Senate

Senate confirms John Ratcliffe as the next Director of National Intelligence

The Senate on Thursday confirmed Rep. John Ratcliffe, Texas Republican, as the next director of national intelligence. His confirmation — which was approved by a 49-44 vote largely along party lines — came roughly two weeks after his nomination hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee. During the hearing, Mr. Ratcliffe vowed to keep political considerations out of his work, amid reports of tension between the White House and intelligence analysts over China’s role in the coronavirus pandemic. Mr. Trump tapped Mr. Ratcliffe to head the intelligence community at the end of February, days after he fired the former acting DNI chief Joseph Maguire. In the following weeks, Mr. Trump removed a small handful of top intelligence officials, including Michael Atkinson, former inspector general for the intelligence community. During Mr. Ratcliffe’s nomination hearing, he said that, if confirmed, an immediate priority will be to probe the origins of the new coronavirus, as Mr. Trump and top aides escalate a war of words with China over the handling of the outbreak. A U.S. intelligence consensus has reportedly concluded the virus most likely originated naturally, but Mr. Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo say they have seen evidence that a Chinese lab in Wuhan could have played a role in releasing the new virus. In general terms, Mr. Ratcliffe said China was the country’s “greatest threat actor right now.” His confirmation was welcomed by Republicans in the Senate, namely by Sen. Marco Rubio, who was recently picked to be the acting chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “I look forward to working with Director Ratcliffe as he oversees the efforts of our nation’s 17 intelligence agencies,” the Florida Republican said in a statement following the vote. “In a time when the threats to our nation are many and varied, it is critical to have a Senate-confirmed DNI ensuring the wide array of intelligence agencies are sharing information across lines, coordinating capabilities, and working in the furtherance of our nation’s security using 21st century, cutting-edge capabilities,” Mr. Rubio said, adding that he is “confident” Mr. Ratcliffe will fulfill these responsibilities.

Agreed.  We congratulate Congressman John Ratcliffe (R-TX) on his confirmation by the Senate, and wish him well in his new assignment as the DNI.

Senate passes bill removing rogue Chinese firms from US stock exchanges

The U.S. Senate has passed a bill boosting oversight of companies based in China and other nations that could lead to their removal from American stock exchanges. The vote on the measure, introduced more than a year ago by Sens. John Kennedy, R-La., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., comes as Congress and the Trump administration seek ways to punish Beijing for its initial handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. First identified in the Chinese province of Wuhan, the disease has infected 4.9 million people and killed more than 324,000. Efforts to curb its spread have halted global growth and sent unemployment in the U.S. spiking to nearly 15 percent, the highest since the Great Depression. The legislation’s focus on Chinese stocks stems from pre-virus concerns that Chinese firms listed on America’s exchanges are currently not subject to the same investor protection rules and accounting standards as U.S. companies, leaving small retail investors facing a higher risk of fraud. The bill, which passed on Wednesday, says that if the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board — a nonprofit established by Congress after the WorldCom and Enron scandals of the early 2000s — is denied access to a foreign stock issuer’s books for three years, the Securities and Exchange Commission will prohibit trading in the shares on U.S. exchanges. The legislation tells all the companies in the world that “if you want to list on an American exchange, you have to submit an audit and the SEC has the right to look at that audit, and audit the audit,” Kennedy said on the Senate floor. “And if you refuse not once, not twice, but three times — if over a three-year period, each of those three years, the company says, ‘You cannot audit my audit,’ then they can no longer be listed.” To become law, the measure titled the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act would still have to be approved by the Democratically-controlled House of Representatives and signed by the president. “After a decade of pounding the tables on the issue of China companies defrauding U.S. investors, we are encouraged to see this bill pass the Senate and we hope it becomes law,” Carson Block, short-seller and founder of Muddy Waters Research, told FOX Business in an emailed statement. “By listing in the U.S., these companies have ready access to U.S. retail investors’ money, and so long as China effectively remains a rogue country for U.S. securities regulation, its companies should not have access to our markets.” Fradulent listings of Chinese companies on U.S. markets have cost investors billions of dollars over the past decade. There were 156 Chinese companies listed on U.S. Exchanges worth $1.2 trillion as of Feb. 25, 2019, according to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Just this week, Luckin Coffee, the Xiamen, China-based beverage chain, received a delisting notice from Nasdaq after the company’s chief operating officer was found last month to have fabricated as much as $310 million in sales in 2019. Luckin shares debuted on the Nasdaq at $17 apiece on May 16, 2019, and reached a high of $50.02 on January 17, valuing the Starbucks challenger at as much as $12.02 billion. Its value had plummeted to below $700 million on Wednesday. China just needs to be “responsible and there needs to be no double standards,” Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., told FOX Business’ Neil Cavuto on Wednesday. “If a U.S. company has to meet certain requirements and auditing to be on the New York Stock Exchange, shouldn’t we ask that of Chinese companies as well?”

