It’s Tuesday.
Day 63 of the Impeachment Inquiry has arrived.
It’s Thanksgiving Eve-Eve.
Tuesday morning saw the capital placed on lock-down.
DEVELOPING: White House is currently on lockdown and the Capitol is being evacuated https://t.co/rNy6y83BBZ pic.twitter.com/watampZu0y
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 26, 2019
The lock-down was lifted about 20 minutes later.
UPDATE: Lockdown lifted at White House after aircraft was reported to be in restricted airspace https://t.co/Jqro6rucKz pic.twitter.com/cNdl9jUbPP
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 26, 2019
The President has tweeted so far 7 times and retweeted 6 times.
“Poll shows Dems losing interest in Impeachment inquiry all across the board. These Polls are actually devastating to the Democrats. But the writing was on the wall. He’s done so many great things. He’s devastated ISIS & killed AlBaghdadi, building Wall.” Jason Meister @FoxNews
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2019
Left, Fox & Friends First, 4:34 a.m.
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) November 26, 2019
Right, Trump, 6:14 a.m. pic.twitter.com/6Zy7UTiSCk
BREAKING: New CNN poll undermines @RealDonaldTrump claim that support for impeachment is dropping. It is NOT.
— John Berman (@JohnBerman) November 26, 2019
50% support impeaching & removing the President. 43 oppose. UNCHANGED from last month (perhaps not great news for Democrats either)@NewDay https://t.co/t3kxMGgpJS
The CNN poll methodology from the PDF.
about public opinion on Trump never moving lol nothing matters, here’s new CNN poll:
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) November 26, 2019
impeach/remove now
50% yes, 43% no
impeach/remove, late April
37% yes, 59% no
Great job Heather! https://t.co/8OX8wkug4t
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2019
Heather Childers is a Fox News Channel Anchor according to her Twitter bio, she hosts FoxFriendsFirst at 4-5am weekday mornings.
The tweet the President is replying to is a link to Childers stories.
I will always protect our great warfighters. I’ve got your backs!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2019
Warfighters =’s U.S. Military personal.
Left, Fox & Friends First, 5:05 a.m.
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) November 26, 2019
Right, Trump, 6:33 a.m. pic.twitter.com/AG6K5OYPZ7
The New York Times reported on the 15th of November that President Trump pardoned three members of the armed services, “who have been accused or convicted of war crimes, overruling military leaders who had sought to punish them.”
- Full pardon: Clint Lorance who was serving 19 years for killing two civilians.
- Full pardon: Maj. Mathew Golsteyn with Army Special Forces, who was facing murder charges for killing an unarmed Afghan that Golsteyn believed was a Taliban bomb maker.
- Reversed Demotion: Chief Petty Officer Edward “Eddie” Gallagher, who was acquitted on murder charges but convicted on a lesser offense of posing for a picture with a dead combatant’s body.
Following the pardon of Gallagher it was reported that the Navy intended to review the case to determine if Gallagher would be kicked out of the Navy SEALS.
The President weighed in via Twitter last week.
The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin. This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2019
On Sunday President Trump tweeted that he was not pleased with the Navy’s handling of the Gallagher case and as a result he directed Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to fire Navy Secretary Richard Spencer.
I was not pleased with the way that Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s trial was handled by the Navy. He was treated very badly but, despite this, was completely exonerated on all major charges. I then restored Eddie’s rank. Likewise, large cost overruns from past administration’s…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2019
….contracting procedures were not addressed to my satisfaction. Therefore, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer’s services have been terminated by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. I thank Richard for his service & commitment. Eddie will retire peacefully with all of the…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2019
….honors that he has earned, including his Trident Pin. Admiral and now Ambassador to Norway Ken Braithwaite will be nominated by me to be the new Secretary of the Navy. A man of great achievement and success, I know Ken will do an outstanding job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2019
On Monday CBS News reported that Spenser was fired before “he could resign over the president’s decision to intervene in an internal review of a Navy SEAL convicted of posing with the corpse, and downplayed a supposed backchannel offer to the White House that served as the justification for his ouster.”
Esper spoke with reporters about the firing and said that he lost trusted in Spencer following an alleged deal that Spencer was working on with that White House to allowed Gallagher to simply retire and keep his Trident Pin.
Spencer told CBS News that “he spoke with White House counsel Pat Cipollone on November 15 and proposed an arrangement in which Gallagher would be allowed to retire as a SEAL if the president agreed not to intervene in the case and “let the Navy do its administrative work.” Spencer said Cipollone called back the same day to decline the offer, saying the president would be involved.”
