Senate Impeachment Hearings

[Karsten]

Trump Supports Her And Attacked Chris Wallace Today. In The Fox News Battle, Wallace Is Defending The House Impeachment Process And Is Being Very Rude To Katie Pavlich.
He claims Pavlich "doesn't have her facts straight." She is cool, calm and correct. Pavlich is shown wearing her grandfather's WW II helmet liner. He was a bushmaster in the Pacific.

Chris Wallace and Katie Pavlich of Fox News are having a well publicized feud, and he's rapidly becoming the Chris Mathews of Fox.
Wallace is the only person from Fox the liberals will approve as a town hall moderator because they know he won't challenge them.
He exploded at Pavlich yesterday and Bret Baier told him to "tone it down". She says witnesses should be heard before articles of impeachment are drafted, and it's the House's job, and not a Senate responsibility.
Pavlich pointed out that during the Clinton impeachment, all of the witnesses, including those from the grand jury investigation, were interviewed as part of the House impeachment process.
That was done before the articles were voted on and formally transmitted to the Senate. Wallace took issue with that, sparks flew and he had a temper tantrum.
Wallace defended the House Impeachment process while even Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, a staunch anti-Trump Democrat, admitted they did a poor job with the discovery process.
The Senator said "If we were following the Clinton precedent, there would have been all of this discovery done at the House level, and that's not what's happening at all."
Pavlich says the Democrats claim impeachment is so critical to the nation that they decided to sit on it for a couple of weeks. She says "all of this is happening because Democrats don’t have the evidence" and they shouldn't be able to dictate Senate procedures.
If they wanted additional witnesses, Pavlich believes they should have heard them in the House.

 

Republican Security Council

48 mins ·

Trump Supports Her And Attacked Chris Wallace Today. In The Fox News Battle, Wallace Is Defending The House Impeachment Process And Is Being Very Rude To Katie ...

Karsten

 

 

 

Edited January 28, 2020 by Karsten

[Shabibilicious]

16 minutes ago, Karsten said:

Humm.....The book in question has NOT been printed or published as of yet so it is still a Manuscript.....Any Chance something was recently added to the Manuscript?

 

Just asking.......Look who was reviewing the Manuscript.

 

Vindman’s Twin Brother Was in Charge of Reviewing Bolton Book That Leaked to the Media, Report Says

 

https://pluralist.com/alexander-vindman-twin-brother/?%2F88001

 

Karsten

 

Seriously, an honest question here.....What idiot in Trump's protective inner circle would allow Vindman's twin brother to be the only person in the White House  to review Bolton's manuscript?  Again, if that is true.....It sounds like they want Trump to be caught.  Perhaps the "Deep State" is his own people.  As always, just my opinion.

 

GO RV, theNBV

[new york kevin]

7 minutes ago, Shabibilicious said:

 

Seriously, an honest question here.....What idiot in Trump's protective inner circle would allow Vindman's twin brother to be the only person in the White House  to review Bolton's manuscript?  Again, if that is true.....It sounds like they want Trump to be caught.  Perhaps the "Deep State" is his own people.  As always, just my opinion.

 

GO RV, theNBV

WRONG ! I suggest that Sir Bolton whom's war mongering suggestions Trump was deciding against more and more frequently was " leaking" in attempts to bypass Trump and build support for his policies over those of the POTUS. Word of his "leaking" came to the Presidents ears. Inorder to prove or disprove this innuendo, and remove him from the team , Trump or an associate told Bolton that aid was tied to Ukraines reopening the Biden investigation , and no one else. If this info got into the news cycle some how , there would be no doubt through whom. Theres your proof and explanation at the same time. Boom shakalacka .

[Shabibilicious]

7 minutes ago, new york kevin said:

WRONG ! I suggest that Sir Bolton whom's war mongering suggestions Trump was deciding against more and more frequently was " leaking" in attempts to bypass Trump and build support system" rel="">support for his policies over those of the POTUS. Word of his "leaking" came to the Presidents ears. Inorder to prove or disprove this innuendo, and remove him from the team , Trump or an associate told Bolton that aid was tied to Ukraines reopening the Biden investigation , and no one else. If this info got into the news cycle some how , there would be no doubt through whom. Theres your proof and explanation at the same time. Boom shakalacka .

 

Hahahaha.....I'm sure you're right, Kev.  

