76

Schiff Committee Finds no Impeachable Offense

Renée Parsons

After several days of unremarkable testimony by assorted State Department functionaries  the Democrats continue to struggle with ferreting out a legally defensible impeachable offense to warrant the three ring circus currently being conducted by Rep. Adam Schiff, Chair of the House Intel Committee.

On a railroad through the Intel Committee, the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s alleged attempt at a Quid Pro Quo (QPQ), Dems are no closer to a sure-fire ‘we got him now’ piece of evidence than when the inquiry began as they shift gears to widen the probe into  “bribery’ and/or ‘extortion,’ whichever shoe fits.

At the outset, it is essential to recognize that the debate surrounding Trump’s impeachment is not to protect the Republican status quo as a preference to the Democratic status quo – as both have failed the American people when trusted honorable people of quality were needed.  Today’s assembly of House Republicans opposing Schiff et al provide a glimmer that perhaps such individuals may yet exist. 

The opposition to the Democrat’s impeachment inquiry is, more importantly, an effort to preserve what remains of a constitutional democracy and the rule of law on the outside chance that a true patriot of unimpeachable, exceptional character may arise from the ashes.

Once Schiff agreed to take the behind-closed-doors witness depositions public, HR 660 was approved to establish new ground rules favorable to the Democrats to determine

whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach

Those new rules invest Schiff with an insatiable  power to rein in Republican committee members when and how he sees fit – limiting the ability of the minority to question witnesses, limiting due process for the accused and to deny Republican requests for witnesses unfavorable to Schiff like the alleged WB himself.

The first day of hearings began with Schiff opening statement inserting Russia into the fray with a totally inaccurate portrayal:

in 2014 Russia invaded US ally Ukraine to reverse that nation’s embrace of the west and to fulfill Vladimir Putin’s desire to rebuild a Russia empire.

What Schiff conveniently omitted was the role of Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary of State in Kiev in February, 2014 to effect the US overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovych when he refused to join the EU in favor of a trade agreement with Moscow.

In his statement, Schiff, known as the Dems most bold prevaricator on Russiagate, omitted any mention of the alleged WB/CIA operative who filed the Complaint and, after public promises to the contrary, is not expected to testify on the matter as neither is Hunter Biden whose presence on the Burisma Board is central to the inquiry.

During Day One, two career State Department officials, known as Ambassadors, pontificated on their version of how foreign policy should be conducted as if their experience entitled them to special decision-making authority above and beyond an elected President of the United States. 

Both remained ignorant and indifferent to the fact that unelected, embedded bureaucrats do not conduct their version of reality different from what an elected President has determined. 

Neither offered any incriminating evidence of wrongdoing, no bombshell of misbehavior or any compelling revelations besides scant meaningless trivia that had already been stated. 

All State Department testimony is against the background of the US State Department role in the 2014 coup what former President Obama referred to as “brokering a transition”.

On day one, former Ambassador William Taylor was the first, albeit the Democrats Star Witness who did not provide the smoking gun the Democrats needed. When a stand up comic as talented as Jimmy Dore effectively destroyed former Ambassador William Taylor’s testimony, disintegration of the Democrat’s case for impeachment cannot be far behind.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent then proved his own agenda in conflict with Trump’s objective that Ukraine is not vital to US interests when he reiterated Schiff’s earlier comments regarding the 2014 coup as a “popular revolution of dignity in 2014 forcing a corrupt pro Russian communist to flee to Moscow – after that Russian invaded Ukraine, including the Crimea and the Donbass territories currently occupied by Russia.”

What neither Schiff nor Kent mentioned was that Volodymyr Zelensky was overwhelmingly elected President of Ukraine over US puppet Petro Poroshenko with 73% of the vote and the stated goal of cleaning up corruption, resolving the conflict in the Donbass and normalizing relations with Russia. Putin and Zelensky are scheduled to meet in Paris on December 9th.

Kent went on to describe having a front row seat in early 2015 when he “raised questions with the Deputy Prosecutor General about why the (Burisma) investigation had been terminated”.

Later he said he “became aware that Hunter Biden was on the Burisma board and soon after, in a briefing call with the National Security staff of VP Biden’s office in 2015””, he “raised concerns that Hunter Biden status on the Board member could create the perception of a conflict of interest.

In other words, if it was permissible for Kent to raise questions of the younger Biden’s presence on Burisma, the President of the US would have an even more legitimate reason for concern.

Kent confirmed that “there are and always have been conditionality placed on our sovereign loan guarantees for Ukraine; the IMF does the same thing.” which sounds like an administration using political incentives as a negotiating tool to achieve political objectives. 

In other words, it is common practice for any administration to provide loan guarantees with strings attached.

On Day Two, former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yuvanovich testified for longer than was necessary since she had nothing relevant to contribute except how her feelings were hurt as she was summarily dismissed from her position

Soon after Yuvanovich made a controversial statement calling for the removal of Ukraine’s special anti corruption prosecutor,  she was told the President had lost faith in her and that she would be dismissed. 

