Bolton Busts His Fuhrer

Posted by TomCat at 8:55 am Politics

Jan 272020

Today we proceed into the second day of Republican Fuhrer Trump’s* defense team attempts to cobble together enough lies to give Republican Senators an excuse to acquit their Fuhrer. It is not going well for them, because every time they stake out a position, more information comes out that blows their case out of the water. In response to the revelations about John Bolton’s book, I predict they will just lie and say the evidence does not exist.

We finally got a taste Sunday night of what former national security adviser John
Bolton might tell President Trump’s Senate impeachment trial — if he’s called to
testify, that is.

What we learned reinforced the potential peril for Republicans if they refuse to lethim do so.

The New York Times reported Sunday that Bolton makes a series of very big
Ukraine-related claims in an unpublished manuscript of his upcoming book, which is now slated to be released in March.

Chief among them:

Bolton writes that he heard Trump say explicitly
that the withholding of military aid would continue until Ukraine announced
an investigation involving the Bidens — implicating Trump directly in a
quid pro quo for the first time and contradicting the Trump team’s
defense.

He writes that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said
privately that there was nothing to the Trump team’s claims that
then-ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was corrupt — suggesting this
was indeed a smear campaign and that Pompeo recognized it as such, even as
he didn’t defend Yovanovitch publicly.

He writes that he raised concerns about Rudolph W.
Giuliani’s efforts in Ukraine with Attorney General William P. Barr after
Trump’s July call with Ukraine’s president — despite the Justice Department
saying Barr learned about the call in mid-August.

He writes that acting White House chief of staff
Mick Mulvaney was present for one of Trump’s calls with Giuliani about
Yovanovtich, even though Mulvaney has told associates that he stayed out of
those conversations to protect Trump’s and Giuliani’s attorney-client
privilege.

In other words: Bolton is naming names — lots of names — and directly contradicting what top administration officials are saying.

Inserted from <Washington Post>

Adam Schiff had more to day about this.

Adam Schiff: John Bolton’s book blasts a hole in Trump defense

Sadly I fear this will do us no good. I ‘d be willing to bet that Republican Senators are far too vile and craven to allow American voters to see this testimony.

RESIST!!

Open Thread–1/26/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:17 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 262020

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox, as WWWendy will be here in about an hour. I’m feeling a bit better as, after throwing up most of the day yesterday, I kept supper down. Then I kept breakfast down this morning. Have a great Sunday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:07 (average 5:28). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From NY Times and YouTube: Even before the gas chambers were destroyed and the savage toll of years of industrialized mass murder revealed to the world, prisoners at the largest Nazi concentration camp were already repeating two words: Never again.

But as the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz approaches, an occasion being marked by events around the world and culminating in a solemn ceremony at the former death camp on Monday that will include dozens of aging Holocaust survivors, Piotr Cywinski, the director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, is worried…

…Across Europe and in the United States, there is concern about a resurgence of anti-Semitism. Toxic political rhetoric and attacks directed at groups of peoples — using language to dehumanize them — that were once considered taboo have become common across the world’s democracies.

To find examples of the rabid antisemitism that led to Auschwitz, one need look no further than the US Republican Reich. Impeached Fuhrer Trump called the Republicans in this video “fine people”. RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): New audio and video undermine President Trump’s claim about Lev Parnas

So the liar who had “never met Parnas” and didn’t even “know who Parnas is” knew him well enough to discuss the strategy of firing a US Ambassador and blackmailing Ukraine in the face of military aggression from Trump* buddy Putin [R-RU]. The Republican lackeys in the Senate wouldn’t mind hearing witnesses themselves. They already know how guilty Trump* is and don’t care. Those Republican cowards are afraid to have American voters hear the witnesses. RESIST!!

