I'm a little paranoid about the whistleblower/Ukraine/impeachment thing.

[DanTex]

Trump has apparently agreed to release the call transcript and the complaint. And also that the Senate, including the GOP and McConnell, voted to release the complaint to intelligence committees. Trump has never released anything, he's stonewalled all the way, in defiance of law, of subpoenas, etc. And McConnell and the GOP in congress have never had any interest in forcing the administration to follow the law. Why are they agreeing to this?

The thing is, Trump has already committed plenty of impeachment-worthy crimes. We don't actually know what's in the complaint or what was said on the call. If the Dems tie impeachment to the whistleblower/Ukraine thing, and it turns out it's not a bombshell, my fear is that it will overshadow all the other crimes Trump has committed.

In fact, my deeply paranoid brain has even entertained the conspiracy theory that Trump had someone make this complaint intentionally, so that after he blocked it, the Dems would move to impeach, and then when the complaint gets released, it's just a blank piece of paper.

[VarryOn]

2. This deal better be as it's sold...

Or there is going to be major disappointment. I'm very concerned Trump and the Republicans rolled so easily on releasing the transcript.

[scheming daemons]

4. We don't need the transcript or the complaint... Trump already *ADMITTED* it this week

[VarryOn]

10. I've been watching news all evening...

and I'm not see that his 'confesssion' is having any impact. I:'vebeen flipping among CNN, Foxnews, and MSNBC.

[scheming daemons]

12. His "confession" is why there are now 200 Democrats in favor of impeachment...

....when there were only 135 a few days ago.

[VarryOn]

14. Any Republicans yet?

Until his own team turns on him, it doesnt matter much.

I hate to be contrarian, but I've been heart-broken more than once thinking we had the son-of-a-bitch.

On election night 2016, I told my wife he would be impeached. It's just taken longer than I expected!

[scheming daemons]

41. In the House, we don't need any.....

....but yes there is one, Justin Amash.

[Red Mountain]

25. THE transcript?

Or one of several?

Everybody should expect avoidance maneuvers.

They lie very naturally.

[regnaD kciN]

27. The Senate Republicans demanded the whole report, not just the transcript...

...and the administration is refusing to release it.

Draw (in Sharpie, maybe?) your own conclusions about the differences between the two.

[OrlandoDem2]

3. Agreed. I feel like Lucy is going to take the ball away from Charlie Brown again.

Access Hollywood tapes, pee tapes, Mueller, Russia, Stormy Daniels.

I will be sick if this isn’t the big one to rid us of this menace.

[scheming daemons]

7. We don't need the transcript or the complaint... Trump already *ADMITTED* it this week

[regnaD kciN]

30. What I suspect they're going to do...

...is release the transcript, which will seemingly show nothing incriminating, and then try to drag out the release of the whistleblower report as long as possible. It will be a repeat of Barr's "summary" of the Mueller Report, where they attempted to form the narrative for several weeks before the actual evidence came out.

I don't think it will fly this time, especially after what happened then, when it eventually became clear to all that the summary didn't match the Report. Once bitten, twice shy.

[mr_lebowski]

5. I've honestly been worried about the same things, esp. since hearing McConnell

and the Senate GOP had voted in favor asking for the complaint along with Dems.

I hadn't seen that Trump has agreed to release the complaint, however.

I DEFINITELY do not want the impeachment tied primarily to this one 'thing'. He needs impeached for about 6 different things, such as lining his pockets with taxpayer money at every turn, refusing to do anything to protect our elections from foreign interference, for publicly misleading the American People 12K+ times, for up to 10 counts of Obstruction of Justice as reported by Mueller, for cheating in the Election originally by illegally paying off bunnies and pronstars, etc.

ALL THAT SHIT needs to be on the impeachment docket.

[regnaD kciN]

28. The Senate and House both want the actual report...

...the White House said they'll only provide the transcript.

[mr_lebowski]

32. That's what I thought ... the OP says 'the complaint' which to me means WBs report itself

Hence my confusion

[UniteFightBack]

6. And if it's 'a blank piece of paper' ...how does that make Dem's look bad????? nt

[applegrove]

8. My guess is he had to when it came out today the whistleblower was

going to talk to house comittee(s) this week. So Trump had no choice but to get ahead of it. He can claim he did not obstruct justice too this way, even though they obatructed the whistleblower complaint getting to congress already. Goes with the narrative "I have nothing to hide, i have done nothing wrong" which will go with "the aid to Ukraine was held back for separate reasons not related to pushing for a Joe and Hunter Biden corruption in Ukraine".... which is bull****! Of course the aid was atopped for that reason. But maybe Trump didn't mention the aid on the phone. Maybe it was enough to stop the aid, wait for the Ukrainians to call the State Department and say 'what is going on?', and then Trump calls the Ukrainians to talk about the fake Biden corruption after they've stewed for a week. Maybe?

[chowder66]

9. Giuliani and Trump are on record already.

He withheld funds, he admitted bringing up Biden. He didn't need to be explicit and he didn't need to follow through with the Quo.
The Ukraine is dependent on us so it was inferred and that's all it takes per my understanding.
That is enough to open the inquiry. Now will that lead to impeachment? We'll see.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

19. Good points. But I've been curious all day. You

Said we opened an Impeachment inquiry today. Remind me what it was before? Impeachment investigation?

