You will never convince me otherwise.
Last night the NY Times disclosed an alleged draft of John Bolton’s new book.
WASHINGTON — President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton.
A couple of things. First, this is an interpretation of what was allegedly written. Second, it says “until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats.” That’s rather murky.
Then there’s this:
But Mr. Bolton and Mr. Trump soured on each other over several global crises
That’s called motive. But here’s the critical portion:
In his August 2019 discussion with Mr. Bolton, the president appeared focused on the theories Mr. Giuliani had shared with him, replying to Mr. Bolton’s question that he preferred sending no assistance to Ukraine until officials had turned over all materials they had about the Russia investigation that related to Mr. Biden and supporters of Mrs. Clinton in Ukraine.
“until officials had turned over all materials they had about the Russia investigation that related to Mr. Biden and supporters of Mrs. Clinton”
If this quote is correct, than the above refers to what Ukraine already had (i.e. regarding the 2016 election) and is not asking for dirt on the 2020 election. The media is not reporting this accurately. Not. at. all.
But with all the news from the Senate trial, the headlines everywhere were
“BUT BOLTON….!”
CNN
Fox News (Chris Wallace was having an orgasm)
It was the shiny object. It was the distraction dems so needed. It also was timed to make sure Bolton’s book got as much publicity as Earthly possible.
Bolton denies that he did conspired with the NY Times
John Bolton denied Monday that he, his publisher or his literary agent coordinated with the New York Times on a bombshell report that his forthcoming book says that President Trump explicitly told him that a freeze on military aid to Ukraine was tied to an investigation of his political opponents.
Note how it’s phrased. Again, murky.
Bolton’s transcript was given to the National Security Council for clearance. Bolton’s lawyer denied giving the manuscript to anyone outside the NSC, contrary to NY Times reporting.
As a spurned lover, Bolton just might be fibbing here.
Then again, who at the NSC was in charge of clearing such manuscripts?
Yevgeny Vindman, the brother of Alexander Vindman. Given the animus of both toward Trump, it’s no giant leap to buy into the twin being the leaker. The NSC (Ciraramella) has a history of being a knife in Trump’s back. It appears very likely this was all orchestrated to blunt the impact of the devastation visited upon democrats today.
Schiff subpoenaed Bolton. Bolton balked and Schiff withdrew his subpoena. Now you know why. Bolton wanted you to buy the book first and me made sure it was going to get exposure and Schiff didn’t want the impeachment to drag out for months. I want to know for sure what the actual text is. It makes a very large difference. The book might not sell as well once people actually learn what it says, especially if the Times report is accurate.
For the record, the aid frozen did NOT include the lethal aid– Javelin anti-tank missiles.
So where in the world is John Bolton now? Looks like he’s in Qatar
You guys is this John Bolton spotted just casually walking around AlMessila area in Doha?😅 pic.twitter.com/PbpnChNPGM
— Haya Al-Thani (@hayabntalwaleed) January 15, 2020
Guy’s gotta make a living. No one here would trust him again.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 40 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 45 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter who is in the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
The aid was released, Ukraine didn’t know it was being withheld (thus no one told them this for that) and Ukraine had already restarted the investigation Biden’s extortion killed to protect his worthless son. Nothing new is revealed.
Bolton wouldnt need to conspire, there are plenty of spies, hold overs and leakers at NSC that are not into the America First policy of this Administration and are arrogant enough to think they should run the show.
Some have left and are aides to Schiff.
As long as we are calling authors as witnesses, let’s call Peter Switzer as well.
Does anyone worry that our National Security Counsel doesnt seem so secure?
How many more moles did Mc Master plant?
@kitt: Liberals have weaponized and ruined it, as they have done the other departments. Just as they do everything.
Such strange new bedfellows.
Bolton’s new Dem buddies will, turn on him in an instant, just like Mittens new Dem buddies.
There is a certain affiliation between Deep Staters like the Vindmans and globalist, low wage immigrant plotters among the old GOPe (now called “Never Trumpers.)
Bright red Utah has some Dems and they are RABID.
#Utah @Suffolk_U/@sltrib Poll (1/18-22):
Sanders 27%
Warren 14%
Biden 12%
Bloomberg 10%
Yang 5%
Buttigieg 5%
Klobuchar 3%
Steyer 1%
Gabbard 1%
Bloxham 0%
Bennet 0%
Patrick 0%
De La Fuente 0%
These deeply socialist/anarchist/atheist Utahans are also turning their support to Mittens even as conservatives here are dropping off their support of him!
https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/01/17/poll-sen-mitt-romneys/
Strange bedfellows, indeed.
