Wednesday, December 18, 2019

HAPPENING NOW: The articles of impeachment against Pres. Trump are currently being read on the floor of the House of Representatives


Dem. Rep. Joe Kennedy addresses his children in remarks on impeachment: "Dear Ellie and James: This is a moment that you'll read about in your history books. Today, I will vote to impeach the president of the United States. And I want you to know why."


Rules Committee chair Rep. Jim McGovern just entered this fact check into the congressional record. READ IT YOURSELF


Trump critics launch super PAC to help reelect Congressman Justin Amas


Justice. Dignity. Solemnity. Sisterhood.


As a mob tactic, this is what Paulie One Sock’s “cardiac” issues are all about. Brace for a sympathy pardon...


This is the pile of House-passed bills, 90% bipartisan, dead on Mitch McConnell’s desk in the Senate


GOP Fruitloop Doug Collins actually invoked the "every President abuses their power" defense.


Judge dismisses fraud case against Paul Manafort in New York on double jeopardy grounds


A New York state judge has dismissed the indictment against Paul Manafort brought by Manhattan DA’s office.


This is not a question of facts. The facts are uncontested. This is a question of duty. Duty to our country, the constitution, and our oath. Tune in live to today's historic floor debate & vote


This is SO good: ‘Translation’ of Donald Trump’s December 17, 2019, letter to Nancy Pelosi by Bandy X. Lee


There Are Kentuckians Who Still Don’t Have Broadband Because the Former Governor Chose an Investment Bank Over Experts


It's a permanent stain, Donnie


Ernst, Collins, Gardner, McSally and Tillis support rules that exclude available witnesses and documents. Trump authorizes Giuliani to continue foraging for dirt from foreigners. Ernst, Collins, Gardner, McSally and Tillis remain silent,


If Iowa, Maine, Colorado, Arizona and North Carolina want senators to abide by the Constitution and act on their behalf instead of at an increasingly crazed president’s behest, the only solution is to throw out the incumbents.


Trump wanted Kavanaugh confirmed and a debt-ballooning tax bill that benefited the rich and corporations. The self-proclaimed fiscal conservative and pro-choice Collins gave him what he wanted on both counts


Unless a few daring Republican senators step forward to save their party from the abject toadiness of McConnell and demand a real impeachment trial Democrats will have one more lethal argument in 2020 against Republican incumbents


The clerk of the house is reading a document submitted by McCarthy and in the document McCarthy refers to the Trump & Giuliani “scheme”


U.S. House: Debate & Vote on Articles of Impeachment – LIVE on C-SPAN


Trump claims Zelensky cleared him by saying he felt no pressure. Ukraine experts say Zelensky is just keeping his powder dry. "Their thinking is that Trump is likely to get re-elected, and that this is how they should be hedging in preparation," said one.


The facts are clear & uncontested. The threat an unchecked President poses to our democracy is urgent. Today is a serious moment for our nation. Preserving our democracy requires that we act. Our oath demands that we #impeach President Donald Trump.


Massive Crowds Flood The Streets On Impeachment Eve To Demand Trump's Removal


Twenty years, 11 months and 29 days after Newt Gingrich's House impeached Bill Clinton, Nancy Pelosi's House will vote to impeach Donald Trump, tattooing an asterisk on the 45th president’s legacy


I challenge you to make sense of this string of words from Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy


BREAKING NEWS: Jim Jordan is wearing a suit jacket on the House floor because he has to due to the rules of the chamber.


Senate Rules for Impeachment require senators to take this oath: "I solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of [the person being impeached], now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: So help me God."


Ukrainian parliamentarian and conspiracy-peddler Andriy Derkach opened his third news conference by telling reporters, in Russian, that he had evidence that could bring down two of Trump’s biggest political rivals. Giuliani and Russia are listening.


"You can still stop your impeachment from happening. All you have to do is resign. And I bet if you tweeted out your resignation, it would be the most shared tweet of all time. Wouldn't that be worth it? Think of all the retweets & likes. Do it.”


