Mega-Thread: Impeachment Proceedings & Inquiry of Trump

[cubby]

Who said they would have no oversight? If they overstepped their authority, you would have it where the other branches could intervene.

Allowing them to be under the authority of the president with a partisan majority in the senate is giving them no effective oversight.

Allowing them to remain under the president after the abuse it has shown has proven to be even MORE stupid and leading to levels of abuse we are currently seeing.

Congress is worse than Executive for oversight. Unless they are their own independent branch, which wouldn't work at all in our system, it has to be Judiciary. Nominate the AG from [somewhere] and appointed by the SCOTUS. Not sure where the other appointees would come from. It's an issue of admin law atm, but obviously that would change. I can't recall offhand where the career level Asst/Deputy AG's end and the political appointees begin.

[Fugus]

You did with the whole “no interference from the other branches” bit...

No interference on which cases they take and investigate or who runs them or stuff like that. That doesn't allow them to break the law or the rules or anything.

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Congress is worse than Executive for oversight. Unless they are their own independent branch, which wouldn't work at all in our system, it has to be Judiciary. Nominate the AG from [somewhere] and appointed by the SCOTUS. Not sure where the other appointees would come from. It's an issue of admin law atm, but obviously that would change. I can't recall offhand where the career level Asst/Deputy AG's end and the political appointees begin.

Of course, I wouldn't want Congress to have control over the DOJ due to the same conflicts of interest as the others. And besides, gerrymandering made them less representative of the population as a whole than they should be while the Senate, by design, doesn't represent the will of the people.

They need to be independent from them in who they are put into office and out of their control on who they investigate and how so long as they are legal. With the other branches having oversight of them incase we got another Barr or Trump in that position.

Whether they are elected by will of the people, or made up of a board with equal parts both party where less than 50% is needed to initiate stuff to prevent the lockstep shit we have going now, I have no clue, but they shouldn't be beholden to the president or any branch on how they do their job.

[Thelxi]

Parnas' interview with Maddow has floored me. Anyone that has followed the Ukrainian scandal closely should drop everything and go watch it. He paints a clear picture of what we already knew/suspected, but my god apparently Barr is not just a zealot but entirely complicit. Not only did he know everything, he offered to drop Firtash's extradition charges and coordinated with FOX NEWS lawyers to get it all done. Pence of course also knew everything but that shouldn't shock anyone that has kept up.

In the interview it also becomes very clear what exactly Bolton is going to be singing about if he gets called to the senate. I thought the GOP was softening their stance a bit on witnesses in the last few days, but now hell will freeze over before they let Bolton corroborate Parnas' account in the senate.

Just go watch it.

[Orbitus]

Your daily reminder that the White House is the only source of governing legitimacy for any agency of the executive branch, cabinet level on down, and most of them were invented out of whole cloth within the last 80-90 years.

Well, Nancy sure showed Mitch, huh? So leverage, much pressure.

I like how you are ignoring everything that came out in the last few days, just to try to "own the libs" with some bullshit talking points that make you look like you are defending corruption.

[Dontrike]

Lev Parnas also stated in his interview with Rachael Maddow that the investigations Trump wanted in Ukraine had nothing to do with corruption and everything to do with the Bidens and getting the announcement of an investigation into them.

Not a shock to those of us in the reality-based community, mind, but it'll be a rude awakening for the Trump cult.

Unfortunately I don't see any of them waking up from this, just more ignoring and claiming this guy was a deep state plant

[Orbitus]

Unfortunately I don't see any of them waking up from this, just more ignoring and claiming this guy was a deep state plant

That is because Fox News isn't reporting it. They are doing anything they can to stay away from it.

[Trunksee]

Very damning talk from Parnas. Ive never seen someone flip so fast and run to the news and pretty much just attempt to bury everyone. His credibility is in the lacking category which will be an issue but if true it will honestly be looked at by Trump supporters as he was trying to expose corruption by any means. Not that he was but you will get this from people. You will also get a lot of people who will just not care because hes a Republican. Sad state our countries in because i believe 90 to 95 percent of the population does give two hoots who the person is. Party is all that matters.

[Fahrenheit]

I know their hands are tied, in a fashion, but I wish Ukraine's President and #2 would come out with the truth and stop with the coy attitude. They could end this here and now if they just say, "Yeah, Trump's team was demanding this phony investigation more for political expediency than for any wish to hunt down corruption. They made it abundantly clear what this was about. We obviously didn't want to involve ourselves in an American political matter, but they were giving us no choice. We dragged our feet with opening it, but were on the cusp of going through when the whistle blower report broke, then the Trump admin released the financial/military aid (no strings)"

[Bodakane]

Congress is worse than Executive for oversight. Unless they are their own independent branch, which wouldn't work at all in our system, it has to be Judiciary. Nominate the AG from [somewhere] and appointed by the SCOTUS. Not sure where the other appointees would come from. It's an issue of admin law atm, but obviously that would change. I can't recall offhand where the career level Asst/Deputy AG's end and the political appointees begin.

I think the DoJ should stay where it is. The problem with giving it to the SC is that then you'd have life appointed people with waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy toooo much power.

