Acquitted! Or: Dorothy, We're Not In Phillydelphia Anymore

We had trouble mustering enthusiasm to wrap up our final episode of this second season of Pardon Me. Last week's roller coaster of a trial culminated in 43 senators choosing to acquit on a weak and deceptive defense -- despite a factual and painstaking accounting of how bad the breach was, how bad …

There Is No January Exception.

Donald Trump's legal team delivered their defense of the former president Friday. They followed a tightly argued and visceral presentation delivered by House managers that, some say, has made it easy for Republican senators to convict Trump. They likely won't. We wondered if our show, recorded in …

It's Been A Good Week.

We took a chance that House Democrats were going to send the Article of Impeachment to the Senate this week. We were wrong. Instead, the House will transmit its Article of Impeachment charging former President Trump with "incitement of insurrection" to the Senate on Monday. Why should the House wa…

Impeached! Or: We Love You. You're Very Special. Go Home.

Previously on Pardon Me (Another Damn Impeachment Show?): House Democrats voted to impeach President Trump on two Articles of Impeachment: "abuse of power" and "obstruction of Congress." He was later acquitted promptly after Senate Republicans voted against calling witnesses or admitting new eviden…

Hang On A Minute, Lads. I've Got A Great Idea.

Four Department of Justice prosecutors working on the case of Roger Stone, a close friend of President Trump, withdrew from legal proceedings Tuesday after Attorney General William Barr overruled their sentencing recommendations. The president had complained about the long sentence. Barr denied th…

Acquitted! Or: Heading Down A Very, Very Dark Corridor

Note: This episode contains strong language. The Senate acquitted President Trump on both articles of the impeachment. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was the only Republican who voted to convict the president on one charge, for "egregious" behavior he believed rose to the level of a "high crime and mis…

Motion To Call Witnesses Defeated, Or: Poo Pooing On The Pu Pu Platter On Mount Boredom

The Senate has voted, 51 to 49, not to subpoena witnesses or documents in its impeachment trial of President Trump. Closing arguments are expected on Monday, and a verdict could come next Wednesday afternoon. This week, Colin and The Gist's Mike Pesca puzzle over the Republican strategy and Alan D…

John Bolton's Head On A Pike

The New York Times reported Sunday night that former National Security Adviser John Bolton claims in the draft of his new book that President Trump told him in August that he wanted to withhold military aid from Ukraine unless Ukrainian officials helped with investigations into Democrats, including…

The World's Greatest Deliberative Body Or A Bunch Of Bored White Guys Playing With Fidget Spinners?

Chief Justice John Roberts scolded House managers and the President's counsel early Wednesday for using language beneath the dignity of the world's "greatest deliberative body." This, after Senator Susan Collins complained about "unsettling comments" she felt went against Senate rules of decorum. …

Stephen Metcalf: Washing Up On The Shoals Of A Semi-Apocalypse

Slate's Stephen Metcalf thinks President Trump is a hostage to 1979. Why else would he overreact by killing Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani for inciting protesters to storm the U.S. Embassy in Iraq? In President Trump's mind, it was the right response. How else could he avoid the fate of J…