Trump's pardon blitz

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

I can maybe understand Trump pardoning some of his cronies in jail, but the Detroit mayor who's in jail for corruption and two rappers convicted of federal weapons charges? Gun rights advocates DO NOT want those two creeps back on the streets. Looks like Trump is trying to curry favour with the black community ... in all the wrong ways. Or maybe he's getting some financial encouragement? And kicking loose that scamster who used the Wall to con people out of money. Wow! You'd think Trump would want to disassociate himself from a con artist who used his name to rip people off ... if he had any sense. Obviously we've known for some time he doesn't.

[PigHunter]

I usually don't pay much attention to last minute presidential pardons. Most of the time it's for people I've never heard of and definitely will never meet. Has no affect on my life.

[99explorer]

I am truly surprised that Trump did not pardon himself and his family, because it is the sort of thing he could not be punished for.
It has been his life's experience that when he takes something that doesn't belong to him, the worst thing that can happen is that he has to give it back.
The reason he is furious with Mike Pence for not certifying the election in his favor on Jan. 6th is that the worst that could happen would be for the courts to undo it, with no punishment for Mike.
Maybe Trump issued paper pocket pardons that are not recorded anywhere, that could be displayed as necessary, and the worst that could happen is that they would not be given any legal effect. He likes to be unpredictable.

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

I am truly surprised that Trump did not pardon himself and his family, because it is the sort of thing he could not be punished for.
It has been his life's experience that when he takes something that doesn't belong to him, the worst thing that can happen is that he has to give it back.
The reason he is furious with Mike Pence for not certifying the election in his favor on Jan. 6th is that the worst that could happen would be for the courts to undo it, with no punishment for Mike.
Maybe Trump issued paper pocket pardons that are not recorded anywhere, that could be displayed as necessary, and the worst that could happen is that they would not be given any legal effect. He likes to be unpredictable.

Pardoning himself would be an admission of guilt for doing something wrong. Trump cannot admit to being wrong. Ever. That is the nature of his mental illness. Anyway, I'm certain the courts would have thrown it out. President pardoning himself was not the legislative intent of presidential pardons. Nixon understood doing that would only inflame things more. So the pardon was left to Gerald Ford. I would be EXTREMELY surprised if Biden gave Trump a peremptory pardon to stop the impeachment. We need to officially slam the door on this deadly stolen election bullshit once and for all. I am dying to hear the horror stories of White House staff and cabinet members who are called to the stand. Maybe Mike Pence will man up and tell all. He will if he's the upright Christian he claims to be.

[fitch270]

Maybe Mike Pence will man up and tell all. He will if he's the upright Christian he claims to be.

Not so. A Christian man wouldn’t stoop to gossiping and back biting.

[rock rat]

Giving true factual testimony in an impeachment proceeding of our highest legislative body is hardly gossiping or back biting, it's telling the truth. For 4 years Pence was the epitome of a reticent loyal VP.

[fitch270]

Depends on how it's done and the motivation behind it. Factual testimony and "telling all" aren't necessarily the same thing.

[99explorer]

Mike Pence could have been killed by that mob Trump sent down to ransack the capitol, chanting "Hang Pence" and erecting a scaffold on the premises, with Trump sitting in the White House watching it all on TV.

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

Not so. A Christian man wouldn’t stoop to gossiping and back biting.

I didn't say anything about gossiping or back biting. We were constantly hearing stories from the White House staff who wouldn't go on record for fear of reprisals. We know from Trump's track record of draining his own swamp that he couldn't tolerate people talking about his shortcomings. And the GOP and Fox News always had his back no matter what. Now we will hear some of those high profile people going on record with what they heard and saw during this worst administration in history. I would love to hear what Rex Tillerson and Mark Esper have to say but unfortunately I don't think they will get the opportunity during the impeachment hearing since they were long gone by January 2021. We'll just have to wait for their books. And a ton of others. Trump will be fodder for late night comedians and major book publishers for decades to come. But impeachment is not a typical trial. It may be that the supreme court chief justice will allow airing the full load of dirty laundry to establish a history of mental incompetence. I think that would be a poor move on the Democrats part. But it may be Trump's and the GOP's best defence. Prove he is and always has been a nut job then blame the insurrection on Americans. They put him in office. They bought into his "fight back" mantra.

