Trump's Russian Collusion

[ggait]

Judge rules McGahn must testify. Calls Trumpster theory of "absolute immunity" baseless. In a related ruling, the judge says water is wet and the Pope is Catholic. Take that WH counsel Cippollone -- your arguments aren't worth the toilet paper they are written on.

Judge also says the ruling should apply to all current and former administration officials -- Bolton, Mulvaney, Kupperman, Pompeo etc. etc.

You can still assert exec privelege. But you have to show for your testimony and your privelege claim has to be legit. Not BS like everything is priveleged.

[Trinity]

Judge rules clown from Queens is not King. Speak now,John Bolton or forever hold.....

[njbill]

This is an important decision, though the result was expected, both because the DOJ’s position was dubious and there was another decision from the same federal court (different judge) about 10 years ago on a nearly identical issue.

While the decision does not legally bind anyone other than Don McGahn, the issues pertinent to the testimony of Bolton, Mulvaney, et al. would be identical. That means if the same judge were to hear cases involving those other witnesses, she would certainly rule the same way. I think it is highly likely that any other judge in the same District of Columbia federal court would rule similarly.

Where do we go from here? Still TBD but if the case is appealed AND if a stay is entered on appeal, we will have to await the decision of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. And then, of course, their ruling could be appealed to the Supreme Court. Some commentators seem to think the case will not be stayed on appeal. I am not so sure about that, however. Frankly, I would expect a stay.

Now McGahn or Bolton or anyone else could decide to follow this ruling right now and agree to testify, but I would be surprised if that happened.

Importantly, the court only ruled that presidential advisors don’t have absolute immunity from testifying before Congress. The court expressly said any such individual, including McGahn, could decline to answer questions on valid executive privilege or other applicable grounds. I think this is where the rubber is going to meet the road. If a witness wants to be an obstructionist (or even if he wants to preserve valid privileges), he could broadly interpret executive privilege and decline to answer a lot of key questions. That would then force another round of litigation, with all the attendant delays.

I still think Bolton is playing cutesy. If he wanted to testify, he could have done what several of the other witnesses did: request a subpoena. He still hasn’t done that. I would be very surprised if Bolton agreed to testify now, in light of this decision, without a subpoena. I believe he is trying to avoid testifying while at the same time giving the appearance that he (sort of) wants to do so.

Another factor with respect to McGahn: his law firm does a lot of legal work for the RNC. Presumably, he is the originator of this business. That means a lot of money in his personal pocket. If McGahn testifies against the president, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Trump forced the RNC to take their legal business elsewhere. McGahn certainly knows that.

[calourie]

How do Barr and HIS DOJ get away with claiming POTUS has absolute privilege to defy congressional oversight when that oversight is written into the Constitution? Impeach the whole lot of 'em. What a bunch of unAmerican PsOS.

[holmes435]

So I thought Trump was going to be impeached? I thought it was a done deal? What happened ?? Why hasn’t he been impeached yet?!?!?! What’s wrong with Botox Nancy? I’m a nervous wreck over here!!! Come on guys!!! What happened? Why isn’t he impeached?!?!?! Someone tell me!

I thought you all said those witnesses actually witnessed something?! Are you telling me they lied as did you all? Come on, just impeach the MFer as Rashida Tlaib said! Why Can’t you just impeach the MFer already?!?

They have not even written the summary report (from the Intelligence Committee) and sent it to the Judiciary Committee. They would not be expected to have a "vote" on impeachment of the full House until much closer to Christmas at the earliest. You seem to get quite overworked by your fake news sources!

Come on! This two month old impeachment investigation is taking forever!!! It's not like Ken Starr had four years or anything to investigate Clinton.

When are you liberals going to stop dragging your feet‽

Interesting that the same "speed" complaints went on about the Mueller investigation, and were espoused here by a couple of people.

[Trinity]

Judge Jackson firmed up the Inherent Contempt powers of Congress as well.
Let the sun shine in.

[Bandito]

“Poll shows Dems losing interest in Impeachment inquiry all across the board. These Polls are actually devastating to the Democrats. But the writing was on the wall. He’s done so many great things. He’s devastated ISIS & killed AlBaghdadi, building Wall.” Jason Meister @FoxNews

Democrats committed to impeaching Trump for no reason.” Will backfire into big 2020 Victory for Republicans! @IngrahamAngle

BREAKING: Democratic Rep. Brenda Lawrence from Illinois has backed down from supporting impeachment against President Trump.

