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The Impeachment of President Donald J. Trump

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#1965

Impeachment live updates: Trump calls for a quick end to the impeachment process as lawmakers return to town

As they return to Washington this week after the holiday recess, congressional Republicans are preparing to step up pressure on Pelosi to transmit the articles of impeachment, a strategy they highlighted Sunday.

“It’s now been almost three weeks, and she hasn’t taken any action,” Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Tex.) told Fox News. “She’s let that progressive, socialist, Democratic mob walk her into a box canyon. She’s put a gun to her own head and she’s looking for Mitch McConnell to give her a way out, and he’s not going to do that.”

Multiple Democratic officials expect Pelosi to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate as soon as this week — though Pelosi’s office said Friday that no decision has been made and declined to detail her plans.

In a letter to colleagues late Sunday, Pelosi said that the House would vote on a war powers resolution this week to limit Trump’s military actions against Iran, warning that his order last week for a lethal strike against a top Iranian commander risked a serious escalation of tensions in the Middle East. She made no mention of plans related to impeachment.

Senior Democrats, including two who appeared on the Sunday shows before lawmakers returned from the two-week congressional recess, have defended the delay in transmitting the articles.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the maneuver has been successful in highlighting the positions of Senate Republicans on the trial — and holding them accountable.

“One success this has already had is flushing out McConnell, showing he is working in cahoots with the president — that he has made himself an active participant in the president’s coverup,” said Schiff, who is expected to be named as an impeachment manager. “So the American people needed to see that, and now they do.”

Likewise, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) — said on ABC’s “This Week” that Pelosi “has done a very good job here,” predicting that if she’d sent the articles in December, “McConnell could have well just voted for dismissal the day before or after Christmas.”

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#1966

Bolton Says He Is Willing to Testify in Impeachment Trial

John R. Bolton, the former White House national security adviser, said on Monday that he was willing to testify at President Trump’s impeachment trial if he was subpoenaed.

“I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify,” Mr. Bolton said in a statement on his website.

The development is a dramatic turn in the impeachment proceeding, which has been stalled over Democrats’ insistence on hearing from critical witnesses Mr. Trump blocked from testifying in the House inquiry into his pressure campaign on Ukraine. Mr. Bolton is a potential bombshell of a witness, with crucial knowledge of the president’s actions and conversations regarding Ukraine that could fill out key blanks in the narrative of the impeachment case.

His willingness to tell the Senate what he knows ratchets up pressure on Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, who has refused to commit to calling witnesses at the impeachment trial, to change his stance. But it is unclear how the White House will respond to Mr. Bolton’s declaration, or whether the former national security adviser would defy a direct order not to testify.

If he did appear under oath in the Senate, Mr. Bolton would be the closest adviser to the president to testify about what Mr. Trump said behind closed doors as he pressured the Ukranians to investigate his political rivals as he was withholding nearly $400 million in military aid from the country.

House Intel Committee should subpoena Bolton immediately.

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#1967
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#1968

@Pet_Proletariat

Greg Sargent makes the excellent point that John Bolton’s willingness to testify puts Republicans in the absurd position of actively refusing first-hand, eye-witness testimony, the exact thing they’ve been shouting that Democrats didn’t have.

John Bolton just made Mitch McConnell an offer he badly wants to refuse

Oh, and I just saw this:

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#1969

Trump’s Iran mess is getting worse. Here’s Adam Schiff’s idea on what to do about it.

The deliberations that went into President Trump’s decision to assassinate Iranian general Qasem Soleimani are looking more slapdash and reckless by the hour. What we’re now seeing will require House Democrats to make a serious and sustained effort to get to the bottom of it all.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, told me in an interview that he wants to see the House hold open hearings on multiple aspects of this spiraling situation.

“I think there should be open hearings on this subject,” Schiff told me. “The president has put us on a path where we may be at war with Iran. That requires the Congress to fully engage.”

:clap::clap::clap:

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#1970

Cross-posting :pray:

@matt I hope you had a restful holiday, this shit is bananas :banana::banana::banana:

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#1971

Cracks in the damn are spreading. However, this headline is a little deceptive. Romney is still not saying that he would actually vote for subpoenaing Bolton. His statement is a little more vague, but does show a weakness in McConnell’s stone wall.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said on Monday that he wants to hear from John Bolton after the former White House national security adviser offered to testify in President Trump’s impeachment trial if subpoenaed.

Romney told reporters at the Capitol that he wants to hear from Bolton and find out “what he knows” about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.

“I would like to be able to hear from John Bolton. What the process is to make that happen, I don’t have an answer for you,” he added.
Romney is the first GOP senator to specifically say he wants to hear from Bolton since the former Trump administration official said earlier Monday that he is willing to testify if the Senate subpoenas him.