This is a pretty big deal. Like so many critical national security issues - resurging ISIS, Taliban negotiation, Japan basing agreement, South China Sea FON, NATO support, Russian continued adventurism, climate, etc - is currently well below the public’s radar


Trump approvingly tweets out GOP’s Doug Collins admitting president abused his power


Judge while sentencing Trump campaign aide: 'If people don't have the facts, democracy doesn't work'


Asked a senior GOP official whether it was a good idea for Trump to send that letter to Pelosi. "Of course not," official said who acknowledged it didn't go over well among some Republican senators.


OUT NOW: Latest @MilitaryTimes poll shows half of service members disapprove of Trump as commander in chief. Continues the decline we have seen among troops in recent years.


Bravo. Impeachment above all is an act of popular sovereignty, and people should be on the streets day after day to protest this president's abuses of the public trust.


There was a unanimous vote in the Senate that they were genocide. @LindseyGrahamSC can see Trump sucking up to the Kurd-killer, @RTErdogan, again. #MoscowMitch should not be confident that everything will go his way on impeachment, especially procedurally.


Beijing calls for Chinese journalists to 'arm their minds' with Xi Jinping Thought . Talking about disinformation, I didn't think there was such a thing as a Chinese journalist, only ChiCom propaganda writers


GOP Rep @mattgaetz told #VeteransForImpeachment that democracy is not sacred. Those of us who served feel differently


Good read from 4 men who fought in GOP trenches, long before Trump, his children and other lesser supporting dramatic actors, mercenaries & pretenders, self-appointed themselves Conservative standard- bearers: We Are Republicans, and We Want Trump Defeated


Yesterday and today, I’ve been at a Chula Vista hospital where Border Patrol has a 19yo mother from Honduras who just gave birth detained without access to an attorney. Her legal rep & other sources are saying they’re planning to return mom to MX under MPP and keep the baby here

The Horror

Justice Neil Gorsuch is on "Fox & Friends" right now. The Q: How is it appropriate for a Supreme Court justice to try to goose sales of his three-month-old book by chatting on one of the most partisan shows on TV?

ICYMI

JUST IN: Schiff suggests that a supplemental letter provided by a Pence aide — which the VP's office won't declassify — "raises profound questions" about Pence's knowledge of Trump's effort to get Ukraine to launch investigation.


This is a long, but very thoughtful and insightful article I recommend to all. False Idol — Why the Christian Right Worships Donald Trump


Seoul, Washington fail to agree on cost of U.S. troops as deal set to expire


I am a woman, and I want to see Trump Impeached and Removed. I want to stop the damage he and his flunkies are inflicting on the rights of women to control our our destinies!


Mitch McConnell, typically reserved about this stuff, is having one of those days where he reveals his internal strategic thinking out loud.


Editorial in @GlobeOpinion: When it comes to transparency, President Trump is the problem. Democrats should stop pointing fingers at each other and demand the disclosure of his business debts.


The average maximum temperature was 105.6 Fahrenheit, topping the previous 2013 record of 104.5 Fahrenheit


BREAKING: Sen. Dick Durban: "the president and his team could find no witness who will exonerate him from his statements and conduct that led to this impeachment. If he has a witness, if he has a document .. why wouldn't he produce it.”


Historic day—Trump impeachment: The House will debate the 2 articles of impeachment at 9 a.m. *But don't expect a result too soon after. Members will have 6 hours to debate, & the final vote is predicted to take place between 6:30 & 7:30 p.m.


