# The Trump Presidency HAS to end with Impeachment... right? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 11, 2017, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406 "2017-05-11T23:48:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/81 "2017-05-12T21:00:17Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > Even if he did (which is in dispute), AFAIU the recusal is self-imposed, and thus has no legal weight. The letter seems to imply that so far as things Russia are considered, Rosenstein is the AG and Sessions is the Deputy AG. While it might not be a crime, it sounds like Rosenstein could/should fire Sessions since their positions are reversed on this topic. I’m not a lawyer, so hopefully someone can clarify? I believe that the Bar could probably get involved as well? ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/82 "2017-05-12T21:06:58Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > An entire Trump inner circle murder-suicide would be far more satisfying. Bring back the recursive spiral firing squad. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/83 "2017-05-12T21:11:11Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > The letter seems to imply that so far as things Russia are considered, Rosenstein is the AG and Sessions is the Deputy AG. While it might not be a crime, it sounds like Rosenstein could/should fire Sessions since their positions are reversed on this topic. I don’t think that’s correct. The notion that someone recusing themselves from an investigation therefore means that their deputy can fire them from their job seems ridiculous, and probably is. Beyond that, Sessions will undoubtedly say that his involvement in the Comey firing was not related to the Russia investigation. Prove him wrong. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/84 "2017-05-12T21:15:34Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Cut the strings on the parachute. > > He signs the papers, or he gets the hose. The legal assaults are in abeyance, unless he makes the least twitch towards reneging, then they return in full force. > > Or, ever better, wait till the ink dries and he has surrendered any and all Presidential force, and then bend him over the legal barrel and give him a jolly good rogering! Not exactly ethical, and somewhere within my boundless glee would be a hint of guilt. Who’s going to do all this?? > [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > It looks like Sessions is probably going to get the axe: > > … Who’s going to do it? Not rhetorical questions. Name some names. No one will bell the cat. The only way Trump will leave (while breathing) is if he can somehow spin his departure as that of a WINNER. He must be a winner. He cannot tolerate BEING a loser or even being CALLED a loser. I’m having a wild fantasy that the Democrats should declare him the winner of the popular vote, offer him some kind of permanent title like _President Emeritus_, raise funds to carve his face on Mt. Rushmore next to Lincoln (he was a Republican, too, dontcha know) and give him a win-win way out of this mess so he can play golf every day and open a Trump Hotel in Moscow. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/85 "2017-05-12T23:40:43Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > …Who’s going to do it?.. The first guy who sees a potential political bonanza, the nerve to risk it earlier than the next guy, and the timing to get out in front just before the _really_ big scandal hits. Oh, and lots of patriotism, and love of country, ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/86 "2017-05-12T23:52:16Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > The first guy who sees a potential political bonanza, the nerve to risk it earlier than the next guy, and the timing to get out in front just before the _really_ big scandal hits. > > Oh, and lots of patriotism, and love of country, Name? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2017, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/87 "2017-05-12T23:57:58Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Name? You know. What’s-his-name. Senator So-and-so. That guy. The one who everyone looks up to. Yep, him! ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/88 "2017-05-13T00:32:18Z")
I grant that I am going solely by what I can read in the document that Lawfare posted. If it was an empty threat by the Democrats then I suppose that has mislead me. But it seems a strange threat to make if it is laughably toothless. I’m inclined to believe that there is something there until a lawyer says otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Beren\_Erchamion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Beren\_Erchamion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beren_Erchamion)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/89 "2017-05-13T00:45:41Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > You know. What’s-his-name. Senator So-and-so. That guy. The one who everyone looks up to. Yep, him! TBD ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/90 "2017-05-13T01:37:39Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > You know. What’s-his-name. Senator So-and-so. That guy. The one who everyone looks up to. Yep, him! Oh yeah. I voted for him. I think. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/91 "2017-05-13T02:02:59Z")