 

 

GO RV, then BV

[bostonangler]

Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, sides with John Bolton and says the Senate should call witnesses in impeachment trial

 

• President Donald Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, said he believes former national security adviser John Bolton's allegations concerning Trump's Ukraine pressure campaign. 

• Bolton reportedly wrote in his forthcoming book that the president told him last year he would withhold military aid to Ukraine until the Ukrainian president initiated investigations into Trump's political rivals. 

• "If John Bolton says that in the book I believe John Bolton," Kelly, a retired general who previously served as Trump's secretary of homeland security, told a Florida audience on Monday night. 

• Kelly described Bolton as honest and said he supports the Senate calling witnesses in its impeachment trial — something the president and Republican leaders have staunchly opposed. 

• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, said he believes former national security adviser John Bolton's allegations concerning Trump's Ukraine pressure campaign. 

The New York Times reported on Sunday that Bolton wrote in his forthcoming book that the president told him last year he would withhold military aid to Ukraine until the Ukrainian president acceded to his demands for investigations into his political rivals. 

Bolton's allegations contradict Trump's repeated claim that he didn't leverage the military aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and other Democratic opponents. 

"If John Bolton says that in the book I believe John Bolton," Kelly, a retired general who previously served as Trump's secretary of homeland security, told a Florida audience on Monday night. 

Kelly described Bolton as honest and said he supports the Senate calling witnesses in its impeachment trial — something the president and Republican leaders have staunchly opposed. 

"Every single time I was with him ... he always gave the president the unvarnished truth," Kelly said of his former White House colleague, according to Florida's Herald-Tribune. 

Kelly's comments are an astonishing rebuke of the president, for whom he served as a close West Wing adviser for 18 months. 

Trump has denied Bolton's claims and argued his former top adviser is simply trying to sell his book. 

"I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens," the president tweeted on Sunday. "If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book."

Read the original article on Business Insider

 

 

 

That crappy general doesn't know anything... Deep State Warning

B/A

[new york kevin]

6 minutes ago, Shabibilicious said:

 

Hahahaha.....I'm sure you're right, Kev.  

 

 

GO RV, then BV

Why thank you Sir . High praise coming from one as esteamed as you . Wait , were you BS-ing me  

[new york kevin]

Asking or speculating  if he could hold the aid till Ukraine reopened the investigation is not the same as doing that folks. Facts are that the aid was received by Ukraine within the designated window of time. Also the aid was received without any investigation being initiated . NO CRIME. NO IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE. More Dem smoke blowing up the skirts of those who will listen .

Edited January 28, 2020 by new york kevin
I initially spelt smoke wrong .

[bostonangler]

Bolton Was Concerned That Trump Did Favors for Autocratic Leaders, Book Says

WASHINGTON — John Bolton, the former national security adviser, privately told Attorney General William Barr last year that he had concerns that President Donald Trump was effectively granting personal favors to the autocratic leaders of Turkey and China, according to an unpublished manuscript by Bolton.

Barr responded by pointing to a pair of Justice Department investigations of companies in those countries and said he was worried that Trump had created the appearance that he had undue influence over what would typically be independent inquiries, according to the manuscript. Backing up his point, Barr mentioned conversations Trump had with the leaders, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and President Xi Jinping of China.

Bolton’s account underscores the fact that the unease about Trump’s seeming embrace of authoritarian leaders, long expressed by experts and his opponents, also existed among some of the senior Cabinet officers entrusted by the president to carry out his foreign policy and national security agendas.

Bolton recounted his discussion with Barr in a draft of an unpublished book manuscript that he submitted nearly a month ago to the White House for review. People familiar with the manuscript described its contents on the condition of anonymity.

The book also contains an account of Trump telling Bolton in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations of political rivals, The New York Times reported Sunday. The matter is at the heart of the articles of impeachment against the president.

Early Tuesday, the Justice Department’s spokeswoman, Kerri Kupec, posted a statement on Twitter disputing aspects of Bolton’s account.

“There was no discussion of ‘personal favors’ or ‘undue influence’ on investigations, nor did Attorney General Barr state that the President’s conversations with foreign leaders was improper,” the statement said. “If this is truly what Mr. Bolton has written, then it seems he is attributing to Attorney General Barr his own current views — views with which Attorney General Barr does not agree.”

