Thune Statement on Conclusion of Senate Impeachment Trial
“The Constitution is clear that the primary purpose of impeachment is removal from office, and that’s what I believe the Founders intended.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today released the following statement regarding the conclusion of the Senate impeachment trial:
“The impeachment trial is over and former President Trump has been acquitted. My vote to acquit should not be viewed as exoneration for his conduct on January 6, 2021, or in the days and weeks leading up to it. What former President Trump did to undermine faith in our election system and disrupt the peaceful transfer of power is inexcusable.
“But he is no longer president. The Constitution is clear that the primary purpose of impeachment is removal from office, and that’s what I believe the Founders intended. I have great concerns with the Senate punishing a private citizen with the sole intent of disqualifying him from holding future office. Our Founders designed impeachment to be an extreme remedy and cautioned against its use as a political weapon. We should heed their caution. In our democracy, matters of representation should be left with the people, as the Founders intended.
“I have faith in the American people and the strength of our democracy.”
###
The Democrats are so full of hatred for Trump. It was brought to the front when he defeated Hillary Clinton. It started even before 2016.
They live to hate. Just wait, they will find someone different to hate, but Trump will always be their number one hatred object.
Our worst President since Jefferson Davis.
You must be talking about Obama? I believe you are correct.
Senators Thune and Rounds were both spineless.
Thune still believes there was no election fraud and blames Trump for January 6. His TDS is evident and he needs to go.
Let’s look at a timeline of events that led us to where we are at.
In 2016, Trump claimed electoral fraud after he lost Iowa to Ted Cruz. Source:
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/trump-cruz-stole-iowa-tweet-deleted-218674
Leading up to the general election with Clinton, Trump claimed the election with Clinton was riggedand nearly half of polled republicans said they would not accept if he loss. Source:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-poll-rigging/half-of-republicans-would-reject-election-result-if-clinton-wins-reuters-ipsos-idUSKCN12L2O2
Post election, Trump claimed he would have won the popular vote but for the massive number of illegals who voted for her, a claim he never provided evidence for.
https://www.npr.org/2016/11/27/503506026/trump-makes-unfounded-claim-that-millions-voted-illegally-for-clinton
Fast forward to 2020, and Trump follows the same playbook, claiming ahead of time the election is rigged. Source:
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/25/donald-trump-rigged-election-talk-fears-274477
And we all know how things have turned out since the election where claim after claim have been debunked publicly by courts and state election officials, many of which are republican. And yet, despite knowing all this, you claim Thune is the deranged one. Seek help, Springer. Seriously.
I don’t recall President Trump saying that about the Iowa primary, and I am not doubting what you say. I will say though that if there was as much incompetence in 2016 as there was this past election, President Trump may have had a legitimate complaint.
Or, the simpler explanation: a man who cannot admit he lost will make the same excuse repeatedly and his followers will do everything they can to justify his claims after the fact.
Even Democrats argue there is a problem with the voting machines:
https://www.wnd.com/2021/02/judge-rejects-democrats-claim-voting-machine-fraud/
The problem is not so much that Trump lost, it is that China has stolen America.
In 2016, Trump claimed electoral fraud after he lost Iowa to Ted Cruz. Cruz and Iowa election officials lambasted Trump for making such claims without evidence. Trump threatened lawsuits until he started winning other states, and then he just forgot about Iowa.
Leading up to the general election with Clinton, Trump claimed the election with Clinton was rigged and nearly half of polled republicans said they would not accept if he loss. Posting links is disallowed, but google “reuters, half-of-republicans-would-reject-election-result-if-clinton-wins.”
Post election, Trump claimed he would have won the popular vote but for the massive number of illegals who voted for her, a claim he never provided evidence for.
Fast forward to 2020, and Trump follows the same playbook, claiming ahead of time the election is rigged. Following the election he, of course, screams fraud. Multiple republican appointed judges and republican state election officials have rejected such claims. Predictably, the most fervent supporters of Trump have said “Nobody heard the evidence” despite this also being untrue. As written by Trump appeals court appointed, Stephanos Bibas: “Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy. Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so,” Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here.”