Kudos to the Senate for FINALLY passing this important piece of legislation.  Now it goes to the Dem-controlled House…and God only knows what’ll happen with it there…

Sen. Graham introduces bill to sanction China if it refuses to cooperate on coronavirus investigation

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Tuesday introduced legislation that would allow President Trump to impose a wide range of sanctions on the Chinese government if it refuses to cooperate with an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. “I’m convinced that without Chinese Communist Party deception the virus would not be here in the United States,” Graham said in a statement. “China refuses to allow the international community to go into the Wuhan lab to investigate. They refuse to allow investigators to study how this outbreak started. I’m convinced China will never cooperate with a serious investigation unless they are made to do so. This hard-hitting piece of legislation will sanction China until they cooperate with investigators. “ The COVID-19 Accountability Act would require Trump to certify to Congress that China had: cooperated with an international coronavirus investigation, led by either the U.S., an ally or a U.N. body; closed all relevant wet markets, and released Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters arrested during the crisis. If not, then Trump would be authorized by Congress to impose a range of sanctions — including asset freezes, travel bans and measures barring U.S. institutions from making loans to Chinese businesses. The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Mike Braun, R-Ind., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Todd Young, R-Ind., Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss. “China must be more forthcoming as investigations begin and we endeavor to learn lessons from this disaster,” Hyde-Smith said. “This legislation will demonstrate to the communist regime in Beijing that the world needs answers on how this pandemic started and spread misery across the globe.” It comes as part of a growing appetite in Congress to investigate and possibly punish the Chinese for their actions in the initial outbreak of the crisis. House Republicans last week launched a “China Task Force” to coordinate a strategy against the geopolitical threat from Beijing — eyed as a clearinghouse to coordinate responses to the threat from China. Meanwhile, the U.S. is investigating how the virus initially spread — and particularly whether it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan, China, or the result of transmission at a nearby wet market. Fox News reported in April that there is increasing confidence from U.S. officials about the role of the laboratory, where it is believed that naturally occurring strain was being studied as part of an effort to show Chinese superiority in identifying and combating viruses. Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell later announced that the U.S. is investigating that possibility. Meanwhile, a 15-page document from the intelligence agencies of the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand was obtained by Australia’s Saturday Telegraph newspaper and reportedly found that China’s secrecy amounted to an “assault on international transparency.” The dossier highlighted the initial denial by the Chinese government that the virus could be transmitted between humans, the silencing of doctors, destruction of evidence, and a refusal to provide samples to scientists working on a vaccine. Click here for more:

Sen. Graham: Senate Should Punish China ‘Severely’ for Causing Pandemic

Thursday on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said the Chinese government is to blame for the coronavirus pandemic, which caused American deaths and record unemployment. Graham said, “The first thing I want to do is get the United States Senate on the record where we, we don’t blame Trump, we blame China. The Chinese government is responsible for 16,000 American deaths and 17 million Americans being unemployed. It’s the Chinese government and the way they behave that led to this pandemic. This is the third one to come out of China. I want to make our response to this so overwhelming that China will change its behavior.” He added, “I want to get the medical supply chain back into the United States. I want to stop counseling some debt that we owe to China because they should be paying us. So I think you will see a bipartisan push back against China to punish them so severely to deter them in the future.” On mass testing for the virus, Graham said, “There is two kinds of tests, do you have it or have you had at? A lot of people have had it and don’t know it. We need to test them and get them back to work because they are good to go, and we need tests to show they don’t have it right now. If we are going to get the economy back open safely and the way to do it does have a testing regime that allows people to go back to work safely. Better days lie ahead.”

