Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

In my day, never was longer.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

The revolution will be supervised.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Let there be snark.

This really is a full service blog.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

You are here: Home / Politics / Impeachment / Impeachment Trial Live – January 25, 2020 – Open Thread

Reader Interactions

52Comments

  1. 1.

    The Moar You Know

    There’s no emoji for “shit sandwich”, so I guess I’m done commenting for the day.

  3. 3.

    germy

    After having been treated unbelievably unfairly in the House, and then having to endure hour after hour of lies, fraud & deception by Shifty Schiff, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer & their crew, looks like my lawyers will be forced to start on Saturday, which is called Death Valley in T.V.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 24, 2020

  4. 4.

    Bluegirlfromwyo

    I couldn’t buy boots high enough to wade through that much bullshit. Thank you, front pagers, for watching so I don’t have to.

  6. 6.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @germy:

    Josh Marshall @ joshtpm
    Appearance of that tape of Trump firing Yovanovitch isn’t so much the tape as the hint that Igor Fruman is joining Parnas in turning on the President

    Word on the street– twitter street– is that Igor made the tape.

  8. 8.

    donnah

    I’ve watched most of the testimony thus far and have been deeply moved and impressed by the House Team’s work. Like everyone has said, Schiff is a true master and his delivery has been perfect.

    I don’t want to miss today’s speeches, but I will only be able to see bits and pieces this evening. I know I should try to watch the Republicans tomorrow, but I likely won’t have the stomach for it. They consistently lie the entire time, and I find myself screaming at the TV, which isn’t healthy and scares my cats.

    I am not hopeful for a positive vote for witnesses. The Republicans have signaled their refusal to listen and won’t buck the party. And they’ll not vote to convict him, either. We will just have to tune out the Trump gloating and probable additional future crimes until we can vote him out in November.

  10. 10.

    MCA1

    I think today should just be an endless parade of House Democrats going out there and saying “You can make this all stop, at any time.  It’s not even hard.  We’ve done all the work for you.  Or you can have more mob hit language tapes drop every day from now until Election Day.  Your choice.”

  11. 11.

    oldgold

    IF the GOP Senate denies witnesses and ends this before the SOTU, the SOTU response should be delivered by Schiff.

  12. 12.

    SFAW

    @germy:

    Some persons are playing it as if “take her out” meant “fire her.” But considering the Traitor-in-Chief has been mobbed up since forever, but especially considering PARNAS AND FRUMAN WERE NOT PART OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT, and THEREFORE COULD NOT FIRE HER, I have a tough time believing that’s what he really meant. But that’s because I’m a libtard, so therefore I’m worng.

    [Of course, now someone will tell me that Parnas and Fruman actually WERE in State, and my rant will become an embarrassment, etc. ]

  14. 14.

    Skepticat

    Exactly who did tRump think had the authority to fire ambassadors?

    I have totally given up on the Senate and expect them to acquit, and I fully expect “my” senator to go along. I have pretty much given up on writing to her, but as catharsis, I sent her this email earlier today.
    I remember Senator Margaret Chase Smith, whom I revered despite party differences. Please give some thought to some of her statements, which are the types of things I would like to—but know I won’t—hear my current Republican senator say. They cast you in a glaring negative light.
    “Moral cowardice that keeps us from speaking our minds is as dangerous to this country as irresponsible talk. The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character.”
    “I speak as a Republican I speak as a woman. I speak as a United States Senator. I speak as an American. I don’t want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the four horsemen of calumny— fear, ignorance, bigotry and smear.”
    “I think that it is high time that we remembered that we have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution.”
    “I don’t believe the American people will uphold any political party that puts political exploitation above national interest. Surely we Republicans aren’t that desperate for victory. I don’t want to see the Republican party win that way. While it might be a fleeting victory for the Republican Party, it would be a more lasting defeat for the American people.”
    “We are Republicans. But we are Americans first. It is as Americans that we express our concern with the growing confusion that threatens the security and stability of our country.”

    Yes, I know it won’t make a tiny bit of difference, but it made me feel a tiny bit better. I weep for our country.

  18. 18.

    Hilfy

    @donnah: How many innocent cats will be scared before we can rid our country of the orange s***gibbon?  My cats no longer watch tv with me unless I mute Republicans blathering.  Having a felonious con-man in the White House disturbs us even down to the smallest things in our lives.

  19. 19.

    Mnemosyne

    @Skepticat:

    Calling does help a bit even if you just get a full email box. It reminds them that people are pissed off and that they don’t dare answer the phone because it’s probably an angry constituent.

