The aftermath of Trump's acquittal in his second impeachment trial

[eddiew37]

The Republican Party has given a free pass to future Presidents for anything they might do in the closing days of their term of office. A former President incited an insurrection against our government during the closing days of his term of office. It doesn't get worse than that.

The Republican Party acquitted the former President!

ABC News reported, "Exactly a month and a week after insurrectionists incited a riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial came to a climactic end on Saturday afternoon, with Trump being acquitted for his alleged role of inciting the deadly event. A majority of senators voted to convict the former president, but failed to reach the super majority threshold needed for a conviction."

To provide an example of the perfidy of the Republican Party one need only look at the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Despite the opinions of nearly all Constitution experts Constitution lawyers to the contrary, McConnell said "he voted "not guilty" because he believes Trump is "constitutionally not eligible for conviction" given that he is no longer president," according to NBC News.

In addition, a Senate resolution established the Senate's jurisdiction in the impeachment trial. McConnell and most Republicans violated a Senate resolution. McConnell said nothing about the evidence. He couldn't. The evidence was overwhelming.

The American people have already spoken, but the Republican Party is not paying attention. Under their leadership, the Republican Party has lost the House, Senate, and the White House in just the last four years.

Now this. A Republican President committed an act of sedition, and the Republican Party freed him from consequences. With the precedence set, all future Presidents are free of responsibility for any action they might take in the closing days of their term.

It is easy to surmise this might be opening act of the decline of American democracy.

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we lose our freedoms it will be because we have destroyed ourselves from within. Abraham Lincoln

The American people will remember this day. The Republican Party lost with this feckless decision.

Only morons would laugh at that post

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Republican Party is sinking fast. It can't get rid of intelligence challenged Trump extremists.

If true, and it stands to reason that it is as recent events show, this is surreal. Can the GOP sink any lower? In th meantime, Trump's fans are not talking. They are uninformed, and they want to stay that way.

According to NBC News and other outlets, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said Tuesday that Trump would likely beat the GOP field if he decides to run in the 2024 presidential election.

“I look at the polls, and the polls show that among the names being floated as potential contenders in 2024, if you put President Trump in there among Republicans, he wins in a landslide,” he said.

There is a slim chance the GOP will regain its sanity and cast off the intelligence challenged followers of Trump.

NBC News reports, "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney clashed Wednesday after they were asked whether former President Donald Trump should speak at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference this weekend."

At a GOP leadership news conference, McCarthy told reporters, "Yes, he should."

Trump is expected to deliver remarks Sunday at the conference in Orlando, Florida.

Cheney, who voted in January to impeach Trump over his role in inciting the assault on the Capitol, said that decision isn’t up to her, but made clear she doesn’t want him leading their party.

"That's up to CPAC. I’ve been clear on my views about Trump,” Cheney said. “I don't believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country."

Will Trump's cult say anything about these issues or will they focus on the writer and Nancy Pelosi?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Where in the Constitution does it say that?

Judgement in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgement and Punishment, according to Law.

That clause spells out the consequences of a convicted President if in office.

No where does it say that a former President can't be tried in the Senate if he is impeached for his actions while serving.

We know Trump's cult is intelligence challenged. Now we are learning that, not only are they uninformed, they are unable to read as well. You claimed that clause forbids an impeachment trail for a former President when it clearly does not say that.

 

[kyzr]

Where in the Constitution does it say that?

Judgement in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgement and Punishment, according to Law.

That clause spells out the consequences of a convicted President if in office.

No where does it say that a former President can't be tried in the Senate if he is impeached for his actions while serving.

We know Trump's cult is intelligence challenged. Now we are learning that, not only are they uninformed, they are unable to read as well. You claimed that clause forbids an impeachment trail for a former President when it clearly does not say that.

1. Correct, that clause spells out what happens if "a president" is convicted while in office. He is "removed from office". That is the punishment of "impeachment" in the Constitution. He is then subject to prosecution, like any other citizen.

2. It makes no sense to hold a Senate trial to "REMOVE" a "president" who is NOT THE ******* PRESIDENT!!!! It makes NO sense.
Is English your 2nd or 3rd language?
Reading comprehension challenged or just stupid?

3. If Trump committed ANY crime while in office, the DOJ should indict him....crickets.....so why isn't Xiden's DOJ indicting or investigating Trump?
(hint: because he didn't commit any crime)

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Times reports, "The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a last-ditch attempt by former President Donald J. Trump to shield his financial records, issuing a brief, unsigned order that ended Mr. Trump’s bitter 18-month battle to stop prosecutors in Manhattan from poring over his tax returns as they investigate possible financial crimes.

It is starting already.

