US Politics, November 2019: These people are truly sick.

Gymnastics is fun!

Rep. Lee Zeldin, a New York Republican who has been one of the House GOP’s point men on defending President Trump during the impeachment inquiry, said the President's tweets criticizing Marie Yovanovitch during her testimony did not constitute witness intimidation.

“No, I think it's about the President wanting to ensure that the entire story is getting out there for the American public. Ambassador Yovanovitch wouldn't have even known about the tweet if not for Chairman Schiff choosing to use a partial rendition of the tweet," he said.
Zeldin called it "wrong" for Chairman Schiff to read and ask Yovanovitch to respond to part of the President's tweet. "If you're going to ask Ambassador Yovanovitch to respond to a tweet that she has not read, then allow her to read the entire tweet and then ask her a question," he said

the part that schiff read out loud:

"Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad. She started off in Somalia, how did that go? Then fast forward to Ukraine, where the new Ukrainian President spoke unfavorably about her in my second phone call with him. It is a U.S. President’s absolute right to appoint ambassadors."

the other half of the tweet that schiff didn't read:

"....They call it “serving at the pleasure of the President.” The U.S. now has a very strong and powerful foreign policy, much different than proceeding administrations. It is called, quite simply, America First! With all of that, however, I have done FAR more for Ukraine than O."

why didn't Yovanovitch get to hear that second part!?!?!? why didn't she get a chance to respond to that second part, which was so damning!?!?!??!

jfc

i am going to have a fucking heart attack. can we exit this nightmare

Why is the Republican's lawyer so bad? He seems oddly confused.

His clients are usually cats

This line of questioning isn't doing them any favors, just giving her an opportunity to reiterate and clarify her points.

So far he had her confirm that Amb. Taylor (who was a string witness against the president 2 days ago) is a very well respected person, and then had an extended line of questioning confirming that yes, there was indeed a concerted effort to smear and get rid of her. It seems like his line is she should've pushed back harder.

I'm honestly surprised Trump could refrain from coining a nickname like "Yoyo Yovanovitch" as he tweeted his important "entire story."

too close to sounding like hip-hop

BTW Roger Stone is going to prison: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/us/politics/roger-stone-trial-guilty.html

Roger Stone Going To Prison Dance Party

look, GOP. time to stop this ridiculous line of questioning from someone who knows about the law, and get appoint lindsey graham to a special detail to the house of representatives so he can take control of the system and lecture everyone about integrity in politics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rJe2tOS90E

Yovanivitch looks like such a normal person -- plainspoken and terrified -- that I can't believe this will play well for the GOP.

how many Republican elected officials are prepared each day to completely sell out their constituencies and abase themselves at the temple of repeating whatever self-serving bullshit Trump's greasy thumbs blurted out during the morning's rage-warm-up.

wouldn't they be selling out their constituencies if they *didn't* do that?

― Camille Paglia is on my partner's NextDoor (Bananaman Begins), Friday, 15 November 2019 10:51 (six hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

er no???

― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Friday, 15 November 2019 13:17 (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Sorry, am I missing something- you mean by their constituencies, Republican voters + donors, right? Well they're overwhelmingly in the tank for Trump. That's pretty much all Republican means now. Ergo, abasement before Trump by elected Republicans whatever else it might be (spoiler, it's bad), isn't selling out.

"Sometimes that happens on social media."

Lololol

dude's response "i'm shocked that would happen on social media"...I couldn't tell if he was joking, or if he was actually shocked. because the guy is a fucking souless weird mannequin.

is this guy the republican's best lawyer? because he doesn't seem to be doing them any favors.

except going along with trump IS selling out their constituents cf the 'impeachment is a kitchen table issue' article i pasted. whether or not they realise it, whether or not they voted for him. is all i mean. trump's policies only benefit a very small number of people, even if you're just looking at his supporters. i mean, i know they're jackasses but it's important to keep in mind imo

Yovanivitch looks like such a normal person -- plainspoken and terrified -- that I can't believe this will play well for the GOP.

― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn)

christine blasey ford

worked out pretty well for the GOP

elise stefanik on the attack. she sure does get self-righteous about hearing proceeding rules that she clearly doesn't understand

worked well for a straight power move then. will it work for a straight power move now. all eyes on mitch.

half of these GOP politicians literally don't know how a hearing works, administratively.

99% of voters literally don't know how a hearing works, administratively, so they can safely demonstrate their ignorance and pay no price politically

They know exactly how it works. These little tiffs happen only so they can pretend that they are being treated so unfairly by Schiff.

My one complaint about how the Democrats are doing here is that they are not spending enough time focusing in on why exactly Yovanovitch was dismissed, instead leaving it just as a vague whim of the president. They need to show more clearly that she was standing in the way of his cronies' corrupt enrichment.

Counterpoint: the Dems are in rare form today, and Schif has emerged as a poised, tough chair. I can't imagine what might've happened if Nadler (who seems to have yanked offstage by a cane -- even media appearances) had replaced him.

xp

Folks need to keep focused on the question of WHY Yovanovitch was smeared & then removed — to move forward with what Bolton called a “drug deal.” Trump wouldn’t have removed her if she wasn’t getting in the way of their campaign to pressure Ukrainians to investigate Hunter Biden.

— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) November 15, 2019

xp

I think they are doing well, but that particular line is still a bit murky and underdeveloped.

That tweet is only partly correct, I believe it was as much about her standing in the way of sweetheart deals for Giuliani's pals.

lol who is this Eddie Scarry dipshit:
Roger Stone is a casualty of the increasing criminalization of politics
Marie Yovanovitch is sincere, but that doesn't legitimize Trump's impeachment

Nunes, in his closing remarks, worries about the "poor television ratings" from these hearings

I should know better than to ask this by now but: really?

"worries"

Roger Stone is a casualty of the increasing criminalization of politics

Yes, quite right. Roger Stone did 'criminalize politics'. He did so by deliberately committing crimes. And in the end he was a casualty of that choice.

wow applause for Yovanovitch at the end

I think it was as much for Schiff

Happy Friday!

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — New North Carolina congressional map that endangers reelection prospects for 2 Republicans approved by legislature.

— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) November 15, 2019

lol you haven't read Eddie Scarry's book: Privileged Victims: How America's Culture Fascists Hijacked the Country and Elevated Its Worst People?

my god the projection

no YOU'RE the projection!

lol you haven't read Eddie Scarry's book: Privileged Victims: How America's Culture Fascists Hijacked the Country and Elevated Its Worst People?

No, but I have read Richard Scarry's book: Privileged Victims: How America's Culture Fascists Hijacked the Country and Elevated Its Worst People? Those fucking squirrels, man.

What Do Fascists Do All Day

God, Guns, and Things That Go "Boom"

“For the millions of Americans viewing today, the two most important facts are the following. Number one, Ukraine received aid, number two, there was in fact no investigation into Biden,” she said.

The conservative-leaning National Review praised her performance as “a concise, coherent, ‘no harm, no foul’ defense stronger than other arguments Trump’s allies have made.”

It's comforting knowing that this is the best defense they can muster. Not so comforting to suspect that this nonsense will nonetheless be seen as valid by millions of voters.

at the very least, it would lead me to ask: ok we have recordings of Trump quid pro quo-ing so here is the counterpart recording or internal directive or whatever where he says nah jk it would be totes corrupt for me to have Ukraine's aid tied to them investigating my political rival, let's call it off??

so WHERE is

lol a "let's call it off" recording would mean it was on in the first place, which I don't think would help Trump's position

oh I know, which is why it should be asked!

I mean shouldn't the "most important fact" be that Trump didn't ever engage in quid pro quo? Whether his quids actually occurred or not is not important at all.