A spokesman for the National Security Council declined to comment on Barr’s conversations with Bolton. In a statement on Monday, Bolton, his publisher and his literary agency said they had not shared the manuscript with The Times.

“There was absolutely no coordination with The New York Times or anyone else regarding the appearance of information about his book, ‘The Room Where It Happened,’ at online booksellers,” Bolton, Simon & Schuster and Javelin said in a joint statement. “Any assertion to the contrary is unfounded speculation.”

Dean Baquet, the executive editor of The Times, responded that “The Times does not discuss its sources, but I should point out that no one has questioned the accuracy of our report.”

Bolton wrote in the manuscript that Barr singled out Trump’s conversations with Xi about the Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE, which agreed in 2017 to plead guilty and pay heavy fines for violating U.S. sanctions on doing business with North Korea, Iran and other countries. A year later, Trump lifted the sanctions over objections from his own advisers and Republican lawmakers.

Barr also cited remarks Trump made to Erdogan in 2018 about the investigation of Halkbank, Turkey’s second-largest state-owned bank. The Justice Department was scrutinizing Halkbank on fraud and money-laundering charges for helping Iran evade sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department.

Erdogan had been making personal appeals to Trump to use his authority to halt any additional enforcement against the bank. In 2018, Erdogan told reporters in Turkey that Trump had promised to instruct Cabinet members to follow through on the matter. The bank had hired a top Republican fundraiser to lobby the administration on the issue.

For months, it looked as if the unusual lobbying effort might succeed; but in October, the Justice Department indicted the bank for aiding Iran. The charges were seen in part as an attempt by the administration to show that it was taking a tough line on Turkey amid an outcry over Trump’s endorsement of its incursions in Syria.

Bolton’s statements in the book align with other comments he has made since leaving the White House in September. In November, he said in a private speech that none of Trump’s advisers shared the president’s views on Turkey and that he believed Trump adopted a more permissive approach to the country because of his financial ties there, NBC News reported. Trump’s company has a property in Turkey.

Trump has repeatedly praised dictators throughout his presidency. Last year, he said, “Where’s my favorite dictator?” as he waited to meet with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Trump’s soft spot for authoritarians dates at least to his presidential campaign, when he praised Saddam Hussein for being “good” at killing terrorists and suggested that the world would be better off were Col. Moammar Gadhafi, the deposed Libyan dictator who was killed in a violent uprising in 2011, “in charge right now.” Trump then suggested the ouster of both men was ultimately worse for the Middle East because the Islamic State had filled the void.

Trump declared himself “a big fan” of Erdogan as they sat side by side in the Oval Office last fall after Trump cleared the way for Turkish forces to invade Syria, though he warned Erdogan behind the scenes against the offensive.

Of Xi, Trump has been similarly effusive. When the Chinese Communist Party eliminated term limits, allowing Xi to keep his tenure open-ended, Trump extolled the outcome.

Xi had personally asked Trump to intervene to save ZTE, which was on the brink of collapse because of tough U.S. penalties for sanctions violations.

Lifting the sanctions on ZTE, a Chinese telecommunications giant that also serves as a geopolitical pawn for its government, most likely helped Trump negotiate with Xi in the trade war between the two countries. But Republican lawmakers and others objected to helping a Chinese company that broke the law and has been accused of posing a national security threat.

Bolton’s reputation for muscular foreign policy was always an odd fit with Trump, who often threatens excessive force but rarely reacts with it. Bolton was pleased when Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, that the Obama administration had entered into. Other Trump advisers had urged him against it.

But Trump’s lack of action after Iranian aggression against the United States rankled Bolton.

Bolton’s book has already netted significant sales. Shortly after the disclosure of its contents Sunday night, Amazon listed the book for purchase. By Monday evening, it was No. 17 on Amazon’s bestseller list.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

 

 

 

Is that what you call "An Inconvenient Truth"?

B/A

[Karsten]

Bolton Gets Wrecked by Friend, Right-Hand Man — Told To Withdraw Book Immediately

 

https://www.analyzingamerica.org/bolton-gets-wrecked-by-friend-right-hand-man-told-to-withdraw-book-immediately/?utm_source=msp

 

Karsten

[MyLadiesDaddy]

1 hour ago, Shabibilicious said:

 

Seriously, an honest question here.....What idiot in Trump's protective inner circle would allow Vindman's twin brother to be the only person in the White House  to review Bolton's manuscript?  Again, if that is true.....It sounds like they want Trump to be caught.  Perhaps the "Deep State" is his own people.  As always, just my opinion.

