# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/121 "2019-09-25T13:12:52Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > But they have zero reasons to release it. Like I said in post 118… > [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > If the Ukrainians have a recording of the call and Trump puts out a false transcript, he will have literally created kompromat out of thin air for them. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/122 "2019-09-25T13:15:16Z")
If the Ukrainians have a recording and the Democrats reach out to them for it, the administration will accuse the Democrats of doing exactly what they are accusing Trump of doing – reaching out to a foreign country to get compromising information on a political rival. So far, it seems like the whistle blower really wants to testify – can the administration just restrict what he or she says or whether they can testify at all? What happens if the whistle blower testifies anyway? Because so far, if the House wants something they are legally entitled to that the administration wants to withhold, the administration just says, no, you can’t have it, sorry, see you in court. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/123 "2019-09-25T13:32:35Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > surely there’s at least one person in his inner circle smart enough to stop him from doing this. Maybe there used to be, but it appears he’s purged them all by now. > [@RitterSport](#): > > If the Ukrainians have a recording and the Democrats reach out to them for it, the administration will accuse the Democrats of doing exactly what they are accusing Trump of doing – reaching out to a foreign country to get compromising information on a political rival. Oh, there’s no doubt the retort will be essentially “no u”. It’s happening already. > [@](#): > > So far, it seems like the whistle blower really wants to testify – can the administration just restrict what he or she says or whether they can testify at all? Add Obstruction of Justice to the charges, along with the ones from the Mueller report. > [@](#): > > Because so far, if the House wants something they are legally entitled to that the administration wants to withhold, the administration just says, no, you can’t have it, sorry, see you in court. _United States v. Nixon_ is the precedent. Expect Gorsuch and Kavanaugh to be among the votes to overturn it - that’s why they’re there. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/124 "2019-09-25T13:43:28Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Congress should demand the recording or nothing. A false transcript will have the same effect as Barr’s false summary – make this seem like no big deal, and then when the real transcript is eventually released, it will just seem like an incremental thing, rather than a blockbuster. That is exactly their tactic, and how they buried the Mueller report. It lets the public accept it in several smaller stages which boils the frog slowly. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/125 "2019-09-25T13:45:39Z")
Speaking of the white house releasing documents, Faux news has an exclusive! “A senior Trump administration official told Fox News late Tuesday that the administration will release a document showing the intelligence community inspector general found the whistleblower who leveled an [explosive accusation against President Trump](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pelosi-expected-to-announce-formal-impeachment-inquiry-against-trump-at-5-pm-et) concerning his [talks with Ukraine](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pelosi-expected-to-announce-formal-impeachment-inquiry-against-trump-at-5-pm-et) had “political bias” in favor of “a rival candidate” of the president.” > **[WH to release document showing intel community watchdog found whistleblower...](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry-whistleblower-complaint-release-congress-white-house)** > > The White House is working as quickly as it can to release to Congress a whistleblower complaint involving President Trump's conversations with the leader of Ukraine, as long as it's legally possible, a senior administration official told Fox... ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/126 "2019-09-25T13:52:20Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > If the Ukrainians have a recording and the Democrats reach out to them for it, the administration will accuse the Democrats of doing exactly what they are accusing Trump of doing – reaching out to a foreign country to get compromising information on a political rival. > > So far, it seems like the whistle blower really wants to testify – can the administration just restrict what he or she says or whether they can testify at all? What happens if the whistle blower testifies anyway? > > Because so far, if the House wants something they are legally entitled to that the administration wants to withhold, the administration just says, no, you can’t have it, sorry, see you in court. Meanwhile, Trump’s [Ministry of Truth](https://www.foxnews.com/us/political-bias-trump-whistleblower-impeachment-ukraine) is already springing into action to pre-smear the whistleblower’s credibility using exquisitely concern-trolly headlines like “Questions about alleged political bias of Trump whistleblower emerge; Will impeachment probe backfire on Dems?” It’s gonna get really slimy, really quick. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/127 "2019-09-25T14:04:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > How is a meaningless and impotent indictment “doing what’s right for the country”? You are talking as if there is the slightest change trump will be removed- hint- he wont be. > > 4 more years of trump would be horrible. What’s right for the country is a complete public airing of how this POTUS has abused his power and how his party has not just turned a blind eye but actively abetted him. An impeachment inquiry is the most powerful means of making that airing happen. Believe me, I get that actual impeachment will probably be a futile gesture and may even backfire. But at this moment, given the developments of the last week, the \*inquiry \*is what’s right for the country. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/128 "2019-09-25T14:07:58Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > 12 hours ago, [NPR published this story](https://www.npr.org/2019/09/24/763575677/impeachment-has-never-been-very-popular-but-that-hasnt-stopped-congress-before): Right there in your quote is a problem illustrative of what I’ve been saying about the claim that impeachment can only help Trump. They make a claim about independent voters and don’t even say who they are or offer any proof of this. Can you, or anyone else, show me evidence that just because people in the past haven’t been for impeachment, that this translated into more votes for the person being impeached? Not correlative evidence, but actual causal evidence? I’ve never seen it and would truly like to if it’s out there. ETA: because if it’s persuasive, I can shut up about my theory that impeachment might harm Trump more than help him. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/129 "2019-09-25T14:08:37Z")
The [transcript](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/politics/ukraine-transcript-trump.html#click=https://t.co/Je8sXOAvii) is released. And for an exculpatory document, it’s pretty damning. Trump asking the president directly to work with Barr and Giuliani to investigate Biden. _“The other thing, there’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/130 "2019-09-25T14:13:24Z")