  20. 20.

    zhena gogolia

    @SFAW:

    You are absolutely right.

    Oh, but then, it’s not as if that’s a part of the world where people keep “falling out of windows” or “drinking polonium tea,” is it

    ETA: That part of the world is full of wonderful, honest, hard-working people, just like here. But the leader of Russia is a thug and is surrounded by thugs, and if you cross him, you don’t do very well.

  23. 23.

    wvng

    Schiff doing it again. Giving a stunning case for the danger caused by Trump’s actions to the US and the world.

  25. 25.

    dlw32

    The thing I don’t get about  “take her out” meaning “fire her” is, like, do you know who can fire a US ambassador at any time with no explanation at all? Yep, the US President. Why in the heck is he asking anyone else to get rid of her? I mean, I guess it would be polite to ask the Sec of State to do it, but all he needs to do is drop an email and she’s gone.

  26. 26.

    Cameron

    This tape really has me scratching my head – apparently Trump is so ignorant that he doesn’t know he can fire an ambassador himself for any  (or no) reason.  It makes absolutely no sense for him to discuss this with some sleazy characters who aren’t even a part of the government.  Just give the State Department a call.

      See dlw32 got there ahead of me.

  27. 27.

    WaterGirl

    @Cameron: It makes sense if “take her out” doesn’t mean fire her, it means get rid of her.  He sounds just like a mobster ordering a hit.

  29. 29.

    WaterGirl

    @Cameron: All I could think of when Adam Schiff had the powerpoint up – with the notes that one of the yahoos took on hotel stationary.

    “Are you taking notes on a criminal fucking conspiracy!?”

    With heartfelt apologies to Adam Schiff.

  31. 31.

    janesays

    @dlw32: The thing I don’t get about  “take her out” meaning “fire her” is, like, do you know who can fire a US ambassador at any time with no explanation at all? Yep, the US President. Why in the heck is he asking anyone else to get rid of her? I mean, I guess it would be polite to ask the Sec of State to do it, but all he needs to do is drop an email and she’s gone.

    More than that, guess who explicitly DOESN’T have the power to fire a U.S. Ambassador – Lev Parnas, who Trump was talking to in that conversation and isn’t even in the administration.

  35. 35.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    @Hilfy: I can not watch Trump on TV because every time I do I end up yelling at the TV and it scares the crap out of my dog.

  37. 37.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @zhena gogolia: There’s always a “come home” effect when the guy you voted for is attacked, folk really don’t like to admit they’re wrong.  The effect is usually short lived and there’s usually a drop below norm.  The usual disclaimer applies, “past performance is no guarantee of future performance”.

  38. 38.

    p.a.

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Doubt there’s any positive payback to trying to scrape more support from trump: those left are the truly stupid and sociopaths.  The key is to get them so disillusioned they stay home at election time.

  39. 39.

    LongHairedWeirdo

    Blue staters: here’s a thought.

    Call your Senator. Demand questioning of Trump’s witnesses – question the harms of a baseless investigation.

    Followup with “so, how can you defend the baseless investigation requested of the Bidens?” (I know, they can only submit written questions – but this is a really good combo honeypot-briar patch trap, that the Rs are just stupid enough to fall into.) (I use “honeypot” in the “catching insects” sense, and not  the version used in The Interview, a movie which uses the term “honeydicking” at least 3 times more frequently than any person needs to hear in their lifetime (I’m sure I remember *at least* 3 uses).)

  40. 40.

    LongHairedWeirdo

    @dlw32: getting rid of an ambassador, and immediately starting in with the corrupt requests, is the sort of thing that leaves more of a paper trail.

    I mean, it’s not like the Trump EPA *immediately* started trying to poison people, right? First, they just paraded around, and waited for people to get used to the flow of horror, and only *then* it started saying “now, no one’s going to notice ‘inside DC’ stuff like regulatory abuse.”

    Frankly, this is the sort of thing that would have the right wing screaming for *years* – that the ambassador was run out, so a puppet could be installed. They would insist that this was proof of evildoing, and if no proof of evildoing surfaced, it would be that much more proof of the depth of the conspiracy!

    But the Republicans never cared about corruption, just abuse of power – er, their own, I mean. The abuse of their own power, to act against their political opponents, which is deeply corrupt. Maybe that’s why they don’t think this is a big deal; they know damn well it’s no more corrupt than Benghazipalooza, the faux IRS scandal (“How *dare* you investigate *conservative* organizations and make the same mistakes you make everywhere! You shouldn’t make the same mistakes on *conservative* organizations….”), and everyone’s favorite imaginary scandal, Fast And Furious, where a tracked gun was proven to have been used in a crime, which proved… uh… that the gun tracking program tracked guns being used illegally, or something something DEATH OF A FEDERAL AGENT, I think.

