Resignation is Trump's only hope.

[MineralMan]

Truly. If he resigns promptly, as he should, VP Pence can pardon him like Ford did Nixon and Trump can go back to his grifting lifestyle, more or less. If he doesn't, more and more crap is going to come out about things Trump has done. More wrongly classified files will be found and more perfidy and treasonous behavior will be uncovered.

Trump may truly feel that he has done nothing wrong. If so, that's because he has no understanding of what is right. Either way, he has no direction to go other than resignation if hopes to live out his miserable last few years in some semblance of peace.

So, Donald J. Trump: Resign. Just do it. Today is not too early. If you care about your own personal future, that's the only way you're going to save your sorry ass.

[beachbumbob]

1. pardon what? Can't pardon impeachment

and no criminal charges are coming except at state levels, untouched by pardons. OR until next democratic admin comes in

[MineralMan]

3. Go read Ford's pardon of Nixon.

Once he's out of office, Trump can't be impeached. Pence can pardon him for all acts done while he was POTUS, just like Ford did. That will prevent federal charges from being brought for any actions as President. While state charges could still be filed, they probably would not be.

Go read about Ford's pardon of Nixon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardon_of_Richard_Nixon

[jcgoldie]

8. I don't think Letitia James gives a shit about whether Trump's pardoned...

If he resigns he will be indicted.

[tableturner]

16. I agree!!

[jmowreader]

19. And any pardon of Trump will not affect her indictments

Pence couldn’t pardon his state crimes, and he’s committed quite a few.

[DinahMoeHum]

43. Trust me, Trump shouldn't even THINK of messing with this one. . .

She's got that look. . .

[NurseJackie]

41. Boom!

[Funtatlaguy]

45. James is working at a snails 🐌 pace. I bet Trump resigns

Or is impeached before she makes any moves.

[kozar]

96. I don't feel she

needs to work any faster imo. What good would it do? Why not lie back and watch what D's are doing and learn? Her time will come.
Could be if she felt the need to come forward right now, She knows her 'State' issues would only muddy the water of the National Security and impeachment issues.


Koz

[Buckeyeblue]

70. I agree that if Pence pardoned Trump, the states would not indict him

I'm not saying they shouldn't indict him. I just don't think they would. He would be a disgraced former president. And he's an old man who mentally is not well.

The kids and Jared may not fare as well.

[MineralMan]

72. Yes, I agree. I don't know about his family, either.

I'm not sure the prize is worth playing that game.

[bitterross]

100. I hope you are wrong. An example needs to be set.

This man is so bad, and so far out there he needs to be made an example of. Other's who may want to pursue the same path he has need to have a little hesitancy put into their minds.

[Cary]

74. How did that work out for Ford?

[MineralMan]

75. Not so well, of course.

But, that's really irrelevant.

[Cary]

82. How is that not relevant to Pence?

I think Pence wants the Orange Hitler cult followers so maybe he does it. I guess we shall see.

[MineralMan]

83. Pence is irrelevant. He is nothing.

He has zero value.

[Cary]

109. I'd prefer.no pardon for.Orange Hitler

But it isn't up to me.

[fescuerescue]

134. Well he stayed on President

and retired in luxury few of us can imagine.

While he didn't get another term, he made out quite well.

[Volaris]

124. '...they probably would not be.'

Nixon wasnt laundering hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Russian stolen mob-state money. Some ambitious lawyers in the NYAGs office are gonna want to make their bones indicting the fuck out of trump once he can ONLY be brought up on State charges.

Once he's pardoned, he's a whale. I can just about promise you, the harpoons are being sharpened as we speak.

[dawg day]

127. Difference is, Nixon's crimes were probably all federal--

And took place in DC.

Trump probably did and does crime every time he files a NY state tax return. So NY has plenty to indict him on.

[radical noodle]

133. Trump's crimes are likely worldwide

He has his fingers in many dirty pots.

[NCLefty]

128. I saw some conflicting things about whether they can be impeached after leaving.

If anyone has a definitive source, please share.

[malaise]

2. No 'effin pardon for the Con

Send him to prison for life - this is treason

[MineralMan]

7. In the end, we don't try Presidents for their crimes.

Nixon died in shame. Trump has no shame, of course, but if he leaves the White House any other way than after an election, his shame will follow him wherever he goes.