And yet, despite all this information staring you straight in the face, you say Thune is deranged. You are so far gone at this point that I don’t know what could pull you back to reality.
Anon 11:50 – EXACTLY! Preach.
Censure Thune
In my opinion, Senator Thune made the correct decision in voting to acquit President Trump. It really is time to put this whole matter behind us and now address the problems facing this country.
The #1 problem facing this country is voter fraud. Nothing else really matters unless that is corrected.
A claim based on no credible evidence. Grow up.
When I was around 12 years old I read AP (and UPI) news feeds and believed every word. Perhaps you’re the one who needs to grow up, Anonymous. The evidence is too intricate and voluminous for a Comments section. Do your own research rather than being spoon-fed from MSM sources, all of which are effectively identical.
where is the evidence?
The only thing remotely close, was a few states that didn’t follow the same procedures that occured in the 2016 elections.
Additionally, if there was this massive voter fraud, why would Democrats lose seats in the House if there was so much fraud? This does not make sense at all, especially seats in Pennsylvania and Michigan!
He wasn’t acquited, he wasn’t tried, there was no prosecution nor a defense. No case was made, no exoneration in the result. Just a week of political theater both parties hope may give them an edge in the midterms. Only Congress would call a proceeding that nearly derailed over calling witnesses a “trial”. No winner in the result, only losers, as we Americans lost a bit more of what precious little faith we still hold that the Congress represents us.
Exactly MHS. Nobody on either side should take any consolation.
The only thing that motivates these people — every last one of them, including Thune and Rounds — is self-interest. There is no principle, only partisanism and political machinations.
The federal government is broken beyond repair. Time to burn it down.
“Time to burn it down” writes Anonymous.
I have heard this from friends too. You have no idea what that really means. Zero.
He knew Pence and his family were in the Capitol while it was under attack. What does he do? Tweets an attack on Pence.
And some of you think Thune and Rounds are the problem?
I have provided Senator Thune’s office with proof that foreign countries, including China, directly interfered in the election by hacking in and Thune has done nothing about it. Mike Lindell has put together a 2 hour documentary that details the election fraud, thanks to the work of whistle blowers. So the question becomes, how was Thune compromised?
https://theamericanreport.org/2021/02/05/absolute-proof/
Mike Lindell. He is CIA Director, right?
Would you believe who the NYT calls the smartest man in the room:
https://sibbyonline.blogs.com/sibbyonline/2021/02/cyber-security-expert-says-there-was-foreign-interference-in-the-2020-election-where-hundreds-of-tho-1.html
That is just one source that LIndell used in Absolute Proof.
Anyone wants the facts about Mike Lindell and his wacko conspiracy theories needs to Google ‘mike lindell fact check’ …Anyone who doesn’t want you to read the many many DOCUMENTED repudiations of Mike Lindell is doing this country a disservice by spreading their personal agenda.
Beware that the fact checker maybe funded by China, who do not want Americans to learn they hacked our election in order to put their puppet in the White House.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/facebook-fact-checker-funded-by-chinese-money-through-tiktok_3610009.html
The Capitol insurrectionists believed Donald Trump and Mike Lindell wacko ‘hacked election’ lies so they beat Washington DC Capitol police and security guards with American flagpoles, they nearly crushed another to death, they are responsible for 7 dead. They would have killed Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence if they would have found them. Now they claim that the former POTUS made them do it. Look in the mirror to you Republicans that are happy about this.
Most who believe the election was fraudulent did not beat Capitol police, did not kill anybody, did not try and kill Pelosi and Pence, and it was not Trump who provided us with the truth about the China hacks. We are instead exposing the truth via a well researched documentary. We believe the truth will save America from a communist revolution, not violence. We want America to maintain its rule of law so that we can have a Democratic Republic that empowers its leader through free and fair elections. Sad that Senator Thune charges us with undermining that.