#Ivanka - Reminder; 14 days into her father's Presidency, this happened, unescorted, without Jared, without Secret Service


‘Dump Trump!’ Protesters across the nation rally for impeachment


Lisa Page says DOJ’s release of her texts to the media was a betrayal, and a “useful foil” for DOJ at a time when Sessions was beleaguered and Rosenstein was being called to the Hill to testify. Here’s a recent thread I wrote on reporting out that story 2 years ago


Oh what, you mean POTUS was totally full of sh*t when he proclaimed THE OIL IS OURS and yes indeed, Syria had given sole rights to all its oil production to the Kremlin? No way


Impeachment Santa> All other Santas


GOP has spent nearly $20M in two months on anti-impeachment TV ads, and hasn't moved public opinion one inch so where are all the hand-wringing stories about GOP's failed impeachment communications message?


China appears to add a sickening new dimension to its treatment of Uighurs


The U.S. may be witnessing the trivialization of impeachment for charges that are anything but trivial, said Jeffrey A. Engel, a presidential historian... “Our extraordinary partisanship has trivialized it,” he said. “We’re in a remarkably partisan time.”


Crowd in Times Square chants “Russia if you’re listening, take him back!”


Dirty global finance is getting exposed in all directions. Incoming...


See how this works? Republicans spent months saying Ukrainian officials interfered in the 2016 election all while they were soliciting disgraced Ukrainians to help interfere in the 2020 election. It’s all very Soviet: accuse your enemy of doing what you yourself are guilty of.


“Congressional Republicans have embraced and copied Mr. Trump’s cruelty and defended and even adopted his corruption.”


Turkey Allows Hamas to Plot Attacks Against Israel on Its Soil, Report Shows


Russian long-range bomber crash-lands in rural area after suffering engine malfunction during training mission


Sigh. Someone tell Mitch. And someone tell the Dems how to use disinfo mapping as evidence.


Crowd still growing in Cleveland


So why was Ivanka hanging out in the Chinese Embassy in DC so much in 2017? Inquiring minds want to know, as she entered the Embassy on multiple occasions


The new poll released Tuesday found that about 7 in 10 Americans think officials in the Trump administration should be able to testify.


Today the House passed a $1.4 trillion spending pact that would inject federal agencies with $49 billion in extra cash this fiscal year, enact a host of substantial policy changes and avert a repeat of last year's holiday-time government shutdown


Portland, Maine 28 degrees and snowing


Depth of Russian disinformation campaigns using U.S. media being rapidly exposed:


There are thousand of American's who have taken to the streets to protect our democracy. This is an amazing photograph taken over Trumps' home state of New York in Times Square.


Judge rules government is entitled to proceeds from Edward Snowden's book and speeches


Not impartial is an understatement. He’s bought. What a pathetic excuse for a senator. Mitch McConnell On Trump Impeachment: 'I'm Not Impartial' : NPR


Today is probably a good time to remind it isn’t just crazy tweets: POTUS has targeted and removed experienced US counterintelligence personnel who understand Russia, and is targeting and dismantling institutions we need to defend our national securit


We the People. So proud of our country right now.


"Then in early December 2017, the day after Flynn’s plea, a report comes out about Page being under investigation for political bias—and it includes the affair. The affair was not part of IG’s investigation and not part of their review."


McCarthy’s office predicting final votes tomorrow between 6:30p-7p, though that time could slide depending on the number of procedural objections GOP mounts. This means Trump could be impeached by the time he takes the stage at a campaign rally in Michigan


Sen. Susan Collins said she will announce her decision on whether to run for re-election by the end of this week


It is not lost on Senators that the White House has made a choice to block witnesses from testifying under oath and has refused to provide documents in evidence. Anyone in America watching this would draw the same logical conclusion, that President Trump has something to hide.


Ruth Bader Ginsburg also said during the interview that senators who show bias should be disqualified from participating in the trial.


Lisa Page calls out Barr and Pompeo for allowing the President to publicly target civil servants: They "could say something about whether these people deserved the lambasting that they've gotten."


This is why we had to move forward with articles of impeachment: The threat persists. The plot goes on. And Trump’s efforts to cheat in the next election will never stop. The President — and his lawyer — continue to make the case for his own removal.