It is extremely unlikely that Trump will ever face prosecution for things he did as President. For one thing, if he resigns he will get a pardon from Pence. That's certain. If he is impeached and removed by the Senate, he won't be further prosecuted, I think. I don't know for certain, because such a thing has never happened. But, the process of indicting and trying a former President for such things would be disruptive beyond imagination, so it is unlikely to happen.

Right now, we need him out of office to prevent him from doing something so outrageous that it could destroy the nation, and he has the power to do that as long as he holds that office.

[cwydro]

113. This.

Spot on.

[Siwsan]

4. I'm guessing he can only be pardoned for these issues, at hand.

Hopefully there is plenty, still lurking in the wings, that can come back to financially ruin him, his brand, and his complicit offspring.

I feel sorry for Tiffany and Barron. After this is all over, I'd suggest they adopt their maternal family names.

[MineralMan]

9. Ford's pardon of Nixon is the model. It was a blanket pardon for all

acts committed while Nixon was President. The power of the pardon is pretty much without limits.

[Siwsan]

12. Would that still leave any tax issues, committed before he was selected, as on the table?

But, the truth is, as long as he, his brand, and everything connected to it are slated for disaster, I'm good with that. He's old. He's sick and he probably wouldn't last as long as the prosecution would take.

[MineralMan]

13. Yes, it would, along with any state charges.

However, the shame of resignation as President would pretty much put an end to prosecutions, I think. I don't know for sure, but that's my guess about what would happen.

[Volaris]

125. I would submit that since the man clearly knows no shame (or remorse),

That that argument would be invalid. And likely challenged by the NYAGs office lol.

[Luz]

20. As long as his family is included in his shame. I want to see all

of his kids disown him and anything trump.

[Siwsan]

22. I doubt it will ever happen, but having his kids (esp. Ivanka) turn on him would be pure gold

But they are far too tied into him to ever be able to escape the shame and blame.

[Eyeball_Kid]

5. I wonder if Pence will sacrifice his career for a pardon.

Trumpy is so engulfed in myriad felonies and traitorous activities that Pence may not have the political capital to pull off a blanket pardon. He's be worse off than Gerald Ford, far worse off. Ford lost his election bid because he stooged for Nixon. Pence is way off the cliff and in free fall right now. If he inherits Trumpy's job by way of resignation or conviction, he's finished if he pardons. And he knows it. He won't even get a nomination bid, and he won't have the fanbase to shift into an evangelical preacher when he finds that there's nothing left for him to do.

[MineralMan]

11. Pence will have no career after being VP. None.

He has zero charisma, zero loyal followers, zero everything. He is a non-person, who will fade into oblivion as soon as his term as VP is over. He is a nebbish.

[Nay]

46. Very true. We don't have to worry about Pence being elected in 2020. He doesn't have

a future career, partly because he's already too old to even care about that, and because of your comment that he is basically a puppet operated by his nutty religion and his wife.

I confess it does irk me that, if Trump resigns and Pence becomes President for a few months, ASFAIK he gets a presidential pension for the rest of his oblivious life. But those are the breaks.

[MineralMan]

49. Yeah. You have to cut your losses somewhere.

What can't be changed must be ignored, really.

Pence will always be a footnote or a footstool for someone. He is, as I said, a "nebbish."

[captain queeg]

98. Had to look up definition of nebbish

I’d say you nailed it.

[MineralMan]

99. Sometimes only a Yiddish word will do...

[Polybius]

115. He's 60

He could go back to law or just become a political commentator, give paid speeches, etc.

[Nay]

132. Sure he could, but he doesn't have to if he doesn't want to. That was my point. He's

old enough he could retire on the loot he's acquired recently. Most of the rest of us are lucky if we don't get RIFfed out of our jobs because we are "too old" at 60. Or 55. Or 50.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

61. And he will carry the stank of Trump forever.

[MineralMan]

65. Not even odors cling to Pence. Mother sees to that.

[EveHammond13]

91. he and Mother will have to satisfy themselves

with working at a hate school where white boys forcibly cut the hair of black girls.

[Hoyt]

6. Exactly. The buffoon could go on a national tour of white wing conventions and probably earn $500K

a night riffing on racial hatred, how he had been treated unfairly by the media and Democrats, etc.

