Senate Ethics Committee now looking into collusion between specific Republican Senators (Hawley, Cru

[soothsayer]

Link to tweet

?s=21


Mike Sington
@MikeSington
Senate Ethics Committee now looking into collusion between specific Republican Senators (Hawley, Cruz, others) and Trump for inciting the Capitol insurrection.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. This is getting serious.....

and encouraging.

[soothsayer]

2. What happens if they acquit it? Will this still hold?

Idk the answer

[OAITW r.2.0]

4. I have no idea, either....

but it sounds like the vote to acquit Trump doesn't mean that this is over.

[StarfishSaver]

12. Yes.

The two are unrelated.

[soothsayer]

13. Awesome

[BComplex]

43. Who do we need to call to insure an anonymous vote? It HAS TO BE ANONYMOUS!!!!

Too many people's security depends on it. And their families. And the future of the country.

[StarfishSaver]

46. The vote can't be anonymous. The Constitution requires a roll call vote.

That would also be a terrible process and precedent since that would turn impeachment into a star chamber, which may seem attractive to some people right now but wouldn't seem like such a great thing when a Republican House and Senate use it to remove a Democratic president through a secret vote

[BComplex]

47. Good point. I just wish there was some way to have justice in this trial.

Have I mentioned how much I hate repubicans?

[StarfishSaver]

48. I hear you. I'm frustrated, too.

But remember this trial is not the end all and be all. There will be much more to come. Keep focused and don't give up!

[renate]

3. I hope there are half as many hearings on this as there were on Benghazi nt

[thucythucy]

10. I hope there are twice as many.

And criminal trials and convictions and prison sentences appropriate to the offenses.

[SlogginThroughIt]

50. I hope half as many with real consequences.

I don’t think paying for extensive hearings for political reasons is a good idea. It shouldn’t take long to determine if they are guilty.

[CaptYossarian]

57. Look at it this way:

In Benghazi, 4 Americans died because Hillary was said to be passive about security (in a hostile foreign land).

At the Capitol, if you count the 2 suicides, 7 Americans died. Trump was ACTIVE in inciting this. There were certain senators who helped perpetuate the lies that got this started and have never recanted. Also, the rioters were domestic and Trump never summoned the National Guard because he was "enjoying" it.

The same politicians who wanted Hillary crucified also want Trump acquitted.

[SheltieLover]

5. Good!

[DSandra]

6. Insurrectionists on the Senate floor on Jan 6th on Ted Cruz: "He's with us"

[live love laugh]

7. Boebert? I hope they don't forget about her. nt

[aggiesal]

19. That would be the House Ethics committee. ...

And yes, they should look into Boebert and MTG.

[BeerBarrelPolka]

8. Who

Who is on this Senate ethics committee?

[StarfishSaver]

16. Here you go

The Committee is chaired by Chris Coins.

https://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/committee-members

[BeerBarrelPolka]

25. Thank you

Thanks

[ananda]

9. How about FBI and DOJ too?

Link to tweet

[StarfishSaver]

14. A ridiculous tweet

The two processes are completely separate and unrelated.


The Senate Ethics Committee disciplines Senators within the Senate rules and processes, but Congress has no ability to conduct a criminaI investigation or prosecution. The FBI and DOJ are in the executive branch - they don't get "called in" by the Senate to conduct investigations or prosecutions.

[wnylib]

23. Don't know if they could do a separate

investigation, apart from the Senate one. If they did, I'd think it would have to be a criminal investigaton, focused on specific criminal behavior.

[Lucinda]

11. KNR

[malaise]

15. K & R

Expose them

[msfiddlestix]

17. I'd like to know who the Republicans sitting on that committee

I learned yesterday that the ethics committee seat party by half and half.

But I'm not sure the number and in this case, which Republicans.

[ancianita]

18. ...

Democratic Majority
Chris Coons, Delaware, Vice Chair
Brian Schatz, Hawaii
Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire

Republican Minority
James Lankford, Oklahoma, Vice Chair
Jim Risch, Idaho
Deb Fischer, Nebraska

[msfiddlestix]

29. Thanks.. depressing

Lankford is an unprincipled pretender and a tool

Not familiar with Jim Risch

Deb Fischer is someone I'm only teeny weeny familiar with, only from Buttigeig's early or pre-confirmation hearing, She asked great questions, non-political, and well articulated. She even seemed to be rational.