    Where was i? Right! The US has been corrupt for 11 years now, corruption has been the norm. This example isn’t all that exciting.  No wonder they want to count yawn-worthiness as exculpatory – they’ve already spent 11 years making it seem dull  and dog-bites-man.

  43. 43.

    Sloane Ranger

    I thought Schiff was very powerful when he asked,  in relation to Trump’s attempt to get the investigation on the Bidens, what if that were to happen to you?

    But the problem is that the Republicans already know the answer. It has already happened to them. Look at Trump’s smearing of Ted Cruz during the Primaries with the ridiculous story that his father was involved in the JFK assassination.

    Every Republican Senator knows he will do the same to them if he feels he needs to and their response isn’t to fight back. It’s to curl up into a ball and hope nothing happens to draw Trump’s ire onto them because if it is, they know, or at least fear, they will be successfully primaried and lose their nice Senatorial lifestyles. And no Wingnut welfare either.

    Real profiles in courage!

  44. 44.

    randy khan

    @SFAW: I wouldn’t assume that Trump knew they weren’t in the State Department.  He is woefully ignorant about his own government.  He seems to treat Rudy as if he’s part of the government, too.

  45. 45.

    SFAW

    @randy khan:

    I wouldn’t assume that Trump knew they weren’t in the State Department.

    You can assume or not assume as you see fit, but your speculation (so to speak) is pretty far-fetched. If memory serves, he knew Parnas worked for his father. He also knew Parnas and Fruman were Rudy Colludy’s pals. Yeah, he’s ignorant, but thinking they were in State? That’s not even in the same galaxy as plausible.

  47. 47.

    Mary Ellen Sandahl

    5:45 ET, Jerry Nadler finishes a powerful presentation on (the part I heard) the fundamentals and the backtround of the House’s responsibility to impeach, and the desperate danger of a president like Trump. He was on fire; he can be powerful when he gets rolling.

  48. 48.

    WaterGirl

    @Sloane Ranger: I imagine the Adam Schiff is well aware that this is LIKELY to happen to him as soon as this show trial is over.  He knows that full well, yet he has the courage to fight for his country.

  49. 49.

    LongHairedWeirdo

    @Yutsano: Through the Obama years, the GOP worked relentlessly, not on behalf of the people, but on behalf of the GOP.

    They engaged in numerous investigations whose sole purpose was to advance their interests. The faux IRS scandal relied on a report that was specific to conservative-leaning organizations, and, surprise surprise, it found the IRS made mistakes *with* those organizations. The GOP continued to insist this was a partisan act, even though their own investigation was geared toward no other conclusion – and the press bought it.

    Fast and Furious was another corrupt, baseless, investigation intended to serve GOP interests, not the  interests of the American people.

    And Benghazipallooza was also massively corrupt, intended solely to attack a popular Democrat.

    So: 8 years of Obama, and 3 years of Trump, total corruption for 11 years. You could certainly go back further – 19 if you want to  include the corruption in the W administration, the fearsome lies, and the lack of accountability, for a war of choice that killed hundreds of thousands and cost trillions.

    The point is, we’ve gotten accustomed to corruption. It’s not news any more; it can happen right in front of the Journos face, like it did with the Schiavo case. (Did you ever look at the court records in that case? That’s the absolute *minimum* one should have done before opining on the matter, and it totally *destroyed* the GOP talking points.) The GOP made it sound like a woman was in danger, and the courts weren’t protecting her, and let their followers believe she was being murdered by judicial fiat – and they’ve never admitted to the least bit of wrongdoing, nor corrected the record. Their followers think an innocent woman died unjustly, and they’re happy with that. IT’s shameful corruption, but it’s not news.

    Frankly, I think that’s why the GOP thinks Trump can skate. “An investigation” that is baseless is corrupt, but journalism won’t see that, because it’s so used to the commonplace corruption we’ve been dealing with for over a decade (at a minimum)

  50. 50.

    SFAW

    Cheryl –

    Since you seem to be able to peer into the future, can you tell me what the final score of the Super Bowl will be?

    [Since this comment will probably be greeted with a confused “WTF?” — you might review the title of this post to see what I mean.]

  52. 52.

    Sloane Ranger

    @WaterGirl: Yes. The only people in Washington who seem able to demonstrate intestinal fortitude at the moment are Democrats.

    Ironic really, given the  tough macho personas Republicans as a group seem to adopt.

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