I get a lot of my political updates from Memeorandum, which is simply an aggregating site for all of the trending news stories from all different news outlets. At the moment, there are easily a hundred links to news articles, op-ed columns and editorial commentary pieces about how Republicans know that the Capitol terrorist attack was a really big deal, that for real this time, they’re really going to do something about Donald Trump and his terrorist supporters, that even people around Trump know that this sh-t has reached the peak of fascist bullsh-t. I actually had a moment where I was like “maybe now Republicans realize that Trump will set them on fire too, maybe they’ll actually do something.” Nope. There will be no impeachment today. Or tomorrow. Or Monday. Or for the rest of Trump’s term.
The House isn't coming back into session until after the inauguration.
The Senate has adjourned until Jan. 19.
Surreal cap to yesterday.
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) January 7, 2021
What the actual f–k. One point I’ll make is that it wouldn’t surprise me if some congresspeople (like, say, Nancy Pelosi) are actually quite traumatized by what happened during the coup, and they simply need some time to process it and spend time with their families. Like, I get that and we shouldn’t discount it – these are real people who were really targeted by terrorists. There were senators and congressmen taking cover under benches and hiding in office closets, worried that they and their staffers were about to die. They were calling their families to say goodbye. The trauma is real and we should be able to talk about it and deal with it. But I also think that maybe one of the best ways to deal with the trauma would be to get that f–king terrorist out of the White House right now, TODAY.
Update: It’s now looking like Speaker Pelosi and Senator Schumer are 100% open to the possibility of calling Congress back to vote on impeachment, but they’re asking for Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th amendment first. As in, if Pence doesn’t call the cabinet in and have a vote on 25, then Congress will impeach.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
I don’t deny the very real feelings of trauma that they are experiencing. I would be absolutely gobsmacked as well. At what point though, do you have to balance your own personal feelings with your duty to the nation? These are the only people with real power to remove him from office immediately.
And yes, the 25th has been brought up, but with its procedures, especially if Trump claims it not appropriate, it will extend past Jan 20, 2021. Impeachment is/was the most appropriate method of removal.
I completely agree. I am astounded that they let him get away with this. Once more the reach across the aisle brigade underestimates the far right.
UNBELIEVABLE! If there EVER was an impeachable crime, THIS IS IT!!
ALL of them are in PROFOUND breach of duty! In case they forgot what they SWORE to do:
Oath of Office
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will ***support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic*****; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
GET BACK AND DO YOUR *(&^% JOBS!!
I think at this point with only 2 weeks left it is impossible to impeach and will likely stir more reactions from Don. Not that it is to be avoided, I mean, it can all be held against him– but for the sake of preventing more shooting in the capitol maybe. They want him NOT pardonable and my optimistic hope is that they smack his a!! with a bunch of charges on Jan 21.
Like HIGH TREASON
@teehee
I’m also thinking this is their strategy and it’s probably the most sensible one. They can’t pull off an impeachment in less than 2 weeks especially when there are still many GOP members still suction cupped to Trump’s lumpy ass.
Also, they almost died yesterday. Impeaching Trump will just piss the Magats off more.
I really hope Biden has the Inauguration moved to an indoor location. I’m so worried for his and Kamala’s safety.
I’m sorry but this needed to be done. At least allow the House to start articles of impeachment even if the Senate does not vote on them again because the Republicans are cowards.
This is once again showing that there are little to no consequences for white Americans at their absolute worst to the point of terrorizing our country and threatening the lives of our elected leaders, all in the service of the most corrupt, racist deplorable orange turd in recent history. He needs consequences, his cronies need consequences, his followers need to suffer consequences.
This is the will of the American people and what the Constitution was created for. And yet they are never capable of following through.
Khaomanne
You’re right. Impeachment at this point would never happen and it would be a dumb move strategically. Not to say he doesn’t deserve it.
What’s better is the private discussions of removing him immediately and how most of his sycophants are fleeing like rats from a sinking ship.
Imo impeachment would be nice, but not quick enough and really just a knee jerk reaction for those not seeing a more effective way.
I was impressed with a few of them saying “F it, these people don’t scare us, we’re going back in to finish the job”.
But impeachment or the 25th should have happened last night after the election stuff was done. Once again Congress has failed to uphold its duty.
I think all of them returned for the joint session and the vote. They would have to do that. Because of COVID, only a few dozen could be on the floor at once so it looked like a comparatively small number. Others were nearby, watching remotely. Maybe also in the galleries above?
