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Our nation is being held hostage. Not by terrorists. Not by a foreign nation. No, it is being held hostage by the likes of Adam Schiff, Nancy Pelosi and their accomplices in the House of Representatives as they once again try to reset the narrative of the Trump presidency. For two days, we heard rumblings that Thursday would be the day the House finally voted to endorse impeachment proceedings against the president. Now, and it really shouldn’t surprise anyone, they’ve changed their tune. The vote isn’t going to be endorsing the proceedings. Oh no. All they’re going to do is decide how to hold the public hearings. The real question,–and one the mainstream media isn’t asking–is why the change?
There are any number of possible answers. The Dems want to keep the talk of impeachment front and center during the election season. They are so inept they can’t figure out how to hold the hearings. Or, my personal favorite, what the witnesses have been telling them is far from what has been leaked to the media. In other words, they know they don’t have enough evidence to impeach the president but they are so deep into their own fantasy world that they can’t admit they’ve failed, even to themselves.
This would certain explain why Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, “is reportedly telling witnesses testifying not to answer questions asked by Republican lawmakers.”
According to House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La.:
He’s directing witnesses not to answer questions that he doesn’t want the witness to answer if they’re asked by Republicans . . . He’s not cut off one Democrat. He’s not interrupted one Democrat and told a witness not to answer Democrat members’ questions but today he started telling witnesses not to answer questions by certain Republicans.”
The real question comes down to whether or not justice is being served by the charade being held in the House chamber. Schiff, Pelosi and company have been up in arms since the election, doing everything they can to discredit Trump (often with help from him and his Twitter account). They’ve bitched to high heaven when folks they’ve wanted to question have refused to cooperate. But now the shoe is on the other foot and it is just fine with them. It seems they have no problem at all with keeping the proceedings hidden from the public, doling out information they want through convenient “leaks” and denying their Republican counterparts the chance to question witnesses. Hell, let’s be honest about it. Schiff is preventing the Republicans from calling witnesses. It’s his show and the little dictator is going to run it his way.
The farce has extended to yesterday’s evidence gathering. Scalise and other Republicans held a press conference yesterday to describe Schiff’s latest round of grandstanding. According to Scalise and Congressman Jim Jordan, R-OH, Schiff prevented them from asking Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman some follow-up questions.
When we asked [Vindman] who he spoke to after important events in July — Adam Schiff says, ‘no, no, no, we’re not going to let him answer that question,”‘ Jordan said.
Hmmm, I don’t know about you, but I have a real problem with Schiff not allowing the question to be asked. After all, part of the build-up to Lt. Col. Vendman’s testimony was the assertion he reported his concerns on more than one occasion. So wouldn’t it be important to find out who, besides his supervisor, he might have said something to? Apparently Schiff didn’t think so. Either that or he is worried that the knowledge of who Vendman spoke to might cast doubt on his allegations.
What other steps have the Dems taken to hamstring the Republicans? A reading of the resolution Pelosi is presenting for a vote Thursday speaks volumes. Here are a few of the ways the Dems are trying to stack the deck and prevent the president from getting a fair and impartial hearing (not that I ever expected them to try to be impartial).
According to Pelosi:, the resolution:
affirms the ongoing, existing investigation” and “establishes the procedure for hearings that are open to the American people, authorizes the disclosure of deposition transcripts, outlines procedures to transfer evidence to the Judiciary Committee as it considers potential articles of impeachment, and sets forth due process rights for the president and his Counsel.”
Wait, why do they need to “affirm” the ongoing investigation? Shouldn’t that have been done before our tax dollars were spent? Also, why were the procedures addressed before now? Oh, wait, I know the answer. The Dems haven’t wanted the hearings to be public. By keeping them behind closed doors, Schiff and company could control the flow of information, especially since the media has acted as their accomplice in the attempt to bring down the Trump Administration since before Trump took office.
The very first paragraph of the resolution shows what a one-sided fishing expedition it will be. The House committees already looking into the president are to:
continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Donald John Trump, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes.”
So they can continue digging, despite being unable to find sufficient evidence in approximately three years of trying. Worse, they can do so for “other purposes” beyond determining if there’s sufficient grounds to impeach him.
“We are taking this step to eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump Administration may withhold documents, prevent witness testimony, disregard duly authorized subpoenas, or continue obstructing the House of Representatives,” Pelosi said Monday.
Hypocrite, thy name is Nancy Pelosi. She has no problem with Schiff telling witnesses not to answer questions from Republicans, but heaven forbid Republicans act as her own party does.
And what about Schiff?
Oh, the little dictator is loving his time in the limelight. He has no problem telling the media that Trump and members of his administration want nothing more than to “punish” the so-called whistleblowers.
We will make every effort to make sure that notwithstanding the president or his allies’ desire to out and exact political revenge on this whistleblower, that our committee is never used for that purpose,” he said.
No, they’ll just use Schiff’s committee and the others to exact their political revenge on Trump for daring upset their plans for 2016.
