Mich McConnell imageThe Trump Impeachment Trial should be held in Illinois. We are really grate at putting politicians in prison. Besides, #MassacreMitch has already told the world he has rigged the trial for Trump to be set free instead of sent to prison. Both he and President Trump are already guilty of jury tampering.

In the United States, people have also been charged with jury tampering for handing out pamphlets and flyers indicating that jurors have certain rights and obligations, including an obligation to vote their conscience notwithstanding the instructions they are given by the judge.[1]

After the election, when there is a new administration and someone who actually cares about justice running the Justice Department instead of a sock puppet, Mitch will have to go to prison as well. When it is called a trial it isn’t political anymore, it’s a trial. Publicly rounding up the jury and telling them they have to vote a certain way is jury tampering. While we are at it, blocking witnesses from testifying is obstruction of justice. Enjoy the nice long prison sentence you have coming Mitch.

Those who come from Illinois or watch its news know that we sent Blogo to prison for, among other things, shaking down people and entities for campaign contributions.

Federal investigators captured scores of phone calls he made allegedly plotting to have people shaken down for campaign contributions and attempting to get something for himself in exchange for an appointment to Barack Obama’s Senate seat, which he gave up after being elected president in 2008. The case was in fact built on all of that talking, but prosecutors said in Blagojevich’s case, the talking was the crime. They famously argued that if a police officer pulls you over and then asks you for money to tear up a ticket, it’s a crime for them to ask, even if you say no. It’s an attempt to use government power for personal benefit, which is what Blagojevich was convicted of.

Don’t forget the withholding of money for campaign help.

Blagojevich attempted to extort Emanuel, identified in the indictment as “Congressman A,” by withholding a $2 million state grant to a public school in the then-congressman’s district. Blagojevich was demanding that Emanuel’s brother host a campaign fundraiser for him. The fundraiser was never held, and Blagojevich eventually released the grant.

And trying to shake down Children’s Memorial Hospital.

The 20-count indictment charges that Blagojevich arranged a state rate increase that would have provided $8 million in additional funds for 245-bed Children’s Memorial Hospital.

According to the complaint, the former governor then withheld the funding increase, asking the hospital’s CEO Pat Magoon for $25,000 in campaign contributions.

So, let’s take a brief look at impeachment, knowing full well at least one state governor has been put in prison for this exact thing.

Article I: Abuse of power

The Constitution provides that the House of Representatives “shall have the sole Power of Impeachment and that the President shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors”. In his conduct of the office of President of the United States—and in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed—Donald J. Trump has abused the powers of the Presidency, in that:

Using the powers of his high office, President Trump solicited the interference of a foreign government, Ukraine, in the 2020 United States Presidential election. He did so through a scheme or course of conduct that included soliciting the Government of Ukraine to publicly announce investigations that would benefit his reelection, harm the election prospects of a political opponent, and influence the 2020 United States Presidential election to his advantage. President Trump also sought to pressure the Government of Ukraine to take these steps by conditioning official United States Government acts of significant value to Ukraine on its public announcement of the investigations. President Trump engaged in this scheme or course of conduct for corrupt purposes in pursuit of personal political benefit. In so doing, President Trump used the powers of the Presidency in a manner that compromised the national security of the United States and undermined the integrity of the United States democratic process. He thus ignored and injured the interests of the Nation.

Putting this in “regular guy” terms, Trump used his office to extort a campaign contribution exactly like Blagojevich did with Children’s Memorial Hospital. Moneys which had jumped through all legal hoops and were to be given were put on hold for attempted personal political gain.

In Blogo’s case the personal political gain was a $25,000 campaign contribution (which I don’t believe was ever made, but please look that up.)

In Trump’s case, the campaign contribution was to be the announcement of a criminal investigation into Joe Biden and his son. The total dollar amount of this contribution cannot realistically be measured, but it comes in close to priceless. A governmental announcement of an official criminal investigation would have to be reported on U.S. news media. This is what campaign managers refer to as “free media.” Media which is required to cover something without you or your campaign having to pay for it. Clips of the announcement (or the entirety of it) would then be placed on Youtube and other social media sites where they could find millions of eyeballs. As long as they weren’t altered, they could not legally be taken down unless the government of Ukraine suddenly claimed copyright infringement. An official announcement by a government body is news. Even if the investigation isn’t actually happening, it cannot be treated like the pure fiction Fox News constantly broadcasts instead of actual journalism. News organizations claiming to have even the tiniest fraction of journalism going on have to cover such an announcement. Do they have to cover every governmental announcement from the Ukraine? No. One impacting a U.S. presidential candidate? Yes.

This is the “abuse of power” Democrats are doing a really shitty job of communicating to the American people. In Chicago we call it “Politics as Usual.” The average Joe and Jane call it extortion. The House hearings called it quid pro quo.

“What did Ambassador Sondland tell you that he told Mr. Yermak?” Democratic counsel Daniel Goldman asked Morrison. Morrison replied, “That the Ukrainians would have to have the prosecutor general make a statement with respect to the investigations as a condition of having the aid lifted.”

We in Illinois are used to this. Even Ed Burke is being charged with it.

I just wish they would have gotten someone from Illinois to write the impeachment articles. Then we wouldn’t have Republicans going on television trying to say the articles didn’t list a crime.

Update: 2020-01-16

The GAO agrees with me.