No telling how much FOX news would pay him for interviews, etc. He'd probably make more money than he does from juggling real estate loans.

I just hope the networks don't give him 3 days of coverage when he finally dies.

[shockey80]

10. I agree.

[Zorro]

14. I'd be surprised if he resigned

I think it's more likely he'll go full Adolph.

[MineralMan]

51. No. He doesn't have the stones for that.

[Pachamama]

106. Sadly I think he will go full Trump

And Adolph didn’t have nukes

[LeftInTX]

120. He won't resign. He won't go Adolph

He'll foam at the mouth instead.

[no_hypocrisy]

15. He'll have to give up his MAGA rallies as he'd have to pay for them (or won't anyway)

post-resignation/pardon.

[wryter2000]

69. Maybe the MAGAts would pay for rallies

He could have a career doing stand up for the racists.

[no_hypocrisy]

81. NFW

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

17. It's an interesting scenario, and if Fat Nixon were a reasonable man

he might consider it, but he's not and he won't. Anyhow, Mike Pounce can't pardon him for state crimes, and I get the impression that the NYAG is merciless. The idea of Trump cooling his heels (bone spurs and all) in Attica wearing a jumpsuit that matches his face delights me. Mike might not pardon him anyhow, because Mike thinks God wants him to be president in order that nobody can be allowed to be gay any more, and he's certainly aware that Ford's pardoning of Nixon cost him the '76 election.

[MineralMan]

24. He could thwart the NYAG by leaving the country, though.

I'm sure Putin would oblige him and set him up in a Siberian Dacha with round-the-clock guards. There are probably some other places he could go, perhaps in the Middle East, where he could not be extracted and returned.

That would not protect his family members, of course, but I doubt Trump has much loyalty, even to them.

Once he leaves, he will be friendless, powerless, and a pauper. His debts are enormous, both financially and otherwise. He has nothing, really, that is his own, I believe. Everything is just collateral for his debts.

I want him to leave and spend the rest of his miserable life in isolation and penury.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. Putin won't do a damn thing for him once he's no longer Vlad's useful idiot.

Although Siberia might work out for both of them. I don't think MBS would take him, either. If he isn't criminally prosecuted I hope they at least do some serious asset seizure and leave him destitute, living in a run-down double-wide in a seedy trailer park in Alabama.

[MineralMan]

57. Putin will simply sequester him. Why would he not do that?

It would be to his benefit to do so. Having Trump under 100% control would ensure Putin of non-interference. Of course, Siberia is a nasty place and Trump's an old man, so anything might happen...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

59. Polar bears. Siberian tigers.

[MineralMan]

62. Tigers and Bears, Oh, my!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

64. Liars and tigers and bears, oh, my!

[MadLinguist]

90. Liars, Tyrants and Barr, oh my!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

95. Good one!

[pandr32]

76. Wouldn't he be useless to Putin?

Putin doesn't waste his time and energy on anyone or anything that doesn't have value to him and his goals. I really don't think that Russian help would be an option for Trump.
Putin would likely see the tweeting/babbling Trump fool as a liability instead.

[MineralMan]

77. Useless? Of course. But, Russia's a big place.

Putin could easily stash Trump somewhere for the few years he has left. A "retreat" dacha, where he'd be "protected." No access to Trump; no access for Trump. Trump simply is no longer seen or heard from, except for rare, controlled situations. Russia can do that. Easily.

Easy peasy.

[pandr32]

89. Perhaps

The problem is that Trump's disordered personality isn't ever going away. I can't see him being stashed away anywhere. He requires constant attention, not to mention the fact that he is vengeful and impulsive. This is how he would be a liability.

Putin could strip him of access to the internet and communications, as well as the public, but then that would basically be like a prison for Trump. I think it would be more likely Trump would fall out a window.

The Trump brand will be toxic now, too. No Trump tower will ever be built in Russia and probably nowhere else, either. The Trump money laundering business will likely be dead, too. Kushner will either face charges or have to lay low and ditto for the Trump spawn.

Trump would have to think he would be safe and able to live a luxurious lifestyle or he would never agree to resign.

Just my two cents.

[MineralMan]

93. "Trump would have to think he would be safe..."

Yes. I'm sure Vlad could convince him of that. Trump would essentially be a prisoner there. Perhaps in luxurious surroundings, but a prisoner.