Ukraine corruption is a foreign policy issue. Americans participating in that corruption is a law enforcement issue. According to our Constitution, the branch of government responsible for both of those is the Executive branch which is headed by POTUS. The left wing elitists can’t figure that out but we are supposed to be the “stupid ones”. Unlike Russiagate which was based on unverified political opposition research and other lies (hence Spygate), there is actual evidence to support the charges of corruption and the actions taken by PT.
This was just a pre-planned, calculated effort by the coupsters to get more unneeded witness testimony so they can try turning the Senate proceedings into another Soviet style show trial like the House proceedings were.
did you know that someone stabbed bolton’s mustache?
It’s rumored that Trump has been having recurring nightmare of Bolton’s disembodied mustache flying around the White House at night, waiting for its chance to land on Trump’s upper lip.
If Bolton REALLY had evidence that President Trump did anything illegal he would/should have gone to Congress directly, to a press conference too.
Waiting until he wrote a book then depending on a leak to time some allegation going public is proof he had nothing.
@Nan G: Bolton is just the latest straw the Democrats are grasping. What pathetic losers.
Excuse me? You haven’t allowed any of the 13 you ordered to defy subpoenas to testify yet, and still have every subpoenaed document under Executive Branch control locked down.
Beware the ides of mustache!
@Greg:
My guess is that what you are pretending not to understand is that, if the House cannot prove the president did impeachable acts without destroying the Constitutionally protected separation between the three branches of government, then they didn’t really have a case to begin with.
@Greg: You happily forget the Mueller “investigation” where Trump provided millions of pages of documentation and every witness they wanted. While the result was that Trump was, of course, cleared, the Democrats continued with their phony accusations. So WHY would he establish a bad precedent for the Executive branch and hand over a lot of classified data the House has no established right to see, hoping this would shut them up? After all, the ACTUAL CALL didn’t shut them up; they simply made up what they wanted to be true. No, Democrats have destroyed any credibility or trust Trump might have thought they had when he took office.
Bolton’s books supposed leaks came out THIS week.
Interestingly, Bolton’s publisher got a letter from the National Security Council’s senior director for Records, Access and Information Security Management LAST WEEK.
That letter pointed out that the manuscript contains some Top Secret Classified information that needs to be excised before the book can be published.
@Greg:
Will you EVER acknowledge that the House screwed up by violating procedures holding investigations with out a full vote of the House which nullified their right of subpoena?
Or do you intend to continue with your lies fed to you by the DNC?
@retire05, #16:
No, I will not. Because there is no requirement that a full vote of the House be taken to initiate an impeachment investigation; and because the power of subpoena resides in the permanent House committees in question pursuant to existing rules governing those committees, meaning that no full vote of the House is required to issue them. The power to subpoena has been delegated to those committees.
I’ve posted links to those rules here previously.
@Greg: Rules and law are 2 different things, they failed to refile after given notice of legal argument from the Whitehouse lawyers. They must have reconsidered as it was brought to vote, passed along party lines. They failed in their sole power miserably, now expect the senate to do what they failed to try. I recall them waiving their never opened pocket constitutions saying they had sole POWER.
@Greg:
Then you, like your handlers, would be wrong.
Would you like to provide your links again? I suspect the answer is “no”.
Needless to say, you ever remain an idiot.
Schiff needs to be subpoenaed and ask where his indisputable evidence is that Trump colluded with the Russians.
@retire05: lolololol
Scenes from the impeachment trial: Schumer invited Lev Parnas to be his personal guest today at the trial. Minutes ago, Parnas was ejected from the gallery…because he’s wearing an ankle bracelet mandated bc he’s a criminal defendant accused of serious felonies! #CantMakeItUp
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 29, 2020
Trump rally in NJ
10.4% Didn’t Vote in 2016
? 26.3% Democrats
@kitt:
What? Schumer didn’t invite Avenatti?
@retire05:Liz gave no invite to Ms Ford either SMH.
They wanted to invite Soleimani, but he was unavailable.
@Deplorable Me: The electronic tracking device in his ring would have prevented his visit anyway.
@retire05:
Initiating an impeachment investigation requires no full vote. A full vote is required only when Articles of Impeachment are brought to the floor for a vote on adoption. If you want to hunt through the House Rules for anything that says otherwise, be my guest. You can use the Google search tool to look up key words in the Rules document, such as “impeachment”.
RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR THE PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE
On the matter of subpoena authority, refer to page 8, Item 10.
@Greg: Not everything the house does is constitutional. They were provided a legal argument for the refusal to submitt to the demands of Schiff.
At that point they could have taken the issue to the judiciary for arbitration.
Schiff thinking himself a dictator took exception to the refusal like every other little tyrant.
Now making demands to the upper chamber.
@Greg:
But authorizing a impeachment inquiry does.
