Who cares what the GAO says?
Remember when the GAO called Obama's Bergdahl prisoner "swap" illegal?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/08/22/the-gao-says-the-bergdahl-swap-was-illegal-in-the-past-that-hasnt-resulted-in-much/
No, you probably don't. Cause it was before Trump and the Republicans did not call for Obama's impeachment. But it would have been quite a spectacle.
Oh, and here's an old but goody; remember when the GAO described Obama's committing the US to the Paris Climate Accord as illegal and "filed a lawsuit" agains the Obama administration to obtain records from State?
https://govoversight.org/index.php/2019/11/04/gao-files-lawsuit-over-paris-accord-not-a-treaty-obama-shenanigans/
Nah, you don't remember that either. Cause it wasn't Trump. But you know what? Rachel Maddow won't be remembering it either tonight, cause its bad for ratings.
Indeed, the NYT seems to have forgotten the many times Obama could have been "impeached" for overreaching and "abusing" his presidential powers.
But if it ain't "woke," don't fix it.
3
I suppose Republicans will argue that this is merely a civil law, not a criminal one, and therefore not a "misdemeanor". If only Trump was spry enough to jump a turnstile, now that would be a real impeachable crime. Or fudged about an affair during a civil deposition under oath.
2
To all Republicans,
Please call your Senators and tell them to believe what they see before their eyes and hear with their own ears. Trump has broken the law and his oath of office and needs to go.
6
Every administration has run afoul of some federal law. The Obama administration was cited 7 times by the GOA.
It doesn’t mean Obama committed “crimes” for which he should have been impeached.
3
Add that to Mr. Trump's other high crimes and misdemeanors.
2
Many instances of many Presidents either withholding or threatening to withhold payments for many reasons. Why no outrage then? This partisan effort to attack President Trump is really exposing the double standards and hypocrisy of many people and organizations - sickening, disgusting, and infantile all at the same time.
3
Did trump's white house counsel have anything to say when trump et al did this?
1
"Trump Administration broke law...." I am shocked by this assessment!! (Pleased note sarcasm).
3
What does it matter now? Barr will claim the report's conclusions are not true. This report should have been released during the House phase of the investigation. Of course, one legal analyst claimed that this report & any other new reports that point to law breaking by trump can lead to another impeachment. There is no double jeopardy in presidential impeachments.
2
If Trump wins, Congressional “Power of the Purse” no longer exists. This ruling will change the Constitutional balance of power forever, and without any input from SCOTUS.
3
It is worth elaborating on a matter that several respondents have referred to below, without having provided detail.
The GAO has previously noted—and GWU Law School Professor J Turley and other legal correspondents, and CNN and other media outlets have discussed—that presidents other than the current sitting president have been found by the GAO to have violated federal law.
For instance, the GAO reported that an earlier administration's directive to the DoD led it to violate §8111 of the DoD's 2014 Appropriations Act, in its failure to notify specified congressional committees at least 30-days prior to the transfer of individuals detained at Guantanamo Bay (and that it violated the 1982 Antideficiency Act in the same action). The executive that ordered the action in question was President Barack Obama.
While I cannot speak to the accuracy of other web reports—e.g., which tally such GAO violations for President Obama as being as many as seven—it is clear that violations of law by earlier sitting presidents have not, in and of themselves, ever been seen as a serious argument for their removal by impeachment.
2
Trump has failed to deliver on the main issues he campaigned for and I will highlight areas that did not involve Democrats blocking his policy.
The most important I feel is how he campaigned to clean up Washington, "clean up the swamp" The swamp just changed. He brought in his own swamp at same time he got rid of those that wanted no part in HIS swamp. How are Democrats responsible for that?
He campaigned to put an end to never ending wars. He said he did not want to involve the house in his decision to further involve US in conflict with Iran. Result, more troops deployed, exactly what he campaigned against. How are Democrats responsible for that?
He campaigned that he would decrease government spending. Debt increased.