From YouTube (SNL Channel): Alan Dershowitz Argues for Trump Cold Open

The faces are slightly different, but the satirical reality they display is spot-on! However, Dershowitz should have taken his client downstairs and left him with his perv buddy Jeff! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Buffalo Springfield – For What It’s Worth 1967

I’ll never tire of this one. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–1/25/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:32 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 252020

I’ve been throwing up most of the morning, but am pushing through, because I don’t want to get behind. Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, so please expect no more than a Personal Update or an Open Thread. Have a great weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:24 (average 5:34). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Desperately trying to change the narrative after a week of damaging presentations, Donald J. Trump’s defense team is scrambling to find an example of one law that Trump did not break, sources confirmed on Friday.

In concert with two of Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent defenders, Alan Dershowitz and Kenneth Starr, Trump’s personal attorney Jay Sekulow has been scouring federal, state, and municipal law books in the hopes of finding one statute that Trump, for whatever reason, did not violate.

“So far, no luck,” a source close to the defense team said.

Dang, Andy! They’re going to be searching forever! RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Attorney: Trump caught on tape demanding ambassador’s firing

I’d recognize that pig squeal anywhere! Is there anything that the criminal Trump* has not lied about? RESIST!!

From YouTube (Adam Schiff Channel): Rep. Schiff Concludes Senate Trial Argument: Give America a Fair Trial. She’s Worth It.

Schiff was masterful. Now get ready for wall to wall lies and obfuscation from the Republican Reich! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Simon & Garfunkel – Mrs. Robinson (Audio)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–1/24/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:47 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 242020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox. I didn’t sleep well last night, but I kept my food down all day yesterday and this morning. I’m going to do my best to force a week free of Medical Mayhem, before I let them perform more in their endless barrage of tests. Pardon my frustration, please. I’m just sick of sick. TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:52 (average 5:09). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: George Conway and his new group called The Lincoln Project created a second negative political ad targeting the vulnerable Senator from Maine, Susan Collins.

In the ad, they highlight the supposed “independent” credentials negated by her actions. They demand that Collins do her job during the Senate impeachment trial.

Amen! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Adam Schiff Ends Day With Powerful Argument For Trump’s Removal

I think Schiff was speaking more to the American people more than to the Senators, whose ears and minds are closed. The real trial is the one in November. The onus falls on voters to send criminal Resident Trump* and the entire Republican Reich the way of the Whig Party! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a change of pace): Patsy Cline – Sweet Dreams

I’m so old that even this brings memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–1/23/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:46 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 232020

I had a rough day yesterday, My lunch disagreed with my gut, and I threw up several times. Supper was no better. However I was able to keep breakfast down. I want to finish early today, so I can take a partial nap, before Store to Door delivers groceries this afternoon.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:11 (average 6:16). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From NY Times: When President Trump’s impeachment trial opened this week, the Democratic House managers prosecuting the case piled their table high with binders and notepads. Only a few rested on the defense table.

The contrasting amount of material the two legal teams brought into the Senate chamber to support their initial arguments foreshadowed a broader difference in their approaches to the trial.

In its opening days, the House managers have focused on the facts. They are trying to build a clear and coherent story around their theme that the president abused his power — delving into the details, putting up slides to summarize major points, and playing a well-organized selection of video clips of statements by Mr. Trump and by House witnesses.

Eschewing props, the defense team has focused instead on the process. They have used their time to reinforce the House Republican theme that impeachment is a sham and unfair to Mr. Trump — urging the Senate to swiftly dispose of the case without subpoenaing any additional documents or testimony.

Any good lawyer would prefer to present cases based on facts. However, when the factual evidence is completely stacked against them, they argue process to distract frim the factual case. This is why the House Managers are cleaning the Republicans’ clocks. It will probably make no difference to Republican Senators. They are complaining that they are bored, because they don’t want to listen. But another trial is coming in November. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Parody Project Channel): THE TWEET GOES ON – A Parody | The Freedom Toast & Parody Project

Thanks for including The Freedom Toast, Don. Those doctors may search, but they’ll never find one. If Trump* gets his image on the dime, people will be peeing on money. May voters send the entire Republican Reich the way of the Whig Party. RESIST!!

