6075

New Republican defense: Bolton is a spy!

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They’re just gonna say that he only said it to sell books.

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For me, hearing the smug GOP 3rd rate lying and victim hood spiel sends me into a boiling rage within moments. I simply cannot listen to them or I will stroke out. Not tuning in is a self-preservation tactic.

6078

I lasted almost 4 minutes of Seculow trying to convince me that Trump has always been interested in rooting out corruption and he is the good guy being terribly slandered by the real enemies of the nation…

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not burying the lede

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And so the wording of the tweet that the NYT knew about the manuscript before the White House Press Shop is important. Because the NYT has released the letter from Bolton’s lawyer that accompanied the manuscript. That letter makes it pretty clear that they were in active communication with the White House, and the WH and Trump lawyers were expecting the manuscript to go over.

So then we’re left with this: Trump’s defense team got that manuscript, and the allegations that Bolton makes are in there. They elected to NOT share this information with anyone, apparently. The White House Press Secretary did not know. But it also seems extremely likely that Republican Senators close to the situation – maybe Mitch McConnell, but definitely the GOP rank and file in the senate – had no idea about this.

And thus when the President’s defense team presented their case on Saturday, they leaned heavily on the notion that there was no quid pro quo, that the money wasn’t held up for political benefit to the President, and that everything was fine and dandy – and Ukraine got their money after all, right?

And a lot of Republican senators leaned into that. And parroted it and supported it wholeheartedly. And that includes Susan Collins, Cory Gardner, Martha McSally, Thom Tillis and Joni Ernst, all of whom are various levels of vulnerable in November.

They won’t say it out loud (yet), but the entire senate GOP caucus has to be absolutely furious about this right now.

6081

!

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But the biggest thing is we shouldn’t lose track of what a disgrace this is. Bolton, as we’ve suspected, denied critical information to a lawful and constitutional judicial inquiry while making it available for what is at the end of the day a private business venture. There is just no conceivable justification for this from any, any perspective. It is really a disgrace.

6085

It’s also why I am a hair suspicious. He needs to say it under oath. If he’ll only do what’s right for the country so he can profit personally… I actually didn’t think that’s who he was. I thought he had some integrity, even if it was to what I consider a bonkers ideology.

6086

So… per Mr. Wright’s Tweet, Giuliani may have been working for Lutsenko along with Parnas and Fruman? Hence the “Yovanovitch Must Go” campaign? And all they had to do at the 4/30/18 dinner was bruise The Daily National Embarrassment’s ego, and the seed was planted.

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Washington Post has now independently confirmed.

6089

Maggy Haberman is reporting that some Rep Senators are asking the WH who there was in the loop on Bolton’s book, and are angry about being blindsided. I imagine both things are true, but imagine they’ll swallow their pride and pull the acquit lever just the same.

6090

Spoiler alert: they were probably always going to pull the acquit lever, absent something extraordinary and unlikely such as public opinion being 70% or higher in favor of impeach and remove.

The trial at this point should be about forcing witnesses. Get Bolton to say the things he says in his book under oath, for instance. Call other witnesses who knew and testified in the house. Make pulling that acquit lever as politically damaging for senators up for tough re-elections in 2020 as difficult and politically unsavory as possible and make it more difficult for Trump’s eventual cries of “Exoneration” to find purchase outside his political rallies and base.

6091

Steve Inskeep mentioned this morning that NPR Morning Edition had a Republican senator booked for today, but they backed out, saying they wanted ‘more time’ to understand the Bolton book thing. Brow fully furrowed and all.

6092

Can’t go on the radio before they are issued updated talking points.

6093

“In the face of the Wuhan Coronavirus, our country needs to look past partisan divide and unite to keep our communities safe. The impeachment process draws too much attention away from policy leaders, and for that reason, I will not support extending it any longer, for any reason.” - Something a GOP Senator will say

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