He campaigned to have Mexico fund the wall. How have Democrats stopped that?
I could go on, but feel I made my point.
I like to be strength based, so I will credit his administration for an improved economy.
What we have learned from President Trump's 3 years in office is that he is failing to achieve what he campaigned for and has no one to blame but himself. He ignores experts and reacts are gut and emotions. We also learned he lies excessively and he acts like a toddler when challenged. Not qualities any leader should exhibit.
Finally, for those that just don't get it...who cares if we have a strong economy when we have lost integrity and respect on the world stage as well as increased social problems in our country.
7
I would start looking into the release of aid to Puerto Rico and if there are any Trump family agendas and/or vendettas there.
3
The DoD was charged with doing the due diligence on Ukraine and gave the go ahead in July of 2019. The impoundment act requires that congress be informed of impoundment of funds. Congress was not informed. Laws were violated but this is not about explaining away procedural errors. This is about following a foreign policy that benefited Russia in its invasion of an ally of the USA in direct opposition to the official policy voted on by congress by both parties which was to help Ukraine defend itself. That is the impeachable offense not the GAO audit report.
23
Trump has failed to deliver on the main issues he campaigned for and I will highlight areas that did not involve Democrats blocking his policy.
The most important I feel is how he campaigned to clean up Washington, "clean up the swamp" The swamp just changed. He brought in his own swamp at same time he got rid of those that wanted no part in HIS swamp. How are Democrats responsible for that?
He campaigned to put an end to never ending wars. He said he did not want to involve the house in his decision to further involve US in conflict with Iran. Result, more troops deployed, exactly what he campaigned against. How are Democrats responsible for that?
He campaigned that he would decrease government spending. Debt increased.
He campaigned to have Mexico fund the wall. How have Democrats stopped that?
I could go on, but feel I made my point.
I like to be strength based, so I will credit his administration for an improved economy.
What we have learned from President Trump's 3 years in office is that he is failing to achieve what he campaigned for and has no one to blame but himself. He ignores experts and reacts are gut and emotions. We also learned he lies excessively and he acts like a toddler when challenged. Not qualities any leader should exhibit.
Finally, for those that just don't get it...who cares if we have a strong economy when we have lost integrity and respect on the world stage as well as increased social problems in our country.
21
@Heather
And would, could or should any of the Democratic candidates running to replace Trump really change his foreign military and government employee policies a whit? A day after our November Presidential elections, the book most in demand around the District of Columbia is the federal list of employment vacancies resulting from a change in political party winner. New administration job positions seldom change, are reduced or are eliminated under any new administrations. Trump Republicans would have had to control both houses to have accomplished his specific campaign promises, and he never had such a majority. No newly elected President so far has. Winning the Presidency is easy compared to winning seats for one’s party supporters in Congress. And maybe that’s a good thing for our country to accept and support radical change through the process of our bottoms-up political power.
1
I'd suggest, at this juncture, that a reasonable and evenhanded extension of this reporting might be for these authors—Ms Cochrane and Messrs Eric Lipton and Chris Cameron—to examine the timing of the release of this and other reports by the GAO. It may be that the depiction/appellation that they and others in the press generally apply to the GAO in opening description, that of "nonpartisan", no longer strictly or uniformly applies. Such should be clear from any pattern that emerges from an investigation of the nature of reports and the timing of their release dates. I've no horse in this race, but if in truth they are no longer generally unbiased, politically, then this might constitute some of the news that is fit to print.
4
Because of his actions some of the money was never delivered so it is an ongoing crime in my book...
3
Please highlight the “Impoundment Control Act” so readers can learn a definition easily online and fully understand the problem of using a bureaucratic watchdog agency role to impeach a President, in this case President Trump.
For no matter how one feels about Trump, impeachment only for his administration’s attempt to execute what he deems foreign relations — clumsily delaying foreign aid to Ukraine — would ironically “impound” or interfere with the Constitutional power of future Presidents. “Programmatic delay” is not a defined length of time nor does it mean a denial of appropriated funds, thus violating the law.
