There were four key republican quisling senators who were possibilities on voting to continue the Senate impeachment trial and ask for witnesses:  Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski and Lamar Alexander.

At the conclusion of the Senate questioning phase the results are:

♦ Susan Collins “Yes”, she wants witnesses (link).

♦ Mitt Romney “Yes”, he wants witnesses. (link).

♦ Lisa Murkowski “Undecided” wants to sleep on it (link).

♦ Lamar Alexander “No”, he does not want witnesses (link).

This tentatively puts the current whip vote for possible witnesses at 49 yea and 5o nea – with one undecided.   A 50/50 split should fail in the Senate (but there will be massive narrative manipulation of the rules by MSM).   We won’t know until actual votes on a motion to hear from witnesses are cast.
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Senator Rand Paul appears on Fox News with Martha MacCallum to discuss how the impeachment process originated.   One of Senator Paul’s concerns centers around staff of Adam Schiff and the HPSCI plotting the impeachment process.
Former NSC member Sean Misko (currently on Schiff’s staff), and former DOJ-NSD head, Mary McCord, may have participated in constructing a whistle-blower complaint eventually presented by CIA operative Eric Ciaramella; using false evidence provided by current NSC member Alexander Vindman.

After having his question denied by Chief Justice John Roberts, Senator Rand Paul held a brief press conference to discuss the reason and intent behind his question.  Senator Paul wants to know if Eric Ciaramella and Sean Misko coordinated a plot to construct an impeachment issue from within the National Security Council.
CIA operative Ciaramella and current HPSCI staff member Sean Misko were on the National Security Council (NSC) together.  Currently back in the CIA, Mr. Eric Ciaramella has been identified as the “whistleblower.”
Due to a severe level of media and internet censorship on this issue the Rand Paul presser is being scrubbed.  You can watch below:
[wpvideo 1i1krQj2]
Additionally, former DOJ-NSD head Mary McCord is also a member of the HPSCI impeachment team and has a long-term working relationship with the Intelligence Community Inspector General, Michael Atkinson.
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While presiding over the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump, apparently Chief Justice John Roberts will not allow questions that are targeted to the origination of the House impeachment plot.  WATCH:

“Are you aware that House intelligence committee staffer Shawn Misko had a close relationship with Eric Ciaramella while at the National Security Council together; and are you aware -and how do you respond to- reports that Ciaramella and Misko may have worked together to plot impeaching the President before there were formal house impeachment proceedings?“

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There will be 24 hours of presentation by House Impeachment Managers (over 3 days); 24 hours of presentation by Defense team (over 3 days); 16 hours of Senate questioning; 4 hours of closing arguments, equally divided; and then a Senate debate/vote on further motions to include witnesses. If there are going to be witnesses, they will first be deposed prior to testimony. No witness testimony will be permitted without first being deposed.
The Senate Trial continues today on day nine at 1:00pm ET. Today is the second of two days of alternating questions from Senators 8 hours each party, totaling 16 hours.
Fox News Livestream Link – CSPAN Liveestream Link –

In an effort to assist page load-time we are breaking up the discussion threads. This is the evening presentation following the dinner recess.
There will be 24 hours of presentation by House Impeachment Managers (over 3 days); 24 hours of presentation by Defense team (over 3 days); 16 hours of Senate questioning; 4 hours of closing arguments, equally divided; and then a Senate debate/vote on further motions to include witnesses. If there are going to be witnesses, they will first be deposed prior to testimony. No witness testimony will be permitted without first being deposed.
The Senate Trial continues tonight on day eight at 7:20pm ET. This is the evening session during the first of two days of alternating questions from Senators.
Fox News Livestream – Fox Business Livestream – PBS Livestream Link

Lawyers representing Lt. General Michael Flynn have filed a motion to dismiss [pdf here] citing “government misconduct”.  Additionally Mr. Flynn has filed a declaration [pdf here] requesting to remove his prior guilty plea and take the case to trial.  Hours later the DOJ revised their sentencing memo, dropped their request for jail time and offered probation.
Within the motion to dismiss (full pdf embed below) Flynn’s legal team point out several issues with the prosecution of Mr. Flynn and highlight the recent findings, admissions and briefs amid the IG report, DOJ notifications to the FISA Court, and FISC orders therein.

NOTE: FBI Supervisory Special Agent Joseph Pientka III, the FBI agent with his finger in the majority of the corrupt FBI activity, has an ongoing protective court order upon his personage requiring the redaction and/or removal of his name from any government or case document.   No-one has publicly stated the reason for the protective order.
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Three days before the New York Times received a selectively leaked copy of a book manuscript written by John Bolton, Mr. Bolton’s lawyers were informed by the White House the manuscript could not be published.  [Source: John Roberts]

On January 23rd John Bolton was denied authorization to publish. On the evening of January 26th the New York Times wrote about a copy of the transcript.  It now appears Bolton’s team held a retaliatory motive and may have leaked the manuscript themselves.

There will be 24 hours of presentation by House Impeachment Managers (over 3 days); 24 hours of presentation by Defense team (over 3 days); 16 hours of Senate questioning; 4 hours of closing arguments, equally divided; and then a Senate debate/vote on further motions to include witnesses. If there are going to be witnesses, they will first be deposed prior to testimony. No witness testimony will be permitted without first being deposed.
The Senate Trial continues today on day eight at 1:00pm ET. Today is the beginning of two days of alternating questions from Senators 8 hours each party, totaling 16 hours.
Fox News Livestream – Fox Business Livestream – PBS Livestream Link

Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley are on a fishing expedition to unearth the origination of conflicts within the IG report on FISA abuse. However, a word of caution, they could be on a snipe hunt and here’s why.
First, their letter. Grassley has a history within this story. Grassley has been lied to by the FBI about their use of dossier author Christopher Steele. Two years ago Grassley/Graham called out the FBI lies by sending the DOJ a criminal referral for Chris Steele.  Not surprisingly the referral went no-where and was summarily ignored by the DOJ.
Now, Grassley/Johnson want four IG footnotes declassified by Bill Barr.

(pdf link)

Grassley and Johnson are noting contradictions within the IG report.  If they are looking to reconcile contradictions, save yourself some research and read an article by Margot Cleveland SEE HERE which seems to be the north-star Chuck and Ron are following.
People are starting to question the assembly of the IG report because the underlying explanations by the FBI officials within it are fraught with a lack of candor.
Many of the officials who gave explanations to the inspector generals’ office are the same FBI officials who participated in the scheme to target Donald Trump, president-elect Trump, and President Trump.   As a consequence the FBI contradictions stem from sketchy FBI surveillance explanations that do not match the documented FBI activity.
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