Trump's Russian Collusion

[Typical Lax Dad]

Agree. Keep in mind that Zsky had just appointed his new PG at the time of the call.
Maybe he was going to announce on CNN that his new PG would be collaborating with our DoJ IAW our mutual legal assistance treaty.
Give Zsky credit for being smarter than Trump.

For all we know, the Ukes right now are furiously investigating Joe and Hunter for corruption. Which is fine if they think there is something worth looking at.

But what they did not have to do, thanks to the WB outing the bribery scheme, is make a hostage video deliverable that Rudy and Bone Spurs could beat Biden over the head with in the campaign. It wasn't about corruption or investigations. It was about the ANNOUNCEMENT.

And there is simply ZERO innocent explanation for why there had to be an ANNOUNCEMENT that Biden was going to start to be investigated.

A public announcement with the cameras rolling. The kind of stuff Jihadi John types force prisoners to do....

That's a lot to ask for $400 million, with no other strings attached.

Sluuuurrrrrppp

[Typical Lax Dad]

The folks you are sympathetic to...

[MDlaxfan76]

Your head is so far up your you know what that you haven't caught on that both Hillary and Trump are skating. And Hillary supporters and Trump supporters like you will fall all over themselves, telling us that they didn't break laws.

'Trump supporters like me'...

a fan: my #1 obsession is civil liberties; do you truly think I am a 'Trump fan'? It's fairly apparent to me that here on Laxfan if you are not a Trump enemy, many will loudly claim you a Trump fan. It stands to reason! Sentence first, trial later!

Is any nuance allowed on these boards?

Yes, nuance is allowed.
But if you only defend Trump, re-target all ire to those who are opposed to Trump...it's an if it walks like a duck, quack likes a duck..it might be goose with laryngitis?

[MDlaxfan76]

Fifth in his class. Combat Infantry Badge. Not impressed? The rest of us are.

I'm impressed, for those & other reasons.

FTR -- there's plenty of outstanding officers who were competing for the anchorman lottery,
...or were not ring knockers.

I think the class rank thing was made to suggest that the result of that rank might have meant more choice on final assignment after graduation and that Taylor chose a combat assignment when perhaps he might have had more non-combat choice than other grads with lower grades.

Can we also agree that the petty and shabby treatment of the ambassador by Fox News commentators and other RW media denigrating him personally is also something you do not support? And that those outlets should be called out for trashing a decorated veteran and longtime public servant?

I haven't seen Amb Taylor receive petty or shabby treatment. Did you see the facial expressions & demeanor of both Taylor & Jordan during their exchange ? Neither could suppress a grin. They both understood the game being played & seemed to be enjoying the exchange.

It takes courage to volunteer to be an infantry officer in time of war.
It's also career enhancing, if you survive.

They were laughing at the GOP questioners, the dumbness of the questions, not with them.

[old salt]

Fifth in his class. Combat Infantry Badge. Not impressed? The rest of us are.

I'm impressed, for those & other reasons.

FTR -- there's plenty of outstanding officers who were competing for the anchorman lottery,
...or were not ring knockers.

I think the class rank thing was made to suggest that the result of that rank might have meant more choice on final assignment after graduation and that Taylor chose a combat assignment when perhaps he might have had more non-combat choice than other grads with lower grades.

Can we also agree that the petty and shabby treatment of the ambassador by Fox News commentators and other RW media denigrating him personally is also something you do not support? And that those outlets should be called out for trashing a decorated veteran and longtime public servant?

I haven't seen Amb Taylor receive petty or shabby treatment. Did you see the facial expressions & demeanor of both Taylor & Jordan during their exchange ? Neither could suppress a grin. They both understood the game being played & seemed to be enjoying the exchange.

It takes courage to volunteer to be an infantry officer in time of war.
It's also career enhancing, if you survive.

They were laughing at the GOP questioners, the dumbness of the questions, not with them.

I was referring specifically to the exchange between Taylor & Jordan.
Even Schiff couldn't supress a grin.
Not surprised that your TDS goggles filtered it out.
Watch their expressions & demeanor from 6:00 til the end :

[MDlaxfan76]

Fifth in his class. Combat Infantry Badge. Not impressed? The rest of us are.

I'm impressed, for those & other reasons.

FTR -- there's plenty of outstanding officers who were competing for the anchorman lottery,
...or were not ring knockers.

I think the class rank thing was made to suggest that the result of that rank might have meant more choice on final assignment after graduation and that Taylor chose a combat assignment when perhaps he might have had more non-combat choice than other grads with lower grades.