[pandr32]

101. Just as long as he is gone and not able to do anymore damage!

[Liberty Belle]

130. If he went to Saudi Arabia and they were displeased, they might sharpen up the bonesaw

they used to chop a journalist into little pieces.

[Brother Buzz]

18. The orange one would fold his tent and steal away in the middle of the night rather the resign

[MineralMan]

21. Doubtful. If he did, he'd be impeached and removed immediately, of course.

[jmowreader]

23. I tend to think Pence WON'T pardon Trump

Pardoning Trump will have two effects.

It will first completely fuck the GOP in 2020. The results of the election will resemble the final score of the Idaho-Penn State football game (Idaho 7, Penn State 79).

It will also cause our pissed-off electorate to force a Constitutional amendment to correct the pardon power.

AND I can’t imagine Pence is overly happy with Trump’s actions anyway.

[MineralMan]

25. Pence is a tool of the dominionists. That's all he is.

He has no individual heft at all.

[jmowreader]

29. The dominionists only put up with Trump because he gives them what they want

Pence is as capable of signing the bills Falwell Jr and Norquist write as Trump is.

Pence also knows if Trump really does leave office Pence will be a caretaker president, and he can’t be happy about that.

[Baitball Blogger]

26. I do think that playing the sympathy card is his best option, but

I don't think it will give him immunity. Just leniency.

It's still going to be bad.

[MineralMan]

30. You're right. There is no good end to this. Trump needs to cut his losses.

If he sees that, he'll see the only path available to him.

[lame54]

28. Remember the ONE time he was forced to apologize...

Re: the Access Hollywood Tape?

He couldn't do it

It turned into a rant about Bill Clinton

It's going to take lot more to get Trump to admit defeat

Besides he has all those state charges against him

If Russia can get him reelected he is free and clear

Resignation is not his only hope - Russia is

[MineralMan]

31. Putin doesn't give a damn about Trump.

There is no loyalty in that direction at all. Putin would be better off without Trump being around.

[lame54]

32. Try telling Trump that...

Fake news
Putin's his bestie

[MineralMan]

34. Not my job, actually.

I'm giving Trump the best advice I have for him right here: Resign promptly and take what you can manage to get.

[Kitchari]

33. Pence is up to his ears in these crimes, too--

What if Pence is removed first, a la Agnew, and Trump names a new vp, like Nixon did with Ford? Then Pence would'nt issue the pardon, his successor would.

[MineralMan]

36. I'm not seeing any movement toward impeaching and removing Pence.

Are you? An immediate resignation by Trump would shortcut all that, anyhow. Pence would have ample time to pardon Trump. Impeachment and removal is not a fast process, generally, and the Republicans certainly wouldn't vote to remove Pence.

Practical considerations matter.

[Kitchari]

110. Agree, I do not see movement in that direction

And it surprises me

[lindysalsagal]

66. Pense would immediately become the focus of the house. ALl those strong, angry women going

after him!! He'd never sleep at night ,from worrying!!

[BootinUp]

35. I don't believe all 50 states will agree. Nt

[MineralMan]

37. Probably not, but there's nothing to keep a resigned Trump from

leaving the USA for good. That would be his best safeguard against state prosecution.

[orangecrush]

38. KICK

[librechik]

39. I agree. They all want to avoid the coming nightmare of evidence and deposing.

Everything will come out. But will merely removing Trump stop the investigation? I hope they keep going and roundup all of these crooked traitorous morons.

[DinahMoeHum]

40. "only hope"? He's got no real options left.

The minute he's officially out as POTUS. . .BANG!. . .BUSTED!!. . .INDICTED!!!
( on both federal and state levels)

And if the SDNY doesn't get him, the state of New York (headed by Tish James) will.

Trust me, no one should even think of messing with this one:


He's a fucking pinata, and he's being surrounded by people with bats itching for a crack at the goodies.

[NurseJackie]

42. THIS is gonna be fun to watch.

She ain't messin' around.

[MineralMan]

47. Trump could resign and be on a plane bound for Russia before

anyone had any chance to stop him legally. He owns a plane. Once he's out of the country, he can tell state Attorneys General to pound sand. He knows that.

