The Impeachment Process Has Officially Begun (16 Viewers)

[Andrus]

By Laura Bassett

After months of internal arguing among Democrats over whether to impeach President Donald Trump, the dam is finally breaking in favor of trying to remove him from office. The Washington Post reported that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would announce a formal impeachment inquiry on Tuesday, following a bombshell report that Trump illegally asked Ukraine’s government to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, one of his political opponents. (He essentially admitted to having done so over the weekend.)

“Now that we have the facts, we’re ready,” Pelosi said Tuesday morning at a forum hosted by The Atlantic. At 5 p.m. the same day, she was back with more. "The actions taken to date by the president have seriously violated the constitution, especially when the president says Article Two says I can do whatever I want," referring to the segment of the Constitution that defines the power of the executive branch of the government. Pelosi's message was that checks and balances of those branches are just as central to the Constitution. And one more thing: "Today, I am announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry," she said at a conference broadcast on Twitter by the Huffington Post. ...

Read the Full Story - InStyle

 

[Saintamaniac]

Wow, Hill just said we are running out of time and appealed to the members to stop repeating the Russian narrative. I wonder how many republicans will heed that warning.

 

[insidejob]

Hill is going to be pretty damaging from what I heard of her opening statement this morning - which she's reading right now.

I was expecting more. I guess the part about Ukraine, not Russia, interfering in the 2016 election that the Republicans have been pushing being completely shut down by her was it.

 

[cuddlemonkey]

Wow, Hill just said we are running out of time and appealed to the members to stop repeating the Russian narrative. I wonder how many republicans will heed that warning.

Over/under is .5, and I am taking the under.

 

[wardorican]

So when Nunes said in his opening remarks that the Ukrainians didn't even know that the aid was being held up... he was lying? Shocked, I tell ya.

I think the nuance they are trying to say is that the Ukrainians didn't know the aid was held up. Just that they didn't get it yet.

 

[superchuck500]

Interesting read on Hill's tenure at the White House.

 

[wardorican]

Oh snap she’s rapping Nunes’ knuckles here

Please explain. I'm not able to listen right now.

 

[efil4]

She is absolutely right. We talked about this on old pdb... Russias goal was long game. Destroying the fabric of our democracy from the very basic tenant of fair and uncorrupted elections.

Rs think it's the short game in denying Trump presidency. They are woefully wrong and playing RIGHT INTO their hands. They couldn't be happier about this.
Wake the heck up.

 

[superchuck500]

Please explain. I'm not able to listen right now.

I believe its from her opening statement.

 

[JimEverett]

She is absolutely right. We talked about this on old pdb... Russias goal was long game. Destroying the fabric of our democracy from the very basic tenant of fair and uncorrupted elections.

Rs think it's the short game in denying Trump presidency. They are woefully wrong and playing RIGHT INTO their hands. They couldn't be happier about this.
Wake the heck up.

LMAO. Then why was the investigation framed the way it was by Democrats? You have it backward.

 

[efil4]

Did Holmes just say that Sondalnd helped to keep everyone out of the meeting that Sondland previously claimed was a purely Ukrainian decision?

Dem counsel just referred to this

 

[efil4]

LMAO. Then why was the investigation framed the way it was by Democrats? You have it backward.

Because they indeed helped Trump. With full expectation this crap show would ensue. Trump played along because his massive ego wouldn't allow him to admit he didn't do this on his own.

Furthermore, the Mueller investigation started as to Russian Collusion which never exonerated his campaign.

This investigation is not related. This is blackmail plain and simple. Either investigate my political opponent or won't legitimize your administration (thru aid and public meetings backing Zelensky)

 

[JimEverett]

Because they indeed helped Trump. With full expectation this crap show would ensue. Trump played along because his massive ego wouldn't allow him to admit he didn't do this on his own.

You were just saying the "short game" didn't matter, that it wasn't about Trump. Now you are justifying making it about Trump.

 

[N.O.Bronco]

LMAO. Then why was the investigation framed the way it was by Democrats? You have it backward.

That was always a component of the complaint.

aiding a sitting or unwitting patsy that seems to advance their core interests plays right into that longer term strategy of disrupting and damaging the post war western order toward their national benefit.

 

[cuddlemonkey]

Because they indeed helped Trump. With full expectation this crap show would ensue. Trump played along because his massive ego wouldn't allow him to admit he didn't do this on his own.

Furthermore, the Mueller investigation started as to Russian Collusion which never exonerated his campaign.

This investigation is not related. This is blackmail plain and simple. Either investigate my political opponent or won't legitimize your administration (thru aid and public meetings backing Zelensky)

Just want to highlight the fact that this goes beyond the aid package that was eventually released. Holmes testified that there are still things that the Ukraine/Zelensky need right now that they are unsure they will get without doing Trump's bidding first.

 

[superchuck500]

In case anyone has any confusion, this is not hearsay.

 

[Archies Ghost]

LMAO. Then why was the investigation framed the way it was by Democrats? You have it backward.

Exactly.

The past three years have exceeded the wildest imaginings of Putin.

This will be recorded as the most successful disinformation and destabilization campaign in history all because the Democrats cannot accept the results of an election.

 

[superchuck500]

Exactly.

The past three years have exceeded the wildest imaginings of Putin.

This will be recorded as the most successful disinformation and destabilization campaign in history all because the Democrats cannot accept the results of an election.

Let me just throw this little fact out there to make sure we're all living in the same reality.

The Special Counsel's Russia investigation was conducted by Trump's Justice Department and overseen by Republican appointees. The congressional investigations into the Russian election activities were held by committees chaired by Republicans. The Democrats didn't formally take control of the House until January 2019.

And they did it because it was well established by US intelligence that Russia had engaged in those activities. Trump's wild insistence that it was all a hoax, coupled with a pattern of false statements made by Trump associates - all about contacts with Russians - looked bad and invited further investigation. By Republicans.

Because it's a serious matter. Continuing to insist it is a hoax continues to look bad, detached, and suspect.

 

[N.O.Bronco]

Exactly.

The past three years have exceeded the wildest imaginings of Putin.

This will be recorded as the most successful disinformation and destabilization campaign in history all because the Democrats cannot accept the results of an election.

So the Russians successfully executed a massive disinformation campaign that the current president solicited to be a part of and has carried water for and the real problem is the Democrats wouldn’t let it go? Yeah, that logic makes complete sense.