John McCain? Joe Biden? Lizzy Warren? Somebody we don’t often think about who would like it better if we did? Analogy: the concept of “pot odds” in poker. Say you have a middling good hand, but not great, and one which might reasonably be expected to improve. And the bet is pretty big, risky, but! there is so much money in the pot that it becomes worth it. Say, your chances of winning are one in three, but the pot has ten times as much money as the bet. Pot odds. A politician that goes whole hog on this gets attention, gets interviewed, gets donations. 'Course, if the miracle happens, and an affidavit signed by God Almighty and countersigned by Gabriel says Trump is totally innocent…well, you’re boned. But God don’t like ugly, and Il Douche is ugly as a horn toad. Lacks the warmth. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/92 "2017-05-13T02:19:19Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > John McCain? Joe Biden? Lizzy Warren? Somebody we don’t often think about who would like it better if we did? > > … McCain blew it when he didn’t stand up to Trump’s insult back when. Biden is too old. I love the guy, but I speak as an Old Person. Can’t/won’t be a woman. Still smarting from Hillary. Keep the suggestions coming. There has to be **someone**. It needs to be a middle of the road, white guy with warmth, integrity, and leadership qualities. Like Biden, but younger, under (or just barely over) 60 at most. Smart but not an _intellectual_. JMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/93 "2017-05-13T02:36:04Z")
Ok, so hypothetically, Trump is removed from office. What would the government or anyone be able to do from releasing every government secret he now has at his disposal? ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_Mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Lucky\_Mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_Mike)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/94 "2017-05-13T04:36:15Z")
To answer the OP question…nope. Re-election. Our hyper-partisan, ideologically polarized, ignorance worshiping society got what it deserved and unless a lot of things change in the next 36 months we will get more of it. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/95 "2017-05-13T05:17:50Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Ok, so hypothetically, Trump is removed from office. What would the government or anyone be able to do from releasing every government secret he now has at his disposal? Surely releasing such secrets would violate classified-info laws and get him more legal trouble? ---
**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:** [May 13, 2017, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/96 "2017-05-13T05:22:29Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Ok, so hypothetically, Trump is removed from office. What would the government or anyone be able to do from releasing every government secret he now has at his disposal? It would be really hard for Trump to hold a press conference from his cell in Guantanamo. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/97 "2017-05-13T05:22:30Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Can’t/won’t be a woman. Still smarting from Hillary. On the contrary, I think the “Make history, we still haven’t had a woman president yet” will make for greater fervor, not less. Right now Kamala Harris looks like the next Obama, maybe even Tammy Duckworth. And from the GOP side, if neither Trump nor Pence wants to run in 2020, I don’t think it would be insane to think that Joni Ernst or Susana Martinez could be a serious contender. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/98 "2017-05-13T05:35:16Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > You cannot try a sitting president for crimes, you can only impeach. You can try a sitting President but it’s ill-advised for Federal crimes; he can always pardon himself. But if, for instance, Trump were to shoot a random person on Fifth Avenue, New York could prosecute him for murder, attempted murder, unlawful discharge of a firearm, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/99 "2017-05-13T05:50:18Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > And that would be a real shame. hasn’t that orange turd already gotten away with enough in his life? He’s NEVER had top answer for anything. > > I want to see him ruined, disgraced, thrown out, charged, and sent to federal prison. > > LOCK HIM UP! > LOCK HIM UP! > LOCK HIM UP! One of my favorite little pieces of satire > **[F.B.I. to Special-Order Pair of Tiny Handcuffs](https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/f-b-i-to-special-order-a-pair-of-tiny-handcuffs)** > > “In reviewing our inventory of handcuffs, we found that we only had models that fit normal-sized hands,” an F.B.I. spokesman said. I’d like to hope at least some Republicans come to their senses but I lose a little hope every day. If actual video footage of Trump giving Vladimir Putin a blowjob surfaced tomorrow, the narrative would be: “How come blowjobs were no big deal when Clinton was getting them? Democrats didn’t want to investigate blow jobs back then, but when it’s Trump they just won’t let it go. Hypocrites!” ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2017, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406/100 "2017-05-13T05:56:31Z")
How many threads were here between November 8th and the meeting of the electoral college about how faithless electors could still give the Presidency to the Democrats, or at least to a sane Republican? I think these impeachment threads are of similar origin: “I know in my heart this is not going to happen, but it’s more fun to discuss this than glumly contemplate reality.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-presidency-has-to-end-with-impeachment-right/786406.md?page=6)