The Impeachment Process Has Officially Begun (2 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

 

[SaintForLife]

Yep. It's happening. But, it will be handled in a deliberate manner without parodies and whatnot.

 

[FullMonte]

I applaud Collins, Murkowski, Alexander, and all the other Republican Senators except Romney. We don't want impeachment to be a political weapon and we certainly don't want to reward half-arse investigations that value speed over competence.
Shame on the Democrats. SHAME! (Seems to be the Democrats' word of the day)

I don't understand this line of thinking at all...Almost every one of those individuals said that they believe that Trump is guilty. Somehow you think that if they voted to convict a man they believed was guilty, it would be rewarding a half-arsed investigation? So that we are clear, are you saying that if the House had taken their time, and completed a thorough investigation, and these Senators were conviced by that investigation Trump was guilty, you'd be ok with them voting to convict him?

 

[samiam5211]

What I can say is that if you asked people, before the first allegation was made, if there was one GOP senator to vote for removal which Senator would it be - Romney would have been the favorite by far. I don't think it's because people think he is just that more noble than everyone else.

The man hates Trump.

Thanks for not attempting answering my question.

I can’t figure out why you felt obligated to deflect a question that wasn’t even directed at you. Something about hit dogs...

 

[Beach Friends]

Thanks for not attempting answering my question.

I can’t figure out why you felt obligated to deflect a question that wasn’t even directed at you. Something about hit dogs...

I understand this is a difficult period for you, so I am going to just forgive you for expressing your frustration.

 

[tomwaits]

Trump should absolutely be impeached and removed and imprisoned/exiled/etc.

But not for that ridiculous Ukraine stuff, for waging undeclared war in Yemen (against congressional authority), and illegal missile strikes in Syria.
How is this not what they tried to impeach him on?

How is it that a vague notion of hinting at withholding foreign aid (that he did give even thought the constitution does not give that power to the federal government) unless a country investigates corruption (that looks obvious) in the same ballpark as waging genocidal war against congressional authority or attacking a country (that did not attack the US) without any congressional authority?

It has to be that the Democrats want to be able to do the same abhorrent illegal wars when they get their next president in power. (Obama started the US involvement in Yemen, so he should be tried for that too)

The fact that the democrats chose the Ukraine stuff to base impeachment on is obvious that the impeachment is clearly only political and they don't really care about actual serious crimes (or body counts of brown people including a large percentage that are children).

If Biden was not running for president, would this still have been a reason to impeach?
If it was John Kerry's kid and Ukraine gave him a job to gain influence with the secretary of state, but Kerry was not running for president, is that ok, or still nah?

It sounds like the president can't ask a foreign government to investigate anyone who is running for president.
I do want Biden investigated and I want Ukraine to look into their countries involvement in influencing the 2016 election.
It is in the countries best interest to know if a foreign government or company has bought influence of an American politician.

 

[zztop]

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top White House expert on Ukraine who testified in the House phase of the recently concluded impeachment trial, was fired from the White House Friday and escorted out, according to his attorney.

Vindman, a National Security Council official, testified to the House Intelligence Committee in November that he had discussed the controversial July 25 phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president with an unknown intelligence community member as well as State Department official George Kent, who also testified to lawmakers.

Vindman told Congress he felt it “improper for the president of the United States to demand a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen and political opponent.”

 

[JimEverett]

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top White House expert on Ukraine who testified in the House phase of the recently concluded impeachment trial, was fired from the White House Friday and escorted out, according to his attorney.

Vindman, a National Security Council official, testified to the House Intelligence Committee in November that he had discussed the controversial July 25 phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president with an unknown intelligence community member as well as State Department official George Kent, who also testified to lawmakers.

Vindman told Congress he felt it “improper for the president of the United States to demand a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen and political opponent.”

Not a good move at all

 

[FullMonte]

If Biden was not running for president, would this still have been a reason to impeach?

No, it wouldn't have been. Because if Biden wasn't running for president, there is approximately ZERO chance that Trump would have held up the aid.

If it was John Kerry's kid and Ukraine gave him a job to gain influence with the secretary of state, but Kerry was not running for president, is that ok, or still nah?

That's an interesting way of wording it. If Ukraine gave John Kerry's kid a job to gain influence with the Secretary of State is that ok? Well, what, exactly, is wrong with Ukraine giving anyone that they choose a job for whatever reason? What jurisidiction do we have over who Ukraine gives jobs to? I mean...you didn't mention any actual wrongdoing by the Secretary of State.

It sounds like the president can't ask a foreign government to investigate anyone who is running for president.

No, it doesn't sound like that at all. If Trump had asked the DOJ to investigate Biden's actions in Ukraine, that would be fishy, but he would not have been impeached for that. The president can ask for investigations into wrongdoing. The problem is when he circumvents all the channels, and tries to force a foreign government to announce an investigation, illegally using congressionally approved funding to leverage that.

I do want Biden investigated and I want Ukraine to look into their countries involvement in influencing the 2016 election.
It is in the countries best interest to know if a foreign government or company has bought influence of an American politician.

What, specific actions do you want Biden investigated for? I'll point out that the Prosecutor General of Ukraine until late 2019 stated in multiple interviews that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing by either Biden, and that he told Giuliani that Ukraine would not be inevestigating them unless the DOJ/FBI opened an investigation. At that point, Ukraine would offer whatever assistance they could.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top White House expert on Ukraine who testified in the House phase of the recently concluded impeachment trial, was fired from the White House Friday and escorted out, according to his attorney.

Vindman, a National Security Council official, testified to the House Intelligence Committee in November that he had discussed the controversial July 25 phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president with an unknown intelligence community member as well as State Department official George Kent, who also testified to lawmakers.

Vindman told Congress he felt it “improper for the president of the United States to demand a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen and political opponent.”

Shocked, I tell ya...Shocked!

NY has already been strucked, Cali and Utah will be next on his hit list.

 

[TxSaintFan]

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top White House expert on Ukraine who testified in the House phase of the recently concluded impeachment trial, was fired from the White House Friday and escorted out, according to his attorney.

Vindman, a National Security Council official, testified to the House Intelligence Committee in November that he had discussed the controversial July 25 phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president with an unknown intelligence community member as well as State Department official George Kent, who also testified to lawmakers.

Vindman told Congress he felt it “improper for the president of the United States to demand a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen and political opponent.”

Fired for doing his duty. #hererightmatters

 

[Beach Friends]

They got his twin brother too.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

... #hererightmatters

Does it??? Perhaps Vindman's father was right to be worried.

 

[TxSaintFan]

Does it??? Perhaps Vindman's father was right to be worried.

It should. They will be fine.

 

[Beach Friends]

I hope at his next assignment they have the toughest former drill in the Army grading his APFT.

One, one, one.... Sir, if they are not correct I can't count them...one, one, one....

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

They got his twin brother too.

Just like they do it in North Korea.


There is no bottom for Trump, or his supporters.

 

[JimEverett]

Just like they do it in North Korea.


There is no bottom for Trump, or his supporters.

Trump ordered Vindman killed?

I don't like what was done, but the hyperbole is silly.

 

[Beach Friends]

There is no bottom for Trump, or his supporters.

Yeah, you've made it clear that you despise Trump supporters.

Hopefully the Democratic leadership will say things like that right up to November. It does nothing but help the GOP.

 

[SaintForLife]

He was transferred back to the Defense department to another position. He still has a job and wasn't fired right?


NSC officials publicly criticizing the President's policies have had consequences in the past.

NSC aide admits Twitter attack on White House

<p>Jofi Joseph admits to tweeting hundreds of anti-administration messages as @natsecwonk.</p>

www.politico.com