Senate Democrats Block GOP Proposal for Extra $250 Billion in Small Business Aid

Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a Republican effort to unanimously pass legislation to add $250 billion to the government’s small business loan program aimed at helping companies devastated by the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) attempted to forward the bill by unanimous consent, but Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) opposed the move, pumping the brakes on President Donald Trump’s plan to bolster the “paycheck protection” program. In a Senate floor speech, McConnell affirmed that the proposal would not impact the “policy language” of the $2 trillion bi-partisan coronavirus relief package passed late last month. “We need more funding and we need it fast,” McConnell urged. “Do not block emergency aid you do not oppose just because you want something more.” Several other top Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), expressed support for the plan this week. “America’s small businesses are working hard to support their employees and the communities they live in. To help them do that, Congress has passed the most ambitious relief package in history for small businesses with the Paycheck Protection Program,” said McCarthy. “The demand for that program has been overwhelming and in just one week, the federal government has provided tens of billions of dollars in relief.” “I support the Secretary’s request and following the Senate’s approval, the House should move swiftly to do the same and provide confidence to small businesses across the country that their government will be there for them,” he added. Leading up to McConnell’s request, Democrats suggested that they would shoot down the measure. Democrats want add-ons and protections to make sure businesses in disadvantaged communities are able to participate. McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) outlined their positions in relatively muted rhetoric Wednesday — tacit acknowledgment of the urgency of the measure. McConnell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin say the business program, which involves direct subsidies to companies to keep employees on payroll and pay their rent, is on track to quickly deplete its first $350 billion infusion as businesses rush to apply for the aid.

Remember this..  The Democrats in the Senate held up this emergency funding for small businesses because they wanted to tag additional things onto it.  It was a “clean bill,” which means it was just about small business emergency funding; nothing else.  Under normal circumstances, the Dems would go for this.  But, given the current crisis we’re in, they don’t want to miss the chance to add all sorts of other unrelated liberal agenda nonsense.  So, until they get their political “porn” (as Sen. John Kennedy calls it) added to the bill, they’re gonna hold it up.  Small businesses employ more than 40% of the American workforce and are in dire need of financial help right now.  Again, remember this…especially if you own, or work for, a small business.

Former Sen. Tom Coburn dies after years-long cancer battle

Former Senator Tom Coburn, R-Okla., a fiscal conservative and a fierce opponent of wasteful spending in the federal government, has died after a years-long fight with prostate cancer. Coburn, who retired from the Senate in 2015 amid complications with cancer, died late Friday. His death was first reported by The Oklahoman. He was 72. “Because of his strong faith, he rested in the hope found in John chapter 11 verse 25 where Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, will live, even though they die.’ Today he lives in heaven,” his family said in a statement to the outlet. He served in the House from 1995 to 2001 and in the Senate from 2005 to 2015. Coburn brought his experience as a doctor to the Hill, and was known for his fiscal conservatism and his strong stance against government waste as trillion-dollar deficits became a regular occurrence in Washington D.C.. He picked up the nickname “Dr. No” and released a “Waste Book” every year that outlined some of the more egregious examples of government waste. “We’re running trillion-dollar deficits. The way you get rid of trillion-dollar deficits — a billion at a time,” Coburn told Fox News in 2012. Vice President Mike Pence hailed Coburn as “a great conservative voice in the United States Congress and American physician whose legacy will live on.” Sen, James Lankford, R-Okla., who succeeded Coburn in the Senate in 2015 paid tribute to Coburn as a “tremendous leader” and a “great friend.” “He was unwavering in his conservative values, but he had deep and meaningful friendships with people from all political and personal backgrounds. He was truly respected by people on both sides of the aisle,” he said in a statement. “Dr. Coburn will be remembered by many around the country for his work in Congress, but in Oklahoma, he will be remembered as a physician, a Sunday School teacher, and a mentor,” he said. He delivered over 4,000 babies and cared for thousands of moms in Muskogee. His greatest joy was his wife Carolyn and his daughters Callie, Katie, and Sarah and their families. Cindy and I pray for the Coburn family as they walk through this incredibly hard journey. They have lost a husband, father, and grandfather; we have lost a friend and a leader.” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Coburn “was truly ‘Mr. Smith goes to Washington.'” “Very glad his suffering is over and he is now with the Lord,” Graham said. “Tom was a great senator, a terrific husband and father, and a dear friend.”

