Public Comment

Impeachment shouldn't end with a narrow vote on one narrow issue, important as weakening our national security is. Trump has committed many more impeachable crimes in addition to shaking down Ukraine. The impeachment investigation is our only and best opportunity to get to the bottom of his emoluments, his electoral collusion with Russia, his ceding our foreign influence to Russia in places like Syria, his disruption of our NATO alliances, his obstructions of justice, his personal profiting from governmental expenditures at his hotels ... the list goes on. 

At present, it is expected the Senate will acquit trump of all impeachment accusations. Then he will prance around the country clucking "exonerated, exonerated!" Impeaching by December's end would give him waay too much time to exploit that opportunity. Congress must keep the investigation boiling; keep uncovering more of his impeachable offenses.  

Eventually, the accumulating evidence will overwhelm Republican tribal partisanship.  

* * * 

The impeachment hearings revealed a simple tool that manipulates the President.  

Rudy was cooking up some corrupt scheme with his two indicted co-conspirators (Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman), involving a Ukrainian energy company. Their plan required getting rid of Maria Yovanovitch. How to get trump to dump her? Sure, he could legally fire her for no reason, but Rudy & Co had to motivate trump to do it.  

Three actions get his attention: (1) flatter him, (2) show him how he could profit financially, or (3) tell him someone said something bad about him. 

Too many people have already debased themselves flattering trump to make an impact. We don't know yet if Rudy offered trump a piece of his nefarious scheme. Number 3 got trump's response, a shameful slandering of Yovanovitch's respected reputation.  

Like Putin, Erdogan, and Kim Jong Un, Rudy knows a simple tool manipulates a simple fool.