Forty-three states give the governor or chief executive the power of impounding funds allocated by their state legislatures. And Presidents from Thomas Jefferson to Barack Obama have either used or attempted to use the power of impounding funds to curb excessive Congressional spending or have attempted to use it since then through the bureaucratic process of line-item veto struck down when President Clinton tried to use it.
This “news report” selectively omits the history of the Impoundment Control Act to support the Democratic Impeachment Articles. And that is your right under our Freedom of the Press laws, but it is also politically biased.
3
This isn't about impoundment to curb congressional spending. stop trying to be "cute"! This is about impoundment to force a foreign country to illegally interfere with the process of electing the President of the United States. Get it??????
9
Trump tramples the law and the republicans support him. What a farce—the electoral college. Keeps people enslaved. Time to break up the country
7
@Mary M One could also say the Obama trampled the law, many times, and democrats continued to support him. I guess it is not what one does, but rather what it looks like through the lens of party association.
Trump's political hacks, in their attempt to refute the GAO report, are at a loss to offer any valid justification for withholding the Ukraine money that was earmarked for that country's defence against Putin aggression.
The only statement out of any of them is "I disagree with the GAO". There is no legally justifiable reason to give and they all know it. Their charade, intended to bolster a corrupt and incompetent president at the expense of our Constitution, must not be tolerated if we are to continue as a free and Constitutionally driven country. We must vote them out of office and then build a better country so that the likes of Trump and his usurpers will never see the inside of the Capital Building again.
9
It would seem appropriate for the White House to provide proof of their due diligence in evaluating Ukraine before releasing the funds they quietly withheld. Any info available on this?
4
"The report, on its own, does not result in any action or specific penalty against the White House or Mr. Trump." So what's the point of the act then? There's no use in your country having a law if there's no consequence to breaking it.
6
Lots of comments, and lots of people saying it better than I.
Trumpies, you're so proud of your patriotism, but your continued devotion to one man is unseemly.
THE CONSTITUTION SAYS IT, I BELIEVE IT, AND THAT SETTLES IT.
Why can't republicans just say that one simple thing? Instead, they've substituted trump for their constitution. The amount of effort they're using to keep trump safe COULD be used to defend our laws. Instead, they celebrate his use of America's mighty ship of state for his own mob-boss ultimate power "me me me" pettiness. He gets what he wants strictly because Dems are 'mean' to him, and that's enough for his followers.
Every day it's more clear: If you stand with trump, you stand against your own American values, laws and vaunted exceptionalism.
17
Why did Speaker Pelosi cave in to Trump and McConnell ? If she lacks the courage to stand up to Republicans, she should resign and allow AOC to lead House Democrats.
2
7. Seven is the number of times GAO violated federal law, each one eligible for impeachment. Imagine the outcry if Republicans had brought forward articles of impeachment for history’s first black President.
1
The GAO must issue an annual audit report on federal funds. Would you invest money in a business that does not subject it self to an annual audit? Every year the GAO must qualify its audit opinion because the records for the disbursement DoD funds are not sufficient for audit.
No one listened.
The GAO has issued reports which disclosed conflicts of interest in Federal Reserve decisions which favored the banks that Federal Reserve members were associated with.
No one listened.
It most certainly is the GAO function to opine on the legality of any action the executive branch takes that conflicts with the proper use of duly appropriated funds. Do you want the executive branch to be unchecked like a dictator?
It is time to listen.
5
Many argue that using taxpayer dollars to fund a foreign government is unconstitutional and that revenue can only be used for US Government services
More GAO nonsense
3
The GAO also said that President Obama broke the “law“ several times. Same with George W Bush and President Clinton. This is just a silly dispute that constantly happens between the legislative and executive branches. To make any kind of a deal about this is just wishing by liberals.
It was not a crime when Obama Clinton or Bush did it, and it’s not a crime now.