 

GO RV, theNBV

As ALWAYS, ya know what they say about opinions ,

ESPECIALLY YOURS. 

[new york kevin]

3 hours ago, bostonangler said:

Bolton Was Concerned That Trump Did Favors for Autocratic Leaders, Book Says

WASHINGTON — John Bolton, the former national security adviser, privately told Attorney General William Barr last year that he had concerns that President Donald Trump was effectively granting personal favors to the autocratic leaders of Turkey and China, according to an unpublished manuscript by Bolton.

Just another person, former Cabinet Member or staff that had "A CONCERN " , that also had " A POLICY ISSUE " with the President . Same questions asked and answered , just asked of a different person  Bolton . Other people's concerns, assumptions, opinions, and predilections  are just that ... from the mind of the other people . They do not rise to the President,  and therefore are not actionable matters by which the POTUS can nor should be impeached. The POTUS is the 3rd branch of our government and is charged with making foreign policy on behalf of the U.S. Even if Bolton testifies that Trump asked about these things, holding aid till Ukraines corruption apparatus.is developed and installed . It still does not change the FACTS that the aid was received without any investigation being initiated. 

[coorslite21]

Lori does a great summary news video a couple of times a week......I always enjoy it....

 

Interesting to me is Vindmans twin reviewing the Bolton Manuscript.....

 

and Schiff withholding the 1 of the private testimonies that ties him to the whistleblower.....bet that comes out in the 16 hours of questioning.....anyhow.....take the time to watch if you want....

Cl

 

 

 

[Karsten]

31 minutes ago, coorslite21 said:

Lori does a great summary news video a couple of times a week......I always enjoy it....

 

Interesting to me is Vindmans twin reviewing the Bolton Manuscript.....

 

and Schiff withholding the 1 of the private testimonies that ties him to the whistleblower.....bet that comes out in the 16 hours of questioning.....anyhow.....take the time to watch if you want....

Cl

 

 

 

 

 

I am waiting for the Mass Suicides to get started.......The Left is Losing the battle of the Cover Up to Cover Up the BS they were Trying to Cover Up of the fact they were Giving Cover the the FBI Spying on the Trump's Campaign or the FISA Cover Up.....I could go on but I am Lower on Computer Toner just now.

 

My prediction is Vindman or Yovonavitch are next.......

 

Karsten

[new york kevin]

24 minutes ago, Karsten said:

 

 

I am waiting for the Mass Suicides to get started.......The Left is Losing the battle of the Cover Up to Cover Up the BS they were Trying to Cover Up of the fact they were Giving Cover the the FBI Spying on the Trump's Campaign or the FISA Cover Up.....I could go on but I am Lower on Computer Toner just now.

 

My prediction is Vindman or Yovonavitch are next.......

 

Karsten

My prediction is Hunter and his tax returns for the past 5 years are subpoenaed. Then the same with Papa Biden. Speaks to character and to weither or not 1 or both completely disclosed their income during the Birisma period.  I would subpoena his lease on the Cali house to cross check banking info. I wld bring in the fin records of that Latvia loan proceeds that were distributed to the board members of Burisma ie Biden. Then see if Joe got any influx of cash around that time. Gotta call Schiff and destroy his character with his false testimony regarding the fake transcript he read into the Congressional record. Plus every connection he had with the whistleblower. Oh yeah gotta have the whistleblower and cross examine him.

[Karsten]

15 minutes ago, new york kevin said:

My prediction is Hunter and his tax returns for the past 5 years are subpoenaed. Then the same with Papa Biden. Speaks to character and to weither or not 1 or both completely disclosed their income during the Birisma period.  I would subpoena his lease on the Cali house to cross check banking info. I wld bring in the fin records of that Latvia loan proceeds that were distributed to the board members of Burisma ie Biden. Then see if Joe got any influx of cash around that time. Gotta call Schiff and destroy his character with his false testimony regarding the fake transcript he read into the Congressional record. Plus every connection he had with the whistleblower. Oh yeah gotta have the whistleblower and cross examine him.

 

Looks like Hunter might have just Jumped into 1st place......Ya gotta love it....Trump got paid back with interest from a porn star and hunter gets taking down by a Stripper Baby Mama.