However, there should be an investigative arm of the SC that specifically handles corruption in the other two branches.

[Orbitus]

Very damning talk from Parnas. Ive never seen someone flip so fast and run to the news and pretty much just attempt to bury everyone. His credibility is in the lacking category which will be an issue but if true it will honestly be looked at by Trump supporters as he was trying to expose corruption by any means. Not that he was but you will get this from people. You will also get a lot of people who will just not care because hes a Republican. Sad state our countries in because i believe 90 to 95 percent of the population does give two hoots who the person is. Party is all that matters.

Credibility? He has evidence that backs up everything he says, his evidence also backs up the stuff the other witnesses had with Yavanovich and everything to do with Ukraine. He has more credibility than Trump certainly does.

[Daelak]

I like how you are ignoring everything that came out in the last few days, just to try to "own the libs" with some bullshit talking points that make you look like you are defending corruption.

His post is boilerplate conservative mantra. People that share his ideology shouldn't ever be near the levers of power.

[Orbitus]

His post is boilerplate conservative mantra. People that share his ideology shouldn't ever be near the levers of power.

Facts and reality doesn't penetrate the Fox News/right wing blogosphere bubble.

[Beefhammer]

Very damning talk from Parnas. Ive never seen someone flip so fast and run to the news and pretty much just attempt to bury everyone. His credibility is in the lacking category which will be an issue but if true it will honestly be looked at by Trump supporters as he was trying to expose corruption by any means. Not that he was but you will get this from people. You will also get a lot of people who will just not care because hes a Republican. Sad state our countries in because i believe 90 to 95 percent of the population does give two hoots who the person is. Party is all that matters.

Ahh yes, get stabbed in the back by someone who abuses loyalty to himself, or turn on Trump and save yourself. I bet you'd do the same if you were staring down the barrel of a long prison sentence and the person you committed crimes for was stabbing you in the back.

[Trunksee]

Ahh yes, get stabbed in the back by someone who abuses loyalty to himself, or turn on Trump and save yourself. I bet you'd do the same if you were staring down the barrel of a long prison sentence and the person you committed crimes for was stabbing you in the back.

Not saying any one wouldnt. My point is he did it in the press right after the house got the documents that is abnormal. Yes many many people turn under police or to reduce their sentences. Most dont run to the media to do it.

[Bodakane]

Credibility? He has evidence that backs up everything he says, his evidence also backs up the stuff the other witnesses had with Yavanovich and everything to do with Ukraine. He has more credibility than Trump certainly does.

Didn't you know, unless a person has an (R) in front of their name, they are not allowed to every change their stance or story.

[noidentity]

Ahh yes, get stabbed in the back by someone who abuses loyalty to himself, or turn on Trump and save yourself. I bet you'd do the same if you were staring down the barrel of a long prison sentence and the person you committed crimes for was stabbing you in the back.

Keep in mind this out of context quote i'm using from Trump saying "I like people who weren't captured", which makes a lot of sense when you treat Trump like a mob boss who considers everyone who is caught like a liability whom he needs to distance himself from.

[D Luniz]

Very damning talk from Parnas. Ive never seen someone flip so fast and run to the news and pretty much just attempt to bury everyone. His credibility is in the lacking category which will be an issue but if true it will honestly be looked at by Trump supporters as he was trying to expose corruption by any means. Not that he was but you will get this from people. You will also get a lot of people who will just not care because hes a Republican. Sad state our countries in because i believe 90 to 95 percent of the population does give two hoots who the person is. Party is all that matters.

Unlike the others, Parnas isnt going to gamble his life on the guy that suddenly doesn't know him granting a pardon.

[noidentity]

Unlike the others, Parnas isnt going to gamble his life on the guy that suddenly doesn't know him granting a pardon.

I would like to see Trump try.

Lev Parnas, Rudy Giuliani’s former associate who stands at the heart of the impeachment inquiry, has threatened to release a new photo of himself with Donald Trump every time the president denies knowing him. Ever since Parnas and his associate Igor Fruman were arrested on campaign-finance charges in October, Trump has tried to distance himself from them. He told reporters at the time: “I don’t know those gentlemen. Now, it’s possible I have a picture with them because I have a picture with everybody... I don’t know them.” Speaking to CNN’s New Day early Thursday, Parnas accused Trump of lying about the nature of their relationship—and said he has evidence to prove it. “I thought they were going to shut me up, make me look like the scapegoat, and try to blame me for stuff that I [haven’t] done. But with God’s help and a great legal team that I have beside me, we were able to get the information out.” On Trump’s denials of knowing him, Parnas said: “I welcome him to say that even more. Every time he says that I’ll show him another picture. He’s lying.”

Is Trump going to have to throw out his playbook, is he going to stay the course? Find out RIGHT NOW on Dragon Ball Abridged.

[Breccia]

GAO flat-out says Trump broke the law with regard to extorting Ukraine, the matter for which he is under impeachment.

[US law] does not permit the president to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law.

Therefore, we conclude that OMB violated the [Impound Control Act],

[Draco-Onis]

Ukraine Investigates Reports of Surveillance of Marie Yovanovitch

Still silence from the DOJ and the state department which is expected since Pompeo and Barr were part of the crimes.