5
He probably did as did Obama but neither should have been impeached. Let the nation decide next November. It will.
3
If this is the case, that a President cannot control how they want to enforce laws that Congress passes, then why wasn’t Obama impeached for some of the high profile times he directly override Congress with executive orders, such as granting permanent residence to the Dreamers? Didn’t that directly go against our current immigration laws?
2
Executive orders are not illegal simple because they are executive orders. Try again.
4
Absolutely correct. This is the lie the Dems are perpetrating. All presidents enforce the law the way they see fit. If there's a conflict, the Congress can sue. That's why there's a judicial branch. There is no reason to impeach, especially when the next election is less than 10 months away. Of course, if you have zero faith in your candidates then impeachment, and finding other ways to disqualify the sitting president who will beat any of your guys in a walk, does make a certain amount of sense.
2
And now we know why there were members of Trump's administration freaking out about his withholding of the aid. They all knew it was illegal. And the only reason we even know this much of the story is because of a FOIA request where they had to release redacted emails.
There needs to be evidence and witnesses in this trial. Anything short will be a travesty and a coverup by the GOP.
Vote blue in 2020, up and down the ballot.
8
The Republican Party will face their reckoning when all this is over. I once was a registered Republican but I will not support a party that rewards extremism over responsibility. There is no many norm they are unwilling to break but they are fooling themselves if they think the patience of a nation is unlimited and that their nativism and jingoism is going to win them another term.
14
Heard a great line on Morning Joe today. Mika said, "When trump says he knows everything , he knows nothing, but when he says he knows nothing, he knows something. and, that something is bad."
25
Trump reminds me of one of those union employees who get away with being incompetent because it's impossible to fire a union worker. I hope reasonable people can decide that this man is grossly incompetent and fire him with the evidence they do have.
13
The GAO office, per this article, only has a fifteen year term, which means in 2025, President Trump can appoint his own head of GAO. Please, America, don't let him have a second term. This has been the restrained version of Trump.
13
We all employ and reject the use of false equivalencies, so take this for its face value however you choose to characterize it:
It is a verifiable, searchable body of information that on seven occasions the previous Presidential administration "violated Federal law" seven times under conditions exactly like, similar to, or different from this "impeachable" offense under the current administration.
4
Trump is not being impeached because he broke the law. He’s being impeached for “high crimes and misdemeanors” which is not the same thing as violation of federal statutes. This determination by GAO merely lends credence to the actual charges of abuse of power and obstruction for which he was impeached.
His refusal to abide by the law is a symptom of his general contempt for anything that might keep him from doing as he wishes. In his mind, because he is President, he should be able to violate the law with impunity. But our system makes everyone equal under the law, even the President. His contempt for this bedrock foundational rule is one of the reasons he is unfit for the office he holds.
25
@j Brian
Here is the thing ...., you are exactly correct and this is an example of what the auditors deal with at the GAO and at the state Auditors of public Accounts in each state.
The audit findings are technical based on expenditure statutes for each agency. The report is transmitted to the legislature because this independent agency was created by them to serve them information about tax dollar appropriations. These reports may actually implicate the legislative or executive branch in incorrect use of taxpayer funds in their reports. They make recommendations to correct the negative findings. To the legislative body. The legislature and executive doesn’t need to follow GAO recommendations even if the legislature or executive branch are at fault. The GAO is NOT an enforcement agency. They investigate crimes against our tax dollars being spent wrong by our elected crew in Washington. So Yes !!!! Good for the GAO in its findings of illegal use of funds by Obama too. Now we need a real trial of all the jokers in the Capital. Right?
Thank you GAO. This agency was a gift from Congress in 1974 for the taxpayers. Now the GAO has come visiting all the crows that descended in 2016 to steal from the taxpayer. You know the taxpayer whose measly paycheck is garnished of payroll taxes weekly. GAO protects that type of taxpayer. They are not for the elites or billionaire class. These folks are dedicated quiet accountants who enjoy spreadsheets with numbers in columns and use pencils.
