Feb 1, 2020

February 1, 2020: Travesty and Disgusting, Enormous Stain, A Wasteland


It's a travesty, It's disgusting”, former Missouri Senator Clare McCaskill said last night on MSNBC as the Senate, holding its nose, refused to inquire as to the origin of the stench. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker referred to the 'Moral Vandal' in the White House, Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele called the Senate “A Wasteland”, and Senator Chris Murphy anticipates an eventual acquittal leaving an “enormous stain” on the institution (Senate) he serves and the people he represents.
The votes last night rightly earn the calumny of the nation. Never in the history of this republic has the Senate displayed such a disgusting sacrifice of honor, dignity, and trust.
Oh, we can still hear the arguments of the president's* defense rattling 'round the equally vacuous chamber. The House didn't do full diligence, and presented a truncated case, blithely ignoring that the White House refused all cooperation with the House, stonewalled the investigations, and refused to send legal counsel to cross-examine witnesses. The entire line of reasoning meant only to create sound bites so that Seen Hannity and Fox and Fiends can now broadcast the lies ad nauseum.
Then there is the boldface lie that the Senate must be presented with a complete investigation, and that it is not the duty of the body to probe further, ignoring every previous impeachment, including those of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. In Johnson's case, the Senate impeachment went on for weeks as new evidence came forward and witnesses testified. Oh, but that was so 19th century. Strange coming from a party that in other matters would happily drag us back to an era that produced the civil war. Nevertheless, this twisting of the historical record, likewise makes great fodder for Murdoch's state television.
One could see justice circling the drain when Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander announced late the night before the vote that he would not support the calling of any additional witnesses. He is not interested in seeing any new evidence, despite the revelations earlier in the week by former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton, as well as revelations by Giuliani operative Lev Parnas implicating tRUMP, Pence, Mulvaney, Perry, Giuliani, Barr and others. Indeed, Parnas maintains that He, his partner Igor and Giuliani were being paid not by tRUMP but by Russian oligarchs. None of this will be dragged out in the daylight for the nation to witness. Every effort is being made to sweep these turds under the rug. You may hide the turd, but you can't disguise the stench.
Here is what Alexander decided in the face of these revelations as well as reports surfacing that the Russians had hacked the Ukrainian gas company Barisma where Hunter Biden served on the board.
"It was inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation," Alexander said.
"When elected officials inappropriately interfere with such investigations, it undermines the principle of equal justice under the law. But the Constitution does not give the Senate the power to remove the president from office and ban him from this year's ballot simply for actions that are inappropriate."
"Even if the House charges were true, they do not meet the Constitution's 'treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors' standard for an impeachable offense," he added, saying voters should decide at the ballot box.” (1)
There you have it: The fig leaf, the thinnest of reeds. The president's*(I) actions are not impeachable, illegal, simply 'inappropriate'. That's the defense. Never mind that federal election law as well as the 1974 sequestration law has been violated. Never mind the definition of 'High Crimes' as understood and delineated by Hamilton, Madison and others as well as handed down—as so much of our jurisprudence—from English Common Law. Never mind the modern definition of Misdemeanors for these too—in black and white—are enumerated in the Constitution. There are ample reasons to convict: High Crimes being a violation of public trust; bribery, for here Disgustus was caught shaking down a foreign government with public money; and, because we are not technically at war, Treason may not apply, but certainly conspiracy and sedition would.
We know he's guilty, they know he's guilty, but protect them he must. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska cast the vote that gave Moscow Mitch his 51-49 majority incredulously stating:
The House chose to send articles of impeachment that are rushed and flawed. I carefully considered the need for additional witnesses and documents, to cure the shortcomings of its process, but ultimately decided that I will vote against considering motions to subpoena,” Murkowski said in a statement, NBC News reports.
Given the partisan nature of this impeachment from the very beginning and throughout, I have come to the conclusion that there will be no fair trial in the Senate. I don’t believe the continuation of this process will change anything. It is sad for me to admit that, as an institution, the Congress has failed.”(2)
First, the House impeachment was neither rushed nor flawed. House manager Adam Schiff, laid out the facts, as the facts have come to light. That all the facts are not in evidence is due to White House stonewalling and not the fault of the People's house. That the action taken by the House was done on near party-line vote is not dismissive of the evidence but rather points to the degree to which her political party will go to prevent any further evidence from coming forward; the degree it has gone and will go to obstruct justice; and obstruction which, by her very action, she is now a willing participant.
The only part of her statement that bears any resemblance to the truth is her conclusion that there will be no fair trial in the Senate. About that she is quite right.
An Br'er Putin, he jus' laugh and laugh.
Convict and Imprison
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     2. https://www.advocate.com/politics/2020/1/31/moderate-lisa-murkowski-sells-out-impeachmen

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