[DinahMoeHum]

50. Not unless they intercept him first.

n/t

[MineralMan]

53. How would they do that?

Trump writes a resignation letter, hands it to his Secretary of State and says, release this at midnight. Then he goes to his golf course, takes a limo to the airport and takes the Trump plane to Moscow. Who stops him? What law did he break. Who issues an arrest warrant?

At Midnight, the SoS publishes the letter and sends copies to Congress. Pence is sworn in, pardon's Trump and a new day begins. Meanwhile, Trump is in Moscow, waiting to head to his dacha outside of Novosibirsk. He'll be safe there, with round-the-clock Russian military guards who won't allow anyone in or anyone out. He'll be a prisoner of his own making, but won't realize that for a while.

[DinahMoeHum]

54. Is he taking his kids with him?

Fat chance, that. Hell, he'd even abandon Melania at that point.

If you can't get him, get everybody else in his family circle. Ripe targets, all of them.

[MineralMan]

55. OK, whatever.

I'm not planning the details here. I'm just offering an escape route for Trump and an end to this bullshit. Frankly, getting him out of office, Pronto, is my highest priority, really. The potential for disaster is high as long as he is the POTUS. I assume someone would stop him from pushing the Red Button, but there's a lot else he could to to begin a disaster.

The sooner he is not POTUS the better. Resignation is the fastest possible way that doesn't involve violence, and I'm completely opposed to violent solutions. I hope someone is explaining the resignation option to him even as I write, and expect that someone is doing exactly that.

[DinahMoeHum]

67. Let's hope that's happening, even as we speak.

Peace out.

[Jarqui]

44. Moscow Mitch is calculating what is best for him and his party

Not what is best for the country.

If the math from that calculation suggests the best path is not to have a trial or not to vote to impeach, that is what Moscow Mitch is going to do. Maybe what Putin could do to Moscow Mitch and Senator Kompromat is in that calculation.

Because of that, currently, all options for the GOP are still on the table.

It's a disgrace but that is the reality.

[ooky]

80. +1

And, as long as Trump hangs on to Republican support he will not resign, he will continue to lie and spin and work at keeping his base with him. But if he loses his Republican support then I agree with the OP, its over, and at that point his best option is to resign.

[Jarqui]

86. I do not think the GOP want to run through 2020 with Trump

I do not think they ever have.
But they'll take him out in their own way at a time that suits them.
There's no impeachment trial without the GOP and no verdict to remove Trump from office without the GOP.

The only thing the Dems can do to influence that is crank up the court of public opinion - which they're starting to make some progress on. Time will tell if they can sustain that to put them in a deep enough hole such that they'll have no choice.

[enid602]

48. TRumps

Just like Saudi royals on 9/12/01, accommodations will be made to discretely ferry the entire tRump clan off to a foreign land, where their offshored grifting profits await them.

[OhZone]

52. He should resign and immediately jet to a country without -

an extradition treaty, like, sayyyy Russia or Saudi Arabia.

[underpants]

56. That's never going to happen

He couldn't possibly bring himself to admitting defeat.

[MineralMan]

58. Self-preservation is the motivation, and it's a very powerful one.

[mfcorey1]

60. Who's going to let him know that it is time to go!

[MineralMan]

68. Vlad? I don't know.

I'm sure the subject has been raised. We're all pretty naive, I think sometimes.

[Desert grandma]

63. This makes good sense BUT

the Orange Buffoon is too much of a narcissist to resign IMHO. He will feel that if he resigns, he will be admitting the allegations against him. He is such an egomaniac that I am not sure he realizes the deep jeopardy he is in. He will schedule a bunch of his MAGA rallies to bolster his denial of reality.

[MineralMan]

71. Perhaps not. Trump has cut his losses many times, and abruptly, at that.

If he sees no viable alternative, he'll do whatever he can to save his sorry ass. Right now, I can see only one thing he can do that will extricate him from this mess. And trust me, others are sharing that thought with him right now. Trump is not the only one whose feet are being held to the fire on this. Not by a long shot.

Trump is a tool. Trump thinks he's in charge, but he's not really in charge. He has been backed down a number of times from doing things he wanted to do. Now, I don't know who he listens to, really. Putin, probably, who is way, way smarter than I am about such situations. Putin would tell him, "Get out now before you ruin everything! Come here. We will protect you." He may already have done so.

If that sort of thing is happening, we'll know fairly soon. If it doesn't happen, we'll know something else, I think.

