Rep. Jamie Raskin (D, National Treasure) was one of the most persistent voices of sense in Thursday's House impeachment hearing, and his comment that this was an "impeachment about nothing" gives me the title of the post. Maybe it's about bribery? But who got bribed and for what by whom?
Usually, you would want to establish a quid pro quo, right? I give you "X" and you give me "Y". You give me an investigation into Joe Biden and I'll release military aid, for example. This is not so clearcut. Is the bribe coming from Burisma to get rid of the prosecutor who was manifestly not investigating them? Is the bribe coming from Chinese businessmen because yadda yadda yadda? (That Hunter Biden was drawing a loan based on his investment to pay major debts is actually pretty plausible, given what we know of his circumstances at the time.)
What the GOP House established was they were GONNA GODDAMN FIND a reason. They were going to take this impeachment business seriously. They didn't all stick around or provide any evidence or anything, so I don't know how literally they are taking the impeachment business, but man, they are serious.
Raskin proposed subpoenaing Rudy Giuliani and Lev Parnas. Oh. The Jimmies (Comer and Jordan) didn't like that idea. The damaging data of the liberated laptop loses a bit of its shine when you consider the irregular provenance.
(Biden is suing Giuliani for accessing a property he had no reason at all to be in possession of, which is something we should really constantly point out--why the fuck did Giuliani of all people, have any access to it? And why was the property of a private citizen made fodder by political operatives?)
The GOP also wasn't sure they wanted to hear from Devon Archer, either--since he pointed out that Hunter Biden gave the illusion of access, not actual political magic.
The GOP offered bullshit. Their expert witnesses weren't fact witnesses and said here were no facts--they could find a basis for impeachment. So the Democrats just spent their time roasting the House members and, of course, Trump--who actually is demonstrably corrupt.
It's hard to shake the idea that maybe, this inquiry is some kind of election interference aimed at smearing Joe Biden, a candidate for office, based on weaponizing the impeachment process. My word. What folks will do.
And yet: this was what House GOP members felt was necessary and important to do before a potential shutdown? Why? Because Trump wants the impeachment and the shutdown because he is the King of Chaos and clusterfuckery? WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? (Not even the masters of their own domains.)
As with the debate Wednesday night, this is time on our lives we'll never get back--but it's a useful display of how utterly low the Republican Party has sunk in Trump's service.
The above picture is materials already obtained by the committee that so far have not produced a "smoking gun". (They don't need impeachment, they've got plenty of non-evidence at home.) It is a fishing expedition, and I think the GOP is headed for some pretty deep water.
3 comments:
"We've got plenty of conjecture and hearsay. Those are kinds of evidence!" — Lionel Huntz, Esq.
Squeaker of the House Qevin: It's a shutdown about Nothing?
Republican House: Right!
Squeaker Qevin: So, we go on TV, we tell them we've got a SHUTDOWN about nothing.
Gym Jordan, Gaetz James Comer et al: Exactly!
Qevin: (Nodding) I think you may have something there.
The funniest thing I heard in the aftermath was from Rep. Raskin that he "heard" some Republicans say they thought the impeachment hearing was deliberately a shitshow because Kevin McCarthy didn't want to go through with it. I don't know if he really did hear them say that--
But it would be funny if they were saying amongst themselves now.
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