All the president's loyalists: Impeachment net snares Trump's top advisers

[ffr]

The president’s senior aides are about to face the punishing spotlight of an impeachment inquiry, the beginning of personal and professional costs spreading throughout Trump's orbit.



Donald Trump has done it again: He’s dragged some of his closest aides and advisers into a scandal packed with potentially devastating personal consequences.
<snip>

But an investigation into allegations that Trump pressured his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate Joe Biden and his son is hardly the kind of thing to be embraced by those orbiting Trumpworld, including Vice President Mike Pence; some of the most important aides, such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Attorney General William Barr and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney; and his own personal attorney at the center of it all, Rudy Giuliani.

They all face a long road ahead with the prospect of hefty legal bills, reputational scars and damaged political prospects hanging over them for years.
<snip>

For starters, all of the people in the president’s world with ties to the Ukraine scandal can expect to get hauled up for congressional hearings — during which the questioning in a Democratic-led impeachment investigation is sure to be anything but friendly.
<snip>

Mike Pence

Few are more important in Trump’s orbit on foreign policy than the vice president. Pence is Trump’s right-hand man when dealing with fellow world leaders. He’s often piped in for phone calls. And the two strategize about it all at their weekly lunches.

It’s with that pedigree that the president dispatched Pence earlier this month to cover for him in Poland on a trip that included a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Asked by a reporter whether they’d discussed Joe Biden, Pence said the conversation covered U.S. financial support for the Eastern European country and “corruption.”

Trump is hardly helping the matter. During a Wednesday news conference in which the threat of impeachment loomed, the president pretty much tossed his No. 2 to the wolves. “I think you should ask for Vice President Pence's conversations, because he had a couple conversations also,” Trump said. - Politico

Mmmmmm. Juicy!

[erronis]

1. I can't wait to see some of the (R)epuglcon senators - especially McTurtle and others

in that picture.

What a great line-up that would be.

All roused out of bed at 3AM and paraded in front of a US D.A.s photo-op before charging. Dump with McD's crumbs on his face, Ghoul not having whitened his implants, Barr's belly sagging over his PJ's belt, on-and-on.

Remember that clip showing Comey grinning as the orange ass was being hauled out in cuffs? That's what I'm looking forward to, in spades.

[dewsgirl]

2. I pray. That video was floating all over yesterday, so many

of them are gone now.

[Indykatie]

3. Mike Pence is Knee Deep in this Sh*t.

[lastlib]

11. Dear orange Shit-stain: PLEEEAZE take Pence down with you!

eom

[Hortensis]

22. Yes, I so hope it takes him down. Big blow to Christian dominionists.

[malaise]

4. Lock them Up!

Hillary will have the last laugh

[llmart]

6. I hope she's feeling vindicated right now.

So many awful things said about her and her rightful place as our President stolen from her.

[Hortensis]

17. Would you? I don't blame her, but she had an enormous

duty to our nation and the world to win that she was unable to fulfill. No doubt there's some relief in seeing some of this, but as she knows as well as anyone could the battle's not won until it's won.

The Republicans are currently knocked back on their heels, but they and their allies are extremely powerful and dangerous and have no intention of losing anything.

[llmart]

20. Actually, yes, I would.

[Hortensis]

21. Okay. Well, maybe an enormous weight and sadness have

gone poof. Let's hope so. She sure doesn't deserve them.

[ancianita]

5. Especially since Schiff's Intel Committee is the lead committe in the impeachment process now.

[dchill]

7. To quote Seinfeld, "That's a shame."

[Xipe Totec]

8. All the President's Munchkins nt

[Catch2.2]

9. They all need to go down!

All of them were corrupt and betrayed our country!

[Brainfodder]

10. A deeper hole? REALLY?

[NotASurfer]

12. Was reminded last night I think by TRMS talking about Spiro Agnew

Vice President can absolutely be criminally charged. Agnew was begging to be impeached to try to forestall indictment on a few things.

That would simplify the problem

[ffr]

14. That was posted last night too in the Videos section

Good historical context I wasn't taught in school.

Rachel Maddow historic context to 46 y.o. today.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1017553950

[catbyte]

13. It's deja vu all over again..

[ffr]

16. Who could start a grand jury investigation into the pres/VP/top law enforcement officer in the U.S?

That's what we need at this point to rinse the system.

[Fla Dem]

15. Let's add Stephen Miller to that list. He is the ultimate Trump whisperer.

Trump wouldn't know what end is up without Miller leading him around like a puppy.

[Perseus]

18. In his defense, and I don't like to defend the creature, he also said Pence had "perfect" talks

with the Ukrainian president. We need to report the entire sentence, we din't want to get into that game of choosing words to guide a narrative.

I am referring to this quote:

“I think you should ask for Vice President Pence's conversations, because he had a couple conversations also,” Trump said

Here is the full quote:
“I think you should ask for Vice President Pence's conversations, because he had a couple conversations also,” Trump said. “I could save you a lot of time. They were all perfect. Nothing was mentioned of any import other than congratulations.“

Of course, he also doesn't mention they spoke about "corruption" and "military aid", which Pence did mention. They don't ever seem to be on the same page, do they?

[bucolic_frolic]

19. Um .... Who's the brains behind the operation?

I think it was someone on Nicolle Wallace's show who said the whole deception and conspiracy behind hiding the digital records on another server and clamming up about it just sounded like a McConnell operation. But it really does beg the question here, who is behind it all? My guess is on Barr or Pompeo, I think Mulvaney is a numbers and ideology guy, and Pence, Trump, and Giuliani are too stupid.

Claire McCaskill offered that more needs to be known about Rudy's operation. It is illegal she said to work for free for the government, employees have to be paid prevailing government rates. Rudy doesn't have a security clearance to be an envoy, and an envoy is not a political position.

[Retrograde]

23. I want to see Ivanka and Jared

twisting slowly, slowly in the wind, as we said back during Watergate. Metaphorically, of course - but I do want to see both of them come out of this facing public scorn, riducule, and jail time.