nativist immigration policies. He also helped Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos roll back protections for vulnerable students. Moreover, according to a New York Times report, he also devised an illegal program “to use private Social Security data to deny debt relief to thousands of students cheated by their for-profit colleges.”

    During his confirmation hearing, Menashi refused to answer questions from both Republican and Democratic senators about his work in the Trump administration. His evasive performance drew criticism from Louisiana GOP Sen. John Kennedy, who said he was “real doubtful” that he would vote for the nominee.

    A day after Kennedy appeared at Trump rally, however, he announced his support for Menashi.

    Other putatively independent-minded Republicans like Sen. Lisa Murkowski then jumped on board, clinching his confirmation.

    Menashi will now take a seat once filled by civil rights icon Thurgood Marshall.

    The 2nd Circuit will have a 7–6 Republican majority, including five Trump appointees. Whenever the court hears cases en banc—that is, with every judge sitting—conservatives will have the upper hand. This GOP advantage may prove especially helpful to Trump as Democrats ramp up their investigations of the president’s alleged misconduct…”

    https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/11/steven-menashi-second-circuit-senate-trump.html

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      November 14, 2019 at 6:51 pm

      @GretaGroots
      Replying to @jbendery

      Will his clerks and bailiff have to teach him how to try a case and run a courtroom? #GOP destroying our institutions

      Reply
    • eliihass says:
      November 14, 2019 at 5:17 pm

      This is very serious stuff.. as is what’s happening in Venice..

      Once upon a time there’d have been all sorts of blaring headlines demanding that the American President ‘do something’.. And the pundits would’ve been endlessly alarmist punditing about how the American president was ‘shirking his responsibilities as leader of the free world’ re: these climate events ravaging other countries..

      There’d be zillions of polling done specifically targeting the president’s lack of response ..but absolutely no burden placed on ..and no mention of the repug climate deniers..

      But now, we’re stuck in an Orwellian nightmare where there’s no plan for anything ..short or long-term..

      The rest of the world is moving on full speed ahead without the United States.. focused on all sorts of ambitious goals …technological advancements..

      While America is stuck ..and fast regressing …the air completely sucked out of it by an over-indulged, desperately needy, endless pit of attention-starved, round the clock, every minute, every second, 24 hour tantrum-throwing, perpetually gaslighting & deflecting, look at me, like me, tell me I’m great, tell me I’m the best, petty, hollow, grifting, crooked, incurious, insecure, self-consumed, narcissistic, treasonous faux-strongman dum-dum with serious, serious, deep-seated mummy and daddy issues.. looking for love, attention, approval, validation in all the wrong places.. including from all manner of 3rd world, 3rd rate despots..

      …And look at me, like me, validate me dum dum has the codes …and access to and control over all manner of personal pocket-lining quid pro quo sensitive state secrets.. and the awesome powers and instruments of the world’s formerly greatest country …and all of the now expanded – at his directive – and entirely for his pleasure and family plundering …really, really costly taxpayer-funded perks..

      Reply
      • Liza says:
        November 15, 2019 at 8:17 am

        Yeah, I’ve been thinking about this, the Trump years are a low point for this country and I’m sure historians will get it right. But here in the middle of this Orwellian nightmare we don’t know how it ends or how long it will take to get the country on track. Re-building is a much longer process than destruction. And it is worrisome that 63 million people voted for this, and they may perhaps be the biggest obstacle to a sustained period of correction.

        It is absolutely amazing to me what these people have done, how much they have destroyed in such a short period of time.

        Reply
        • eliihass says:
          November 15, 2019 at 8:35 am

          It is like that nightmare one can’t wake up from..

          We’ll have to wait to see how it all ends.. some days I’m hopeful; other days, not so much..

          Reply
      • Liza says:
        November 15, 2019 at 8:36 am

        Same.

