The motley items, political antics & moral posturings thread

[C C]

'Threat to democracy': Democrats prepare Monday to begin impeachment of Trump over DC riots
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/poli...593068002/

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Tucker Carlson Says Donald Trump ‘Recklessly Encouraged’ Violence At Capitol
https://www.inquisitr.com/6442461/tucker...-violence/

EXCERPTS: Carlson — who has been vocally supportive of the outgoing administration — admitted that Trump bore responsibility for the riots and argued that Democrats will use the riots as an excuse to crack down on civil liberties and take aim at conservatives.

Carlson said that powerful national figures have already embarked on an effort to disenfranchise and ostracize Trump supporters. “Just in the last several hours we have heard people in positions of power and authority demand that those who support Donald Trump should no longer be allowed to publish books or use the internet or fly on airplanes.”

“What happened yesterday, they’re telling us, wasn’t simply that a political protest got out of hand after the president recklessly encouraged it,” Carlson continued [...] “But it’s not what they’re saying. Instead they’re calling it domestic terrorism, CNN describes it as an insurrection,” Carlson pointed out.

[...] CNN anchor Brianna Keilar responded to Carlson. She slammed the host for refusing to call the protests an insurrection and accused him of spreading propaganda. "He’s trying to eliminate the present… what he didn’t cop to is he is part of the illness, a propagandist, a liar, a parasite."

[...] Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald echoed some of Carlson’s arguments. Greenwald said that President-elect Joe Biden and members of his administration will use the ongoing crises and the violent protests at the Capitol as an excuse to wage a new, domestic war on terror and crush dissidents... (MORE - details)
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Johnny: "The Dems are coming to get you, Barbara." --Night of the Living Dead

Thelma & Louise: Through a sequence of events, two ordinary people suddenly find themselves fugitives hunted furiously by the FBI.
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Otis Elfrid: "Ain't never seen this many Ruby Ridges take place over a 4-year period. What in tarnation do Jill and Kamala have against hillbillies?"

Reporter: Uh, do you mean Joe?

Otis: Who?

[Leigha]

The Dems can't wait two more weeks? lol I wonder if they're afraid of Trump running again in 2024? Logistically, it will be near impossible to impeach Trump, given the time frame. Political theater at its best though, eh?

[C C]

State of emergency declared for Washington, DC
https://www.scivillage.com/thread-9643-p...l#pid41262

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There’s only one state in America where coronavirus cases are still low
https://bgr.com/2021/01/12/coronavirus-c...cases-low/

SUMMARY POINTS: The coronavirus is spreading at an unprecedented rate across all corners of the U.S. Just as Dr. Fauci predicted, January is shaping up to be the worst month of the entire pandemic. Hawaii is currently the only state where coronavirus cases are still low... (MORE - details)

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Trump admin. adopts Biden’s vaccine plan, threatens to punish slow states
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/01/...ow-states/

INTRO: The Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed is shifting gears for distributing COVID-19 vaccines in a last-ditch effort to accelerate the country’s sputtering rollout—and it’s using plans that closely resemble those announced by President-elect Joe Biden’s team last week.

Warp Speed officials said in a Tuesday press briefing that they will now increase the number of doses available to states and jurisdictions, ditching the current strategy of holding back half of available doses to reserve them for the second round of the two-dose immunizations. Members of Biden’s transition team announced a similar plan last week, saying that the president-elect “supports releasing available doses immediately and believes the government should stop holding back vaccine supply so we can get more shots in Americans’ arms now.”

When asked if Warp Speed officials had discussed the plan with Biden’s team—which will take over next week—Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that they had not. “We at the Operation Warp Speed board made the determination” to make the changes, Azar said. He also repeatedly emphasized that changing the board’s plans was always part of its members intentions.

“While we will certainly brief the Biden team on those changes, we operate, as you know, with one government at a time,” Azar told reporters... (MORE)

[Syne]

Not Biden's plan...the CDC just said that it doesn't matter how quickly people get the second round of vaccinations. Hence the availability of those doses for first round inoculations.

[C C]

‘March For Reparations’ And ‘Armed Protests’ Expected In Washington, DC On Inauguration Day
https://dailycaller.com/2021/01/12/blm-a...ington-dc/

INTRO: A demonstration to call attention to reparations and possible “armed protests” are expected to occur in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, the day of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, according to reports. A reparations movement march organized by a coalition of groups including Black PACT and Black Lives Matter Minnesota is awaiting a decision on their permit application from the National Parks Service, the DCist reported Tuesday.