 

Clinton's might have some competition to see who gets to who 1st. Burisma or the Clintons?

 

Who has the most to lose?

 

Karsten

[new york kevin]

24 minutes ago, Karsten said:

 

Looks like Hunter might have just Jumped into 1st place......Ya gotta love it....Trump got paid back with interest from a porn star and hunter gets taking down by a Stripper Baby Mama.

 

Clinton's might have some competition to see who gets to who 1st. Burisma or the Clintons?

 

Who has the most to lose?

 

Karsten

Oooooooooooooooo

[coorslite21]

14 hours ago, bostonangler said:

Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, sides with John Bolton and says the Senate should call witnesses in impeachment trial

 

• President Donald Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, said he believes former national security adviser John Bolton's allegations concerning Trump's Ukraine pressure campaign. 

• Bolton reportedly wrote in his forthcoming book that the president told him last year he would withhold military aid to Ukraine until the Ukrainian president initiated investigations into Trump's political rivals. 

• "If John Bolton says that in the book I believe John Bolton," Kelly, a retired general who previously served as Trump's secretary of homeland security, told a Florida audience on Monday night. 

• Kelly described Bolton as honest and said he supports the Senate calling witnesses in its impeachment trial — something the president and Republican leaders have staunchly opposed. 

• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, said he believes former national security adviser John Bolton's allegations concerning Trump's Ukraine pressure campaign. 

The New York Times reported on Sunday that Bolton wrote in his forthcoming book that the president told him last year he would withhold military aid to Ukraine until the Ukrainian president acceded to his demands for investigations into his political rivals. 

Bolton's allegations contradict Trump's repeated claim that he didn't leverage the military aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and other Democratic opponents. 

"If John Bolton says that in the book I believe John Bolton," Kelly, a retired general who previously served as Trump's secretary of homeland security, told a Florida audience on Monday night. 

Kelly described Bolton as honest and said he supports the Senate calling witnesses in its impeachment trial — something the president and Republican leaders have staunchly opposed. 

"Every single time I was with him ... he always gave the president the unvarnished truth," Kelly said of his former White House colleague, according to Florida's Herald-Tribune. 

Kelly's comments are an astonishing rebuke of the president, for whom he served as a close West Wing adviser for 18 months. 

Trump has denied Bolton's claims and argued his former top adviser is simply trying to sell his book. 

"I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens," the president tweeted on Sunday. "If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book."

Read the original article on Business Insider

 

 

 

That crappy general doesn't know anything... Deep State Warning

B/A

 

This is pretty comical.....the magic bullet for the left is now a manuscript for a book ...  that hasn't been completed, or published yet.....that no one has read......except perhaps Vindmans twin brother.......

 

The Left and the MSM always hated Bolton.....and now he's their darling.......their great hope........and they are trying to prop his writings up with testimony from General Kelly....because Kelly said Bolton was a straight shooter???? (Military pun)

 

Next will be the revelation that Avanati is the ghost writer....pulling the strings from his jail cell....

 

Of course we know anything is possible....I mean the Corona Virus came out of a US lab....and even has a patent.....somehow making it's way to China via Canada.....you just can't make this stuff up... 

 

Seems "we the people" were so fed up with all the political shenanigans in the Country we decided to vote someone into office to clean the mess up.....a CEO, reality TV., Real Estate guy....

 

Funny thing is......he is doing as he promised.....and you can tell it is troublesome to the establishment......as they have been trying to oust him since before he was sworn in.....doesn"t that seem to be a bit odd....?

 

So think what you want.....believe anything you wish......but you might want to sit back......take a moment to take it all in.......what is going on in this country???

 

JMO....      CL

[md11fr8dawg]

Guys, don't get your panties all in a wad, if the Bolton manuscript falls through, the Rats will come up with another  lie to hurl at Trump. They ALL so far have been giant "Baby Ruths" in the punch of the Rat playbook, but that doesn't matter, just keep slinging that shiite at the wall and see if anything sticks. And of course that stalwart of integrity, the Lame Stream Media (with "tingle up my leg" Mathews, Rachel MadCow and the rest will gleefully carry the Rats water for them without doing ONE IOTA of research to seek the truth before broadcasting with smiling faces of arrogance. And the Ass Clown show continues in Congress, Stay tuned for the next episode of "As the Enema Bag Drains"!