They probably had not actually left the building. They were in their office or bunkers etc. I saw them walking through the underground tunnels beneath them they building, flanked by rows of police or Guards in riot gear. There is a cafeteria also in that area, I think, so they could get food delivered to offices from there or eat there. They are set up for hunkering down in case of trouble. The chambers were empty by the time Trump’s Terrorists arrived. (The lads were so disappointed. ) They also ran around yelling “Where’s Pence?”. Lucky them that they couldn’t find him. There would have been a lot of maskless dead bodies if the Secret Service felt Pence was threatened. Those agents don’t fool around.
There were loads of armed guards outside the door while they were finishing the job they started that afternoon.
There’s hope yet. Schumer just called for 25th or impeachment. Fingers crossed.
Well what good will calling for it do when Congress has adjourned until he’s no longer president. Seems Schumer gets good press knowing it’s an empty threat!
I feel like we’re past the point of a second impeachment making any sort of impact at this point (and doesn’t it take too long to make a difference by now?). We don’t have any time to spare.
I honestly don’t know how long all of the various procedures take, but he needs to be out of there NOW. The 25th might be the most appropriate & expedient? They shouldn’t have left last night without starting some sort of removal process. This is so out of control and they’re abdicating their duty by taking off right now.
I don’t doubt they’re traumatized, but they need to get through the next two weeks, and *then* take the time to deal with it. I’m sorry if that sounds callous, but there is too much at stake right now.
I’m a New Yorker and am constantly embarrassed at how ineffectual Schumer is. He’s got to go. This is ridiculous.
If they impeach him successfully, he won’t be able to run in the primary in 2024, which he fully intends to do. On some level the Democratic Party probably would prefer him, with all of the current baggage he has in 2024 (since he is highly likely never to get elected, but in all likelihood actually would succeed in a primary), over someone like Hawley, who is openly pandering to the MAGA crowd but also has the sensibility to be more competent in their misdeeds.
But should people be basing their decisions on what he might do in 2024?
I’m not trying to be argumentative because we’ve obviously learned not to underestimate him, but considering his age, health, and all of the legal issues he’s going to get hit with as soon as he’s out of office, I just don’t think that should be a primary factor in whatever steps they take now, you know? He could be dead or in jail by then. I don’t know. You could be right; I’m too furious to think straight. It’s just a complete mess.
Exactly Noodle. By adjourning they are giving Trump free reign to do whatever he wants for the next 14 days. This is a traitor who has no problem showing the world who he is with his finger on the nuclear button and and endlesss number of pens to pardon every single terrorist involved in yesterday’s events. I’m just so sick with it. Isn’t anyone got the guts to step up to the plate and be an American supporting the Constitution and our 250 years of democracy.
I wonder if just starting the 25th Amendment might out a damper on his plans to create more chaos. In particular, could it derail his attempts to pardon his friends and family and his merry band of terrorists who invaded the Capitol? Maybe he can’t do certain things until it’s resolved?
There must be a way to deal with an emergency situation like this. Trump is acting even more bonkers than usual, is more and more isolated people resign or he fires them, and he had his yahoos go after Pence (which made Pence very very angry for some reason). Even Nixon at the height of his paranoia seemed well balanced in comparison.
I have never voted for Pence ever (I’m in his home state) and disagree with probably all his policies. But I personally would be delighted to have Mike Pence as my President for the next two weeks.
Called it. He knew he could and would get away with it and he just did. He will slink away and return to cause more havoc. Fascists are some of the most driven despots on earth and his loss of power will be the hunger that drives his return. If he is ever elected again, the US can kiss good bye to everything good and decent.
Yup, ElizabethRegina. Everything you said.
Yesterday was a test to see what he could get his people to do for him. And plenty of them followed his orders.
He wasn’t going to march to the Capitol with them. As Colbert said last night, he went home and watched it on tv. Don the Con hasn’t ever marched or walked anywhere in his whole life.
They should have invoked the 25th this morning, packed up his crap and threw it on the lawn of the White House and escorted him out the door. No lifelong secret service for him. Let him figure it out. Maybe some of his goons can protect him.
If he is NOT impeached, he can run again for office. A twice impeached Pres. can NOT.
They speculated on the news here in Aus, that he could use January 20 to launch his 2024 campaign. Frightening. These events are absolutely despicable. Had the rioting terrorist morons been Biden supporters or people of colour, there would have been a huge body count by now. And there’s still time for more of fecking fascist fuckduggery.
