Am I missing something here? Why is Bill Taylor, the man who was involved in the following red hot exchange being deposed?
[9/1/19, 12:08:57 PM] Bill Taylor: Are we now saying that security assistance and WH meeting are conditioned on investigations?
[9/1/19, 12:42:29 PM] Gordon Sondland: Call me
He also said: [9/9/19, 12:47:11 AM] Bill Taylor: As I said on the phone, I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.
1
Has the White House staff been instructed to write comments in defense of the ever escalating corruption committed by this Administration? Trump is on film spewing lies and propaganda since the primaries and even had the audacity for Russian help in finding Hilary Clinton emails. How is it possible for people to accept the thousands of lies when a family member, neighbor, co worker would be ostracized
should they have the same character flaws. Impeach those involved and prosecute other participants.
2
Strongly Support to remove Trump from the White House! House Democrats are responsible to the American people and protect the US Constitution! The Republican in Congress should have the spine to stand out to speak out too. Today while a lot of Republican senators are quiet in the face of Trump's violation of the US Constitution and the US Law, Mitt Romney is your model, standing out to the principles. Trump's attach on Romney itself is impeachable!!
Pls remember the poem, a post-war confession in 1946 by the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_...)
by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
I encourage all Republic Senators to speak out against Trump's mafia-like intimidation! Impeaching Trump is the right thing to do!
I would call upon Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to come forward to protect the US Constitution and the US Law by protecting all of the senators who expressed their views on Trump's impeachment. As General Colin Powell said, “We’ve got to remember that the Constitution started with, ‘We the People,’ not ‘Me the President.”
7
First, President Trump claimed "perfect" call to Ukrainian President when he requested investigation of "Sleepy Joe" and son. And now it's "very terrific".
Donald Trump LIES LIKE A 5-YEAR OLD with his over-compensating descriptors; and like a 5-year old, he expects superlatives to work as long as he never lets go of his story as the innocent victim.
20
Because Trump appears incompetent and corrupt don't excuse Biden or Ukraine. Ukraine has been doing some corrupt stuff for some time. What deal did they broker with the Democrats?
5
Donald Trump doesn’t always lie. When he said he loves the poorly educated, he meant it.
33
@Orwell: I hope you are being sarcastic.
Otherwise may I suggest you actually listen to what says, writes and does?
No need to invoque "biased fake news", whatever you think you mean by that, just take it from the horse's mouth.
If it is still not apparent, well how do you guys say, "I am afraid I have bad news for you"?
2
@Cousin Greg a human, lies once, lost credibility. You have to use human ethic to guess if a person has the credibility. Trump campaign is just good for those who judges lie as every word has to be a lie. You can’t lower the standards as a human. Even dog would not bark wrongly all the time. That doesn’t mean dog barks are all correctly!
1
This is going nowhere! Already, Dems are bogged down in minutia. It’s becoming increasingly clear to the public that there’s no reason whatsoever to impeach. Meanwhile, Democrat candidates’ messages are lost in a fog and Pelosi’s legislative initiatives are on hold.
10
Well, according to today’s Washington Post Poll you are absolutely wrong: the public does care. And by a significant majority.
14
You need to give this more thought and a closer look. Pretend this guy worked in your office and delt with customers. Would you have cause for concern?
11
@Dave wrong doing or not is not judged by politics. From the very common sense, his calls to impeach Romney, and others are intimidation. A President rules not by the laws but by threatening and by twisting the laws has to be impeached. Otherwise, you are the second in line one day to be put into prison.
3
Dear Senate Republicans,
You voted for military aid for Ukraine. Mr. Trump defied you, and blocked the aid.
If you have one iota of respect for the institution of the United States Senate, as a co-equal branch of government, you will not let this stand.
Otherwise, you do not believe in the Constitution and the Oath of Office that you swore to uphold. Otherwise, you believe that the president is a king.
Which one is it?
97
Sir: I gotta hand it to you, you are far more direct and aggressive than the House Democrats will ever be. And therein lies one part of this problem, the other part being the complete lack of evidence of criminal behavior by the president.
3
@David H
Thanks for your comment, and I appreciate your comments as well (even when I disagree with you).
You said, "the complete lack of evidence of criminal behavior by the president."
Mr. Trump just shot someone in broad daylight on Fifth Avenue. He solicited campaign aid for his U.S. election from a foreign government (Mr. Zelensky of Ukraine). Then he publicly called on China to do the same, on national TV.
It is a federal crime to solicit assistance in a U.S. election from a foreign government. Mr. Trump has impeached himself. He is guilty. Hook, line, and sinker. Put a fork in Mr. Trump. He is done.
Demonstrating quid pro quo is not necessary.
You have a slim window of opportunity to align yourself with the right side of history. I hope you take it.
32
@MidtownATL Please, to the extent Trump continues to be their puppet, choosing justices, appointees and policies that support their desires, they will let him go as far as they can before voting to remove him.
11
The Democrats & the media are replicating a major error made during the Mueller investigation.
Just like the false Trump spin about "no collusion" (which Mueller found plenty of), the Dems & media are playing into Trump's spin about "no quid pro quo".
There is no need for a quid pro quo. Legally, the Trump solicitation of a "favor" was from a foreign power to influence a US election was a crime.
99
Pelosi is looking like a genius for not impeaching on the crimes revealed in the Mueller report. She's handled Trump like a master strategist, ensuring that he'd nail himself to the wall. And he just continues playing right into her hands. She'd make a great president.
142
@Limoncello
If she was a genius, Trump would have been impeached years ago. His crimes are in plain sight. Some of them he has confessed to himself. Pelosi is a piñata. She just swings there and keeps taking hits.
2
@Limoncello You understand, of course, that Bill Clinton had the highest approval ratings of his presidency during & after impeachment. You understand, of course, that Trump has the highest approval ratings he’s had since taking office. This is why Pelosi tried so hard to stop it. Finally, she threw up her arms and said, “Fine! Do it! You’ll see what happens.”
5
False equivalency. Clintons impeachment was nothing like this round. Clinton was never accused of betraying his country or self dealing with foreign adversaries. He was accused of lying under oath. His popularity rose because the public saw thru Republican moralizing hypocrisy, and Clinton had a stellar record on the economy, and the world was (almost) at peace. Where is Republican moral furor today, and what has Trump done to help anyone but himself? My god- Trump lies the way you and I breathe. You know what we did with that kind of person back in the day?
49
Democrats are getting drawn into the “explicit quid-pro-quo” trap that republicans have been setting since all this broke. Trump acolytes have repeated over and over that there had to be some sort of verbatim enunciated “I will give you this money if you investigate my political rival” for the president to be at fault.
Not only is this flat out wrong, but frankly insulting to the intelligence of most people. Polls show that even the most ardent republicans have felt uncomfortable with the wording of Trump’s conversation. This is because we can all recognize that, money or not, Donald Trump was using the office of the presidency to influence the President of Ukraine to open an investigation into his (ostensibly) chief political rival. Also keep in mind that all this can be derived from the White Houses’ -own- copy of the “not verbatim” transcript. They had the opportunity to spin this and this was literally the best they could come up with.
This does not require someone literally saying “let’s make a quid pro quo!” Even Trump isn’t that out of it. Democrats must not be led astray like they were with Mueller. Republicans will keep moving the goal posts no matter what they do. It’s time now to put your head down, drive through this investigation, and draft a compelling multi-part case into articles of impeachment. Trump has influence foreign countries such as Ukraine and now China to investigate his political rivals. This man should be impeached.