4
@Evan Benjamin
His trial will show that the impeachment upon which you rest your indignation is a wish list of pure folly. If there was ever any doubt about our President's chances for re-election this year, this House farce secured the deal.
I think that it is clear by now that our president thinks that he is somehow "above the law"...that laws only apply to average citizens and not to those who hold elevated positions in government or to the ultra wealthy. Such an attitude is antithetical to our democratic process and to all that we hold dear...that all men and women are created equal and that our laws apply to all equally with no exceptions.
14
The GAO is subservient to the legislative branch, is an entrenched bureaucracy and has a long, long history of ant-Republican bias. It’s function has nothing to do with the business of issuing legal opinions. This is pronouncement is nothing more than partisan nonsense, being parroted by a partisan media.
5
Breathlessly reporting that Donald Trump broke the law; Of course Donald Trump broke the law - that's his entire business model, why would that change when he accidentally became president of the United States?
22
This same GAO found seven instances of the Obama Administration illegally misapplying funding.
Since such GAO findings are non-binding, there were no actions (including impeachment) taken against that administration.
4
The mainstream media always has to have a constant negative drumbeat against this president. First it was Trump is a Russian agent 24/7, then Trump /Russia collusion 24/7, then the Mueller report 24/7, the walls are closing in 24/7, Obstruction 24/7 now its impeachment 24/7 which will be over in two weeks with the president found not guilty. The question is what is the next sham that the media will be reporting 24/7?
6
That’s because this President lies incessantly about virtually everything, every single day. If the media doesn’t set the record straight, who will? He has no regard for the rule of law and no regard for the Constitution. You may not care, bit some of us do. He needs to be held accountable for his crimes and misdemeanors. This is nothing less or nothing more than holding him accountable.
25
If only he didn’t behave so awfully 24/7. As it is, the media barely has adequate bandwidth to report even a tenth of the many outrages he perpetrates.
And he will most probably indeed be found not guilty by this very partisan Senate. But he will always be impeached.
14
Trump has been impeached. Now remove him. Our citizens and our Republic must be protected.
23
We have a serial violator of laws and statutes, but he is unlikely to be removed from office by the senate.
The impeachment alone is a well deserved stain on trump’s presidency.
What will he do next? Shoot someone on 5th Avenue? He murdered suleimani (although he probably deserved it), pardoned a convicted war criminal, and the consequences could be material.
Failure to remove him is a stain on the senate. Failure to vote in favor of impeachment is a stain on those in the house who said nay.
Our government in an embarrassment that tarnishes every American.
Term limits. And vote the failures out in November starting with trump.
18
If the Republicans of the Senate refuse to do impartial justice as they have sweared to do, it will be an all time low for American democracy by enabling a rogue president to commit crimes and get away with it. Then Donald Trump truely is above the law. That's why i wonder if there are no legal consequences for those senators in terms of violating the Constitution? If not, at least the US people itselve should through voting in November severely punish the GOP for becoming nothing less than a rogue party, worldwide ashaming and betraying their own country.
15
Okay, that's it. We have one side saying that not only was the act improper, it was illegal, negating claims of "the intent was to root out corruption". The other side says no that isn't true, the GAO is incorrect (deep state).
The only way to settle it is with a real trial, with all witnesses heard from. Barr and Bolton especially, they were in the thick of it. I really would like to hear the truth from Giuliani, but if he does testify under oath, there is a real probability of prison time there, because there are recordings out there which may well come out later; we all know it. The man will simply not be able to get through 30 seconds of testimony without 2 or 3 lies.
16
The Republicans will soon say the Constitution was written by liberals and it is therefore biased against conservatives.
26
@WinManCan
The Constitution WAS written by liberals and it IS biased against conservatives.
The Right is against all of the principles of the Constitution and they always have been.
The Constitution and Amendments passed by liberals makes everyone equal under the law. The Right is against equality. Ask them. They keep saying it over and over. They promote policies that make people less equal.
