Pelosi to make statement on impeachment, Trump says he'll release call transcript

BestBefore1984 · 09-24-2019, 03:06 PM

Quote:

President Donald Trump on Tuesday promised to release an unredacted transcript of his phone call with Ukraine's president that has triggered a new Democratic push for impeachment, just hours before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was scheduled to make a major announcement on the issue.

Trump, tweeted that the transcript, which he said would be made public Wednesday, would show that it was "a totally appropriate call."

"NO quid pro quo!" he said.

The fast-moving developments came amid new questions about whether Trump had made aid to Ukraine contingent on Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky agreeing to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

Also Tuesday afternoon, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee tweeted that the whistleblower who filed a formal complaint about Trump's call wanted to talk to his committee.

Over the past 24 hours a rapid succession of Democrats embracing impeachment has pushed Pelosi and her caucus to the brink of going forward on the matter.

The Pelosi announcement is scheduled after as all Democrats were scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon and at least 164 Democrats -- more than two-thirds of the caucus - now publicly supporting impeaching President Donald Trump.

At the same time, House Democrats were drafting a resolution to pressure the Director of National Intelligence to release a whistleblower complaint to Congress. The measure will be on the floor for consideration on Wednesday, according to a senior Democratic leadership aide.

Democratic sources familiar with Pelosi’s deliberations tell ABC News one option under consideration is forming a select committee to handle impeachment and a potential investigation into the new national security whistleblower complaint over the Trump call. The select committee would be separate from the House Judiciary Committee inquiry into whether Trump committed obstruction if justice.

It’s unclear what jurisdiction the committee would have over the issue, and whether it would be to investigate the Ukraine matter or impeachment more broadly. It’s also not clear who would lead it, but Schiff has had his name floated as a possibility. Schiff is a true Pelosi loyalist and if he were at the helm it would allow her to exert some additional control over the committee. It could also create new logistical challenges, and ruffle feathers of other committee leaders - and be seen as another sign of the frustration within the caucus with the way House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler has handled the investigation so far.

Creating a select committee could lead to impeachment, but that is not a foregone conclusion. It would, however, be a sign that Democrats are inching closer to it and that Pelosi is moving more aggressively, even as some of the most politically vulnerable Democrats she's been protecting have come out for impeachment, giving her political cover to move ahead.

Pelosi will huddle this afternoon with her leadership team, the chairmen of six committees investigating the president and will hold a special caucus meeting to discuss impeachment.

(MORE: Trump whistleblower complaint fuels impeachment pressure among Democrats)
Arriving at the Capitol Tuesday morning, Pelosi ignored a question asking whether it is time to impeach the president now that more than 150 Democrats are now out for impeachment.

Seven freshmen Democrats, all veterans of the military, defense and intelligence agencies, wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post Monday evening calling allegations that the president pressured Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden, “a direct violation of our national security.”

At the United Nations Tuesday, Trump insisted he had done nothing improper and called the new impeachment talk "ridiculous and a "witch hunt."

“If these allegations are true, we believe these actions represent an impeachable offense,” Reps. Gil Cisneros, Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, Mikie Sherrill, Elissa Slotkin, Abigail Spanberger, and Elaine Luria,” wrote collectively. “We do not arrive at this conclusion lightly, and we call on our colleagues in Congress to consider the use of all congressional authorities available to us, including the power of “inherent contempt” and impeachment hearings, to address these new allegations, find the truth and protect our national security.”

Amid the whistleblower complaint, some of Pelosi’s closest allies have also recently cut off their patience regarding impeachment, perhaps affording Pelosi with political cover and ending the prolonged defense of slow-walk the process through a thorough, methodical investigation.

Connecticut Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro called the complaint a “matter of grave urgency.”

“As with many of my colleagues, I have been reluctant to call for an impeachment inquiry because it would further divide the country, be perceived as overturning the 2016 election, and go to the United States Senate where Republicans would acquit President Trump regardless of the evidence. But these actions regarding the 2020 election are a turning point,” DeLauro wrote in a statement. “An impeachment inquiry may be the only recourse Congress has if the President is enlisting foreign assistance in the 2020 election. Congress must meet this pivotal moment in our nation’s history with decisive action.”

(MORE: From a controversial phone call to impeachment calls: A Trump whistleblower timeline)
Meanwhile, Republicans are digging into their defense of the president, with Texas Republican Rep. Lance Gooden introducing a resolution to remove Nadler from his chairmanship.

