The House Judiciary Committee picks up what Intelligence threw them.
Four constitutional scholars — three chosen by Democrats, one by Republicans — are expected to testify on the standards for impeachment. Nadler (D-N.Y.) told Trump he had until 6 p.m. Sunday to notify the committee that he or his attorneys would attend; he has given Trump until Friday to decide whether to participate more broadly in the impeachment process.
It’s been a hallmark of Trump’s tenure that he and his minions are always talking about “fairness,” as if everything that happens to them is or isn’t fair. Trump whines about how the press or the Democrats or the ice cream dispenser is so unfair to him, which is then followed by a tantrum, and then holding his breath until he shits his pants. It’s like he’s never taken into account the simple fact that whether or not something or someone is fair or unfair to him and his fe-fe’s doesn’t really count for much, especially when the facts and the truth are what matter.
By definition, the impeachment process in the House is investigative. Whether or not it’s fair depends on who participates. If the White House refuses to comply with subpoenas and requests for information, they can’t then complain bitterly that they have been denied the opportunity to provide evidence. If the Republicans who are in thrall to the White House sit through hours of depositions in closed sessions and then create a stink about the closed sessions being unfair, then they’re just pandering to their minders at Fox News. In short, they can’t spend all their time trying to screw up the entire process and then pronounce it as unfair because the entire process somehow got screwed up.
As John F. Kennedy noted, life is unfair. It’s something we should learn and take into account at about the time we learn how to take turns on the swing set on the school playground. But trying to explain that to someone who has yet to rise to that level of maturity is a hard thing to do.
But the initial hearings were in some secret bunker in the basement somewhere! Unfair! Inititial questioning should be done in public outside on the lawn so each person can know what the ones before said and coordinate their stories! The fact that exactly the same number of Republicans as Democrats were allowed in with the same minutes of questioning was immaterial! No wonder Republicans often left early or didn’t show! It was so unfair that only members of the committee doing the hearings were allowed in that the other Republicans, including over a dozen who were actually part of the hearings already had to barge in and stop everything. They suffered so much from malnutrition that many were fainting and had to order pizza! Unfair! Hoax!