286
@Seán
Chairman Adam Schiff is fully aware that a "quid pro quo" is NOT required - and stated so:
"There is no quid pro quo necessary to betray your country or your oath of office. Even though many read this as a quid pro quo, I'm not concerned whether it is a quid pro quo or not.”
http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1909/25/ip.01.html
17
@Seán I don't think they are falling for a trap. They're just turning over every stone they can, which is smart. They might not find evidence of quid pro quo but they might find something else incriminating. Let these stones be turned over quicker than Trump's attempt to distract us from them.
12
Sean... Democratic impatience is what will stop this investigation. They already have evidence of impeachable conduct as you state, and every time someone in his branch refuses to provide testimony or requested evidence to congress, the counts of obstruction will rise. All this will be considered when the articles of impeachment are drawn up. Patience is the key. Congress needs to stay on task and ignore his blustering and distractions, and they will get him out.
Clinton was impeached for lying under oath and obstruction of justice. Trump took an oath when he took office - to uphold the Constitution. He lies all the time. All. The. Time. When will his daily lying have consequences? Why isn't that alone a basis for impeachment?
406
@ABN
I don't think ordinary lying is a crime. What politician doesn't lie?
I think Trump is pretty smart about knowing how to stay inside the law.
2
@ABN
The only principal that applies in Washington is "For my friends anything; for my enemies the Law".
7
@John - Trump isn't smart. Trump has been lying about matters of national security. That matters.
37
In Trump's case there is perhaps no limits to which the impeachment inquiry couldn't be expanded, what would matter however, whether such effort comes to its logical end to which it was directed by the Congress.
Contact the whistle blower that has reported the Trump/IRS improper conversation. He has tried to influence the IRS as to his own taxes.
They did not put Al Capone in prison for murder. Al Capone was jailed for tax evasion.
3
Question: Do we have 435 Houses of Representatives or 1 House of Representatives with 435 members?
Answer: We have one House of Representatives that acts as a singular corporate body. To act as a singular corporate body the members must vote their will.
With no vote to commence an impeachment inquiry, there is no inquiry.
Perhaps we can go right to a vote on at least one article of impeachment. No inquiry required. The President withheld foreign aid to Ukraine to advance his personal political interests when he demanded a foreign investigation into a political rival. That is undeniable, no further investigation is required.
Question: If there is reasonable cause to believe that Vice President Joe Biden engaged in misconduct by advancing his own personal interests in the Ukraine through the power of office of Vice President. Is it proper to investigate it?
Question: If it is proper to investigate the actions of a former Vice President, does it become improper it he is a candidate for president?
Question: Who will be the first witness called by the President in a trial in the Senate, Hunter Biden or Joe Biden?
I can't wait to see who will be first to handcuff the X and start prosecutions when he descends from 1600 Penn for the last time.
1
Please stop saying “expanding” impeachment inquiry. It’s all connected—and Congress is not going rogue, which is what you’re making it sound like. Don’t give any more red meat to Trump’s base when Congress is simply doing its job and following very well connected & documented factual information as it comes to light. It’s the normal order of things as our Constitution dictates!!
2
“People understand it’s a fraud, it’s a scam, it’s a witch hunt, and all we do is keep fighting for the American people because that’s all I do,” Mr. Trump said.
Trump's vague references to "people" is the cheapest trick in the The Big Manly Book of Gaslighting Tricks. He uses it on Americans nearly every day, and he used it in his call to the President of Ukraine. "A lot of people are talking about that, the way they shut your very good prosecutor down"; "a lot of people want to find out about that." What a fraud Trump is.
3
“People understand it’s a fraud, it’s a scam".
No Donald, "people" do not understand.. the only reasonable explanation there is that we can't all be "very stable geniuses" and understand your undoubtly "very terrific" actions, isn't it?
2
And now we learn Rick Perry was busy with fellow Texans and Giuliani in working a business deal in Ukraine. The Biden thing is a smokescreen for Trump’s cronies. What a quagmire.
1
Democrats have been "looking for something" since they lost the 2016 election.
A perpetual witch hunt...
1
Seems like they have no idea what they’re looking for. I guess if you fish long enough you might catch a fish.
1
Can Times please collect timeline information on all relevant subpoenas, compile ratings for refusal and report on what's happened next?
"What did the President know & when did he know it"?
Now it's "What has the President said & how often has he said it"?
Insubordination is eminently impeachable. Trump is an awful boss because his own daddy was only one he ever had. Congress appears to be one of the numbest board of directors in the world. A real board would fire trump for failure to respond to subpoenas.
1
Considering all the other crimes and misdemeanors Trump could be charged with this investigation cannot be called "sprawling." Instead, Congress is gathering evidence on only this one instance of misconduct -- extorting Ukraine. Of course those offices have evidence about Trumps withholding military aid until he got his personal political favor.
15
Let’s be clear. All politicians are in it for themselves. There’s nothing neither party wouldn’t do to enrich themselves or defeat the other party— nothing. They’re all corrupt but the media is treating then like their different. They’re not.
4
You're wrong. Saying they're all the same is what got us in this mess.
2
Sorry Mark, this level of corruption makes Nixon look like a Boy Scout and Clinton look like he had his hand in the cookie jar.
3
"...Democrats seek to protect the identity of the official — possibly even from congressional Republicans."
That is my greatest fear, that Republicans on the committee are so politically bound up with the president that they will reveal the names of whistle-blowers to serve the president's political needs. It is disturbing to me that I would actualy think that this is a real consideration regarding any member of Congress. The nation has become a cesspool of politicians from the G.O.P. since Trump's candidacy and election, in spite of some of their reactions to his intended withdrawal from Syria.
13
@vincentgaglione
I see... but leaking the letter from the Kavanaugh accuser by Diane Fienstein (not withstanding her denials of such) is perfectly fine...
1
No matter how it turns out it sure beats to drip-drip of the Mueller Report. The more the administration thumbs its nose at the subpoenas the more the case is made for impeachment. In the vernacular in once two-fisted tough-talking right The President has taken his party into a boxed canyon. It does my heart good that the Left is learning how to fight the good fight. Forget about going high when they go low. When they go low we going hard.Glad to see our dog has finally got some fight in him.
13
I agree false equivalences are wrong. But Ukraine has been corrupt for a long time. Democrats and their entourage haven't all been ethical and free from corruption when it comes to Ukraine.
And Trump deserves to be impeached for what he has done, and more. What's he hiding in his tax returns?
5
What is it precisely that you think “democrats and their entourage,” did here that was corrupt? Please be specific.
1
Do we really think New York legislators can uncover something the IRS missed?
Were there any chance of this making any difference in this President's term of office, Adam Schiff would not be within a thousand miles of it.
6
I agree false equivalences are wrong. But Ukraine has been corrupt for a long time. Democrats and their entourage haven't all been ethical and free from corruption when it comes to Ukraine. And Trump deserves to be impeached for what he has done, and more. What's he hiding in his tax returns?
1
If Trump’s acolytes on the Intelligence Committee or any of the other investigative committees feed the identity of the whistleblower to the White House, Democrats must launch an investigation into the leak, and the culprit must be brought to justice. The identity of whistleblowers is confidential by law, especially in this case because the individual is a member of the intelligence community. Anyone compromising that must be tried, convicted and imprisoned.
33
Keep digging and digging and digging... keep investigating and following the trails... every trail, leaving no stone unturned. Trump has spent his entire adult life grifting and using mob tactics to get his way. He has brought counter lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit against the contractors he has refused to pay. He has unleashed his team to tie things up in court until people finally give up. He has bullied his way through life. Don’t let him do that to us, The United States of America. Fight hard, fight fast, and keep it coming at him relentlessly from ALL directions... otherwise this “Stupid Watergate II” may turn into Germany 1933...
26
Many of Mr. Trump's defenders are skipping over the fact that after Congress appropriates and authorizes payment from the U.S. government a president is not supposed to be able to hold up the check like a real estate mogul stalling contractor checks.
