The Impeachment Process Has Officially Begun (27 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

 

[barbar]

Have patience people. these things don't all happen at once, overnight. Remember this isn't a criminal trial yet. We will get all the information that we want in due time. This definetely is not a sham investigation.

The grand jury analogy was flawed but has more appeal than a run of the mill police interview. We are talking about possibly removing the President of the United States. If we give a damn about the nation accepting this it has to be done in a manner that at least has the appearance the proceedings are fundamentally fair.

Having secret hearings and then leaking only those portions of the evidence that favors the side controlling the proceedings is surefire way to further divide an already polarized nation.

 

[MT15]

This is not an improper, sham investigation no matter how many times hyper partisan Republicans claim that it is. It is being done this way because the DOJ declined to investigate more than one legal referral from State and National Defense about this matter, leaving the House with no other choice than to do the investigation themselves. The lack of DOJ investigation is curious, in and of itself.

Republicans are being given time to question each witness. The leaks have largely been the opening statements of the witnesses, at least once released by the witness, plus some other leaks, which isn’t great, but is par for the course in Congressional investigations from both sides in the past.

What the testimony so far shows is going to damage Trump badly, IMO. What was outlined yesterday is a classic criminal conspiracy to shakedown the president of a foreign country by withholding properly appropriated taxpayer monies in order to gain a personal political advantage for the POTUS. It wasn’t a simple slip on a phone call, it was a planned solicitation of a bribe.

 

[JRad]

Having secret hearings and then leaking only those portions of the evidence that favors the side controlling the proceedings is surefire way to further divide an already polarized nation.

How again are the Republicans in the room wholly incapable of their own leaks?

 

[yuyi64]

What the testimony so far shows is going to damage Trump badly, IMO.

That's purely your partisan take (or should I say wish?) on this matter. I haven't talked to a single person that voted for Trump in 2016 that has been persuaded not to vote for Trump in 2020 by the selective leaks and fake outrage emanating from this sham.

 

[GMRfellowtraveller]

That's purely your partisan take (or should I say wish?) on this matter. I haven't talked to a single person that voted for Trump in 2016 that has been persuaded not to vote for Trump in 2020 by the selective leaks and fake outrage emanating from this sham.

and that anecdote has zero to do with the leaks

 

[yuyi64]

and that anecdote has zero to do with the leaks

And your comment has no relevance to what was being discussed.

 

[Archies Ghost]

How again are the Republicans in the room wholly incapable of their own leaks?

Republican lawmaker 'destroyed' latest impeachment inquiry witness argument: McCarthy

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., claimed a fellow Republican lawmaker deconstructed a key part of the latest Trump impeachment inquiry witness' testimony in Tuesday's closed-door session.

www.foxnews.com

Remember, how you view this "leak" is how the other side views the Democrat leaks. See where the problem lies?

 

[N.O.Bronco]

And your comment has no relevance to what was being discussed.

Neither does attacking her personally with needless ad hominems.

 

[wardorican]

That's purely your partisan take (or should I say wish?) on this matter. I haven't talked to a single person that voted for Trump in 2016 that has been persuaded not to vote for Trump in 2020 by the selective leaks and fake outrage emanating from this sham.

Honest question. Have any of them read the actual statements? Or just their preferred news source? Or just the tiny bit they heard about it?

Is there any crime Trump could commit that would change their mind? If not, then perhaps they aren't a great barometer.

 

[wardorican]

Republican lawmaker 'destroyed' latest impeachment inquiry witness argument: McCarthy

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., claimed a fellow Republican lawmaker deconstructed a key part of the latest Trump impeachment inquiry witness' testimony in Tuesday's closed-door session.

www.foxnews.com

Remember, how you view this "leak" is how the other side views the Democrat leaks. See where the problem lies?

That's not a leak. He's saying they destroyed the argument, but can't tell us. Repeats it is not quid pro quo. States it is all 2nd, third, fourth hand info. I'd say Taylor had a lot of second hand info, but also a lot of first.

This is pure PR damage control. We will find out the truth when all this comes out, but he offered an opinion, that's all.

 

[JRad]

Republican lawmaker 'destroyed' latest impeachment inquiry witness argument: McCarthy

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., claimed a fellow Republican lawmaker deconstructed a key part of the latest Trump impeachment inquiry witness' testimony in Tuesday's closed-door session.

www.foxnews.com

Remember, how you view this "leak" is how the other side views the Democrat leaks. See where the problem lies?

So that doesn't answer the question. McCarthy claims an argument was torn apart, but can't tell us anything about it because the information is being kept under wraps.

Beach Friends said all the information leaking is only the bad information being leaked by Democrats, which implies information is coming out anyway.

So again - what exactly is stopping Republicans from leaking their own information?

 

[Beach Friends]

So that doesn't answer the question. McCarthy claims an argument was torn apart, but can't tell us anything about it because the information is being kept under wraps.

Beach Friends said all the information leaking is only the bad information being leaked by Democrats, which implies information is coming out anyway.

So again - what exactly is stopping Republicans from leaking their own information?

I am under the impression that the rules prohibit such.

 

[yuyi64]

I am under the impression that the rules prohibit such.

They do but that's never stopped Schiff before so the Republicans on the Intelligence Committee need to start having their own impromptu press conferences after each witness testifies. If the Dems want to play political games after each witness than I say game on.

 

[wardorican]

Neither does attacking her personally with needless ad hominems.

Says the king of personal attacks.

Boo. Get out of here with that stuff you two.

 

[N.O.Bronco]

Not sure how I am getting rolled into that, but anyways, back to it:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2019/10/23/trump-administration-sought-billions-dollars-cuts-programs-aimed-fighting-corruption-ukraine-abroad/

Not that Taylor’s testimony didn’t confirm it, but it’s really hard to claim you care about corruption while cutting funding to actually fight it.

 

[Beach Friends]

Not sure how I am getting rolled into that, but anyways, back to it:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2019/10/23/trump-administration-sought-billions-dollars-cuts-programs-aimed-fighting-corruption-ukraine-abroad/

Not that Taylor’s testimony didn’t confirm it, but it’s really hard to claim you care about corruption while cutting funding to actually fight it.

Maybe he just did not appreciate the irony of sending billions to fight corruption, only to have it stolen by the corrupt.

 

[crosswatt]

Republicans Storm Closed Impeachment Proceeding

House Republicans briefly shut down a closed-door meeting Wednesday by storming the room where lawmakers were questioning a Defense Department official.

dailycaller.com

 

[samiam5211]

Devin Nunez is in the room. If there was anything pro Trump to leak, it would be leaking.