I have to say, using the pit as a HD free zone is brilliant. It’s an elegant workaround to the feckless moderation of him.
I was talking about the hearings with a colleague today. Everyday there is are astounding revelations on the depravity of this administration and the transparent disregard the GOP has for democracy and the rule of law. Yesterday, the GOP did their best to besmirch the reputation of a uniformed officer. What’s truly astounding is how blasé we all are to it, his base won’t abandon him no matter what he does and the decent people are just numb to it all.
Sondland just spoke about being the son of an immigrant. Want to bet that the next talking point, based on Sondland and Vindman, is that immigrants are conspiring against Trump. And, that they aren’t REAL Americans
This Sondland opening statement is really something, isn’t it? Confirms the overheard phone call, confirms the quid pro quo, confirms that it was for security assistance, confirms that all of this was bad. The only line he hasn’t been willing to cross is anything that makes him look bad – he wants to make clear that he wasn’t part of the “irregular” channel except as much as the president asked him to, that he kept State informed at all times. But this all feels very different from his previous testimony.
What’s amazing on Sondland’s statement is that it confirms ever damning fact, but in a “gee whiz guys” tone. “Well yeah Charlie asked me and the gang to pop over to the Tate mansion and kill them all, I’m pretty sure I told you guys all that stuff…”
They’ve moved on from that, and are now saying that “quid pro quo” just means that you’re getting something in return, and everyone does that all the time. That started with Mulvaney’s disaster of a press conference, and I’ve seen it a few times since.
Ultimately, all Trump really has is “yeah, I did it, what you gonna do about it?” though he’ll try to keep claiming he didn’t do it for a few more days at least.
Yeah, they’re employing the throw it at a wall and see what sticks approach. They also are arguing that no one has used the word bribery. They seem to think that crimes are not crimes if you don’t use the magic words; it’s not murder unless you say murder during the shooting. They’re fortunate in that their base are so uninformed.
Here on the SDMB, the only Trump defense being offered at the moment is:
“Well maybe there was a super secret FBI investigation going on about Biden in Ukraine, and it’s UP TO THE DEMOCRATS to prove that this secret investigation did not exist.”
Stupid? Yes.
But that’s all there is so far. Otherwise? Crickets. Until Fox News tells the resident apologists what to say. They don’t appear to be able to come up with the talking points by themselves.
Hunter Biden is sooooo guilty, Trump Republicans can’t even find any probable cause with all the levers of government they control to go out and arrest him and haul him up on charges. That wiley son of a Biden!!