How long do they plan to keep this up? Until he either throws his hands up and resigns or he is defeated or he reaches his term limit. To hell with the cost to the nation. None of that matters as long as they can continue to scream about how he should never have been sworn in. After all, that honor should have gone to Hillary Clinton.
Read the resolution for yourselves. When you cut through all the jargon, it comes down to Schiff being in control and basically being able to do whatever he wants.
How many weeks and months have we listened to Pelosi and Schiff and their cohorts in the House telling us there is more than enough evidence to not only impeach the president but to bring him up on criminal charges? How many weeks and months have they promised to move forward, to bring the case before the American people and yet there’s been nothing but strategic leaks and innuendo? It is past time for them to either show their hand or move on–preferably to move out of their roles in government.
When our politicians are more concerned with punishing fellow politicians because they dared get elected than they are in serving their constituents, our nation is in trouble. When we continue electing those same politicians, we need to step back and take a hard look at ourselves. We have that chance coming up in the next election. I know what I’m going to do. What about you?
If that isn’t enough to get you thinking, perhaps this will be. What will the history books say about the antics of the House of Representatives over the last three years? Will they talk about all the legislation that was passed and how it helped move the country to a stronger position internationally? Not a chance. Will the books tell future students how the House reached across the aisle to work with the Republican held Senate? Nope. Instead, those books will, or at least should, talk about how Adam Schiff, Nancy Pelosi and others in House leadership roles tried to hold the nation hostage because they couldn’t get over the fact Donald Trump won the 2016 election.
Don’t let this be the death knell of the American dream. It is time to reclaim our country from politicians who are more worried about their own personal agendas than they are about the safety and welfare of the nation.
Welcome, Instapundit readers!
Featured Image: Adam Schiff caricature by DonkeyHotey. Creative Commons 2.0 license.
Scott says: The only good thing about all this impeachment stupidity is that it has been the shiny bunny that has distracted the dims away from their direct attacks on our Constitutionally protected freedoms, and reminded President Trump of the folly of conceding anything to these would be dictators.
Watching them pontificate about “protecting the Constitution” is at once sickening and laughable. They have no problem wiping their asses with the 1st and 2nd Amendments, and whatever parts don’t fit their narrative / agenda, but suddenly they’re the great defenders??? Sorry, not buying it.
Amanda Green says: I totally agree. This morning, I saw an interview with one of the usual suspects explaining how it was sooo. important for them to proceed in order to protect our Constitution, do their duty as our elected representatives, etc. I wanted to reach through the screen and slap him with a copy of the Oxford Dictionary. Not only have they made a mockery of our Constitution as they’ve done their best to destroy it, but they have no clue what it really means to serve the best interests of their constituents.
Scott says: Would that be the “esteemed” Hakeem Jeffries? Dude probably can’t quote a single line from that document, nor speak with the slightest bit of intelligence on the process leading up to the adoption of the Bill of Rights (or most any other subject for that matter)..
Amanda Green says: I believe it was.
Kevin says: The only thing holding the nation hostage is the obese pathological lying narcissistic imbecile with the emotional maturity of a three year old pretending to be president. We all have to remember that people who support tRump also support involving foreign governments in defeating and annihilating their political opponents. Ah, the United States, the beacon of light for all that is good and decent … Well, that was once the view around the world. Not any longer. It’s shameful how many people are coming forward to express their shock and concern over tRump’s behavior. Even those he appointed working in his White House. Drain the swamp!!! Lock him up!!! (Where have I heard those chants before?)
Amanda Green says: Kevin, we’re going to have to disagree here. I am not a fan of Trump. But I am even less of a fan of wasting taxpayer dollars and ignoring the business at hand to chase down rabbit holes. Pelosi and Schiff have pushed everything else aside for more than 2 years in their attempt to take down Trump. First through the Steele dossier and where did that get us? Then the Mueller Report. Another big snooze.
Here’s the thing. They keep telling us they have more than enough to impeach POTUS. If that’s the case, why haven’t they already done so? Why are the continuing the so-called investigations? The answer is simple: they don’t have the evidence they need and they are determined to find evidence, no matter what the cost to the nation. When do we, as a nation, finally say enough is enough?
Scott says: Kevin, you’re a real genius aren’t ya? Look, with your line “support involving foreign governments in defeating and annihilating their political opponents.” you are describing the actions of Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration (Steele Dossier, Cloudstrike, etc).. PRESIDENT TRUMP was requesting that Ukraine (who was involved in those operations) investigate the origins of them, as well as the obvious (and admitted on national television) abuse of power by Biden in demanding that the investigation into corruption related to a company his son worked for be halted and the prosecutor fired. When the activities to be investigated HAPPENED in a foreign country, and involved PEOPLE in those countries, it is completely appropriate to request that those countries assist with the investigations.
In addition, everyone is loosing their minds over this phone conversation, saying it’s “inappropriate, and without precedent”, but here’s the thing.. HOW DO WE KNOW??? No other president has released transcripts of their phone conversations with other countries. How about we release transcripts of phone calls between Obama and Iraq, or him and Russia after his “more flexibility” comment.. Or Clinton talking to Russia around the time of the Uranium One deal? Since you’re obviously a big fan of those two presidents, whatever was in those conversations MUST be “appropriate and correct”, so why don’t we look at those, and use them as a baseline to judge what PRESIDENT TRUMP said in his call??