Any President has the constitutional right to dismiss any State Department diplomat or any other political appointee at any time.

Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) inquired of Yuvanovich “Do you have any information regarding the President of the United States accepting any bribe?”  Yovanovitch responded: “No.”

Stewart again inquired “Do you have any information regarding any criminal activity that he has been involved with at all?”  Again Yovanovitch responded “No.” 

Period. End of Story.

NSC staffer Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified this week and offered his opinion athat the President was “inappropriate” or “improper” but was unable to provide Ranking Member Nunes with a factual basis of wrongdoing or to questions as Schiff interceded on behalf of the WB.

By the end of day three, former Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker testified that he saw no QPQ and no evidence of bribery or extortion.

Tim Morrison, former National Security staff testified he did not agree with Schiff’s interpretation of the Trump Zelensky July 25th transcript.

On day four, another Star Witness former Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland also failed to provide Schiff with the necessary clincher to provide an irrefutable impeachable offense.

What was inescapable during the hearing was the absence of parliamentary courtesy or simply personal gracious conduct on the part of Chair of the Committee who was consistently intrusive as he overstepped his role with arbitrary, prejudicial violations of Roberts Rules of Order. 

Schiff routinely ruled Points of Order to be out of order with an inflated sense of magisterial presence. His demeanor proved to be classless and boorish as if he had been granted special dispensation from the House of Representative’s  Code of Conduct to treat his colleagues with disdain and contempt.

Schiff routinely refused to ‘recognize’ a Member, liberally gavelled his authority to cut off debate and at times, badgered Republican witnesses and further treated Republican Members, who are his peers, as second class citizens in what was once regarded as a collegial body.

Once the dust settles, the House Ethics Committee may ultimately weigh in on Schiff’s character and the manner in which he conducted the Committee’s business.

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Ken
Ken
Dec 1, 2019 7:13 AM

Oh my, with all the apparent Trump fanboys and girls on here, one might be tempted to think that the orange knobend did something like publicly declare that 9/11 was a false flag. But no, that buffoon is nothing more than just another clown in the bread and circuses brought to by the monsters who actually rule us. I am truly disappointed.

John
John
Nov 30, 2019 8:35 AM

This was the article that pissed off that Twitter you’s had when the site was last shut down! Typical liberals

paul
paul
Nov 29, 2019 3:22 AM

Schiff, Nadler, Cohen, Vindman and all their mates.
How diverse!!
Maybe one day they will break all records and throw in an odd token goy.
You never know.

ttshasta
ttshasta
Nov 28, 2019 3:57 PM

The Ukraine fiasco should be blown wide open for all to see I hope. I even started emailing my “lefty” NYT reading friends photos of Azov Battalion, Right Sector, and C14 militias and asking why Trump should be sending Javelin anti tank missiles to these folks. I also forwarded Eva Bartlett’s October pice on her Crimea visit describing 200 new kindergartens and new airports and bridges to my friends who think I’m crazy for saying Crimea has been part of Russia since 1784 and voted 90+% to rejoin Russia. Max Blumenthal’s Grayzone reports 4 million have left Ukraine, an exodus like Venezuela’s. Adam Schiff had a $1000/$2500 per plate fundraiser at Ukrainian Igor Pasternaks home in D.C. Is Pasternak a weapons dealer, I’m not sure? Who is involved in Ukraine: Manafort, Biden, Obama’s Hochstein, CIA’s Woolsey, US Favarov, Crowdstrike, Firtash, John Kerry, and on and on.
Ukraine seems a center for weapons trafficking, embezzlement, money laundering, and hacking. 3 billion in IMF loans with no strings, where did it go, USAID money where did it go? How many weapons purchased by Qatar & co. ended up in Syria via Ukraine?
I do not like and did not vote for Orange Jesus, but it seems the Biden, Kerry, Obama, Clinton apparatus has more to answer for regarding Ukraine. Adam Schiff drives me crazy with his misleading and witness coaching; he did propose repealing Citizens United though, of which I approve if it is not a diversion tactic.

law fare pro impeachment: https://www.emptywheel.net
law fare pro Trump: https://brassballs.blog

https://brassballs.blog/home/ukrainian-server-crashes-crowdstrike-cia-fbi-dedicated-line-backdoor-consecutive-days-of-losses-webb-report-dnc-elect-democrats-warburg-pincus-google-crwd-holdings-george-kurtz-strzok-rosenstein-lisa-barsoomian-melissa-hodgman-sec-long-tail-down

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/plundering-ukraine-corrupt-american-democrats
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/52621.htm

and this guy?? https://www.youtube.com/user/georgwebb/playlists

Jihadi Colin
Jihadi Colin
Nov 27, 2019 2:10 PM

Like anyone expects an Amerikastani to tell the truth about anything, ever, for any reason. Amerikastanis are genetically incapable of it.