That’s been the speculation all along – that he’ll announce his candidacy on January 20. It’s just continuing the grift for him.
25th should have been done before it ever got to this. Last night or first thing today would have been better than never.
Gotta have that little vacation and assume he’s “learned his lesson” again, I guess. All while the followers will be even more emboldened.
@Christin ITA. It’s appalling that action wasn’t taken last night. God knows what today will bring…these monsters have learned there are zero consequences.
Update – Thankfully, the official word has been made by Pelosi. Mother’s husband and the cabinet either go 25th, or new impeachment.
I truly thought we were going to have a “calm it down by doing nothing” moment. Glad to be proven wrong.
Thank you for the update! Fingers crossed that something with this asshole goes smoothly for once.
Impeachment is not useless at this point. There may be enough de-Trumpified Republicans in the Senate after the attack that they will remove him. They don’t need to call witnesses. They all are the witnesses.
I don’t care if it takes until January 19, I want Trump impeached and out of office or removed by the 25th Amendment before Biden is inaugurated. Give the states a head start in prosecuting him for various crimes. Let Pence be POTUS for even just a day.
Short-term, the man is dangerous and in addition to more incitement of violence, is likely to pardon all his criminal collaborators – in particular, my bet is that he will pardon the yahoos who invaded the Capitol on his behalf. They were awfully loose with the selfies and photo and recordings. They were not trying to hide their identities at all. They were counting on 1) being helped by some white supremacists embedded in law enforcement (the FBI has been warning about that for years) and 2) getting pardoned by Trump if they get arrested and charged.
Long-term, we have to think about future Trumps in name and spirit. We cannot allow a pathological grifting dictator wannabe like Trump into the Oval Office again. If there is no consequence for what he has done this week, then it could happen again. The Trumpy Brown Shirts (Orange Shirts?) will not be going away any time soon. If they and the man who told them to go ahead with the plan with his blessing do not get legal consequences, they and others will keep doing it. Remember state government buildings and governors were also targeted. The yahoos had been planning this for weeks on social media in plain sight and Trump certainly knew that.
I saw a photo of that a**hole who defiled Nancy’s office, sitting in her chair, booted feet on the desk. Disgusting. And I agree, that was a traumatic event; I’m not certain I’d want to go back to that workspace, either. And impeachment at this point is meaningless. Criminal investigation/prosecution/jail has more meaning (eh, who am I kidding, trump will never see the inside of a jail).
I believe that was her aide’s desk and chair?
But yes, every bit of it all was vile, and that includes every (R) seditionist who is equally culpable in this anti-democratic behavior. And don’t get me started on that goddamned moron Mo Brooks who is so stupid and venal that he is trying to say the insurrectionists weren’t maggats, but rather antifa with backward maga hats– he says he has “proof,” then tweets on that someone told him they were antifa, so it must be true. What a colossal ignoramus…” Antifa fascists,” he says. Epic MFing eye roll, omg
As I said above, it’s NOT meaningless. It would prevent him from marshaling this base and to run again. And while we ALL hope the State charges (NY and GA) will keep him beyond “occupied”, we also know if he’s not stopped, he will CONTINUE to keep “slush fund” raising, and empowering those Seditionists even further.
But they must have other, secure locations to work from in case of situations like this, right? I can’t imagine it would be back to business as usual today, but there has got to be some provisions for where they can convene when an emergency like this happens.
Pelosi is plenty tough, but part of her might be feeling the office is a hostile place until it’s thoroughly scrubbed and disinfected. Which is probably happening throughout the building. Trump’s Orange Shirts (Red Shirts? Plaid Shirts? Wait, I like plaid. What do we call these neonazi white supremacist Brown Shirt wannabes anyway?) did a lot of damage and spread a lot of dirt (and probably COVID) and who knows what all they stole in the process. One guy posted a selfie of him holding up a document or piece of mail intended for Pelosi that he took from Pelosi’s office.
Not surprised. Mitch might have told Dem leaders he’s not going to take up articles of impeachment or vote for the 25th amendment (which does require a senate vote) so they decided to not try. Plus they might want to mentally prepare for Jan 20th because they will be back.
Yeah, they don’t have the votes or Nancy Pelosi would do it. She makes sure that her ducks are all lined up before she fires, and I think that she knows that it would be another empty threat from congress that would just make his supporters worse.