This aspect of the investigation should show how that occurred, who let him do it, and whether it took illegal orders from either his administration's officials or him.
The Constitution is not ambiguous about the government spending process. Congressional GOP ideologues can defend Mr. Trump's motivation all they want, but they should be challenged about this.
23
@Grennan There is specifically NO deal inferred by Trump's call to Ukraine. This is why NO ONE is duscussing the second leaker/whistleblower any more.
However, V.P. Biden specifically DID.
3
It’s fairly...odd to claim that nobody’s discussing the second whistleblower.
10
the democrats might have take their subpoenas to the supreme court.
2
@plainleaf
PLEASE, please do that....the Supreme Court will invalidate those subpoenas because they have been issued by the House without "due process"....Hopefully, then Pelosi will have no other choice but to do what she hasn't wanted to do but will now have to, unfortunately since she lost her spine and gave into the pressure from the losers who are the "progressives"..and that is... put the vote on the House floor. Where it will pass...and then die the quick death it deserves in the Senate..
and then the Dems will have nowhere to go....and they know it.
All of this "inquiry" nonsense is a Dem construct to get rid of Biden, have Warren as their candidate and an attempt to win in 2020.
It has nothing to do with "abuse of power" etc...this whole mess is about 2020 for the Dems...at all costs.
1
Subpoenas are now meaningless. Way to go, Congress. You may as well call them subpeonies and send them out with little bouquets.
4
@Jay In other words, you do not support congressional oversight nor the principal of co-equal branched of government. Are you from Russia?
1
What’s next?’”It’s not appropriate to shot someone on 5th Ave but it isn’t impeachable.”
10
Mr. Trump, one of the most corrupt politicians this country has ever had is worrying about corruption. That’s a good one!
56
Because Trump appears incompetent and corrupt don't excuse Biden or Ukraine. Ukraine has been doing some corrupt stuff for some time. What deal did they broker with the Democrats?
9
You tell me. Otherwise I think there answer is you don’t know or none exists
16
In reading Kurt Volker’s statement, what is clear is that Trump had a lot of problems with Ukraine and it’s influence on the 2016 election and these grudges have more to due with his actions than the press is willing to allow. It is doubtful the current proceedings are going to show any kind of holdup in aid due specifically to the Biden inquiry. If you read the Volker statement, it is not hard to conclude that Trump was biased against Ukraine in general and Volker was trying very hard to ameliorate that bias.
The Democrats are going to lose this issue because Trump did not expect the Biden investigation in return for our aid. Their lead man, Schiff is tarnished and seems unfair as well.
Prediction: This is going to end very badly for the Democrats. Pelosi will lose her majority. It’s going to go down as one of the great whiffs in history. And in the end Trump gets re-elected. Moreover, the Democrats are going to end up looking like a hysterical lynch mob who fundamentally can’t lead themselves or this nation. Accordingly, they will be unable to regain the trust of the nation for a very long time.
7
Plus, it turns out Trump actually LIKES being impeached. He said said so today. If he likes it, it *must* be a bad idea for the Dems to impeach him!!!
Hey Dems—listen to Trump supporters: This is gonna end really really really really badly for you!!! They’re just trying to help you!!!
3
@Arthur Taylor It is completely, unequivocally clear that Trump withheld the aid to Ukraine until his demands for an investigation into the Bidens and the 2016 election were met. I don't know how anyone can come to another conclusion, but apparently you and other Trump sycophants can.
15
It is quite apparent that djt's mental disorder is escalating. His press of speech, flight of ideas and grandiosity are worsening.
It is equally obvious that the republicans in the Congress are in full agreement with djt and back him fully.
djt has today made a brash decision that not only risks our troops lives but also throws our allies under the bus and improves the standing of our adversaries.
There is precious little time to stop this downward spiral.
Nancy Pelosi should have a bill prepared for a full House vote on an impeachment inquiry immediately upon the return of the House from their vacation.
She also needs to prepare a letter to the Supreme Court and have this letter approved by a vote in the House immediately after the vote for the impeachment inquiry. The letter should request that any court proceedings that are required to enforce fact finding requests by the House of Representatives be heard by the Supreme Court in an expeditious manner in order to prevent further harm to the United States.
20
If somehow the truth is revealed, which will only occur if real patriots step forward, I believe we are likely to discover that the real reason the aid was stopped was because it part of the general false narrative that Trump is attempting to execute Putin's and certain U.S. oil interests agenda to lift all sanctions against Russia. They are doing this with Roy Cohn style tactics and full corruption from within the executive branch with the help of Barr, Giuliani, Pence, and others.
They are applying every possible scheme to pressure Ukraine into going along with the fabrication that it was the Ukrainians that interfered in the 2016 election and to basically "accept" a "deal" with Russia to forgive them for invading their nation in Crimea so that those sanctions can be lifted.
It will require a "deep throat" or even someone who just has the courage to report first hand knowledge of treason committed against our nation to speak the truth in the face of this attack on our nation, on our sovereignty and recognize that this person is working full time on behalf of the Putin and US oil interests exemplified by Koch and Exxon and perhaps others.
Our nation stands at the precipice of being defeated and fully corrupted. Look into the eyes of the likes of Barr and you can see their commitment to this evil.
Godspeed to you all on this committee to get to the Truth. We are faced daily with one huge lie after another. The sword of Truth is our only hope.
10
@Tom Paine
The President has no singular authority to lift sanctions or impose them. All of that is done in Congress/Senate. Without Congress/Senate approval, nothing is done.
2
How does the Rick Perry Ukrainian oil deal factor into this mess? Rudy dropped a big hint and Trump announced it was Perry who urged him to make the call. Why isn't the NYT touching this?
8
In several ways the fact that Mr. Trump could stop a $400 million payment both appropriated and authorized by Congress is even worse than why he did.
Since he doesn't run the check machine himself, how many departments and appointees let him do it? Is this an illegal order?
Surely the GOP members of Congress would be outraged under other conditions for a president to unilaterally and illegally override their branch. It's not as if the Constitution is ambivalent about the way the government spends money.
17
Just a question; could it be possible that this new whistleblower is a distraction from the right, set up to counter the first whistleblower? As an outsider I am curious to know. As a follower of this important episode in your history, one thing I have learned is that the Trump side is capable of almost anything and I have come to expect some kind of whitewash like Barr's fake summary of the Mueller Report. Sorry about the run on sentence.
Another query I have is as to whether the House of Representatives and/or Senate can summon or subpoena the president to give sworn evidence in the investigation and/or in the Senate trial.
Thanks for any enlightenment you can provide.
6
When the President threatens whistleblowers, why is that not considered to be tampering to try to compromise testimony? When an ordinary person threatens a witness, that is a major crime. It is an action against the entire legal system. Are there no laws that contain the reach of the president? Have we lost our democracy?
32
@Michael Edward Zeidler
Who said it’s not? I expect o see it surface somewhere in the articles of impeachment, given the rate of witness intimidation that’s occurring.
18
@Michael Edward Zeidler Yes, agree. It amounts to obstruction and witness intimidation, and one aspect of the whistle blower statute is its purpose to protect such witnesses.
And yet, in the end all it amounts is another count in the impeachment charges.
But the real problem is McConnell and the Republican opposition: When is it ever going to be enough? Maybe never? This is the ""Murder on Fifth Avenue" issue.
11
This is destroying Biden’s candidacy as Trump will hammer him on his son’s sudden mega wealth following the VP’s overseas visits. This is handing Warren the nomination. She cannot win because women and African Americans will not vote for her.
4
Trump admitted it and the White House released the transcript. They’ve all self incriminated themselves. Nothing left to investigate. Impeach or move on...