Was very sorry to hear of former Sen. Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) passing.  For those of us who are nauseated by the grotesque wasteful spending by Congress on ridiculous nonsense that we, the taxpayers, are forced to pay for..  Tom was a nothing short of a hero.  He was an unwavering warrior fighting that crap,  His successor, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) at least for a while took up the mantle of writing the annual “Wastebook” that Tom put out every year cataloging all of the horrendous, and unconstitutional, expenditures in Congress, again, that you and I were stuck with the bill for.   Of course, given the current paradigm, that probably is on the back burner.  But, once we get back to some sense of normalcy, we hope Sen. Lankford, or someone else in the Senate or House, will take up that mission.  Our prayers go out to Carolyn and his daughters and the rest of the Coburn family during this tough time.  Thanks for all you did, for all of us, Tom.  R.I.P.

Senate Unanimously Passes Historic Coronavirus Relief Package

The Senate passed a substantial emergency relief bill on Wednesday night that would provide aid to small businesses, hospitals, and Americans suffering from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The Senate passed H.R. 748, the CARES Act, with 96 votes in favor of the bill and no senators opposed to the legislation. The legislation featured unanimous support from Republicans and Democrats. The legislation required 60 votes to pass through the Senate. The Senate coronavirus package costs roughly $2 trillion and is approximately 880-pages long. The Senate shot down an amendment to the bill sponsored by Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), which would reverse the bill’s generous unemployment benefits. Sens. Sasse, Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Rick Scott (R-FL) contended that the legislation would incentivize Americans not to work. The amendment required 60 votes to pass through the chamber. Sasse’s amendment was shot down with 48 votes in favor and 48 against the measure. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin rebuffed the Republican senators’ concerns over the bill, contending this will help those who involuntarily lost their jobs. “I don’t think it will create incentives. Most Americans, what they want, they want to keep their jobs,” Mnuchin said. “We need to get this money into the American economy and American workers, that’s the importance of this,” he added. The Senate Cares Act would provide most Americans $1,200 per individual, $500 for most children, and establish a several hundred billion dollar lending aid program for businesses, cities and states, as well as aid for small businesses. The bill also omits many Democrat requests such as mandatory early voting, ballot harvesting, requirements that federal agencies analyze their use of “minority banks,” and provisions to curb airline emissions. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said on the Senate floor before the vote that the chamber “will stay nimble” to combat the coronavirus. He added that there would be no more votes in the Senate until April 20.

Think about this..  The vote was 96-0 in the Senate!  What a credit to Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) leadership.  Great job Mitch!!  Now, the bill is back to the House where Nancy Pelosi, who can’t spell the word leadership and doesn’t give a damn about American workers, will dilly dally and drag this thing out, while Americans are suffering.  Hopefully, she’ll can get off her pompous ass tonight, or tomorrow latest, and get this thing passed in her chamber, and get it to President Trump’s desk for his signature.