“Armed protests” are reportedly being planned from Jan. 17 through Jan. 20 at the U.S. Capitol [and all 50 state capitols], according to an FBI bulletin obtained by ABC News.

[...] The FBI said “an identified armed group” is planning on traveling to Washington on Jan. 16, Business Insider reported. The group reportedly “warned that if Congress attempts to remove POTUS via the 25th Amendment a huge uprising will occur.”

“Plans for future armed protests have already begun proliferating on and off-Twitter, including a proposed secondary attack on the US Capitol and state capitol buildings on January 17, 2021,” Twitter said in a statement addressing the social media company’s decision to ban President Donald Trump from the platform for inciting violence... (MORE)

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Mitch McConnell Is Reportedly Happy Democrats Are Trying To Impeach Donald Trump
https://www.inquisitr.com/6446410/mcconn...ach-trump/

INTRO: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pleased with the Democratic Party’s plan to impeach Donald Trump, The New York Times reported. According to the publication, people close to McConnell claim he believes Trump committed impeachable offenses and is confident that the push for impeachment will make it easier to “purge” him from the Republican Party... (MORE)
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Growing cohort of Republicans turn against Trump as he denies inciting Capitol attack
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021...ent-effort

INTRO: An unrepentant Donald Trump on Tuesday denied inciting an insurrection at the US Capitol, in an attempt to shift blame Democrats rejected as “despicable”, as a number of senior Republicans began publicly turning against their president. [...] A handful of senior Republicans in recent days joined calls for Trump to go. And, crucially, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, indicated to associates that he believes Trump deserves to be impeached, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, with the Kentucky Republican thinking it will make it easier for the party to purge him, as a liability... (MORE)
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Impeachment: Republicans begin to turn on Trump
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55642101

EXCERPT: . . . even before the riot at the US Capitol, Mr Trump was increasingly viewed as a political liability with dwindling power. His scorched-earth challenge to the election results probably cost Republicans two Senate seats in Georgia, and there has been scant proof that Mr Trump boosts the party's electoral chances when his name is not on the ballot... (MORE - details)

[C C]

How Trump's second impeachment will work
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/12...ent-458506

EXCERPTS: 1) Why impeach now? [...] And lastly, an ongoing impeachment would become the immediate backdrop for any attempt by Trump to pardon himself or his supporters for their role in the riots.

2) Will any Republicans support impeachment this time? Yes. A dozen House Republicans — and maybe more — are considering joining Democrats. On the eve of the House’s impeachment, House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney announced she would vote to impeach Trump, and GOP Reps. John Katko and Adam Kinzinger said they would, too. ('Enough is enough': Another Republican announces support for impeachment - Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington)

Particularly after it was reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated Trump’s actions qualify him for removal from office, there was a feeling Tuesday night that a flood of Republican support for impeachment might be on the way... (https://www.scivillage.com/thread-9611-p...l#pid41306)

[...] 3) Can the Senate hold a trial for Trump after he leaves office? Yes. Even though McConnell has privately expressed an openness to ousting Trump, he also recently signaled that the Senate wouldn't take up the House's articles until it returns to session on Jan. 19, a day before Biden takes office.

[...] A convicted president could be barred from holding federal office ever again, making a Trump 2024 comeback impossible. A Senate conviction could also strip Trump of his post-presidential salary and other perks from being an ex-president.

4) What would a Senate trial look like? By their nature, Senate trials are slow and plodding...

[...] 5) Who will represent Trump at the trial? This is among the thorniest questions facing the president as he prepares to face his second impeachment...

[...] 6) What if the Senate did remove Trump before Jan. 20? This appears to be unlikely, but not impossible. It would require the Senate to return to session earlier than planned — a procedural gambit that itself would be difficult to arrange, as a single senator can object to doing so...

[...] 7) Is there precedent for such a hurried impeachment? Actually, there is, but it's been awhile... (MORE - details)

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Donald Trump Called Mike Pence A ‘Pu**y,’ Report Says
https://www.inquisitr.com/6446618/donald...ike-pence/

EXCERPTS: . . . Both privately and publicly, the report said, Trump pressured Pence to intervene in the process and reject electoral votes ... On January 6 ... Trump reportedly called his residence.

According to two individuals briefed on the conversation, Trump warned his right-hand man that history would not look kindly upon him if he refused to intervene. “You can either go down in history as a patriot or you can go down in history as a pu**y.”