Can we also agree that the petty and shabby treatment of the ambassador by Fox News commentators and other RW media denigrating him personally is also something you do not support? And that those outlets should be called out for trashing a decorated veteran and longtime public servant?

I haven't seen Amb Taylor receive petty or shabby treatment. Did you see the facial expressions & demeanor of both Taylor & Jordan during their exchange ? Neither could suppress a grin. They both understood the game being played & seemed to be enjoying the exchange.

It takes courage to volunteer to be an infantry officer in time of war.
It's also career enhancing, if you survive.

They were laughing at the GOP questioners, the dumbness of the questions, not with them.

I was referring specifically to the exchange between Taylor & Jordan.
Even Schiff couldn't supress a grin.
Not surprised that your TDS goggles filtered it out.
Watch their expressions & demeanor from 6:00 til the end :

I thought you were referring to when the GOP lawyer was questioning as Taylor laughed at him, but sure I recall this one as well. It's clear that Taylor thinks Jordan is a jerk, that he's being ridiculous, and he's laughing at him, at his characterization...not with him. He's comfortable in his own skin, not a prickly fellow so he sees the humor in being called a 'star witness' an assertion that is on its face dumb, and directly contrary to Tayor's own testimony earlier, which Taylor then takes some pains to repeat, once Jordan finally shuts up. Yes, Taylor sees the farcical behavior of the GOP questioners. So, does Schiff.

Not surprised that your TDS googles has you see it otherwise.

[CU88]

Fifth in his class. Combat Infantry Badge. Not impressed? The rest of us are.

I'm impressed, for those & other reasons.

FTR -- there's plenty of outstanding officers who were competing for the anchorman lottery,
...or were not ring knockers.

I think the class rank thing was made to suggest that the result of that rank might have meant more choice on final assignment after graduation and that Taylor chose a combat assignment when perhaps he might have had more non-combat choice than other grads with lower grades.

Can we also agree that the petty and shabby treatment of the ambassador by Fox News commentators and other RW media denigrating him personally is also something you do not support? And that those outlets should be called out for trashing a decorated veteran and longtime public servant?

I haven't seen Amb Taylor receive petty or shabby treatment. Did you see the facial expressions & demeanor of both Taylor & Jordan during their exchange ? Neither could suppress a grin. They both understood the game being played & seemed to be enjoying the exchange.

It takes courage to volunteer to be an infantry officer in time of war.
It's also career enhancing, if you survive.

They were laughing at the GOP questioners, the dumbness of the questions, not with them.

I was referring specifically to the exchange between Taylor & Jordan.
Even Schiff couldn't supress a grin.
Not surprised that your TDS goggles filtered it out.
Watch their expressions & demeanor from 6:00 til the end :

I thought you were referring to when the GOP lawyer was questioning as Taylor laughed at him, but sure I recall this one as well. It's clear that Taylor thinks Jordan is a jerk, that he's being ridiculous, and he's laughing at him, at his characterization...not with him. He's comfortable in his own skin, not a prickly fellow so he sees the humor in being called a 'star witness' an assertion that is on its face dumb, and directly contrary to Tayor's own testimony earlier, which Taylor then takes some pains to repeat, once Jordan finally shuts up. Yes, Taylor sees the farcical behavior of the GOP questioners. So, does Schiff.

Not surprised that your TDS googles has you see it otherwise.

Have to agree, Gym Jordan was being patronized. So nice of him to respect the situtation with no jacket...

[ardilla secreta]

Fifth in his class. Combat Infantry Badge. Not impressed? The rest of us are.

I'm impressed, for those & other reasons.

FTR -- there's plenty of outstanding officers who were competing for the anchorman lottery,
...or were not ring knockers.

I think the class rank thing was made to suggest that the result of that rank might have meant more choice on final assignment after graduation and that Taylor chose a combat assignment when perhaps he might have had more non-combat choice than other grads with lower grades.

Can we also agree that the petty and shabby treatment of the ambassador by Fox News commentators and other RW media denigrating him personally is also something you do not support? And that those outlets should be called out for trashing a decorated veteran and longtime public servant?

You got that right. Nunez and Jordan, the guy who could’ve made a difference at OSU, but didn’t, came off as insulting to Two career government staffers. Party over country.

[ardilla secreta]

Fifth in his class. Combat Infantry Badge. Not impressed? The rest of us are.

I'm impressed, for those & other reasons.