Heather
Heather
Nov 27, 2019 1:01 PM

This article is an insult to our intlligence! Go peddle this nonsense at a Trump rally, where fools are plentiful!

Robbobbobin
Robbobbobin
Nov 27, 2019 2:47 PM
Reply to  Heather

This article is an insult to our intlligence!

And our patience. After Rep. Jordan’s virtouso performance it all got a bit tl;dr.

Joseph Beasley
Joseph Beasley
Dec 2, 2019 8:02 AM
Reply to  Heather

[spoiler title=” “][spoiler title=” “][spoiler title=” hello idiot you obviously did not watch the motherfuker this guy got it dead on before you open your dumbass mouth and look dumber than Adam Schiff maybe I’ll do some research Heather but instead you can open up your mouth and you look dumber than the rest o

U r 2 dim to underst
U r 2 dim to underst
Nov 27, 2019 10:04 AM

Off guardian? Trying very hard to act like ” the guardian ” news outlet? Lol. Seems more like Breitbart. Wheres Steven Miller? Trump will be impeached no matter how many stories you try to write bad about it. Welcome to america Renee

Michael Dennewitz
Michael Dennewitz
Nov 27, 2019 2:20 PM

You dumbasscrats ARE SOOOO FULL OF CAMEL SHIT!! 😥😞😰

Ken
Ken
Nov 27, 2019 4:32 AM

Friends! Bread and circus, all of this! The monsters who rule over us must be having quite a laugh, all the way to the bank.

Berlin beerman
Berlin beerman
Nov 27, 2019 12:23 AM

The fact that there are citizens who watch this and then believe that their President actually committed an impeachable offense in the process is past comic. Its sad because it implies one of two things.

1. The masses who watch and believe are as evil as the woman they tried to elect to the White House.
and/or
2. The masses are complete idiots….

the fact that Mr.Trump may actually be trying to help their sorry asses – by trying to put the American people ahead of corporate interests – is one thing these haters have no clue about. Instead they prefer to sit, watch and partake in their elected fools waste time and money on infighting and stupidity – ironically all the attributes they dislike in their President.

Its rather poetic.

Jack_Garbo
Jack_Garbo
Nov 27, 2019 2:33 AM
Reply to  Berlin beerman

Can’t the man, a fraudster, cheat, liar, delinquent, etc, but no impeachable crime. And the Dems should realize their is glassy…

Jackie
Jackie
Nov 27, 2019 6:58 AM
Reply to  Berlin beerman

No matter what you write for thé republican party or how many times you write it. You WILL NOT stop Trump being impeached ..hes à fraud an imposter and an embartassment…This criminal and thé rest of his pals are going bye bye. Accept it.

John Goff
John Goff
Nov 27, 2019 9:43 AM
Reply to  Jackie

And, jackie, you’re a libturd bleeding heart idiot. Can’t wait to see you suffer in 2020 when THE TRUMPMAN kicks your stupid ass.

Berlin beerman
Berlin beerman
Nov 27, 2019 2:19 PM
Reply to  Jackie

I doubt there are many of Mr.Trumps’ “pals” still around.

Most if not all the bobble heads are force fed direct from the Republican machine masters, Like Mr. Pence , who by the way , you would inherit as your next President in the event of a successful outcome.

Now that would surely do two things – start all the wars that we missed out on and make sure a Democrat is elected to the White House. Nothing changes – same regime behind both parties , a true democracy in the land of the free.

G. Rogers
G. Rogers
Nov 26, 2019 11:34 PM

Are all of your opinionists this dumb? The writer of this piece apparently didn’t what the same impeachment hearings I watched. All of the testimony proved tRump is a con and a criminal too.

J Caudell
J Caudell
Nov 27, 2019 12:22 AM
Reply to  G. Rogers

More leftist wishful thinking! All that was testified to was hurt feelings, third, fourth, and fifth hand knowledge, which by the way is called gossip, and therefore is not testimony, but opinion. It’s obvious you know nothing about law, or what rises to an impeachable offense. Of course, that couldn’t have anything to do with moderate Democrats now saying this doesn’t rise to an impeachable offense, could it? Heaven forbid that a Democrat should develop a little bit of common Sense! Say it isn’t so! All I got to say is keep pushing for impeachment and watch Trump and the Republicans walk to a landslide victory in 2020, because Americans, especially independents are getting really tired of the BS.

U r 2 dim to underst
U r 2 dim to underst
Nov 27, 2019 9:57 AM
Reply to  J Caudell

Bwahahaha, try firsthand knowledge. From three people who testified. These replies and this piece is a comic laugh

Jack_Garbo
Jack_Garbo
Nov 27, 2019 2:36 AM
Reply to  G. Rogers

Damned by your own words. He is a con man and criminal, but has not committed an impeachable offense. Look up “impeachable offense”.

