Cute, but I’d prefer zip ties and frog marches.
Couldn’t they be expelled from Congress for this?
At the very, very least, those members who were not authorized to be in the SCIF, or who brought electronic devices, should have their security clearances suspended pending review. They appeared to put politics ahead of national security, which should lead to revocation of their security clearances.
Re Trump being called to testify, I think people around him will try to keep him from showing up, no matter what. It isn’t just perjury he has to be afraid of. I’m certain he would quickly be in a position with the following 3 choices: 1. Admit a crime for which he can be prosecuted after he leaves office, 2. Commit perjury, 3. Take the 5th. Anyone with any sense would advise him to even accept contempt sanctions over that. BUT, Trump himself doesn’t have much sense. (Also, he is unlikely to recognize when he is in that 3 choice position.) I think Democrats (not House Democrats, necessarily), should start a campaign of baiting him into it. Like, someone with bigger hands would testify. He’s clearly afraid that Schiff and Pelosi will outsmart him, etc.
Re What Republicans are arguing. For a while, there seemed to be no coordinated defense, and Republicans were stepping on themselves, and having the White House turn around and undermine the idiotic defenses being put out. Now, it seems like they are coalescing on criticism of the process, regardless, of course, of the validity of the criticism. But it does mean that they don’t have to say whether Trump did anything, or if he did, whether it was bad, or if bad, bad enough to be impeachable. My guess is that, first and foremost, Trump would not tolerate Republicans saying he did anything other than have a perfect phone call. Second, no one could keep up this kind of defense given the chaotic messages from the White House, ranging from “Yeah, we did it. Get over it,” to “but there was no quid pro quo,” to “it was a perfect phone call, no pressure.” (All quotes are intended to be close paraphrases.)
They should all, including Trump, be charged with obstruction of justice and have their clearances suspended.
Im 98% sure Congresscritters don’t need, or have, security clearances. Their election gives them clearance.
But the House can simply decide not to let them in classified briefings.
Here’s the relevant section from the House Select Committee’s Benghazi report:
So why has Matt Gaetz taken it upon himself to be The Orange Menace’s personal henchman? This is the second time he’s crashed a hearing where he was not authorized to be in attendance.
Also, what is the door security situation? I would think officers would bar unauthorized entrance. Are there no security officers to stop them?
I’m beyond ready for the Dems to start baring teeth. They have looked feckless and weak through this whole process. I’m ready for a perp walk next time someone breaks a law.
Instead, it’s like “well yea that WAS against the law, buuuut…”
Also, notably, of the 24 congressmen protesting that they don’t have access to these private meetings, 12 of them are on the relevant committees. So, they stormed a meeting to demand access to a meeting that they are cordially invited to attend.
“Notably, according to a list provided by Gaetz’s office of the Republicans who RSVP’d to join the protest, 12 of them are members of the Oversight or Foreign Affairs committees — including Rep. Jim Jordan, the ranking member on the Oversight Committee — meaning they have been allowed to sit in on all depositions held in the SCIF in recent weeks.”
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Did they shout “Dems will not replace us”?
Quoting a member of the committee from the article cited above:
“He said that rather than try to eject the members, House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff and the House sergeant-at-arms decided to wait them out so as to not escalate the situation.”
There’s “not stooping to their level” and then there’s “letting them walk all over you with no consequences”. I think ceding the room to them for FIVE HOURS was in the second category. Capitol police or the sergeant- at- arms for the House should have summarily ejected the jokers that didn’t belong there. No speeches, no grandstanding, just frog-march their trespassing little behinds to the other side of the door. Don’t let them eat pizza and laugh at you.
One hopes that Capitol police are at least able to prevent a Domino’s driver out of the room.
I respectfully disagree. They looked like idiots, it was horrible TV, they couldn’t even rustle up 15% of the House Republicans, and they all did it for a man whom over half the country already want him out, a President who will betray them in a heartbeat… and speaking of heartbeats, looks and sounds a fuckton worse than he did in 2016.
This, literally, is their defense. They had their one shot, they couldn’t muster up support, and the Dems made them look like the spoiled asses they were. Hell, even my Uber rider tonight, an older white guy, brought this up negatively.
I’m with you. Decorum always matters in the halls of Congress. More as time passes and people grow (more) weary of the appalling behavior of Trump Republicans.
It’s a serious impeachment investigation covering serious subject matter, not a barroom brawl. Dems handled it fine. For as long as we’ve been waiting, I can give them an extra 5 hours.
Thank God the police didn’t over-react! Sometimes, they can be very understanding when it comes to civil disobedience.
A number of pundits described it as a frat party by a bunch of spoiled, over-entitled dipshits (ok, I added the dipshit part) as led by the original spoiled, over-entitled dipshit, Matt Gaetz. He’s one of Trump’s favorite pets.
I can picture it.
Gaetz: “Razz, razz, razz, ha ha ha, neener-neener!! We’ve crashed your impeachment party!!”
Schiff: “Ok.”
Five hours later…
Scalise: “So… now what?”
Gaetz: “Take that, stupid libs!!”
Yeah, there were [del]guns[/del] cellphones out, I’m surprised nobody was shot.
I’m guessing they were all white men, so it’s less surprising.
Yes, he is a spoiled, over-entitled dipshit, a shameless showboat, a bully, and a smarmy, lawbreaking shit-stirrer with a mean streak who isn’t nearly as clever as he thinks he is.
Frighteningly, he is also young, and millions of people now consider those qualities “presidential.”