The Nunes memo wasn't meant to win over everyone - just 34 senators

[yallerdawg]

US Constitution: The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two thirds (67 out of 100) of the members present.

Source: Washington Post, by Max Boot

*****

The case against the FBI that’s being assembled by Trump and his minions is not designed to convince dispassionate observers. It’s only supposed to give the thinnest of cover to true believers — and at least 34 senators — to do what they are predisposed to do anyway, i.e., protect the president at all costs.

The Nunes memo is a modern-day version of the jury nullification that O.J. Simpson’s legal team sought to inspire. (I’m grateful to Eric Felten of the Weekly Standard for the analogy.) Johnnie Cochran and company spun an elaborate conspiracy theory about how the Los Angeles Police Department supposedly framed their client. They were helped by minor procedural errors in the handling of evidence and by previous racist remarks from one of the detectives, just as Trump is helped by minor FBI missteps such as the Strzok texts and the alleged failure to alert a judge about Steele’s Democratic Party funding.

It was never clear why the LAPD would be eager to frame a local celebrity for murder, just as it’s not clear why the FBI — full of white, middle-age, conservative agents — would want to frame a Republican president. And, of course, the supposed police conspiracy could not possibly account for the mountain of evidence against Simpson, just as the supposed FBI conspiracy cannot possibly account for the undeniable reality that the Russians really did intervene in the election to help elect Trump and that there are numerous documented links between the campaign and the Kremlin.

But in Simpson’s case, it didn’t matter: The overwhelmingly African American jury bought the argument because jurors knew the experience of police brutality and sympathized with the defendant. Likewise, today it doesn’t matter to the president’s acolytes that the case for an anti-Trump conspiracy is so flimsy. They are simply looking for an excuse to exonerate him, evidence be damned. Sadly, Sarah Huckabee Sanders may have been wrong: Attacking the FBI could turn out to be a winning (if reprehensible) strategy for Trump.


Read it all at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-nunes-memo-wasnt-meant-to-win-over-everyone--just-34-senators/2018/02/03/607531d6-085d-11e8-b48c-b07fea957bd5_story.html

[orangecrush]

1. not to "convince"

more to provide political cover with tRumps base.

Those repubs in congress already know damn well tRump is a Russian puppet.

They need to funnel disinformation to the base to garner support for not impeaching.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. The Senate cannot act on impeachment until the House does.

And I don't see that happening with current majority in the House.

[orangecrush]

12. Agree with that

UNLESS

Muellers evidence is so damning it would be politically unsafe for them not to.

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. that is what may be behind the wave of "resignations" of House members.

They are all connected to Russian plot, one way or another. Somehow the rats fleeing the ship are acting as if resigning is a magic ticket out future problems.

It was reported that Mueller is looking at over 100 names of people so far. A large part of that number was involved with Trump's transition team, ,thus Flynn.

I am esp. encouraged that Guiliani has dug such a deep hole for himself. He has been on my shit list for years.

[orangecrush]

14. interesting!

Looks like it's time to take out the trash!

[zaj]

2. Yep

[WestIndianArchie]

3. You can miss me with the OJ crap.

[orangecrush]

4. "WestIndianArchie"?

I seem to remember the name from a Malcolm X book?

[yallerdawg]

5. I have no argument with the results of the criminal trial regarding OJ.

"Beyond a reasonable doubt" was established, and the jury acquitted. That's what great criminal lawyers do.

The civil trial did reverse that verdict based on "a preponderance of evidence." Another standard.

"Jury nullification" is a tried and true strategy. The OJ criminal trial is a famous classic example.

This strategy is being employed to assure the White House - even if a Democratic majority in the House after November mid-term elections DID deliver Articles of Impeachment to the Senate - that members of the Senate would have a basis for this "reasonable doubt" and will not convict and remove that jackass from office.

Come "hell or high water" they want him in there until 2020.

[Nitram]

6. I think you meant to say "provide cover" for the "nay" votes of those 34 senators.

[Horizens]

8. IMHO

The memo's sole purpose was to give trump an excuse to fire Rosenstein which he will, i firmly believe, do in the near future.

[yallerdawg]

9. He doesn't need to fire anyone.

This is all political.

34 senators and he is essentially "above the law."

[Horizens]

10. Why fire Rosenstein?

He can fire Rosenstein and replace him with a lackey from his cabinet who has already been confirmed by the senate. The lackey can choke off the investigation ... curt off funding and limit who, if anyone can be indicted.

On a more positive note, the federal government cannot interfere with the NY attorney general who, I think, will bring money laundering charges against the trumps thus exposing the Russian ties.

[yallerdawg]

11. I would hope he fires Rosenstein and then gets Mueller!

This level of 'obstruction of justice' would be the end of his 'whatever' and he would get that visit from Republican leadership advising him to resign - same as Nixon.

I think the prevailing example here is from the Clinton impeachment.

If the Senate can't get to 67 votes - and the American people aren't clamoring for it (which firing Rosenstein and Mueller could change) - impeachment is meaningless.

I'm unaware of any probe into money laundering by A.G. Schneiderman.

[Horizens]

15. Schneiderman

Manafort money laundering will lead to trump/ kushner, and expose the Russian connection.

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/30/manafort-mueller-probe-attorney-general-242191