The Impeachment Process Has Officially Begun (14 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

 

[superchuck500]

They are definitely protected from the person running against them using the powers of the president's office to get a foreign government to announce they are being investigated for something.

Especially when that effort is on the part of the president, doing groundwork with his personal lawyer, without a simultaneous meaningful DOJ investigation, and when the effort is not related to any broader federal agenda.

 

[Dadsdream]

It would appear that Representative Brenda Lawrence of Michigan is breaking ranks with her fellow Democrats.

https://www.nationalreview.com/news...a-lawrence-changes-mind-on-trump-impeachment/

 

[GMRfellowtraveller]

Executive privilege ostensibly applies - I imagine it will be invoked.

Which leads lots of room for grandstanding, no?
Ds can ask hella leading questions making him look super quilts by pleading privilege
Obviously wouldn’t sway the alwaystrumpers but it’s not a good look

 

[superchuck500]

Sen. John N. Kennedy (R-La.) walked back on a comment he made Sunday supporting the debunked theory that Ukraine hacked the Democratic National Committee's emails in 2016.

"I was wrong," Kennedy said Monday night on CNN. "The only evidence I have, and I think it's overwhelming, is that it was Russia to tried to hack the DNC computer."

The Monday night revision follows a comment the senator made over the weekend that appeared to reflect a largely discredited conspiracy theory. Fox News' Chris Wallace on Sunday asked Kennedy whom he believed was responsible for the 2016 hack, noting that the U.S. intelligence community resoundingly agree Russia was behind the attack. But Kennedy responded, "It could also be Ukraine."

Sen. Kennedy takes back Sunday comments on alleged Ukrainian intervention in 2016

“I was wrong,” said the Louisiana Republican.

www.politico.com

 

[superchuck500]

Which leads lots of room for grandstanding, no?
Ds can ask hella leading questions making him look super quilts by pleading privilege
Obviously wouldn’t sway the alwaystrumpers but it’s not a good look

The way it should be handled is that the witness’s counsel, the White House, and the committee agree on application of privilege (and not just blanket privilege) and subject matter that is protected will be off limits but the witness will be expected to answer otherwise.

Of course that won’t happen here and it might require judicial resolution.

The Justice Department has noticed its appeal to the DC Circuit.

 

[GMRfellowtraveller]

Sen. Kennedy takes back Sunday comments on alleged Ukrainian intervention in 2016

“I was wrong,” said the Louisiana Republican.

www.politico.com

Wow
So they got to him too

ok so it wasn’t a full walk back - he had some song n dance about mishearing the question- but it raises an additional question: why did he feel the need to correct? What is there to gain??

 

[coldseat]

Wow
So they got to him too

ok so it wasn’t a full walk back - he had some song n dance about mishearing the question- but it raises an additional question: why did he feel the need to correct? What is there to gain??

He retracted because he knows what the truth is and doesn't want to come off as a bumbling idiot to his peers, but it doesn't really matter. The Fox News constituents got his message loud and clear on the air. They're not going to read his retraction on politico. He towed the republican line when it matters on air so that he can let Trump voters know he's one of them.

 

[superchuck500]

Wow
So they got to him too

ok so it wasn’t a full walk back - he had some song n dance about mishearing the question- but it raises an additional question: why did he feel the need to correct? What is there to gain??

“They got to him too”?

 

[MT15]

He retracted because he knows what the truth is and doesn't want to come off as a bumbling idiot to his peers, but it doesn't really matter. The Fox News constituents got his message loud and clear on the air. They're not going to read his retraction on politico. He towed the republican line when it matters on air so that he can let Trump voters know he's one of them.

Fox viewers won’t even know about the retraction, it was on CNN, even though the original was said on Fox.

 

[buzd]

Sen. Kennedy takes back Sunday comments on alleged Ukrainian intervention in 2016

“I was wrong,” said the Louisiana Republican.

www.politico.com

Reminder that Sen Kennedy spent July 4th in Russia.

 

[GMRfellowtraveller]

“They got to him too”?

Deep State man, deep state

 

[GMRfellowtraveller]

He retracted because he knows what the truth is and doesn't want to come off as a bumbling idiot to his peers, but it doesn't really matter. The Fox News constituents got his message loud and clear on the air. They're not going to read his retraction on politico. He towed the republican line when it matters on air so that he can let Trump voters know he's one of them.

That’s a ‘sensible’ explanation- but sensible is not the metric we’re currently using

Why would he make an unpressured retraction
And if there WAS pressure, who applied it and why

 

[FullMonte]

Soooooo....does Lebanon have something on one of the democratic candidates??

Diplomats question why U.S. military aid to Lebanon is being withheld

The Trump administration is withholding more than $100 million in U.S. military assistance to Lebanon that has been approved by Congress and is favored by his national security team, an assertion of executive control of foreign aid that is similar to the delay in support for Ukraine at the...

www.pbs.org

 

[EmBeeFiveOhFour]

Soooooo....does Lebanon have something on one of the democratic candidates??

Diplomats question why U.S. military aid to Lebanon is being withheld

The Trump administration is withholding more than $100 million in U.S. military assistance to Lebanon that has been approved by Congress and is favored by his national security team, an assertion of executive control of foreign aid that is similar to the delay in support for Ukraine at the...

www.pbs.org

It's more likely the beginning of a new, sudden pattern of withholding foreign aid so the administration can say "see, we do it all the time! No Quid Pro Quo!!!!"

 

[RegularChuck]

It's more likely the beginning of a new, sudden pattern of withholding foreign aid so the administration can say "see, we do it all the time! No Quid Pro Quo!!!!"

It's hard to guess what the administration's motivations are but it's a safe assumption that the real motivations behind this aren't in our best interests.

 

[wardorican]

It would appear that Representative Brenda Lawrence of Michigan is breaking ranks with her fellow Democrats.

https://www.nationalreview.com/news...a-lawrence-changes-mind-on-trump-impeachment/

How? I think shes signaling to Republican Senators they dont just have to remove him from office. They can censure him. Isnt that what ended up happening to Clinton?

She still is on board for impeachment inquiry and seemingly impeachment.

Just sounded like she was saying it isnt just the house may impeach and the senate would acquit. There are more options.

Republicans can say he was wrong to do this, but not remove him.

 

[wardorican]

Soooooo....does Lebanon have something on one of the democratic candidates??

Diplomats question why U.S. military aid to Lebanon is being withheld

The Trump administration is withholding more than $100 million in U.S. military assistance to Lebanon that has been approved by Congress and is favored by his national security team, an assertion of executive control of foreign aid that is similar to the delay in support for Ukraine at the...

www.pbs.org

By law there is likely a process. Are they going through it or is it an unreasonable delay?

 

[FullMonte]

By law there is likely a process. Are they going through it or is it an unreasonable delay?

Apparently, it was approved, and has been sitting there for months, waiting for OMB to release it. I'm thinking that EmBeeFiveOhFour may be right...but it also sounds like it may have been on hold since before this Ukraine thing started, so who knows?

From the article:

The $105 million in Foreign Military Funding for the Lebanese Armed Forces has languished for months, awaiting approval from the Office of Management and Budget despite congressional approval, an early September notification to lawmakers that it would be spent and overwhelming support for it from the Pentagon, State Department and National Security Council.