To clarify for you:
More of those pesky Constitutional laws and rules the Dems think they don’t have follow in the pursuit of their rabid, and treasonous, attack on a President that was finally uncovering the Democrats corruption.
In 2010 Fox Interview, John Bolton Confessed He Would ‘Absolutely’ Lie About National Security Matters
Fired former White House National Security Adviser John Bolton admitted in a 2010 interview on Fox Business Channel that he would “absolutely” lie to the public and knowingly spread false information if he believed it necessary.
And what would make it more necessary than his trying to make money off a book (of even more lies.)
@Nathan Blue, #28:
Perhaps you need some clarification yourself. You’re quoting a DoJ slip opinion provided to the White House at the direction of Attorney General William Barr on January 19th for this particular occasion, not something from the House Rules Committee.
House of Representatives protocol is determined by the House itself, not by the DoJ, William Barr, White House Counsel, or any other part of the Executive Branch. That is in accordance with the Constitution.
Slip opinions carry no legal weight at all, nor do they establish precedent. They’re only opinions or statements of position.
You won’t find a requirement that a floor vote be taken in the House to open an impeachment inquiry, investigation, or hearings because it isn’t required anywhere in the Constitution or law that such a vote be taken. No full House vote is required until Articles of Impeachment are presented to be voted on.
Trump’s defense team in the Senate know this perfectly well. That doesn’t prevent them from repeatedly making the bogus argument. They’re not under oath. Their job isn’t to reveal the truth about anything. Their job is to keep O. J. out of jail by any means possible.
@Greg: Most of what the Dems are doing isn’t in the Constitution either, so I’d back away from that argument because it holds not weight.
None of that matters now, since the impeachment is over the Trump will be acquitted promptly tomorrow:
So deserving, that the Dems are taken out by their own words.
Game Over
@Greg: the HOUSE impeaches, not a Speaker or Chairman.
So, then if they wanted Bolton as a “witness”, why did they withdraw the “subpoena” instead of compelling him to testify?
Why didn’t you complain about being truthful when Schiff was L Y I N G about what Trump said in his phone call or about coordinating with the “whistle blower”? How about when he was lying about Trump and collusion? If you have a problem with attorneys doing anything they must to keep their client out of jail, WHY did you vote for Hillary when she had L I E D about a little girl that was raped to protect her rapist client (something she would have more experience with after marriage)?
WE will let you know when you can have your credibility back. You’ll have to earn it.
@Greg: Democrats really don’t want to talk about it.
https://thefederalist.com/2020/01/30/watch-dem-impeachment-managers-give-murkowski-the-middle-finger-when-she-asks-about-witnesses/
To advance the impeachment process to a trial without allowing Trump’s lawyers an opportunity to tie things up indefinitely in the courts. Delay has always been one of Trump’s standard tactics.
An impeachment vote by the House only decides whether there is sufficient reason to bring formal charges. The process of a fair trial—with all a fair trial normally entails—and the rendering of an impartial judgement is to be conducted in the Senate. That is what the Constitution requires, and what every Senator takes an oath to do.
A trial where documents have been locked down and critical testimony has been blocked at the order of the person who is on trial is not really a trial at all. When one of the central charges is abuse of power, misusing one’s power to accomplish that end is blatant mockery of the constitutional process and everything related to it. It’s a brazen affront to our entire system of government.
@Greg: Aw, COME ON! They were so anxious to “advance” their impeachment circus that Nancy sat her wrinkled ass on it for a month. Really.
The House articles ARE the charges. Then, the Senate examines the articles and the evidence presented to evaluate. Well, it was evaluated and found to STINK.
To refresh your memory, your Democrats declared they had all the evidence they needed, that their evidence was overwhelming, undeniable and uncontested. But, it’s all a big coverup without Bolton (who they didn’t care about when they were collecting all the evidence they needed) testifying. Wow, with your magnificent logic, you could be on the Democrat’s team of liars.
When BOTH the articles are based on lies, hearsay, assumption and presumption, there is no way to damage the presentation. A joke is a joke no matter how you view it.
@Greg: Ok Trumps lawyers would delay, why wont the delay now? Does the Senate have some magic fairy dust to make the courts go faster?
Schiff failed to obtain the witnesses and documents to support his case. He has said at least twice that he made his case. If he has made his case beyond a reasonable doubt, why is he trying to push the Senate into being the investigatory body?
@kitt: We have video of Bolton stating the call was warm, cordial and congratulatory. No mention of pressure, extortion or quid pro quo. THERE’S your “testimony”.
@Deplorable Me: The losers are the Repub.Senators who know Trump’s actions were improper but are so afraid of his wrath they say nothing—-more afraid of Trump than their own constituents who overwhelmingly agree with Gen Kelly that without witnesses the Senate proceedings were incomplete—a sham cover up.