Romney did not indicate if he thinks there needs to be a deal on hearing from Bolton at the outset of the trial, saying Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) are still working on trying to get a deal on the rules.

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#1972

:boom:

Federal prosecutors told a judge Monday they are prepared to release sealed materials in search and seizure warrants against Roger Stone issued during the FBI probe into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington opted for the government’s proposed 60-day timeline to hand the sealed court records over to a coalition of media outlets that sued for the secret materials last year. …

Can’t wait! :hourglass_flowing_sand: :mag_right:

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#1973

Mmmm… If this is true, it’s discouraging. The only upside would be that Republican Senators would need to go on record almost immediately saying they won’t commit to calling witnesses, exposing them to possible blowback from their constituents.

They’re line is: Well, we won’t commit to calling witnesses at the beginning of the trial, but maybe we will later. They’ll kick the can down the road and then try to wiggle out of calling witnesses later in the trial, drumming up some new excuse. However, they do so at their own peril, considering 71% of Americans say they want to hear from witnesses.

71%20per%20cent%20want%20witnesses

And even if McConnell railroads this vote through, there’s still nothing compelling Pelosi to send the articles over. She’s played her hand brilliantly thus far and there’s every reason to believe she will continue to do so.

Pelosi has already scored big time with her strategy of holding back the articles of impeachment as leverage for a fair trial in the Senate. There’s a good chance that if she had turned them over immediately, Bolton would never have said he’s willing to testify. Also, thanks to the delay, the witness issue has captured the public’s attention so if, in the end, Republicans refuse to allow witnesses, they will suffer huge political consequences in the 2020 elections. The Republicans may win the battle, but lose the war – that is, they may succeed in temporarily hiding the truth about Trump, but thereby lose their majority in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has the votes to quash Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer’s (N.Y.) demands to require additional witnesses testify at the start of President Trump’s impeachment trial.

Two key moderate senators, Susan Collins (R-Alaska), on Monday evening backed McConnell’s position that the Senate should follow the precedent of the 1999 Clinton impeachment trial and defer until later in the process the question of calling additional witnesses.

Collins told reporters at Monday evening votes that the Senate should follow the 1999 precedent and consider the question of subpoenaing additional witnesses and documents only after House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team present their opening arguments.

She noted in a statement Monday that then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) adopted a resolution in 1999 to set out the rules for the proceeding that didn’t include any agreement for specific witnesses to testify.

“The process moved to a period during which the Senate debated and voted that three witnesses should be deposed. I believe that this process — the Clinton approach — worked well,” she said.

Murkowski also urged colleagues to follow the path laid out during the Clinton trial.

“I think we need to do what they did the last time they did this unfortunate process and that was to go through a first phase and then they reassessed after that,” she told reporters.

The Alaska senator also said questions about whether former national security adviser John Bolton and other key witnesses should testify should be discussed only after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sends the articles of impeachment to the Senate.

“We don’t have anything to get to? So do you have any interesting news for me on that? Like when we might be able to get articles?” she said.

She said the precedent set by Clinton’s trial “is how we get started with this.”

“I don’t think there is any decision on Bolton because we don’t have articles,” she added.

The statements of these two crucial votes are a setback for Schumer and Pelosi who have been pressing GOP moderates hard over the past several weeks to insist on an opening resolution for the trial that would set the table for subpoenaing key witnesses and documents. …

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#1974

Impeachment News

December 18th - January 6th

Notes from over the break

Newsfeed:

New Documents:

:newspaper: Timeline has been updated. Breaking news starts below. :point_down:

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#1975

Awesome reference!

Luv the gif – so peaceful and stress relieving – I think I’ll just gaze at it for an hour. :relaxed:

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#1976

Cross-posting :pray:

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#1977

Yes! And here’s hoping that a lot of “political theatre” unfolds around this vote. I’m sure Schumer will extend the discussion as long as possible. Let’s get some sound bites from those Republicans on why they’re weaseling out of committing to witnesses at the start of the trial. Those clips will come in handy during the upcoming Senate election battles.

Later, after the opening arguments, Schumer will push for a vote on witnesses again. That’s when Republican Senators whose seats are not safe in November will really start sweating it. :sweat:

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General Impeachment News January 2020
#1978

Dear Colleague on Senator McConnell’s Untrue Claims Regarding Impeachment

JANUARY 7, 2020

PRESS RELEASE

Dear Democratic Colleague,

In December, the House upheld its constitutional duty to defend democracy For The People, honoring our Founders’ vision for a Republic. Soon, the Senate will have the opportunity to honor its oath to “do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws.”

