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My Working Theory on the Impeachment Covfefe
Since the House has “sole power” to impeach, they have the power to decide whether impeachment is just an accusation or is rather a process of accuse-and-send-to-trial. So Trump has been impeached because the House bill disambiguated impeachment by proclaiming that Trump “is impeached.”
As a corollary, since the Senate has “sole power” to do the trial, the House has no power to stop them once the President has been impeached. So the Senate does not have to wait for the House to deliver the accusation. They can start the trial of Trump whenever they feel like it.
Oh, the covfefe!
Your opinions? Objections? Concerns?
Update: See comments #s 27-32 below for more–possibly better–analysis!
Published in Law
Or ignore the whole thing and wait to see what they do about it while the actual investigation proceeds.
Oh, yeah. As far as political strategy goes, that may be much better!
I’m just intrigued by this new argument that the House Democrats cannot both impeach and prevent the Senate from trying.
True. It’s definitely an either/or thing. He either is or is not impeached. If he is, it is for the Senate to move at their own leisurely pace.
Or fast. They can start the trial–or acquittal–of Trump this afternoon and quote the Constitution when Pelosi freaks out and the media joins her.
Maybe not the best political strategy–as if I would know what was.
But it would be a rich, dark cup of covfefe.
Or, the Senate could announce that they have heard that the House has passed articles of impeachment, but has not transmitted them to the Senate, as is proper. As this is just one of many irregularities, the Senate will now launch an investigation into whether members of the House are abusing their authority to conduct oversight in order to cause unlawful interference to the office of the President.
They could also vote that articles of impeachment become void if not presented to the Senate within 30 days of being certified.
I think the Senate should take up the issue and deal with it by McConnell throwing the charges out as invalid. If they don’t deal with it somehow, the Dems will resurrect the articles if they retake the Senate, much like they’re trying to resurrect the Equal Rights Amendment.
I think the Democrats are using the stall to enhance their chance of winning back the Senate. Yes they need 67 to convict but they only need 51 to write the rules. I think the Democrats are protecting only 15 seats whereas the Republicans 23. They would make a trial in the Senate another circus like the one in the House. Who knows what would go on. Mitch should have the trial as soon as possible with or without Nancy sending the bills.
Impeachment isn’t going to matter much when we look back on it, during the 7th year of Trump’s second term.
They may want a circus, but Cocaine Mitch is the ringmaster. He’s the one who will run the circus, and I don’t think that their desire to make Schumer the new Senate Majority Leader is in accordance with his plans.
Is there a single American who must heed Nancy Pelosi’s whims other than members of the House of Representatives?
Her husband?
The power of each house to decide its own rules probably points in that direction.
Doesn’t work in my household.
Or so you tell us. 😁
Brave man. Or foolish. It’s a fine line.
They wanted to put an asterisk by the President’s name. But now the asterisk needs its own asterisk.
I’m thinking Donald Trump might have a lot more than an asterisk or two before he’s done. Covfefe.
Maybe a whole trophy case full of ’em…
Mitch is in change now but I was referring to a circus after the election if the Democrats pick up enough seats for a majority. Chuck U would have the Schiff model of a trial and I could see it as never ending. Cavanaugh hearings on steroids . Phony Wittiness after phony wittiness.
I’m honestly ignorant of the process of impeachment and the rules of what follows, so I hope this is true and they can get on with it. It is interesting that the “goal” of the progressive party seemed to be impeach before Christmas, like you can place a marker on something this serious and rare. Then to make it one of the most reverent weeks for Christians and Jews to boot is a disgrace – a dark cloud hovering over a holy week. In fact, I picture Pig Pen, the Charlie Brown character – the Democrats are smiles because they invoked impeachment, but everywhere they go, there’s dust, dirt and debris in the air, but the Light of Truth shall prevail and burn through the dust that dims.
I think that Nancy Pelosi is waiting for precisely the right moment to announce that this is not just impeachment — it’s double secret impeachment!
“It’s asterisks all the way down.”
Badges of honor to Trump.
A very good argument.
The Senate can call witnesses and have hearings any day they choose using oversight capability. Trump can also declassify a lot of stuff. Any delay is The Swamp flexing it muscle.
Note that my whole approach in the opening post depends on there being an ambiguity in the word “impeachment.”
Give me a good argument against there even being an ambiguity, and I’m back to where I was a few days ago: thinking Trump has not even been impeached!
Enter @spin and his argument from analogy:
(Did I tag the right Spin?)
And then there’s @spin and his originalist argument. The argument runs something like this:
The rest is just consulting some original sources and seeing how the word is used. Here’s some of what Spin told me on Facebook:
He’s the only Spin we Spin.