Mr. Gettler began his impeachment theme by saying, "I assume...-" which infers that he doesn't know but stated it anyway because it does support the rest of his statements, which he doesn't emphatically know for certain either. Bill, the truth be known, not every Republican senator is laughing over the pending impeachment trial and view this process with the degree of seriousness that it deserves. The only question remaining to be answered is whether these senators will follow the oath they will swear to and be impartial in their duty as jurors. As for Nancy Pelosi, she restrained her Democratic Caucus for months after the Mueller report was released. There was ample evidence in that report to warrant moving forward but she wanted incontestable facts. It was during the Schiff Intelligence Committee hearings that evidence of wrongdoing was confirmed through 17 sworn witnesses, many of whom were Trump appointed. For you to vilify the Speaker for the real partisan reasons of covering up for Trump is the reprehensible act.
Bill, as for the millions of taxpayer dollars you claim she and/or Democrats spent putting the report together, let me remind you that for 2 years Mueller investigated multiple allegations, subpoenaed documents, brought to trial, convicted and sent to prison people associated with Trumps Administration but not the President because of the DOJ premise that the sitting President can not be brought to trial. The Special Counsel was appointed by the Trump Attorneys General, not Pelosi. The House Intelligence Committee worked tirelessly to interview all the witnesses available within a 2 week span (if memory serves correctly). Now, even more damning information has come out in the form of emails and, yes, new witnesses are willing to now tell all (John Bolton). Compare that to Ken Starr's timeline and costs. Facts are important, not bluster.
Speaking of wasting taxpayer money (here is where your billions come in). How about "The Wall"? How about the safeguards put in place by Obama so that another economic crisis doesn't happen again? Isn't it odd that the "Wall Street/Big Bank" restrictions were put in place because "W" did away with prior controls. Result: a major recession that almost brought this country's economic engine to a halt. It was Obama that turned the economy around and Republicans were against it. It was years of steady growth and job increases due to Obama policies, not Republicans and certainly not Trump.
If you want to talk about taxpayer money being wasted, lets talk about 3 Republican tax cuts: Reagan, "W" and Trump. Each one was billed as a tax cut for the middle class that only enriched the top of the economic ladder - lower rungs... not so much. Remember Trump going to Mar-a-Lago when it was passed and telling his rich friends- "I just made you a lot richer". And, speaking of Mar-a-Lago, this past week on Morning Joe, They put up a chart with what the President spent on golf and at his resorts: Trump golf outings, 242; Gas of golf carts since 2017, $588,000; days at Trump-owned property: 337 (that's 1 out of every 3 days as President); trips to Mar-a-Lago, 26; Average taxpayer cost/trip, $3.4 Million ( a large portion of which goes to the hotels he owns - emolument clause of Constitution)
What's our National Debt Bill? At the end of he Carter Presidency the National Debt was around $900 Billion. Under what party's presidents has the debt ballooned?
Peter Compa
Wantage