His supporters are going to get worse not matter what. No one should be afraid to do what they need to do. That gives them power.
@OlliesMom EXACTLY. This is so unbelievably frustrating.
The Dems cannot invoke the 25th amendment. All they can do is impeach, and they don’t have the votes or they’d do it. All they can do is discuss, because enough republicans view the group that breached the Capitol as their constituents, not enemies of democracy.
I saw a comment from a female Russian journalist. She recalled how the other journalists, male, at the beginning of Putin’s reign, told her that she was worrying for no reason. They didn’t deny that he would kill anybody, but they didn’t think it was that bad. The men felt comfortable because they were part of the circle: they understood it and were part of the Putin group, just like the current republicans pretending to condemn this are part of the Duck Dynasty group of fascists. Minorities in this country have stated how bad it was for decades, and we pick out battles because we know that picking a fight will be to the death.
I respect that they will not start another impeachment process.
I think she’s prepared to go the impeachment route, but the 25th Amendment way is fast and can be done probably today. They all want him out because they finally recognize that he’s dangerous. Like that’s news to anyone.
Saucy andSassy, I now think that Nancy has the votes. It sounds like she and Schumer have the votes. PLEASE let this happen, universe. He needs to go, but we can’t lose this time. Trump will make trouble until he is dead, but he will have leas power later if his dumb ass is properly impeached.
Like I said before…nothing ever happens.
Yup. Nothing. Just like nothing will happen to Duterte, Bolsanaro, Putin, Chi….. It occurs to me that I could sit here for the next 24 hours straight, typing the names of the worst of humanity who got away with it, and probably not dent the list.
Same here. I know McConnell calls the shots here, but c’mon Dems, get it together and raise a HUGE stink about this!!! Why do you just roll over – apart for some mealy mouthed “this is unacceptable” tweets’? And I just KNOW that when Biden takes office, the dem leadership will not be censuring Cruz, Hawley & all the other seditious congresspeople with blood on their hands. I truly wish there were more progressives leading the way because politicians constantly “turning the page” To “move on” and “unite” actually just lets all the fascist racist fuckwads get away with it. Imagine a world where Obama actually set up a commission to investigate Iraq war criminals (Bushies) or the AG actually tried all the 2008 banks. We got to this horrific points – this insurrection –because government leaders, including the Dems, think it’s not ‘pragmatic’ to fight too hard… and here they are… Cruz et al are directly undermining the legitimacy of democracy, and they’re getting away with it. I am so so distraught that between our two political parties it’s either fascism or ‘well intentioned’ but ineffective democrats (most of whom are like 70+ years old and need to get out of the way for younger people who actually have fresh ideas and a hand on the pulse of the people)
I figured as much because when it was first suggested I thought to myself “impeachment doesn’t happen that fast because it’s such a rare occurrence”.
I find it amazing that they managed to get the states votes counted yesterday. If Cruz and Hawley think their behavior has endeared them to the non extremist regular American they are mistaken. Yesterday was shameful.
I think Hawley is a dangerous man. He is a thinking, charming Trump. Someone like him would get a lot further in ruining the world than a ignorant blustering buffoon like Trump.
OT: I wonder if Angela Merkel and Trudeau have hangovers this morning?
I think Merkel and Trudeau were getting constant updates and it was probably a rough night for them.
I feel bad for Merkel honestly. On Tuesday she had to tell us on TV that the current lockdown here in Germany would be extended until January 31st and that there might be stricter rules for counties with high case numbers and everyone keeps attacking her because the vaccine rollout isn’t going as fast as some people hoped.
And now this crap. She has spoken out about this and called it unacceptable that Trump is not doing what someone who very clearly lost a fair election should do
She was very composed and her statement was clear. What a difference to that video where Trump tells his terrorist minions that he loves them.
The impeachment vote in the House can be very quick. The Senate trial likewise when they are motivated by recent memories of duck & cover, donning gas masks, saying goodbye to their families on phones while locked in their offices as Trump’s Terrorists bang on doors, and seeing nooses set up outside (a traditional intimidation tool in the USA).
No need for witnesses. The Senators and Representatives are all witnesses to what Trump did this week, and they have the full tape of what he said to the Georgia people.