In America we believe the rule of law applies to a peaceful transfer of power. Donald Trump had his day in court almost 60 times and he lost every one of them. Instead of moving on so everyone could fight this killer virus that could well engulf the nation with even more unimaginable disabled and dead, he selfishly chose to fire up his sheep to do his bidding. If you believe the courts including the U.S. supreme court conspired against Donald Trump to steal the election, would you storm those courthouses? See how that works for you.
Steve, having interned in a Congressional office, frequent fliers such as yourself often find their mail in the trash bins for sheer lunacy.
At best, you’d get a form letter written by an intern or Legislative Correspondent, but they really don’t care what you have to say and your information is almost assuredly never shown to the member.
This is what happens when you can’t be taken seriously. The same could be said for the most of the people who post here and believe that election fraud occurred.
The president can’t be indicted while in office.
The president can’t be impeached after he leaves office.
Kinda leaves a big gap there for a lame duck president, doesn’t it?
Gee, Ike, can you tell us something President Trump said that caused an insurrection (which was a riot, not an insurrection)? Don’t forget to include the entire quote. Based upon what you seem to believe qualifies, Kamala Harris is next.
Uh, I didn’t say anything about Trump’s guilt or innocence. Re-read it and get back to me. This sword cuts both ways. Presidential accountability (regardless of party) needs to be addressed.
Maybe you did not specifically, but the implication was there. Due to the topic, a normal person would believe you were referencing a specific President.
Typical of people like you who like to parse words so they can say they did not say something.
“This sword cuts both ways. Presidential accountability (regardless of party) needs to be addressed.”
So when the Republicans gain control of the House and the Senate back from the democrats in 2022, you will be on board with impeaching China Joe for using $1B in US tax-payer money for extorting Ukraine….remember, he is on video bragging about it? And to launch a full investigation into the criminal activities of CJ’s family?
If there’s corruption or wrongdoing? Sure! The executive needs to be held to account. Congress has proven they’re not up to the task.
Our fine Senator either turns a blind eye towards some very credible evidence that some anonymous person cannot see or he does not care. There was plenty of evidence to be viewed. If the Senator believes the video of people bringing hidden cases full of ballots out from under a table after witnesses left, the entire video could have been watched. He is not curious as to why six states quit counting at the same time and all suddenly have an influx of the Pretender’s votes. He is not wondering why in Arizona the county election board refuses to allow a forensic audit as demanded by the Arizona senate. There is not much that can be done about the appearance of a stolen election at this time, but we can make things happen so it cannot happen again. Hearings should be held about this. They should have been held in December. Senator Thune is part of the problem. Like this past election, he was not interested in examining what happened to some suspicious votes when he lost to Tim Johnson. It is time to have people in Congress who are willing to stand up to the swamp, not be part of the swamp.
My sources tells me that Senator Thune, along with every member of the Senate and House received a link to Lindell’s Absolute Proof documentary. The truth, which the House Managers called the “Big Lie”, will turn Washington DC upside down.
No, it won’t. How many of your and Q’s proclamations have to turn out wrong before you do some basic introspection and question your worldview?
It won’t as long as the truth is denied, ignored, and/or attacked. Why wouldn’t the possibility that America’s foreign adversaries, including China and Russia, were involved in the 2020 election deserve serious investigation? Why are the whistle blowers saying that such truth is being shut down by the highest levels our government. So much so that Mike Lindell had to deliver the truth to President Trump in person the Friday before the Inauguration? By then it was a little to late, but it is still not too late to make sure this issue is resolved one way or another. Otherwise, we may never have a free and fair Presidential election going forward. Is that really in the best interest of Republicans? Is that really in the best interest of most Americans?
Your source is 100% wrong. Links were not provided to House GOP offices.
Governor Steve Sibson and Lieutenant Governor Lora Hubbel.
Think of the possibilities.
Actually the current Governor agrees that the 2020 election was rigged.
Mike Lindell vs. 60 court decisions and the opinions of 50 Secretaries of State, the US Attorney General as well as the Leader of the US Senate.
Some people will believe one moron vs. all legitimate sources. Nothing will convince them.