From YouTube (The Late Show Channel): Trump Brags About Obstructing Congress By Withholding Ukraine Evidence

This is typical of Republican criminal Trump*. He often brags about committing crimes at the same time he protests his innocence. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Little Darlin’-The Diamonds-1957

I learned to jitterbug to this tune. Ah… the memories. RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Enter the Kangaroos!

Posted by TomCat at 10:27 am Politics

Jan 212020

Having received his goose-stepping orders from criminal Resident Donald Trump, aka Fuhrer of the Republican Reich, Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch has released the Impeachment Rule he received from his Fuhrer’s lawyers. Thus, he issues the proclamation: “Enter the kangaroos!”

During the impeachment of Bill Clinton, Ken Starr, now one of the major new additions to Donald Trump’s legal team, argued that a president under investigation for criminal conduct must not be permitted to use governmental authority to embargo witnesses or hide the evidence against him. Starr’s arguments before Congress as a prosecutor decades ago apply directly to the upcoming Senate trial of Donald Trump, and the assiduous efforts of Mitch McConnell and his fellow GOP Senators to engineer a sham trial.

Start with McConnell, who for weeks has insisted that the Senate will “exactly” follow the procedures employed during the trial of Bill Clinton. Under those rules, the Senate formally admitted into evidence the entirety of the extremely comprehensive record assembled by Starr’s team, and then decided whether to call additional witnesses after the parties presented their opening arguments and answered questions from the legislators.

Given that Trump has schemed to withhold potentially key witnesses and evidence, leaving the record far from complete, following the “Clinton Rules” in the Trump case makes little sense. Furthermore, on the eve of the trial Monday, McConnell laid out his proposed rules, which do not follow a key provision of the Clinton procedures. Instead of automatically admitting the House’s materials into evidence, McConnell proposes that the Senate vote on which portions, if any, of the documents and testimony assembled by the House to admit. Under the McConnell Rules, which a Republican majority is near certain to pass, the Senate will literally be able to reach a verdict without admitting any of the materials incriminating the president into evidence. [emphasis added]

Inserted from <The Daily Beast>

This has me so upset, that I made a typo in the graphic. Here are three video clips to shed more light on this travesty.

Schumer calls on 4 GOP members to ‘resist McConnell’s cover-up’

Bernstein: ‘Midnight Mitch’ and Senate embracing coverup

McConnell’s Impeachment Rules Designed To Hide The Facts: Katyal

This may be the most important article I have published. Here’s the bottom line. The differences between this sham and the Clinton trial are as follows: The Clinton Trial admitted the entire House record at the outset. The Trump* travesty lets Republicans decide whether or not to admit the House record. In the Clinton Trial, Senators debated by the light of day. In the Trump* travesty, Senators will debate in the wee hours so voters don’t see what they are doing. Unlike the Clinton trial, the Trump* travesty is designed to prevent the prosecutors from presenting witnesses and documents. Unlike in the Clinton trial, the Trump* travesty gives Republicans the prerogative to vote for dismissal at any time.

On February 4, the criminal Resident Trump* is scheduled to give the State of the Union address. He is desperate for the opportunity to lie that he was “proven innocent”, which he is not, and will never be. Therefore Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch is in extreme cover-up mode.

This will put the onus on us to try to expose everything Republicans cover up. I’ll do my best to do my share. Please join me!

RESIST!!

Open Thread – 1/19/2020

Posted by TomCat at 7:44 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 192020

I’m hurrying to finish as much work as I can, before WWWendy arrives. This afternoon, I’ll meditate on the Holy Ellipsoid Orb. I’ll be rooting for the Chiefs in deference to one, who shall remain Nameless. I’ll also prepare tomorrow’s articles in advance, except for the puzzle.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:55 (average 4:12). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

In case you forgot, RepubliCare is the Republican Reich plan to replace ObamaCare.