Apparently one of the White House lawyers was advising people to stay away from Trump to avoid being caught up in sedition and charged accordingly. Trump’s Little Helpers are distancing themselves from him. More resignations are likely, and those at the top who are staying seem to just be trying to avoid someone worse being appointed in their place. They are unlikely to help him stall the process.
The Orange Menace may finally have lost his Teflon coating. The Big Cheese stands alone.
After all of that, they probably don’t have the votes, or they are afraid that it will rile up more people. The answer should be the 25th amendment, but those people, like the ones in congress and the senate, want to inherit Trump supporters, so no one will be upsetting THAT apple cart. The authoritarian supporters, as much as I hate them, are a commodity to be fought over in the Republican Party. Let them go back to Duck Dynasty.
Is everyone going to pretend to be shocked when something similar happens on inauguration day? It’s no mystery that Trump and his followers get worse and worse – there are never any consequences. Maddening.
CommentingBunny, I agree. There’s still too many days left in his term to cause further death and destruction. I’m worried.
It turned out to be a good thing that inauguration day will not be “normal”. And then they can’t say “see, this is what we did – this is what we have the power to do”.
I was saying yesterday does there even have to be an “inauguration” as we think of it? Can’t whomever is involved do it in the basement or other secured place with Biden? Does it HAVE to be in the open, or in a place where everyone knows about it?
I did love how angry Joe was when the reporter asked about the inauguration and if he was scared. I hope he takes all these yahoos down.
No – think of LBJ being inaugurated on the way back from Dallas. I think there are rules about who does the inaugurating (its usually the chief justice, but I think any federal judge will work) and such, but it doesn’t have to be public like it usually is. I said to my husband last night – I want Joe and Kamala to have their moment, but at this rate let’s just get them inaugurated in as private a location as possible so we know they at safe.
Yes. We need them safe and leading the country more than we need a spectacle.
I’m legit worried for Biden on inauguration day.
Perhaps the concern is that if they did impeach him that the crowd would come back and it would be worse. The rioters were able to get way too far and I’m sure none of them (Dems and Repugs) feel safe there.
Is it too much to hope they are planning to invoke the 25th???
They are setting a bad example that this is being tolerated and Cruz is taking notes. Positive reinforcement for bad behavior is not the way to go.
I doubt it. As someone else said above, they don’t have the votes. 25th amendment requires 2/3 of House and Senate and there were enough republicans that still wanted to object after all of this.
The Democrats just learned yesterday that none of them are safe because the Capitol Police are insurrectionist.
Basically them and President Biden and VP are the most exposed cabinet in history. And it is only January 7th.
Yep. They were showing on the CBS morning news photos of rioters taking selfies and photos with Capitol Police.
I’m very concerned for President Biden and Vice President Harris’ safety. These people are blindly violent and impowered.
Yes, this is sickening, and I do think this apparent fact played into decisions not to further punish the rump. It could lead to more violence in the next two weeks, and god forbid, endanger POTUS-E and VPOTUS-E.
Impeachment proceedings would have done nothing without a Senate vote to remove him, and we goddamn know they don’t have the votes to do that. The trial alone would have taken weeks. The 25th is the only way we’re getting rid of him anytime soon.
The 25th has long procedural safeguards as well, especially if Trump protests.
You would think McTurtle would have rather a large axe to grind with him, given Rump lost control of the senate for McTurtle.
Mitch’s power is slipping. There’s a lot of Republicans who will side with Trump to protect their own candidacy options. You need 2/3 of both chambers to get Trump out. I don’t see that happening with people like Cruz, Hawley, and Cotton in there.
Moscow Mitch’s wife, Secretary of Transportation Chao, just resigned.
I wouldn’t assume that there are not enough Republican votes in the Senate to remove Trump after impeachment. 67 total are needed and there are 50 Democrats. So only 17 Republicans have to vote to convict.
The only ones approving the invasion of the Capitol by Trump’s Terrorists seem to be his diehard base, and they aren’t actually solid reliable Republican voters. They like Trump because he entertains them and reflect their own racist values. Dinosaurs, in other words, who are not so likely to bother voting for a less entertaining Republican. They are unlikely to vote for a Democrat, but they are more likely to just stay home if their cult leader isn’t on the ballot. His kids won’t really inspire the same enthusiasm.
I feel like if they went for the 25th and it failed, Trump would go nuclear and possibly literally. I would love it if they could drag his ass out and throw him in the dumpster, I just don’t think it can happen so quickly.
