Free Republic

Now that the House is set to impeach President Trump for what its Nadler-led Judiciary Committee decided were “impeachable offenses,” it is time to consider what will or, more important, should happen in a Senate trial. In my view, no matter the utter lack of substance in the articles of impeachment certain to be approved by the House this week, the president should prepare to mount a vigorous defense and Senate Republican leaders should assist, not impede him. As an Impeachment Manager in the 1999 trial of former President Clinton, I learned very early that an impeachment trial in...

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, will miss the final procedural step in the impeachment process before the House casts a final vote as he tends to a family emergency. Two Democratic sources told The Hill that Nadler is away from Congress on Tuesday because his wife is ill. Nadler’s absence comes the same day as the House Rules Committee is scheduled to set the terms of the chamber’s floor debate on voting on two articles of impeachment against President Trump. The whole chamber is expected to cast a final vote on the articles Wednesday....

Much of the attention for House Resolution 660, passed by House Democrats on Halloween, has failed to note the significant differences with resolutions authorizing previous presidential impeachments. Two writers on the Lawfare blog, for example, claimed that H.R. 660 incorporates “a structure similar to what was in place for the Clinton and Nixon impeachment proceedings.” Simply placing the resolutions side-by-side shows this is false.First, the previous resolutions authorized those impeachment inquiries at the outset; this one simply says “carry on” to committees that began investigating weeks ago.Second, the previous resolutions authorized only the Judiciary Committee to investigate whether impeachment grounds...

Where did the Trump impeachment go? When House Democrats began selling tickets to their President Donald Trump Impeachment Theater -- shouting their outrage, preening on those late-night talk shows -- it was much meatier business. It would be full of collusion with Russia, blackmail of Ukraine. It would contain extortion and go heavy on bribery. The way the Democrats sold it, Americans were to expect some giant roast, bone in, with a rich, thick gravy, to feed a nation longing for justice from Orange Man Bad. At least that's what Democrats promised. But that's not what they delivered for consideration...

Trump lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani says he’s uncovered proof of “extensive” corruption in Ukraine, including “clear” proof of money laundering by Burisma energy company and Hunter and Joseph R. Biden. In a series of tweets, Mr. Giuliani said his trip earlier this month to Ukraine “garnered witnesses & documents which reveal the truth behind this impeachment,” which he said includes no wrongdoing by President Trump. “Evidence revealed that corruption in 2016 was so extensive it was POTUS’s DUTY to ask for US-Ukraine investigation,” Mr. Giuliani tweeted, days before the House prepares to vote on impeaching the president. He said impeachment...

Dear Chuckie, What evidence? What crime? The dems have not even charged the president of committing a specific crime and they have submitted no evidence of any crime. The accused does not have to present any exculpatory evidence nor does he have to prove his innocence. No crime, no case. The senate should just dismiss it.

Most of the people whom I like or trust believe—and believe rather strongly—that what Trump has done rises to a crime. For them, the analysis of whether Trump should be impeached can’t help but be informed by their view that Trump represents an existential threat to the country. If he might damage American democracy at some fundamental level, without any obvious recourse, then pursuing his removal from office would seem to go without saying. That he is in a position to win again in 2020 and serve another four years makes impeachment all the more urgent. --- On a purely...

Democrats removed or changed President Donald Trump’s words multiple times on Thursday, including changing the word “us” to “me.” The 'change to the transcript' of Trump’s July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was made as the House Judiciary Committee debated two articles of impeachment against Trump. During the debate, Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) changed “us” to “me” while making an analogy to try to assert that Trump committed a crime. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) removed a word from the transcript, quoting Trump as saying, “I would like you to do a favor though,” removing the word “us.”

Starts at 10AM ET, cameras rolling now.

On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) stated that he thinks up to ten Senate Republicans will vote to convict President Trump, but that there could be “unpredicted evidence” and the number of GOP defections could increase. Blumenthal said, “I would give the high end probably five to ten. I think that’s a realistic number. But, and I want to emphasize the but, we need to keep in mind what’s unpredictable here. Remember the Watergate case, where the Nixon tapes emerged, seemingly by chance…and that was the end of his presidency. So, never underestimate the possibility of...