[Shabibilicious]

16 hours ago, ladyGrace'sDaddy said:

As ALWAYS, ya know what they say about opinions ,

ESPECIALLY YOURS. 

 

"They" do say a lot, don't they.....after 22K plus posts you'd think "They" would come up with some new material.  

 

GO RV, then BV

[coorslite21]

Things that make no sense interest me.....so I ask why?

 

Think about it....could it be that the left realizes they are so weak that they know the only way they can beat Trump is to throw him out of office......even at the expense of Biden.....who has been their chosen one....?

 

What would drive anyone to that level of desperation?

 

And why?

 

Perhaps the corruption and crimes run so deep they know ousting Trump is the only way to avoid trouble....(and do recall....one of Romneys kids has one of those coveted Ukrainian Board of Directors jobs)

 

I remember the MSM days before the 2016 suggesting Trump would not win one State....and the defeat would be so bad that it would take the right 20-30 years to recover....

 

I wonder if that wasn't somewhat prophetic......just the other way around for 2020.

 

Tom Perez and the DNC are divided 3 ways.......Old Establishment.....Socialists.....and those who which to wipe the DNC slate clean and start over......a house divided 3 ways will never stand....

 

So yes....the DNC and the left are exhibiting a total party melt down.......they are throwing the chosen one under the bus.....allowing HRC to smear all of them.......they screwd Bernie in 2016......and will again in 2020...........Warren is a no go for many reasons......Pete......really zero experience........Klobichar.........personality of a pet Rock......

 

Leaving Bloomberg and Gabbard......both not well liked by the establishment....She with experience in Government and personality........he has said he is willing to spend $2 Billion to defeat Trump.....she is only lacking money.....and is the only one on the left who could attract Trump voters...

 

Perhaps chalk one up for that 3rd party of the divided house of the left......they just might change it all up.....

 

Thanks for allowing me to think out loud.......and really....if the DNC chooses to kept their head up their pooper....they may never recover....

 

CL

.

[MyLadiesDaddy]

3 hours ago, Shabibilicious said:

 

"They" do say a lot, don't they.....after 22K plus posts you'd think "They" would come up with some new material.  

 

GO RV, then BV

You first 

[Shabibilicious]

5 minutes ago, ladyGrace'sDaddy said:

You first 

 

There are leaders and then there are followers....so Yeah, it should be me to go first, as I've never been much of a follower.  

 

GO RV, then BV

[Shabibilicious]

Politics

Andrew Napolitano Blasts Trump Allies: Bolton Was A 'Conservative Icon Until 2 Days Ago'

Josie Harvey

January 28, 2020, 7:49 PM EST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sekulow Shrugs Off Bolton Bombshell

HuffPost

Scroll back up to restore default view.

Fox News senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano blasted Republicans on Tuesday for turning on former national security adviser John Bolton, who he said was considered to be “a conservative icon until two days ago.”

In an appearance on Fox Business, Napolitano defended Bolton, who was a regular contributor at the network for 11 years until he took up his White House post in 2018.

“We know John,” Napolitano, a former judge, said. “He used to work here. He’s a very intelligent, strong-willed, meticulously honest person.”

Bolton was “a conservative icon until two days ago,” he went on. “Now the things they’re saying about him, it sounds like they’re talking about Nancy Pelosi. But he has come out with something that goes to the core of the case.”

It was recently reported that an upcoming book by Bolton contains allegations that confirm the main charge against President Donald Trump in his Senate impeachment trial, according to The New York Times, which obtained a copy of Bolton’s manuscript.

His account alleges that the president tied the release of congressionally approved Ukraine aid to that country’s government opening an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The bombshell accusation has increased pressure on Senate Republicans to call witnesses in the Senate trial, including Bolton, who has said he’s willing to testify.

Trump allies ― including some of Napolitano’s Fox News colleagues, like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Lou Dobbs ― have denounced Bolton as disingenuous and back-stabbing. 

Dobbs, a Fox Business Network host, attacked Bolton ― who has served in every Republican administration since President Ronald Reagan ― as “a tool for the radical [Democrats] and the deep state.”

Napolitano argued Tuesday that because Trump’s legal team had chosen to argue the facts of the case, instead of simply stating that the charge was not an impeachable offense, Bolton’s account blew a hole in their defense. (He added that, for the record, he does think it was an impeachable offense.)