Is there a chance that we keep the Baby calm for 2 weeks and Biden’s team can come in and start investigating, making arrests, etc? I wouldn’t be mad about that.
I dont know all the representatives but there was a picture with a woman in a red jacket laying on the floor of the House (I think) with her hand to her chest as the man next to her was holding her other hand that made me want to cry. Take a break. We’ve seen that Nancy is not afraid to recall everyone if it is necessary.
The elected official trying to calm/protect her did three tours in the military. His experience and training came in handy – in what should be a secure place to do the people’s business.
This is cowardly. They are allowing themselves to be chased out of that building by the terrorists yesterday. We deserve better. I am so beyond sick of the lack of consequences.
We need to remember that plenty of Republicans condemning this today won’t in front of constituents or with Newsmax reporters. Those republicans, the Tea Party/Ted Cruz/Lyndsey Grahams, simply don’t agree with us. They are more closely aligned with the fascists, because they are protecting “the American (read:white male/$ dominance) way. Graham says that he “is done”. Bulls#/?. He will be trying to thread the needle as long as there is a chance to keep control somehow. This is bigger than Donald Trump. It’s been fomenting for decades.
In the video, I saw a Black police officer running up some stairs, trying to keep the fascists from entering one of the chambers. He’s not the problem. All of the cops who looked away and took selfies are the problem, and that problem is EVERYWHERE in the U.S., closeted and in the open. Minorities have suffered from it for years, have discussed it for years, and we are now seeing it hit the general population because Trump has worn the ideas proudly, but these ideas were already there. Until we deal with white supremacy, this won’t just go away.
The behavior of the police officers yesterday was absolutely disgraceful — and that was *before* I saw that some actually took selfies with the terrorists. Sickening and embarrassing.
People really need to stop saying “This isn’t what America is.” This is EXACTLY what America is. Clearly.
Yes, the invasion of the Capitol by white supremacists (possibly helped by white supremacists in law enforcement, a growing problem according to the FBI) and the BLM protests are intimately connected. What happened on Jan 6 is just a demonstration of the issues addressed by the BLM protests, and why non-white Americans have so many potentially fatal encounters with police no matter how law-abiding they are or how trivial their crime.
It all really comes down to the influence of white supremacists especially in law enforcement, and also explains why Trump’s racism is a major attraction for his overwhelmingly white base. The difference between the treatment of nonviolent BLM protesters and the white supremacist terrorists who invaded the Capitol is glaringly obvious.
I wish someone would hack into and permanently disable his sm, or, maybe Jack and Mark would just grow a pair and permanently remove his access to all sm.
They have to permanently disable for the WHOLE family. Forgotten Daughter, Tiffany, was posting FOR her father this morning. And this will continue as a way to get around the blocks.
Yeah everyone was cheering the twitter ban last night, like he couldn’t tell someone else to tweet from a different account.
Then she posted a birthday message as they were charging in.
I hate them all.
The optics of them leaving right now, though, are terrible. One branch of government has essentially abandoned their constituents to a madman. I’m sure there are practical reasons — trauma, lack of votes, repairs to the Capitol, etc — but it would look much better to briefly recess with a clear explanation and expectation that they would be returning ASAP to hold the line. At minimum, they should hold a vote to censure their seditious colleagues.
Two weeks is a lot of time, and the message sent by the recess is utterly clear: once again, there are zero consequences.
It didn’t take the Parkland kids long to organize and begin speaking to the media. They were kids with no particular duty to the nation.
The rest of us have been working through 4 traumatic years but I guess it’s different when you actually have power.
I’ve heard that a group of senior repubs and dems are discussing having Trump banned permanently from any federal appointment. That seems to be the only likely fallout from this nightmare. It’s clearly a case of mass sedition but will he be charged?
If you are a US citizen, please contact your Rep and Senators today, and ask them to follow through on all this. There needs to be consequences, including investigations of the Capitol police. They can’t sit back and pretend this didn’t happen.
I called my Rep a few minutes ago – staffer had to put me on hold 4 or 5 times because she was handling so many calls. I’d say that’s a good sign!
Now, will they respond to their constituents?
My reps staffer hung up on my husband yesterday b/c we are in a deep red county represented by one of those traitors contesting the vote. But be damn sure we’re calling again today!
I just emailed Nancy Pelosi. I am angered to distraction.
It is imperative to act to defend the democratic process no matter what obstacles are obviously in place. They need to act like soldiers right now, not diplomats.