        Reply
    • eliihass says:
      November 14, 2019 at 6:28 pm

      “..A white supremacist should not be serving in the White House and influencing policy…”

      Oh dear, shouldn’t someone tell Rep. Grijalva about the other guy.. the guy who brought Miller with him..

      Reply
  13. SouthernGirl2 says:
    November 14, 2019 at 3:18 pm

    Carson was playing and fell down last night and daughter asked are you alright, Carson? He said I’m fine, mama! He talks now.
    😂😂😂

    Reply
  19. SouthernGirl2 says:
    November 14, 2019 at 10:28 am

    Rikyrah, check email and message.

    Reply
  23. rikyrah says:
    November 14, 2019 at 8:46 am

    Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) Tweeted:
    The folks shrugging at Stephen miller’s white nationalism are only revealing a lot about their own biases. Just pay attention to folks who try to shrug it off line white nationalism is simply a “controversial POV.” It’s not. It’s anti-American. https://twitter.com/ZerlinaMaxwell/status/1194984041864450049?s=20

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      November 14, 2019 at 6:20 pm

      I bet most of America isn’t even aware that this is happening in Venice..

      Thanks to your media.. Americans remain under-informed/uninformed.. completely aware of what’s happening in the world..

      Imagine just how much further along we’d be in addressing climate change, if there was more news coverage of this..

      Italy, like many European countries, is experiencing a wave of right-wing/white nationalism and its ills.. xenophobia etc. …But, they’re still not so crazy that they aren’t starting to acknowledge and prioritize the climate crisis.. they’re even now requiring climate change as part of the school curriculum starting in grade school..

      While America has climate-denying clown congressmen showing up on the floor with snowballs in their pockets to mock..

      And a ridiculous media who instead of accurately informing the masses on such dire issues of import, revels instead in cheap thrills, silly cats fights, both-sidesrism… And easily bored over serious matters like impeachment hearings – because it doesn’t quite deliver on ‘excitement’..

      Reply
  28. rikyrah says:
    November 13, 2019 at 1:56 pm

    Black Facebook Workers Write Open Letter to Company: We Are Treated Every Day ‘As If We Do Not Belong Here’

    Anne Branigin
    Monday 12:00PM

    One year after a black Facebook employee accused the social media giant of failing its black employees and users, a group of Facebook employees published an anonymous memo saying the culture at the company has only gotten worse for nonwhite workers.

    Published on Medium last week, the letter documents a variety of micro- and full-blown aggressions employees say they have endured over the last year from managers, HR, and their white colleagues. The memo was co-written by 12 current employees, including black, Latinx, and Asian women workers.

    “[W]e are sad. Angry. Oppressed. Depressed. And treated every day through the micro and macro aggressions as if we do not belong here,” reads the memo.

    The post was timed around the company’s global “Black@” event, annually attended by hundreds of black Facebook employees and featuring founder Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. The pair, as senior management tends to do, speak directly to attendees about how much they value inclusion and empowerment.

    The memo lays out a very different narrative—one that will be familiar to many working in corporate America and in the tech world, and one that is consistent with what black Facebook workers have said about the company previously.

    Specific experiences are highlighted—a recurring theme is nonwhite workers being labeled as “aggressive” or arrogant by managers and colleagues; several employees also described being directly undermined by their supervisors. One program manager describes being told at breakfast by two white employees to “clean up after their mess.” When the program manager flagged the incident for their supervisor, they were told to “dress more professionally.”

    Reply
  39. rikyrah says:
    November 13, 2019 at 8:29 am

    Don’t 👏 experiment 👏on👏 Thanksgiving👏

    https://twitter.com/notcapnamerica/status/1194443684881805314

    Reply
  52. rikyrah says:
    November 13, 2019 at 6:58 am

    More going into the financial weeds of Medicare-4-All

    https://twitter.com/thepeoplesview/status/1194256727266471936

    Reply
  79. rikyrah says:
    November 13, 2019 at 4:23 am

    Good Morning, Everyone 😄😄😄

    Reply

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