It is clear that he used the powers of his office in an attempt to extract a corrupt favor for his personal benefit, and this is precisely the sort of offense that impeachment was designed to keep in check.
It doesn’t matter if the attempt succeeded. All that matters is that the attempt was made. It is also undeniable that he has sought to impede the investigation into his misconduct.
The president has committed the offenses he is accused of committing, and the House should approve both articles of impeachment.
The president doesn’t have a credible line of defense left. That is why his apologists in Congress and elsewhere have been reduced to making increasingly absurd and desperate claims.
The president’s defenders want to distract attention from the fact that the president abused his power, violated the public’s trust, and broke his oath of office, but these distractions are irrelevant.
The central question at the heart of this matter has always been whether we will tolerate the president corruptly using the powers of his office for personal benefit.
The president’s defenders have answered loudly that they will tolerate corruption of the presidency.
If we have any respect left for the Constitution and the rule of law, it is imperative that the president is not allowed to escape without facing serious consequences for his abuses.
This is important not only to hold the current president in check, but it is also necessary to warn future presidents that such corruption will not be permitted to flourish.
Members of the House have been given a simple test of their fidelity to the Constitution.
Are they enablers of presidential abuse of power and corruption, or will they do what their oaths of office require of them and hold a corrupt president in check?
By the 2000s, the charity was largely holding other people’s money, which was donated to benefit philanthropic causes. Trump used some of this money to buy a $20,000 portrait of himself.
He also used the money to buy a $12,000 signed Tim Tebow helmet, which he kept for himself.
He spent more than a quarter of a million dollars of the charity’s money to settle lawsuits involving his for-profit businesses. This is not legal.
Even earlier on, Trump abused the foundation. In 1989, it appears he used Foundation money to pay Donald Trump Junior’s $7 initiation fee for the Boy Scouts. Seven dollars. A self-styled Rich Guy. Too cheap to pay himself.
The largest donation the Foundation made in those days—and indeed ever, according to the Washington Post—was a $264,231 gift to the Central Park Conservancy in 1989. This appears generous until you learn it was used to restore a fountain outside the Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time. It directly benefited his business.
Hey newspaper guy, you want more subscbers? Try balancing the news. Cover stories that dont support your false narratives. Expose real government corruption, rather than support big government power structures.
By Kurt Bardella, NBC News THINK contributor (Former deputy communications director for Republican representative Darrell Issa, Disenchanted by Trumpism and particularly disgusted by Republican support for Roy Moore.)
Indeed, in observing my former House GOP comrades over the many days of contentious House hearings, I am reminded of a scene from the classic Will Ferrell comedy “Anchorman,” where the famed (and fictional) Channel 4 News team angrily confronts its news director over the hiring of a female reporter.
That pretty much sums up Republicans’ defense of their current leader.
If they yell loud enough and long enough, what they say about the circumstances of this impeachment inquiry will become truth.
Their calculation is that by yelling about anything and everything, the American people will either be convinced or at the very least so annoyed they’ll stop watching.
✄
Thus, the outrage that’s been on display these past few weeks hasn’t been spontaneous.
This isn’t an indication of passion or righteous anger.
It is the manifestation of a decade-long marketing strategy that has kept them in the driving seat of Congress for the better part of the Obama and the Trump administrations.
Stantis’ “home” newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, has had 32% of its stock purchased by Alden (https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/12/11/chicago-tribune-staffers-raise-alarm-new-owners-troubling-record/)
Darsan54 Premium Member almost 5 years ago
Sheeesh…….he’s a saint, not a miracle maker.
RobinHood almost 5 years ago
Living a life of constant change
Every day means the turn of a page
Yesterdays papers are such bad news
Same thing applies to me and you
Who wants yesterdays papers
Who wants yesterdays girl
Who wants yesterdays papers
Nobody in the world
Keith Richards / Mick Jagger
whahoppened almost 5 years ago
Why would a hedge fund want a newspaper?
braindead Premium Member almost 5 years ago
Type of business doesn’t matter to a hedge fund.
Buy it. Cut expenses, i.e. massive layoffs. Sell at a profit before it crashes.
Alternatively, buy, sell the pieces, exorbitant bonuses for execs, run up massive debt, declare bankruptcy.