8
@GCAustin
actually they did not release the real transcript. they released a summary of the phone call. the House wants the real transcript. just like the real tapes with Nixon. the House is beginning an inquiry.
9
The Republicans are using a “deep state” ruse to justify Trump’s corruption investigation. The President and US Senate are throwing the CIA and FBI under the bus as their scapegoat. And the President is starting another Middle East war as a distraction to his troubles ...( wagging the dog). Not a movie ! This is really happening because the Republicans don’t have the guts to stop this rogue President.
8
Regardless of what they find, the implication is obvious. In the same sentence the two are linked by the “President”. The larger issue is also an impeachable offense: gross negligence at his job. Withholding congressional allocated funds without process is in itself a violation of his Constitutional oath to uphold and execute the law.
14
Dear Trump appointees,
Do you honestly believe that you are so special that you will be the one person Mr. Trump has ever been loyal to?
Please!
He has thrown everyone who has ever been associated with him under the bus, and he will throw you under the bus as well. This includes his ex-wives.
Do you really want to be the next Michael Cohen, or any of the countless casualties of Mr. Trump? "Everything Trump touches dies."
It's like the fable of the scorpion and the frog. "It's in his nature." It's what he does.
Save yourself while you still can.
45
@MidtownATL: You are so nice to try to save these scoundrels. I must admit, I wouldn’t lift a finger.
They no longer have any redeeming qualities. None. Nada. Zip.
12
When is it time to invoke the 25th amendment? This man has the nuclear football. Does anyone feel safe with him at the helm now? I certainly don't.
36
@Fran Hi I have been saying that for a long time. But it would take the VP and cabinet members. The VP is just as unreasonable as the President. No way would he do that, but I still hope. A few cabinet members.... we know trump is unfit Here is to hoping
7
@Fran
With his' great and unmatched wisdom ' feel secure in the knowledge he will do what's best when the time comes.
5
@Fran the 25 amendment is harder invoke then impeachment to remove a president from office.
1
The Dems have to keep the impeachment inquiry narrowly focused. The charges against Trump should be clear enough for anyone to understand. And the time of the inquiry should be sober, serious, and respectful. These three essential qualities are missing right now. Adam Schiff, who has already lied, needs to clean up his act fast or the game is over.
8
@Mark Siegel: How can you bring up an Adam Schiff lie, when Trump lives on lies.
22
The fact is, Schiff lied when he said his committee had no early contact with the whistleblower. His people clarified this later, but the fact is, he lied. The Dems have to do this perfectly in all this. They are not off to a good start.
3
@Mark Siegel
they did not meet the whistleblower beforehand. the whistleblower contacted the atty for the intelligence committee before they gave their complaint to the IG.
11
So the White House is telling Pelosi that Trump won't comply with subpoenas until they see a full vote on the House floor. Fine, just do it. Why are we dancing around with the distinction between an impeachment inquiry and articles of impeachment? Trump is trying to stall for time and by immersing themselves in a quagmire of semantics, so are the Democrats.
5
@nzierler
because the constitution does not specify or the rules of the speaker of the house does not state that there has to be a vote to the house floor to open the inquiry which is what kevin McCarthy wants to happen. and Pelosi does not have to have a vote to open an inquiry.
6
@jennifer t. schultz the supreme court has said you need vote, precedent in previous impeachments have had a vote.
The administration's many toadies will of course demure, obfuscate and generally obstruct. I hope that their illegal actions in support of the president's personal legal protection renders them liable to legal charges after Trump can no longer use and protect them.
16
1. Democrats please explain to the American people why Trump is being impeached, like you are speaking to a class of 5th graders.
2. Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump both ADMITTED to asking a foreign Nation for dirt on Joe Biden; end of story.
3. Quid pro quo is a Republican stalling tactic, many of you are taking the bait. No one cares about Quid Pro Quo.
4.Not everything needs to be complicated, keep it simple and make this a fast impeachment.
5. Please see number 2.
42
I believe the Democrats did: “you see, little boys and girls, the Constitution states that you can’t ask foreigners to help you win an election. The President openly and aggressively asked a foreign power, one among at least 3, to interfere with his election. He released a transcript of him doing this. In this transcript he said he didn’t want to talk about foreign aid that was allocated by congress, but instead would like to talk about this little “favor” he needs. The president used his power to withhold money against the will of Congress, who gave him that money on your behalf, so that they could help him win re-election. That’s called breaking the law. And, you know what boys and girls, in America, even the President has to obey laws. Just like you and me. Isn’t that incredible?”
15
@PeaceLove
by opening an inquiry all the evidence has to be given to the house. trump initially didn't even ask for a full vote on the house floor. kevin McCarthy brought it up. they could also have an up or down vote immediately not just to open in inquiry but to vote immediately to impeach. you have to have all the evidence collected. you just cant say trump said he did it. that isn't evidence.
1
This is an awfully narrow investigation for someone whom the Democrats believe to be a tyrant. Do they really think someone is going to be removed from office for violating campaign laws?
2
What campaign law? This is about soliciting election interference.
30
Trump’s lawyer Cohen is in prison for that right now. Why should Trump get special treatment?
6
In 1995, Bill Barr wrote: "The greatest threat to free government, the Founders believed, was not governmental tyranny, but personal licentiousness-the abandonment of Judeo-Christian moral restraints in favor of the unbridled pursuit of personal appetites. Thus, the Founders believed the choice was clear. We could govern ourselves guided by religion and morality, or we could lose our liberty altogether." (https://tinyurl.com/yyjw74hl)
Today, Barr has cast his lot with an amoral pathological liar with a mob-boss mentality who cheated on his first wife with his second, his second with his third, and his third while she was pregnant with his son, and paid off a bunny and a porn star to keep silent about his affairs with them.
Seems like quite a few "personal appetites" and an absence of any "moral restraint."
Anyone see any hypocrisy here?
54
@Jim
Wow. Thanks for the research - Barr's been a toad for a loooong time! His time may have come for the 'mo, but the pot is coming to a boil now. Turn up the heat everyone!
My apologies to the handsome amphibians out there, doing an honest day's work.
9
@Jim
barr actually was in George H. W. bush white house. he was also in Reagans when the debacle known as iran contra happened. wayyyyyyyy longer than just 1995
8
Trump mentions he keeps on fighting for the American people but who is he referencing? His fights are and always have been directed toward real or imagined people who stand in his path to demagoguery. Meanwhile he continues to make questionable foreign policy decisions, ignores any domestic issues aside from the wall, and continues to attack, deflect and disgrace his office while blatantly and shamelessly imploring foreign countries to assist him in an illegal effort to unearth incriminating information on political opponent - a undeniable impeachable offense.
28
Remember Trump told us during his 2016 presidential campaign that he knew more than all the generals? Trump conducts foreign "policy" without consulting with defense and foreign policy officials. Still difficult to comprehend how America voted for this narcissistic, amoral, wilfully ignorant, anti-analytic individual as POTUS.
17
I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but that’s what things have come to. Ukraine is widely viewed as the most politically corrupt country in Europe. And there has been lots of corruption at the highest levels.
The media has not explored the possibility that Zelensky was orchestrating his own fraud scheme while dealing with Trump. Rather, they take the unlikely view that Zelensky was an innocent victim.
Ukrainian presidents are far more schooled in the game of political fraud than Trump is. And if Zelensky pressured Trump first — which seems likely considering pervasive Ukrainian corruption — then we are getting half the story or less. You need to know this and the media has decided to leave you in the dark. Shame.
3
@michjas
A reality show president on one side, a sitcom president on the other. 6 to 5 and pick'em as to which one of these celebrities was the bigger mastermind. This is a bad Sopranos episode.