Short Takes:

From Alternet: …Trump’s cold sweats are significant, because everyone who has been following this case knows that the Senate will acquit him. Not because he’s innocent — no one who has actually consulted the evidence is foolish enough to believe that — but because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Republicans who control the Senate decided long ago that they would cover up for their shamelessly corrupt president no matter what he does. With such an assured outcome, Trump’s fears seem overblown and silly, even for someone crippled by sociopathic narcissism and its accompanying paranoia.

But it’s also true that high-profile travesties of justice, such as the one Senate Republicans are currently preparing to commit, can often provoke major political backlash. Getting a jury to acquit the obviously guilty can, as history shows, cause a public that’s already outraged about the crime to get even more furious. That, I suspect, is what Trump is sweating.

What the Senate is about to do is akin to the practice of jury nullification. That’s where a jury decides that either they don’t think the crime should be a crime at all, or that they believe people like the defendant should above the law, and so refuse to convict no matter how guilty the defendant is. This something that in theory, and sometimes in practice, can be used for good as when a jury refuses to throw someone in prison for a low-level drug offense, or refuses to enforce a law restricting free speech. But historically in the U.S., jury nullification has tended to be used to uphold injustice and reinforce racist or sexist systems of power….

As I so strongly implied yesterday, the Republican Reich is prepared to goose-step behind criminal Fuhrer Trump* into political extinction. RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Senator makes prediction ahead of impeachment trial

Coons is spot on that testimony from Jon Bolton and Lev Parnas is both relevant and probative, while testimony from Joe and Hunter Biden is neither. Coons’ argument would be valid, if this were a legal trial. It is not. Bought Bitch Moscow Mitch and the Republican Reich set the rules. They can would our objections to Joe and Hunter as an excuse to disallow all witnesses. So if Joe and Hunter appearing is what it takes to get us the real witnesses, bring them on! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread – 1/18/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:51 am Blog News, Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 182020

It’s another crappy day, here in the CatBox, and I ALMOST went back to bed. Oh well, I get the camera in my gut in less than a month now. Tomorrow is a High Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, the Festival of Conference Finality. May the Orb shine it’s blessed light on your team, if it has survived. I’ll be out of the saddle on Sunday and Monday. Sunday is a WWWendy Day and we have a very stinky TomCat and lots of chores to manage. Please expect no more than a Personal Update or Open Thread. On Monday I have an appt. with my cardiologist. If you remember, a few weeks back, I was telling my PCP about my heartburn, when an acid bubble came up my esophagus. I put up my hand to my chest, winced, and lowered my head in pain. Megan freaked out. She slapped on the EKG stickers, and once she realized I wasn’t having a heart attack, she insisted I make an appointment with Lisa. That was set back a few weeks ago, because TriMet Lift was two hours plus late and could not pick me up until well after my appointment time. So Monday I hope to publish a Personal Update, and an MLK Day article, prepared a day in advance. I hope to be back in the saddle Tuesday. Have a great weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:24 (average 4:27). I’m amazed I beat the average. To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Alternet: In the past, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine was among the most popular Republicans in New England — a region of the United States that has become increasingly Democratic in recent years. Collins, first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996, was reelected by 17% in 2002, 23% in 2008 and 38% in 2014. But that was before Donald Trump became president, and according to polling by Morning Consult, Collins now enjoys 42% approval and 52% disapproval — making her the most unpopular politician in the U.S. Senate.

During the first quarter of 2017, according to Morning Consult, Collins enjoyed 67% approval in Maine. But the last quarter of 2019 found her overtaking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in terms of unpopularity.

It could not have happened to a more deserving bitch (apologies to female dawgs)! Maine… Vote Blue!! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): President Donald Trump Picks Jeffrey Epstein Lawyers For Impeachment

How much do you want to bet that Barrf and the Republican Reich had Epstein killed to cover up their own crimes? Of course Fuhrer Trump* would pick pervert-friendly lawyers. Birds of a feather… RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): –

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

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