America will rue the day this traitor was allowed to walk, and his terrorist cell was set free. I want to flee the country, and there is less and less keeping me here.
Nancy’s voice during the proceedings was pretty telling. Her voice was shaky and she took long pauses between sentences. Having a unknown man wandering around your office in what was supposed to be one of the world’s most secure buildings is something bound to shake you to your core. Even worse having this person make it out uninjured and proudly showing her personal correspondence (I don’t care if he took just the envelope). I just hope that there are consequences for all involved.
He did a lot more than take that envelope. Her personal calendar and contacts lists were taken and have been posted all over Twitter and Parler and retweeted by right-wing instigators like Kyle Kashuv who have very large followings.
My god! I hope they up her security. They need to take out the trash come January 20th.
She has called on Pence to invoke the 25th and has given him the weekend to do so. Otherwise, impeachment begins on Monday.
Meanwhile, Elaine Chao, McConnell’s wife, just resigned from the Cabinet, taking the coward’s way out instead of doing her job on the 25th.
She has called on Pence to invoke the 25th and has given him the weekend to do so. Otherwise, impeachment begins on Monday.
Meanwhile, Elaine Chao, McConnell’s wife, just resigned from the Cabinet, taking the coward’s way out instead of doing her job on the 25th.
I was proud of her. She is 80 years old and frankly, strikes me as a bit frail. Had those people been able to breach the chamber earlier, I have no doubt she would have been the target of an assassination, and I’m sure she realizes that. Yet she came back and led that all night session. She is a bad-ass bitch!
Some of the trash inside the capitol were saying that had they met her things would have gotten violent. Luckily that did not happen.
Seriously? They are really just packing up and leaving DC? They are probably not doing impeachment or the 25th because there’s not support from the Republicans to accomplish it in such a short amount of time. But what about a censure? And isn’t there other work to be done? We are still in the middle of a pandemic and an economic crisis. Here’s hoping the House and Senate will be working. And I never thought I would say this but, Trump, go golf, everyone will be a lot safer.
They don’t have the votes because a bunch of complicit Republicans are fucking cowards whose entire self-worth is wrapped up in being in effective control of those they deem “inferior”. Women, POC, sexual minorities, the poor…they care more about being reelected to keep those groups “in their place”. All their condemnations are utterly meaningless. Fuck them.
@Miranda: EXACTLY.
He needs to be completely barred from all things political for FOREVER. Including his family. That fucker is getting away with murder.
The problem is it’s not just Drumpf. We have sitting congressman and senators of the same ilk. Even worse, we are about to seat more.
Absolutely. I think I said as much on a different thread. They all need severe and long-lasting consequences. For them. For their families. For their families’ family. All of them. Pariahs. Need their asses nailed to the walls they sought to destroy. But alas, here we are. Listening to pond scum blame someone else. No admissions. No guilt. No apologies. No consequences. Somebody please ring the bell already. Imo, they’ve won.
Chuck Schumer just called on Pence to invoke the 25th and have Trump removed from office immediately.
“What happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement on Thursday. “This president should not hold office one day longer.”
Schumer joins a growing contingent of lawmakers from both parties to call for Trump’s removal, either by using the 25th amendment or through impeachment.
It’s disgusting they have all skipped out. They only work a 2 1/2 day week anyway (ostensibly so they can go home and attend to constituent issues, but really to fundraise), so they can’t be tired. Legislative assistants do all the real work anyway. And didn’t they just have xmas break? With a lunatic president spinning out of control, Congress needs to be around.
I’m surprised people are surprised that no one is taking action.
They – Republicans and Democrats alike – have sat on their hands for the last four years as the offenses stacked up, each worst than the last, and done nothing to stop it. Why expect them to find their spines now? The right is well, the right and unfortunately the Democrats are still committed to kum bay yah -ing their way out of another mess. Because that just keeps paying dividends?
Never change with this both sides messed up business.
Never change.
All I can do is laugh at you.
Laugh away.
The Democrats inability to commit to significant change within their own party comes back to haunt them over and over again, and this will too. I never expected the republicans to take any actual hard stance against their own, no matter how awful. Democratic leadership on the other hand, have never been in a better position to do so and they still backed down in fear.
I fear for the mid-terms in two years, because it appears that we will have learned nothing.