FTR -- there's plenty of outstanding officers who were competing for the anchorman lottery,
...or were not ring knockers.

I think the class rank thing was made to suggest that the result of that rank might have meant more choice on final assignment after graduation and that Taylor chose a combat assignment when perhaps he might have had more non-combat choice than other grads with lower grades.

Can we also agree that the petty and shabby treatment of the ambassador by Fox News commentators and other RW media denigrating him personally is also something you do not support? And that those outlets should be called out for trashing a decorated veteran and longtime public servant?

You got that right. Nunez and Jordan, the guy who could’ve made a difference at OSU, but didn’t, came off as insulting to two exemplary career government staffers. Party over country.

[ggait]

Saw a funnier nickname for Gym Jordan.

Shouty McShirtsleeves

[Typical Lax Dad]

Saw a funnier nickname for Gym Jordan.

Shouty McShirtsleeves

[jhu72]

Saw a funnier nickname for Gym Jordan.

Shouty McShirtsleeves

Speaking of funny nicknames; saw a cartoon today where the Trump administration wss referred to as "the shallow state."

[Typical Lax Dad]

Saw a funnier nickname for Gym Jordan.

Shouty McShirtsleeves

Speaking of funny nicknames; saw a cartoon today where the Trump administration wss referred to as "the shallow state."

Only the best people

[njbill]

Is it just me, or did it look like Gym was wearing a collar extender yesterday?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP_-xidtKEA

[Typical Lax Dad]

Is it just me, or did it look like Gym was wearing a collar extender yesterday?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP_-xidtKEA

He has been described as a Walmart Mannequin

[old salt]

Fifth in his class. Combat Infantry Badge. Not impressed? The rest of us are.

I'm impressed, for those & other reasons.

FTR -- there's plenty of outstanding officers who were competing for the anchorman lottery,
...or were not ring knockers.

I think the class rank thing was made to suggest that the result of that rank might have meant more choice on final assignment after graduation and that Taylor chose a combat assignment when perhaps he might have had more non-combat choice than other grads with lower grades.

Can we also agree that the petty and shabby treatment of the ambassador by Fox News commentators and other RW media denigrating him personally is also something you do not support? And that those outlets should be called out for trashing a decorated veteran and longtime public servant?

I haven't seen Amb Taylor receive petty or shabby treatment. Did you see the facial expressions & demeanor of both Taylor & Jordan during their exchange ? Neither could suppress a grin. They both understood the game being played & seemed to be enjoying the exchange.

It takes courage to volunteer to be an infantry officer in time of war.
It's also career enhancing, if you survive.

They were laughing at the GOP questioners, the dumbness of the questions, not with them.

I was referring specifically to the exchange between Taylor & Jordan.
Even Schiff couldn't supress a grin.
Not surprised that your TDS goggles filtered it out.
Watch their expressions & demeanor from 6:00 til the end :

I thought you were referring to when the GOP lawyer was questioning as Taylor laughed at him, but sure I recall this one as well. It's clear that Taylor thinks Jordan is a jerk, that he's being ridiculous, and he's laughing at him, at his characterization...not with him. He's comfortable in his own skin, not a prickly fellow so he sees the humor in being called a 'star witness' an assertion that is on its face dumb, and directly contrary to Tayor's own testimony earlier, which Taylor then takes some pains to repeat, once Jordan finally shuts up. Yes, Taylor sees the farcical behavior of the GOP questioners. So, does Schiff.

Not surprised that your TDS googles has you see it otherwise.

Have to agree, Gym Jordan was being patronized. So nice of him to respect the situtation with no jacket...

...or, unlike you two, Taylor has a sense of humor & is not condescending.

[LandM]

Kismet,
i was headed to Enid, OK for flight school - not the bastion - I was headed there because of my class standing - I get that part - btw never made it because a career government employee an O-6 flight surgeon told me I had high blood pressure and the AF did not need pilots - solo'd and had at that time 5 great free jumps.

I get you hate the guy. IMHO who cares what you did it is now what are you bringing to the table, your resume gets you the first job. I am happy to share what I have done so do not take a swipe at what you or others think I have done. And for the record I was also excepted at WP and USNA but who cares.......

All of this is history and no one cares, move on and people like you and others who call out Taylor who graduated 5 in his class and choose front line - so what - you are using the guy for your benefit and his history. I can give you a long list of people who did the same. What matters IMHO is what are you doing for this country now and that does not include a third person telling a story. If you did not speak with the decision-maker who flipping cares?