Sadly, Leader McConnell has made clear that his loyalty is to the President and not the Constitution. Leader McConnell has insisted that the approach under consideration is identical to those of the Clinton trial and that “fair is fair.” This is simply not true. This process is not only unfair but designed to deprive Senators and the American people of crucial documents and testimony. Under the Clinton trial, witnesses were deposed.

I encourage you to review the attached document from Leader Schumer, which exposes Leader McConnell’s misleading claims about the Clinton trial process that are being used to justify the GOP’s decision to cover up witnesses and documentation that would fully expose the President’s wrongdoing.

In addition, this morning, Leader McConnell said, “We’ll be glad to show [the resolution] to you when we unveil it.” It is important that he immediately publish this resolution, so that, as I have said before, we can see the arena in which we will be participating, appoint managers and transmit the articles to the Senate.

Thank you for your patriotic leadership.

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#1979

:nail_care:

Nancy has the high ground, she doesn’t have to move one inch. This is weirdly working as a pressure campaign for moderate Republicans in the Senate. Over the break both Lisa Merkowski and the other one Susan Collins started ringing their hands about what McConnell is proposing. Then when John Bolton said he would testify Mitt Romney spoke up about wanting to hear that testimony. On top of that the polls have climbed to a record high, now a majority of Americans now supporting removal. It’s a shameless attention grab that no one will remember once the trial starts.

If McConnell has the votes, then he should pass and publish the resolution, why is he hesitant here, he never hesitates. Call his bluff, there’s nothing to loose because ultimately the House wants the trial to start eventually and the closer we can push that to the general the better. It would be hilarious if Republicans in the Senate moved first on impeaching the President.

Democrats have a decent shot at winning back the Senate this year, let’s get these GOP Goons on the record and let the voters decide.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-impeachment-live-updates/2020/01/07/e0f49d52-313b-11ea-91fd-82d4e04a3fac_story.html

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#1980

Thanks for this. I was originally not too sure about this whole impeachment thing, but now that I’ve had various accounts of it read to me and read some things myself, I think impeachment is the correct way to go.

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#1981

I don’t know if I agree, but this is a fair argument that if Pelosi sends the articles over and there’s a sham trial, it is pretty much guaranteed that more evidence will come to light that will forever vilify the GOP’s actions.

Pelosi should send the articles of impeachment — with a warning

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#1982

Pelosi Announces Vote to Limit Trump’s War-Making Power Against Iran

Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Wednesday that the House would vote on Thursday to force President Trump to quickly wind down military action against Iran unless he is given explicit authorization from Congress, opening what promised to be a searing debate over presidential war powers.

Ms. Pelosi made her announcement as lawmakers breathed a sigh of relief on Capitol Hill after Mr. Trump announced he would back away from any military escalation against Tehran. But congressional Democrats, skeptical of the administration’s case for the drone strike last week that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani and dissatisfied with the rationale Mr. Trump’s team offered for taking it, pledged to press ahead with their efforts to rein in the president’s war-making authority.

They said they would press forward with a measure that would require that Mr. Trump cease all military action against Iran within 30 days unless Congress votes to approve it. The measure stands little chance in the Republican-controlled Senate, but it is certain to ignite a fierce debate over Mr. Trump’s strategy on Iran, and Congress’s role in curtailing a president’s ability to wage war.

“Members of Congress have serious, urgent concerns about the administration’s decision to engage in hostilities against Iran and about its lack of strategy moving forward,” Ms. Pelosi said in a statement. “Our concerns were not addressed by the president’s insufficient War Powers Act notification and by the administration’s briefing today.”

After a dizzying pace of developments in Washington unfolded overnight — missile strikes on Tuesday night on bases in Iraq with American troops, followed by Mr. Trump’s speech and a set of classified briefings by administration officials on Capitol Hill — by Wednesday afternoon, lawmakers had dug into their respective, partisan corners.

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#1983

Cross-posting :pray:

5/ Several Democratic senators want House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to submit the articles of impeachment against Trump to the Senate , saying the party has little to gain from further delay. Pelosi called on McConnell to publish a resolution outlining rules for the impeachment trial before the House sends over the articles. McConnell, however, declined, saying “There will be no haggling” and that the House had no choice but to end “shameless game-playing” and transmit the two articles of impeachment. (Bloomberg / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / Politico / New York Times / Washington Post)

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#1984

STATE DEPARTMENT RECORDS OF UKRAINE-RELATED COMMUNICATIONS WITH DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS

Records from the Department of State in response to American Oversight’s request for external communications regarding efforts to influence the Ukrainian government to investigate the president’s political opponents.

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