She is one of many to come.

Get ready for them to abandon the sinking ship!

[Bandito]

So let’s take a look at how Trump started his week:

He signed a bill making animal cruelty a felony

He welcomed Conan, the dog who killed the leader of ISIS, to the White House

He signed the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act

What are the Democrats doing?

[Trinity]

Cleaning out the stables.

[Kismet]

We know we're in trouble when a Federal District Court judge references Orwell's Animal Farm in a ruling about Trump administration

"All animals are equal, but some animals are MORE EQUAL than others." references acts of no accountability by the Executive Branch.

Among her other greatest hits in the ruling:

" Meanwhile, says DOJ, the President has the authority to make unilateral determinations regarding whether he and his senior-level aides (both current and former) will respond to, or defy, the subpoenas that authorized House committees issue during constitutionally authorized investigations of potential wrongdoing within his administration. [...] [11]

[11] For a similar vantagepoint, see the circumstances described by George Orwell in the acclaimed book Animal Farm. See George Orwell, Animal Farm 141 (Otbe Book Publishing 2018) (“All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.”) (capitalization altered).
-- pg 38-39"

"Stated simply, the primary takeaway from the past 250 years of recorded American history is that Presidents are not kings."
-- pg 114

"at they do not have subjects, bound by loyalty or blood, whose destiny they are entitled to control. Rather, in this land of liberty, it is indisputable that current and former employees of the White House work for the People of the United States, and that they take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
-- pg 114

"To make the point as plain as possible, it is clear to this Court for the reasons explained above that, with respect to senior-level presidential aides, absolute immunity from compelled congressional process simply does not exist."
-- pg 115

I suspect that the DC circuit (led by Merrick Garland) will concur with her decision and might suggest that the Supremes don't take the case as its so obvious.

[Bandito]

From Monica Showalter

Not good for DemonKKKrats


Black and Hispanic voters are not onboard with the Democrat impeachment train.

According to Breitbart News, support for this all-white Democrat hobbyhorse project has collapsed:

A recent national poll released by Emerson College indicates that black Americans, a key constituency of the Democrat Party, narrowly opposes Trump’s impeachment. The poll found that 38 percent of black voters are opposed, while 37 percent are in favor, with 25 percent unsure.

Hispanic voters, meanwhile, were only narrowly in favor of impeachment, 48 percent to 41 percent, with 11 percent unsure. The Emerson poll also found 48 percent of white voters nationally were opposed to impeaching Trump, while 44 percent were supportive.

The results are starkly different from those recorded nationally by Emerson in October. At the time, 58 percent of black voters were in favor of impeaching Trump compared to only 27 percent against and 15 percent unsure. Likewise, 73 percent of Hispanics favored the president’s impeachment in October, while 24 percent were opposed and only 3 percent.


Overall, between the two surveys, support for impeaching Trump dropped 20 percent among black voters and 25 percent with Hispanics.

Which makes perfect sense, actually. Black and Hispanic voters have been courted assiduously by the Trump administration on things that really matter to them. President Trump has addressed the long-festering problems of the blue cities, such as disproportionate sentencings of petty criminals by solidly Democrat judges and prosecutors (I'm thinking of you, Kamala), and the dilapided state of America's one-party blue cities, along with the high housing costs that have driven many black voters into the hinterlands, where they are then abused for their fossil fuel use simply to get to their jobs. Trump has stood up for charter schools, and cripes, just good schools, which Democrat blue cities in the sway of teachers unions absolutely refuse to deliver.

More positively, Trump has stood up for jobs. His effort to institute some kind of border has resulted in higher wages for those just trying to get a leg on the first rung of the economic ladder as lower-cost workers from abroad can no longer drive down wages, and better still, deregulation and tax cuts have improved the business climate, meaning: jobs for all, including choices of jobs. Black unemployment has now hit a 50-year low and comparable figures are out there for Hispanics.