Terry R Ogletree
Terry R Ogletree
Nov 27, 2019 4:41 AM
Reply to  Jack_Garbo

You must be talking about OBUMER

Jack_Garbo
Jack_Garbo
Nov 27, 2019 9:20 AM
Reply to  Jack_Garbo

Not at all. Obama has impeccable (unimpeachable?) manners but he’s a worse war criminal than Bush, and he’ll never be tried. As I said, look up impeachable offenses. Trump is (sadly) innocent, the inquiry is a failed charade. Once out of office, he’s eminently indictable, but that won’t happen either. His crimes are not relevant.

George Cornell
George Cornell
Nov 27, 2019 3:05 AM
Reply to  G. Rogers

Are you saying you were undecided but these hearings ( the shopping channel of objective information) made you see the light on the road to Damascus?
Or are you saying because the anonymous blogger Rogers, who begins by insulting the site, believes, therefore all of us should too?

Sam
Sam
Nov 27, 2019 3:21 AM
Reply to  G. Rogers

Bloomberg wants to out Tramp and make American great again.

T. Bennett
T. Bennett
Nov 26, 2019 10:26 PM

Very funny satire! Laughed my a** off at how you reversed everything that happened. Keep it up!

J Caudell
J Caudell
Nov 27, 2019 12:05 AM
Reply to  T. Bennett

If you thought that was the exact opposite of what happened, then you must not have watched the hearings and listened to CNN or MSDNC, oh I mean MSNBC. You know, the msm or propaganda arm of the DNC.

asdlkks
asdlkks
Nov 26, 2019 9:36 PM

Renee loves her fascist Trump. What’s your favorite trait Renee? The racism? The misogyny? The countless lies? The torture advocacy? The stoking hate for power generally? The Saudi Arabia love between father and son including bragging of arms deals? What is it Renee? All of the above? Have a penchant for jerks like Trump with a severe authoritarian bent? Or is it his mafioso style? Maybe it’s his calling out the press as “the enemy of the people” while swimming in the swamp of MSM that services Trump just like any other globalist corporatist elite. Oh yeah he’s an effing populist in your opinion right Renee? If the right wing fascist has nothing to hide in regard to continuing being one of the most corrupt human beings to ever walk on this planet, why doesn’t he have his corrupt sidekick Giuliani come present evidence? And everyone else being blocked from submitting exculpatory evidence if the fascist Trump is so effing innocent? But Renee loves her Trump, like so many other misguided right wingers and alt-leftists that write for and comment on this site.

Does that make me an advocate of the corrupt swamp monsters like Bill and Hillary Clinton? Or Joe effing Biden? Or Schumer, Pelosi, or the whole host of corrupt neoliberal/neocon Democrats who make up the power center of the corrupt DNC? No. And Obama the consummate con man? No.

But all of you misguided Trump lovers of course would never hold the same metric up to Trump because you are bamboozled by the cult of Trump. There is just something about this jerk you love.

It is effing bizarre. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The guy who sucked up to AIPAC and Zionists, who first day in office goes to the CIA, then makes torture Queen director of the CIA, and former director of the CIA his Secretary of State replacing Big Oil tycoon, who has stuffed every regulatory agency with swamp creatures more swampy than Obama or any other President could manage, who INCREASED military operations in the ME including making the rules of engagement such it is even easier to slaughter civilians, who ran on a big military buildup including a buildup of nuclear weapons far greater than Obama’s “modernization” who has pledged now to greatly increase the distribution of military equipment to police departments than has been occurring for decades already, and the list goes on and on and on and on.

But the Deep State hates him right? I mean they just hate the fascist Trump!

Expect any time the Deep State through all of its contacts and embeds in corporate MSM including FOX and Sinclair Broadcasting and right wing radio, etc etc etc………to all start promoting Bernie Sanders because Sanders is the only candidate that can beat the fake populist Trump.

Right? The Deep State will start promoting Sanders any day now in the captured MSM.

I know, Trump cultists on the “left” and right just can’t grasp this. They are confused, just like Renee.

Ron
Ron
Nov 26, 2019 9:55 PM
Reply to  asdlkks

Obviously you need to get educated on politics pay attention you might learn something. All dems want to do is spend our damn tax dollars and raise taxes to take more our of our checks. You fool. Good day pilgrim

Lisa Herse
Lisa Herse
Nov 26, 2019 11:25 PM
Reply to  Ron

And the rules of law would be a good idea too

Kjelstad
Kjelstad
Nov 27, 2019 7:24 AM
Reply to  Ron

Are you a billionaire, Ron? You you need to pay your taxes

Martin Usher
Martin Usher
Nov 26, 2019 8:08 PM

There’s plenty of evidence of unusual or inappropriate behavior. Remember, the Ukraine incident is just the tip of a very large iceberg. Whether its worth impeaching Trump is another matter — I tend to agree with Nancy Pelosi in regarding such proceedings as a ‘waste of time’. Formal proceedings were started, though, due to Republican grandstanding, they made a big fuss about the initial information collecting hearings as some kind of secret kangaroo court.

