JESUS

What world are we in?  Can I wake up?

The president's cabal is a load of clowns peddling a load of shit.

They've complained about everything to do with the process of the impeachment, and each time the Democrats plugged a hole, they moved over and dug another one.  The latest was that the proceedings were unfair because Trump didn't get any representation in the hearings.  So, in the Judiciary Committee, Nadler invited Trump and/or his lawyer to participate, which they turned down in that first one on Wednesday because it wasn't fact witnesses, but only professors talking about impeachment, but reserved the right to participate in the future.  Nadler gave them until today to decide if they're going to participate Monday when they will hear presentations from counsels  of both parties: evidence from investigators.

Guess what?

You guessed it.

The letter.

While the letter letter doesn't specifically state the White House won't participate, that's what it means, according to a senior administration official.

"The letter communicates that we will not participate in this process," the official said.

  CNN

Or, that they'll decide on Monday to participate and say the letter never said they wouldn't.

The White House's decision not to participate removes one potential hurdle to the House voting on articles of impeachment before Christmas. After Monday's hearing where two committees will present their evidence, the Judiciary panel could debate and approve articles as soon as the end of next week.

[...]

The House-passed rules for the impeachment proceedings gave the President's counsel the ability to participate in the Judiciary Committee hearings. The rules state that the President and his counsel were invited to attend committee presentations of the evidence — which are happening on Monday — as well as ask questions, raise objections, request witnesses or make a concluding presentation.

[...]

House Judiciary Republicans formally requested witnesses whom Trump and his allies have been pushing to testify. GOP Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia sent Nadler a letter Friday requesting eight witnesses, including House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, former Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden, the anonymous whistleblower and anyone the whistleblower relied on to prepare the complaint alleging Trump had solicited election interference from Ukraine.

They know they won't get those witnesses, and then they'll be able to cry foul.

The other GOP-requested witnesses were Democratic National Committee contractor Alexandra Chalupa, Fusion GPS contractor Nellie Ohr, former Burisma board member Devon Archer and the intelligence community employee whom Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman did not identity during his testimony before the House Intelligence Committee.

Kind of hard to call a witness that hasn't been identified.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE:

UPDATE:

If I didn't already have an opinion of Cipollone as a Trump toady, I might think that's a forgery.  Or somebody bumped the table when he was making that "C".  And in a Trump-favored thick-point sharpie, to boot.