RUSH: What did I tell you yesterday? What did I tell you? So, here comes the big news. Let’s see. This is Thursday, right? So, on Tuesday, late Tuesday, there’s the Drudge headline: “McConnell Says He Doesn’t Have the Votes to Stop Witnesses!” I said, “Don’t believe it. There’s some kind of a play going on here. There’s some kind of a move being made.” Lo and behold, do not doubt me, folks. It was only a matter of hours until we learned that the Republican caucus lunch…

What happened is McConnell had, I guess, a 20- or 30-minute meeting with Lisa Murkowski; then an entire caucus lunch, and they came out of there, and the news was exactly what I thought it was gonna be. They don’t have four Republicans who are gonna vote for witnesses, and that’s why the Democrats… This guy from Maryland, Chris Van Hollen, tomorrow supposedly is going to make a motion to allow the chief justice to call for witnesses and the chief justice to call for documents.

We don’t know how that’s gonna go because the chief justice is obviously on the Democrat side here. It may be more proper to say that the chief justice doesn’t like Trump. I mean, this we know. The chief justice is a Never Trumper, and yesterday Rand Paul attempted to ask a question that included the name Eric Ciaramella — Eric Ciaramella is the whistleblower — and the chief justice said (paraphrased), “We’re not gonna allow that. You can’t trick me! We’re not gonna have the whistleblower’s name here.

“Everybody knows who it is, but we’re not gonna let it happen here, not on the floor of the United States Senate.” Now, let me tell you what I think is really going on here, folks. It is a little… You gotta see the stitches on the fastball here, gotta be able to see the spin on the curveball. But I want to tell you what’s going on, and, if you’ve been following the Drive-By Media, this may seem not what you’re hearing. But then again, that’s why you’re here. That’s why I’m here.

That’s why you’re here, to get this unique take. There was a distinct change in mood and a distinct change in tone yesterday, and I think that the change of events is a reminder that you in this audience and a lot of people should not listen to establishment Republican squishes or the Never Trumpers. They have been advocating that Trump change his strategy, that Trump admit that it wasn’t a “perfect call,” that Trump do this and do that in the hopes of making this go away. Well, Donald Trump knows — and he’s demonstrated now for how many years running — that’s not how you deal with these people.

You don’t deal with bullies by letting ’em have a punch or two at you. The way you deal with bullies is force, and the left and their buddies in the media represent bullies in this entire four-year charade here to overturn election results of 2016. It is my contention the only thing the left understands is force, and I think they will melt if Senate Republicans just stand firm on this, and I’ll tell you why I think they’ll melt here in just a second.

But if the president had been listening to the advice that he’s getting from some of the (sigh) — well, call ’em RINOs or establishment Republicans — I think we’d be in dire straits right now. The president is not listening to them. Trump’s guys, I think, are doing one heck of a job, and they can shut this farce down by tomorrow. One thing that’s happening that you’re not gonna see reflected anywhere in the Drive-By Media: Adam Schiff is figuring out that he’s gonna be discovered and outed as a pathological liar if witnesses are called.

If witnesses are called and if we get anywhere near the entire process involving this whistleblower, Schiff knows that he is toast. Trump is gonna win this one, folks. He’s gonna win this one, like he won the Mueller episode. You know a lot of people on our side didn’t think Trump was gonna beat Mueller. “Oh, my God. The forces of government are arrayed against Trump! One man can’t beat this stuff back.” But the reason we were always confident here is that they’ve never had any evidence.

Now, I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but in this case, there’s no impeachable offense. There is no high crime or misdemeanor. The whole thing is manufactured and made up. Carter Page is now finally gonna start suing Democrats, the DOJ, and the Perkins Coie law firm. It’s long overdue. Tulsi Gabbard, by the way, has tried to serve Hillary Clinton with a lawsuit. Twice Hillary Clinton refuses service. Hillary Clinton’s running around hiding from the process servers. They’ll come up with a trick. They’ll find a way to get her served.