I believe the ‘cutting off of Republicans’ by Schiff is just a tool for dissuading interruptions to the committee’s work. The committee is comprised of both Republicans and Democrats but due to the nature of its work it has to occasionally hear testimony behind closed doors. There were some issues where non-committee Republican congressmen invaded the space and refused to yield; all Schiff did was wait for them to leave while making it plain that the time they were wasting was coming off the Republican committee member’s question time allowance.

Guy
Guy
Nov 26, 2019 7:07 PM

All this crap about impeachment , he said she said , and lets not forget it’s all Russia’s fault which leads me to as ,what are they drawing our attention away from .Coulds it be the whole Epstein affair , nothing to see here folks .Move along …..all guilty as sin of course .

Francis Lee
Francis Lee
Nov 26, 2019 4:10 PM

Looks like Oswald Spengler was right, the decline of the West seems manifest. Britain, the US, France and crackpot Sweden leading the pack.

George Cornell
George Cornell
Nov 26, 2019 8:39 PM
Reply to  Francis Lee

Is that the Sweden recently describing itself as a moral superpower?
Not that we don’t need a few.

Vexarb
Vexarb
Nov 26, 2019 4:04 PM

Seattle’s multi-talented Amy Walker tried to do Trump and failed. I bet she cannot do Hilary either. Their saurian corporate world of primal GREED & cold blooded FASCISM is too primitive for her. But she can and did create Eunice. Here is Amy Walker’s wickedly affectionate sketch, the most delicately incisive probing of Yankee psyche since Gatsby — and much more positive, in its well brought up, well educated, well intentioned and naively earnest simplicity of mind.

https://youtu.be/4Cwrhul9ZIo

vexarb
vexarb
Nov 26, 2019 5:10 PM
Reply to  Vexarb

As in the Shaker hymn, Simple Gifts:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3UgpfSp2t6k

vexarb
vexarb
Nov 26, 2019 5:19 PM
Reply to  vexarb

PPS Oo for an Edit button!

vexarb
vexarb
Nov 26, 2019 5:29 PM
Reply to  vexarb

PPPS even better, from the childhood of Eunice, this version with Yo Yo Mar:

Vexarb
Vexarb
Nov 30, 2019 5:13 AM
Reply to  vexarb

PPPPS And finally, Eunice’s simpleminded and muddleheaded search for authentic being is absorbed and overlayed by the mawkish bloated U$ culture typified by this POTU$A election.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GoRIQ9cwG8

But Eunice is blithely unaware of all this; the machinations of Obomba, Killary and Trumpety-trump are beneath her dignity and above her head.

There is an article of the Mawkish Culture of the U$A in today’s Saker Vineyard; but the creation of Eunice shows that mawkish culture has fine, sensitive, deep penetrating roots.

https://thesaker.is/the-american-posse-waging-economic-warfare-on-the-globe-thrives-by-weaponizing-its-mawkish-culture/?inmoderation

Steve Hayes
Steve Hayes
Nov 26, 2019 3:32 PM

“…Yanukovych when he refused to join the EU…” Yanukovych did not refuse to join the European Union. The Ukraine was not then, and is not now, in a position to join the European Union. What Yanukovych did was decide to not proceed with an association agreement which the European Union and the Ukraine had been negotiating.

Yarkob
Yarkob
Nov 26, 2019 1:06 PM

He’s going to be up Schiff creek without a gavel before long

AnnmousCauseUCrazy
AnnmousCauseUCrazy
Nov 26, 2019 8:53 PM
Reply to  Yarkob

Right….accept trump is guilty of multiple felonies. Pitty you don’t actually care about the USm

Shannon Tidwell
Shannon Tidwell
Nov 26, 2019 9:23 PM

So, what are Trump”s multiple felonies?

J Caudell
J Caudell
Nov 27, 2019 1:34 AM

They love to claim Trump’s committed all these crimes, but when you press them on the issue, they inexplicably become quiet and can’t cite one crime that he’s done with any proof to back it up! Just so amazing!

Vexarb
Vexarb
Nov 27, 2019 9:31 AM

Short list by Asdlkks above: “[Trump] The guy who sucked up to AIPAC and Zionists, who first day in office goes to the CIA, then makes torture Queen director of the CIA, and former director of the CIA his Secretary of State replacing Big Oil tycoon, who has stuffed every regulatory agency with swamp creatures more swampy than Obama or any other President could manage, who INCREASED military operations in the ME including making the rules of engagement such it is even easier to slaughter civilians, who ran on a big military buildup including a buildup of nuclear weapons far greater than Obama’s “modernization” who has pledged now to greatly increase the distribution of military equipment to police departments than has been occurring for decades already, ” plus Trump’s association with 911 coverup Mayor Giuliani.

