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© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Click For Restrictions - https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.htmlTrump says he will 'seriously consider' testifying in impeachment inquiry
By Jan Wolfe and Sarah N Lynch WASHINGTON©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
89 Comments
PTownsend
Trump 'says', until he flip-flops, or says he never said that, or blames the media for directly quoting him. Only his hardest core followers believe anything he says. Even the 'foreign' trolls paid to help him further undermine democratic states know he's lying, just like the despots who pay them.
CrazyJoe
I predict Trump is "going to go through some things." Medical, legal, political, personal, professional...
Ah_so
I would so love this - what drama. I think Trump will back out - he won't even release his tax returns so it seems unlikely he would face examination under oath.
JJ Jetplane
Trump, if he is smart, again, if he is smart, would never testify. This guy's ego gets in his way all the time. Furthermore, his anger issues make him open his mouth and say things that other people tend to regret. Trump doesn't regret it because he's a moron and will dig in no matter what he says. But IBM testifying can only make his situation worst.
Yubaru
Trump can't let the challenge pass! He can't stand it that HE isn't the focus!
dbsaiya
Won't testify. He can't walk the talk, never has never will. If he does, he can have Rudy coach him! Ha ha!
ulysses
Please do, I’d love to see your fat rump in prison!!!!
itsonlyrocknroll
Think about the prospect of President Trump testify very careful.
Donald Trump, is not a diplomat or a politician. Could this be the first President historically never to hold any political office? I wanted to research, this is unprecedented.
Don't underestimate President Trump ability to grandstand ruthlessly, and turn this to his advantage.
President Trump has little or no respect for the impeachment inquiry. This could and probably will be a platform for President Trump to hammer down on the Democratic Party. Financially for free, on nation TV.
Look, what is the likelihood of this impeachment process finding a route through Senate?.....
https://www.senate.gov/
The gap is a huge nut to crack without a seismic change in core Trump voting public perception/opinion of Donald Trumps guilt and culpability.
Sorry there are times when one has to, with dignity fold a losing hand.
Take on Trump at the ballot box. The Democratic Party need to unify the message/policies. This is the priority over impeachment.
Bintaro
Please, please, please, please ! Do it !!!
I can't wait for his dementia affected slurry word salad and republicans trying to defend it on live TV !
bass4funk
When the media trolls Trump it’s ok, but when he does it, that’s bad.
The haters believe anything Schiff and House Democrats say.
Ahhh, now I see why Democrats want Trump to leave Iran alone or so obsessed with Russia 2012.....hmmmm
SuperLib
I remember hearing Trump say he would talk with Mueller and it was funny to see his fans fall for it. Obviously he wasn't going to do that but they were so convinced he would.
Hillary Clinton testified for 11 hours in one day at one of the hoax Benghazi hearings. Tough as nails. Trump doesn't have that in him.
plasticmonkey
My prediction is that Trump will make some impossible demand in exchange for testifying (e.g. insist that the whistleblower be in the same room with him, on national television). The Democrats will refuse and Trump will whine about the process being unfair. His base will love it.
I very much doubt he will testify.
Jimizo
He’s probably lying again but if he is thinking about it, his handlers know his mind isn’t up to this kind of scrutiny and he can’t be trusted to stay with the truth for very long.
He’d be out of his comfort zone here. He’s a very intellectually limited man.
itsonlyrocknroll
Trump has already spat nails and poison at this impeachment inquiry.
Trump actually testifying and the subsequent poo storm as Trumps inevitable railing against the Democratic Party representatives on the inquiry could or probably will be construed as an attack on Executive Office of the President of the United States regardless of the current occupant.
This will be politically bent an twisted out of shape by Trumps advisors.
rainyday
I’m sure after careful consideration of it, he’ll realize he can’t because he is being audited. And he has bone spurs too. And he is too busy taking important phone calls (picks up phone on completely empty desk, listens to dial tone with serious expression). Oh and Guilliani won’t let him.
Lots of totally valid excuses to choose from in his repertoire.
David Varnes
He'll chicken out. He's chickened out of everything else his big mouth has gotten him into.
Blacklabel
“seriously consider” isn’t a confirmation of actually doing something. There is no point as anything he says to help himself will be disputed by Dems.
bass4funk
That’s ok, as long as he can pull the Democrats chain and annoy the crap of them, it’s ok. He won’t be removed anyway.
