Oh huh. Trump's defense isn't going to address the impeachment case (and seems to ignore his demands of Mike Pence again).

Michael Van der Veen pretending that 61 losses is normal.

And, again, note that he didn't address Trump's unconstitutional request of Mike Pence.

Van der Veen lies about who asked for recounts in 2016.

And lies about Hillary's claims about Russia.

Trump's video is made in the style of propaganda, taken out of context.

Van der Veen now trying to make much of tweets Trump didn't send until hours too late.

This should have been enough.

This should have been enough.

This should have been enough.

This should have been enough.

This should have been enough.

☀️ This morning’s newsy @PunchbowlNews AM

"Trump's role in the riot"

Here’s a challenge: Make the argument that Donald Trump had nothing to do with the riot at the Capitol after the first few days of the impeachment trial.

It’s damn tough.
The Democratic impeachment managers did something Wednesday that desperately needed to be done: They laid out in a thorough, comprehensive and digestible manner what Trump said and did in the months and days leading up to the bloody Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

They covered all aspects of Trump’s shocking behavior -- his provocative tweets, TV interviews and speeches claiming the election was being stolen; his months-long campaign to undermine the American public’s faith in the election results;

his efforts, both public and private, to overturn those results once it was clear he lost, especially his attempts to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence;

his repeated appeals to his supporters to come to Washington on Jan. 6, the same day Congress was set to certify Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory;

The Trump Team lawsuits demonstrate perfectly why laches in the election context is not just a “procedural technicality” about when to bring suit.

Trump was the catalyst.

He represented to many people a key figure in an historic narrative and that created a massive divide with passions running high.

He exaggerated this due to his nature.
We can't escape that.

But without him, the hysteria will continue.

Its not Trump.

‘The perfect target’: Russia cultivated Trump as asset for 40 years.

This really doesn’t surprise anyone, right? It shouldn’t — most of us have been talking about it on Twitter for at least four years.

“Then, in 1987, Trump visited Moscow and St Petersburg for the first time. Shvets said he was fed KGB talking points and flattered by KGB operatives who floated the idea that he should go into politics.” 2/X

Shortly after, Trump began considering running for POTUS one day.

“For the KGB, it was a charm offensive. They had collected a lot of information on his personality so they knew who he was personally. The feeling was that he was extremely vulnerable intellectually, and psychologically, and he was prone to flattery.” 3/X

I’ve often discussed how Trump was vulnerable to world leaders and intelligence agencies due to the fact that it’s so easy to get inside his bubble — you just have to satiate his ego and his personal sense of grandiosity.

Say nice things and spend money at his properties. 4/X

“This is what they exploited. They played the game as if they were immensely impressed by his personality and believed this is the guy who should be the president of the United States one day”

Putin is a master at this. 5/X

Third Thread: The Conspiracy Theory Voters

Aka let's try to do SPD again, Sarah Palin's Disease. Sorry, my 2nd Thread was longer than I expected with Newt.

So now let's do Sarah Palin properly, in her own thread.

While George Wallace is the grandfather to Trump's run in 2016 (starting in 2015), there are not enough racist voters to win the election. Not even enough racists to win the NOMINATION of the GOP.

Trump needed to expand his support in 2015 & 2016. He needed INSANE voters.

The real prototype candidate to Donald Trump is Sarah Palin - a candidate so bad, she COST John McCain millions of votes in 2008 against Obama. Yes, exit polls are clear, for every 2 votes Sarah brought in to McCain she brought 3 votes to Obama. Net cost to McCain several MILLION

Sarah Palin was the Fake News candidate, who bravely battled reality and 'Lame Stream Media' for the past 12 years since her loss in 2008. She had a lunatic base of voters who believe in the conspiracy theories she spews. As Sarah Palin wasn't running, those voter went to Trump

We need to discuss the Tea Party. Back in the 2008 cycle, the progressives had a spontaneous movement in the economic criss to 'Occupy Wall Street'.

VERY EARLY in that movement, a 'sister' movement started as the Tea Party, against big government

Some sanity:

In the last 120 days I've noted several places within the constitutional process of a change in power where Trump could have properly, appropriately, and without resistance progressed towards seizing power Hitler-style.

All passed without incident.

I've also noted, which is supported by folks far more learned that myself, that the legal shenanigans were just theater.

There is no real path to seizing power at this point and having any excuse to do so.

But... there could be something behind how the 6th is being sold.

Trump could be ... maybe ... a slim chance ... cleaning up his own mess to some degree and we're about to witness state security forces cracking down on far right activists while they are all gathered in one place.

