So we don’t want witnesses? Huh? Because it doesn’t matter anyway? Ah…
My head is spinning, and I don’t know what to celebrate anymore.
I’m not saying don’t celebrate, but you have to consider who Bolton chose to work for. The choice was already made, and I am not sure why getting this guy to go and say “his side of the story” is going to move the little pieces on the map to where you want them. Seems like everyone celebrates every little thing and says “this is what takes down Trump! OMG here it is!!!”
It seems like the case for impeachment is already pretty solid without “henchmen testimony”. It doesn’t appear to be going anywhere with regards to Trump. I mean maybe Bolton will say something that gets Bolton in some hot water, but what are y’all expecting to happen with his testimony to change things? Pompeo? Any of these guys? Do you think that something magic is going to happen?
I don’t ask that to be a smart ass, I am actually curious if there is something that can happen with these missing testimonies from these people. I know people here are following this escapade pretty closely, but how does this change the minds of the 50+ Senators that actually vote in this trial?
As is the case with any of Trump’s inner circle: Bolton, Pompeo, Mulvaney, et al: if they had anything to offer that would exonerate Trump they would have been ordered to testify before the House. The fact that Trump is working so hard to bury their testimony means either (a) he’s deeply concerned about constitutional norms, the balance of power, and precedent established with regards to future presidents or (b) he’s feverishly covering his own ass. My money’s on (b).
On John Oliver’s This Week Tonight, he had a recurring gag where he would report on Trump’s scandal of the week, and then announce that “this time, we got him!”; and theatrically bang a giant red button that would drop confetti and put up banners saying We Got Him!. All sarcastically, of course – all scandals just roll off him. So yes, this does feel like that.
But if Bolton (or anyone else) testifies that he heard Trump with his own ears order that aid to Ukraine would be suspended until they announce an investigation into the Bidens – I would wager that that will push a few Republican senators onto the conviction side. Having 51+ senators vote for conviction and removal would be a moral victory, which is the most we can reasonably hope for.
Fortunately prosecutors don’t think this way or no trial would ever occur for any crime.
The job af a DA is to make the witnesses tell the truth about crimes because they are afraid of perjuring themselves. If this isn’t the biggest juiciest poppable zit I have ever seen for a DA then what is? He has 4 or 5 loose cannon crazies all part of or in knowledge of, a shadow govt money making scheme.
In what way is Boltons testimony not important? Let’s not get spooked by the gaslighting fascists who want this to go away.
I am betting that he has already been assured that there will be no witnesses called. This is nothing more than a meaningless gesture designed to silence his critics.
Ahhhh, but it also destroys any rationale he may have to refuse a House subpoena.
Hasn’t his ass already been covered though? I don’t think anything is going to pull off the blanket for the senate GOP that hasn’t already been pulled? I see no exposed ass coming from this, but I’m not the smartest guy in this room so I could/usually be totally wrong.
I don’t trust Bolton to tell the truth if it damages the American military-industrial complex he reveres.
Am I wrong to think that NOTHING Bolton could say would sway the GOP senators who aren’t already one of the few already conflicted ones?
No, you’re right. I’m not the smartest one in this room either, but anyone who has paid attention to Bolton over the past 20-ish years understands he is a rabid hawk who is going to do nothing to damage his buddies now carrying out his most fervent wishes to attack Iran. MSNBC reported that Bolton attempted to contact Moscow Mitch before the news broke about his newfound willingness to now testify. I’m sure he was just calling to exchange eggnog recipes after the holidays.
Bolton will comply with subpoenas he likes and not with those he doesn’t. Ironically, I’ll bet it’s the Republicans who call him if he gets called. This band of Trump confederates – and Bolton is still one of them, despite having left the inner sanctum – has broken nearly every norm and tradition of government we can imagine. Expect it to accelerate throughout 2020. I don’t think any of them plan to leave.
Trump is wagging the dog and probably hasn’t embraced the attack on Iran for any reason other than that. Pompeo, Pence and Barr also hope to distract from impeachment and their own criminal wrongdoing in facilitating the cover-up of Trump’s impeachable offenses. If they can fulfill their shared steamy biblical prophesy simultaneously, well, who can blame them for trying? Mulvaney and others just hope to avoid criminal prosecution. Bolton has never abandoned his PNAC dreams. You can count on the fact that he remains on the team.
Personally I think if Bolton had damning information he wanted to come out, you’d see some strategic leaks to the press by now.
Perhaps Bolton understands that Trump is no longer necessary… and that things are now beyond America’s ability to control.
John does have his own personal beefs with Trump. He may have decided that the war Trump just started will be better fought with Pence at the helm.
If we were talking about North Korea I’d be inclined to agree, but Bolton is on record as advocating regime change in Iran. Presumably, killing Soleimani is consistent with what Bolton would have wanted.
That’s true, it could be what Bolton believes. But it doesn’t matter what Bolton believes. It matters what McConnell believes.
McConnell could have got rid of Trump a hundred times over in favor of Pence and accomplished all of what he has done with Trump as the mascot, but he hasn’t. I think he hasn’t because everyone knows Pence does not possess the diseased charisma that Trump does, and Teh Base™ will fall apart without it. Pence may hold the evangelicals, but he won’t hold the haters.
Pence is also not nearly as practiced as Trump in creating distractions to allow McConnell to do what he likes unnoticed.
To my point. Bolton wants a competent war fought. He knows he won’t get that with Trump as CoC.
McConnell can also convince himself that 50k dead furriners will get him and the GOP the hater vote as well. And he may be right.
Pretty risky. Any hot war with Iran is going to result in a lot of American deaths, too – and likely not confined to military targets abroad.
I don’t think McConnell wants the hot war. He may have attempted to put a little lipstick on Trump’s pig by saying that killing Soleimani was a good decision, but I don’t think he really believes that.
I don’t perceive McConnell to be one of the religious zealots, either, so the End Times would not be high on his list of priorities. But it’s very high on Pence’s. Ironically, that makes Trump the ‘safer’ choice.
If you’re not following the complete clusterfuck which is happening at the Pentagon at this instant regarding the Iraqi letter, I suggest you do so. Trump’s DoD is frankly incompetent and the administration is very likely getting played. Hard.
Seems the letter is about moving within Iraq, not moving out according to the reporter who tweeted it. It was badly written thus the confusion.