The Constitution wants to perfect our Union. The Right divides it in every way imaginable.
The Constitution promotes Justice and Tranquility, but the Right says they are too expensive, so they try to replace them with Law and Order. Law and Order may be necessary for Justice as Tranquility, but they are not sufficient.
The Constitution says "defense" so the Right demands an aggressive global offense with troops in almost every country.
The Constitution promotes the General welfare, but the Right promotes the specific wore off the mega-rich.
The Constitution says liberty, but the Right only believes in liberty for those that can afford a team of lawyers. They refuse to fully fund pubic defenders required by the Bill of Rights
The Constitution says posterity. They say global warming is a hoax.
The Constitution says tax, regulate, and spend. The Right is against it.
The Constitution says freedom of religion. They want to impose their religion on the rest of us.
The Right opposes the Constitution because they oppose the Enlightenment it is based on.
Make America Grovel Again
2
So, does the President have to pay a $25 fine or something? Attend night class?
What is the penalty for breaking the law of the Impoundment Act? Get off with a warning because it is his first offense?
7
@Victor Mark
If it was only one offense, nothing would happen.
But Trump habitually contradicts, threatens to violate, and violates the Constitution and laws written under it, and usually in public.
Trump refuses to follow the Constitution. He must be removed.
2
Any effort to label Trump's Ukraine aid delay as acceptable has been rendered fraudulent by the report of an unbiased, non-political agency. They said it, clearly & unequivocally- Trump broke the law.
Any vote to acquit him reflects a belief that it is OK for a POTUS to disregard any laws they don't like, & do so with impunity. Is the POTUS is above the law? By voting to shield this criminal from accountability, the GOP declares their wish for a dictatorship, not a democracy.
14
It is astounding that it took the GAO this long to reach its conclusion. On or about 11/26 NPR reported the likelihood of a violation of the Impoundment Act with an extensive interviewer of the person who helped draft the Act, get it through a Republican Congress, and signed by Nixon. The Act’s violation is mentioned on pages 83 and 87-88 of the House Judiciary Committee Impeachment Report. The Act’s violation is beyond a reasonable doubt under the established facts.
6
Mark Thomason explains that the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 was the result of a domestic dispute. Any court would hold that the ICA is unconstitutional if applied to this foreign-policy decision. The US Constitution clearly gives Congress the "power of the purse," but it just as clearly gives the President exclusive control over foreign policy. If the President makes a foreign policy decision that requires federal funding, Congress may effectively block that decision by not appropriating the required funds. But if the President makes a foreign policy decision that requires no funding, Congress has no say at all in that decision, and Congress may not force itself into the foreign policy arena by appropriating funds and then demanding that those funds be spent as Congress has dictated.
Trump deserves to be removed from office, but not because he failed (or at least delayed) to spend funds that Congress appropriated. If Trump's decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine had been made because Trump believed in good faith that suspension was best for America, he'd have done nothing wrong even if he benefitted personally.
But that doesn't appear to be what happened: Trump did not conclude that suspension was the best choice for the American people; he concluded only that it was best for him. If so, that was wrong.
2
The president signed that bill into law. That affirms it. Nobody sued to render it unconstitutional. Then he went against it.
Your argument doesn’t work.
7
@Commenter
"The US Constitution clearly gives Congress the "power of the purse," but it just as clearly gives the President exclusive control over foreign policy."
That is just not true. Wars are a part of foreign policy and the Constitution gives the power to declare war to Congress, not the President.
Congress can pass laws that govern foreign policy.
When Congress passes laws that impose sanctions against a foreign country, they are creating foreign policy. When they ratify, or refuse to ratify, treaties they are conducting foreign policy.
Members of the Reagan Administration went to prison because they were running a secret war in Nicaragua, against laws written by Congress. (Barr later got them pardoned.)
The power of the purse itself is very important in foreign policy. It finances foreign policy.