Bottom line, need results.

[Kismet]

I really cannot fathom how you take what I wrote and end up where you do. I suggested that perhaps the media accounts who referenced Ambassador Taylor's military record were referencing the fact that with a high class rank he might have had more active duty choices as a result yet he still opted for duty commanding a rifle platoon in a war zone. I never mentioned anything else about graduates of military academies. You the one who brought up Patton and Eisenhower.

My last word on the subject is to thank you for your service no matter what your class rank.

[seacoaster]

Frank, as usual, nails it:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/opin ... e=Homepage

"I came to your house with a gun. At least imagine I did. I tied you to a chair, took a step back and repeatedly fired. But my arm twitched; every bullet missed. Meanwhile, you slipped your knots and fled.

By the reasoning of Representative Jim Jordan, I did absolutely nothing wrong.

You’re alive! Not a drop of blood on you! An unconsummated crime is no crime at all, or so Jordan, one of the Republican Party’s more rococo philosophers, argued in defense of President Trump. Ukraine got its military aid; Trump did not get his investigation of the Bidens. To Jordan, that’s proof of innocence.

To a normal person, that’s proof of incompetence, which doesn’t exonerate the president but should definitely reassure us. Trump’s an autocrat all right, but the silver lining is that he’s an inept one. All strongmen should be this weak.

And all of us should have the mental limberness and ethical elasticity that Jordan and his troupe possess. They’re the Cirque du Soleil of c’est la vie. I’ve never seen anything like the Republican effort to defend Trump, which charts the frontiers of creativity, explores the outer limits of audacity, mutates like the monsters in the “Alien” movies and restores my faith in American ingenuity.

My faith in Washington, too. I long feared that politics had stopped attracting the country’s top talent, but some of our finest storytellers are working in the United States Capitol. John Grisham has nothing on Jordan. Danielle Steel can’t hold a candle to Devin Nunes.

Nunes was among the first Republicans to pipe up on Day 1 of the impeachment inquiry’s public hearings, held by the House Intelligence Committee, and it wasn’t just his narrative ambition that mesmerized me. It was his bold descent into his thesaurus, a sort of semantic spelunking.

The hearings, he said, marked the “pitiful finale” and “spectacular implosion” of the “Russia hoax.” They amounted to a “scorched-earth war against President Trump” that was “horrifically one-sided” and “preposterous.” This “low-rent Ukrainian sequel” had already involved a “closed-door audition process in a cultlike atmosphere in the basement of the Capitol.” Cultlike, no less! That’s a more fitting description of Republicans’ obeisance to the president and laundering of his wrongdoing, but then one hallmark of Trump and his sycophants is the projection of their own flaws onto their adversaries.

Nunes’s best bit by far was his portrayal of Trump’s Democratic detractors as amateur pornographers intent on finding nude pictures of the president. I’m fairly confident that no one is intent on finding nude photographs of the president.

Republicans are dismissing this week’s hearings, held in public, as pure theater. But they complained about the closed-door testimony beforehand. They’re shrugging off the accounts of William Taylor, George Kent and others as hearsay. But the White House has decreed that such firsthand witnesses as Mick Mulvaney not cooperate.

One moment, Mulvaney publicly acknowledges the shakedown of Ukraine’s president, insists that it’s how foreign policy is done and tells the media to “get over it.” The next, he tells the media that they’re reprehensible fabulists for reporting exactly what he said. One moment, Republicans completely ignore Trump’s infamous July 25 phone call and claim that there’s no direct evidence of his bullying and — yes, Nancy Pelosi is right — his bribery. The next, they acknowledge the call, sigh over Trump’s behavior but say that it’s hardly impeachable.

In fairness, that’s only slightly more confusing to me than the Democrats’ perspective on the call, a definitive piece of evidence that they may be inadvertently downgrading. Usually, a process like the one that they’ve been engaged in over the last seven weeks is about finding a smoking gun. This process began with the smoking gun, and the farther the Democrats travel from it — eight witnesses next week? — the more they risk implying that it wasn’t enough.

But for curious behavior, Republicans have them easily beat, and their conduct during the impeachment inquiry is the culmination and apotheosis of their conduct since Trump wrapped up the Republican presidential nomination: an utter sellout of principle and a pure embrace of fiction to pacify an emotional infant and keep him from spitting up on them.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Republicans again suggested — while maintaining straight faces — that Trump’s foremost concern was corruption in Ukraine. Steve Castor, the Republicans’ chief counsel, also gave one of the president’s most convenient (and thus favorite) conspiracy theories a fresh whirl, positing that perhaps American intelligence officials had it all wrong and Ukraine, not Russia, hacked Democratic emails in 2016 and otherwise interfered in the election.

