Nancy Pelosi wins again

| 4:30 pm EST January 6, 2020
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Throughout the House impeachment process, Palmer Report pointed out that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was holding all the cards for what came next, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was holding none of them. Pelosi had numerous options when it came to sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Sure enough, she chose to hang onto them for awhile, knowing the political winds were blowing in her favor. Now she’s getting the payoff.

John Bolton, loyal to no one but himself, has suddenly decided that now is finally the right time for him to testify in Donald Trump’s impeachment. Whether this is about Iran, or his upcoming tell-all book, or something else altogether, the bottom line is that McConnell will now have a very hard time getting away with not calling Bolton to testify.

If Bolton testifies, it’ll be so devastating for Donald Trump, certain Republican Senators will have to selfishly reevaluate whether continuing to prop Trump up is in their own personal best interests when it comes to their own reelection odds. It’s tough to say precisely how these things can go, because it all comes down to scales being tipped by unpredictable amounts. But the bottom line is that by hanging onto the articles of impeachment, Pelosi has managed to steer things from what would have been a sham trial and automatic acquittal, to now having a fighting chance at a fair trial. Bolton’s testimony would also boost pro-impeachment poll numbers and further hurt Trump’s 2020 chances, even if he’s not removed via impeachment.

This isn’t even the only iron that Nancy Pelosi has in the impeachment fire. She and the Democratic House are still fighting ongoing court battles to obtain Donald Trump’s tax returns, Robert Mueller’s redacted grand jury materials, and other evidence. She can still bring more articles of impeachment if she wants – before or after the Senate holds its trial on the existing two articles. Pelosi still holds all of the cards on this matter. McConnell is being reminded that he holds none.