Sen. Chuck Schumer Hit with Ethics Complaints for Threat to SCOTUS Justices

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) faces multiple ethics complaints for threatening Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch on the steps of the high court. Schumer declared at a Center for Reproductive Rights rally last Wednesday that the two conservative judges will “pay the price” if they vote against pro-choice advocates in a case regarding a Louisiana abortion law. “Over the last three years, women’s reproductive rights have come under attack in a way we haven’t seen in modern history. From Louisiana, to Missouri, to Texas, Republican legislatures are waging a war on women, all women, and they’re taking away fundamental rights,” he warned. “I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you, Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you, if you go forward with these awful decisions.” Following blowback from Republicans, the New York Democrat offered a non-apology, saying he “shouldn’t have used the words I did” while claiming conservatives were “manufacturing outrage” over the statement. On Friday, the National Legal Policy Center filed complaints against Schumer with both the Senate Ethics Committee and New York bar. “It strains credulity to believe that, regardless of his Brooklyn pedigree, Sen. Schumer, who is a Harvard-educated lawyer, Senator minority leader, and vocal opponent of both Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, did not intend to choose the exact words he spoke as he turned and pointed to the Supreme Court behind him to further emphasize his point,” the NLPC’s complaint reads. “In short, his non-apology is a lame excuse for inexcusable conduct.” The Landmark Legal Foundation, which is chaired by conservative talk radio host Mark Levin, also submitted a complaint to the upper chamber’s ethics panel Thursday. “The Senate must immediately reprimand, if not censure, Sen. Schumer for his outrageous and dangerous attack on Supreme Court Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh,” said the complaint, alleging that the lawmaker’s comments could amount to “improper conduct which may reflect upon the Senate.” In a separate complaint, attorney Joseph Gioconda wrote to New York’s Grievance Committee for the Second Judicial District: “At a minimum, Attorney/Senator Schumer’s statements appear to be improper conduct that reflects upon his character and fitness to practice law in New York.” Schumer’s remarks prompted a rare rebuke by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, who called the New York Democrats’ threat both “inappropriate” and “dangerous.” “Justices know that criticism comes with the territory, but threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous. All Members of the Court will continue to do their job, without fear or favor, from whatever quarter,” he said. President Donald Trump also took aim at Schumer, calling for him to face “severe” punishment. “This is a direct & dangerous threat to the U.S. Supreme Court by Schumer. If a Republican did this, he or she would be arrested, or impeached. Serious action MUST be taken NOW!” the president tweeted. “There can be few things worse in a civilized, law abiding nation, than a United States Senator openly, and for all to see and hear, threatening the Supreme Court or its Justices. This is what Chuck Schumer just did. He must pay a severe price for this!” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced a motion last Thursday to censure Schumer, with the support of 14 other Republican senators. “Senator Schumer has acknowledged that threatening statements can increase the dangers of violence against government officials when he stated on June 15, 2017, following the attempted murder of several elected Members of Congress, ‘We would all be wise to reflect on the importance of civility in our [N]ation’s politics’ and that ‘the level of nastiness, vitriol, and hate that has seeped into our politics must be excised,’ the resolution reads.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is FINALLY being called to the carpet for his outrageous, and  WAY over-the-top threatening remarks he made on the steps of the Supreme Court while they were literally in session.  Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) is absolutely right in calling for him to be censured by the Senate, and we support his efforts and call on more Senate Republicans to sign on to his motion.  That’s the very least that happen from the Senate’s side.  And, hopefully these complaints to the NY state Bar and elsewhere will bear fruit.   Most in D.C. have grown accustomed to Chuck’s obnoxious grandstanding, and accept him for what he is; a duplicitous, hypocritical, self-serving, arrogant, obnoxious, extremely liberal, elitist blowhard who loves to talk down to the rest of us peasants over his reading glasses.   But, this time he crossed a line, and needs to be held to account.  As was mentioned in the article, he is a Harvard-educated attorney, and has been in politics for a VERY long time.  What he said on those steps he was reading…and he knew EXACTLY what he was saying.  So, the Senate, and the NY State Bar shouldn’t accept his bs and spin as he tries to dance around it.  He needs to be formally held to account and made and example of.  If you agree, the email BOTH of your U.S. Senators, and tell them you want Chuck to be censured.

After impeachment acquittal, Senate confirms another Trump court pick over Dem objections