Of course, the other option is that you’re just a wanna be dictator, basement dwelling troll that delights in wiping your ass with the Constitution, and have nothing of substance to add to the discussion… But I’ll leave that determination up to the fine ladies that post on this blog..
SDN says: Kevin, the ones coming forward from the White House aren’t the ones President Trump appointed. They’re the permanent staff who support Democrats because Democrats grow government.
James says: “ Schiff, Pelosi and company have been up in arms since the election, doing everything they can to discredit Trump (often with help from him and his Twitter account).”
Seems like you’re the one helping the Democrats discredit Trump being unable to keep from throwing stones like that.
Here’s how The “Victory” Girls would have handled WWII.
“Well yes, the Nazis have to be stopped, but the US servicemen are doing themselves no favors by fighting back. That’s just as bad as the Nazis. And Americans making up insulting songs about Hitler? That’s just crude.”
Amanda Green says: Oh come on. If you can’t admit the President’s Twitter use hasn’t given them ammunition on occasion, you are either not paying attention to what he’s saying or you are in denial. The Dems, and more than a few Republicans, have pulled his tweets and used them to “prove” he’s unfit for office. Do I agree with them? Hell no. But I’m also not going to stand here and say he hasn’t given them ammunition from time to time.
DonM says: Trump fights back against calumny and corruption. That offends the Democrats who depend on calumny to distract from their corruption. If the nation ever is so I’ll advised to have a Democrat president, these same rules should be used to prevent them from reinstituting their accustomed regime of corruption.
Amanda Green says: What the Dems don’t understand is that there will be tit for tat if they manage to drive Trump from office. They have this blind spot that allows them to believe they can twist the rules (when they aren’t outright ignoring them) for their own gain without recourse. That recourse is the Republicans will use the precedent the Dems set against them. I, for one, will enjoy the cries of outrage when that happens.
SCOTTtheBADGER says: I completely concur. They will have meltdowns of epic porpotions, when their turn comes.
— In other words, they know they don’t have enough evidence to impeach the president but they are so deep into their own fantasy world that they can’t admit they’ve failed, even to themselves. —
The fascinating thing about the discussions of impeachment / conviction / removal (of any official, not just the president) is that the same observation applies to it as to jury nullification: The House can impeach arbitrarily, and the Senate can convict arbitrarily. They need no justification other than “We felt like it.” Just as with a juror’s vote, there is no way to hold them to any standard, whether it be about the seriousness of the purported offense or the evidence for it, under the Constitution of the United States. The Representatives and Senators can proceed without having to justify themselves. The only comeback against them is at the following election.
Impeachment / conviction / removal is therefore an entirely political procedure. The Constitutional phrase “high crimes and misdemeanors” is more decorative than substantive. We might like it to be substantive, such that an impeached official must be charged with a crime recognized by the U.S. Code, but in practical terms there is no standard for the procedure.
SDN says: “The Constitutional phrase “high crimes and misdemeanors” is more decorative than substantive.”
That’s true of the entire process. The whole purpose of the trappings is to fool us rubes into thinking that we still have a government of laws so we won’t reach for the cartridge box.
Are we still stupid enough to think that?
Amanda Green says: They might need no more justification than “we want to” but they also know the voting public demands more. They have continued to promise they have “the evidence” but have failed to show what it is. The public is getting tired of their smoke and mirrors. If they fail to produce said “evidence”, they should be prepared for at least some of their number to be looking for new jobs after the election. But that will happen only if we get out and vote.
Nom de Blog says: I understand how and why so many people are conditioned to acknowledge their own misgivings with Trump. I will not do so. Giving that rhetorical inch encourages the Democrats to claim a real-world mile.
You’re not increasing freedom or decreasing oppression when you give political enemies, who want nothing but power, even a single thing. So let’s not care about Trump. Let us care about the outcomes he has improved: more freedom through economic growth, fewer regulations, and telling D.C. “no”.
Amanda Green says: I care very much for what he has improved. But I know those who have yet to make up their minds about whether or not he has committed any act worthy of impeachment will listen to someone who at least appears to see both sides of the argument more than they will someone who blindly follows one side or the other.
Here’s the thing I think so many people forget. We aren’t going to be able to change the minds of those who blindly accept everything the MSM says. We won’t change Pelosi’s mind or Schumer’s or those like them. They are too concerned about maintaining and expanding their power base. But Average Joe Voter out there who is trying to make sense about what’s happening wants discussion and facts, not rhetoric. They want to be convinced, not beat over the head.That is why, with posts like this, I will admit the President is not perfect. He isn’t. But he is a hell of a lot better than what we would have if Clinton had won the election. Besides, I really do wish he would get off Twitter. He is much more convincing when he talks, when he explains why he feels the way he does about an issue or why he took action as he did. Twitter isn’t made for that.
Shelgel says: As my father used to say, Schiff or get off the pot.
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