[chowder66]

31. This is a broad impeachment inquiry where the House Judiciary committee

opened their own impeachment inquiry. Everything else have been investigations outside of impeachment.

On Edit; this inquiry includes all of the committees that Pelosi mentioned in her announcement.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

36. Yes, Mike Schmidt.. NYT explained it on Rachel..an

organization of all the efforts. I was heartened by what Maxine Waters said too. That their roles were to compile articles!

[chowder66]

42. Ooo I missed that! Thanks. nt

[Laura PourMeADrink]

43. We are living in a week where you can't even blink

Or you will miss something!

[chowder66]

44. No kidding! nt

[mcar]

11. Good grief

People on this board have been screaming for impeachment for nearly 3 years. Now, it's happening and suddenly we're suspicious?

I trust Nancy Pelosi. She wouldn't be doing this without lots of evidence.

Have a little faith.

[DanTex]

15. I haven't been screaming for impeachment. Can't speak for anyone else.

[mcar]

18. Apologies, DanTex

Suddenly I'm seeing all this doubt crop up and I had to respond. I admit I am not aware of your stance on the matter.

[DanTex]

20. No worries. And I agree that Pelosi is much smarter and more knowledgeable than me about this.

I tended to trust her when she was opposed to impeachment, and I tend to trust her now too. But I'm still paranoid.

[mcar]

22. What's that quote about paranoia?

You're not paranoid if they are really after you?

I live in FL, surrounded by the right. I could tell stories.

[mr_lebowski]

34. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're NOT out to get you! (nt)

[Laura PourMeADrink]

37. Hope you're right.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

45. Interesting juxtaposition between "those who have been

screaming for Impeachment" (your words) and those who feel so strongly and have so for a very long time that trump needs to be held to justice. You may not mean that.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. But we evidently didn't have "official" Impeachment before

the Ukraine thing. So hope like hell there really is something! Or we go back to "unofficial Impeachment." But I am skeptical too

[NanceGreggs]

16. No.

The reason they are agreeing to release these things is simple: they have no viable alternative.

Refusal to release the materials absolutely screamed that this was a BFD, and withholding it simply invited louder screams that something truly incriminating was being covered-up.

By releasing it, the GOP spin machine can get to work trying to mitigate the damage. Obviously, you can't spin something and hide it at the same time.

As soon as the whistle-blower's counsel told congress his client was willing to testify as to his complaint, the GOP's only option was to get the spin out ahead of that happening.

Yes, Trump has committed impeachable crimes - but this is the 'gotcha' one, because in his stupidity and arrogance, he's publicly admitted to it.

[independent think]

17. Why should we believe Trump about the transcript and the complaint?

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought Trump was not supposed to get the complaint. I thought it was supposed to go from the Inspector General to the House Intelligence Committee. Why does the President have the complaint? It was not supposed to go to the White House. Trump is now in charge of collecting complaints about himself and I guess determining if they have value. This is gone way past the way the Constitution intended. Tomorrow when he releases the "complaint" and says there is nothing to it we are supposed to believe him. The House Intelligence Committee should receive the complaint and they should hear from the person or persons who made the complaint. Trump should be out of it. He should not be able to investigate himself.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

23. Huh? Thought all trump was releasing was a transcript

(Probably faked) of the phone call..not the complaint. But if any repukes saw or heard about the complaint surely trump knows what's in it. ( a la Nunes)

[Laura PourMeADrink]

38. Retract that. You are right he IS gonna release the complaint.

Hope like hell someone on our side has seen it too. They were hinting that we overstepped on this.

[Claritie Pixie]

21. A couple of things: 1. The whistleblower wants to testify.

2. The whistleblower complaint was about multiple issues, not just this Ukraine story.

I hope that eases your paranoia a bit. This is what happens with our brains getting a constant dose of Trump's pathology - we start to doubt everything. Just like an abused spouse.

[regnaD kciN]

26. If there was nothing damning about the whistleblower report...

...why did the White House initially, in violation of federal law, block Congress from receiving it?

It's a little like the "White House tapes" during Watergate (an incident where the administration initially tried to get by with releasing transcripts that left out the incriminating parts). Some, at the time, worried that Nixon would finally release the tapes, and it would turn out they had nothing important but, if that was the case, why was his administration trying so desperately to keep them from coming out?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

39. On Rachel they were guessing that they think it's not

That bad and they can spin it and maybe Dems overstepped?

[TidalWave46]

24. Trump requested a foreign leader to investigate a political rival.

Trump realized he wasn’t going to be able to keep the whistleblow complaint concealed so he has delayed until the last moment and has gotten out in front of it. When it drops he can say he already said that. Yes Trump, it seems you have already admitted to the crime. The attempt at normalizing the absurd won’t work on this one.

[earthside]

29. Schiff has been in communication with the whistleblower ...

... or his attorney.

That means, in my estimation, that Schiff knows the nature and seriousness of the charge and therefore, so does Pelosi.
This went to impeachment today because the jig is up for Trump.

[Takket]

33. even if it was a nothing burger.............

Mueller still laid out obstruction. we shouldn't even need this Ukraine business to remove drumpf.

[BootinUp]

35. I don't think so. They haven't released jack yet.

And we already know the playbook.

[pnwmom]

40. I doubt that the attorney who is representing the whistleblower in communications

with the Intelligence Committee would risk his law license to participate in a charade like that.