Spencer went on to say that he had not spoken with Esper about the deal he offered, “I will take the bad on me, for not letting him know I did that.”
On Tuesday USA TODAY reported that Gallagher will retire from the Navy, the review of his case has been cancelled.
“He will retire from active duty,” Navy Cdr. Clay Doss said in a statement. “We will not provide additional details due to privacy concerns.”
USA TODAY.
The announcement marked the formal end of the review, which could have led to Gallagher’s expulsion from the elite special operations SEAL group, after Trump issued an order to Defense Secretary Mark Esper that Gallagher be allowed to keep his Trident pin symbolizing his SEAL membership.
When the Military rips down an old & badly broken Border Wall in an important location, & replaces it with a brand new 30 ft. high Steel & Concrete Wall, Nancy Pelosi says we are not building a Wall. Wrong, and it is going up fast. Brandon Judd just gave us great marks! @FoxNews
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2019
Left, Fox & Friends First, 5:18 a.m.
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) November 26, 2019
Right, Trump, 6:53 a.m. pic.twitter.com/GWYWoFx40s
Not building a wall =’s no new wall, the wall itself might be “new,” but the location of the wall is the same as the torn down replaced wall. The President has not overseen the building of new miles of border wall aka border fence.
The D.C. Wolves and Fake News Media are reading far too much into people being forced by Courts to testify before Congress. I am fighting for future Presidents and the Office of the President. Other than that, I would actually like people to testify. Don McGahn’s respected….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2019
I am fighting for future Presidents and the Office of the President.
To have no oversight and zero accountability.
As a reminder as the News Blender covered the Department of Justice argued in October before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, that the President could not even be investigated if he shot someone on 5th Ave.
…lawyer has already stated that I did nothing wrong. John Bolton is a patriot and may know that I held back the money from Ukraine because it is considered a corrupt country, & I wanted to know why nearby European countries weren’t putting up money also. Likewise, I would….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2019
According to the Mueller Report, then-White House counsel Don McGahn told Mueller’s investigating team that the President had directed him to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller. McGhan declined.
John Bolton is a patriot and may know that I held back the money from Ukraine because it is considered a corrupt country, & I wanted to know why nearby European countries weren’t putting up money also.
In September Fact Check.org reported that the U.S. is not the majority contributor of total official developmental assistance to the Ukraine.
According to the OECD between 2016-2017 the U.S. was the second largest contributor.
*The link might start with Afghanistan, there is a drop down menu with the alphabetical list of countries.*
…love to have Mike Pompeo, Rick Perry, Mick Mulvaney and many others testify about the phony Impeachment Hoax. It is a Democrat Scam that is going nowhere but, future Presidents should in no way be compromised. What has happened to me should never happen to another President!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2019
future Presidents should in no way be compromised. What has happened to me should never happen to another President!
Again he is suggesting that a President is both above the law and Congressional Oversight which would make a President = to a King. I might be wrong, but I’m certain our founding fathers would not approve this message.
On Monday the long awaited ruling on whether or not White House officials had “absolute immunity,” from honoring a Congressional subpoena was released.
According to the ruling by Judge Ketnaji Brown Jackson “Presidents are not kings,” she added that President’s do not have subjects and that it is indisputable that current and former White House officials work for the People of the United States.
DOJ has appealed the federal judge’s ruling last night that fmr WH counsel Don McGahn must testify to Congress.
— Megan Mineiro (@MMineiro_CNS) November 26, 2019
Looking out now for oral arguments on a motion to stay the lower court order. House Dems have said they won’t slow impeachment to wait on the case to be adjudicated.
The appeal of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's order was expected. In her 120-page opinion she called absolute testimonial immunity a fiction from WH lawyers.
— Megan Mineiro (@MMineiro_CNS) November 26, 2019
And the DOJ has filed its motion to stay the lower court order that McGahn must testify in the impeachment inquiry: pic.twitter.com/ygrBVlLk2t
— Megan Mineiro (@MMineiro_CNS) November 26, 2019
Both parties knew the case was bound for the DC Circuit. House Judiciary Committee already agreed to a 7 day administrative stay, while opposing a full block on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's order. pic.twitter.com/rnHQTlrlme
— Megan Mineiro (@MMineiro_CNS) November 26, 2019
This post will be updated within reason.
This is an Open Thread.
*There is a Presidential Campaign Rally scheduled to take place in Florida on Tuesday evening.*