Minutes after Chief Justice John Roberts gaveled out President Trump’s impeachment trial, which had consumed the Senate for almost three weeks, Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., got right back to what he’s said is his top priority — confirming judges. Less than half-an-hour after TV networks cut away from the Senate to dive into the ramifications of the body acquitting Trump, McConnell filed cloture on the nomination of Judge Andrew Brasher to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, a procedural step that moved the controversial nominee one step closer to confirmation. The Senate took the next step to confirming Brasher with a 46-41 cloture vote Monday, then confirmed him 52-43 on Tuesday. Progressive groups, which have opposed many Trump nominees, cried foul over the move. “Last Wednesday, a narrow majority of the Senate voted to cover up the president’s actions. Immediately after the vote to betray our democracy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell turned right back to nominations,” said Lena Zwarensteyn, the Fair Courts campaign director for The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “McConnell is staying the course on shielding the president’s actions from checks and balances and stacking the courts with nominees who have records of hostility to civil and human rights, particularly voting rights.” Others on Monday a conference call with reporters that was organized by the liberal group included Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., former Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum and NAACP Alabama State Conference President Bernard Simelton. They said Brasher has a history of fighting against voting rights, gay rights, women’s health care and environmental protection. “Voting rights are at the very foundation of civil liberties and civil rights in our society, and we should be doing everything possible to protect and defend them,” Coons said. “I’m gravely concerned that Judge Andrew Brasher, if confirmed to the Eleventh Circuit, would only continue the efforts to roll them back. Judge Brasher’s record and lack of candor during his confirmation hearing show that he is unfit for this appellate judgeship in the Eleventh Circuit, and I will be voting no.” The 38-year-old Brasher is Trump’s 51st judge confirmed to the appeals courts and 188th overall, according to a Heritage Foundation count. He was confirmed to the Middle District Court of Alabama last year and was previously the Alabama Solicitor General, a job in which he argued before the Supreme Court and the 11th Circuit, the bench Trump and Senate Republicans would like him to join. Also a former white-collar criminal defense lawyer and civil litigator, Brasher received a unanimous “Well-Qualified” rating from the American Bar Association for his nomination to the 11th Circuit. Republicans have been supportive of Brasher’s nomination, which saw a cloture vote split on party lines with no defections either way. “Andrew Brasher is an outstanding choice to serve as a district judge for the Middle District of Alabama,” Sen. Richard Shelby said when Brasher was confirmed to his district court post in May. “His judicial temperament and vast legal experience make him well-suited to assume this new role.” Shelby was just as supportive of the judge when Trump nominated him to the 11th Circuit in November.

Another Trump judicial nominee confirmed by the Senate, and the left is losing its mind because he is eminently qualified.  He even got his law degree, cum laude, from Harvard.  But he’s a member of the Federalist Society and a solidly conservative judge.  Er go why the left is losing its mind.  Gotta love that!  Kudos to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for getting another excellent judge confirmed in the Senate!  For more, click on the text above.     🙂

Schumer wants ‘impartial’ impeachment trial for Trump but didn’t want one for Clinton: Report

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer took a hit in the liberal media Friday when CNN reported the New York Democrat argued repeatedly during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment in the late 1990s that the Senate wasn’t an impartial “jury box.” Mr. Schumer has criticized Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in recent days for describing himself as “not an impartial juror” in advance of President Trump’s impeachment trial. “That is an astonishing admission of partisanship,” Mr. Schumer said on the Senate floor of his Republican counterpart. But Mr. Schumer campaigned for the Senate in 1998 on a pledge not to impeach or convict Mr. Clinton, CNN noted, and he gave several television interviews in 1998 and 1999 in which he described the Senate as “quite different from a jury” during impeachment trials. “We have a pre-opinion,” Mr. Schumer said on “Larry King Live” in January 1999, referring to himself and two newly elected Republican senators who had voted on impeachment as House members in 1998 and planned to vote in Mr. Clinton’s Senate trial. “This is not a criminal trial, but this is something that the Founding Fathers decided to put in a body that was susceptible to the whims of politics.” Mr. King asked him in the interview, “So therefore, anybody taking an oath tomorrow can have a pre-opinion; it’s not a jury box.” “Many do,” Mr. Schumer replied. “And then they change. In fact, it’s also not like a jury box in the sense that people will call us and lobby us. You don’t have jurors called and lobbied and things like that. I mean, it’s quite different than a jury. And we’re also the judge.” As a lame-duck member of the House Judiciary Committee in 1998, Mr. Schumer voted against Mr. Clinton’s impeachment. Then as a senator in 1999, he voted to acquit Mr. Clinton.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is such a brazen hypocrite.  Its hard to even listen to him.  He’s such a sleazy, self-serving politician.  What a tool…  For more, click on the text above.