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October 03, 2019 12:10 PM UTC

Trump Basically Begging To Get Impeached Now

  • 26 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols
Does not know when to stop talking.

The Hill, just wow:

President Trump on Thursday publicly encouraged both China and Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son amid growing concerns over how Trump has used his position to pressure foreign governments to look into his political rivals.

“I would think that if they were honest about it they’d start a major investigation into the Bidens,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked what he wanted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to do about the Bidens following the July 25 call between the two leaders…

“China should start an investigation into the Bidens,” Trump said before departing for an executive order signing in Florida.

The president, whose administration is negotiating with China to resolve a trade dispute, said he had not explicitly asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to open an investigation, but that it’s “certainly something we can start thinking about.”

The intent here is obviously to normalize the idea that a sitting President can ask foreign governments to attack his political rivals in the middle of high-stakes negotiations (or in the case of Ukraine, freezing millions in foreign aid), and even though that is a crime under federal law if Trump just up and does it in front of news cameras it is somehow acceptable. And just in case you were wondering whether China is even a little bit interested in taking Donald Trump up on his request:

A Chinese diplomat suggested that China is not likely to be interested in investigating Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden, as President Trump suggested today.

“We do not want to get in the middle of the US politics,” the diplomat said. [Pols emphasis]

Before this is over, President Trump may wish he’d said the same. In 2015.

As Sen. Cory Gardner has said, “I think the President is going to continue to do what the President is going to continue to do.”

Comments

26 thoughts on “Trump Basically Begging To Get Impeached Now

  1. All this does is reinforce China's determination not to bow to Trump's wildly misdirected trade war.  They will simply wait for his exit from office — January 2021 isn't that far from now for a nation steeped in thousands of years of historical perspective.

  2. Trump's absurd projection reveals his anxiety

    These projections may be absurd, but they serve a serious political purpose. They muddy the water between fact and fiction and make people think that everyone is guilty of what Trump's been credibly accused of. This increases apathy and cynicism in our democracy by aiming to obliterate citizens' ability to recognize reality.

    1. It's a classic Nazi tactic (and one used regularly by criminal defense lawyers):

      "Accuse the other side of that which you are guilty."

      ~Joseph Goebbels

  3. This is just nuts. It is easy to assume that Trump, as stupid as he is, asked Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden because the magic box (Fox News) told him to do so. He did not understand that it was an abuse of his authority. But now he is providing evidence of why he needs to be impeached. Without consequences, his behavior, his abuses of power, his perversion of the office of president, will only get worse. There is nothing and no one restraining him.

    1. However, Trump's support holds steady in the same range of 39-43% it has been in since Jan. 2018. The strong negative partisanship of hating everything the other side stands for is holding strong right now.

      https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/?ex_cid=rrpromo

      It could change, but it is like a cult falling apart. No one wants to be the first true believer to give up. The first stalwarts to turn on the group think, as opposed to moderates already branded as mere RINOs, will be torn apart by the rest of the cult.

      1. There's a small chance it'll change, afterall Trump had to pass a tax cut to get that sliver of conservatives to finally fall in line behind him. I'd argue they could still let their support lapse, but he's definitely not dipping into the low 30s w/o a recession. 

      2. What I find amazing is Trump approval consistency.  Gallup shows a breakout by party, Republican, Independent, Democrat.  This entire year, Republicans have been between 87 and 91; Independents between 31 and 39; Democrats between 3 and 12.

        I'm not certain what sort of events would shake things up — but so far, "actual performance" doesn't seem to matter.

        1. I believe the polls are trending away from Trump

          Trump’s impeachment defiance spooks key voting blocs

          Many voters critical to Trump are breaking from the president on impeachment, posing a risk to his congressional firewall.

      3. Five Thirty Eight has a good article up today about how partisanship affects the way we assess facts. 

        https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-partisans-look-at-the-same-evidence-on-ukraine-and-see-wildly-different-things/

        They link to an academic article that has a very descriptive title, "Motivated Reasoning and Yard-Sign-Stealing Partisans: Mine is a Likable Rogue, Yours is a Degenerate Criminal." 

        When Trump overtly requests foreign interference in our elections, he is simply joking, or investigating corruption, or draining the swamp. If any Democrat did it, it would be treasonous.