JJ Jetplane
@itsonlyrocknroll
Trump is the 5th president to have President be his first time in politics.
Previous Presidents were
Eisenhower, Hoover, Taylor, and Grant.
Blacklabel
this whole thing is dead by Friday. Holmes totally contradicts Taylor. Hill will contradict Vindman. The OMB guy on Saturday seems to have said some very interesting things, so Schiff won’t be releasing that transcript until they can create a cover story.
Blacklabel
We already knew you are nothing but a troll. Thanks for the admission.
Blacklabel
So for the non juveniles here, isn’t it a problem that Holmes contradicts Taylor? And that his timeline has G20 in end of July not end of June? And that he says he told Taylor in August and Taylor says no?
someone lying....
David Varnes
So that's why he's transferring his residence to Florida. So he can live with another famous person of similar circumstances... Orenthal James Simpson.
Blacklabel
when comparing the testimony of Taylor and Holmes, one of them would have to be the liar when they don’t match, no?
itsonlyrocknroll
JJ Jetplane, Many thanks, Eisenhower, Hoover, Taylor, it a remarkable list, these Greats left a truly historic legacy. Interestingly none were real estate moguls though.
How the political world has changed. With the help of social media. Probably for the worse?
Pukey2
crazyjoe:
The plan's already started. He paid a visit to the hospital.
bass4funk
Has nothing to do with Senate Democrats Not removing him.
OJ is President? Trump murdered someone? Uhhh, you’re not making sense here.
itsonlyrocknroll
My cut and paste neglected 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant shame on me.
Wolfpack
I see a perjury trap.
sunfunbun
I'd pay money to see Trump being grilled. Too easy, as his ego rises over his sensibility...thinking he can go in and testify with a positive outcome is just hilarious. I don't think questioning a mentally unfit individual is OK, though. An unhinged Trump is not the way to go for the defense, so ultimately, he won't testify, but just the thought of seeing Trump sitting there is so funny. The juvenile idiot would be a priceless laugh.
Strangerland
Me too. The trap is that he either shows he has something to hide by not testifying, or testifies and purjures himself through a combination of arrogance and incompetence.
Pelosi laid a great trap with this one!
lincolnman
Look at the Trumpers here doing their best Maytag impression spinning around in circles.
After Donnie's emergency trip to Walter Reed yesterday, he's in no shape to withstand the rigors of a 10 hour cross-examination.
And Sondland testifies on Weds and has said this;
Sondland has acknowledged informing Ukrainian officials on Sept. 1 that a $400 million package of military aid — frozen abruptly by Trump — would be easier to pry loose if their newly elected president announced an investigation into Burisma, an energy company connected to former vice president Joe Biden’s son.
Tim Morrison, a top White House national security aide, told impeachment investigators that Gordon Sondland — a U.S. ambassador at the center of the Ukraine scandal imperiling Donald Trump’s presidency — claimed to be acting on Trump’s orders, and in fact was regularly in touch with him.
On Friday, a State Department official stationed in Ukraine, David Holmes, pulled Sondland even deeper into the scandal when he revealed that a day after Trump’s call with Zelensky, Sondland spoke to the president by phone in a Kyiv restaurant and held it aloft so others could hear the conversation. Holmes described hearing Trump ask about the status of the investigations and heard Sondland affirm that Zelensky had agreed to his request. He also testified that Sondland, after speaking with the president, told him that Trump didn’t “give a shi^” about Ukraine but was more interested in the Biden investigation.
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/16/sondland-said-he-was-acting-on-trumps-orders-aide-told-investigators-071275
After dodging it for at least five times, tell us - is Sondland a hero or scum?
SuperLib
So get this... Stone's defense is that he was working with Wikileaks regarding the stolen emails but never mentioned it to Trump despite their relationship and despite Stone being an advisor. Like, it never came up once.
Must have not been that important.
Oh, Mr. Sondland. You aren't the right guy for this role. Expect him to come forward with even more "remembered" information. He will fold.
bass4funk
It’s like watching the second season TV series of “The Impeachment of Donald Trump” “The Mueller trials season one”, “Ukraine trials” season two“on HBO and selected channels.
Toasted Heretic
Which means he won't do it.
It would a beautiful sight to behold, though.
