RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-wrong-impeachers-11572649090

Donald Trump keeps it simple, and likely too simple given Ukraine’s opaque and corrupt politics, when he says Joe Biden arranged the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor looking into a company that employed his son.

You can find quotes on both sides from Ukrainians, but all have axes to grind. And why was Ukraine’s then-President Petro Poroshenko so resistant to the prosecutor’s firing that Mr. Biden had to threaten to hold back $1 billion in aid? Never explained. Some reports say the prosecutor was actually using the threat of investigating Burisma as a lever to extort something of value from regime colleagues—which makes a certain sense.

Mr. Biden can claim he was uninfluenced by his son’s employment. But his staff knew about the job. The Ukrainians knew. America’s European allies knew. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund knew. All knew that Burisma had to be pussyfooted around to avoid causing a scandal for Mr. Biden that might mess up the Obama administration’s ability to sustain support for the shaky regime.

This is what made Hunter Biden worth the money Burisma paid him to sit on its board between April 2014 and April 2019. And whatever the reason for firing prosecutor Viktor Shokin, it was decidedly not with the goal of making trouble for Burisma.

Until a few weeks ago, the press understood the implicit corruption of U.S. foreign policy involved here. The facts themselves may not be disqualifying for Mr. Biden, but the sight of him endlessly prevaricating could be. And the story is not going away because Democrats have put Ukraine at the center of their impeachment spectacle.

https://amgreatness.com/2019/11/02/doing-the-impeachment-math/

Welcome to the new and improved Get Trump Daily, special impeachment edition. A couple of days ago, on Halloween, a cute kid of about 7 came to our door dressed up as a dinosaur. It was a pretty nifty costume, green with spindling protuberances, tail with spiky-things, and bits on the head that expanded in a showy way when the budding tyrannosaur pressed a button.

This had two effects: One, you could tell that it was supposed to be scary, so it was a cue to say, “Oooh!” and “Ah! That’s scary!” Two: it made the costume’s occupant feel important, and I think that was probably the major effect.

“Trick or treat.” We gave the kid some candy and he toddled off down the street to impress the neighbors and, even more, himself.

If this were a story by Stephen King, maybe the kid might have been an evil demon and his expanding dinosaur head would have devoured us. But he wasn’t and we weren’t, which, frankly, is what we expected.

Of course, we might have been wrong.

I think that the Halloween impeachment show is a lot like that tyke’s costume. “Impeachment” sounds scary. As Kryptonite is to Superman, so impeachment is to the president. It’s just about the only thing that can bring him down. So I suppose it is not surprising that you can practically smell the self-importance oozing out of Adam Schiff. Like our little dinosaur, he is mighty impressed with himself.

By the Numbers

But “impeachment” means many things. Until 15 minutes ago, I’d wager, many people believed it was a synonym for “remove from office.” But with the House shouting “impeach him, impeach him, impeach him” in tones more or less like those that emanated from that angry mob which sided with Barabbas in front of Pontius Pilate, lo, these many years ago, we have all been reminded that while the House may bring articles of impeachment, it takes two-thirds of the Senate to convict the accused and remove him from office.

Two-thirds. I was told there would be no math, but I am pretty sure that means 67 senators, when 53 of them are now Republicans. According to my abacus, that means that 20 Republican senators would have to jump ship and vote with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to remove the president from office. How likely is that?

Given the popularity of Donald Trump among Republicans, another way of asking that question is: Are there really 20 Republican senators who would commit political suicide in order to please Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and Adam Schiff?

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/11/could_the_ukraine_phone_call_whistleblower_be_facing_indictment.html

The so-called “whistleblower” (who dd not follow the protocol necessary to qualify for whistleblower protections) could well be facing serious legal jeopardy.  Sean Davis writes in the Federalist:

Testimony by Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) Michael Atkinson revealed that the whistleblower, whom Real Clear Investigations has identified as former National Security Council (NSC) staffer and current Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst Eric Ciaramella, concealed his contacts with Schiff from the ICIG in his complaint form. If the anti-Trump complainant did, in fact, refuse to disclose previous disclosures of his allegations to Congress or the news media, he could be subject to felony criminal penalties for making false statements. The final portion of the whistleblower form requires whistleblowers to attest under penalty of perjury that they have neither misstated nor concealed material facts in their complaints.

