by Pa. Rock
Citizen Journalist
With the United States Senate formally entering impeachment mode and preparing to begin a trial next week that could result in Donald Trump being removed from office, there is now an intense focus forming on how the trial will actually operate. The biggest issue that remains outstanding is whether the Senate will allow witnesses to be called, or whether Mitch McConnell's view that the House case should be presented and voted on as-is will prevail.
The House impeached Donald Trump on two articles, even though most of the witnesses that it wanted to hear from were blocked from testifying by Trump himself. Now, one of those potential witnesses, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, has indicated that if he is subpoenaed to the senate trial he will show up and testify - regardless of whether Trump grants him permission to do so or not.
Bolton's volunteering to testify has put several Republican senators in an uncomfortable position. They were all set to politely acquit, but now Bolton has upended that charade. If GOP senators don't hear what he has to say, the folks back home may rightfully assume that the fix was in all along and their senators actually had no interest in due process.
So a few Republican senators are waffling. Do they continue to do the bidding of the White House and Mitch McConnell, or should they refocus onto doing their actual jobs?
This week Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, the smartest guy in the room only if the room is otherwise empty, came up with a novel solution, an idea that McConnell is threatening to adopt. Cruz proposed a notion of "witness reciprocity" where Democrats to could call witnesses to testify and for each one they called, Republicans could also call a witness.
The imminent threat seemed to be that if Democrats were insistent on hearing from John Bolton, Republicans would take up a Trump suggestion and call Hunter Biden as their witness. There was even some talk that Old Joe himself might be called on to testify.
Joe and Hunter Biden both deny any involvement in the internal business or government affairs of Ukraine, although Hunter was on the board of directors of one Ukrainian bank, a paid position that some argue he received because of who his father was rather than through any unique banking skills that he, himself, might have had.
Joe Biden has indicated that he would not honor a subpoena because the impeachment trial is about Trump - and not Joe Biden. It is unclear whether Hunter Biden would testify or not.
But John Bolton would, and, in fact, he seems eager to do so.
So play your games, senators, because America deserves to hear from Trump White House insiders. Subpoena Bolton, and White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and Lev Parnas, and Rudy Giuliani. If the GOP senators want to call officials with actual knowledge of what was occurring between the Trump administration and the Ukraine - the more the merrier. And if Hunter Biden is hauled in to testify, reciprocate with Ivanka, or Jared, or Beavis and Butthead. If the GOP wants a circus, they may have to sacrifice a few of their own clowns along the way.
Citizen Journalist
With the United States Senate formally entering impeachment mode and preparing to begin a trial next week that could result in Donald Trump being removed from office, there is now an intense focus forming on how the trial will actually operate. The biggest issue that remains outstanding is whether the Senate will allow witnesses to be called, or whether Mitch McConnell's view that the House case should be presented and voted on as-is will prevail.
The House impeached Donald Trump on two articles, even though most of the witnesses that it wanted to hear from were blocked from testifying by Trump himself. Now, one of those potential witnesses, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, has indicated that if he is subpoenaed to the senate trial he will show up and testify - regardless of whether Trump grants him permission to do so or not.
Bolton's volunteering to testify has put several Republican senators in an uncomfortable position. They were all set to politely acquit, but now Bolton has upended that charade. If GOP senators don't hear what he has to say, the folks back home may rightfully assume that the fix was in all along and their senators actually had no interest in due process.
So a few Republican senators are waffling. Do they continue to do the bidding of the White House and Mitch McConnell, or should they refocus onto doing their actual jobs?
This week Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, the smartest guy in the room only if the room is otherwise empty, came up with a novel solution, an idea that McConnell is threatening to adopt. Cruz proposed a notion of "witness reciprocity" where Democrats to could call witnesses to testify and for each one they called, Republicans could also call a witness.
The imminent threat seemed to be that if Democrats were insistent on hearing from John Bolton, Republicans would take up a Trump suggestion and call Hunter Biden as their witness. There was even some talk that Old Joe himself might be called on to testify.
Joe and Hunter Biden both deny any involvement in the internal business or government affairs of Ukraine, although Hunter was on the board of directors of one Ukrainian bank, a paid position that some argue he received because of who his father was rather than through any unique banking skills that he, himself, might have had.
Joe Biden has indicated that he would not honor a subpoena because the impeachment trial is about Trump - and not Joe Biden. It is unclear whether Hunter Biden would testify or not.
But John Bolton would, and, in fact, he seems eager to do so.
So play your games, senators, because America deserves to hear from Trump White House insiders. Subpoena Bolton, and White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and Lev Parnas, and Rudy Giuliani. If the GOP senators want to call officials with actual knowledge of what was occurring between the Trump administration and the Ukraine - the more the merrier. And if Hunter Biden is hauled in to testify, reciprocate with Ivanka, or Jared, or Beavis and Butthead. If the GOP wants a circus, they may have to sacrifice a few of their own clowns along the way.
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