.@RudyGiuliani stated very bluntly last night that he personally got Ambassador Yovanovitch fired, and @SecPompeo has not said a word. Dispiriting.


Happy impeachment dreams you filthy animals! Trump violated the constitution and federal laws (bribery), plus he abused his sacred public trust. He should be impeached and removed. In 230 years, Trump tops the list - worst President of all time.


“One of the most secretive military missions is happening in the US” are not words that should fill you with confidence.


Lisa Page: "...every person on the team, uniformly agreed that there was no prosecutable case [against Hillary Clinton] -that was true at the Justice Department, that was true at the FBI."


Thank you to the resisters who joined in a prayer for America tonight in San Francisco as we prepared for #Impeachment and the inevitable Trump backlash at the most vulnerable among us. We are here for each other and will #DefendOurDemocracy


On impeachment eve, Trump repeats the crime


Today is the day that Trump will become the first ever ILLEGITIMATE President to be Impeached in American History.


GOP State Senator in Nebraska Rebukes Trump, Declares 'Republicans All Over the Country' Want Him Impeached


Trump says Armenia massacres were not genocide, directly contradicting Congress


Lisa Page to Trump: "If you want to respond, respond to me, instead of this caricature that you've drawn up about me."


From the Rick Gates sentencing Judge Jackson throwing her support behind the Russia investigation saying, "Gates information alone warranted, indeed demanded further investigation" for the sake of national security and the integrity of elections.


"We Wish You A Good Impeachment" Raleigh, North Carolina


I live in a rural, conservative area, but my little family was far from lonely at the #ImpeachAndRemove rally tonight! No one is above the law, not even the president


The piece is hilarious, but honestly, @jordanklepper reveals more about Trump supporters here than a thousand New York Times' visits to Heartland Diners™ ever have.


My wife out there protesting in LA!


Giuliani falsely calls Ambassador Yovanovitch “corrupt” and Secretary of State Pompeo fails to speak up, fails to push back, fails to support his State Department employee. Pompeo is a coward and the exact opposite of a “leader.” What a shameful “man.”


So, you being the “free private counsel” to Trump grants you the ability to fire ambassadors and enact US foreign policy. Got it.....


Firtash is considered an “upper-echelon” associate of Russian organized crime.


FUN FACT: There is no DOJ guidance preventing arrest of a VP.


A bus load of senior citizens just rolled up to rally for #impeachment in #Baltimore


Analysis: Mitt Romney and Susan Collins sound reluctant to rock the GOP boat on impeachment


With one simple move, Trump could wipe out both impeachment articles. By allowing Mulvaney, Pompeo and Bolton to testify, there would be no obstruction of Congress. And presumably, they could disprove abuse of power So if he's truly innocent, ask yourself why he's not doing that


Judge Amy Berman Jackson had thoughtful things to share at Rick Gates’ sentencing today, about the Mueller investigation, transparency, and the truth. Her most poignant quotes:


BREAKING: Senator @ChrisMurphyCT says he met privately w/ Ukrainian President Zelensky. Murphy makes it clear that Zelensky felt pressure from Trump. He reviewed w/ Zelensky the set of facts regarding Trump & the aid money, and Zelensky didn’t dispute anything. Trump must resign!


Lisa Page calls out Barr and Pompeo for their silence amid Trump attacks


Tonight, @Maddow profiled the nationwide #NotAboveTheLaw protests tonight with footage from all around the country- from NYC to Houston to Atlanta to Portland and many places in between. Thanks to all who showed up to demand


Trump suffered a late night meltdown on the eve of impeachment vote


Schiff told me this AM: "What I found the most striking in Giuliani's comments was the admission -- the confession -- that they needed to push Ambassador Yovanovitch out of the way" to get the investigations announced


Peter Thiel still supports Russian military PsyOps against democracy through Facebook. Well. Big shock there.


