One scary thing stuck out from Maddow's segment on Pence

[Laura PourMeADrink]

https://news.yahoo.com/rachel-maddow-mike-pence.html

...

"For the second time this month Trump attorneys have argued in court that the president enjoys certain legal immunity. But the vice president, the lawyers keep saying, does not.

What makes the argument even more confounding is that Pence’s name or position wasn’t even a part of the conversation. Maddow said the president’s attorneys keep mentioning him out of the blue.

in a new court filing earlier this month either, but the president’s legal team brought him up then, too.

Trump attorney William Consovoy argued that a president enjoys protection against criminal prosecution, but a vice president does not. And “the country can persist without a vice president,” he added.

Assume he meant exist and not persist, yet it made me wonder. Is trump scheming to implicate and then dump Pence and then not nominate another VP? So he can be the sole leader ???

[MadLinguist]

1. I think this is POS POTUS's ploy to keep GOP senators from impeaching him

If Pence goes down with POS, his threat goes, it's President Pelosi

[Jarqui]

5. I've felt the same thing for some time

Trump is throwing Pence under the bus for his own preservation.
I'm sure they have dirt on him or set him up.

If Trump's base sees the GOP Senate appoint Nancy Pelosi as President through the impeachment of Trump, their heads will explode along with their support for the GOP.

It also helps to keep Pence in line - tying his fate to Trump - to avoid Pence helping to remove Trump to become President.

It could all unravel if/when one doesn't want to take the fall for Trump or maybe if the window to cut a deal with Manafort gets close to closing and he still hasn't got a pardon ... (a year after his sentencing).

With the increasing fear and pressure, they could start to turn on each other. Anyone here think 75 year old Giuliani wants to serve seven years to protect Trump? Or do you think Rudy would cut a deal? Rudy knows the game - I think he flips.

[Mike 03]

2. Good catch.

I've been arguing that one of the first people Trump would implicate would be Pence because he's seen by Trump as a rival and immediate threat. Especially since, over the past several days, journalists are openly discussing the possibility of a President Pence. Trump doesn't care what's good for the Republicans; he only cares what is good for him.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

8. Yes. Not like trump picked pence for his brilliant

advice. It would just kill the narcissist to have an unworthy one take over.

[Johnny2X2X]

3. Pence is his insurance policy

Trump knows that the GOP wouldn't remove both he and Pence, because there's zero chance they'd let President Pelosi happen. So the more Trump can get Pence involved in this, the better chance he sees to keep from getting removed, in fact when it gets down to the end he'll start saying things like, "Pence is in this too, if they remove me they must remove him."

Dems would be smart to give Pence cover, even tacitly defend him. Get Trump out and cut a deal with Pence. Pence has no chance in the general election.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

6. Yet it sounds like they are arguing that the VP can

be indicted. That would be outside the Impeachment realm, right?. Why would you give anyone the idea to indict pence? You are saying just to give everyone the idea that if pence is convicted and gone, he would need to be there?

JHC what a shitty thing to do.

[bigbrother05]

4. Remember, tRump is transactional not strategic

He may be thinking he needs to replace Pence with someone he can count on to pardon him should it comes to that, i.e. he'll resign if and only if he has a guarantee that his successor wipes away his liability as well as his kids.

"Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look"

[dewsgirl]

12. It won't matter when it comes to SDNY.

[bigbrother05]

18. SDNY is federal, maybe you're thinking Manhatten or NY State charges

But you are right that state or local charges aren't covered by a Presidential Pardon.

[abqtommy]

7. Thinking like that would really tax tRUMP's one remaining brain cell. Now I can tell when a

leader we've got and I'll tell you right now that tRUMP it is not.

[Brainstormy]

9. Pence provides no leadership

Don't see what difference it would make.

[TreasonousBastard]

10. Actually, according to the 25th amendment, the country cannot "persist" without a VP...

Section 2. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

However, note that there is no time frame.

[TheBlackAdder]

15. Trump might hold up the nomination and McConnell might hold up the confirmation for months.

[TreasonousBastard]

16. That's to be expected, but then if Trump goes we get Pelosi as...

President.

Not that I have any problem with that, but I can't imagine R's allowing it.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

20. Thanks. I should have looked that up!

[Whiskeytide]

11. trump believes Pence has to go first. If he resigns, the vacancy...

... can only be filled by a majority vote in BOTH the House and the Senate. trump would nominate or select people who would never get the votes in the House (think Bannon, or Miller, etc...), so he remains alone as the president. Then, Republicans will NEVER vote to impeach - no matter how bad the evidence is - since that would place Pelosi in the Oval Office.

Getting rid of Pence is his short term play to derail impeachment. And perhaps his (or Putin’s) end game strategy. Imagine what he would do if he had that “no fear of removal” insurance policy? He might really give Alaska back to Russia.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

17. Well put. Pence is a toad but you have to admit he worships

the ground trump walks on. Shitty thing to do. Yet pence probably talked to god about it and god said, it’s my plan Mike

[Greybnk48]

13. 'And you guys look like you have "stupid" written on your foreheads!'

W.T.F! Do they really think this idiotic argument will save Trump? Everyone can see that Trump AND Pence are involved and they're both going down. Just like Nixon AND Agnew.

Well, the Trumpsters know their audience, that's for sure. The people they're talking to are Trump's base, who don't seem to know much about our country other than white-people mythology.

[malaise]

14. Wow! Interesting

Seems to me that lots of lawyers have to be disbarred to clean up this mess.

[crickets]

19. K&R