Silly Season almost 5 years ago
✄
It is clear that he used the powers of his office in an attempt to extract a corrupt favor for his personal benefit, and this is precisely the sort of offense that impeachment was designed to keep in check.
It doesn’t matter if the attempt succeeded. All that matters is that the attempt was made. It is also undeniable that he has sought to impede the investigation into his misconduct.
The president has committed the offenses he is accused of committing, and the House should approve both articles of impeachment.
The president doesn’t have a credible line of defense left. That is why his apologists in Congress and elsewhere have been reduced to making increasingly absurd and desperate claims.
The president’s defenders want to distract attention from the fact that the president abused his power, violated the public’s trust, and broke his oath of office, but these distractions are irrelevant.
The central question at the heart of this matter has always been whether we will tolerate the president corruptly using the powers of his office for personal benefit.
The president’s defenders have answered loudly that they will tolerate corruption of the presidency.
If we have any respect left for the Constitution and the rule of law, it is imperative that the president is not allowed to escape without facing serious consequences for his abuses.
This is important not only to hold the current president in check, but it is also necessary to warn future presidents that such corruption will not be permitted to flourish.
Members of the House have been given a simple test of their fidelity to the Constitution.
Are they enablers of presidential abuse of power and corruption, or will they do what their oaths of office require of them and hold a corrupt president in check?
~
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-case-for-impeachment-is-overwhelming/?
Daniel Larison is a senior editor at TAC
Silly Season almost 5 years ago
By the 2000s, the charity was largely holding other people’s money, which was donated to benefit philanthropic causes. Trump used some of this money to buy a $20,000 portrait of himself.
He also used the money to buy a $12,000 signed Tim Tebow helmet, which he kept for himself.
He spent more than a quarter of a million dollars of the charity’s money to settle lawsuits involving his for-profit businesses. This is not legal.
Even earlier on, Trump abused the foundation. In 1989, it appears he used Foundation money to pay Donald Trump Junior’s $7 initiation fee for the Boy Scouts. Seven dollars. A self-styled Rich Guy. Too cheap to pay himself.
The largest donation the Foundation made in those days—and indeed ever, according to the Washington Post—was a $264,231 gift to the Central Park Conservancy in 1989. This appears generous until you learn it was used to restore a fountain outside the Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time. It directly benefited his business.
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a30208282/trump-admit-crooked-charity-pay-2-million/
Brain Pudding almost 5 years ago
Hey newspaper guy, you want more subscbers? Try balancing the news. Cover stories that dont support your false narratives. Expose real government corruption, rather than support big government power structures.
William Robbins Premium Member almost 5 years ago
And for my reporters to be safe from his mob…
streetbeater almost 5 years ago
Gee, Scott, is Republican style, unregulated capitalism a threat to your livelihood? Got news for ya buddy boy, it’s worse than you think.
Silly Season almost 5 years ago
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/house-republicans-trump-impeachment-strategy-was-simple-distract-deceive-yell-ncna1100081
By Kurt Bardella, NBC News THINK contributor (Former deputy communications director for Republican representative Darrell Issa, Disenchanted by Trumpism and particularly disgusted by Republican support for Roy Moore.)
Indeed, in observing my former House GOP comrades over the many days of contentious House hearings, I am reminded of a scene from the classic Will Ferrell comedy “Anchorman,” where the famed (and fictional) Channel 4 News team angrily confronts its news director over the hiring of a female reporter.
That pretty much sums up Republicans’ defense of their current leader.
If they yell loud enough and long enough, what they say about the circumstances of this impeachment inquiry will become truth.
Their calculation is that by yelling about anything and everything, the American people will either be convinced or at the very least so annoyed they’ll stop watching.
✄
Thus, the outrage that’s been on display these past few weeks hasn’t been spontaneous.
This isn’t an indication of passion or righteous anger.
It is the manifestation of a decade-long marketing strategy that has kept them in the driving seat of Congress for the better part of the Obama and the Trump administrations.
Laurie Sefton Premium Member almost 5 years ago
Stantis’ “home” newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, has had 32% of its stock purchased by Alden (https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/12/11/chicago-tribune-staffers-raise-alarm-new-owners-troubling-record/)
RobinHood almost 5 years ago
Is that J. Jonah Jameson, Brit Reid, or Perry White