[Grasswire2]

73. A thousand times no. NO.

He and his family must be rendered penniless and powerless, or he/they will raise up a rebellion for the sake of vengeance. He lives for vengeance.

All assets seized. Passports pulled. Restricted from doing business. Restricted from public life. Penniless and powerless.

If they object, offer the Rosenberg remedy.

Why in hell would we want to enable him to keep other "crap about things Trump has done" from coming out by allowing him to resign?

Why would we facilitate a "personal future" for him??

His future should be spent staring at a cinder block wall. Inside a prison. The worst American ever.

[KPN]

78. Shhhh ... don't give him any ideas yet. I'd rather he be tried in the Senate for his crimes.

What's the penalty for treason? Better that he feels the heat of that as opposed to skating free this early on. Better that he wait till the last minute to resign. Better that Pence or whoever must consider all that comes out about his criminal WH enterprise in deciding to pardon before he ultimately resigns.

But you are right ... that is his only hope. And I don't like the fact that he has any hope at all.

[MineralMan]

84. I just want him out of the White House. ASAP.

[bcbink]

111. Yes

Before he stirs his more volatile followers into a dangerous mob.

[Garrett78]

79. His only hope is to remain in office for as long as he can. And he'll do whatever it takes.

[C_U_L8R]

85. It depends

Whether they try him as an adult.

[EveHammond13]

87. I wonder what Don Jr and Ivanka are telling him to do

[MineralMan]

88. Don't know; don't care.

Let them swing in the breeze, as far as I'm concerned.

[EveHammond13]

92. it just sort of makes me happy to think they fear the end of the gravy train

[MineralMan]

94. I never think of them at all, really.

[captain queeg]

97. I agree, he ought to resign while he can still paint it to suit him and his followers

Everyone is picking on him, etc. his true fans have the same mind set as him, life isn’t fair to them and the libs (or someone) is to blame. It’s funny how 4 years ago being in bed with the Russians would have them calling for blood. Now they’ve reduced it to socialism, a term none of them even understands. They’ve moved the target so often it’s getting hard for them to really define what they are against. They certainly aren’t “for” anything beyond the orange asshat.

But anyway, I think enough of his true believers will stick around to fill county and maybe even state fair bleachers. Certainly none of the rich and powerful will give him the time of day once his presidential power is removed.

Spending the morning catching up on DU I’m reminded how delusional he really is. I don’t know if he’s capable of realizing it’s over, once the reality really sinks in, if ever, I think suicide is a real possibility. In a few months he won’t even be welcome on FOX and he will be represented everywhere as an all time LOSER, a joke in every way.

[Historic NY]

102. I hope he holds on until after the election....

and the clock runs out on Pence.

[MineralMan]

103. Nope. Too many opportunities to screw everything up.

In the end, he might do it out of pure spite. Trump is capable of almost anything.

[FakeNoose]

104. I agree with you Mineral Man

I know he's still in deep doo-doo even after he's out of office. That's for NYS (and other states) to handle and deal with. For the good of the country this needs to be over quickly, the damage Chump has done to us must be contained and reversed quickly.

I'm sure the GOP has already figured this out, even though they only care about saving their own butts. There's no way Chump can get out of this, and even THEY can see that. At the very least, suspend Chump's presidential pardons so he can't go around pardoning everyone, including himself.

[MineralMan]

105. But, see, there's no way to "suspend presidential pardons."

Any power a President has under the Constitution cannot be "suspended" or removed by anyone, as long as a person is the President.

Too many people call for things to happen that cannot happen in our system. It's very frustrating, because it means that someone doesn't really understand how things work.

A President's constitutional powers cannot be limited or removed from a President. The President, however, can be removed from office, through a constitutional power granted to Congress in the Constitution.

[captain queeg]

107. You mean there's something else besides the right to bear arms in the constitution

I’d say 90% of people who talk about the constitution only care about the part of the second amendment, and only their interpretation.

[MineralMan]

108. It's not that, really. It's just that people don't really KNOW the Constitution.

They know about it. They know of it. But they don't know it, like deep in their consciousness. They don't really know what it contains or what it says, and so they don't know what it means.

It's really a simple document, although it's written in archaic English. There are many explanations of every word in the document. Personally, I think everyone who undertakes to write about politics, even on a relatively casual level, like here on DU, should have an actual understanding of what the document says and means.