Other than that possibility, it's just more performance.

Without physically seizing and holding the places where power resides in DC, which is improbable at best, there is absolutely no chance at this time for anything other than Biden being sworn in at the end of the month.

The panic is purely for clicks and ratings.

Seriously think about it.

What are the chances of the Proud Boys invading and then holding Longworth in order to prevent elected officials from conducting the business of government?

If you've ever actually been there you know how ludicrous the suggestion is.

The CPC, and their enabling press & surrogates, wish us to believe they haven't behaved like Trump's GOP. That they haven't copies Trump tactics, to try to get it to work in Canada as well.

2/
Here's a screenshot I made of a quote-tweet from just after the CPC leadership win, that indicates otherwise

3/
related to screenshot in tweet 2/

4/
during the day of the election, for CPC leader, I made a screenshot of CBC PnP's coverage - when the second ballot count had just been announced. Note that before the third ballot, Leslyn Lewis had the highest percentage of votes. You know who Dr Lewis' followers are? M*GA

5/
The CPC are also connected to the CCFR - NRA North

1/10
Three days ago, we saw the putrid runoff of what’s been stoked, distilled & fomented by Trump since the beginning of his term. The riot in service of an attempted coup wasn’t spontaneous. It was planned & encouraged by the President of the United States of America. #velshi

2/10
The halls of our Capitol have only twice seen such insurrection - the last being August 24, 1814 when the British invaded Washington DC, set fire to the White House and breached the U.S. Capitol building before setting it ablaze. #velshi

3/10
The U.S. Senate was unable to meet in the historic Old Senate Chamber for nearly 5 years after that. On Wednesday, Senators returned after just five hours. But what a chaotic five hours it was. #velshi

4/10
Members of Congress were in the building because federal law dictates that the sealed certificates of each state's Electoral votes - which were cast on 12/14 - be transported to the Congressional chamber to be counted. There they were stored in the three wooden boxes.#velshi

5/10
Staffers took those boxes with them as they were ushered out of the House chamber. There are duplicates and, had the rioters taken the boxes and burned them, we’d still be able to account for all of the votes and get this done. #velshi

Let me be honest
Everything may seem calm, but you need to know exactly what we have ahead of us.

There seem to be two paths ahead, and choosing each one raises huge issues that are just as important in nature.
Read more ..

@realDonaldTrump @LLinWood @SidneyPowell1 @Raiklin

As 2nd impeachment looms, the Republican Party paved the way to this inevitable end of the Trump presidency by enabling, excusing & abetting an openly racist & authoritarian president who did not hide his contempt for the rule of law or disdain for democracy

Republicans found reasons to excuse Trump after "very fine people" in Charlottesville; "go back" to House D women of color; calling Black Lives Matter "a symbol of hate"; and repeatedly denigrating the intelligence of Black women legislators & journalists.

Rs found nothing to sanction (& often actively supported) as he weaponized the postal service, distorted the Census, obstructed the Mueller inquiry, blocked Congressional oversight, openly extorted the government of Ukraine, pressured prosecutors, dispensed improper pardons.

After the election, 2/3 of House Rs and Republican state Attorneys General backed the lawsuit 2 make him president again by invalidating 20m votes. Rs echoed his spurious claims that the election was stolen in large cities w/big Black populations, even as courts found no evidence

R electeds weren't alone. The conservative media ecosystem slavishly defended Trump. One pundit explained that while elites took Trump "literally not seriously," his common-sense supporters took him "seriously not literally." Another insisted: "There Will Be No Trump Coup."

1. In honor of Trump’s last full day in office, and what may end up being the big story of the day, here’s a quick #thread on the President’s pardon power — and answers to some of the questions about it that may come up today:

2. Article II, § 2 of the Constitution gives the President the power to “grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.”

The idea was to provide the executive with a check on (perceived) excesses by the courts.

3. That’s why the pardon power is absolute; it wouldn’t be much of a check on the courts if they had the power to review every pardon. Instead, the remedy for abuses of the power, as Chief Justice — and former President — Taft wrote for #SCOTUS in 1925, is ... impeachment.

4. But which offenses can be pardoned? The widespread consensus is that the President may pardon any federal offense (this includes “local” crimes in federal territories like D.C.) by anyone *else* that has been committed (even if not charged) prior to the granting of the pardon.

5. This *includes* so-called “blanket” pardons, such as the one President Carter issued on his first full day in office for Vietnam-era draft