Admittedly not a heinous crimesheet by POTU$A standards.

Gezzah Potts
Gezzah Potts
Nov 26, 2019 12:06 PM

Listening to Elise Stefanik, was reminded of George Galloway’s famous stoush with the U.S Senate back in 2005.
But as for Adam Schiff?
He is obviously a lettuce leaf short of a salad, a jam sandwich without the jam, and a person who quite obviously needs to speak to someone wearing a white coat.
And with both being deluded Russophobes, I’m certain he and Fiona Hill would make a great team.
How much longer is This Crap going for??

Yarkob
Yarkob
Nov 26, 2019 1:08 PM
Reply to  Gezzah Potts

as long as they need to constantly use the phrase “under the shadow of impeachment” throughout the 2020 election cycle

wardropper
wardropper
Nov 26, 2019 3:20 PM
Reply to  Gezzah Potts

I give it about 17 years before western civilization implodes under the sheer gravitational force of the crap with which it has surrounded itself for many decades.

Vexarb
Vexarb
Nov 26, 2019 4:06 PM
Reply to  wardropper

Mr.Ghandi, what do you think of Western Civilization?
I think that would be a good idea.

Lulu
Lulu
Nov 27, 2019 12:25 PM
Reply to  wardropper

Please be corrected, we only have 12 years to go less one according to AOC.

George Mc
George Mc
Nov 26, 2019 5:06 PM
Reply to  Gezzah Potts

And just think that, as the mass of population sinks deeper into poverty, how much money is being thrown at this, as you say, Crap? And I am aware that This Crap is, if I may switch metaphors, only the tip of the iceberg. How many gazillions are being thrown at destabilising various societies, grinding out relentless propaganda, piling into bloated military juggernauts, glutinous showbiz, sporting and royal festivals etc. (shepherd’s crook approaches)

Martin Usher
Martin Usher
Nov 26, 2019 8:20 PM
Reply to  Gezzah Potts

My guess is that the committee will produce a report which won’t be used to impeach the President but will form a central plank of next year’s election campaign. The Republicans are desperate to have actual impeachment proceedings, they know that the Senate would not convict Satan himself if that person was one of them and the resulting noise will draw attention away from some looming issues in the economy and the world which may well break in Q1 next year.

I know there are a lot of people who will support Trump no matter what and who are quick to point out the failings in other politicians. There’s plenty of crap to go round, however while Trump has been fiddling Rome has been burning — remember, what might be good for industry lobbyists or could be construed as “God’s Work” may not be actually good policies and there signs that things might not be as wonderful as they’d like. Three that spring to mind are the relentless money printing by the Fed, inflationary at best, the likelihood that the heartland will experience significant job reductions in key industries that can’t be papered over and the fact that the tariffs and sanctions put on China don’t seem to have had any significant effect — on the Chinese, that is (US companies, that’s a different take). This isn’t all Trump’s fault, the problems have been brewing up for a lot longer than his Presidency, but the complete lack of action or even recognition that there are problems (China trade excepted) combined with a crass and very ham-fisted approach to foreign policy is exacerbating things.

Tutisicecream
Tutisicecream
Nov 26, 2019 11:54 AM

US of A twinned with Ukraine a marriage made in heaven. I’m at a loss to say who has the finest democracy.

As Rhys said below “I can fuck your wife anytime I want, but you fuck my wife and you’re fucked, dude.”…. No wonder Victoria Nuland’s name has been passed over in this shit show.

I was asked by a Russian today, “Which country has the best democracy?”. To which I replied “First you have to define what exactly a democracy is.” And they said, “It’s what you have in the West.”

To which I could only remark, “I wish I had your innocence.”

George Mc
George Mc
Nov 26, 2019 5:08 PM
Reply to  Tutisicecream

“Which country has the best democracy?….It’s what you have in the West.”

Kind of answered his own question there. Wrongly of course.

George Cornell
George Cornell
Nov 26, 2019 11:48 AM

Thanks for the summary. I did not watch, preferring to gaze at the peacock feathers in my duster. The Dems are making Trump look less odious, no small feat.

Dungroanin
Dungroanin
Nov 26, 2019 10:20 AM

Good highlights of last week or so’s hearings – i watched, mostly the ‘cross examinations’ by the able Republicans.

More detailed stuff has been dine by bernard (MoA) and Col. Lang & co (sst) and in fact, months ago here at Off-G about the Clinton/Ukraine conspiracy back in 2017
https://off-guardian.org/2019/04/14/ukraine-admitted-to-interfering-in-the-2016-us-election-on-clintons-side/

——-
My boggest takeaway of last weeks hearings was the further exposure of US ‘exceptionalism’ and ‘National Interests’, that the usual bipartisanship keeps lock step in – being exposed as the anti-Trump coup investigations by Barr & co are revealing!

If the top CIA/FBI and NSA conspirators are not criminally indicted it will be the greatest failure of justice.