The courts said they had no standing and did not take the cases on, except for one…Antrim County in Michigan. The forensic audit confirmed that there was votes switched:
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20423772/antrim-county-forensics-report.pdf
And have you watched the two documentary? If not, then making judgement without doing so is truly the work of a moron. Ignoring the truth does not make it false. The Cancel Culture in today’s political environment makes it very dysfunctional.
Steve Sibson writes:
“My sources tells me that Senator Thune, along with every member of the Senate and House received a link to Lindell’s Absolute Proof documentary. ”
Your “sources”? Ooohh.
These “sources” told you that someone actually emailed all of the members of Congress? I wish I could break stories like that.
Was it you?
So painful to watch ..
Regarding the documentary, the TCP traces represented in the animation at the end of Lindell’s presentation could be verified at the ISP level and with the NSA. As an expert in this field (Master of Science in MIS from Eller), I till attest that, if independently verified, the evidence is damning. They used military grade mobile operations centers mounted to motorcycles (and other vehicles), as I understand it, to obtain the packets at wireless routers connected to Dominion machines, after which ballot differentials were reported to print-and-sign (illegal) operations, who delivered the required ballot differential some hours later the morning after election day. Not a really clean scam at all, and we have evidence coming out of our ears. Is this why Lindell and others are all in? Because they know the military has the packets? Did Trump handover control of the Federal government to the military before leaving office?
It’s clown world, isn’t it?
Regarding Thune, Turtle, Cheney, Pence, and others: I like to think of the whole thing as a character test. Verification of intestinal fortitude under pressure. We have some pretty clear evidence that makes quick work of political ads.
When China or other global adversaries are knocking at the door to steal the birthright of this nation, we need leadership that will stand-up for Old Glory, for this land, and for you and I. In the clutch, I want someone who will drain the game winning shot, hook a picky trout on the top water, and protect election integrity.
“protect election integrity”
We want THAT grand Ol’ Party, or nothing else matters.
“Did Trump handover control of the Federal government to the military before leaving office?”
There are those that argued Trump had the evidence to declare Martial Law, but he did not have the military. It was Lindell who finally broke through the Iron Curtain that prevented Trump from getting the poof that China and other foreign adversaries hacked the election. That was the week before the Inauguration. The Deep State was already vetting the National Guard in DC to make sure there were no Trump supporters.
Regarding Thune’s intestinal fortitude, Lee Schoenbeck has it backwards when it comes to calling out traitors, given the premise that communist China now has a puppet in the White House:
https://sibbyonline.blogs.com/sibbyonline/2021/02/senator-lee-schoenbeck-calls-conservative-senators-josh-hawley-and-ted-kruz-traitors-in-a-media-atta.html
“Martial Law” “Iron Curtain” “Deep State”
Alarm, seasoned with a touch of paranoia.
Disclaimer: I was opposed to DAPL because of property rights issues, not because I oppose oil based economies outright. I watched dozens of hours of live video feeds from ND and formed fact based opinions on much of what occurred around that event; my opinion is defensible while many actions of ETP and Tigerswan were not!
After taking the same tenacity to the review of evidence from the 2020 election, there is no doubt in my mind that Trump won in a landslide, that a global pandemic was packaged with a psychological operation to shutter the world’s economy and kill a global nationalist human-first movement. The operation’s tentacles even reached services like Netflix movie production services, where movie scripts were tailored to position the US for modern warfare tactical domination; exactly the outcome of arguably the first battle of WWIV.
Common sense supports the notion that Trump’s America first policies (populist) would win any fair election. Why would any US Citizen NOT put America first?
Trump’s policies are driving the movement to better manage borders and re-free our markets, not some bizarre rape-fantasy-esque (to the deep state) cult of personality. It’s the monster under the bed that’s not really there. We didn’t vote for Trump. We hired him to champion our obvious common sense America-first agenda. Trump’s America first agenda is only Trump’s agenda to the extent he’s American, too! Very few leaders are positioned to take this flag without having the deep state use “six ways from Sunday to get back atcha”, which is why Trump is our champion.