More will be revealed and the true test in the only polls that matter–in Nov.
Niners upset Chiefs
@Richard Wheeler:
Kelly has no first hand information, only the industrial military complex attitude.
Odd how you choose which Generals to support as the Obama Administration is still trying to hang General Flynn.
Remember, Clinton lied under oath (a felony) yet the Senate acquitted him. Did you disagree with the Senate then?
Should Obama have been impeached over his hot mic comments where he asked for Putin’s assistance because of Obama’s upcoming election?
Or are these questions you won’t answer without putting some spin on them?
@Richard Wheeler: Chiefs by 10
The senate isnt covering up anything you swallowed the Dem line as usual.
The senate must sit in session during Trial, the lower chamber does not, did you notice Nadler MIA yesterday? Perhaps he and Schiff had a lovers spat.
@Richard Wheeler: First, “improper” isn’t an impeachable offense. THAT immutable fact is what makes your Democrats the LOOOOOSERS, as expecting Republicans to vote against their own party based on ZERO evidence and ZERO crimes is a predetermined losing proposition… which the Democrats knew.
Thinking anyone that actually paid even passing attention to the proceedings from start to finish would see their impeachment as viable was also the sign of a desperate loser.
There wasn’t time for another investigation of another of their fantasies, so they felt the need to impeach for nothing in order to try to stain Trump and adversely affect his reelection. Losers.
And, have you EVER noticed any of the Republicans showing fear of Trump? He doesn’t get blind obedience like Pelosi gets from her weak, cowardly lemmings when she threatens to hold onto legislation that would help them with their reelections and cut off DNC financing if they didn’t vote for the worst abuse of the Constitution in US history.
@retire05: Why do you keep bringing up Clinton and Obama—can’t you defend Trump on his own merits or lack thereof?
Re Generals— I prefer the Marines
DEP I never called for impeachment–said censure was appropriate.
Repubs, rightfully so, scared to death to go against Trump—think Repub Prez Primary. LOL
Kitt—70-75% of electorate wanted witnesses and Docs–Instead-Repubs chose to cover for Trump—-cowardly—2020 will tell who comes out in front
Chiefs favored but I love SF defense 24-21
@Richard Wheeler: Kitt—
We live in a republic not by mob rule. This is a trial not a lynching, it is up to the prosecution to be fully prepared to make the case before bringing it to trial.
What exactly are they covering up, I dont have cable tv, tell me what they told you to think. I mute the PBS talking heads.
I still say by 10 but we shall see.
@kitt: You censure yourself then expect to know what’s happening? Does that make sense?
Aren’t witnesses called in a trial? Why not this one? Might have helped Trump?
Maybe you should forgo SB–Kap and all—many Repubs said they were boycotting NFL—that didn’t last long. Are you passing on movies with Dem actors? How bout music? I’d think being a Repub extremely limiting and boring.
MOB RULE—Trump rallies—sometimes the mob wins in a Democracy.
@Richard Wheeler:
Why do I bring up Clinton and Obama? Because it shows the hypocrisy of you Democrat’s, that’s why. And as is STO for you, my questions go unanswered as you pivot thinking you’re so much smarter than those of us who prefer Republicans to the current crop of Socialists on the Democrat ticket.
And exactly what do you think Trump could do to Republicans who go against Trump? Impeach them using the same phony charges you side used?
Do you think Biden should be able to skate on enriching his whole damn family? He needs to be investigated. So yes, I’m sure plenty of Republicans wanted testimony from Biden and his coke head son, his two brothers and his son in law along with Schiff, et al.
@retire05: Trump can push to Primary them as he’s done before. Glad you agree on calling witnesses–or are you just speaking of other Repubs?–it’s obviously the right thing to do—Dep also agrees –how bout THAT!
BTW–I believe you know Senators can’t be impeached.
@Richard Wheeler:
Witness are called PRIOR to turning it over to the jury for closing arguments. Not after which is what Shify Schiff and Jabba the Hut wanted.
I suggest you take a course in how Congress works.
@Richard Wheeler:
I dont need talking heads to tell me what I watched. Im sorry if you cant think for yourself and decide on what is before your eyes. I dont know how actors vote I dont follow them lapping up everything they do or say. I must watch the SB to find out what happens to Mr. Peanut, did he die in the explosion or just get dry roasted.
Reps have more fun, we dont have to fret about being so politically correct as to offend people who couldnt care less about something until some tightass elite freak tells them to.
Dems can only dream of rallys the size of Trumps they never seem to show crowd sizes of their front runners.
@kitt:
Oh my, where are the Grecian columns?
Did Potentate Obama recycle them?
@retire05: Did you see Rich make our point senators cant be impeached, the voters get to do that, but we cant be trusted in 8 months. So say the elite!