[Yesterday, the White House was planning on releasing a \*\*redacted \*\*version of the whistleblower complaint.](https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1176704781534081028/photo/1) First of all, can we just take a moment to admire the shiny, solid iron \*balls \*it takes to try to pull something like that? Secondly, why the hell is the subject of a whistleblower complaint allowed anywhere \*near \*the chain of custody of the complaint?! ---
**Author:** ![Annoyed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Annoyed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoyed)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/131 "2019-09-25T14:14:05Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Um… we know things about the contents of the call, we know things about the whistleblower, and we know things about the contents of his complaint. Like it’s in all the papers. You should maybe read up on it a bit before you start making predictions. > > We don’t know everything yet, but that doesn’t mean we know nothing. Knowing an anti trump whistleblower leaked info to the press (or his advisors/coaches) claiming vague things is not “knowing something” at all. Nobody in this thread knows shit, nor does anyone else. But hey, every other time the left has tried this shit on it backfired spectacularly. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/132 "2019-09-25T14:23:12Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > The [transcript](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/politics/ukraine-transcript-trump.html#click=https://t.co/Je8sXOAvii) is released. And for an exculpatory document, it’s pretty damning. Trump asking the president directly to work with Barr and Giuliani to investigate Biden. > > _“The other thing, there’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great.”_ And yet, I can see why Trump thinks it was a perfect phone call: - He’s told that Ukraine is learning from Trump and draining the swamp - He’s told that foreign leaders are staying at his hotels - He’s told that Merkel sucks - He’s told that Rudy has a direct line to a foreign president I seriously wonder what Ukrainians are thinking, since their president has been exposed as such a MAGA sycophant. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2019, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/133 "2019-09-25T14:33:13Z")
Wow, that “transcript” is way worse than I thought it would be. I figured we’d have to wait for the whistleblower to testify to verify Trump specifically asked for a political opponent to be investigated by a foreign power. But it’s right there. Hard not to at least consider impeachment when the wrongdoing is so blatant. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/134 "2019-09-25T14:33:26Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > And yet, I can see why Trump thinks it was a perfect phone call: > > - He’s told that Ukraine is learning from Trump and draining the swamp > - He’s told that foreign leaders are staying at his hotels > - He’s told that Merkel sucks > - He’s told that Rudy has a direct line to a foreign president > > I seriously wonder what Ukrainians are thinking, since their president has been exposed as such a MAGA sycophant. When I read those in the transcript I genuinely laughed. That Ukrainian president is smart. He knows that the way to Trump’s heart is through flattery and he layered it on so thick it would seem awkward to anyone else but Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/135 "2019-09-25T14:38:48Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Wow, that “transcript” is way worse than I thought it would be. I figured we’d have to wait for the whistleblower to testify to verify Trump specifically asked for a political opponent to be investigated by a foreign power. But it’s right there. Hard not to at least consider impeachment when the wrongdoing is so blatant. Hard to see how he is not impeached. Then, let each GOP senator go on the record saying that this shit is just peachy. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2019, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/136 "2019-09-25T14:44:55Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Wow, that “transcript” is way worse than I thought it would be. I figured we’d have to wait for the whistleblower to testify to verify Trump specifically asked for a political opponent to be investigated by a foreign power. But it’s right there. Hard not to at least consider impeachment when the wrongdoing is so blatant. So Trump says this: > [@](#): > > Will the Democrats apologize after seeing what was said on the call with the Ukrainian President? They should, a perfect call - got them by surprise! And the folks over on r/Conservative agree wholeheartedly. The whole transcript is a nothingburger, they say, and it shows a perfectly normal call, nothing bad in it, nope, everything’s fine. So that’s the angle. Commit wrongdoing right out in the open and pretend it’s not wrongdoing. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/137 "2019-09-25T14:52:37Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Senate business is what the Majority Leader says it is. The claim by the NYT is that there is no obvious means to enforce that said leader to bring it to the senate. How does it get there without that? By what mechanism? The NYT suggests that Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. _may_ actually wield that authority … but it is not clear. > > You have some text to quote that shows how business can get to the Senate without the Majority Leader bringing it there? Go ahead, show us. We’ll wait. > [@KarlGauss](#): > > By not accepting the charge? What is to stop him from simply saying, “I will take the House’s charges under advisement” and then sitting on them? Is that unconstitutional? Well, then it would go to SCOTUS to decide, no? Does the constitution have any more to say about such a situation than it does about an Executive who defies Congressional subpoenas? I could have multi-quoted others, but there’s no need, if the following is correct. Ahem: Not even a subhuman like McConnell would try to subvert a Senate trial after a president has been impeached. What he did as far as Garland does not even merit discussion here. Nomination hearings are a dime a dozen. As we all know, impeachment is as rare as hen’s teeth, and is undeniably one of the most important parts of the constitution. No, even McConnell wouldn’t fuck with that. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/138 "2019-09-25T14:54:35Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Wow, that “transcript” is way worse than I thought it would be. I figured we’d have to wait for the whistleblower to testify to verify Trump specifically asked for a political opponent to be investigated by a foreign power. But it’s right there. Hard not to at least consider impeachment when the wrongdoing is so blatant. [Particularly when you look at the timeline:](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/9/24/20881505/donald-trump-withhold-aid-ukraine-timeline-whistleblower) One week before this phone call, Trump personally told his chief of staff to withhold the military aid that Congress had approved. Then the phone call asking for favors. Also, one has to look at Guilani’s trip to Ukraine. It’s blatantly obvious to all but those who are firmly in the Trump Camp. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/139 "2019-09-25T14:58:28Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > No, even McConnell wouldn’t fuck with that. :dubious: ---
**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:** [September 25, 2019, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771/140 "2019-09-25T14:58:53Z")
This transcript is fucking _insane_. Imploring the Ukrainian President to find a secret DNC server in his country? Imagine his other calls to world leaders. :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-inquiry/840771.md?page=8)