'Felony bribery': Ex-Bush ethics czar blasts Trump's latest impeachment defense as another 'criminal

[UCmeNdc]

The Trump re-election campaign sent out a fundraising appeal Wednesday to its massive email list asking for contributions that would be divided between the president and three vulnerable Republican senators — Colorado’s Cory Gardner, Iowa’s Joni Ernst and North Carolina’s Thom Tillis — that was explicitly tied to his impeachment defense.


Painter, a law professor and ethics czar under former President George W. Bush, said the Trump campaign’s request was clearly illegal, and placed the GOP senators in legal jeopardy, as well.

“This is a bribe,” Painter tweeted. “Any other American who offered cash to the jury before a trial would go to prison for felony bribery. But he can get away with it? Criminal.”

Painter said the senators could raise their own campaign funds, and any one of them that accepted the donations from Trump before the impeachment trial was guilty of accepting a bribe.

“If (Trump) doesn’t want to get hit with a bribery charge, during the impeachment process he had better stick to raising money for GOP challengers in senate races, not incumbent senators who will vote guilty or not guilty in his case,” Painter tweeted.




https://www.rawstory.com/2019/10/felony-bribery-ex-bush-ethics-czar-blasts-trumps-latest-impeachment-defense-as-another-criminal-violation/

[dewsgirl]

1. I didn't figure it was legal.

[NewJeffCT]

2. Knowing Trump

he probably had somebody tell them vote to defend Trump, or else.

[2naSalit]

3. No doubt...nt

[PJMcK]

4. A serious question

What is the power that Trump has over Republicans?

Too often, it seems like the worst thing Trump can do is tweet a nasty remark. For example, Romney has said Trump's behavior is disturbing and all Trump can do is call him names. What the hell is that?

Are Republicans really that pathetic?

I really don't get it.

[atreides1]

5. Two words

Skeletons, closets!!!

[PJMcK]

6. We've heard that many times

Seriously, is Trump that organized? I just don't buy it.

Trump is a thug. He can't think ahead of the next ten minutes let alone develop and adhere to a long-term strategy.

It's very weird. Even during the Watergate saga, we didn't see the same tribalism.

Does Putin really have kompromat on all of the GOP? Is Trump really that strategic to pull that off? It just doesn't seem to fit.

[Chakaconcarne]

10. That's probably it... He's a thug.

He probably has a goon squad that will terrorize anyone that speaks out.

[dchill]

14. Putin has organized it, IMO.

[Jarqui]

16. Bingo!!

Russian related operatives probably have dirt on a bunch of them. Lindsey Graham is just the most obvious.

[sdfernando]

20. I've said it a 1000 times...

to no one in particular...

You really don't believe that the Russians only hacked the DNC to you?...They got the RNC emails too....Then the figured out which party they could find most "useful"...and we all know that the Democrats wouldn't play anyway....but that must be some serious shit in those RNC emails.

[pandr32]

23. True

The other thing is that they have all accepted money from Russia funneled through the NRA.

[bucolic_frolic]

8. Wasn't there some kerfuffle

about a video and audio surveillance system at the Virginia winery? I seem to remember that and thought it might apply to any property and produce a lot of leverage.

[Lonestarblue]

11. RNC merged with Trump campaign.

So in effect the Trump campaign controls all the money. Republicans were really stupid to allow Trump to take over the party apparatus.

[radical noodle]

9. Trump's voters have become a cult

They will primary anyone who crosses him.

[SkyDaddy7]

19. Have you seen this??

...Yeah, so we call Trump supporters a "CULT" but after receiving an angry Tweet from someone a couple years ago in response to me finishing a Tweet #TrumpCult I decided to look up the "Warning Signs" of both a potential Cult Leader & "Warning Signs" a family member or friend could be involved in a Cult...I WAS STUNNED!!! ...Its almost 100%!!
...I'm not joking when I say this...We're so lucky Trump is truly a low IQ idiot or he could be far more dangerous than he is!!

All the info below came from this link.
https://culteducation.com/warningsigns.html


Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader.

1. Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
2. No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
3. No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.
4. Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
5. There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
6. Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
7. There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
8. Followers feel they can never be "good enough".
9. The group/leader is always right.
10. The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.


Ten warning signs regarding people involved in/with a potentially unsafe group/leader.