Dungroanin
Dungroanin
Nov 26, 2019 3:09 PM
Reply to  Dungroanin

I forgot (how could I?) the giant Ray McGovern at Consortium.

Jim Brant
Jim Brant
Nov 26, 2019 9:32 AM

Far be it for a ‘foreigner’ like me to comment on the workings of your great nation, but it used to be that the US was revered for having a system of government that was based on the rule of law with Constitutional checks and balances. I have watched almost all the congressional testimony surrounding the Ukraine issue and it seems overwhelmingly clear that your president asked a foreign power to do something that was of domestic political advantage to him. If that is not impeachable corruption, what is?

John Thatcher
John Thatcher
Nov 26, 2019 10:19 AM
Reply to  Jim Brant

Did you actually read the above article Brant?

George Cornell
George Cornell
Nov 26, 2019 12:22 PM
Reply to  Jim Brant

So we have an unemployable cocaine addict, said by his wife to spend his money on drugs, prostitutes and strip shows, who could not even interrupt his habit for his induction into the Navy. His urine, which he knew would be tested, leapt into the test tube and his pos result resulted in a dishonourable discharge from the Navy. After sleeping with his dead brothers widow, if not sooner, his DNA crops up last week in the newborn child he vigorously denied fathering.

So who would not want him on the board of their company? And the magnanimous Biden Jr. handpicked Burisma among his many opportunities. What a bargain at 100k per month! This is virtually pro bono. One can only imagine the QPQ there. Scandal-plagued companies like Burisma need Bidens to project an image in keeping with their ethos.

The Dems seem to be hatred-addled, unable to focus on the needs of the country and its citizens. This is more “ we can stand neither our country’s ills or their cure”.

George Cornell
George Cornell
Nov 26, 2019 1:16 PM
Reply to  Jim Brant

“What is?”

Invading Iraq? Invading Syria? False flagging it? Libya? Yemen? Systematically interfering with the governance of all South American and Central American countries? Murdering African leaders? Allende? ….

Have some perspective, man!

Vexarb
Vexarb
Nov 26, 2019 4:40 PM
Reply to  George Cornell

George, if you are keen on a bit of perspective (as a change from watching the peacock feathers on your duster rather than watch donkey Dem’s sore-loser non-proceedings against elephant victor Trumpety-Trump on the cartoon show) you might read this report from the wider world:

The Birth of EurAsia, by Pepe Escobar at Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan

https://thesaker.is/the-road-toward-greater-eurasia/

George Cornell
George Cornell
Nov 26, 2019 8:35 PM
Reply to  Vexarb

Fascinating. The strength of the coming vacuum is accelerating.

Vexarb
Vexarb
Nov 27, 2019 7:54 AM
Reply to  Vexarb

Or this perspective, the view from an Iranian Islamic Communist journalist reporting on a year of violence against ordinary people on the streets, instituted by Macron’s banker-friendly regime in Paris, and linking it to recent attempts by France, UKU$ & Israel to incite street violence in Beirut:

https://thesaker.is/tale-of-3-maronites-an-exile-a-warlord-and-the-arab-nelson-mandela/

“You can find Western mainstream media releases which try to whitewash his [Gegea’s] violent crimes [in alliance with an Israeli army of occupation], but the West generally prefers to keep quiet about him. To many Lebanese Geagea is just a thug, the “biggest [banker-protected] crook of them all”, and not worth my time, but he is critical to understanding Western influence in today’s Lebanon.

The West’s treatment, leniency and open support of the Maronite [Christian] Geagea is far different from how they view another Arab Christian, Georges Ibrahim Abdallah.

Georges Ibrahim Abdallah – the man beyond reproach, and thus the most feared by the US and Israel

Abdallah is Europe’s longest-serving political prisoner, at 35 years and counting, and is known as the “Arab World’s Nelson Mandela”.

George Mc
George Mc
Nov 26, 2019 5:11 PM
Reply to  Jim Brant

“….it used to be that the US was revered for having a system of government that was based on the rule of law with Constitutional checks and balances.”

When was that then?

Vexarb
Vexarb
Nov 27, 2019 8:01 AM
Reply to  George Mc

@George Mc.
Set up according the theory of philosopher John Locke 1689, and regularly cited as a shining example of British Empiricism in practice; read any British textbook on history.

Vexarb
Vexarb
Nov 26, 2019 9:30 AM

Meanwhile in the real world, a sensible comment on strategy in this Syrian turning-point of the global war against Anglo Zio terrorism (AZC & NATZO vs Syria & Allies):

“Mike-Florida BTL SyrPer News #306170

UN put positive spin on what was achieved in the first round of talks in Geneva, but there was little progress made in drafting a new constitution. Meanwhile, honorable Syrian Arab Army steadfastly goes about its business of regaining Syria’s sovereignty – patiently, one step at a time.”