Given a choice of blue-city sameness, along with jail-happy characters like Kamala Harris populating the Democratic presidential field as supposed sop to black voters --- and a guy who hands people actual jobs in numbers like they've never seen and extends mercy to overpunished black prisoners -- who would you want to vote for? Black and Hispanic voters are not stupid. Why would they want the ante-Trump status quo compared to the opportunities now seen with Trump at the helm? Two polls yesterday show that Black approval for President Trump has soared to 34%, an unprecedented number for any Republican, and interesting because it coincides with Black voter dislike of white Democrat candidates, such as blue-city mayor Pete Buttigieg. Only Joe Biden, with his links to President Obama, seems to escape this, and frankly, that remains to be seen.

Not surprisingly, the collapse of support for impeachment among Blacks and Hispanics coincides with a trend we saw yesterday - the sharp rise in Black support for President Trump, something that has to stun Democrats and must give House Speaker Nancy Pelosi nightmares. It shows that the Black-voter dislike of Buttigieg is not at all about color, it's about blue-city same-olds, in stark contrast to Trump's helpfulness.

Now Democrats have put all their eggs in the impeachment basket, and not surprisingly, it's an all-white show, black representatives generally shut out from the important parts. The power rests in an all-white cast of players such as Reps. Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell, Jerry Nadler, who represent prosperous and suburban areas. Rep. Maxine Waters is black, and vocally in favor of impeachment, too, but hardly a key player, mostly just mouth. Worse still, she represents a dilapidated blue-city part of Los Angeles while not living there, and directs her appeals to white leftists who call her "Auntie Maxine." Her mileage isn't impressive. Her focused support for impeachment is actually a reminder to Black voters that she's not doing anything for her district.

With impeachment the sole focus, everything else has gone by the wayside. No legislation is going to get passed, the only good things that happen are coming from President Trump. Democrats have effectively eclipsed themselves by ceding the ability to do good stuff to President Trump alone. And public support is evaporating broadly, with Pelosi acting worried and without a plan as impeachment extends to eternity now (she said there was no longer a deadline) and voter support, including the critical-to-Democrats Black support peeling off. Democrats can't win if they don't have Black support and right now, a majority of Black voters and a huge number of Hispanic voters have dropped support from the Democrats' only issue.

It's the stuff of nightmares for Democrats. Any wonder a top Democratic strategist has just come out and begged Democrats to scrap the whole thing? That's how bad it's got. Black and Hispanic voters aren't stupid like these Trump-obsessed Democrats. They're pretty much like the the rest of us.

[runrussellrun]

Where does one obtain a "blacks only" polling contact list?

[runrussellrun]

Judge rules clown from Queens is not King. Speak now,John Bolton or forever hold.....

John Bolton is someone you respect? Interesting. Didn't he lead the charge while drinking in a DC bar, charging into Iraq to get them weapons of MASS.......such a POS.

This should go in the TAATS thread....but

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story ... oup-214526

[CU88]

We know we're in trouble when a Federal District Court judge references Orwell's Animal Farm in a ruling about Trump administration

"All animals are equal, but some animals are MORE EQUAL than others." references acts of no accountability by the Executive Branch.

Among her other greatest hits in the ruling:

" Meanwhile, says DOJ, the President has the authority to make unilateral determinations regarding whether he and his senior-level aides (both current and former) will respond to, or defy, the subpoenas that authorized House committees issue during constitutionally authorized investigations of potential wrongdoing within his administration. [...] [11]

[11] For a similar vantagepoint, see the circumstances described by George Orwell in the acclaimed book Animal Farm. See George Orwell, Animal Farm 141 (Otbe Book Publishing 2018) (“All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.”) (capitalization altered).
-- pg 38-39"

"Stated simply, the primary takeaway from the past 250 years of recorded American history is that Presidents are not kings."
-- pg 114

"at they do not have subjects, bound by loyalty or blood, whose destiny they are entitled to control. Rather, in this land of liberty, it is indisputable that current and former employees of the White House work for the People of the United States, and that they take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
-- pg 114

"To make the point as plain as possible, it is clear to this Court for the reasons explained above that, with respect to senior-level presidential aides, absolute immunity from compelled congressional process simply does not exist."
-- pg 115

I suspect that the DC circuit (led by Merrick Garland) will concur with her decision and might suggest that the Supremes don't take the case as its so obvious.

These are Great!

[ggait]

It's the stuff of nightmares for Democrats. Any wonder a top Democratic strategist has just come out and begged Democrats to scrap the whole thing? That's how bad it's got. Black and Hispanic voters aren't stupid like these Trump-obsessed Democrats. They're pretty much like the the rest of us.