Pence did not succumb to the pressure, certifying Biden’s win and reportedly pledging to attend his inauguration. In fact, he formalized Biden’s victory hours after a violent pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol building, after clashing with security forces and destroying property.

“Hang Mike Pence,” some in the crowd chanted [...] Pence and members of his family were escorted to a safe location as Trump added fuel to the fire, attacking his loyal ally via Twitter.

“Pence had a choice between his constitutional duty and his political future, and he did the right thing. I think he was the man of the hour in many ways — for both Democrats and Republicans. He did his duty even though he must have known, when he did it, that that probably meant he could never become president,” said John Yoo, a legal scholar consulted by Pence’s office... (MORE - details)

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House passes a resolution calling on Pence to immediately invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office
https://www.businessinsider.com/house-pa...ent-2021-1

SUMMARY POINTS:

• The House of Representatives passed a resolution late Tuesday night demanding Vice President Mike Pence immediately invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from office.
  
  
• The vice president announced hours before the vote that he won't be doing so because it will set a "terrible precedent" and further "inflame the passions of the moment."
  
  
• The House will next move to impeach the president for "incitement of insurrection" and is expected to hold a vote on Wednesday.
  
  
• Pence and Trump spoke by phone Monday evening — their first conversation since the insurrection — and "pledged to continue the work on behalf of the country for the remainder of their term," a senior official told CNN.
  
  
• Trump is facing a mountain of political and potential legal trouble after he incited a deadly riot at the US Capitol last week that resulted in five deaths. (MORE - details)

[Syne]

Nothing Trump did fits any legal definition of incitement, and no sane court would even find grounds for such a trial. Leftists just continue to lie with wild abandon.

[C C]

The bank that lent Trump money to buy an $18 million home next to Mar-a-Lago is the latest lender to cut ties with the president following the US Capitol siege
https://www.businessinsider.com/professi...ege-2021-1

• Professional Bank on Tuesday said that it would no longer provide banking services to President Donald Trump or the Trump Organization.
  
• The Florida-based bank lent Trump $11.2 million in 2018 so that he could purchase an $18 million home next to his Mar-a-Lago club for his sister, Maryanne Trump Barry.
  
• Professional Bank "will be winding down the relationship effective immediately," a representative told Bloomberg.
  
• Professional Bank joined Deutsche Bank and Signature Bank, two of Trump's favored banks, in cutting ties with the president following the riot at the US Capitol last week. (MORE - details)
  

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Live impeachment updates
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/poli...644827002/

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/200SCCXU9Nc

[confused2]

Nothing Trump did fits any legal definition of incitement, and no sane court would even find grounds for such a trial. Leftists just continue to lie with wild abandon.

Lookin' at Trump and the crowd..
From the BBC

He urged his supporters to "peacefully and patriotically" make their voices heard, but also to "fight like hell" against an election that he falsely told them had been stolen.

( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55656385 )
There's plausible deniability  in "peacefully and patriotically"  and there's also "fight like hell" which is very much open to interpretation - certainly if he used those exact words. I'd like to know whether he said "fight like hell" or words to that effect and then weigh it up against the plausible deniability. Obviously Syne will go with the plausible deniability but that may not cover "fight like hell".

[Syne]

Nothing Trump did fits any legal definition of incitement, and no sane court would even find grounds for such a trial. Leftists just continue to lie with wild abandon.

Lookin' at Trump and the crowd..
From the BBC

He urged his supporters to "peacefully and patriotically" make their voices heard, but also to "fight like hell" against an election that he falsely told them had been stolen.

( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55656385 )
There's plausible deniability  in "peacefully and patriotically"  and there's also "fight like hell" which is very much open to interpretation - certainly if he used those exact words. I'd like to know whether he said "fight like hell" or words to that effect and then weigh it up against the plausible deniability. Obviously Syne will go with the plausible deniability but that may not cover "fight like hell".

No, only moron leftists have the selective memory or outright ignorance to not know that "fight like hell" is a common refrain in elections.

Elect Hillary – then fight like hell
CLINTON PLEDGES TO 'FIGHT LIKE HELL' FOR VICTORY
I’m Ready to Fight Like Hell Against Trump’s New Form of Voter Suppression, You?
Biden’s VA secretary pick promises to ‘fight like hell’ for veterans and their families
Former Obama senior adviser: Democrats should ‘fight like hell’ on SCOTUS pick

No plausible deniability needed when it's common rhetoric on both sides.