Closing arguments Monday. Tuesday & Wednesday, deliberations. Vote on the articles 4 PM ET Wednesday

Rubio: "Just because actions meet a standard of impeachment does not mean..."

...it is in the best interest of the country to remove a President from office."



https://www.rawstory.com/2020/01/coward-marco-rubio-torn-to-bits-after-he-admits-trumps-actions-are-impeachable-but-hell-still-acquit-him/

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has put out a lengthy statement explaining his decision to acquit President Donald Trump in his Senate impeachment trial — and he’s not being very well received.

In his statement, Rubio concedes that even though he believes the president’s actions “meet a standard of impeachment,” he does not believe that he should be removed from office.

“Six weeks ago I announced that, for me, the question would not just be whether the President’s actions were wrong, but ultimately whether what he did was removable,” he writes. “The two are not the same. Just because actions meet a standard of impeachment does not mean it is in the best interest of the country to remove a President from office.”

In making his decision, Rubio says he assumed that all the allegations leveled against the president were true — that is, that the president really did try to extort the Ukrainian government to get dirt on his political opponents.

But he said that this still does not warrant removal because doing so would make Trump supporters angry.

Ben Sasse: "Let me be clear; Lamar speaks for lots and lots of us."

Claire McCaskill: McConnell issues statement that he'll adjourn after today until Wednesday

Discussing it now on MSNBC

NO Super Bowl victory lap

NO SOTU victory lap

Chris Matthews just predicted Trump's approval going to "49 or 50%" by the end of SOTU week

I don't see that happening. I know the MAGAts will swoon, but I don't see him getting a 10% boost from his SOTU victory lap.

Part of it, I guess, will depend on the degree to which he turns the SOTU into a MAGAt rally. I don't think that's a strategy for winning him new friends.

SHE WENT THERE...Warren sends question to Roberts about his credibility

Schumer: "I asked House Mgrs if they'd respond to the answer given by Trump's lawyers because..."

Rick Wilson comments on Trump's latest tweets, which continue the Bolton character assasination

A few observations RE: Bolton vs. Trump...

1). YES...he IS a neocon, and one of the most loathed among the George W. Bush era cast of characters. That hasn't changed, and he'll still be Bolton if he becomes the "smoking gun" that tips the scales, but my gut is telling me that the Senate majority will go for an acquittal no matter what happens. Having them vote to remove Trump will be the shock of a lifetime and I don't see it happening, no matter what testimony he might give. McConnell and the GOP are simply too terrified of Trump and preserving their own self-interests. It's not about ousting the "most vulnerable" Republicans....they're probably going to have more time to spend with their families after November. It's about McConnell being "The Grim Reaper" through another presidential term. He'll pull every filthy trick in the book to hold onto that. This one's on Kentucky voters.

2). He is smarter than Trump in ways not even worth listing here, because most of the people you know are smarter than Trump. My cats are smarter than Trump.

3). He has a raging ego, equal to or greater than Trump's. What has come out during his tenure with Trump, and after, is that he places a huge value on "being right." So does Trump, but Trump's always ill-informed and wrong. Bolton ls "right" for all the wrong reasons...within the sphere of the war hawk, neocon sphere...but he can probably find most countries on a map, or...at minimum...his own ass with a flashlight and a funnel. This is a skill that Trump lacks.

4). John Bolton most likely has no interest whatsoever in doing anything "for" Democrats. He was a deep red neocon going into this, and he'll be a deep red neocon on the other side of it.

5). John Bolton most likely has a keen interest in being "right" and doing some real-time revisionist history RE: his legacy.

6). YES...it's mostly about selling copies of the book.

7). Trump cannot stop poking the bear...see Trump argues John Bolton should have complained when he was ‘very publicly terminated’ ...and the more he pokes him, the more determined Bolton will be to shut him up, and the easiest way to do that, NOW...rather than in March when the book comes out...would be to testify before the Senate and spill his guts. Not because he's pro-Democrat. Not because he gives a damn about any "America" that exists outside of his neocon tunnel vision. He'll do it to shut Trump up and deliver payback. Trump is also getting Republicans who were previously viewed as "friendly" to Bolton to attack him. This is like poking the bear with a red-hot poker for all of the reasons I've already listed. Pride and ego are a helluva drug.

8). IF McConnell is successful in his plan to have Hannity, Limbaugh and the rest whip the GOP into a stark, mortal terror over DARING to vote for witnesses by the end of the week, this will leave a mark in a country where 75% of the American people want witnesses.

9). If Bolton testifies, Trump is screwed. If the Republican Senate votes to acquit after a Bolton testimony, they're screwed right along with them.

10). Whatever happens, we'd damn well better whip ourselves into an unrestrained fervor over whichever candidate makes the final cut to go up against Trump. If the least likely scenario happens...Trump removed from office...we need to have the same unbridled enthusiasm for whatever candidate goes up against PENCE.

11). Bolton is not "afraid" of Trump. This makes Bolton a Pelosi-like figure in Trump's eyes, and is part of his motivation in escalating his attacks. My personal belief, as misguided as it may be, is that he blew off House testimony largely to protect his book sales, and possibly what he viewed his "standing" in the GOP, which Trump is lifting his leg on daily, so Bolton's only recourse for that now is to shut up Trump (see above).

History will prove my observations to be on target, misguided, or a combination of both.

Lawrence O'Donnell: The next two days will involve setting the dogs loose

I'm paraphrasing on the "McConnell doesn't have the votes" thing. He said that the next two days will be attack dogs Hannity, Limbaugh, etc, stoking the flames of fear in Trump's base and the GOP over what will happen if Mitch doesn't get the votes to squash a witness vote.

You should have a much clearer picture of where we stand in the November 2020 fight when we get to that vote.