Lately, it's been convenient — and self-serving to some — to call what is going on with the Trump administration a coup. It's a "soft coup" or a "silent coup" or a wish-it-were-a-coup. Let's take a look at what that means. According to all definitions I can find, a coup is a sudden, often violent overthrow of a government. Every time I look up the definition of a coup, I get something like this from Merriam-Webster: "a sudden decisive exercise of force in politics." But there is nothing sudden about this. Have you ever thought, "What would a modern civil...

Top Republicans are leaning toward calling for a vote to acquit Trump 'immediately' after House Democrats and the White House have delivered their arguments to head off partisan disagreements that might lengthen the trial....The president is not in danger of being removed from office by the Senate, a move that requires 67 votes. Republicans might forgo calling witnesses altogether, saying 'minds are made up on Trump’s guilt or innocence' and that testimony at trial on the Senate floor would draw out the proceedings unnecessarily.

WITCH HUNT!

President Donald Trump will address the two “baseless” impeachment charges Democrats presented on Tuesday during the U.S. Senate trial phase of the proceedings, the White House said. “The President will address these false charges in the Senate and expects to be fully exonerated, because he did nothing wrong,” White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.

"Former Vice President Joe Biden claimed in a new interview that when his son Hunter was a board member of Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings while he was in office, no one informed him that it could pose a problem. Biden insisted again that Hunter did nothing wrong, but this time appeared to fault his staff for not cluing him in that there could be concerns about his son's involvement with the foreign company that had been under investigation while Biden was in office and dealing with Ukraine policy."

A day after Rudy Giuliani called for "a large-scale joint investigation" between Ukraine and the United States, President Donald Trump says Giuliani has "found plenty" and "wants to go before Congress" with a report. "I just know he came back from someplace and he's going to make a report, I think to the attorney general and the Congress," Trump told reporters before heading for Florida on Saturday. "He's going to give us a lot of good information. "I haven't spoken to him about that information. But Rudy, as you know, has been one of the great crime fighters in the...

MUST READ!! According to a Facebook post by Ukrainian independent lawmaker Andrey Derkach Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani recently flew to Kiev to discuss the creation of a group to fight corruption. In October Ukrainian Parliamentarian Andrey (Andriy) Derkach revealed in a press conference that Joe Biden was paid $900,000 for lobbying efforts from Burisma Holdings in Ukraine. And now this… On Friday Rudy Giuliani tweeted out a “Shocking Disclosure!”

Catherine Herridge .. notes that long after filing whistleblower complaint that failed to disclose prior contacts with the staff of Adam Schiff – probably a matter of lying in a sworn statement, and therefore criminal conduct – the still unnamed (in the MSM but widely believed to be Eric Ciaramella) ... the anonymous whistleblower reached out to the intelligence community watchdog on October 8 to clarify the nature of his or her contact with Democratic majority staff of the House Intelligence Committee before the complaint was filed. The whistleblower acknowledged reaching out to the committee, but claimed that nothing substantial...

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” House Judiciary Committee member Louie Gohmert (R-TX) stated that calling Hunter Biden as a witness is “more of a sideshow.” According to Gohmert, that was because Hunter Biden didn’t hold a government position. Gohmert called for the whistleblower, former NSC employee Abigail Grace, and former NSC employee Sean Misko to be called as witnesses. Host Ed Henry then asked Gohmert about calling Hunter Biden as a witness. Gohmert responded, “That’s more of a sideshow. Because the real corruption is not with Hunter Biden. He wasn’t in a position of —...

Ukraine Back Story: Synopsis: Brief history of Ukraine with a focus on WWII and after, how the US pushed a coup in Ukraine in 2014, and who the instigators were in the coup. It also explains why Crimea left Ukraine and why there is conflict in the provinces that border Russia. https://youtu.be/CkoOGQnj_aE?t=163 Post Ukraine 2014 Revolution: Synopsis: How the Obama's administration took advantage of the post Ukrainian revolution for political and personal gains. Feb 2014 New President elected in Ukraine (Porochenko) Obama Administration becomes major advocate for new regime, installs influencers. Greg Craig: former Obama White House counsel Tad Devine:...