Republicans discuss a longer Senate impeachment trial to scramble Democratic primaries

[lanlady]

Source: Washington Post

By Robert Costa,,
Michael Scherer and
Seung Min Kim
November 13, 2019 at 6:42 p.m. EST

Some Republican senators and their advisers are privately discussing whether to pressure GOP leaders to stage a lengthy impeachment trial beginning in January to scramble the Democratic presidential race — potentially keeping a half-dozen candidates in Washington until the eve of the Iowa caucuses or longer.
Those conversations about the timing and framework for a trial remain fluid and closely held, according to more than a dozen participants in the discussions. But the deliberations come as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) faces pressure from conservative activists to swat back at Democrats as public impeachment hearings began this week in the House.
The discussions raise a potential hazard for the six Democratic senators running for president, who had previously planned on a final sprint out of Washington before the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses and the Feb. 11 New Hampshire primary.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-discuss-a-longer-senate-impeachment-trial-to-scramble-democratic-primaries/2019/11/13/d7e46d24-064c-11ea-b17d-8b867891d39d_story.html

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Let them do it.

They'll lose their asses in the meantime.

[lanlady]

4. yup!

That's what I say - let them drag it out as long as they want. It's only going to damage Trump even further and will be that much fresher in the minds of voters.

[brush]

20. Yep, running a recently impeached candidate will be a distinct disadvantage so let them drag it out.

And it would be a distinct advantage to Biden who is not a senator and can thus stay on the campaign trail.

And, since trump considers Biden his most formidable rival—seeking dirt on him is after all why he's being impeached—you'd think they'd want to get it over quickly and out of voters minds before the general election.

But you know repugs, their logic and whole way of thinking is different (crooked).

[regnaD kciN]

22. To quote a famous Republican...

..."Go ahead. Make my day."

[lagomorph777]

42. Go for, Russiapublicans. Please, please, please do it.

Help us advertise what scumbags all of you are.

[sakabatou]

2. Of course they would

They'd do anything to protect their dear leader.

[unblock]

3. at some point they become accomplices

seriously, if donnie committed impeachable offenses to interfere with the election to benefit him, and republican senators use the impeachment trial resulting from those very impeachable acts to further interfere with the election to benefit him, that starts to look rather like being accomplices after the fact.

[ck4829]

5. So in other words - Even they think Trump will be impeached?

[The Mouth]

11. I don't think anyone doubts Trump will be impeached

But the Senate has to remove. The only valid argument for impeachment is that it allows an investigation, getting out the dirt they've tried to hide. It's almost certain he'll be impeached and equally certain he won't be removed.

[ck4829]

12. I don't think removal will happen, but mere impeachment is something too...

They STILL crow about Clinton being impeached, it will also unify us as a party - I think we can more easily unite behind the nominee against Trump as an impeached president...

Priority should be focusing on that margin on which he is impeached and have tempered expectations on removal IMHO.

[The Mouth]

39. Agree

I just think that expecting anything out of impeachment other than letting investigators get ALL the dirt out is foolish.

And it *will* unify the Republicans, too. It will not be without its costs. Not that it shouldn't be done, but I've little patience with people who expect it to result in the removal of Cheeto Benito, nor with anybody who thinks it will effect his base one iota (except to make them even more fervent)

[not_the_one]

41. They are still refusing to release all the documents.

AND refusing to read those that have been released.

So what if the senate refuses to convict?

EVERY republican in EVERY seat that is being contested, will wear this albatross around their neck.

Make them think that we also threw on a lit tire, just to make sure. (necklacing)

[pat_k]

44. If the Senate vote were secret, he'd be out on his ear.

Too bad that's not the way it goes.

They don't have the guts to vote to remove in public, but I would bet they'd get the 2/3's they need to remove if the vote were secret.

[Kurt V.]

6. Their timing strategy shouldn't affect the primaries whatsoever. so go for it

[JonLP24]

8. There are current Senators running

The longer they will be focused on impeachment the less they have to hit the campaign trail while a primary is underway. This won't hurt all candidates, just the Senators.

[Kurt V.]

13. i don't think so. the dem senatorial candidates don't need to focus on impeachment other

than to confirm the president is a crook.

[FBaggins]

14. Untrue

Senators must be present for the entire trial. They don’t have a choice.

To further mess with the primaries, they’re almost guaranteed to call Biden as a witness - and schedule it for the least opportune time if this really does stretch into the primary season.

[Kurt V.]

15. Senators don't need to be there for the entire trial.

[FBaggins]

23. They do if McConnell says they do

And he's already done that:

McConnell told his conference that if the House votes to impeach, the Senate trial would begin every day at around 12:30 p.m. and run six days per week with only Sundays off. All senators must be present and, in a break from norms and nature, they must remain silent. McConnell said after the meeting this “should be good therapy for a number of them.”

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/paulmcleod/trump-impeachment-senate-trial-how-to-republicans

The majority certainly has the power to make such a rule, and there are other ways within the existing rules to have the same effect on candidate senators... but that wasn't my point. This isn't something like a vote on declaring next Tuesday to be "National Left-Handed Music Teachers Day" that you can miss without political repercussions. It's an impeachment trial where they sit as jury/judge. When do judges or juries miss days of trial?

At any point during the trial, there could come a consequential vote. When republicans decide that they want Schiff called as a witness (when he could also be one of the prosecutors), or they want to call the whistleblower, or that hearsay evidence cannot be entered into the record, the entire Senate could be called upon to vote on the issue. Our candidates can't be absent for such votes.

[sheshe2]

26. Isn't the McConnell up for re-election?

Excellent!

He can't campaign either.

[FBaggins]

28. He doesn't have to worry much about the KY primary

Which is three months later anyway... and manufacturing an impeachment win would only help him.

