Johnson has two days to schedule an action: The House can vote on the resolution directly, refer it to a committee, or vote to kill it.
Republicans are very deliberately pointing to the war in Iran as the sole reason for the midterm drubbing. Maybe there are enough Republicans who buy in to that to actually vote to convict.
Ever since the Midterms, I’ve noticed my Schadenfreude has become somewhat unreasonable.
Some yummy yummy schadenfreude for my trumpist coworker (though she weakly attempts to make herself look reasonable by saying she liked j d 
) Anyway she was pontificating to non trumper coworker about piously not voting for Benson for Michigan gov. because, Benson broke the law She was not being ironic. Another coworker whose politics were unknown … till now barked: “Well your president is a fucking rapist!” Oh first nontrumper coworker and I laughed about that all day yesterday. 
Thanks for that. It outlines nicely what Hegseth should be impeached for, and why. Basically, it’s for attempting to curtail Senator Kelly’s senatorial and First Amendment free speech rights (“You do not have to follow illegal orders”); for the attack on the Iranian school where children were killed; for using the military to sink alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific (it’s the Coast Guard’s job to investigate, not sink and kill, alleged drug boats); and for kidnapping Venezuelan President Maduro under the pretense of fighting drugs while all the time, it was about oil.
Laws and cases are cited for each, which makes for some pretty thick reading, but I’d suggest that those are the high points. Still, it’s worth a read. Thanks again!
If people want a more dedicated (and non-Pit conversation) about Hegseth, this thread has been brought back to life:
I find myself wondering if, as as matter of strategy, it might be wise for Democrats to reject Massie’s Articles, and wait until January to present them as written (when they control both houses).
I recognize that this carries the risk that in 2027 there will be fewer than thirteen Senate Pubbies willing to go along with that admittedly cynical tactic. To be clear, it’s not exactly a slam-dunk that the current Senate would convict, so it might be worth the risk.
Does double jeopardy apply to impeachments? That is, if Hegseth is impeached and acquitted by the current Congress (Senate), can the next one bring the same Articles against him?
I think that would help guarantee a red wave in a couple of years. The Democrats showing that they’re full of shit and don’t actually mean anything they claim to stand for, but just want to get a “win”… The reason why I vote Democrat is because they don’t do that. I don’t want two parties who are only different because they use different names.
An impeachment is a political action, it’s not a criminal trial and protections against criminal prosecution (such as double jeopardy) don’t apply. That also means that if someone is impeached and removed from office for actions they’ve taken, they can then subsequently be sued and/or prosecuted for those same actions without having to worry about double jeopardy.
Presidential Immunity, Criminal Liability, and the Impeachment Judgment Clause
Congress’s views, as is often the case given its fragmented structure, are more difficult to discern. Neither chamber, however, appears to view the Clause or the principles of double jeopardy as limiting the exercise of its impeachment powers. In the 1980s, for example, three federal judges were impeached and removed for criminal conduct after their trials. In two of the cases, the judge was tried and convicted before being impeached and removed. In neither case did either body suggest that those convictions were improper under the Impeachment Judgment Clause. In the third case, the judge was acquitted in his criminal trial, only to then be impeached and removed by the Senate. That impeachment proceeding suggests that Congress did not view a criminal acquittal followed by an impeachment conviction as presenting any double jeopardy concerns. Both the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate during the trial explicitly rejected such arguments, reasoning, in short, that “impeachment is not a criminal proceeding” and thus double jeopardy concerns do not attach.
(Bolding mine.)
The danger of holding multiple impeachments for the same person for the same reasons is a political one; it will naturally raise the question of “why are you doing this again” and give the appearance of vindictiveness.
Well, I did say it would be cynical.
Glad to know about the double jeopardy thing, though. Suppose next year’s Senate could go after the America-hating fuckstick for J6 again?
They could. But in this case, they can have their cake and eat it too.
There’s a not insignificant number of (rather dumb) people who would think it’s vindictiveness to go for the same charges again.
But there’s so many new things he has done and continues to do that they could target. Unlikely to ultimately prevail but they do have to at least try. There will still also be some (different but also rather dumb) people who don’t understand why/how they can’t get him out of office if they have a simple majority, but you fight the fights that should be fought, not just the ones you think you can win.
I gave up on this thread after the '24 election, feeling (perhaps incorrectly) that no puny schadenfreude could make up for the ongoing disaster epic unfolding before our eyes.
It’s good to be back.
Personally I feel like I’ve come back from “I’m literally watching the end of the United States for better or worse” and I’m back to my usual of being pissed off and/or worried about the bad shit going on (which is how I felt from 2016-2024).
I’m waiting until 2028 to see if the country is actually going to be something I’m not totally ashamed of.
There is no reason a new Senate can’t retry Hegseth on the same articles of impeachment. Find the part of the Constitution that prohibits double jeopardy in impeachments. More realistically, the new House could approve new articles of impeachment and the new Senate could try him even for the same conduct.
Peter would be best off to take the impeachment and get the fuck gone before January.
Why, could Congressional action land him in prison, as well as impeachment? Wouldn’t that require a separate, DoJ prosecution (for whatever he might go to prison for)?
By “gone” I mean another country without extradition treaties with the US. Iran is one, but probably not the best choice.
I think it’s a fine idea to deport Pete Hegseth to Iran. I expect it would make it much easier to end this war on favorable terms.
More like be saved by double jeopardy.
The International Crimes Court is a distinct possibility. The US signed the treaty then withdrew its signature but I think there is nothing preventing voluntarily turning an accused over to them when summoned.
From the defendant’s point of view, of course. I was looking at it from the point of view of the people striving for impeachment, as I assume the majority of us would be on that side on this issue.
Harrison Butker is the placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs. Over the past several seasons, he has been an extremely important member of the team.
In 2024, Butker gave the commencement address at Benedictine College, a small private school in nearby Atchison, Kansas. In his speech, Butker essentially said that gays should stay in the closet and the place for women is at home raising children.
He of course caught a lot of flak for those words, but that didn’t stop him from meeting with Trump in the White House. He also started a PAC, which was designed to promote conservative Christian values.
Upright PAC has raised a whopping total of $41k and spent most of it, none of which was donated to political campaigns. The website redirects to a gambling site, and the PAC’s bank account shows less than a thousand bucks.
Oh, and Butker is having the worst year of his career this season. His job with the Chiefs is in severe jeopardy.