Cracks emerge among Senate Republicans over Trump urging Ukrainian leader to investigate Biden

[lindysalsagal]

Source: WAPO

By Robert Costa September 25, 2019 at 8:31 p.m. EDT

Several Senate Republicans were privately stunned Wednesday and questioned the White House’s judgment after it released a rough transcript of President Trump’s call with the Ukraine president that showed Trump offering the help of the U.S. attorney general to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

One Senate Republican, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly, said the transcript’s release was a “huge mistake” that the GOP now has to confront and defend — while the party argues at the same time that House Democrats are overreaching with their impeachment inquiry of Trump.

Three other GOP senators complained privately in discussions with The Washington Post that the White House erred by releasing the transcript, arguing that it sets a precedent for future presidents about disclosure of calls with foreign leaders and could be seen as a concession to Democrats.

Publicly, two senators expressed serious concerns about the revelation, as cracks have begun to emerge with GOP lawmakers privately discussing Trump’s conduct and their party’s political standing.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-republicans-split-over-trump-urging-ukrainian-leader-to-investigate-biden/2019/09/25/48ec0e64-dfa6-11e9-be96-6adb81821e90_story.html

[Shell_Seas]

1. Privately...anonymity.... They're still cowards. What will they do publicly?

[kozar]

5. used to be ,

"aides, senior staffers" who spoke under anonymity,, now it is actual Senators, take our wins ,,step by step,and its only been one day.


Koz

[calimary]

7. Cowards for sure. Cowards and CONS.

[Botany]

16. "Cowards for sure."

"One Senate Republican, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly, ... "

[Marthe48]

25. Transparency!

Unless it is information that affects national security, needs to be recorded and made public. The hell with the secrets. We saw how it worked with nixon, and realized that our government needed to be more open to scrutiny.

The senators aren't even condemning trump for being a thug traitor. They're po'd because he released the UNCLASSIFIED transcript.

[CentralMass]

2. This seems too easy. Is it an easy out to avoid a more in depth

Impeachment.proceding ?

[BumRushDaShow]

3. They are too lockstep to break away from their criminal cabal

They would need their own "Hastert Rule" number of votes to go along with this before they would even consider moving forward.

[mucifer]

4. They are disturbed about releasing the info, not the info itself

They are so evil

[Botany]

17. But some of that info is Trump admitting to major crimes.

And this was from the "cleaned up" version of the transcript. I predict some GOP senators will
vote to convict Trump maybe not enough to remove him but it will be very uncomfortable for
them to stand up w/Trump.

Trump to the President Zelenskyy

"The President: Well, she' s going to go through some things I will have Mr. Giuliani give you a call. And I am also going to have Attorney General Barr call and we will get to the bottom of it. I'm sure you will figure it out. I heard the prosecutor was treated very badly and he was a very fair prosecutor so good luck with everything. Your economy is going to get better and better I predict. You have a lot of assets. It's a great country. I have many Ukrainian friends, their incredible people."

[Left-face]

6. I've said it before

And I'll say it again.. We'll see a wad of used toilet paper become resurrected into a mighty sequoia tree by days end before we'll see Republicans suddenly decide to grow spines and do the right thing by days end..
Start planting your toilet paper..

[ritapria]

8. Republicans in the Senate

They lack both the courage of their convictions and the courage to convict ...

[Perseus]

9. Amazing, GOP traitors are more concerned about the transcript having negative results for them

than the fact the transcript shows treason. They would rather hide the treasonous behaviour of the creature than having him exposed for what he is, a traitor. SOBs all of them.

"'huge mistake' that the GOP now has to confront and defend" - Amazing!

[Mr. Ected]

10. Their soiled cracks amount to nothing - have they ever truly broken ranks under Trump?

If each and every Republican says on FOX News that this is not an impeachable offense - and I would suggest shooting someone on 5th Avenue would fall under that category - their constituents buy into it, hook, line and sinker, and will offer that response and no other if queried. They don't believe anything that comes from the national media except their own, they do not exercise analysis of the facts, they do not allow themselves a contrary position.

Let's face it. It's ingenious and diabolical. Their powers stem from a willingly uninformed, brainwashed zombified electorate, together with those too apathetic to bother caring. As they say, there's strength in numbers; united they stand, divided they fall. I have no reason to believe that this will prove otherwise.