What's that conservatives are always telling us about celebrities? Stay in your lane and stay out of politics? When did that get the ol' 180?
7
@michjas
If you're right, the story is under reported. But so what? We're Americans, and this is our president committing crimes. The rest is interesting chaff.
8
Time for Democrats to throw the book at Trump like House did to Nixon. Charge him first with treason, obstruction, lying to FBI officials, disobeying subpoenas, threatening a whistleblower, illegal profiteering, money laundering, and extortion. Trump will surely resign if he is first President impeached for treason. Pence would not dare pardon him and face possible impeachment himself.
I would love to see Republicans in the Senate defend Trump on treason and put party first on live TV if he does not resign. There is ample evidence of Trump putting Russia first before the US .
26
Wouldn't be necessay for those things to have actually ocurred before anyone is "charged" with doing them?
It's not like he's Kavanaugh or something.
1
Congress doesn’t have to prove anything actually. Congress can vote to remove the psychopath from office any time it wants. But they won’t because the GOP is suffering from mass delusion. When that house falls, the collateral damage to the country will not be pretty.
5
Thank you Congressman Schiff. You are a bright light of decency and integrity in this dark mess of the trump presidency. A great American once observed that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice. We're counting on you. May you and your colleagues prevail.
84
Let's see the transcript of the entire call plus transcripts of calls and meetings with Putin. Trump has certainly not been treating Russia as an adversary; it remains to be seen if he is actually taking orders from Putin, especially on Ukraine.
33
@loveman0
exactly you are the first person on here who knows that the paper released was a summary of the call. we do not have the full transcript. I keep saying Release the Transcript!!!!!!!!! just like release the tapes during Nixon.
3
There have to be consequences for ignoring Subpoenas ! If there are no punishments for this , then they are powerless !
34
Seems to me a more accurate representation would be - congressional Democrats continue laser like focus of impeachment inquiry centered on president trumps solicitation of Ukraine to meddle in us domestic election to his benefit.
There isn’t anything more sprawling or expansive in this article. Leaves the intentional impression of a fishing expedition rather than a focused investigation
12
It's a shame that this matter is so complicated, and seems to necessitate such tedious investigating. I understand that that consequences are of great import; impeaching a president is not trivial matter.
But wow - the lies being spewed by the POTUS are really getting outrageous, obvious and indefensible! I really think he has just about leapfrogged into 25th amendment territory, which in a sane and just world would spare us this protracted legal and political drama. What has happened to common sense and shared values??
I am truly worried for our country. Trump's behavior and words are that of an insane person (Trump's boast of "great and unmatched wisdom???"). Some in leadership are rubbing their chins and pondering deeply about the matter, while others are stubbornly defending him. Yikes.
40
Beyond all else, the identity of the whistle-blowers must be concealed from Republican members. or they'll never make it off the witness stand alive.
29
The people in the Ukraine on the call with Trump said there was no quid pro quo and that they did not feel pressured to do anything they weren't already doing. Trump says there was no quid pro quo. The Sec of State says there was no quid pro quo. The transcript of the call does not show a quid pro quo.
Schiff's staff (and maybe Schiff himself) communicated with the anonymous source before he/she filed a titular "whistleblower" complaint, which by default means they are not a whistleblower, but a partsian bureaucrat with a political agenda, not a law enforcement concern.
The only folks who think this a significant matter are the Democratic cranks in Congress who can't pass any legislation, have national approval ratings much lower than Trump's and are marginalizing themselves with another political hysteria based on purely partisian motives.
Biden is not immune from investigation or innuendo just because he's (again) a Presidential candidate.
Needless to say, neither is Trump, which is why the cranks in the House and their media allies have been on a 2 and half year onslaught of partisian whining and crying wolf about his every move.
Voters won't forget this crank nonsense - see you in 2020.
8
@Fred Rick
It is illegal to solicit aid for a U.S. election from a foreign government. Mr. Trump is guilty, according to his own White House transcript of the Zelesnky call. And this is grounds for his impeachment and removal from office.
Quid pro quo is not necessary, and is a red herring.
67
@Fred Rick agree 100%. Let’s try this, let’s try that. First Russia now Ukraine. If the first whistle blower doesn’t produce the goods let’s go fish for another. Biden can scream quid quo pro on Camera and nothing doing, Trump is proclaimed guilty before being proven innocent. My worry is that there are enough cranks who believe what they are being fed from the media that we WILL end up with someone like Warren, who’s tax em til they bleed policies will make the Trump Presidency seem like the good old days to the middle class and anyone with a job.
2
@Fred Rick Do you think the Ukrainians would risk the wrath of a lunatic like Trump? And yes, your defense of Pompeo and Trump denying everything is watertight.
2
As we criticize countries like China and Russia for the lack of democracy, we should really take a hard look at ourselves. With all this stonewalling by a semi-despot in the executive branch to the legislature with amazing effectiveness, and considering all this is in keeping with the DESIGN of our political system, are we really that different from China or Russia?
34
“House Democrats are looking for information that could reveal whether President Trump’s decision to withhold security aid from Ukraine was tied to his bid to pressure its government to investigate rivals.”
While we’re at it, let’s look for information about whether Biden’s threat to withhold aid from Ukraine was an effort to scuttle an investigation into Hunter Biden.
8
@Thomas Martin I'm confused: how is Joe Biden going to threaten to withhold aid from Ukraine when he has not been in elected office since January, 2017?
6
@Peter Dale
Did you know that the verb “was” is past tense?
If I were subpoenaed to testify before the US Congress or even a local court of law, I would not hesitate to do so. That's because I am a law abiding citizen and I respect the rule of law. It seems the people in this administration do not. How can two "businessmen from Florida" refuse to cooperate??
43
Things are better this year. They're worse than 2018, but better than 2020.
1
The White House Budget Office and the Pentagon better obey these subpoenas from the duly elected Article I legislative representatives of the American people.
No Americans voted for any one at any level at either of these hired help offices.
America isn't North Korea nor Russia nor Saudi Arabia.. yet? Or is it?
15
The real reason that this was delayed was that the US couldn't come up with enough Javelins to meet the Ukrainian's request, and they were waiting to see if Pacers and/or Gremlins would be an acceptable substitute...
3
@John E.
Mr. Trump wanted to send them Corvaires. ;)
Because everything for him is nostalgia for the 50s, including his DA haircut.
7
The House needs to be very clear that any evidence from the Pentagon and Budget Office regarding withholding military aid to Ukraine is purely optional, and is not critical to the case for impeachment.
1. Mr. Trump has already broken the law. It was illegal for him to solicit campaign aid for his U.S. election from the Ukrainian government, as detailed in the White House-released reconstructed transcript of the Zelensky phone call. It illegal for Mr. Trump to publicly call on China to investigate the Bidens, on national television.
2. It is not necessary to demonstrate an explicit quid pro quo with Ukraine. Mr. Trump has already broken the law, in broad daylight for everyone to see, which is an impeachable offense for which he could be removed from office.
3. That said, demonstration of a quid pro quo from these Pentagon and Budget documents would certainly be icing on the cake, and provide a stronger case and additional articles of impeachment, and perhaps convince additional Republican Senators to vote to convict.
4. But absence of proof of quid pro quo does not exonerate Mr. Trump. He and his supporters are already trying to muddy the waters on this point. Lindsey Graham has suggested that the Pentagon delayed the aid, pending review of corruption in Ukraine. Mr. Trump has suggested that he wanted the Europeans to pay for some of it. These are also smokescreens and post hoc defenses invented after the fact. But Mr. Trump is still guilty of (1) above.
26
Nah, I don’t think so.
4
@David H
The Constitution and the Rule of Law not on your side.