        1. Turn about as well. While objectively not as big of crooks as the Trump Organization (or as shameless), there are some pretty bad characters on the Democratic side. Even ones in this state that I would be holding my nose to vote for. Vote for the lizard not the wizard, yay.

  4. I'm wondering if the UK, France, and Italy have refused to collude with barr and pompeo on the 2016 "investigation" and that's why he slapped them with tariffs.

    I expect the next thing he will say is that he asked Russia for help in 2016, and Mueller exonerated him so there is nothing wrong with his perfect talk with Zelinsky.

  5. We're getting closer to a two-fer.  Rachel Maddow last night noted how Pence may be guilty of the same offenses that get Trump impeached.

    But instead of President Pelosi that I have been suggesting for many months, the Repugs might play it this way: 

    1) Assume Trump and Pence are both guilty of impeachable offenses that are so bad that even 20 GOP senators vote to convict.  (Don't scoff — we're learning more crap each day.) 

    2) The GOP sees the handwriting on the wall and force Pence to resign and replace him with any other GOPer. 

    3) Then, they vote to convict Trump and the new GOP VP assumes the presidency. 

    Don't know if they'll be that smart.

     

        1. Go ahead … be a thought leader.  Try to name someone who could be nominated by Trump AND earn a majority in both the House and Senate. 

          My mind is baffled by the challenge.  Trump's selection of one of "the best people," appears certain to be accepted by many in the Senate — except for the hard-core religious fans of Mike Pence.  So I'm not certain he or she would be able to gain a majority in the closely split Senate.

          Then, trying for a majority in the House — and it would need to be someone as appealing as Pelosi stepping into the Presidency. 

          1. There is a kludge to get around nominating a new VP.

            If the Republicans and Democrats in the House can agree. (Yes, yes, I know cats and dogs living together and all that. I know exactly what I said. I said, 'if'.)

            A new unity Speaker of the House could be designated. The GOP would only have to find one Republican the Democrats could trust to be Speaker of the House while removing the President and VP. It might even appeal the the Democratic reflexive desire to bend over backwards trying to be 'fair'.

            A name that springs to mind is Will Hurd of Texas.

          2. It would need to be someone who would agree to finish term and not run again. (Good luck making that promise stick. Even Hick's successor as mayor – who promised not run – briefly had second thoughts and considered it.)

            And it would need to be someone both sides could tolerate. And given the levels intolerance on both sides, that is impossible.

            DENependent's suggestion of Will Hurd is the type needed.

    1. The Constitution is pretty clear on  succession to the Presidency. I don’t think that scenario will work, itlduso.

      Not to say that McConnell won’t try to appoint a friendly for Acting Pres; Moscow Mitch knows what side his bread is buttered on, and respects the Constitution only when convenient. Whatever happens with impeachment, until the 2020 election, there will continue to be a battle in all 3 branches of government and in the streets. 

      Not a civil war as Trump longs for, but an intensification of what we’re seeing now- demonstrations, protests, press coverage, world disapproval and mockery, crumbling of the economy. 

  6. Not that simple.

    25th Amendment: Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

  7. In a total non-surprise, Republicans are falling in line with the proposition that as long as you do it openly, then it must not be a crime.

    “I have zero problems with this phone call,” Mr. Graham said in a Sunday appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Among those hitting the same talking point have been Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin: “We all kind of looked at it and said, ‘There’s nothing here.’” And Senator James Risch of Idaho: “I saw nothing in the conversation that was inappropriate. We’re done here.”

    This represents a stark reversal of Republicans’ position during the special counsel’s investigation of Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. In that case, Republican lawmakers said that it would be troubling if there was clear evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Now, their new position seems to be: There can’t be anything untoward going on here because the president is being so blatant about soliciting foreign help.

    Indeed, Mr. Trump seems to be operating on the assumption that the more shameless his assault on democratic norms and laws, the more he can get away with. This is not how the system works, no matter how fervently Mr. Trump’s Republican defenders may wish it so.

    Pedestrians on 5th Avenue might start thinking about wearing body armor, you know, just in case Trump wants to fulfill another one of his campaign promises.

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