As Twitchy has reported, Senate Democrats are getting a chance to ask questions of the House impeachment managers through Chief Justice John Roberts, and as Katie Pavlich pointed out, it’s “very obvious Senate Democrats coordinated with Democrat impeachment managers on what questions would be asked.”
Sen. Kamala Harris, in trying to paint President Trump as someone who believes he has absolute power, actually worked the leaked “Access Hollywood” tape into her question — the part about, “When you’re a star, they let you do it.” See — even before he was elected he thought he had absolute authority to grab whatever he wanted.
Kamala Harris gets in the "when you're a star they let you do it" quote into her impeachment trial question. #ImpeachmentTrial pic.twitter.com/KzqY0C5tGp
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 29, 2020
John Roberts reading this Kamala Harris question was something: "Nixon said 'when the president does it it’s not illegal'. President Trump said 'When you’re a star they let you do it, you can do anything'…." Roberts read it very evenly
— Tom McCarthy (@TeeMcSee) January 29, 2020
Look — she even made a video to tweet out as her question was asked on the Senate floor:
My first question in Trump’s impeachment trial gets to the heart of what’s at stake: if we fail to hold Trump accountable, doesn’t that undermine the integrity of our system of justice? pic.twitter.com/PXbb83EgRI
— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) January 29, 2020
That “Access Hollywood” quote (which failed to sink Trump’s candidacy, by the way) will get all the press. However, Breitbart’s Joel Pollak is more interested in the part of her question dealing with Article II of the Constitution.
26th Question, from @SenKamalaHarris, to Dems, MISQUOTES & repeats a LIE that Trump said Article II gave him absolute power.
(Fact-checked this many times, including yesterday: https://t.co/JgKQCHUvvY) @RepAdamSchiff claims Trump sees "the state as himself."#ImpeachmentTrial
— Joel B. Pollak (@joelpollak) January 29, 2020
Pollak reports in response to this tweet by Speaker Nancy Pelosi Tuesday:
Trump’s lawyers argued he has a right to abuse his power as much as he wants, and Congress can do nothing about it.
Sounds familiar:
Trump: “I have an Article 2, where I have the right to do whatever I want as president.”
Congress can do something: hold a fair trial.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 28, 2020
Pollak writes:
The statement is so egregiously false, and so brazen in its re-use of a debunked claim about what Trump said about his Article II powers under the Constitution, that it qualifies to be called a “lie” and not a simple error.
At no point did President Trump’s legal team ever argue that a president can abuse his power. Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz did argue that presidents cannot be impeached and removed for “abuse of power” alone — that there must also be an allegation of “criminal-like conduct.” But at no point did he, or any other member of the president’s legal team, make the argument Pelosi falsely claimed they did.
Second, as numerous fact checks have claimed, Trump never said that Article II of the Constitution — which describes the powers of the president — gave him the power to do whatever he wanted. Pelosi has used this misquote before, and it was shamelessly recycled by House impeachment managers in the Senate last week.
The president was specifically talking about his power to hire and fire executive officials. The context was Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of “Russia collusion.” Trump’s point was that he had allowed Mueller, with a team of anti-Trump Democrats, to investigate him, even though he could have fired Mueller.
So Harris (and the rest of the Democrats) took Trump out of context in order to make their argument? Scott Adams was not amused.
Amazingly, Kamala Harris got the Chief Justice of the United States to read a lie in public, in the Senate, and he has no power to call it out as false. I need a shower after watching that.
— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) January 29, 2020
I noticed that too. Unbelievable!
— Petty Thomas (@BlueTrappedin) January 29, 2020
Yes, it is shameful of her. So glad that she will NEVER be President. Plus all the Democrat questions have already been worked out with the managers – collusion.
— Myredheadedrant (@myredheadedrant) January 29, 2020
For the Democrats this is common practice. They cannot or will not discern the difference between the truth and a lie. This reason: it is impossible for Democrats to tell the truth or factually explain their policies and get elected.
— Gloria Houser (@Ghousertatt) January 29, 2020
Scott: I’ve come to realize this is who they are. I feel the need to back Trump because they and their tactics cannot be allowed to win. It’s no longer about Trump!
— True Liberal 2 (@TrueLiberal2) January 29, 2020
The Dems' case seems to be nothing but smoke, lies, and blatant omissions.
— Brian Lawrence (@blaw21) January 29, 2020
I do hope those who count noticed that. Otherwise, it's nothing shocking…just keeping in character of what she is.
— Indee (@EvansIndee) January 29, 2020
And Schiff eagerly takes the ball and runs with it.
These people are putrid.
— Keep It Real (@JusDaFacks) January 29, 2020
This is not a good audition for vice-presidential candidacy.
— Magic8Ball (@GiacomoUSA) January 29, 2020
It's all about optics, sound bites, and perception. IOW, about influencing the 2020 election.
— Rick N (@R_Whiskey) January 29, 2020
I wonder how many democrats are disgusted with the whole thing?
— Khadre (@Khadre52961722) January 29, 2020
Why doesn’t the WH counsel play the full Trump quote to put it in context?
I guarantee that most of the Senators have not see that.
They’re too busy going to dinner parties and collecting money from lobbyists.
— CharlesMartel686-741AD (@Hammer4USA) January 29, 2020
Out of context quote by Harris. She should know better. She needs reprimanded!
— Laurel Cook (@cookl1959) January 29, 2020
Harris is not that ignorant. She is knowingly lying about this.
— Damien (@damien_field) January 29, 2020
When they claim he said "Article 2 says I can do whatever I want", they ignore the whole quote…
What they ignore is the rest of the quote where he is talking about firing the FBI director. He has made similar statements all supported by the Constitution or federal law.
— Ed Neely (@oldintelchief) January 29, 2020
How fortunate we are that Harris flamed out so early in the campaign process.
— Mary Luigi (@MaryLuigi1919) January 29, 2020
Indeed.
Related:
Katie Pavlich spots something ‘very obvious’ about Senate Dems’ questions to House impeachment managers https://t.co/gpVUJRKuxk
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) January 29, 2020
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