16
Perhaps Schiff should subpoena the contractor that provides trash hauling services for the Whitehouse to “Schiff” through the landfills because maybe President Trump wrote a note to the Department of Defense on a napkin that read “Barr funding” !
5
What happens when the subpoenas are ignored, as they obviously will be? Does the US Constitution allow for any recourse, like imprisonment? It seems like such a toothless document. Could the NYT please report, in detail, what happens when subpeonas are ignored and what recourse — in detail, please — do we, the people, have? It seems like what happens when subpoenas are ignored is of zero interest in terms of reporting the consequences of that in detail. If there are any journalists reading this comment, I would love to see an article describing in great detail what the consequences of ignoring a subpoena is, and what recourse government has to enforce them. They are not being complied with and why should they be?
30
If you read through the comments, you will see that because there has not been a house floor vote on the impeachment process, subpoenas can be ignored at will. The house has no enforcement power until Speaker Pelosi hold a floor vote. Nancy Pelosi I believe is afraid to do so, because she will then imperil the reelection prospects of many Democrats who are in very close races in their home districts. The issue is very complicated, far more complex than the New York Times is revealing.
7
There is also the preemptive warning that ignoring the subpoenas or stonewalling the inquiry would be taken as evidence for impeachment itself creating a kind of catch-22.
6
Great to see the democrats moving fast on this and controlling the narrative. With all due respect, the Mueller report took too long and was obstructed by Trump. Congress has constitutional powers to impeach and it will be more difficult for Trump to obstruct justice.
20
Controlling the narrative? This whole impeachment process is still very unofficial, and if she decides that it’s better to challenge Mr. Trump at the polls, Nancy Pelosi will and this inquiry at a moments notice. I know it’s difficult to believe, but those seeking to indict Mr. Trump have to provide evidence. So far, there is none.
8
@Joseph B I don't believe Trump is fit to be President though I support some of his ideas. How did he obstruct the Mueller report though ?
1
@David H
No evidence?
I could have sworn I read a memo detailing a call quite like a call described by the whistleblower, where Mr Trump most definitely asked a leader of a foreign government to provide dirt on a political rival.
That’s kind of what evidence looks like.
2
I didn’t do it and you can’t ask about it. No one else can talk about it either. Not a good look for an innocent man.
41
Dream on.
The White House will not comply. Trump will forbid anyone from complying -- the State Department, the IRS, Rick Perry, Pence, Giuliani.
Barr will help cover up and intimidate.
It will all go to the Supreme Court.
Which is conservative, especially given the last two hires.
If you didn't anticipate this three years ago, shame on you.
15
Probably a good time to invest in polonium futures.
5
How about the Sargent at Arms just arrests George P. Kent instead of having a conversation about rescheduling? There was no good cause shown for his failure to appear. Let's get some backbone here Dems and follow through.
56
What the House needs to also investigate is the explosive AP news regarding Rick Perry's effort to profit from a Ukrainian gas company. According to AP:
"... the effort to install a friendlier management team at the helm of the gas company, Naftogaz, would soon be taken up with Ukraine’s new president by U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, whose slate of candidates included a fellow Texan who is one of Perry’s past political donors."
Every single Trump cabinet members need to be impeached. Now we know why Perry is resigning.
43
@Candlewick Perry's been bullied into staying. He says he's not retiring any more.
1
Withholding aid to Ukraine helps Russia.
Pulling troops out of Syria helps the brutal dictator Assad and his Russian partners.
34
We are making a huge mistake by focusing on quid pro quo. It's a trap. The GOP is leading us to focus on an extraneous issue whose absence doesn't necessarily preclude an impeachment. Simply seeking help in a domestic election from a foreign power is illegal. Surely that in and of itself falls under the umbrella of "high crimes and misdemeanors".
Instead of going after Kavanaugh's pedigree and possible money issues, we chose to make sexual misconduct the focus of our objections to his nomination. The conservatives easily succeeded in muddying the waters and getting the Democratic party into a moral panic about something that ended up being impossible to definitively prove. Did he do it? It wouldn't shock me. But there wasn't enough evidence to discount him from serving on the Supreme Court simply because of it, regardless of any other factors that may have prevented him from doing so (money owed, possible coordination with Trump's personal legal team to install him as a kingmaker, etc.). This is the same issue we face on impeachment. IT DOES NOT MATTER whether there was a definitive quid pro quo agreement. THE SIMPLE ACT OF ASKING, regardless of what the response was, regardless of what help he got back, regardless of what he gave (or didn't) in return, is an impeachable offense, and we need to keep our focus on that.
10
@jaco
It is when you are asking only to damage a political opponent.
9
@jaco
Ukraine has had a reputation as a very corrupt place, so there must be many large issues of corruption involving many persons and companies.
The best question to trump from a reporter recently was to the effect of "what other corruption issues were of concern to you"?
trump essentially deferred, saying he would have to get back on that.
So yes, perhaps, all other evidence against it notwithstanding, and even though there clearly was an appearance of impropriety with Biden's son getting a board position, the obverse of the reporter's question also is an important question: why focus only on Biden?
Smells political to me.
@David P
The Ukraine investigation cleared biden. Trump doesn't like the result and is insisting on a do over. This from a man who keeps saying 'witch hunt' and 'no collusion' but can't accept the results of a completed investigation.
1
The documentation that will provide the smoking gun does not exist, because if anyone is savvy enough to know not to put down the details on paper, it is Mr. Trump. The department of defense will comply with the subpoena, and so will the office of management and budget. But don’t expect anything but circumstantial evidence at best to support the claim that Mr. Trump withheld $391 million in aid in order to extract from the Ukrainians any sort of assistance in finding dirt on Joe Biden. until a machine is invented they can read the thoughts of another human being, we will never know the truth. 
3
@David H
Quid pro quo is not necessary. Mr. Trump solicited campaign assistance for his U.S. election from a foreign government. That is illegal. He is guilty. This is grounds for impeachment and removal from office.
15
No proof exists that he did so. Have you not been reading the newspaper?
2
@David H
In Mr. Trump's own words, from the White House-released transcript of his call with Mr. Zelensky:
"I would like you to do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it. .. I would like to have the Attorney General call you or your people and I would like you to get to the bottom of it. As you saw yesterday, that whole nonsense ended with a very poor performance by a man named Robert Mueller, an incompetent performance, but they say a lot of it started with Ukraine. Whatever you can do, it's very important that you do it if that's possible."
"The other thing, There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it... It sounds horrible to me."
6
A subpoena to appear is exactly that - have to appear! Why can't the Democrats get it that by not appearing it is not only a delaying tactic by this administration a delaying tactic but a tactic to alter facts, truths, give redacted versions or point-blank outright lies. Why does'nt the House stick to it's much heralded dictum that not appearing or submitting documents is simply obstruction of justice. Democrats are downright vexing with their inertia.
3
There are so many layers to this unfolding scandal. Enter the 'Three Amigos' thus allowing for this early suggestion: Amigogate?
3
@Wa8_tress
Yes, let's blame it Mexicans.
The evidence is in plain sight, which is the transcript released by the White House. The smoking gun is the line "I would like you to do us a favor though."
The word 'though' is critical. It's a qualifier that means 'however,' which by definition imposes restrictions on what was said previously. Read in context, it's clear Trump was implying a quid pro quo.
125
@jaco Yes I do, its pretty obvious what he said.
16
You think that is a smoking gun? Hilarious!!
5
@Mark McIntyre
Sadly, this critical word seems to be ignored by most.
The word "though" makes the Zelensky request for missiles contingent upon doing the "favor" for Trump.
That's why one of Trump's toadies got upset when Scott Pelley read the exact quote in an interview. He immediately got flustered and claimed that Pelley added the word "though". Why did it bother him? because anyone familiar with the English language understood how damning that word was in context of the Ukraine request for military aid and Trump's subtle demand for his political investigations.
