Posted on 12/19/2019 9:57:05 AM PST by Mariner
Mitch McConnell on Thursday threatened to cancel Donald Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate if 'scared' Nancy Pelosi doesn't send over the formal articles of impeachment against the president.
The speaker and the Senate Republican leader went to war over the next steps in the impeachment process as Pelosi slammed McConnell as a 'rogue leader' - and he blasted her articles as 'slapdash' and 'unfair.'
The dispute exploded into the open the morning after Democrats voted to impeach Trump, with the president bragging he was going to win the whole thing by 'default.'
'If the Do Nothing Democrats decide, in their great wisdom, not to show up, they would lose by Default!,' Trump argued on Twitter of his upcoming Senate trial, which is now in doubt.
Pelosi has to 'transmit' the articles of impeachment and appoint 'managers' to prosecute the president - but offered no timeline on when she would do that, saying she wanted to see the Senate's plan for a 'fair trial,' effectively holding the articles over McConnell and Trump's heads.
McConnell, who previously said he wanted to hold the trial in January, responded: 'It's beyond me how the Speaker and Democratic Leader in the Senate think withholding the articles of impeachment and not sending them over gives them leverage.
'Frankly, I'm not anxious to have the trial. If she thinks her case is so weak she doesn't want to send it over, throw me into that briar patch.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
...Trump has been fighting by himself, but now, as when Japan brought the US into the war, Mitch is now engaged. While it might be sort of surreal actually living through this time, image how historians are going to struggle attempting to explain what happened to future generations...
I thought of that comparison myself, foolishly they have awakened the people..we know how that ended for Japan with two atomic bombs destroying them.
US 6th Amendment
The Democrat Fascist Party has violated every single one of these basic rules of Due Process in their fraudulent impeachment scam End the farce now. Nov 2020 FIRE every Democrat Politician at every level to teach them to never gain trifle with the Rule of law like this.
How can "Obstruction of Congress" be an impeachable offense?
Use that very scenario for just 1 example of how unconstitutional, and dangerous, that would be.
Nope
Here the massive problem with this analysis. Impeachment is a political, not legal issue.
The Lawfare gang is trying to play legal games with a political issues. It not going to work.
The Dems have all ready lost the PR war. Latest polling shows their own base voters turning against his.
So while delay delay delay may be good legal tactics it political sudicde The public opinion against Impeachemnt is only going to gain momentum
There best bet would be to fold a losing hand and hope to repair the damage by Nov 2020. Prolonging this is only going to continue the bleeding.
I share your thoughts on this matter.
The House has had their vote.
Their part in the process is done.
There is no duty to formally transmit the results.
This is looking like it will be a House censure called “impeachment” to make it scarier!
This is not a criminal prosecution.
“What federal law, or what part of the Constitution, requires the House “transmit” the articles of impeachment to the Senate before the Senate can do their part?”
It’s an existing Senate rule, no more, no less.
According to Nancy and the Clown posse today it is.
That's right.
The irony, however is the fact that the House has already transmitted the results. They're on the internet for any and all to receive.
Transmission complete.
Now Mitch states on the Senate floor that "our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case." Case closed. Trump acquitted of the fraud perpetrated against him and the Executive branch.
Well marches on DC are good......but I think using subtlety is much more effective.
Trump Natonalizes impeachment. Trump simply asks Americans:
Whats this all about?”
“Do you know?”
“Does your Congressman know?
This would make Dems go ballistic......that’s why I like it.
Its an existing Senate rule, no more, no less.
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It's might be an existing combination of House and Senate rules.
Which is the point. The rules get set in each case...in each instance.
With no Constitutional requirement and no federal law to have to adhere to, the Senate can simply take a copy of the articles from the house website and proceed post haste.
Rip this nasty impeachment rug right from under san fran nan and the rest of the coup plotters in the House.
The Senators must not allow themselves to be held hostage.
Zip a do da zipa do day
Pelosi should feature in commercials for bellyache meds. “Do you suffer from procedural irregularity?”
Thats my solution. Looks like were holding all the cards. Go home and leave Nancy there with her resolutions.
i listened to McConnells remarkably powerful speech this morning ... his main concern is that the House could tie up the Senate permanently with frivolous impeachment after impeachment because the Constitution requires the Senate to drop all other business during a trial, and thus the House could essentially control the business of the Senate.
If Pelosi persists in sitting on the impeachment articles, I see three possibilities for the Senate:
1. Do nothing ... no impeachment has been transmitted to them, so no trial or preparation for a trial ...
2. Hold a trial ASAP even if the House transmits no articles of impeachment, notifying the House that if they want an impeachment manager they better send one ASAP or the trial will proceed without one anyway, and then simply vote to dismiss the impeachment forthwith whether a House manager is appointed or not because the impeachment is invalid since no actual crimes were specified in the impeachment articles.
3. Take the matter to SCOTUS, requesting them to declare the impeachment unconstitutional if its not IMMEDIATELY transmitted to the Senate.
My guess is that the Senate will eventually simply vote to dismiss no matter which of the above options is implemented as a means to signal the House that the Senate will not waste time on frivolous impeachments ....
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