How would this make Trump’s demand that Ukrainians smear Joe Biden in return for millions of dollars of already-authorized aid O.K.? It wouldn’t — but what a juicy distraction! And what a perfect gateway for Castor’s attempt to get Taylor to testify that Trump legitimately believed that Ukrainians were, in Castor’s words, “out to get him.”

Try to follow along. Not only does incompetence equal innocence, but also paranoia is exculpatory. Same goes for the relative dastardliness of a deed, which becomes innocuous if it’s not maximally obnoxious. That’s my takeaway from when Castor, referring to Rudy Giuliani’s shenanigans, asked Taylor: “This irregular channel of diplomacy, it’s not as outlandish as it could be — is that correct?” Clarence Darrow, move over. Another genius of jurisprudence demands space in the history books.

All that Wednesday’s hearing lacked was Lindsey Graham. Yes, I know, he serves in the Senate, and the hearing took place in the House. But he’s the standard-bearer for Trump-coddling contortionism, the reigning king of the kinds of contradictions that were on display.

Presaging Jordan’s approach at the hearing, Graham a week and a half ago shrugged off the impeachment inquiry by calling Trump’s policy toward Ukraine so “incoherent” that the president and his minions “seem to be incapable of forming a quid pro quo.”

He said at one point that he’d be open to any evidence that backed up such a quid pro quo, but then, more recently, he announced that he wouldn’t and couldn’t be bothered to follow the testimony, because he’d already made up his mind. As Billy Binion of Reason magazine noted, “Graham has bemoaned the Democrats’ lack of transparency, only to shield his eyes once the curtain was lifted.”

Maybe Graham will storm the hearing room yet, an effigy of Hunter Biden in tow. That would match the dignity of what we’ve seen from Republicans so far."

[MDlaxfan76]

Fifth in his class. Combat Infantry Badge. Not impressed? The rest of us are.

I'm impressed, for those & other reasons.

FTR -- there's plenty of outstanding officers who were competing for the anchorman lottery,
...or were not ring knockers.

I think the class rank thing was made to suggest that the result of that rank might have meant more choice on final assignment after graduation and that Taylor chose a combat assignment when perhaps he might have had more non-combat choice than other grads with lower grades.

Can we also agree that the petty and shabby treatment of the ambassador by Fox News commentators and other RW media denigrating him personally is also something you do not support? And that those outlets should be called out for trashing a decorated veteran and longtime public servant?

I haven't seen Amb Taylor receive petty or shabby treatment. Did you see the facial expressions & demeanor of both Taylor & Jordan during their exchange ? Neither could suppress a grin. They both understood the game being played & seemed to be enjoying the exchange.

It takes courage to volunteer to be an infantry officer in time of war.
It's also career enhancing, if you survive.

They were laughing at the GOP questioners, the dumbness of the questions, not with them.

I was referring specifically to the exchange between Taylor & Jordan.
Even Schiff couldn't supress a grin.
Not surprised that your TDS goggles filtered it out.
Watch their expressions & demeanor from 6:00 til the end :

I thought you were referring to when the GOP lawyer was questioning as Taylor laughed at him, but sure I recall this one as well. It's clear that Taylor thinks Jordan is a jerk, that he's being ridiculous, and he's laughing at him, at his characterization...not with him. He's comfortable in his own skin, not a prickly fellow so he sees the humor in being called a 'star witness' an assertion that is on its face dumb, and directly contrary to Tayor's own testimony earlier, which Taylor then takes some pains to repeat, once Jordan finally shuts up. Yes, Taylor sees the farcical behavior of the GOP questioners. So, does Schiff.

Not surprised that your TDS googles has you see it otherwise.

Have to agree, Gym Jordan was being patronized. So nice of him to respect the situtation with no jacket...

...or, unlike you two, Taylor has a sense of humor & is not condescending.

Ohh yes, Taylor does have a sense of humor, he's comfortable and confident in his own skin, and he saw the humor in the GOP antics.
If you're saying I'm being "condescending" towards you, I hadn't thought of it that way, but yes, you are being quite ridiculous these days, especially flailing around in this Trumpist morass of poor excuses for a clear abuse of power by an inherently corrupt man and his minions.