16
Will the Sergeant at Arms be ready to take anyone who refuses to comply with the subpoena to jail? Because if he isn't, then this whole exercise is as pointless as issuing a parking ticket to someone who has left the country never to return.
21
Until the house puts this impeachment to a vote on the floor, nothing is official, and nothing is going to happen. It’s not accidental that Nancy Pelosi called this process an “inquiry.” my bet is that she pulls the plug on this whole thing before the end of October.
3
If those subpoenaed to be deposed do not show up, they should be arrested immediately and jailed until they comply. No second chances.
Period!
93
This is the first real test. Democrats, throw them in jail and levy substantial fines for failure to show up. No exceptions, no discussion, no Susan Collins disappointment.
If you fail to act with maximum swiftness and severity you will crash the 2020 turnout on which the survival of our democracy depends.
See how many people are writing to this effect? That’s evidence of the damage to our trust in you. Act.
28
So, when a Black man misses Jury Duty, he is given a fine and sentence of community work, but if the Executive Branch defies Congress of their Constitutional duties, they get a walk?
It's Good to Be King!
71
@Gdnrbob A false comparison.
2
And a ridiculous comparison, at that.
4
is this article opinion or fact? I grow tired of NYT news articles presenting impeachment as fact. I won't believe it's possible until it happens. I never believed Trump could become president. I never believed a man accused of so many character shortcomings could be so bold as to pronounce his superiority over so many others.
3
I think you misunderstand what “impeachment” means. It’s like an indictment. There’s no strong reason to doubt that the Democrat-majority US House will vote to impeach him and send it along to the Senate, which would then have to vote on whether to try the President and any others for the misdeeds alleged in the articles of impeachment.
5
Donald Trump: “We should kill whistle blowers and arrest the HPSCI Chairman.”
Democrats: “Would you pretty please give us the documents we are asking for? Don’t worry, if you ignore us we will just allow you to keep ignoring us without any real consequences. And I forgot you want to shove us in a locker we won’t protest too much. Can we be friends?”
I can’t think of any other way to contextualize the horror that is presently upon the United States than what I have written above. I feel like I’m trapped in Office Space. Every day is worse than the day before it. And just when you think to yourself “there’s no way that tomorrow can be worse than today,” it is worse.
The Democrats need to wake up and treat this matter with the gravity that it requires, and they need to start enforcing subpoenas. Don’t want to turn over documents? Go to jail. Don’t want to show up to Congress? Go to jail. Period. I don’t understand what is so hard about this. It should be the easiest decision in the world for Democrats to make, and for some unbelievable reason, they refuse to do it.
44
If an individual is subpoenaed by congress and does not show up, that is a slap in the face of the entire citizenry of the USA. As such, we should institute a citizen-wide all-points-bulletin on that individual, reporting their whereabouts to the local police and dragging them into congress if necessary.
I don't believe George P. Kent was subpoenaed for the deposition that he missed, but anyone who encounters him, neighbors, colleagues, whomever, should consider it an affront to them that he is defying the will of the people.
19
@Wayne Cunningham
Perhaps it would be fair to ask Mr. Kent why he did not appear at the deposition before passing judgement?
1
That is a classic red herring, meant to distract us from the matter at hand. Stay focused...
@MDCooks8
Not the topic under discussion.
Transparency is something Trump and Republicans talk about but never actually follow through with providing the American people with. As an Independent I'm fed up with them playing the Victim card whenever someone stands up to- or speaks out against- Trump's unethical, immoral or illegal actions. Those are actions of party patriots, NOT American patriots. Let's Make America Great Again by VOTING Trump OUT in 2020..
20
I understand their purpose but I’d suggest we hold off on any more document requests until we establish a rule of law. It’s obvious the administration doesn’t intend to comply. Either congress takes steps to put the fear of God in them or let’s stop playing childish games. Yes, it’s serious, but when you flaunt the law you should expect the law to come knock`n.
10
Flout, not flaunt, the law. But I agree.
1
Not clear if those "no-show" witnesses were subpoenaed or otherwise required to show. If they were under legal obligation to show up, then they should be put in jail for not showing. All the remaining witnesses will be watching whether they are any consequences for failing to show up.
12
Nixon was brought down by tapes. Trump is being brought down by tapes. At least Tony Soprano knew not to ask a favour over the phone.
8
@Rod
Agreed. Trump is being brought down by his own big mouth and ego. Deal maker indeed.
Mitch McConnell and the Republican apologists had plenty of time to deal with Trump instead of betting their continued livelihood on this nitwit. Time is now up. They cut him loose or get trounced in 2020.
5
Alas this will merely result in another too late court win........
staining the Trump Error is NOT enough.
I'm tired of the stonewalling, the gaslighting, the lying, the false accusations (e.g., of DOJ and FBI bias), the fecklessness (troubling but let's all just sit on our hands) and the fantastical commentary (it's all a big joke). We just want to know what happened when and why. If not too much trouble, please subpoena the living heck out of them.
10
Subpoeanas? Really? There are no subpoeanas. They are sending naasty letters that have no legal standing. They do not have subpoeana power since there have been no votes by the committee. They do not want to vote because that creates a public record. Can't the silly, breathless media get anything right?
12
@antonio gomez
I don't know where you got this crazy idea but all congressional committees and subcommittees have subpoena power. Impeachment vote or no impeachment vote. Right now three committees are holding joint hearings. Any one of the three can issue a subpoena with a simple majority vote of the committee
1
House needs a plan to put these people in jail.. It hasn't been done before but what's happening is not been done before as well.
Let's plan for them to go to Rykert, pending trial and see - how they start talking.
4
What happens if the White House doesn't comply with the subpeoenas? What are some of the options?
Serious Consequences MUST follow no-shows! George P. Kent, a deputy assistant secretary of state and Ukraine expert, did not show up as planned. At least 3 other witnesses scheduled to appear this week are also in doubt. Give them big daily fines as consequences, not contempt! Contempt is laughable at this point.
5
@Pepe
Fine them for what?
What’s with the strange photo of someone looking as if he’s about to club Schiff? We know it’s a mike but....Please change the photo - and the color of the ‘club’ holders’ skin is also suggestive - not in a good way and not a good message.
1
I’ve been reading a lot about House Democrats “flailing” in their supposedly futile attempts to run this lawless, street corner administration to earth. The House is doing everything that it should to smoke out these bandits.
The president and all his men (and some of the women) have had their time at the trough; time for the grunting to stop and hold them all accountable for ransacking the nation’s reputation and and treasury in their pursuit of anarchy.
I distinctly recall a track on The Beatles’ “White Album;” it was called “Piggies” in which those in “clean shirts...clutch their forks and knives...to eat their bacon.”
Well, they’ve dined on us long enough.
5
Start jailing and fining those that ignore these lawful actions.
Maryland has a governor, Larry Hogan, who is a republican who just might accept prisoners.
He didn't vote for trump, and threatened to run in a primary against him. He' s a lame duck and his dad was a Republican who voted to impeach Nixon.
2
@Lawrence --Nixon was not impeached.
1
Aid was suddenly frozen in July a week before the call to Ukraine leader, and released 2 months later, within 24 hours of the revelation that the whistleblower complaint was linked to Ukraine.
Nobody in the Trump Administration or any Republicans in Congress have provided an explanation of the timing of either the freezing or unfreezing of this aid that credibly introduces factors unrelated to pressuring Ukraine to comply with the request to investigate Biden.
55
Donald Trump says that Speaker Pelosi and Rep. Schiff should be impeached for setting in motion an inquiry to impeach Trump.
