Impeach the Motherfucker!

Here’s the usual CSPAN2 feed on YouTube:

I expect TV ratings will plummet since Trump clowns Awshucks McRamble and Thirsty Yellington are up, but I’m going to try to catch some of it as time permits. One of the clown lawyers told NBC they might wrap up in as little as three hours. How many times can you equate Sarah Huckabee Sanders being politely asked to leave a restaurant with a comped cheese plate and a mob scene at the U.S. Capitol Building that was reminiscent of the fall of Osgiliath? Viewers are about to find out.

Open thread!

Impeachment Trial Day 4 Open ThreadPost + Comments (244)

Here’s the live stream on YouTube from CSPAN2:

House impeachment managers will wrap up their case today. The Post says they’ll focus on the consequences of the riot in today’s presentation.

As I mentioned in the morning thread, I’ll be interested to see if they put more emphasis on how Trump’s attempted coup disgraced the U.S. on the international stage. That’s a long-term consequence that might resonate with the types of elected officials and voters who love to smugly cite America as the shining beacon of democracy to the world.

From what I’ve been able to see via clips and live testimony when time permits, the House managers have done a terrific job so far. The trial is rigged because Trump’s co-conspirators are on the jury, but it still matters, IMO.

Open thread.

Impeachment Trial Day 3 Open ThreadPost + Comments (280)

I like the placeholder image better today — the Capitol Building rather than Velveeta Voldemort’s ugly mug!

We’re in for more upsetting video as House managers lay out the case that Trump incited the rioters. But like Hillary Clinton said:

If Senate Republicans fail to convict Donald Trump, it won’t be because the facts were with him or his lawyers mounted a competent defense. It will be because the jury includes his co-conspirators.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 10, 2021

Yep. Open thread.

Impeachment Trial Open ThreadPost + Comments (372)

This should be interesting (Le Post):

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the lead House impeachment manager, asked former president Donald Trump on Thursday to provide testimony under oath “either before or during” his Senate trial scheduled next week. In a letter, Raskin asked for testimony about Trump’s conduct Jan. 6 when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol in a deadly assault.

If the latest clown carload of lawyers carry the day, the reviled ex-POTUS will probably refuse on constitutional grounds. Is that something the Supreme Court could rule on? I have no idea.

Alternatively, Hair Furor could be deposed at his Disgraceland estate in Florida rather than appearing in person at the crime scene. I hope so. The sound of his silence has been so soothing that I dread the prospect of it ending. I was reflecting on the delights of The Beast’s abrupt muzzling earlier today on Twitter:

It's like someone was blowing an airhorn in our faces for four-plus years, and then it stopped. Nearly four weeks later, I'm still savoring that sweet silence. pic.twitter.com/NQN4MuMvsU

— Betty Cracker ? (@bettycrackerfl) February 4, 2021

TPM is doing a “Your De-Trumping Story” series where readers write in about how they’re experiencing Trump’s absence. Some liken it to leaving an abusive home. Others compare it to completing an odious, stressful task. For me, it’s like an obnoxious noise ceased. Or maybe the relief of depositing a bag of dogshit in a garbage can at the end of a long dog walk. How about you?

Open thread!

ETA: Godspeed, Smartmatic!

Here is the 285-page, $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit that election tech company Smartmatic filed today in state court in Manhattan against Fox, Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro, Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell: https://t.co/VYwrKETtyS

Intro: "The Earth is round." pic.twitter.com/dZzyPBuIvd

— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) February 4, 2021

The Sound of SilencePost + Comments (280)