Posted on 02/01/2021 4:39:27 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
Advisers to former President Donald Trump are split on devising an impeachment defense, with Steve Bannon among those urging him to turn the Senate trial into a political bear fight by claiming once again that the election was stolen, according to a source familiar with discussions.
Trump’s legal team is scrambling to devise a strategy after he in recent days replaced five lawyers who were reluctant to relitigate what they saw as flimsy allegations of voter fraud.
While the Republican Party prefers arguing that the impeachment of a former president is unconstitutional, his allies fear Trump is gambling on a made-for-television, scorched-earth defense that risks defeat.
His advisers are fighting about whether to mount a conventional legal defense or use the Senate as a political platform.
“Bannon is the one wanting to tie it to a relitigation of the election,” said the source.
Bannon worked as White House chief strategist until falling out with Trump in 2017. However, last month it emerged that they had reconciled before Trump pardoned his former adviser, who was accused of conspiring to defraud donors to a fund to build a wall along the Mexican border, during his final hours in office.
Trump must respond to a charge of incitement of insurrection by midday on Tuesday, answering accusations that he was to blame for encouraging the deadly attack on the United States Capitol on Jan. 6. That single impeachment charge was passed in the House on a mostly party-line vote, with 10 Republicans joining Democrats to send the matter to the upper chamber.
Last week, all but five Republican senators voted to dismiss the trial as unconstitutional.
However, a tumultuous weekend brought a major shake-up of the legal team when the former president dismissed five lawyers because they were unwilling to argue that the election...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
An unconstitutional impeachment/conviction means nothing.
He should just not show up and let them go insane.
All of those are highly misleading. Please stop.
I want to see him lay all the fraud and shenanigans out on the table with the closing remark: “You should be impeaching the other president right now!”
It would be EPIC but I don’t think Linda or ChinaMitch will allow it.
Bannon’s suggestion to Trump to invite Juanita Broderick and Paula Jones to the second debate after The Access Hollywood tape was absolutely brilliant. No one saw that coming. I still smile when I think about it.
For the record: I think Trump is the rightful president and I don’t think he incited a riot. But I also think this is an unwise defense.
Absolutely. President Trump should be a GOPe doormat and argue Constitutional points of order while the corpse of the stolen election stinks to high heaven the in the very chamber that certified it in a bipartisan manner 93-7.
The GOP is absolutely terrified of discussing the stolen election and doing everything they can to bully Trump into dropping it. He is under no obligation to follow China Mitch’s orders. Period.
That’s not what the impeachment charge is ultimately about, though, they are alleging he encouraged the riot at the Capitol.
Nope. Read it. Page 3-4 cover Trump’s efforts to “subvert and obstruct the election.” He every right to defend himself on that count regardless of how much the GOP Senate does not want him to.
The ENTIRE trial will be as CROOKED as the Nov 3rd election fraud that was perpetrated against Trump and the American voters.
The entire REASON for the trial is to DESTROY Trump's ability to EVER run for office again.
This trial will be as nasty and LAWLESS a political LYNCHING as has ever occurred in American Politics.
"We the People" are about to witness the most openly LAWLESS disregard for the "Rule of Law" as ever seen. IMHO.. This is akin to the CRUCIFIXION of Christ.
ONLY GOD'S DIRECT INTERVENTION CAN SAVE MR. TRUMP FROM THIS BLOODTHIRSTY LIBERAL LYNCHING.
Thank you again re: Affirmative Defense.
And thank you posters quoting the actual impeachment. President Trump’s words, his speech, is at issue, so that clearly includes ALL the election fraud.
The Truth cannot incite a riot (and there was no insurrection except in fevered imaginations). It was the Criminal Fraud perpetrated by some states and Pelosi et al that incited a small civil disturbance. Evil always uses projection - accuse others of what evil you yourself have done
Trump never said anything advocating violence or breaking the law during the demonstration. In fact, he specifically said NOT to do that. So disproving that part of the incitement claim is easy.
The other part of the incitement claim is that he got people really riled up and mad by claiming the election was stolen, and some of those people might have participated in the illegal Capitol activities. This leaves aside for the moment the possibility that left wing goons pretending to be Trump supporters were among the people that actually incited illegality.
In a country with the FIrst Amendment , speaking the TRUTH In the political arena, however shocking it is or likely to stir up people, cannot and should not ever be criminalized or punished by the government . Otherwise there is no freedom or speech if the powers that be can prohibit saying things they don’t like even if they are true. Freedom of political speech is deemed important enough that it protects false political statements so there can be robust political debate.
Freedom of speech is not absolute. Yelling “Fire” in a crowded theater that leads to a stampede is not protected free speech. But if there really was a fire, the person who yelled “fire” surely cannot be punished if somebody gets hurt trying to escape, under any sensible understanding of the First Amendment
If Trumps claim of election theft is TRUE, that cannot be considered a high crime or misdemeanor. If it is, the First Amendment is a sham.
If TRUTH is an absolute defense to these charges, and if Trump is prohibited from making his defense, that is a violation of his due process rights. He should walk out while on national TV and explain why he is doing so.
I hope Trump intends to argue something like this. If the Senate does not allow Trump to defend himself , the Senate will go down in history as an institution no better than the Star Chamber or courts in countries like the Soviet Union that held show trials with a pre-determined “guilty”outcomes.
“I don’t know what he has to lose now.”
That’s what I think, too. We know that the end has been decided already. So he might as well show all the evidence of fraud. It won’t change the outcome, but it will give info to the low-I.Q., MSM-watching people who are clueless regarding the truth. He’s got nothing to lose.
Some people want to rush out of the front door, armed with their .45 Colt, and start shooting at the tank rolling down their street.
Stupid game.
Smarter minds will develop a long-term strategy. Then again, Bannon never was good with strategy....
Huh? They can do whatever they want. You are looking through the lens of righteousness and fair play, and you have come to the wrong town.
The election fraud defense will be objected to for relevance by a senator, and it will be sustained by Leahy.
There is ZERO chance the Dems allow an election fraud defense to be put forward.
“Bannon is the one wanting to tie it to a relitigation of the election,” said the source.”
What source do you need just listen to his show. He’ll tell what he believes.
Exactly, Trump ignoring them is worse for them, that means he doesn’t think they are even worth his time.
He should seriously do that
I like that he has been quiet, it has been driving the leftist loons crazy, thinking he is planning something that will piss them off
They are all crazy
And he knows it
The election fraud defense will be objected to for relevance by a senator, and it will be sustained by Leahy.
Leahy is only in that position because doormat China Mitch punted to him. Let him object a thousand times until the corrupt GOP Senate is a smoking ruin and doesn’t win a single Senate race in 2022.
Whatever, but this fantasy by Steven K Bannon and others that this is going to play out before the impeachment isn’t credible.
They would be better served to make a professional video of Peter Navarro going though all of his evidence, with interviews of the some of the data and forensic experts.
They are a fraudulent unelected criminal coup with a kangaroo court, they are null and void
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