But then she voted against the constitutionality of the trial. I have no faith that she'll be voting for conviction.

Which means she might be rational about non-political issues, but she's pro-Terrorist.

[mrsadm]

20. The Senate has an Ethics Committee?

[DENVERPOPS]

33. It is obvious

that they wandered around aimlessly for the past four years, oblivious to anything going on around them.....

[triron]

21. I want to see them prosecuted and sent to prison.

[Eyeball_Kid]

26. The Senate Ethics Committee, I believe, can do four things in an investigation.

1. They can determine that a Senator did not act in an unethical manner.

2. They can determine that a Senator acted in an unethical manner, and do nothing more.

3. They can determine that a Senator acted in an unethical manner, and recommend a censure of that Senator, which would move forward with a majority vote in the Senate.

4. They can determine that a Senator acted in an unethical manner, and recommend expulsion of that Senator, which would move forward with a majority vote in the Senate.


Someone please post if that sounds inaccurate.

[BobTheSubgenius]

22. This is an EXCELLENT chance to clean house.

I hope it doesn't go to waste. Ending the careers of half a dozen (or MORE!) of these cretins would be a great way to continue the great momentum of the start of this year.

[msfiddlestix]

30. Not going to happen with the make up of this committee n/t

[StarfishSaver]

31. The House and Senate Ethics Committees operate very differently than other committees

Don't assume nothing will happen. These committees are very effective.

[msfiddlestix]

35. I understand the theory, but Lankford is co-chair

and the other republicans on the committee voted no on the Constitutionality of the trial which conveys to me they do not operate on matters of principle or law.

So I remain pessimistic about the make up of this particular ethics committee, given that the committee made up of equal parts D's amd R's. If Mitt Romney was on the committee I might be optimistic. But Lankford and the others.. not so much.

I wish I had your optimism. I mean that in all seriousness.


I'd love to be proven wrong. We shall see.

[StarfishSaver]

36. Lankford isn't co-chair. He's vice chair.

Very different.

I've worked with these committees and based on my experience, I have reason to be optimistic. Nothing is certain, but there is reason to hope and even expect there to be positive outcomes.

[msfiddlestix]

37. ok. I'm open to try to be a little optimistic in this case..

[StarfishSaver]

38. Keep hope alive

[msfiddlestix]

39. Prost!

[edhopper]

24. And these Senators

they met with the Trump defense team.

[quakerboy]

27. What specificly does this accomplish.

Does it have any real teeth?

Rebuke, even on the record, means nothing to these sort.

Honestly, if it doesnt mean they have to recuse themselves from the impeachment vote.. it seems unimportant at this juncture.

[StarfishSaver]

32. It can have real consequences

But no, it's not going to affect the impeachment trial. The committee's work is more complex and takes longer.

But that's ok. There's more to this than just forcing a recusal from an impeachment vote, which isn't going to and actually can't happen.

[quakerboy]

41. What consequences?

I assumed it would have no effect on the current events.

What CAN it effect? will they be removed from office? Excluded from access to sensitive intelligence, or information about security for the capital and our elected democrats? removal from committees?

Or is the result, if it somehow passes a split ethics committee, a letter in their file, or a "censure" that these degenerate confederates will just wear as a badge of honor.

What exact real consequences can it have? I looked at what appears to be their website, and i cant seem to find any relevant info. I suppose Senators actively aiding an armed insurrection attacking the capital is not something they anticpated having to deal with, but still.

[StarfishSaver]

44. It won't affect impeachment, but that's not the point.

A finding of an ethical violation can result in anything from substantial fines to criminal referrals for prosecution to recommendation of censure or expulsion from the Senate. In fact, an Ethics Committee investigation and recommendation is a almost always prerequisite for censure or expulsion, so the process for booting them out is well underway.