Trump's lawyers should advise Trump on the constitutional and statutory law regarding his statement. The executive department does not have powers to impeach members of Congress; only the legislative arm can impeach any executive department official for contemptuous actions.
In addition, members of the Trump Administration should be advised of penalties for not responding to a Congressional subpoena.
First, either the House or Senate could arrest contemptuous Trump officials and hold them in the Capitol jail until the end of the legislative session.
Second, the House or Senate may refer the matter to the U.S. Attorney for DC to pursue criminal contempt proceedings, pursuant to 2 U.S.C. §§ 192, 194.
Third, the Senate may authorize a civil action in federal district court, seeking a court-ordered injunction to compel compliance with Senate process. Anyone not complying to that order would be subject to contempt of court.
Regarding option 2, The U.S.C.notes that anyone subpoenaed by the House or Senate and who willfully defaults or refuses to answer pertinent questions pertinent would be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than $100,000 and imprisonment in jail for not less than one month nor more than twelve months.
Thus, jail time, fines, or both await Trump Administration staff who are held in contempt of Congress.
36
@Ed Then why is Eric Holder still free?
2
@Ed I'd like to see what would happen if anyone of his underlings was actually jailed. Would the investigation be taken more seriously and Trump's cronies abide by the law? As it is he just parades potential pardons like Halloween candy, and stonewalling and arrogance are common responses.
4
Another classic red herring...
None of these request letters are actually subpoenas, are they? So they're just more bluster and bother, right? And there's still no actual impeachment (thus, see above), right? Or even an official proceeding, right? Just more news cycle, right? And this is all going to work to the House Dems' benefit and in the 2020 Congressional and Presidential elections, right?
No. Wrong.
7
At what point does the Committees doing the various investigations start holding "no-shows" in Contempt of Congress and start having the Capital Police start to throw them in jail?
At what point do these Committees seeking necessary documents from the various agencies and their Department Heads put up with either none being handed over or worse redacted or altered? What is the penalty for Barr of the DOJ for impeding these inquiries.
It is time for these Committees to start playing Hardball with these unscrupulous behaviors by the White House, Trump, Giuliani, Barr, ad nauseum.
They are all dangerous to our Democracy.
17
And how are these subpoenas different than all those already issued and ignored? The Democrats need to stop with the kid gloves treatment and play hard ball: start jailing those who ignore legal and Constitutional Congressional demands. We'll soon see how loyal all these Trump flunkies are when they're behind bars for contempt.
49
@Kingfish52
Yes, but instead democrats just saying they will add all this to articles of obstruction, like they're dealing with normal people, not low life criminals.
Would they deal like with mob...
8
Actually, we all know what will be the outcome and what had happened in Ukraine case like an algebraic equation :
3+ x = 5, then that x = 2? The house is looking for the homework done by the various offices just to prove Trump cheated, so that the House can remove the unfit president or to prove that the Senate would cheat to still keep him in the office.
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@Asian Philosopher
There is an old joke about a client asking his accountant "what is 2 plus?"
The accountant responds "what would like it to be?"
Trump is not all powerful. Manafort and Cohen are both sleeping in jail tonight. That’s something to think about if you work in the federal government and are being asked to suppress wrongdoing. It will be found.
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As a veteran of more than four decades of government service, I can tell you that you are dead wrong.
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@David H
How so?
A congressional subpoena? I thought those didn’t matter anymore.
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And what happens if the whitehouse once again ignores the subpoenas?
WHO will and HOW will the subpoenas be enforced?
Crickets
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Good luck with that. The White House will say no, it will go thru the courts and end up at the Supreme Court who will then vote in Trump's favor. He owns the majority! So frustrating!
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I know its kind of a boring, nuts and bolts structural question, but when Congress demands records like this, who makes sure they are getting everything they are asking for?
I know pretty well how document management systems can permission, and log both changes as well as who accesses a document when, or a search query.
Does the committee specify search queries they want pulled, and then also get proof of a complete search somehow? Does a third party in govt that preserves documents prevent tampering (it sure didnt work well in the case of that secure system).
Presidential records have maintenance requirements. What is their current state, and how do people get around them these days, as I am sure they try to do?
Putin seems to be the only one with any brains in this aspect: do it face to face, out of sight, and control the location and who knows....
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@B.T. This is a great question. I would hope that there's some sort of third-party, unbiased way of obtaining subpoenaed records, but that's just a blind hope.
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Hopefully these documents will be handed over to the House Intel Committee and the American public will have further evidence that Trump withheld funds to Ukraine in order to try and get dirt on the Bidens.
However, there should be no rush for the Democrats to draft up Articles for Impeachment before the end of the year. Rather investigations into Trump's abuse of power need to be expanded into areas such as his business holdings and how they benefit him and his family.
It would serve the American voters best and our democracy if articles of impeachment against Trump were finally drawn up a month before election day. This would allow citizens to examine all the charges and vote in November to determine the fate of Trump.
On election day I trust our voters to make the right decision rather than to have a Senate trial sometime before that date. We all can expect Senate Republican cronies will vote to acquit Trump before the November election
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@patrick ryan This Impeachment Inquiry was launched specifically to investigate trump's abuse of power in regards to Ukraine. Nothing else. That alone sets the boundaries. While MANY are more than aware of trump's many faceted perversions of Presidential power, to expand the inquiry to include them would be counterproductive. The inquiry would then be portrayed as the all-encompassing "witch hunt" of which trump, Republican members of Congress, Fox News talking heads and even his supporters believe he has always been the target. Keep it simple. The evidence is there.
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We need more Whistleblowers to come forward; on this issue too. Trump White House will stonewall; sue and tie it up in Courts for decades.
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@Ray Sipe. Whistle blowers to do what?
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It will be a near miracle if there's anything in writing with respect to the sequence of events or rationale for withholding the aid package to the Ukraine at the propitious moment when that event took place.
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@Daniel K. Statnekov - you haven't been attached to the Pentagon recently, have you? You can't order a box of ballpoint pens without generating a ten page document.
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We will see if Trump blocks the DOD & Office of Management & Budget from cooperating with the subpoenas. Can the Sec of Defense & Budget Director be charged with obstruction of justice?
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The “seeking” of information is not news. What would be actual news would be succeeding in getting information.
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Why the aid was withheld is not a “great mystery.”
You have to be willfully blind to believe it was anything other than Trump saying Ukraine had to execute on the requested “deliverables,” ie, exculpating Russia for 2016 and tarring the Bidens for 2020.
All true patriots should be appalled.
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@David I am.
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@David #Censure immediately. Impeach repeatedly.
Our wise and brilliant President involved in an extortion plot? Of course he was and would do it again once his Republican toadies exonerate him in the senate.
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@James Landi
In his 'great and unmatched wisdom' he considered extortion to be appropriate. What a joke.
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Smoking gun, here we come !
I'm sure Mick Mulvaney's emails contain a few juicy "let's hold off on that Ukraine aid" for awhile.
Time to connect the Trump dots of Presidential malfeasance, manipulation and election racketeering.
The Trump Titanic sails along.....not for much longer, though.
I love the American separation of powers.
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What separation of powers?
The whiteHouse continues to stonewall and ignore any and all subpoenas.
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@Socrates - don't fall into the "quid pro quo trap".
Images on the wall of the cave. I thought you were smarter than that.
@Socrates I wish I could be so optimistic. What's different about this? Senate Republicans will never, ever dump Trump.
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And what action will be taken after the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget refuse to comply with the subpoena?
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@Larry Nothing happened to Holder when he didn’t turn over fast and furious documents.
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@Larry I imagine it would be much the same as what has been told to others who refuse to comply--they'll be charged with obstruction.
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@Larry It states right in this article that the DOD is complying.
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