“Now that this witness at the core of everything who had personal conversations with just the president has come forward with a version 180 degrees from theirs, I think they’re stuck with this,” Napolitano said. “I think many Republicans are now going to say, ‘We have to hear from Bolton.’”

Republicans have repeatedly blocked Democrats’ attempts to allow new evidence in the impeachment trial, squashing pushes for testimony from firsthand witnesses like Bolton. However, some hours after Napolitano’s remarks Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reportedly said the GOP does not currently have enough votes to prevent witnesses.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/andrew-napolitano-john-bolton-004900686.html

 

GO RV, then BV

[Shabibilicious]

Politics

Giuliani Swipes Back at John Bolton: He’s a Swamp Character, Backstabber, and an Atomic Bomb

Jamie Ross

January 29, 2020, 9:58 AM EST

 

 

REUTERS

Rudy Giuliani has launched an unhinged attack on John Bolton, calling the former national security adviser a “backstabber” and a “swamp character” for turning on President Trump and publicly accusing him of tying the hold on military aid for Ukraine to an investigation of the Biden family.

Bolton has become Trumpworld’s public enemy No. 1 after it was revealed, in a leaked excerpt of his book first reported by The New York Times, that he alleges the president personally told him that he wanted to continue to withhold nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine until officials there pursued investigations into his political rivals.

Giuliani has admitted investigating, on Trump’s direction, unfounded corruption allegations against the Bidens. But, in a CBS News interview broadcast Wednesday morning, Trump’s personal attorney insisted he never once discussed Ukrainian military aid with the president, and said Bolton never confronted him about his controversial work in Ukraine.

“[Bolton] never said to me, ‘I’ve got a problem with what you are doing in Ukraine,’” said Giuliani. “Never once, never winked, never sent me a little note... That’s classic backstabber. So I feel I got a swamp character here. I find his testimony about the president pretty close to incredible.”

The beef between Giuliani and Bolton is long-standing. During congressional testimony in November, former White House aide Fiona Hill claimed Bolton often complained to his colleagues about Giuliani’s work, and his alleged efforts to force out then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. Hill testified that Bolton compared Giuliani to “a hand grenade that was going to blow everyone up.”

Top Ukraine Official: I Trusted Bolton More Than Anyone

In the CBS News interview, Giuliani criticized Bolton for not bringing up his problems in person, responding: “If he came up to me and said, ‘Rudy, you’re a grenade that’ll blow up,’ and he shows his face, I would say: ‘I would never have the opportunity, ‘cause you’re an atomic bomb.’”

Giuliani went on to say that he first found out about the hold on Ukraine’s aid from media reports, claiming that the president never told him directly that he wanted to withhold aid to win a Biden investigation. “Never ever discussed military aid with the president, with regard to Ukraine,” he said.

Giuliani reportedly added that would be happy to testify in the Senate impeachment trial— if he gets clearance from the White House.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/giuliani-swipes-back-john-bolton-145824472.html

 

GO RV, then BV

[Shabibilicious]

Associated Press

GOP squirms as Bolton prepares to dish on Trump White House

AAMER MADHANI

January 28, 2020, 7:36 PM EST

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — For much of the last 20 years, John Bolton was a conservative poster child, a Republican hawk whose worldview helped shape the GOP establishment’s approach to dicey foreign policy questions.

Now, as President Donald Trump's former national security adviser prepares to dish on his days in the White House, some old friends and colleagues are turning on him — and others are nervously wondering what he may be poised to reveal.

Leaked passages from the manuscript of Bolton's soon-to-be published book are roiling Washington, including the revelation that he says Trump told him he was conditioning the release of military aid to Ukraine on whether its government would help investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.

Bolton's roughly 17-month tenure in as national security adviser brought him rare access to the inner workings of the West Wing and the Cabinet, particularly on matters of global affairs. He was known to take copious notes on yellow legal pads.

After this week's early leaks about the book, White House aides and allies are privately expressing concern about what more Bolton might reveal that the president and others in his orbit would find embarrassing.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., gave voice to GOP pique about Bolton’s revelations in an interview with Fox News. He said Bolton had long argued for expansive executive powers to protect a president’s conversations with his advisers but “now he’s going to argue that no, no, no, now that I have a book deal for a couple of million bucks, that it’s OK for me to say and spill the beans on everything the president’s said to me privately.”

