Impeachment Today: Republicans -- Nothing to See Here, Move Along
Two weeks into the public hearing phase of the impeachment investigation it is clear that facts don’t matter to supporters of the administration. They are about to launch a counter offensive designed to disparage the opposition, discredit witnesses, and deny the truth. Get ready.
Congressman Adam Schiff did an admirable job of running hearings, presenting witnesses in an order that built a case, and keeping the GOP’s attempts at disruption down to a minimum.
The Intelligence Committee chairman’s closing statement should be heard by every American.
https://twitter.com/RepAdamSchiff/status/1197672193242673152?s=20
President Trump built a wall; a wall of denial about everything --except some constantly shifting alibis-- and it has held, at least as far as the legislative branch of government is concerned. The threat of his wrath was strong enough to send many Republican Intelligence Committee members scurrying from the room during unfavorable testimony, lest they be confused by the truth.
Chances are the House of Representatives will vote for assorted articles of impeachment, once the report of the Intelligence Committee is written. They are in recess until December 3.
The President believes he has already fixed the jury for any trial, with White House luncheons and briefings reaching out to all 53 Republican Senators in recent weeks.
Thursday, as Russia expert Fiona Hill was denouncing the whackadoodle theories underlying the President’s defense, eight GOP Senators were guests at the White House for lunch. Trump aides met with another group of senators to start discussing plans for a Senate trial.
From USA Today:
In the run-up to Thursday's lunch, Trump appeared to appeal to the Republican-run Senate in a tweet in which he denounced House Democrats who are pursuing impeachment as "scum."
"Keep fighting tough, Republicans, you are dealing with human scum who have taken Due Process and all of the Republican Party’s rights away from us during the most unfair hearings in American History," Trump tweeted.
He added: "But we are winning big, and they will soon be on our turf."
Trump did not define "turf," but Republicans do control the Senate and would conduct a trial of Trump if House Democrats decide to impeach him.
A big part of the GOP defense will be trying to flip the script, namely assertions that it’s the Democrats who have done something wrong. It does not matter whether any evidence emerges, the accusations by themselves will serve to muddy the waters, both on Capitol Hill and in public perception.
From the Washington Post:
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey O. Graham sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday requesting documents related to former vice president Joe Biden and his communications with Ukrainian officials, a step seen as a GOP effort to counter the House impeachment investigation of President Trump.
The inquiry by Graham (R-S.C.) is focused on any calls Biden may have had with Petro Poroshenko, then the Ukrainian president, regarding the firing of the country’s top prosecutor, as well as any that referenced an investigation of Burisma, the Ukrainian natural-gas company that employed Biden’s son Hunter Biden.
Graham’s document request suggests he is seeking to legitimize Trump’s accusations that Biden, then vice president, put pressure on Ukraine to fire its lead prosecutor to protect his son, a claim without evidence that has been disputed by officials familiar with the investigation.
The other piece of this puzzle will be a public misinformation campaign, led by the President, amplified via support conservative media outlets and a flood of of automated social media posts from both domestic and foreign accounts.
Trump had an hour long meltdown on Fox Friday morning.
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1197880181509304321?s=20
One of his “reasons” why Ambassador Marie Yavonovitch was removed was supposedly that she refused to hang a picture of President Donald Trump in the embassy.
As with any claim by Trump, further investigation is merited.
https://twitter.com/LukensLewis/status/1197912792642269187?s=20
At the Daily Beast, Russia media analyst Julia Davis, unpacks just how useful current events are to the Kremlin.
As Russia’s state media watch impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Donald J. Trump they’re loving what they see. They don’t think the man they brag about getting elected is in much danger. They listen in delight as Republicans parrot conspiracy theories first launched by Russians. And they gloat about the way Trump removed U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, because they blame her for promoting democratic “color revolutions” that weakened Moscow’s hold on the former Soviet empire. Best of all, from the Kremlin’s point of view, they see Trump pushing Ukraine back into the Russian fold.
