The MANDATORY DISCLAIMER
Not for one second do I believe that the start line below is easier on Trump than beginning right now.
Indeed my point in writing these is to explore with my brothers and sisters here how BEST to put maximum pressure/pain on Trump.
Second, I have tremendous respect for those who researched it, thought it through, and believe that impeachment now is the MOST effective action in punishing Trump crimes.
So, please no comments slamming other comments that might disagree. We ALL want the same thing.
Breathe.
Wipe brow.
It’s all good, just all on the same page now.
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As it currently stands, there is no possibility of the Senate removing Trump from office right now based on the evidence we have.
SO LONG as we’re investigating AGGRESSIVELY in all areas, we’re doing “Impeachment” in all but name.
That’s a good thing.
I have diaried that whole pile of fish shit before.
That’s not what I’m discussing now.
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That being said.
Impeachment SHOULD be something where the nation has no real choice. It should be something as a total last resort.
I believe that given Trump currently can hide a little behind his “Dems hate me” stuff, we hold off until ….
- His crime is undeniable, on paper.
— Financial conflicts,
— taxes
— money laundering,
- unreported income ….
- CONFLICTS INVOLVING MONEY AND RUSSIA.
That is the predicate, the subject of this diary.
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That would NOT be my position if I had ANY doubt that he DID have crimes “on paper” that are self-proving.
I do not.
I believe his worst crimes are FINANCIAL bc with Trump it is ALWAYS about the money.
He MUST have conflicts with Russian business. He MUST have issues in his taxes. He told McConnell that the approval of the IRS Commissioner (a former Trump lawyer) was more important than Barr’s approval.
His financial crimes deeply impact our national security.
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I have 25 years of general litigation and crim law experience.
The single worst crimes to defend are financial bc you have NOTHING, it’s sitting right there on paper and there’s fck all you can do for your client.
Speaking of fck-all, Trump is going to have nothing to say if it’s sitting right there in his bank accounts or on taxes.
We are ABOUT to get those. And we should NOT impeach until we HAVE them in hand.
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Financial crimes on paper as the start line produces three massive advantages.
1. It absolutely tells the country “We have NO choice in this” and makes all Repub Senators have to vote on that obvious “on-paper” crime. That decreases ALL risk to Dems, AND it’s possible that 15-20 Repub Sens throw their hands up and get sick of Trump.
Because Trump’s approval will go sub 38% the moment it’s proven. They have been there before and will sink well below then.
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2. The single LAST thing we want to do is set precedent for the never-to-be-damned-enough Repubs to impeach the next 3 Dem presidents as a matter of course.
We can tell the country:
- Until there is a clear crime that impacts the country, this is absurd.
- That will be correct.
- It will say: “We WAITED until there was NO choice at all. A felony conflict sat RIGHT THERE.”
- “Why are you Repubs going forward on this petty BS?”
- And we’ll be right.
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3. Trumpism is a cult.
Cults are built upon the seeming invulnerability of the leader.
If you have it sitting on paper right there that the cult leader lied his Russian-Borscht-stuffed ass off ….
About Russia
About getting himself rich off being president
And likely about whether he’s rich at all, or at least in DEEP trouble financially,
The cult leader’s balloon pops, and he KNOWS it.
Cults are impenetrable.
Until they’re not ….
and then there’s not a damn thing one can do to restore trust, the cultists leave FAST.
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Again, last time. IF I wasn’t sure those crimes are there, I would say go forward on the clear crimes reported in the Mueller report.
But SINCE THEY ARE THERE, we NEED to wait until we have that HUGE advantage.
It will NOT be long now.
It also puts the impeachment proceedings back to when the campaign really gears up.
Which is the HARDEST thing on Trump IMO.
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I have written before on the advantages of waiting.
I have not written that the necessary predicate is the indefensible financial crimes.
I am TOTALLY open to disagreement, so long as respectful, and well considered.
I LOVE disagreement, bc I get to learn.
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Rec this up. Not bc I need a Rec List diary, that’s the last thing I need.
I think the discussion below is the important thing.
It has been a generation, and will be another generation, at least, until the nation faces a greater question, and doing THIS right.
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Peace, y’all.
Be good to each other.
Of course, my novels are here, and they are cooler than me. Support has been so wonderful.
But the real “support” is discussing this.