I can’t speak for everyone else, but I’m not surprised. But I am angry. And each subsequent time there are no consequences for any of this I’m not surprised, but I do get angrier. I don’t think all this outrage is surprise. It’s just so difficult to eloquently express all the frustration, and I’m grateful for the people who are doing a clearer job of expressing it than I am today.
My sentiments exactly.
Never one who expresses herself well in writing anyway, now I’m so emotionally outraged I’m downright incoherent.
The Democrats have subpoenaed witnesses and documents at least since they got the majority in the House and had the power to do so, but have been blocked by Trump. They went through the courts with limited success, but basically if the POTUS tells his people to shut up and hide the documentation, it’s rather hard to get past that. I think they should have starting imposing big fines and jail sentences for non-compliance with the subpoenas, but they were either reluctant to do so or figured it would just be tied up in court for years anyway.
The Senate has been controlled by Republicans, and Majority Leader Moscow Mitch has blocked votes on bills from the House and Republican chairs of Senate committees have limited what the Democrats could do there. If the two Senate Democratic wins in Georgia hold, Moscow Mitch loses a lot of power and at least bills can be voted on, hearings held for confirming nominees, and Democrats get to chair the committees so investigations can proceed more easily.
Once Biden is inaugurated, I hope the investigations get the access to people and docs so we can figure out what all the Trumps really did and how to make it less likely in future, even if they don’t end up in prison.
We need truth more than anything else. The Trumps will be in enough hot water legally from the states, including Georgia which is not happy about their top officials being threatened by the Orange Menace. They are investigating him for violation of state election laws.
One thing that is not being mentioned, but should, is that they probably have traumatized family members too. Mitt Romney mentioned this in his speech – some of his grandkids saw it happening on television and thought he’d be injured or taken hostage or something, and were terrified. Gabby Giffords tweeted something achingly sad – “now I know how Mark felt 10 years ago” (this week is the 10 year anniversary of her attack). Their loved ones saw this happen, saw those images, and are likely traumatized too. Maybe they just want to go home to work on healing there too. Sadly, I cannot blame them.
Mittens Romney, when he for the GOP ticket flew to Las Vegas to get Casino’s endorsement and did a press conference with him. And this was well after the Birther nonsense started.
I ain’t looking at Romney at nothing more than what he has shown himself to be. He ain’t upset they are doing this, he is upset they aren’t doing it in the country club racist way he is accustomed to.
If they are that traumatized all the better to do something. They are literally abandoning us with this lunatic until the 20th?! We need to vote out EVERY SINGLE ONE. Should we all run against them?
I hope that something will be done after the inauguration.
I hope Trump isn’t being impeached so he cannot be pardoned.
I hope I’m not being overly optimistic that justice will be served. There must be repercussions otherwise these terrorists will only get bolder.
I guess I have been living under a rock because I did not realize you couldn’t be pardoned if you’ve been impeached twice. Am I understanding that correctly? Then again, when have we ever had to worry about that before?
I never comment, but, well, you all understand.
Frontline healthcare workers have been repeatedly traumatized over the past 10 months and return to do their jobs every day in order to save lives. That’s all I got.
I was thinking something similar. When the bushfire is raging out of control, the firefighters don’t go home because they feel scared and threatened.
Nancy has a press conference scheduled for 1:30 EST
He’s a rich white guy. Nothing will be done. Nothing.
For those interested, you should follow Sarah Kendzior on Twitter. She also has a podcast called Gaslit Nation. She has been able to predict Trump’s actions. She has studied fascist governments and calls this current one a transnational crime syndicate masquerading as a government. Very enlightening and frightening.
Pelosi has given Pence the weekend to invoke the 25th Amendment. If he does not do so, they will begin impeachment Monday.
Oh please let it happen!
It’s going to happen. The GOP are going to want to distance themselves from this if they ever want to regain the support of moderate republicans.
They have allowed Trump to shyt on the carpet of the Oval office, so now they will want to wash their hands clean of the stench.
If this is true, then I am glad. Give Pelosi and co a chance to plan it out, gives Republicans a chance to take action first. If this is an ultimatum Pence was given, this is probably the best way to go.
Urgh can you believe Obama wore a tan suit. That useless president (*rolls eyes*)….
If he’s impeached, he can run again. If they do 25, he can’t ever run again.
The impeachment papers are written up Rep. Diana DeGette has them posted on her twitter.
They are waiting to hear from Pence (tonight? tomorrow morning?) and then they will go forward with it if he doesn’t come through with the Amend. 25