[sheshe2]

29. I am not so sure about that. nt

[FBaggins]

30. Everyone else is... likely including his opponent

Morgan wasn’t even able to hold his own legislative seat in last year’s primary... he certainly isn’t a threat to the senate majority leader

[pat_k]

46. Cook report

https://cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings

He will probably win, but KY isn't one of the "Solid R's" according to Cook Report.

And the ones who are toss up and lean R certainly won't be thrilled about being pulled from the trail.
It would be wonderful to win those three -- or even four seats.

Toss up:
AZ-McSally
CO-Gardner
ME-Collins

Lean R:
NC-Tillis

Likely R:
GA-Perdue
GA-Open
IA-Ernst
KS-Open
KY-McConnell
MS-Hyde-Smith

Solid R:

AK-Sullivan
AR-Cotton
ID-Risch
LA-Cassidy
MT-Daines
NE-Sasse
OK-Inhofe
SC-Graham
SD-Rounds
TN-Open
TX-Cornyn
WV-Moore Capito
WY-Open

[samnsara]

7. i want this trial to go on forever..once its over and trumps still in office..then what?

...at least with it going on and on and on hes the defendant..

[Mr. Sparkle]

9. and on the other hand, Trump gets dragged through the mud a lot longer in an election year.

These republicans aren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed.

[lanlady]

10. If the Republicans had any sense

they'd get to Trump by the end of this year and tell him that he needs to announce he will not run for reelection for "family business reasons" or whatever - giving enough time to build a post-Trump ticket (Pence/Haley?)

[sheshe2]

27. Sad to say...

Putin is running this. Trump never was.

[DeminPennswoods]

34. Yep

They can get the same reactionary policies and judicial nominations from Pence, but drama-free. The religious nuts will love him more than Trump.

[beachbumbob]

16. Zero impact with our primaries and candidates

[VarryOn]

17. I agree...it won't matter. We know...

The candidates very well at this point, and no one will not vote for someone just becausethey need to be in DC, especially if involves trying to oust Trump.

Rather than the length of the trial, I'm more concerned about who will have to testify and how Republicans will try to dictate the rules and drive the storyline. Fairness will not be part of their process.

[Bayard]

18. Another battle they can't win any other way,

Than to cheat.

[Dan]

19. Come on, the GOP

Senators want this to last long enough so that they don’t have to worry about facing a Trump supported primary opponent - because of how they vote.

Now Trumpie needs to have the impeachment removal vote before the GOP primaries - so that he can ensure his GOP dogs due their duty to their insane master.

And thinking about it, the GOP doesn’t care about the Democratic candidates for president because they have probably figured that Trump probably won’t be re-elected. The White GOP females that put his sick ass in office - probably have had enough. And once the SCOTUS decides the Dreamers have to go back to their birth country that will piss off another group of Americans that can vote.

If the Impeachment trial last long enough and damages Trump (hopefully enough Americans understand how important our Constitution is and protecting the Republic) then it will be hard for the GOP to vote not to remove the insane emperor.

The GOP is only concerned with protecting their political asses, they give less than a damn about the nation.

And I have reached the point that I give less than a damn about his cult followers.

[SergeStorms]

21. Not one word....

from republiCAN'TS about listening to all the evidence set forth and making a decision about Trump's guilt (I won't add "innocence", because that's not an option). Not one word about that! Their big decision is how to better obstruct justice, or fuck over the United States of America to protect the Orange Squatter in the Oval Office.

[cstanleytech]

24. Pelosi should drag the whole impeachment thing out in the House until around September and then send

it to the Senate.
That way it prevents the Repugnants from going through with this plan and it puts in them in a tight spot just before an election and makes it more difficult for the Senate Repugnants to do spin.

[olddad65]

35. Totally agree. If the house drags it out, and the Dems can flip enough seats in the Senate...

It would even matter if Trump was re-elected. He would be gone.

[lagomorph777]

43. +1. Let them vote while facing the general electorate (not primaries).

They will have to make a completely different calculation then.

[rickford66]

25. We have the technology

They can campaign from their kitchens if they have to.

Also, they'll each probably get network interviews daily. Matching Trump's free political ads.

[Progressive Jones]

31. K & R nt

[Progressive Jones]

32. Intelligent voters will know that these candidates are doing important work. nt

[cstanleytech]

36. The issue is not the intelligent voters rather its the millions of morons that voted for Trump. nt

[Progressive Jones]

47. I like to believe that there aren't as many millions anymore. nt

[DeminPennswoods]

33. By January, Iowa, NH and SC will have seen the

candidates criss-crossing their states for a year.

A lengthy senate trial will keep vulnerable Rs like Gardener, Collins, McSally, etc from campaigning, too.

[FBaggins]

40. The election is in November

Few incumbent senators spend much time campaigning in February. The senate primaries for the three you mentioned are in June through August.

The danger is that the first month of presidential primaries is always critical for the party out of office. Months/years of assumptions can be thrown on their heads when one candidate under/overperforms in an early state... and polls shift rapidly. This year there's only a month between the Iowa caucuses and Super Tuesday with 14 states (including CA/TX/VA/NC) voting. If Warren underperforms in IA/NH and can't dig out of it because she can't campaign in those 14 states... her race could be over. If Sanders OVERperforms and wins the first two states... he can't capitalize on it.

[William Weehours]

37. Damn!

A car just backfired on my block! At this time of the night!

[Woodwizard]

38. If it drags out

that long most people will not be tuned in, the general public will not be paying attention 45 will though, the longer it goes on the more unhinged he will get and that will be in the headlines.

[onetexan]

45. this shouldn't be a hard one for the Dems to control. Impose new rules to limit their shenanigans.