She’s not just holding them but I reckon she’ll want to keep the Senate from having their trial until late spring, if possible. The whole drama needs to play out when the primaries are in full swing, in my estimation. It would be better if it could wait until the summer, to be closer to the nominating conventions, but that’s prolly to far out for a lot of reasons.
Keep in mind that Warren and Sanders are sitting US senators, which means they would have to come off the campaign trail and participate in the impeachment trial as jurors. Also keep in mind that, whether we like it or not, the Republicans will use the impeachment trial as a chance to drag Joe Biden’s name and all kinds of crazy conspiracy theories into the discussion. I see absolutely no advantage to waiting until the middle of primary season.
You might have something there.
My speculation, worth whatever.
Speaker Pelosi’s strategy: Ratchet-up public pressure; await impending explosion of horrendous evidence.
This POTUS’s counter-strategy: If horrendous evidence threatens, start wag-a-dog foreign attack diversion.
I think step 2 has begun. I fear the next step.
@Sherrerd: Thank you for that detailed analysis of the history of impeachments and their timings.
My thanks also. So the House could hang on to the two Articles of Impeachment beyond the end of this congressional term, with those articles amended and/or new articles filed as more evidence appears. 2020 Senate races could flip enough seats to give conviction and removal a chance if this POTUS is reelected and no IRL or wag-the-dog catastrophe intervenes.
“May you live in interesting times” is an ancient Chinese curse IIRC. Now isn’t dull.
Thanks for the thanks; each of you had posed an important question. Now we’re fore-armed with facts to counter any ‘the House can’t carry this over after November 2020’ objections that might be raised.
My answer to the objection ‘the House thought it was so urgent to impeach, so why are they waiting now?’ is, of course: it WAS urgent to impeach a lawless President. It is not, however, urgent to acquit him in a sham trial.
Well said, Sir.
Feel free to employ it when, as probably happens several million times a day, a Trump-defender pulls out the ‘if Pelosi thought it was so urgent to impeach Him…’ card.
They do love that card, even if it’s soiled and torn.
We learned today that Lindsey Graham is planning to help man-baby Trump achieve peace of mind by giving him a big gift-wrapped ACQUITTAL!!!–despite Pelosi waiting to send over the articles:
Their excuse–that they have to stop out-of-control Nancy Pelosi, who is supposedly Trying To Take Over The Senate!!!1!!1 and Trying To Run The Trial Herself!11!!! (etc.) is as bad as the ‘urgent’ one.
Ah, a Senate rule-change to override the Constitution! What’s not to like? But as Dubya said, the Constitution is only a scrap of paper, so GO for it, Lindsey-boy! Your god-emperor has already said, “Confiscate guns now. Due process later.” He tweeted that twice, so it’s policy: Fuck The Law. Got a law you don’t like? Fuck The Law.
I don’t see any reason to speed this up. The past two weeks have produced no progress. Nancy must maintain maximum Pucker Factor among Republicans.
Don can’t and won’t be prosecuted by this Justice Department, so he has no reason to retain tautness of sphincter. In the White House then, pressure needs to be kept up on Mick and Ivanka and Jared. They’re the ones who are routinely expected to lie and must therefore maintain control of this deception.
In the Senate, McConnell wants to break out his broom and sweep this under the rug as quickly as possible. The longer this goes on the tighter his asshole puckers, because he knows there is more evidence. The longer this goes, a week, a month or a year – or ten years – eventually the truth will out. The Republican party will be proven complicit in the President’s lies. So, for now, he needs to keep the sphincter puckered and be over with impeachment as quickly as possible.
I keep hearing that it would be a terrible thing if impeachment lasted into Spring. Why would it be so bad if Warren and Sanders and Klobuchar and Booker and that other idiot who hasn’t realized that he doesn’t stand a chance, would be expected to do a job their constituents elected them to do? Moreover, this saw cuts both ways; we’re not appreciating the benefits. During the impeachment trial Jodi Ernst and Cory Gardner and Thom Tillis and Susan Collins and David Perdue and John Cornyn and Kelly Loeffler and Mitch McConnell, they will all have to be in their seats in the Senate chamber with their mouths shut. They will not be in their districts politicking and glad-handing. We should be saying, “Thank you, Nancy!”
Don also wants to turn the State of the Union into his own Nuremberg. And Nancy isn’t going to allow that. They went toe to toe last year and the Speaker came out the winner. I’m sure she has no intention of allowing Stephen Miller to script a two-hour fatuous paean to our corpulent shirker following Mitch’s speedy whitewash. I believe that Nancy has invited Don to address the body on February 3 (although I’m not sure Don has accepted). Between Nancy and Chuck, I would place a bet that Mitch cannot push impeachment through before the SotU.
I think Chuck and Nancy will try to press enough Republican senators to agree to allow Roberts to recommend, after initial presentations during the impeachment, whether he (Roberts) feels further testimony is necessary. If he says to the jurors (the Senate) that he feels limited testimony is warranted, at least a handful of Republicans will vote to allow witness testimony. It is the best that Democrats can get at this point. I would expect Nancy to release the articles around January 24th.
Hold the trial from September through November 1st 2020. It will only matter to one person, and if it’s Bernie, or whoever, they can build this into the Dem 2020 campaign as a grand civics lesson. you’re welcome.