But here’s Hillary Clinton, supposedly interested in justice and fairness. She’s out there saying that Tulsi Gabbard’s a Russian agent. Tulsi wants to sue her! Back to all this. Something is up. It looks to me… Despite the momentary glimpses you get as presented by the Drive-By Media, I think the Democrats — not all, I think some of them — are in the process here of caving while trying to disguise what they’re doing. You know the inspector general… There ere 18 witnesses that Schiff had in his underground bunker there where Republicans got no witnesses.

There were 18. We’ve only heard from 17 of them, and the witnesses we didn’t hear from was the inspector general testimony. That has been redacted. If that testimony ever gets out… Schiff knows he’s lied about Ciaramella, the whistleblower. Schiff knows that he has lied from the very beginning. Schiff knows that he was instrumented in establishing the whistleblower. He was instrumented in directing the whistleblower. He was instrumental in structuring the whole thing — and he knows that if that comes out, if the beans get spilled on that, then what’s next?

The beans are gonna get spilled on the Biden caper. The Democrats have so much at stake here. They want to make it look like it’s Trump who is at great risk, but it is the Democrats. Schiff is at great risk if he values his credibility and his reputation, and so is Biden. I don’t think, at the end of the day, either of those two actually want anything they’ve done in this regard to be exposed. Now, they’ll be huffing and puffing about the need for witnesses and the bias of Republicans and the fact that Republicans don’t want to get to the truth.

But that’s just huffing and puffing. Schumer was so out of control today that Fox News cut away from his press conference. (impression) “We are faced, going forward, with the very kind and nature of government we were going to have if Donald Trump cannot be removed from office.” He didn’t say that but it’s what he means. “If Donald Trump cannot be removed from office, we may not ever be able to keep the kind of government we have.”

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RUSH: Okay. So the bottom line here: I’m not sure. I don’t think they have the votes to call witnesses, and I think they know it — and I think that what isn’t being reported and probably nobody will ever admit. But I think there are a lot of people on the left, Democrats, secretly happy about this. When this is all over, folks, just like all the rest of this stuff has been over, it is Adam Schiff who’s gonna look stupid. It is Adam Schiff who is going to be exposed. You know, one thing about Trump.

They ridicule the fact that he watches Fox News and that he comments on what’s happening on Fox News. But Trump is a TV expert and veteran. He can spot TV reality potential. The people he has brought on to represent him are pretty good on TV. They know how to use television far better than the Democrats do. The Democrats don’t want to put Hunter Biden up there. The Democrats don’t want Joe Biden talking about this at all. Remember the best thing about this.

One of the best things about this going on right now is the slow strangulation of the Biden candidacy and the ascendancy of Crazy Bernie. This has got the Democrats so worked up, they don’t know what to do about it, folks! I didn’t think Crazy Bernie had a chance. Now it’s getting close to 50-50 he might make it, and Trump can beat him easily. Bernie is a nasty, snarly guy. He’s a nag. He has leeched off government his whole life. It’s a slam dunk, and they know it. They’re worried!

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RUSH: Here’s Pelosi. I guess this is at a press conference — yeah, weekly press briefing — just today. It’s only eight seconds long, but this makes my point in my in-depth analysis in the previous half hour.

PELOSI: Well, he will not be acquitted. You cannot be acquitted if you don’t have a trial, and you don’t have a trial if you don’t have witnesses and documentation.

RUSH: That’s the best they’ve got now. (impression) “He’s not gonna be acquitted in a trial because you don’t have a trial” unless you have witnesses and documentation.” What did I tell you? They’re trying to dirty up the acquittal. That’s all they can do here.

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RUSH: ABC News is running a story. (interruption) What are you laughing at? What…? I know I’m a naturally funny host, but what’s so funny? (interruption) Oh. Well, if a lamebrain… If you clear a lamebrain leftist to go through and they hang on, that’s why half my brain’s tied behind me just to be equal, fair with them.

Anyway, ABC News is reporting that the trial ends tomorrow. Now, they’re quoting Republican sources, but they still ran with the story. Everybody knows this thing… I told you at the beginning of the week it was gonna end this weekend, ’cause it’s the Hawkeye Cauci. The Democrats have to get out there and they haven’t made a case, and I’ll guaran-damn-tee you there’s a lot of Democrats who would love to get Adam Schiff out of the spotlight yesterday. Do not doubt me on this. You’ll never get the satisfaction of them admitting it.

