Post # 82, Bob McKnight's Florida Political Commentary
To some, it was a surprise that, late in the afternoon yesterday, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for Impeachment Hearings of President Trump to start in House of Representatives. The President was so alarmed hearing about it earlier in the day that he called the Speaker asking what could be done to cancel her announcement. The President had said just before her 5 P.M. announcement that he would release his transcript of the conversation with the Ukraine President, but not the Whistle Blower's report. One Republican Senator asked why she could not wait another day to see what was in the transcript. That almost seemed like a reasonable request.
Leadership Democrats pointed out that there was substantially more information involved in the Trump's call with the President of Ukraine, than the transcripts, and the Speaker said the entire Whistle Blower's Report was required by law to be released to the House, and that was what she wanted the House to receive. After the Pelosi announcement, the White House said the Whistle Blowers report would then be released. Trump's strategy to make Pelosi look unreasonable after he released a report she requested, looked weak because of the timing. It seems once again Trump was out negotiated by Pelosi...a woman, making it worse. Few think the Speaker will do anything now to accommodate the President since what he has allegedly done is Treason--unlike 2016, this time as President of the United States. Trump and his attorney, Rudy Guliani confirmed in TV interviews that they did seek Ukraine's help in manufacturing improprieties on Biden and his son. Guliani made the problem worse when he said he was also sent on the trip by the State Department of the Trump Administration.
One has to ask the question, why would the President do that since he was charged with doing it in 2016? It turns out Trump made the phone call on the very day of the Mueller Report release, alleging his earlier crime. I believe Donald Trump is a brash man who has little if any interest in government. Most feel the only reason he ran was to gain publicity for his business and according to his family, protect the financing from Russia, coming out of bankruptcy. He also deeply resented President Obama ridiculing him at a public dinner in Washington. But in fairness, Trump has had some success and has received very little credit for it in the press. Many of his supporters believe he deserves credit because he took on the establishment and they would not treat him like other Presidents. As I have said many times, if he stopped lying and tweeting, he might have gotten through many of the land mines laid for him by the establishment in Washington.
The U.S. Senate, under Mitch McConnell, was afraid of Trump and he knew it. But by not firmly carrying out their duties in accordance to the Constitution, laws, and traditions of the Senate, they have helped create this nightmare for Trump. There has not been a word from a Republican Senator saying that blocking Senate passed aid to Ukraine, which is what Trump did, plays right into the hands of our arch enemy Russia. Now the Senators face the probable decision of whether to try and convict the President, and will no doubt go down in history with a tarnished reputation whatever they do.