And as I've said, in my experience, the House and Senate Ethics committees operate very differently than the other committees and tend to be very non-partisan and straight-shooting.

But that said, people have been clamouring for the Senate to DO something, so now that they're doing something, it's premature to complain that what they're doing won't matter.

[quakerboy]

51. Substantial as in more than they will make

Via self allowed insider trading?

Im always skeptical when an organization is supposed to be self policing, and I honestly have no idea what this body has the power to do, thus the asking.

As previously noted, a censure in this situation is essentially meaningless. If anything, it would be a fundraising tool for the "Senators" in question. Any idea how many senators have ever been expelled via this process?

[StarfishSaver]

54. Oh, good Lord

Folks complain that the Senate doesn't do anything and then when they do something they complain that it's not enough.

If you don't know what they can do, why complain that they're not doing enough or that it won't work?

[quakerboy]

56. You are reading a lot of things I didnt write

I am dubious, for reasons stated, but prepared to be wrong. I defined actions i thought would be effective and others that i believe are ineffective. And I asked which of those are possible. Because I dont know.

But I will end my participation in this conversation at this point. Clearly I will not get answers, when questions are assumed to be complaints and go unanswered. Feel free to take the last word.

[catrose]

28. I'd think it was also an ethics violation that Lee, Cruz, Graham, and others

Last edited Thu Feb 11, 2021, 10:11 PM - Edit history (1)

were helping T's lawyers today.

[StarfishSaver]

34. No, that's not an ethics violation

As obnoxious as it is, there's no rule prohibiting such a meeting. This is not a criminal trial and the senators are not impartial jurors.

[quakerboy]

42. Much as i hate it

I have a very difficult time believing that No democratic senators have met with any of the impeachment managers during the time between the impeachment and the trial.

Unless they have scrupulously avoided this, it seems to me that harping on this point overmuch is a mistake.

[StarfishSaver]

45. Exactly

I can't help but notice that some of the same people complaining the Senate isn't operating as a full blown court of law with Democrats wielding immense prosecutorial powers that will result in a compete takedown of Trump, their Republican counterparts and the Republican Party just a few weeks ago were attacking the Democrats for not rushing an impeachment trial days after the article of impeachment was voted on.

Sometimes it looks like nothing the Democrats do or how they do it or when they do it will satisfy some folk.

[cbdo2007]

40. This needs to be done in the courts...not in the house or senate.

they will always protect their own. This should be handled by the courts when the new AG gets sworn in.

[lagomorph777]

49. How much punishment can they mete out?

Criminal referral?
Strip committee assignments?
Sternly worded letter?

[oasis]

52. Put these traitors under intense scrutiny. Force them to give statements

to the press which, when proven false, will come back to bite them in their sorry asses.

[UpInArms]

53. Missourians can sign a petition here

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvkyDL6lgIWspZ1SmUGc2BDvq4okWhqyaZbACXkXmBh5vDbg/viewform

[bucolic_frolic]

55. Oh, Lord, we're back to collusion and ethics

I want to see some conspiracy and charges

[StarfishSaver]

58. The Senate doesn't conduct criminal prosecutions

[OMGWTF]

59. They shouldn't be on the jury if they are the criminals.

[Blue Owl]

60. Oh Yeah!

Nail their asses!!!

[LymphocyteLover]

61. Be still my heart!

[hadEnuf]

62. It would be a pleasure to see

that slippery piece of wet shit Hawley get bounced out and charged, along with the other fascists who conspired over this terrorist act.

[Initech]

63. So who was with Tuberville at the January 5th meeting?

I've been dying to know this answer and I have it narrowed down to a few suspects:

Cruz
Hawley
Lee
Johnson
Cotton
Rubio
Paul

Time for them to be outed.

[marble falls]

64. Now we know why Lindsey has been so ragged looking. He's got a turn in a couple of barrels ...

... for him.

[Maru Kitteh]

65. They forgot the Turtle can't protect them now. Nt

[Vivienne235729]

66. Thank GOD!!! We desperately need accountability. Those republicans need to be

investigated and expelled. And if they broke a law or aided/abetted, they need to be held legally accountable for it as well.