So while the historical impeachment inquiry, after two days of public hearings, has been deemed by some pundits to lack “pizzazz,” the Kremlin is having a ball. Instead of disseminating their usual conspiracy theories, the Russians watch gleefully as the Republicans do that for them. From the long-debunked “Crowdstrike” cyber plot positioning Ukraine as the fall guy for what undoubtedly was Russian interference in the 2016 elections, to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories centering around Jewish financier and philanthropist George Soros, rivers of Russian dezinformatsiya are flowing down from the President of the United States and the GOP, through the impeachment hearings, to Trump’s cult-like devotees.
It’s worth pointing out here that countries other than Russia have a vested interest in activities designed to destabilize the U.S. government -- not limited to supporting a president who’s willing to ignore aggression and human rights violations.
Saudi Arabia is one country that comes to mind, and does their mortal enemy Iran. Both have proven cyber warfare capabilities, albeit differing motives for these sorts of schemes. As long as Netanyahu is in power, it’s safe to assume the Israelis --who are masters at this-- are going to weigh in where they can.
In chaos they seek political and financial profit. As some experts have pointed out the information warfare driving this chaos is not partisan. If Democrats can be motivated to say and do unhelpful things, that’s all to the good.
Critics of U.S. foreign policy correctly point that out our government (through its history of foreign interventions) has reaped what it sowed. They’re not willing to say what should follow that observation, namely: two wrongs don’t make a right.
The foundation of our nation’s institutions --rule of law, checks and balances, elections-- is in danger. Trump has shown he can’t be shamed. While some of our oligarchs may find the president’s behavior distasteful, his devotion to the accumulation of wealth above all else functions as an incentive for alliances.
Greg Sargent at the Washington Post says the reality of this situation demands a new approach in how impeachment is framed:
It’s time to drop the posture that Trump’s defenders can be shamed into accepting what has been unearthed, or that they can be shamed into arguing from a baseline of shared democratic values, or into arguing over how to interpret a comprehensive set of shared facts.
Instead, let’s rhetorically treat Trump’s defenders as his criminal accomplices. Not just as “enablers” of Trump’s corruption but as active participants in it.
Once this is accepted, it becomes obvious why they can’t be “won over,” because they are actively engaged in keeping the corruption in question from getting fully uncovered, in the belief that they, too, benefit from it, and that they, too, lose out if it’s exposed.
Great idea. I agree that it’s long past time for the illusion of a sane opposition to be discarded. But saying Rep. Devin Nunes is corrupt (he is) won’t bring this crisis of Democracy to an end.
We’re going to have to make a lot of sustained noise to stop the rush toward authoritarian rule.
The furtherance of the impeachment process will provide opportunities that should not be missed.
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Here’s an opportunity, from Political Charge:
There are no more impeachment hearings scheduled in the House Intelligence Committee. That means it's our turn now.
Today is the perfect day to call your Representative in Congress and let them know how you feel about impeachment. Specifically, tell them that you have followed the hearings and believe that Trump, without a doubt, has violated his oath of office and should be impeached. (Of course, you should use your own words and reasoning.)
But the critical moment is now. Every Rep, blue or red, must hear from the citizens of this country immediately.
You can always call the main switchboard in Congress at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your Representative's office from there. Personally, I prefer to call their local office as I seem to have better luck actually reaching a staffer. You can find a comprehensive list of contact numbers for your Representative HERE.
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And keep your ears open, because there’s a big protest coming:
A coalition of progressive advocacy groups is organizing events in more than 80 U.S. Cities on the eve of the House of Representative impeachment vote.
The "Nobody Is Above the Law" coalition, which includes MoveOn, Public Citizen, Indivisible, and Stand Up America, as well as more than a dozen other organizations.
"Protesters will gather in front of the district offices of House members as the lawmakers finalize their positions and at U.S. Senate offices as senators prepare for a likely trial," the coalition said in a statement. "Protesters will call on their representatives to uphold the Constitution and their oaths of office by supporting Trump's impeachment."
On its website, the coalition says the goal of the mass protests is "to demonstrate to our lawmakers that their constituents are behind them to defend the Constitution—and that Trump has left them no alternative to uphold their oath of office but to support impeachment and removal."
San Diego’s event -- information here-- will be Waterfront Park/County Administration Building, time and speakers, etc, TBA.
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