SuperLib
Still haven't read the testimony, huh? It shows when you write. The diplomats are building a brick house of information. Just move to the phase where you accept it and start saying it doesn't matter if he's guilty.
As much as I would love to see him exposed, I think it would be bad. Like, really bad. Like "the leader of our country and the free world isn't playing with a full deck" bad. He would be talking about how Ukraine framed Russia to take the fall for election meddling even after our own agencies pinned it on Russia.
Let that sink in. That's the case he would be making on live TV with the whole world watching. It would be very disturbing for everyone.
GW
He wont speak, his words would quickly sink him in something like this, would LOVE to see it though!
As for written answers, I say fine, if, he is stuck in a room with the questions, some paper & crayons & answrs them with NO lawyers doing his writing for him!!! He would never to that is to chicken!
SuperLib
Great. Just like that (snap) his arguments about not being able to speak, not being able to face his accusers, being shut out of the process, etc., will vanish into thin air. And we know he can't testify.
Pelosi and Schumer boxed Trump into a corner. He will immediately walk back his comments and find a new victim card to play as the reason.
bass4funk
And then what?
SaikoPhysco
He'll only testify in writing.... of course someone would have to properly write it for him. There is no way he'd get up in person like Bill Clinton did. Trump's ego would get in his way and he'd probably screw himself.
lesenfant
He says he likes twitter because it gives an unfiltered communication with people.
Then get on the stand to have the same.
Unless you're..... Chicken.
bass4funk
Because The liberal media thinks they don’t want to report anything he has to say, so effectively didn’t want to do their jobs, only selectively. This is why people are turning them off.
Why would he sit there and perjure himself and go through this second trial farce again of stupid nonsense when he knows he’s not going to get convicted in the Senate and he’s not going to be removed, he doesn’t have to be chicken he knows what the end result is going to be, complete acquittal, but yes, it is good humor for TV.
Toasted Heretic
Indeed. The base is very much in favor of the whistleblower being revealed. Which is ironic, really, I'm sure they would like to maintain their own anonymity whilst promoting their daily Trump-inspired falsehoods.
Kaerimashita
This whole thing is an utter waste of time and distraction. DT otestifying would be worth a watch though.
plasticmonkey
People who tell the truth don't have to worry about perjury.
You're admitting Trump is a pathological liar.
lincolnman
I can see it now;
Question 1: President Trump, did you, through your intermediaries, Mr Guiliani and Mr Sondland, pressure the Ukraine government to open an investigation into Burisma Corp, and Hunter Biden, in exchange for military aid and a meeting in the Oval Office?
I can't remember...
Question 2: Did you or members of your campaign have direct contact with Roger Stone who was working with Julian Assaunge to release Russian stolen DNC emails, in direct contradiction of your sworn testimony during the Muller investigation?
I can't recall...
Question 3: Did you have sexual relations with that women, Stormy Daniels, and did you direct your personal attorney, Mr Cohen, to pay her off in exchange for her silence?
Rudy? Rudy!!!.......
Question 4: Where was your father born?
RUDY!!!!!!!!!....
And Trumpers - why do you keep dodging the Sondland question? Come on, tell us, is Sondland a Trump hero or human scum?
Blacklabel
Yes I did. Any Holmes testimony (his leaked opening statement) doesn’t match Taylor. And he said the wrong month for G20 in Osaka.
bass4funk
Garbage. Everyone knows who the spy/holdover/partisan political hack is. Trump knows, Schiff, Pelosi, all the Democrats, Republicans and news pundits know.
Blacklabel
Just like the whistleblower, he will only testify on writing. Schiff can write it for him like he wrote the “parody” transcript.
Toasted Heretic
Garbage. Everyone doesn't know & the Trumpists are seeking to put his or her life in jeopardy.
taj
Good point. And one that should be made to him repeatedly so that his ego gets the better of his advisers and he does testify.
Blacklabel
Now we see why the rush.
“Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz has been scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Dec. 11, all but confirming the imminent release of his widely anticipated report into potential FBI and DOJ surveillance abuses against the Trump campaign.”
spinningplates
I think I see what is going to happen.
Trump will be impeached, found guilty of criminal actions but will avoid jail time by claiming ill health, and disappear to one of his golf resorts.
Future generations will wonder what that clown President was all about.