CNN reports, "Donald Trump Jr. was deposed as part of the Washington, DC, attorney general's lawsuit alleging the misuse of Trump inaugural funds, according to a new court filing.
In a court document dated Tuesday, DC Attorney General Karl Racine's office revealed the former President's son was deposed on February 11.

"Trump Jr. and his brother Eric Trump, executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization who run the real-estate company on a day-to-day basis, are under scrutiny for their roles in the family business."

It should be noted, President Trump never divested himself from the Trump Organization in addition to not allowing the public to see his tax returns, breaking a decades long tradition.

CNN added, "In addition to the DC attorney general's lawsuit, prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney's office are digging into the company's finances and asking questions about business units that both brothers are intimately involved with, including the Trump family compound known as Seven Springs in New York, as well as the Trump Tower and 40 Wall Street skyscrapers, according to a people familiar with the matter.

"One person said prosecutors are asking "about everything under the sun about Donald, Ivanka, Don Jr and Eric, [and] Allen Weisselberg," the chief financial officer."

The DOJ and criminal prosecutors looking into his insurrection on Jan. 6 will have to wait their turn.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

No where does it say that a former President can't be tried in the Senate if he is impeached for his actions while serving.

Correct, that clause spells out what happens if "a president" is convicted while in office.

You should have stopped right there. Instead, you made a fool of yourself by assuming something is there when it isn't.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

It makes no sense to hold a Senate trial to "REMOVE" a "president" who is NOT THE ******* PRESIDENT!!!! It makes NO sense.
Is English your 2nd or 3rd language?
Reading comprehension challenged or just stupid?

Ignoring for the moment the DOJ and criminal prosecutors looking into Trump's inciting speech on Jan. 6, you know perfectly well the damaging consequences for a man who is convicted in a Senate impeachment trial. He becomes a historical leper. His legacy tarnished for all to see for generations.

Running for office or playing some kind of role in politics? Forget it. He was impeached and convicted by Congress. His life in politics is over. End of story.

That is why the Senate should hold an impeachment trial for a man impeached for sedition or high crimes while serving as President.

 

[kyzr]

It makes no sense to hold a Senate trial to "REMOVE" a "president" who is NOT THE ******* PRESIDENT!!!! It makes NO sense.
Is English your 2nd or 3rd language?
Reading comprehension challenged or just stupid?

Ignoring for the moment the DOJ and criminal prosecutors looking into Trump's inciting speech on Jan. 6, you know perfectly well the damaging consequences for a man who is convicted in a Senate impeachment trial. He becomes a historical leper. His legacy tarnished for all to see for generations.

Running for office or playing some kind of role in politics? Forget it. He was impeached and convicted by Congress. His life in politics is over. End of story.

That is why the Senate should hold an impeachment trial for a man impeached for sedition or high crimes while serving as President.

1. ACQUITTED of impeachment means "not guilty". Trump has his legacy secured.
The democrats can shove their partisan "snap impeachment".

2. If Trump runs in the 2024 GOP primaries he is a shoo-in, the "Trump story" continues.
So much for your "leper" bullshit.

3. Congress does NOT "convict", they "indict", the Senate did hold an impeachment trial and ACQUITTED Trump, which means not guilty.

4. Get ready for 2024, Kamala vs Trump. Should be a riot.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

ACQUITTED of impeachment means "not guilty". Trump has his legacy secured.
The democrats can shove their partisan "snap impeachment".

I wasn't talking about Trump or his impeachment trial. I was talking about Presidents in general.

I'm glad you finally agree in principle about impeachment trials. You quickly changed the subject.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Times reports, "The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a last-ditch attempt by former President Donald J. Trump to shield his financial records, issuing a brief, unsigned order that ended Mr. Trump’s bitter 18-month battle to stop prosecutors in Manhattan from poring over his tax returns as they investigate possible financial crimes.

CNN reports, "Tax records that former President Donald Trump tried to keep secret for years are now in the hands of the New York district attorney.

"Prosecutors obtained the records on Monday, just hours after the US Supreme Court denied Trump's last-ditch effort to keep the records private, a spokesperson for the district attorney said.

"The millions of pages of documents, sources say, contain Trump's tax returns spanning from January 2011 to August 2019, as well as financial statements, engagement agreements, documents relating to the preparation and review of tax returns, and work papers and communications related to the tax returns."

The intriguing question is this. Many have long suspected that Putin has something on Trump. It would explain why President Trump did so many things to please Putin, including the creation of animosity with our traditional allies, embracing communist dictators, and failing to sanction Russia for illegal activities. Will his tax records reveal that Putin did have something on Trump?

Is that why Trump fought so hard for five years for the non-disclosure of his tax records? Clearly, he didn't want anyone to see them.