I despise them as much as I despise those who have allowed their propaganda to remove all critical thought from the equation.

[beachbumbob]

11. obscure and deflect is GOPs naturaal fallback position, don't look at the reality of it

The political fallout may be the greatest in our country;s history:

- If articles of impeachment are passed
- if the Senate convicts to remove Trump


the majority of the trump's base will simply abandon the GOP, either form their own 3rd party or stay home on election days. Either way, this gives democrats longterm power and control in DC and could manifest at state and local levels too

[Pepsidog]

12. Releasing the transcript is what their concerned with. You would think Trumps actions would be the

focus of their concerns.

[zaj]

13. They are stunned that the cover up wasn't more effective?

That he's really this stupid?
They were hoping for less overt displays of corruption?

[bucolic_frolic]

14. Republican Senators will realize

if foreign help in elections becomes normalized, 250,000 foreign campaign workers will be here as a posse for Democrats. All the Republicans will have is fat coffers. Anyone care to repeat 2018?

[hibbing]

15. It's not a transcript n/t

[DownriverDem]

18. Nixon

When impeachment investigations started for Nixon, very few Americans supported it. As it went along and more information came out, the majority of Americans supported impeachment. With trump, we are being told that there is more to it than a phone call. So hopefully as more info comes out, more Americans will support it. Here in Michigan, the morning paper is saying that Rep Elissa Slokin's chances of reelection is in doubt now. She is a Dem who won a red district. Yesterday she came out in favor of the impeachment inquiry. This is what I mean about understanding how politics works.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. Note they don't say Shakedown in Ukraine was a mistake. They say tRump f'ed up the coverup. . . . nt

[Marie Marie]

26. My first thought. Pathetic.

[stuffmatters]

30. Exactly.

[IronLionZion]

20. Do it Romney!

Sasse, Toomey, and Portman have expressed concerns.

Collins is facing a tough re-election next year. Lets use this opportunity to help her spend more time with her family.

[EarthFirst]

21. Self-preservation at it's finest... nt

[marble falls]

22. They're still more concerned about the release of the transcrips than the content ....

but at least there is nothing for them to spin, they're going to have to defend him or impeach him.

[truthisfreedom]

27. They're quite comfortable with the corruption. It's the release

and concession that’s driving them nuts.

[BeckyDem]

29. Yep. +1

They're allergic to transparency.

[marble falls]

32. Waiting for us to solve their Trump problem will work against them as more people ...

want an impeachment. Pence has got to go, too.

[Brainfodder]

23. Anything but "He's gotta go!" is a coward?

At this point they are completely busted as a thing, that email....



Marching lock step as directed by emails, that is just disgusting on so many levels!

[saidsimplesimon]

24. Thanks for the thread

Continuing from the article, "circling the wagons":

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/cracks-emerge-among-senate-republicans-over-trump-urging-ukrainian-leader-to-investigate-biden/ar-AAHPJyl

The Washington Post
Robert Costa
9/25/19

Cracks emerge among Senate Republicans over Trump urging Ukrainian leader to investigate Biden
…snip
“Republicans ought not to be rushing to circle the wagons and say there’s no ‘there’ there when there’s obviously a lot that’s very troubling there,” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) told reporters after reviewing the whistleblower’s complaint. “. . . Democrats ought not be using words like ‘impeach’ before they knew anything about the actual substance.”

Sasse, who opposed Trump’s 2016 candidacy, recently has spoken more favorably about Trump and earned the president’s endorsement in his reelection bid.

“It remains troubling in the extreme. It’s deeply troubling,” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told reporters Wednesday when asked about the transcript.

As Republican senators left a closed-door luncheon Wednesday, they were mostly supportive of the president and dismissive of the transcript, even as some lawmakers and their aides groused behind the scenes about the White House’s response.
….snip more at link

[The Liberal Lion]

28. Funny how these pieces of shit have no problem with the crime

but only with the revelation of it.

[DeminPennswoods]

31. Acquittal in the Senate no longer seems like a slam dunk

imho. When public opinion turns, it won't just be the 2020 Rs running for cover, it will be guys like Toomey who are up in 2022.