Moscow Mitch is afraid of any kind of trial, he is terrified of testimony that might implicate him. He is loyal to Trump because he is expecting a payoff. Like Nunes he fears discovery and is up to his neck in these crimes.


McConnell’s stonewalling is indefensible and explicable only by fear of the truth and contempt for the rule of law


“It’s a tantrum.” - @RepSwalwell on President Trump’s letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “Mr. President we don’t need your childish, whiny letter. Don’t send us that. Send us the documents that you have buried and have refused to provide to us.”


Trump’s position is that Congress has no authority over him… no jurisdiction… his stonewalling congress, is his way of putting himself out of their reach… he doesn’t recognize congress’ authority… he doesn’t recognize the constitution… placing himself above… out of reach…


If my congressman, Jared Golden, votes for only one article of impeachment, I will work with all my might to see him defeated next year. — Stephen King


Peter Thiel is advising Mark Zuckerberg not to bow to public pressure, arguing that Facebook should stick to its controversial decision to continue accepting political ads and to not fact-check those from politicians.


Inaugural Committee Money Probe Reportedly CLOSES IN on #Ivanka The president’s daughter discussed charging $175,000 per day for the space, despite organizers’ concerns that it would look like the Trumps were lining their pocket


History is clear: Voters reward, rather than punish, political courage


"I think Donald Trump makes his mental fitness a part of the issue every single day... You read that letter that he sent today to the House and it's just six pages of pure crazy, weapons-grade nuts..."


Paul Manafort, the imprisoned former campaign chairman for Trump, was transferred to a hospital last week after experiencing problems with his blood pressure


Some ⁦@AmbJohnBolton⁩ fans in the house!


Schumer responds in floor speech: "The American people understand -- if you're trying to conceal evidence and block testimony, it's probably not because the evidence is going to help your case."


The judge said he agreed to continue cooperating in “on-going, sealed” cases: Rick Gates sentenced to 45 days in jail, 3 years probation for conspiracy and lying to FBI in Mueller probe


US prosecutors said in court Tuesday that $1 million payment Lev Parnas that he concealed - sent to his wife Svetlana's bank account - was from Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash


Russian disinformation network said to have helped disseminate smear of U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, spreading the image of the faked “do-not-prosecute list.”


Dear @realDonaldTrump It was in the 20’s and snowing in #Vermont and this many people turned out in a village square to remind you that you are #NotAboveTheLaw and that we do not want a corrupt king. Resign


JUST IN: Pelosi names Reps. Katie Porter and Deb Haaland to the Oversight Committee to fill spots previously held by Elijah Cummings and Katie Hill.


Lookin good Bozeman, stay warm!


I’m stunned that McConnell would refuse to call witnesses because they might have information about wrongdoing. This is an utter abdication of the senate’s constitutional checks and balances responsibility


no one could have predicted that the lifelong failure-monkey who ran six casinos into the ground and ran an airline into the ground and ran a football team into the ground and ran a magazine into the ground would eventually run his own presidency straight into the fucking ground


U.S. prosecutors said in court that Lev Parnas, an associate of Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, received a $1 million payment from a lawyer for Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash.


Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, said he would vote for one article of impeachment – abuse of power – and against the other – obstruction of Congress.


The #US Senate approved a defense budget law which contains provisions for sanctions on the construction of Russian natural gas pipelines to Europe,


Page: Trump-Russia counterintelligence relationship not a focus for Mueller


Many of the most vulnerable House Democrats have announced their support for impeachment articles.


The House will vote to impeach a president of the United States for only the third time in history. It‘s been a tumultuous journey to get to this point and is sure to lead to blockbuster moments. Here is a schedule for the big day


Page: Trump-Russia counterintel relationship not a Mueller focus


Lisa Page explains how she understood the 'insurance policy' text


Lisa Page describes pain of betrayal by DOJ, Barr, Pompeo


Lisa Page to Trump: 'If you want to respond, respond to me'


Lisa Page contrasts Clinton, Trump probes and public disclosure


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