And in public, they’ll back him up (as, of course, they would), but privately, they’re cursing this guy, ’cause they all think they had Trump dead to rights, and they had a stacked deck. They had Schiff not granting Republicans any rights, any witnesses — they had the media on their side — and they still can’t get rid of the guy! Jerry Nadler and Schiff? Are you kidding me? These are the two stars they think they had. Anyway, here is Schiff. This is two Schiff sound bites here. This is from today. He held a press conference. Maybe “waving the white flag” would be a way to describe it. See what you think here…

SCHIFF: A fair trial requires witnesses. A fair trial, an impartial oath requires witnesses, and that’s what they should deliver for the American people. No trial. No vindication. No vindication for the president or anyone else. The Constitution requires a fair trial. That’s all we’re asking.

RUSH: All right. They’re waving the white flag. There’s Pelosi out there — we just had her sound bite — (summarized), “Well, he won’t be acquitted. You can’t acquit if you don’t have a trial. You don’t have a trial if you don’t have any witnesses.” So now we haven’t had a trial! (laughing) What we just sat through here has not even been a trial, and Schiff is now back with, “Well, we can’t have a trial here without witnesses, and therefore we haven’t even had a trial.

“No impartial oath, no witnesses, that’s what they have to deliver for the American people. No trial, no vindication.” What did I tell you? They are trying to dirty up the acquittal. That’s all they can do, and they’re gonna try to blame the Republicans — and, of course, Mitch McConnell, the Turtle — for stacking the deck (chuckling) when the deck stacking has been all Democrats all the time since this began.

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RUSH: Tim in St. Joseph, Michigan, you’re next. Hello, sir.

CALLER: Hey, Rush, good afternoon from the great state of Michigan where our president’s gonna be in Detroit today at the Dana Corporation and talking about the impact of new trade agreement. I’ve been wondering, if I’m Bernie Sanders and I’m sitting there looking at the fact that this is probably my last campaign for president, that I got hornswoggled out of the nomination the last time, and there’s a chance that three Republicans may vote in favor of questioning — which would maybe throw it to a tie, the chief justice would then have to make the tie-breaking vote — I’m just wondering if Bernie might pull something like voting “present.” That’s why he’s not voting for it or against it but “present,” which would then allow him during the next vote — which is for acquittal — to go ahead and vote against acquittal. I’m just wondering what you think about that.

RUSH: You think Bernie wants to end this so he can go out on the campaign trial? Is that why you think he might do all this?

CALLER: Absolutely. I think he’s sitting there seething because he can’t be on the campaign trail, and the latest polls I saw had Biden ahead of him on Iowa, and if they go to witnesses, this thing’s gonna be drug out for months —

RUSH: There aren’t gonna be any witnesses. There aren’t gonna be any. But I have a different take on Crazy Bernie. I think Crazy Bernie (am I wrong?) is cleaning everybody’s clock in Iowa, right? Crazy Bernie is perfectly fine with Klobuchar and Warren (Fauxcahontas) and the rest of them not being able to go to Iowa this weekend to campaign. He’s got a ground operation there that’s apparently doing pretty well. So I think… Everybody wants a big win in Iowa simply ’cause of the momentum it gives you going into New Hampshire.

You don’t have to win Iowa to win the nomination in either party. But… (sigh) See, Bernie can’t vote “present.” Bernie can’t do anything that cuts Trump a break without sabotaging his own campaign. Remember what this lunatic base is demanding. Trump’s gotta be frog-marched out of wherever, sent to jail, maybe executed. If Crazy Bernie does anything that can be made to look like it’s helping Trump, he’s gonna have hell to pay.

Not to mention that his other senators’ opponents in there would be able to accuse him of wimping out or “playing politics for his own personal gain” (chuckling) while impeachment’s going on. I don’t know. The last two calls, people asked me questions I’m not even on the same wavelength of looking at it that way. So that’s why I’m having to pause here. I’m having to consider things I haven’t even thought about so I’m having to think on the fly. My fly reaction here is that Bernie can’t afford to do anything that appears to be giving Trump a break.

I could be wrong about it.