“By law, [Nadler] may not launch impeachment proceedings until the full House votes for him to do so,” Gooden asserted. “This attempted coup against a duly-elected, sitting president is unprecedented and must be stopped. I urge the Majority to move immediately to have him stripped of his chairmanship and that any accomplices on the Judiciary Committee not be considered as a replacement.”

ABC News' Trish Turner contributed to this report

Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pelo...ry?id=65824801

What do you guys think?

JavierHTx · 09-24-2019, 03:11 PM

They’re making room for us.

jwxie518 · 09-24-2019, 03:27 PM

What does this have anything to do with daca? I can give zero fuck about impeachment. It won’t go through.

beingoflight · 09-24-2019, 03:48 PM

What an idotic and pathetic waste of time and resources. smh

frbc13 · 09-24-2019, 04:30 PM

Are we legal yet?

JJ Glo · 09-24-2019, 05:27 PM

Trump knows he pushed it too far this time, that's why he is quick to release the transcripts. Even if he didn't specifically say that he was going to hold the aid unless there was dirt on Biden, which I don't expect for him to have said that, it's clear as day that is what he intended to do when he held the aid then asked Ukraine to investigate Biden 8 tmes. That's like your boss having your paycheck in his hand telling you, you're going to have to do this one favor for me, then walking away with your check in hand. It's pretty obvious that you won't get your money unless you do what he asks you to do, even if he didn't specify that condition.

BTW, wrong section.

BestBefore1984 · 09-24-2019, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJ Glo

Trump knows he pushed it too far this time, that's why he is quick to release the transcripts. Even if he didn't specifically say that he was going to hold the aid unless there was dirt on Biden, which I don't expect for him to have said that, it's clear as day that is what he intended to do when he held the aid then asked Ukraine to investigate Biden 8 tmes. That's like your boss having your paycheck in his hand telling you, you're going to have to do this one favor for me, then walking away with your check in hand. It's pretty obvious that you won't get your money unless you do what he asks you to do, even if he didn't specify that condition.

BTW, wrong section.

Yup. Exactly. There was something strange when he was refusing to send the military aid, which was approved by congress a few months ago. Extortion is a crime. Pretty pathetic to see this coming from a US President.

As for this being in the wrong section. That is subjective and I'll leave it up to the mods to decide if they wish to move it.

IamAman · 09-24-2019, 05:52 PM

Sometimes I love this forum. This is one of those times.

2MoreYears · 06:02 PM

Quote:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Tuesday afternoon announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s attempt to get the Ukrainian president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden’s son.

Pelosi, who had tried to head off talk of impeachment among her caucus, made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon as demands mounted for an investigation into Trump’s communications with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

She said the inquiry into what she referred to as a “violation of law” would be run by the heads of six House committees: Reps. Jerry Nadler (Judiciary), Elijah Cummings (Oversight), Adam Schiff (Intelligence), Maxine Waters (Financial Services), Eliot Engel (Foreign Affairs) and Richard Neal (Ways & Means).

“This week, the president has admitted to asking the president of Ukraine to take actions which would benefit him politically,” said Pelosi. “The actions of the Trump presidency revealed the dishonorable fact of the president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections. Therefore, today, I’m announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry.”

Trump responded by tweeting, “Pelosi, Nadler, Schiff and, of course, Maxine Waters! Can you believe this?” before adding “PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!”

During the past few days, calls for impeachment have grown louder. Seven freshman Democrats, including some from swing districts that Trump won in 2016, published an op-ed in the Washington Post Monday night calling for the president’s impeachment.

Invoking their “oaths to defend the country,” the seven signers wrote that the Ukraine allegations “are a threat to all we have sworn to protect. We must preserve the checks and balances envisioned by the Founders and restore the trust of the American people in our government. And that is what we intend to do.”

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., made the case Tuesday on the House floor.

"We cannot delay. We must not wait. Now is the time to act. I have been patient while we tried every other path and used every other tool," Lewis said. "I believe, I truly believe, the time to begin impeachment proceedings against this president has come. To delay, or to do otherwise, would betray the foundation of our democracy."

The Wall Street Journal first reported that in a July 25 phone call, Trump repeatedly urged Ukrainian President Zelensky to investigate Biden’s son Hunter, who sat on the board of a Ukrainian gas company when Biden served as vice president. According to the newspaper, Trump mentioned the issue eight times. The call is believed to have triggered a complaint by an unnamed official in the intelligence community, which the administration has refused to turn over to Congress, as required by law.