“I certify that all of the statements made in this complaint (including any continuation pages) are true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief,” whistleblowers are required to attest under penalty of perjury. “I understand that, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1001, a false statement or concealment of a material fact is a criminal offense punishable by a fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment for up to five years, or both.”

Schiff has refused to detail the breadth of his interactions with the anti-Trump complainant or explain why he lied about his staff’s collusion with the complainant. Ratcliffe told The Federalist that Schiff’s behavior was an “outrageous offense to legal due process.”

THIS WAS WRITTEN IN OCTOBER 2016

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/10/the_art_of_neglecting_veterans.html

AND OPEN THE BOOKS DETAILS THE APPALLING STATE OF A DEPARTMENT WHOSE MANDATE IS TO SUPPORT THOSE VETERANS WHO HAVE SERVED AND SAVED OUR NATION…..RSK

THE VA’S SCURRILOUS ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN EXPOSED BY OPEN THE BOOKS…CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE: http://www.openthebooks.com/about_us/ And http://www.openthebooks.com/openthebooks_snapshot_oversight_report_-_the_va_scandal_two_years_later/

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/11/so_much_for_things_improving_at_the_veterans_administration.html

Veterans who died homeless, wronged by the V.A. or “on a waiting list,” must be turning in their graves at the thought that those who failed them are receiving congratulations on their “achievements.”  If you happen to grieve for such veterans, the handshake between the V.A.’s past and present will make your blood boil.

While the V.A., VSOs, and the American Legion are discreet about the event, ex-V.A. secretary McDonald brags about the unveiling of his portrait to anybody who will listen.  In his blog post from October 25, 2019, McDonald spares no detail of the ceremony in his honor and rejoices over V.A. secretary Willkie’s “complimentary” and “generous” comments.  And voilà, Mr. Willkie: Donald Trump’s “you are fired!” suddenly has less meaning.

McDonald, who undoubtedly fancies himself as a connoisseur of art (during his reign, the V.A. blew millions on artwork), thanked the artist, Laurel Stern Boeck, but forgot to mention that she had already immortalized him as a CEO of Procter & Gamble.

Suitably named, the EGO (Eliminating Government-Funded Oil-Painting) Act, long promoted by U.S. senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.), was signed into law by President Trump in March 2018.  Let’s hope taxpayers won’t have to pick up the tab for the VA’s crafty antics this time.

After his theatrical tenure in the V.A., Robert McDonald should still be experiencing aphonia (from countless speeches) and tendonitis (from ribbon cutting), but it seems he hasn’t lost his appetite for compliments.  Between chairing Rally Point Networks and sitting for his portrait, he managed to squeeze a gig on Ukrainian TV.  In the country’s capital, Kyiv, McDonald acted every inch the V.A. secretary — from touring hospitals to meeting local ministers.  The ex-secretary, who describes himself as a Republican, must feel nostalgic about his days as the V.A.’s leader.  Why else would he display his picture with Obama and Biden on the first page of his blog?

https://thefederalist.com/2019/11/01/rep-john-ratcliffe-adam-schiffs-problem-isnt-that-hes-biased-its-that-hes-running-a-corrupt-process/

“The person who planted fake evidence shouldn’t be the one ruling on the admissibility of fake evidence,” Ratcliffe said of Schiff on Friday.

A former federal prosecutor who sits on the committee tasked by Democrats with removing President Donald Trump from office blasted Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., as being unfit to oversee the process. Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Tex., told The Federalist on Friday that Schiff’s problem isn’t mere partisan political bias, it’s that Schiff has a conflict of interest given his secret interactions with the anti-Trump whistleblower before his false complaint against Trump was even submitted.

“It’s more than just bias—it’s an actual legal conflict of interest,” Ratcliffe told The Federalist. “Schiff is using his authority as a Chairman presiding over an impeachment inquiry to prevent the investigation and discovery of facts about his own actions or the actions of his staff.”

“He is essentially a witness in the trial over which he is presiding,” Ratcliffe continued. “He has a conflict of interest because his testimony is relevant to the origins of the impeachment process that he is simultaneously conducting, directing and managing.”