# The Trump Impeachment Inquiry **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 24, 2019, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771 "2019-09-24T20:23:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 234
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4661 "2019-11-15T16:31:12Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > President attempts to intimidate witness by tweeting about her. > > Schiff reads tweet to get it in the Record, and asks her to respond to the President’s tweet. … > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Did Trump just try and intimidate a witness _in real time_? > [@RitterSport](#): > > … Anyway, to the posters here in general, do you think those tweets would actually lead to an additional witness tampering or intimidation charge? Because that would be awesome. I don’t understand how Trump tweeting that he thinks Yovanovitch was bad at her job is supposed to amount to “witness intimidation”. He fired her months ago, right? His mentioning of “at the pleasure of the President” can’t be construed as a threat because he can’t extra-double fire her. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4662 "2019-11-15T16:33:21Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I don’t understand how Trump tweeting that he thinks Yovanovitch was bad at her job is supposed to amount to “witness intimidation”. He fired her months ago, right? His mentioning of “at the pleasure of the President” can’t be construed as a threat because he can’t extra-double fire her. He can fire other diplomats, you know. If you are a diplomat, and your sworn duty requires you to displeasure the president, then you can count on losing your job. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4663 "2019-11-15T16:38:00Z")
Guys, the Fox News taking points have changed in the past hour. Even Ken fucking Starr claimed “The president was not advised by counsel in deciding to do this tweet. Extraordinarily poor judgment… Obviously this was quite injurious.” ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4664 "2019-11-15T16:41:11Z")
The current headline on [Foxnews.com](http://Foxnews.com) appears to encourage the tweet: “MIDAS IN REVERSE? Trump trolls ambassador as she testifies, says all her diplomatic assignments ‘turned bad’” ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4665 "2019-11-15T16:41:16Z")
[John Roberts](https://twitter.com/johnrobertsFox/status/1195362746801500160), _Fox News_: > [@](#): > > Wow…this is really unprecedented. @realDonaldTrump and Amb Yovanovitch are talking to each other in real time through @Twitter and Television… Something I never thought I would ever see. [Aaron Rupar](https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1195371261456728064), _Vox_: > [@](#): > > Wow. Fox News’ Bret Baier says that Trump’s tweets attacking Yovanovitch could be construed as witness intimidation and hence “adding essentially an article of impeachment in real time as this hearing is going on.” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4666 "2019-11-15T16:41:52Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I don’t understand how Trump tweeting that he thinks Yovanovitch was bad at her job is supposed to amount to “witness intimidation”. He fired her months ago, right? His mentioning of “at the pleasure of the President” can’t be construed as a threat because he can’t extra-double fire her. If that asshole has something to say, he should march right over to those hearings and say it in person. BTW, forbidding his Trumpeteers from testifying, then mouthing off constantly from the safety of his toilet seat is pure hypocrisy. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4667 "2019-11-15T16:42:58Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > He can fire other diplomats, you know. If you are a diplomat, and your sworn duty requires you to displeasure the president, then you can count on losing your job. Ok, so the argument is that he wasn’t intimidating Yovanovitch, but some other State Department bureaucrat? ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4668 "2019-11-15T16:45:59Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Ok, so the argument is that he wasn’t intimidating Yovanovitch, but some other State Department bureaucrat? It’s pretty clearly both. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4669 "2019-11-15T16:47:20Z")
The Presidency is a pretty important and powerful office, ISTM. Some say the most powerful in the world! If so, then negative personal utterances, in public, against someone testifying with information that might be harmful, might be inherently intimidating due to the power of the office (which appears to be how Yovanavitch feels, based on her testimony). But IANAL. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4670 "2019-11-15T16:47:40Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > It’s pretty clearly both. No, there’s nothing “clear” about that. How is it “witness intimidation” of Yovanovitch? He thinks Yovanovitch was bad at her job. That’s been pretty clear at least since he fired her back in May. Now she’s testifying and he publicly reiterated that he thinks she’s bad at her job. How is that supposed to be “intimidation”? ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4671 "2019-11-15T16:47:48Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Ok, so the argument is that he wasn’t intimidating Yovanovitch, but some other State Department bureaucrat? Looky here - he CAN put 2 and 2 together and get 4! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4672 "2019-11-15T16:49:13Z")
It’s jury tampering as well, given that the Senate GOP lives on his Tweets. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4673 "2019-11-15T16:50:30Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > No, there’s nothing “clear” about that. How is it “witness intimidation” of Yovanovitch? He thinks Yovanovitch was bad at her job. That’s been pretty clear at least since he fired her back in May. Now she’s testifying and he publicly reiterated that he thinks she’s bad at her job. How is that supposed to be “intimidation”? If Trump met your own definition of intimidating witnesses, would you support impeachment? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4674 "2019-11-15T16:50:42Z")
Apropos of nothing, Roger Stone was just found guilty… of witness tampering. Guilty on all 7 counts, with the last being witness tampering. > ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4675 "2019-11-15T16:50:49Z")
BREAKING NEWS - the jury is in and Roger Stone has been found guilty! Curses! Ninja’d by **JohnT** ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4676 "2019-11-15T16:51:07Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > If Trump met your own definition of intimidating witnesses, would you support impeachment? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4677 "2019-11-15T16:51:42Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > BREAKING NEWS - the jury is in and Roger Stone has been found guilty of at least 4 of the 7 counts. Apparently the verdict is still being read in court. Guilty on all charges now. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4678 "2019-11-15T16:51:45Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > No, there’s nothing “clear” about that. How is it “witness intimidation” of Yovanovitch? He thinks Yovanovitch was bad at her job. That’s been pretty clear at least since he fired her back in May. Now she’s testifying and he publicly reiterated that he thinks she’s bad at her job. How is that supposed to be “intimidation”? You should turn on Foxnews. The talking point is supposed to concede that this was a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4679 "2019-11-15T16:52:06Z")
In other news… [Justin Sink](https://twitter.com/justinsink/status/1195382667954606081), _Bloomberg_: > [@](#): > > \*ROGER STONE IS GUILTY IN U.S. TRIAL OVER LIES ABOUT 2016 LEAKS > > \*VERDICT MAKES STONE LATEST TRUMP AIDE TO FACE PRISON ETA: ninja’d ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/4680 "2019-11-15T16:53:53Z")
Stone is found guilty of obstructing Congress at the same time Trump is _actively obstructing Congress_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771.md?page=233) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771.md?page=235)