Info PSA- Public impeachments start today- UPDATE 2/5/2020- Trump wins.

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compuwiz1

Admin Emeritus Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
27,112
930
126
in a normal trial you are supposed to excuse yourself if u have conflict of interest

Why is this not the same?

There are 4 democratic Senators running for President, who are participating in the impeachment process. Don't even talk to me about conflicts of interest. This is not a trial in a court. This is not a normal trial and expectations that it should follow same procedures and rules would be wrong. I hear a lot of people talking that do not understand this, out there where I live.
 

hal2kilo

Lifer
Feb 24, 2009
26,610
12,699
136
There are 4 democratic Senators running for President, who are participating in the impeachment process. Don't even talk to me about conflicts of interest. This is not a trial in a court. This is not a normal trial and expectations that it should follow same procedures and rules would be wrong. I hear a lot of people talking that do not understand this, out there where I live.
Then each political party has a conflict of interest.
 

akenbennu

Senior member
Jul 24, 2005
781
356
136
Then each political party has a conflict of interest.

There's a large difference between the Biden nepotism "This looks a little shady." to the Trump "We're going to openly flaunt holding up funding as leverage and circumvent normal processes because we can't have anyone know what's going on."
 
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TeeJay1952

Golden Member
May 28, 2004
1,532
191
106
examining "Burden Sharing":
If 2 brothers and 2 sisters chip in to keep Mom afloat and someone is contributing less than their share, Would you speak to the one who is coming up short or would you tell Mom and pressure her to 'do you a favor"?
I cry out for some common sense to be applied.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
73,699
35,538
136
There are 4 democratic Senators running for President, who are participating in the impeachment process. Don't even talk to me about conflicts of interest. This is not a trial in a court. This is not a normal trial and expectations that it should follow same procedures and rules would be wrong. I hear a lot of people talking that do not understand this, out there where I live.
So the Republicans' incessant whining about due process in the impeachment has been utter horseshit? Who knew?
 

SMOGZINN

Lifer
Jun 17, 2005
14,359
4,640
136
So the Republicans' incessant whining about due process in the impeachment has been utter horseshit? Who knew?

The funny thing about this is that this is the time for that due process they keep going on about, and now they are desperate to avoid it. You don't get 'due process' during the investigation, you get it during the trial.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
63,635
20,089
136
There are 4 democratic Senators running for President, who are participating in the impeachment process. Don't even talk to me about conflicts of interest. This is not a trial in a court. This is not a normal trial and expectations that it should follow same procedures and rules would be wrong. I hear a lot of people talking that do not understand this, out there where I live.
It's not a conflict of interest because they believe they're acting in the public interest, obviously.
 

hal2kilo

Lifer
Feb 24, 2009
26,610
12,699
136
Ha Ha! Rand was trying to get the whistleblowers name (my speculation), Roberts basically has him pound sand, and refused to read the question. First denial that I know of.
Turns out my speculation was correct.

 
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interchange

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
8,031
2,886
136
I don't think running foul of a specific legal statute would matter any more either. After this trial the precedent that will have been set is that a President can't even be investigated unless they willingly cooperate. By claiming absolute immunity, and abusing 'executive privilege' they can keep it tied up in court for years. When the Senate gets away with this they will have removed their ability to be a balance on the President. I know that Republicans think that they are going to get a few court cases after this is all over limiting the abuse of executive privilege and absolute immunity, but any smart President from now on will find some new excuse, no matter how flimsy, on why those court rulings don't apply in this case and require it to be retried, and there is nothing Congress can do about it.

1. Impeachment was never intended to be applied as requiring violation of a specific criminal statute. There were no federal criminal crimes until 1789 anyway.
2. The ability to delay well past the election absolutely are relevant to why the Senate should put more pressure with their own subpoenas and decide the matter via the second article of impeachment should the admin continue to obstruct well beyond any reasonable arguments of privilege. I feel that even should they suddenly fully comply there is plenty of obstructing acts (defiance of subpoenas, tampering witnesses and jurors, continued coordination with co-conspirators, etc.) making removal on this count necessary, however I can respect earnest difference on this
3. There are actually also criminal violations of law. One in obstruction. But also in running afoul of the impoundment control act in withholding aid, and they obviously knew of this problem in their creative actions to try to circumvent at least awareness of the act. While the impoundment control act is law, it's not criminal law. Even still, conspiracy to violate this law for something of value in an election is definitely a crime.
 
