For Chris Matthews, impeaching and removing Donald Trump was now a given. The Hardball host on Wednesday moved on to impeaching and removing Mike Pence. Matthews repeatedly pressed his new obsession with Democratic senators and liberal journalists. Talking to Chris Coons, he demanded, “The Vice President now, according to reporting as of tonight, seems to be engaged in the same thing Trump was engaged in, which is basically shaking down a foreign leader to get dirt on a political opponent, the candidate you're supporting, Joe Biden. Shouldn't he be the subject of an impeachment inquiry as well at this point?”
A confused Coons responded, “I think it’s important we focus on the facts.” Matthews huffed, “I’m talking the facts.” Speaking with certitude as to exactly what’s going on, Matthews declared Pence guilty: “I realize [Trump has] got William Barr, the Attorney General in cahoots with him. He’s got Secretary of State, Pompeo, in cahoots with him. Now, he’s got the Vice President dragged into this cabal.”
As though he was writing political fan fiction, the MSNBC host speculated to Senator (and 2020 Democrat) Kamala Harris on the removal of Pence:
You know, if possible, if it comes to a Senate trial, and it may well by the end of this year where you'll be a juror in that trial for removal of the President from office after he's impeached, if that develops as the history of this year, you're going to a Vice President of the United States who would take the presidency after having been involved personally in the cabal that we'd be impeaching the President for. How does that make sense historically? If Pence was part of this how could he survive as president when Trump goes?
Talking to liberal journalist David Corn, he bought up the subject of impeaching Pence yet again:
What about the conundrum here? If this President is impeached, which I think is pretty likely right now and if he's removed from office, which there's less chance of that perhaps, but if he is removed from office in favor of Mike Pence, Mike Pence is involved in the same cabal which is using U.S. foreign policies to get dirt on rivals.
Not mentioned in all of this is that if Trump and Pence are impeached and removed, Nancy Pelosi becomes president. That couldn’t have anything to do with Matthews’s fixation, could it?
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
Hardball
10/02/19
7:03 PM ET
CHRIS MATTHEWS: This is not fun. It's serious. But the Vice President now according to reporting seems to be engaged in the same thing Trump was engaged in which is basically shaking down a foreign leader to get dirt on a political opponent, the candidate you're supporting, Joe Biden. Shouldn't he be the subject of an impeachment inquiry as well at this point?
SENATOR CHRIS COONS: Look I think it's important we focus on the facts here. The facts are that we ---
MATTHEWS: I’m talking the facts.
COONS: I’m sorry?
MATTHEWS: I'm talking the facts. The facts now point to he and not showing up to the inauguration, for his conversation with President Zelensky. He was working the same vein of opportunity the President himself was working, to leverage the need of that country for foreign military assistance, particularly weapons to use against tanks to get dirt on the candidate you support.
7:20 PM ET
[Talking to Senator Kamala Harris.]
MATTHEWS: I'm joined by presidential Democratic candidate, Senator Kamala Harris. Senator, what do you make of this as a prosecutor, former prosecutor? This witness intimidation, scaring a witness, it seems almost mob-like, racketeer-like to say, “All right you're going to go up there, you're going to turn evidence against us for the state, look out.”
…
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you your big thoughts about the range and scope of what's going on right now. I said in an earlier segment I thought Trump was in this for himself and now I realize he's got William Barr, the Attorney General in cahoots with him. He’s got Secretary of State, Pompeo, in cahoots with him. Now, he’s got the Vice President dragged into this cabal. They all working together to get dirt on one of the presidential candidates, Biden. It seems like it’s all now to the nasty business of oppo research run by the President with these guys, men, behind him. They’re not just sycophants like Lindsey Graham. They’re in it. What do you make of it?
…
MATTHEWS: You know, if possible, if it comes to a Senate trial, and it may well by the end of this year where you'll be a juror in that trial for removal of the President from office after he's impeached, if that develops as the history of this year, you're going to a Vice President of the United States who would take the presidency after having been involved personally in the cabal that we'd be impeaching the President for. How does that make sense historically? If Pence was part of this how could he survive as president when Trump goes?
7:52
[Talking to journalist David Corn]
MATTHEWS:
What about the conundrum here? If this President is impeached, which I think is pretty likely right now and if he's removed from office, which there's less chance of that perhaps, but if he is removed from office in favor of Mike Pence, Mike Pence is involved in the same cabal which is using U.S. Foreign policies to get dirt on rivals.
>> Help us fight back against the media’s impeachment crusade. <<