The section on pardons, for example, makes it clear that the President can issue them without every worrying about a pardon being thrown out or overturned. It's an absolute power, within the framework of that section.

I try to correct errors in constitutional content and understanding here. Where there are disputes or shades of interpretation, I can refer to SCOTUS decisions. But the basic language of the Constitution is about as clear as it can be when it comes to the powers and limitations of the three branches of government. We should all be familiar with those.

It's frustrating.

[McCamy Taylor]

112. But...but... he wants to collect a lot of bribes on the campaign trail.

This impeachment business is making it hard for him to make promises in exchange for money.

[GulfCoast66]

114. He is not resigning. Will not be convicted.

We will have to beat him in 2020. And it will take our all out effort.

His base loves everything he has done.

[Falcata]

116. No one with that ego

or self-love is going to resign.

[DrewTkac]

117. What would state prison look like for Trump?

If Trump is tried for state crimes, Pence can not pardon him for that. If convicted and sent to jail, how would he serve his time realizing that the Secret Service would need to protect him as they must for all former presidents. Would they have agents on shifts protecting him in state prison?

[DrewTkac]

119. Was this the Republican plan from the begining?

The suspicious side of me wonders if this wasn't the plan all along. Trump does crazy shit while corporations and the rich get their unprecedented tax cuts. Right wing judges get appointed and regulations are rolled back. Then Trump becomes outrageously brazen in his actions just begging for the Democrats to impeach him. It's hard for me to think that even Trump is that stupid. Now he gets to play the victim.

What happens next? Trump resigns, not likely. But there is talk of 30 Republican Senators that would vote to impeach if done secretly. Once Trump is outed, and perhaps moves to Russia, Pence takes over, pardons Trump and picks a new Vice President. Now we have a new Republican ticket for the 2020 election.

Now all the thrust and fury that was aimed at Trump is now deflected in a political jujitsu move.

I would like to hear some thoughts on this. This just seems too easy.

[book_worm]

118. In all probability the Senate won't have the votes to convict him

so he will be president until January 20, 2021.

[MerryBlooms]

121. He's not going to resign, that's fantasy.

We will impeach, but he will remain in office. The remaining of his term will be lawsuits, hearings, impeachment. resignations... With his base intact and his party defending to the end. The party of trump is eye deep in money laundering, fraud, contempt of congress, election interference, and treason... More crimes than I can list. The only way out is we vote them ALL out and then try them in the courts.

Hope your parents are doing well... As a full time care taker for my oldest sister and three clients, I know how tough it can get. Helping people stay in their homes with dignity is critical these days, especially with all the cuts to services. Warm regards.

[Arazi]

122. Nope. No way he resigns

Impeached in the House, not convicted in the Senate and then he unleashes his full narcissistic rage upon the war with a nuclear strike at Iran.

All bets are off after that on what happens next

[wiggs]

123. He'll resign, if he can make money from it and call it a win. nt

[dawg day]

126. And he can spend the rest of his sorry life travelling to ever smaller venues--

ranting at ever smaller crowds of his fans, blaming the Dems and the libs and the deep state and everyone but himself.
And at some point he might notice he hasn't seen his wife and minor child for a few months, but he won't care-- he'll go to the next rally where they'll yell, "Lock her up," and he'll dimly agree, thinking they mean his wife.
And every now and again he'll sext some random number on his phone, only it turns out to be one (just one) of his daughters, and most people would be embarrassed, but he'll have another rally to go to. And the recipient... well, she's used to it, and she'd just as soon ignore it so she doesn't have to deal with that crazy old man when she's writing her memoir of how great she was at "diplomacy" and how women everywhere owe her everything.

And in the end, no one will love him but the ignored daughter, who will pine away for the father who doesn't remember her, but in this case it's not dementia, because he never remembered her before that either.

But... we'll be free of him.

[Liberty Belle]

129. Won't work. He can be charged with state crimes that a president can't pardon.

The Constitution limits pardons only to crimes against the U.S..

https://litigation.findlaw.com/legal-system/presidential-pardon-power-and-its-limits.html

The New York prosecutors have plenty of evidence to charge Trump with crimes in their state the second he's out of office.

[Captain Zero]

131. Regardless of how he goes he should never be granted

A broadcasting license due to the way he incites violence.