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Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,686
136
If Trump can do what ever he believes is best for the country which is him leading it, and is allowed to use foreign governments to help make that happen, what's to stop him from altering or removing our voting rights? The very fact that they believe he can do what ever he wants, even election interference on the premise that the best thing for our country is him leading it, 1) on some level invalidates our voting process, 2) is one of the premises or a building block of a dictatorship.

Democracy is the Enemy of the People!
 
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[DHT]Osiris

Lifer
Dec 15, 2015
17,565
16,930
146
Was that seriously a question as to whether impeaching the president is undermining future elections by preventing him from running again?

Who the fuck is seriously contemplating these thoughts and how did they take office?
 
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hal2kilo

Lifer
Feb 24, 2009
26,610
12,699
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Was that seriously a question as to whether impeaching the president is undermining future elections by preventing him from running again?

Who the fuck is seriously contemplating these thoughts and how did they take office?
Typical Sekulow.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,686
136
There are 4 democratic Senators running for President, who are participating in the impeachment process. Don't even talk to me about conflicts of interest. This is not a trial in a court. This is not a normal trial and expectations that it should follow same procedures and rules would be wrong. I hear a lot of people talking that do not understand this, out there where I live.

That's hardly the same. Dem Senators did not participate in the high crimes described in the writ. If Graham knew of them as they unfolded then he is complicit & corrupt. Trump's lawyers aren't arguing that those events did not occur but rather that it's fine that they did. That's deeply immoral & utterly wrong, but who cares, right? Y'all knew that about Trump the first time you voted for him.
 
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Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
33,657
13,357
136
There are 4 democratic Senators running for President, who are participating in the impeachment process. Don't even talk to me about conflicts of interest. This is not a trial in a court. This is not a normal trial and expectations that it should follow same procedures and rules would be wrong. I hear a lot of people talking that do not understand this, out there where I live.

the person running the trial declared himself biased before the trial ever started.
 

outriding

Diamond Member
Feb 20, 2002
4,681
4,190
136
There are 4 democratic Senators running for President, who are participating in the impeachment process. Don't even talk to me about conflicts of interest. This is not a trial in a court. This is not a normal trial and expectations that it should follow same procedures and rules would be wrong. I hear a lot of people talking that do not understand this, out there where I live.


So..

You are saying (Person on trial + Juror running against person on trial) = (Person on trial + Juror who was driving the get away for the person on trial)
 
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SMOGZINN

Lifer
Jun 17, 2005
14,359
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1. Impeachment was never intended to be applied as requiring violation of a specific criminal statute. There were no federal criminal crimes until 1789 anyway.

I completely agree. Impeachment was always intended to be a balance on a strong executive. The Founding Fathers made it clear that they were much more afraid of the President becoming a king than Congress overstepping it's bounds.

2. The ability to delay well past the election absolutely are relevant to why the Senate should put more pressure with their own subpoenas and decide the matter via the second article of impeachment should the admin continue to obstruct well beyond any reasonable arguments of privilege. I feel that even should they suddenly fully comply there is plenty of obstructing acts (defiance of subpoenas, tampering witnesses and jurors, continued coordination with co-conspirators, etc.) making removal on this count necessary, however I can respect earnest difference on this

How do you do this if the Executive branch simply refuses to cooperate? What happens when, not if, they send the Sargent-at-Arms and the Whitehouse, DOJ, etc. simply refuses to acknowledge his authority and bar him access to the witness or documents being subpoenaed? That was the reason the House didn't try that tactic, it was almost certainly going to make matters worse, because once he is denied they have basically two choices, authorize him to use violence, and very likely start a civil war, or go to court. Might as well skip the step and just go to the courts.

3. There are actually also criminal violations of law. One in obstruction. But also in running afoul of the impoundment control act in withholding aid, and they obviously knew of this problem in their creative actions to try to circumvent at least awareness of the act. While the impoundment control act is law, it's not criminal law. Even still, conspiracy to violate this law for something of value in an election is definitely a crime.

Once again I agree. In fact I think there were several other laws broken during all this, as well as the Emoluments clause.
 

ivwshane

Lifer
May 15, 2000
33,761
17,403
136
Schiff is destroying the white house councils argument that the subpoenas the house issued before the impeachment resolution were invalid.
 
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hal2kilo

Lifer
Feb 24, 2009
26,610
12,699
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Bimbo time. Apparently, she on the destroy the Bidens patrol.
The prosecutor that everyone wanted out. Geez over and over.
 
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