From the latest Marquette poll in Wisconsin.

Among AAs in Wisconsin, Trump's favorable/unfavorable is 7/93. And Biden beats Trump 75/9 head to head.

Now that Marquette poll is definitely concerning since it shows Trump leading Biden by a few points. But that clearly isn't because AAs are supporting Trump. I mean, get real guys.

[RedFromMI]

It's the stuff of nightmares for Democrats. Any wonder a top Democratic strategist has just come out and begged Democrats to scrap the whole thing? That's how bad it's got. Black and Hispanic voters aren't stupid like these Trump-obsessed Democrats. They're pretty much like the the rest of us.

From the latest Marquette poll in Wisconsin.

Among AAs in Wisconsin, Trump's favorable/unfavorable is 7/93. And Biden beats Trump 75/9 head to head.

Now that Marquette poll is definitely concerning since it shows Trump leading Biden by a few points. But that clearly isn't because AAs are supporting Trump. I mean, get real guys.

They don't want to - they want to dream that Trump has more support than he actually does. Therefore he will win in a landslide, instead of either winning or losing in another squeaker that depends more on the fact that the electoral college and its inherent advantage to the Rs currently is the only hope he has. But given his loss of suburban votes in 2018, he is most likely going to have to suppress the D vote in the critical states. Thus the focus on ginning up false narratives on how he won in 2016 and what his current support is now...

By popular vote he lost by millions...

[LandM]

MD - I was attending to a matter in Destin, FL at Jerry Jones house - yep I run in tight circles - weather was a tad chilly - where is your place? Still have never run into a Dartmouth or Hopkins grad - you all must go one to be doctors and lawyers excluding Bloomberg - that is interesting he is running for Prez. BTW reality smacks you in the face daily, it is how you deal with reality that matters. I grew up poor unlike many out here so I can get the reality - maybe you can as well over time - unimpressed with the college or degree it is what you do with it that matters.

RedfromMI - my grandfather was mayor of TC - my point was Russia was a point - many bad actors messing in our elections including Ukraine - step up as it ain't just the Russians messing- sorry I was down south for almost a week .

72 - had Hopkins had a good lax team, my son would have run into them in the NCAA's - NOPE. Homewood must have been built and created in 1920's? The turf must be original, I remember playing on that in the 1980's - be relevant again and maybe I would meet a Hopkins grad finally

afan, not a Fox fan- WSJ.

moving on to censuring - another bust. Schiff's eyes will really be bulging

[Typical Lax Dad]

MD - I was attending to a matter in Destin, FL at Jerry Jones house - yep I run in tight circles - weather was a tad chilly - where is your place? Still have never run into a Dartmouth or Hopkins grad - you all must go one to be doctors and lawyers excluding Bloomberg - that is interesting he is running for Prez. BTW reality smacks you in the face daily, it is how you deal with reality that matters. I grew up poor unlike many out here so I can get the reality - maybe you can as well over time - unimpressed with the college or degree it is what you do with it that matters.

RedfromMI - my grandfather was mayor of TC - my point was Russia was a point - many bad actors messing in our elections including Ukraine - step up as it ain't just the Russians messing- sorry I was down south for almost a week .

72 - had Hopkins had a good lax team, my son would have run into them in the NCAA's - NOPE. Homewood must have been built and created in 1920's? The turf must be original, I remember playing on that in the 1980's - be relevant again and maybe I would meet a Hopkins grad finally

afan, not a Fox fan- WSJ.

moving on to censuring - another bust. Schiff's eyes will really be bulging

Welcome back....Go ‘Bucks. Did our best to let PSU hang around. I like your backup QB. He provided a spark. Good player. I like the PSU team and I really like the coach. Good luck the rest of the way. Hang on to that coach. Best sign I saw, Hey Coach Franklin, The Michigan Job Will Be Open After Next Week!

[CU88]

BREAKING: Democratic Rep. Brenda Lawrence from Illinois has backed down from supporting impeachment against President Trump.

She is one of many to come.

Get ready for them to abandon the sinking ship!

lies

[youthathletics]

BREAKING: Democratic Rep. Brenda Lawrence from Illinois has backed down from supporting impeachment against President Trump.

She is one of many to come.

Get ready for them to abandon the sinking ship!

lies

It wasn't a lie at 8am....silly democrats eating 'waffles' all the time.

https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/ar ... t-reversal