Serrano
I predict Trump is "going to go through some things." Medical, legal, political, personal, professional...
I predict this impeachment farce will badly backfire on the Democrats.
It makes the USA look like a banana republic.
Serrano
Trump will be impeached, found guilty of criminal actions but will avoid jail time by claiming ill health, and disappear to one of his golf resorts.
The House Democrats might just get the votes to impeach him, but the rest of that's not gonna happen.
Future generations will wonder what that clown President was all about.
Future generations will know what a bunch of clowns the Democrats were.
lincolnman
Sondland has acknowledged informing Ukrainian officials on Sept. 1 that a $400 million package of military aid — frozen abruptly by Trump — would be easier to pry loose if their newly elected president announced an investigation into Burisma, an energy company connected to former vice president Joe Biden’s son.
Bass, Black, Serrano - what's up? Why are all of you running away from the question? Its easy - is Sondland a Trump friend and hero, or is he human scum?
Which is it?
Blacklabel
I answered you yesterday. His testimony says he presumed all that. Unfortunately his presumption was incorrect.
Blacklabel
The Payment wasn’t due until 30 September so it can’t be “frozen” before it is due. And I’m sure it would be easier to get if an investigation was announced. Doesn’t mean that’s what happened, as an investigation never was announced.
so it wasn’t announced and they still got the money early. no one told Sundland to tell the Ukrainians his incorrect presumption.
u_s__reamer
Fool me once...
At the last moment ole Bonespurs will chicken Kiev out of it.
wtfjapan
Has nothing to do with Senate Democrats Not removing him.
why do you keep regurgitating the same thing, it obvious the Republicans will block it in the senate, the whole point of the investigation is to expose Trumps corruption, mountains of evidence and documented proof, multiple associate's now in or going to prison , will let the US voter decide if they want more of the same come 2020
Dump Trump 2020
wtfjapan
Its easy - is Sondland a Trump friend and hero, or is he human scum?
theyll 'seriously consider' answering the question just have to wait for instruction from the boss
bass4funk
Two major problems for the Democrats, first one: Ukraine got the aid And the javelin missiles all tangible, under Obama they got blankets to keep them warm during the annexation or was it something Barack and Putin agreed upon? Second: why would anyone take seriously the word of a man who changes his testimony and claim the revised version is truthful? So how can Democrats emphatically say, now Sondland is telling truth? Clairvoyant?
We are not, it’s just you and the other liberals in typical baseless platitudes are not making any sense. So again, what are the Democrats trying to impeach Trump with?
What does Schiff think? Lol
TheLongTermer
I hope the Trump star does testify, it will blow the Dems out of the water. This is where Trump excels, just like he did at the debates.
Serrano
If Zelensky offered to testify, Schiff wouldn't allow it.
Dump Trump 2020
Trump 2020 all the way
bass4funk
I really want to ask liberals the exact same thing.
Yeah, but the problem with that, No one is watching. I work in TV and for an impeachment trial as big as this and it is supposed to be and you get a viewership of only 13 million people? That’s not a whole lot. You have more people watching the Super Bowl then this garbage
given that the economy is great, Wall Is happy and amazingly given this farce the president still holds around 40 to 43% favorability is remarkable, so the Democrats really need to fight religion fast and pray.
stormcrow
More lies, more BS. Trump is too chicken to answer tough questions about his criminal activities.
Buk-buk-buk-Bukaaaaak!
Donald Trump with Rudy Giuliani in orange jumpsuits. Can you imagine it? Yeah, me too.
Yrral
They do not need Trump, when they have Rick Gates testify against Trump
Sneezy
Trump will consider testifying... if he doesn’t keel over dead. He was rushed to hospital and bedbound for days. The lard in his blood (not to mention his brain) is catching up with him, it seems
lincolnman
Well, the Trumpers here showed their true colors...they can't answer a simple question - is Sondland a hero or scum?
And we all know why - it's so obvious...they don't want to go on the record before he testifies on Weds;
If he goes in and says "I can't recall my five conversations with President Trump on the Bidens", or "I can't recall the two meetings with the Ukrainians where I told them no Burisma investigation, no aid", then he's a hero...
If he goes in and says, "Oh yea, Trump directed the whole QPQ/bribe/extortion and told Rudy and I to go get it done", then he's scum...
If they go on the record now, they risk being called a hypocrite later...