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/hopes-progress-syrian-constitutional-panel-meet-191124185116184.html

Antonym
Antonym
Nov 26, 2019 8:32 AM

Witch hunt morphed itself into Which hunt? or ghost hunt….

Tim Jenkins
Tim Jenkins
Nov 26, 2019 9:27 AM
Reply to  Antonym

Hunting Hunter B. ? !

Are we just going to forget about the Deep State Corporate Agenda’s with Operation Charlemagne & Operation Crossfire Hurricane, HRC, Obama, Renzi, May, GCHQ and the Italian & Ukro-Nazi S.S. Secret Services, then . . . ? Indeed all the orchestrations & Machinations of abuse by our National Security States seems paramount, above all, international conspiracy to Treasonous levels, in many States.

No ghosts, Ant. Heads must roll with public recognition & requisite ignominy.

Rhys Jaggar
Rhys Jaggar
Nov 26, 2019 8:09 AM

‘I can fuck your wife any time I want, but you fuck my wife and you’re fucked, dude.’

That is pretty much the long and the short of this farcical bit of taxpayer-funded nonsense.

Someone should keep score on what this is costing and tell US voters at least once a fortnight what that money could have been spent on if Democrats were not defiling the spirit of the US constitution to carry out a show trial to cover up their own corruption in Ukraine….

Tim Jenkins
Tim Jenkins
Nov 26, 2019 8:50 AM
Reply to  Rhys Jaggar

Exactly that, Rhys: when one thinks of all the constructive decisions that could have been discussed, funded and concluded, (like L.A.’s Homeless), there seems to be little hope that somebody like Robert Mueller will ever get prosecuted for his part in covering up the events of the 11th September 2001:- the swamp is just refilling itself . . .

Meanwhile, the missing $$$Trillions$$$ floats in the wrong hands, continuously,
instead of any prosecutions being initiated.

And, the elites can still run private servers for governMental business, inc. ‘Parallel Platforms’, without fear of indictment, employ any IT guy they want, like the Awan Brothers and presume to extradite and exercise their will abroad @Will, including the case of Julian Assange, where no Laws were actually broken, Excluding Human Rights, other than those of Governmental Censorship of illicit deeds performed by our National Security States, on behalf of our Corporate Dictators, whose reach into & over our sovereign rights is no longer up for discussion in the MSM: all wholly owned and utterly controlled to the point where the BBC can even edit out the audience laughing at the UK Puppet PM Bo. Johnson . . . comprehensive National Security ‘States of Delusion’, springs to mind! Licensed to Kill . . . entirely at will, or ‘rent’ boys & girls, freely, for political favours!
Sick world, Rhys.

Fair dinkum
Fair dinkum
Nov 26, 2019 6:34 AM
Vexarb
Vexarb
Nov 26, 2019 9:58 AM
Reply to  Fair dinkum

Truth Dig and its unimaginative cartoonist seems to me a site proudly related to New York Times and similar partisan anti-Trump propaganda; unless Truth Dig can produce clones of the same cartoon with POTU$A Trump’s facial silhouette replaced by that of every successive POTU$A since, say, Bush Sr. The slice of ham on the pig in that cartoon, the portion labelled LIAR, is specially relevant to Bush Sr — the man who said “Watch my lips” while mouthing a deliberate deception. As for THUG, GREED, ABUSE OF POWER, SUPPRESSION OF FREE SPEECH & FASCISM (especially corporate fascism) they are merely the common currency of successive U$ political regimes in this age of the TELEVISION STAR.

John Thatcher
John Thatcher
Nov 26, 2019 10:27 AM
Reply to  Fair dinkum

That isn’t what Hedges was saying is it Fair Dinkum.He was pointing out that there are a number of grounds for impeachment,but unfortunately,OBama,and Bush (and no doubt many more former presidents,my addition) would be equally guilty so no one wants to go there especially the wretched Democrats.

Martin Usher
Martin Usher
Nov 27, 2019 4:29 AM
Reply to  John Thatcher

The problem Trump has is that he believes his own BS — he thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room which in DC is likely have very negative consequences. He doesn’t know what he is allowed to do and he’s surrounded by sycophants who won’t tell him (and will manipulate him to their advantage). Unfortunately, in the words of Harry Truman “The Buck Stops Here”, there’s no point in dispatching Gulliani to do Trump’s dirty work because ultimately the responsibility will rest with Trump.

Bush and Obama might pursue similar naff policy options but they wouldn’t get Trump type blowback. Bush 2 had people like Cheney as his VP so while B2 might not be 100% up to speed with what’s going on Cheney definitely would be and that’s one political animal you don’t mess with. Obama was not only very smart indeed but had a good team, he also knows the Constitution inside out so I never expected him to get into trouble.

Ricardo Fernandez
Ricardo Fernandez
Nov 27, 2019 5:26 AM
Reply to  Martin Usher

After all is said and done only the rich will have their fun…& Epstein didnt kill himself..