Less than two years ago, Rep. Mark Meadows, a North Carolina Republican and Trump impeachment team manager, praised the president for bringing Bolton into the White House, saying the president “could not have made a better pick” for the key role in the administration. Bolton, who served as United Nations ambassador in the George W. Bush administration, was a fierce advocate for the 2003 war in Iraq and has pushed for military action in Iran, North Korea and Venezuela.

But this week, following news reports that Bolton made damaging charges about Trump in the forthcoming book, Meadows questioned why Democrats were treating Bolton as some sort of potential “super witness” to make their case in the impeachment trial.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, earlier this month said Bolton's testimony “could well be beneficial” to Trump in the impeachment trial. But after this week's leaks about the book, Cornyn questioned whether there would be much value in hearing from Bolton, saying “it's nothing different than what we've already heard.”

Democrats are pressing for Bolton to be called as a witness in the Senate trial, but need the support of at least four Republican senators to make it a reality. Only a few GOP senators have suggested they may be interested.

Fred Fleitz, a former chief of staff on Trump's National Security Council and a friend of Bolton, wrote in an opinion article for Fox's website that Bolton’s decision to write a “tell-all” was “crushing” and urged him to withdraw it from his publisher immediately.

“I don’t understand the need for a former National Security Adviser to publish a tell-all book critical of a president he served, especially during a presidential reelection campaign that will determine the fate of the country," Fleitz wrote. "There will be a time for Bolton to speak out without appearing to try to tip a presidential election.”

Trump himself has disputed Bolton’s assertion of a concerted pressure campaign on Ukraine's leader. And Trump has dismissed Bolton as a disgruntled employee whom he fired because of policy differences. Bolton, who left the White House last year, insists he offered his resignation before Trump announced his ouster.

Trump jabbed at Bolton in a tweet Wednesday, referring to his former adviser as the “guy who couldn't get approved for the Ambassador to the U.N. years ago” and accusing him of “mistakes of judgment.” Bolton is well-known for his hard-line policy views against Iran and North Korea.

Bush installed Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. through what is known as a “recess appointment" when the Senate was out of session. He stepped down at the end of that appointment because he was unlikely to win Senate confirmation, largely due to his foreign policy vision.

In the tweet, Trump also complained that Bolton, after he was fired, "goes out and IMMEDIATELY writes a nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security. Who would do this?”

Trump allies, including personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and 2016 campaign adviser Jason Miller, slammed Bolton and said he was being untruthful in order to drive up book sales and remain relevant.

"There is no way in the world President Trump would say this to John Bolton," Giuliani tweeted. "It’s a shame that a man will sacrifice his integrity to make a few bucks on a book. No wonder he accomplished so little as National Security Advisor."

In an interview scheduled for airing Wednesday on “CBS This Morning,” Giuliani called Bolton a “backstabber.”

As Trump’s legal team has presented the president’s defense this week, it has made the case that Trump never conditioned aid on an investigation of the Bidens. The president’s lawyers have also argued that even if Trump had pressed for the investigation, it doesn’t rise to level of an impeachable offense.

In a sideswipe at Bolton, one of Trump’s attorneys, Jay Sekulow, argued Tuesday that senators cannot impeach a president on an "unsourced allegation.”

Administration officials have also sought to undercut another revelation from the Bolton manuscript, one reported Monday by The New York Times. It said Bolton told Attorney General William Barr last year that he had concerns that Trump was effectively granting personal favors to the leaders of Turkey and China. According to the manuscript, Barr told Bolton he was worried Trump was creating the appearance that he had undue influence over independent Justice Department probes.

The Justice Department has disputed the assertion that there was any discussion of personal favors or undue influence on investigations. The department also disputes that Barr ever said the president’s conversations with foreign leaders were inappropriate.

“If this is truly what Mr. Bolton has written, then it seems he is attributing to Attorney General Barr his own current views — views with which Attorney General Barr does not agree,” Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said in a statement.

Others are standing by Bolton.

John Kelly, who served as Trump’s chief of staff and overlapped with Bolton in the White House, said Monday in Florida that he believes the former national security adviser's account, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.

“If John Bolton says that in the book, I believe John Bolton,” Kelly said.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-squirms-bolton-prepares-dish-003655086.html

 

GO RV, then BV