Weak...
garypen
Hoover was most certainly not "great". He's generally considered one of the worst. And Taylor didn't accomplish anything of note in his less than a year and a half as president.
Eisenhower, while a decent man, was not an especially great president. He was one of the last decent Republicans, though. And, his farewell speech warning us about the military-industrial complex having far too much influence on government policy seems more like something a Democrat would do.
garypen
Were there some other debates I didn't see? Ones where he didn't look like a buffoon?
GW
I have the PERFECT solution:
Inquiry asks trump questions via twitter
trump replies via twitter
DONE!! And he would be done as well LOL!!
lincolnman
You've never answered it - put your answer below - hero or scum?
Well, we now know why Donnie had to make his emergency run to Walter Reed, after tweeting in real-time his insults of Yovanovich while she was testifying - giving Dems another clear article of impeachment for Intimidating a Witness, he had to go get both feet removed from his mouth...
And Stone's trial gave the Dems one more article - Gates testifies under oath that he saw Trump take a phone call from Stone, and afterward said to him personally; "Good news, they'll be more Wikileaks dumps coming"....
Oh my, that’s a big deal because in sworn written answers to special counsel Robert Mueller, Trump claimed he couldn’t recall doing any such thing. “I do not recall discussing WikiLeaks with him,” Trump wrote. “Nor do I recall being aware of Mr. Stone having discussed WikiLeaks with individuals associated with my campaign.”
One more BINGO!
Toasted Heretic
That's because he writes/dictates his own medical reports.
Blacklabel
hero. He revised his testimony when it wasn’t clear, knowing liberals would jump all over that clarification as “caught lying”.
he also honestly said it was his presumption, not that he had been told by anyone that what he presumed was true.
your turn. Is he a hero or scum?
wtfjapan
Trump 2020 all the way
Dump The Russia Ukraine Mafia Presidency 2020, all the way to jail
Toasted Heretic
While it's impossible to condemn all the Trumpists for being naive enough to vote for him, because some truly believed he would be looking out for them and not his fellow elitist crooks... I wonder if some sort of legislation could be enacted to fine those spreading his lies and lying on behalf of him?
Numan
Isn't public waiting on tax returns and divesting from his company?
Hearing:
The Republicans will praise instead of asking questions.
First, instead of answering, he'll make a long speech about him being the victim, about fake news, and other people's fault. He will bring up Hillary, Biden and of course Pres. Obama.
When pressed to answer a difficult question, he will storm out. Basically, he will waste everyones time with stunt like on reality TV. Finally, he will have a rally the following week and lie about defeating everyone in the hearing by himself.
Unfortunately, the president might have to go to the hospital for chest pains again if the hearing doesn't go his way.
lincolnman
Good - thank you. I assume that will remain the same even if he testifies Trump was directing the whole bribe strategy...right?
Not quite correct - its on the record in testimony that he told the Ukrainians twice that no aid if no investigations of the Bidens, verified by 2 other people - plus we have first-hand testimony of the phone call heard by 3 other people where Trump asked about the Biden investigation, and Sondland saying Trump doesn't give a ^&(* about Ukraine.
If he testifies truthfully, he's a hero - if he perjures himself, I wouldn't call him scum, just "defendant"...
bass4funk
Lol, even if he did you would still find a way to disparage the guy.
I guess saying it in spirit wouldn’t hurt.
lincolnman
This, from someone who didn't have the courage to answer - at least Black did.
So, and?
lincolnman
I just heard the perfect description of the Trump QPQ-Bribe-Extortion attempt;
Missiles for Misinformation....
bass4funk
I did. Courage??? Lol
Him going to prison is like Bloomberg going to prison for running.
Blacklabel
but the problem is liberals define "truthful" as matching your predefined narrative. If it doesnt, its a "lie" and he has perjured himself. Thats why you shouldnt go into something with a predetermined outcome.
Also why Pelosi shouldnt announce to her caucus that its too dangerous to let the voters reelect Trump.
Blacklabel
If he says it, its his opinion and doesnt necessarily mean that is what happened. Now if he says it was "bribery" (that exact terminology) -and- has proof, we are getting somewhere. Right now, you guys mostly take something that happened and try to claim its bribery when its not. He spoke on the phone, someone heard him! bribery! uh no.....its talking on the phone.