So, the deep state et al head faked a global pandemic and shattered vitality for the lower 20th of Earth. Now, I think things get real for anyone who thought we had a legitimate democracy without being willing to endure defensive physical confrontation and conflict at the ballot box (help us, veterans).
We can discuss the idiosyncrasies of the evidence over time, but not with anyone who hasn’t watched all of Gunliani’s testimony (and witnesses) before State legislatures, or who hasn’t watched on-site evidence of obstruction of poll watchers in GA, PA, MI, and WI, or who wasn’t really paying attention for steal/take #2 in GA, or who ignored predictions of exactly who/what/why/how/when from over a year ago.
Much of what we’re seeing doesn’t add-up, yet .. but I hope soon we’ll see what’s being reported in the MSM match with the ground-swell of credible evidence including amazing levels of obstruction of all kinds to the obvious and simple act of requesting a fair audit of ballots in a reasonable amount of time (most recently in Maricopa Count, AZ election officials sought a restraining order against the Arizona SENATE).
So please, stop gas lighting us and help us fix the problem by electing leaders that have staff that do homework on this type of issue. It appears as though Thune and McConnell worked together to facilitate the theft of a National election to a group of warmongering globalist satanistic thugs. I think both of these positions should be filled by people who will stand-up for elections in time, when it matters.
Of course, of Thune is working with Trump on some counter operation, I retain the right to revise this opinion.
Email me that evidence before 2022 if you find it.
1. I love Donald Trump’s policies. 2. President Trump made some bad choices when it came to language he used after the election that could be seen as stirring the pot. With emotions so high, he should have been smarter. 3. Many Democrats have written and said much worse things, including actually calling for violence against anyone that supports Trump. 4. Why are they not being criticized by our Congressional delegation with as much vigor as they do when talking about Donald Trump? Thank God Gov. Noem has some guts!!
What do these people have in common?
John Bolton – National Security Advisor
John Kelly – Chief of Staff
Rex Tillerson – Secretary of State
Richard Spencer – Navy Secretary
Anthony Scaramucci – Communications Director
Gary Cohn – National Economic Council
Tom Bossert – Homeland Security
Nikki Haley – UN Ambassador
H R McMaster – National Security Advisor
James Mattis – Defense Secretary
Yes, they all worked in important positions in the Trump Administration. And… they all have questioned his fitness for office.
How can anyone not find that disturbing?
Whoa this is getting way too complicated to comprehend…let’s summarize your thoughts:
1) A whole bunch of minorities and educated women voted for Biden.
2) If we can eliminate their votes we can still overturn the election results.
3) Hopefully this will happen on March 4 2021.
4) If not we need to seriously restrict the voting restrictions so this never happens again.
We do not need to nor should we eliminate legal votes made by minorities and women. What we need to eliminate are the Trump votes that Communist China and other foreign adversaries switched to Biden votes. Any American involved with that should be charged with Insurrection. Who in Congress has the guts to take that on? Thune? Rounds? Dusty?
Just wondering why all those loyal Republican Secretary of State never discovered those ‘switched votes’ that you claim…perhaps your buddy rioters and looters should have invaded and searched these State offices instead of the U.S. Capitol?
Are you repeating Mike Lindell conspiracy theories blaming Dominion voting machines again? Well we will see how that turns out when the defamation lawsuits are settled, won’t we?
Two facts:
1) For a President no longer in office, conviction of impeachment for causing an insurrection has the penalty of never being able to run for public office again.
2) Any American who is convicted of insurrection against the US faces the penalty of fine, imprisonment of not more than 10 years, and never able to run for public office again.
IF President Trump incited insurrection, the penalty for #1 is insufficient and he should face the penalty of #2. IF President Trump did not incite insurrection, he shouldn’t be subject to either #1 or #2.
Thus, beyond the Constitutional question, impeachment is an improper forum for adjudicating the questions outline above. As they did with the first impeachment, the Democrats made a mockery of both the Constitution and its section on impeachment.
Impeaching Chuck Shumer and REMOVAL FROM OFFICE for inciting violence against the Supreme Court is substantially more warranted than either impeachment of Donald Trump.