They are now in the hands of the New York district attorney.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

After voting to acquit Trump on February 13 following his Senate impeachment trial, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the mob of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol were "fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on earth because he was angry he'd lost an election."

"Former President Trump's actions that preceded the riot were a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty," he said, adding that "Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that he would back Donald Trump if he were the Republican Party's nominee for president again.

He made the comment during an appearance on Fox News' "Special Report" with Bret Baier.

"If the president was the party's nominee, would you support him?" Baier asked.

"The nominee of the party? Absolutely," McConnell said.

Nearly every day the Republican Party gives new meaning to the term, "hypocrisy."

 

[struth]

After voting to acquit Trump on February 13 following his Senate impeachment trial, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the mob of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol were "fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on earth because he was angry he'd lost an election."

"Former President Trump's actions that preceded the riot were a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty," he said, adding that "Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that he would back Donald Trump if he were the Republican Party's nominee for president again.

He made the comment during an appearance on Fox News' "Special Report" with Bret Baier.

"If the president was the party's nominee, would you support him?" Baier asked.

"The nominee of the party? Absolutely," McConnell said.

Nearly every day the Republican Party gives new meaning to the term, "hypocrisy."

Not sure I see what the hypocrisy is? Frankly, that tells me a lot more about what he thinks about whoever the Dem nominee would be.....and frankly I don't blame him

 

[LAUGHatLEFTISTS]

You leftists are like 0 and 40 when trying to get Trump. It's hilarious. But the tax thingy is going to be the BIG ONE. It really is! Dont give up hope! There's no way the dems and the media would get your hopes up AGAIN only to be smashed to pieces AGAIN!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Fox News reports, "Sen. Ted Cruz says the GOP is the party of the working class and vows that former President Trump will remain a power player in the Republican Party.

"Cruz, the conservative two-term senator from Texas and former and likely future Republican presidential candidate, used his speech Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference to paint a populist portrait of a GOP transformed during Trump’s four years in the White House."

Nothing will be said at this conference about the Jan. 6 insurrection and Trump's role in that assault on our Democracy. Republicans will simply pretend it did not happen.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The capitol and its grounds were once a tourist attraction. Americans could actually walk the halls of Congress.

Not any more thanks to a President.

CNN reports, "A review of US Capitol security in the wake of the January 6 insurrection is set to recommend a series of sweeping changes next week intended to better protect lawmakers while they are in Washington, DC, and at home.

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi directed retired Lt. General Russel Honoré to conduct an independent review of the security presence around the Capitol last month after a pro-Trump mob breached the building.

"The addition of more than 1,000 Capitol Police officers -- at a cost approaching $100 million -- would include some 350 officers and expanded staffing in regional offices. The review found that the force must be expanded in part to meet members' security needs when they are back home.

"Additionally, the recommendations call for establishing a robust and dedicated quick reaction force composed of a National Guard military police battalion to be on standby in Washington full time.

The draft recommendations suggest building an integrated system of walls and fences around the Capitol.

Currently, the capitol and its grounds are fenced off. Tourists are not allowed.

Thank you, Mr. Trump.

Trump is going to be the guest speaker at CPAC Sunday. Go figure. Have conservatives lost their minds?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The draft recommendations suggest building an integrated system of walls and fences around the Capitol.

Currently, the capitol and its grounds are fenced off. Tourists are not allowed.

Thank you, Mr. Trump.

Republicans refuse to deal with the real Trump and his sheer incompetence, his extreme self-centered narcissism, and his well-planned incitement of an insurrection against our government. The American voter is aware of these faults, but Republicans are ignoring them, which accounts for the GOP losing streak.

Instead, they believe in a fantasy Trump much like Trump's intelligence challenged followers.

Evidence of this is in the recent comments made by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Trump disciple.

The Daily Mail reports, "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy accused Rep. Liz Cheney of engaging in 'cancel culture' after she told reporters former President Donald Trump should have 'no role in the future of the party or the country.'

"McCarthy appeared on Fox News Channel Thursday and was specifically asked about Cheney's comments."

"The idea that a Republican would join with the cancel culture I just think is wrong, it's beyond just having a difference in opinion," McCarthy answered while blithely ignoring trump's lies about the election which continue to this day and the consequences of those lies -- the Jan. 6 insurrection and his second impeachment.

The spineless McCarthy who changes positions as often as he changes his socks, blamed Trump for the insurrection.

McCarthy considers this a difference of opinion!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

I have been watching excerpts of the CPAC, and I can't help but wonder, is this a comedy? From Junior's girlfriend to U.S. Senators they are laughing and making totally outrageous remarks, particularly when it comes to Trump. Honestly, they are being very funny, and that seems to be their intent.

"This (conference) is conservative, and conservatives are for Trump," said Tommy Zegan, 61, the artist and creator of the work he calls "Trump and the Magic Wand."

Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union and an organizer of CPAC, said it is "the Conservative Political Action Conference that loves Donald Trump because he was a great president."

"We need him more than he needs us," said Caroline Sarian.

See, I told you. CPAC is a comedy show. This is good stuff. It is fitting that the convention is being held at a luxury hotel near Disney World.

Aaron Rupar writes, "If you watched House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s Saturday panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) after spending four months in a coma, you’d not only think that there was no January 6 insurrection aimed at overthrowing former President Donald Trump’s election loss, but that Trump actually won a second term.

"McCarthy’s remarks in particular — and CPAC 2021 in general — illustrate how whatever second thoughts the Republican establishment had about Trump following the insurrection have fallen by the wayside. And they were a reminder that although Trump did lose reelection, he remains a popular, and therefore powerful, figure in the Republican Party."

A recent Forbes piece by Andrew Solender revealed, "Republicans have the lowest ratings [of national politicians], with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy down by 20 points, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) down by 30 points and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suffering a staggering deficit of 44 points, with just 17% favorability and 61% unfavorability."

The Republican Party is in the hands of the Trump cult. Trump may not be popular in general, but he remains overwhelmingly popular with the GOP base — a recent Politico/Morning Consult poll found 79 percent of Republicans viewed Trump favorably. That is a recipe for disaster.

The strange thing is, the GOP will continue to lose elections, losing the House, Senate, and the Presidency in four years -- a record. As long as this lunacy persists, the loses will pile up exponentially. Why can't the GOP leadership see this? Are they being governed by an unruly, intelligence challenged cult?

It would seem so.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

I have been watching excerpts of the CPAC, and I can't help but wonder, is this a comedy? From Junior's girlfriend to U.S. Senators they are laughing and making totally outrageous remarks, particularly when it comes to Trump. Honestly, they are being very funny, and that seems to be their intent.

The fiberglass statue was made in Mexico over a period of six months in the resort town of Rosarito.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

I simply do not understand either the leadership of the Republican Party or Republicans at the grassroots level. What they are doing makes no sense at all, and, while they are doing it, they remain totally silent on this thread and other threads critical of the party.

Except, of course, focusing on writers who dare to expose reality.

Trump is doing the work as Putin's agent. He has lead the Republican Party in record shattering election losses, and he is in the process of destroying one of the two major parties in the United States. Trump's disapproval rating hovers around 60%, and the Republican Party will continue to lose elections as they have for the past four years.

So, what are its members doing? Hailing Trump as though he were the Second Coming.

CNN reports, "Donald Trump has no remorse about the deadly violence he incited with his lies about a stolen election in his uprising against the US Congress.

"This much was clear when the ex-President put the Republican Party on notice on Sunday that he intends to use his hold on its grassroots to try to suppress the vote heading into the presidential election in 2024, in which he hinted he might run. In his first public remarks since leaving the White House, he also dangerously lashed out at Supreme Court justices for failing to intervene to throw him the election he clearly lost to President Joe Biden.

"They should be ashamed of themselves for what they've done to our country ... the Supreme Court didn't have the guts or the courage to do anything about it," Trump fumed in an authoritarian speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, in Orlando, Florida, referring to false fraud claims thrown out by multiple judges."

Last seen leaving Washington in disgrace, the ex-President's self-regarding wander through old political fights emphasized his obsession with revenge at a time when the attention of the majority of the nation not in his camp is concentrating on more immediate concerns.

In the meantime members of Trump's cult remain silent on the issues. They lack the intelligence to discuss them in a meaningful way. Want proof? This thread.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Last seen leaving Washington in disgrace, the ex-President's self-regarding wander through old political fights emphasized his obsession with revenge at a time when the attention of the majority of the nation not in his camp is concentrating on more immediate concerns.

Imagine this ... if you can. A former President of the United States verbally attacked one of the three branches of our government as established by our Constitution. He did so on the basis of a lie.

“This election was rigged, and the Supreme Court and other courts didn’t want to do anything about it,” Trump said. “They rejected it,” Trump continued, attacking the High Court. “They should be ashamed of themselves for what they've done to our country. They didn't have the guts or the courage to make the right decision.”

Three of the justices were appointed by Trump.

Now try to imagine a former Republican President attacking 17 members of his own party, while insisting that his party was united. “We have the Republican Party,” Trump said. “It's going to unite and be stronger than ever before."

Now imagine a former President saying all this to roaring applause from Republican lawmakers and grassroots Republicans attending CPAC. Assailing the third branch of our government led the Republican crowd to loudly chant, “You won, you won," to which Trump responded, “We did.”

The reader does not have to imagine any of this. All of this happened on Sunday.

The complete silence from Trump's followers on this forum is deafening.

And highly significant.