In a letter to colleagues Sunday, Pelosi warned that his administration “will be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness which will take us into a whole new stage of investigation,” if the whistleblower is blocked from appearing before Congress. On Tuesday, Yahoo News reported that the Senate Intelligence Committee was beginning a bipartisan inquiry into the complaint.

House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff said the whistleblower could testify before his panel as soon as this week.

According to the Washington Post, Trump instructed his acting chief of staff and head of the Office of Budget and Management, Mick Mulvaney, to hold back almost $400 million in military aid for Ukraine before the conversation with Zelensky.

Trump has not denied that the subject of Biden came up during the phone call, a transcript of which the president said he had authorized to be released on Wednesday. Legislators have asked for the full whistleblower complaint, which they are entitled to by law, not just the transcript.

”I am currently at the United Nations representing our Country, but have authorized the release tomorrow of the complete, fully declassified and unredacted transcript of my phone conversation with President Zelensky of Ukraine,” announced Trump on Twitter. “You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call. No pressure and, unlike Joe Biden and his son, NO quid pro quo! This is nothing more than a continuation of the Greatest and most Destructive Witch Hunt of all time!”

Speaking to reporters at the United Nations on Monday, the president said withholding the aid money was meant to compel Zelensky to crack down on corruption in Ukraine, which is widely reported to be extensive.“Well, I don’t even want to mention it, but certainly I’d have every right to,” he said. “I’d have every right to. If there’s corruption, and we’re paying lots of money to a country, we don’t want a country we’re giving massive aid to be corrupting our system, and we don’t want it to be corrupt in any way.”

On Tuesday, Trump gave a different, and incompatible, explanation, saying he was trying to force other European countries to contribute to Ukraine’s defense, which he said “has been my complaint from the beginning.”

Before delivering his annual address to U.N. General Assembly, Trump criticized the Democratic drumbeat toward impeachment.“They have no idea how they stop me. The only way they can try is through impeachment,” the president said. “It’s nonsense. And when you see the call, when you see the readout of the call — which I assume you’ll see at some point — you’ll understand.”

“That call was perfect. It couldn’t have been nicer,” he added. “There was no pressure put on them whatsoever. But there was pressure put on with respect to Joe Biden. What Joe Biden did for his son, that’s something they should be looking at.”

Biden’s son Hunter had served on the board of a Ukrainian natural-gas company that had been investigated by the national prosecutor in Kiev, a controversial figure widely viewed around the world as corrupt. Biden, who was vice president at the time, recommended firing the prosecutor — a position shared by most of America’s allies around the world. There has been no evidence presented in public that this had anything to do with Hunter Biden’s business dealings, although Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani has hinted he possesses such evidence.

On Tuesday, Biden announced that an impeachment inquiry would be necessary if Trump didn’t turn over the whistleblower complaint. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., called for impeachment after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report earlier this year. She has reiterated her calls.

"After the Mueller report, Congress had a duty to begin impeachment," she wrote in a tweet Friday. "By failing to act, Congress is complicit in Trump's latest attempt to solicit foreign interference to aid him in US elections. Do your constitutional duty and impeach the president."

Beginning an inquiry would not necessarily lead to impeachment, which is analogous to a criminal indictment and, if approved by the House, would lead to a trial in the Senate. The House would first investigate whether there was sufficient evidence that the president had met the standard in the Constitution of “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”

If an impeachment resolution is brought to the floor of the full House, Democrats and Republicans would vote on articles of impeachment. If they approve one or more of them by a simple majority, the president would officially be impeached, but not removed from office.

The Senate then would be required to hold a trial, with members of the House serving as the prosecution and lawyers chosen by the White House mounting a defense. The chief justice would preside. A two-thirds majority of the Senate would be necessary for conviction and the president’s removal from office, something that has never happened in American history.

Trump has previously expressed confusion about how the process works, saying that he didn’t think “the courts” — which are not involved in a House investigation — would allow it.

Two previous presidents have been impeached — Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998 — but the Senate failed to convict, and they both remained in office. The House began impeachment proceedings against Richard Nixon in 1974, but he resigned before a full House vote on the articles took place.

Double-edged sword here fellas.

UPDATE:

Quote:

4:46pm: September 24, 2019: The Republican-majority Senate has voted unanimously to order the Trump administration to release the FULL whistleblower complaint to all Congressional Committees.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pelosi-tr...210758893.html

Hallowpoint1911 · 09-24-2019, 06:30 PM

Means nothing.

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Pelosi to make statement on impeachment, Trump says he'll release call transcript