Pence is obviously pissed. And rightly so. He and Trump had words in the immediate aftermath of the "insurrection." We know that. Pence owes it to the nation to report what was said. Thanks to Trump, Pence's political career is shot anyway so there's no point in concealing anything. The GOP is obviously going in a new more legitimate direction now so no need to cling to the Trump fringe any longer. Trumpism clearly never really was Pence's game plan anyway. Obviously not the sharpest crayon in the box but he does have some ethics ... I think. Pence has always been something of an enigma for me. Perhaps for himself as well.

Trump has burned enough bridges to outshine the sun. The GOP and Fox News are disgraced. He won't be getting any help from anyone at the impeachment trial. When he shows up to give testimony, that will be the coup de grace. No monitor to read from (which he refuses to do anyway ... if he'd stuck to what was on the script, he wouldn't be in this pickle now). His lack of articulation and any degree of intelligence or self control make him the worst kind of defence witness. It will be an embarrassing spectacle of self destruction. We all know how it will go. Just the same way it's went the last four years. Shooting himself in the foot every time he opens his mouth.

[fitch270]

Pence can give testimony without airing dirty laundry. Bad mouthing a former boss never goes over well regardless, after all nobody likes a rat.

[99explorer]

"Senior Republicans in Washington have been quietly lobbying GOP senators to impeach and convict Donald Trump, a report says.

"The effort against the former president, which includes former top Trump administration officials, started in the wake of the 6 January attack on Congress."

https://news.yahoo.com/senior-republ...194758446.html

"The lobbying effort is reportedly concentrated on Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, who has privately signalled he may support convicting Mr Trump."

[99explorer]

If they ever make a movie about this second impeachment, and they surely will, Trump will be the heavy, and Mitch McConnell will be portrayed as the leader of the good guys, if Trump is convicted.
All the historical material is there, including the death of the capitol police officer.

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

Pence can give testimony without airing dirty laundry. Bad mouthing a former boss never goes over well regardless, after all nobody likes a rat.

It goes over well enough if he's singing in a choir. Pence has an obligation to be truthful ... when he's under oath to his God. If that means ratting out Trump, so be it. And if he's ratting out a rat, who can fault him for it? As I said, Pence's political career is done ... for good. What does it matter to him if Trump and his crowd don't like a rat. Personally, I have nothing but admiration for whistleblowers. They are trying to make things that are wrong right. And taking risks to do it. Loyalty only goes so far. Sedition and treason crosses way over that line. As would lying. Trump doesn't deserve a teaspoon of loyalty.

The way I see it there was way, way too much "loyalty" the last four years. Everyone at Fox News and the GOP party (are they synonymous?) continued to make excuses for Trump (often ridiculously incredible) instead of acknowledging something was wrong and trying to get him under control ... or rather to control himself. This guy is an unstable, uneducated, precocious child who needed some serious guidance. Instead the problem was ignored or imagined away in a created false reality, or rather several of them as needed. Over and over and over. The party needs to acknowledge their mistake and get moving firmly in a new direction based in honest reality. The impeachment trial next week is the best place to get started.

[crm3006]

honk the phony's hopes and speculations to the contrary, impeachment of a President after his term of office is completed, is both unconstitutional, and impractical. I can see even RINO mitch the turtle refusing to vote in favor. Adding to that, it takes a two thirds majority of the senate to convict, and that is very unlikely to happen, even with the defections of some demoncrats posing as republicans, like romney and murkowski.
The most a conviction can possibly do anyway, is remove the president from office. Possibly, prohibit him from running for President again in 2024, which is what the demoncrats are after. However, Trump will be 78 years old in June of 2024, and after the non-support and backstabbing he received from the RINOs, the outright lies and slanders from the lamestream media, and the vicious attacks from the corrupt demoncrats, why would he ever want to run again?
Once again, honk the phony has wandered down the path of speculation and fantasy, letting his TDS overcome his infinitesimally tiny bit of common sense, and again show that he has the political knowledge of a flat rock.

[fitch270]

So much for healing the country then, let’s just keep partisan politics as usual.