1. Extreme obsessiveness regarding the group/leader resulting in the exclusion of almost every practical consideration.
2. Individual identity, the group, the leader and/or God as distinct and separate categories of existence become increasingly blurred. Instead, in the follower's mind these identities become substantially and increasingly fused--as that person's involvement with the group/leader continues and deepens.
3. Whenever the group/leader is criticized or questioned it is characterized as "persecution".
4. Uncharacteristically stilted and seemingly programmed conversation and mannerisms, cloning of the group/leader in personal behavior.
5. Dependency upon the group/leader for problem solving, solutions, and definitions without meaningful reflective thought. A seeming inability to think independently or analyze situations without group/leader involvement.
6. Hyperactivity centered on the group/leader agenda, which seems to supersede any personal goals or individual interests.
7. A dramatic loss of spontaneity and sense of humor.
8. Increasing isolation from family and old friends unless they demonstrate an interest in the group/leader.
9. Anything the group/leader does can be justified no matter how harsh or harmful.
10. Former followers are at best-considered negative or worse evil and under bad influences. They can not be trusted and personal contact is avoided.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

27. it's the cult of disinformation

Fox, hate radio, Trump, Putin, and the GOP all work for the same goal -- destruction of democracy and the elevation of an oligarchy where greed and money control all.

[radical noodle]

34. It's why they don't care what he does

I actually read an article about religious cults about a year ago and had an epiphany when I started to compare it to trump followers. I think it's actually one good reason why we should stay in touch with family and friends who have been indoctrinated. It may at least give them some tiny thread of reality.

The lists you posted are amazingly similar to those trump voters who seem to love him so much. I swear I do not understand it, but it seems to be true.

[awesomerwb1]

12. The KGOP needs trump

Their only shot at winning and remaining in power in 2020 is with trump (when I say trump I'm including the russian disinformation machine). Trump's subordinates control their money. No money, no win.

[Dan]

13. Come on,

They didn’t just hack the Democratic servers....

[Perseus]

24. The only thing I can think of is that trump being a mafioso has compromised a lot of them

They are up to their knees in Russian money and they are trying to save their skins.

Unless you are Ivanka, I would have a hard time for anyone liking that SOB, he is so low...For example, Mulvany, he was treated like dirt when the creature was doing the interview with Stephanopoulos and Mulvany coughed...Just look at trump's face when he told him to get out, its disgusting that someone would take that kind of abuse.

[Cosmocat]

25. For all the braggadociousness they are weak and submissive

nm

[bsiebs]

26. Afraid of getting primaried...

The republican cult is still pretty solid behind trump... if an incumbent falls out of line, they risk being primaried and out of their nice cushy job...

[reACTIONary]

33. A certain percentage of the population is that pathetic...

... they are called authoritarians, or authoritarian followers. About 30%, iirc. There is a smaller number of sociopaths, aka authoritarian leaders, who exploit them. This is a common symbiosis pattern with evangelicals / fundamentalists. Politically its typically a right wing phenomenon but is by no means exclusive to the right wing.

[crickets]

7. It seems Trump's staff isn't even chasing the leash anymore. Hmm. nt

[aggiesal]

17. Why would they? The staff would be seen as the owner of the dog ...

that's been $hitting all over everything and not cleaning up afterwards.

[Toorich]

15. They don't care...

.... the Tangerine Turd has probably promised blanket pardons
to any and all who cover his arse in the Senate vote.

[cstanleytech]

18. Plus it opens up the option of charging the senators criminally for accepting

a bribe.

[rurallib]

22. Thank you for answering the question I had

[Hermit-The-Prog]

28. but Moscow Mitch owns the Russiapublicans in the Senate

While bribery is specifically mentioned in the Constitution as an impeachable offense, the Senate would dismiss any impeachment of a Senator and is highly unlikely to expel any GOP Senator so long as the GOP controls the Senate.

Likewise, Barr's Dirt Service (formerly known as the Department of Justice) will not bring criminal charges against a GOP Senator bribed by Agolf Twitler Trump.

[cstanleytech]

30. There are always other options such as state charges plus the DOJ will not remain in

Republican control and if Trump should lose the election the Senators that accepted the bribe could be facing federal charges on top of that sooner than they expected.

[dajoki]

21. I think bribery will be a charge along with extortion n/t

[unblock]

29. What's really remarkable is the choice to do it the criminal way

Donnie can legally raise funds for these senators.
He can also legally point out that he needs their vote for his impeachment defense.

He just has to make these points in two separate letters.

This is because we've got a system of legalized bribery. So why would donnie opt for doing it the illegal way?

[spanone]

31. It's the only way he knows....

[NotASurfer]

32. I don't think his campaign has any intention of sharing

More like a cynical play to increase money extraction from the more vulnerable and suggestible parts of the base