Congress wrote a law to give milliary aid to Ukraine. Trump signed it. Then Trump tried to withhold that aid for personal political reasons. (POTUS is not authorized to direct criminal investigations against his political opponents. He is supposed to refer evidence of crimes to law enforcement, not his personal attorney and foreign lobbyists.)
The President does not have "exclusive control over foreign policy," even if Trump does think he is King.
The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 arose from a dispute with Nixon over spending on environmental programs he's opposed. It was domestic spending.
The President's control of foreign policy, and the limited Advice and Consent provisions that are limited to the Senate, are a Constitutional contradiction of the Impoundment Control Act. It has never before been used to force foreign policy action as intervention in a foreign war.
The "Power of the Purse" has cut off a war. That is not the same as launching a war that the President chooses not to fight.
4
Um, scuse me, but first off, the Act applies to the Budget and expenditures of appropriated money. Which last I checked is the province of Congress, and especially the House. Which is where the Budget is spozed to get written.
Second off, Congress declares war, not the President. Third, what’s never happened before is actually that a President’s been nabbed for using appropriated taxpayer funds for his own—repeat, his own—personal gain.
If you’d like to argue for more executive power, go nuts, but I wouldn’t try to split hairs this way. You’re pretty bad at it, and I seem to recall that Trump’s whole thing has to do with pols and lawyers splitting hairs.
6
@Robert -- There will be Presidents after Trump. There will be wars and rumors of war after Ukraine.
Don't mess up the ability to handle dangers of foreign war, just for a quick shot at Trump. He's not so hard a target that we must risk our future just for this shot at him.
Intervention in foreign wars is not done by committee marking up aid funds long months in advance.
Wrong. The President controls foreign policy, and the President has the final say on money sent.
It is a three part process. The Congress must authorize it. The Congress must then allocate the money. The President may then spend it as he deems he needs it in performance of his duties.
Congress can't just make a gift, or at any rate, it did not.
4
Nonsense. Among other things, there’s no unilateral control of anything except Presidential pardons, the House’s right to impeach, and the judiciary’s prerogatives regarding the Constitution.
7
@ Mark Thomason
Sorry sir. Look up the charge of the GAO.
Even trump can’t dump on this independent government watchdog. They make findings not spending decisions. And congress has the final say whether to accept or reject the findings. The GAO is an auditing agency.
I know because my hubby was one for 35 years sir. Were you a state or fed. Auditor. ?? If not why make incorrect statements as facts. Trump does want control over them I am sure. But that won’t happen. Research why on your own. Thank heavens for the GAO.
8
@Mark Thomason
Except that is not how the constitution works and you just made that up.
10
I am very proud of all the dedicated Auditors at the GAO.
Great audit report showing illegal use of our tax dollars to formulate a political coup here during our election.
Trump wants to be a king. Senate repubs. Are Russian supported hacks. They all found out in their personal audits that laundered Russian contributions went to their reelection campaigns. Lots for all to hide.
Anybody remember the legislative scandals in the 90’s with our elected officials private banking system. Many were implicated.
Anyway the GAO is part of the legislative branch and a nonpartisan agency. It has a balance of leadership. They are mostly Accountants with focused abilities to sift out illegal use of tax dollars during appropriations.
At the state level the GAO is known as the Auditors of Public Accounts. At the state level every governmental agency and hired consultants and firms are audited annually by the auditors teams. Then a report is made to the agency with their findings and also the reports are sent to the legislative body to read as well. But sometimes elected officials become ostrich like about the truths revealed in these audit reports. Same goes for our Federal government.
Elected officials. And appointed political hacks sent to manage agencies have a love/ hate relationship with the GAO audits and findings. They could be charged to perform an audit of the IRS or Barr’s department. Trump has no power nor does the congress nor does the Supreme Court over GAO findings.
3
The GAO report and the GOP's response to it confirms this truth: Republicans would rather burn down their homes and strangle the family dog than give aid and comfort to the enemy, and the enemy is Democrats.
9
@Nyetaryan
I think the enemy is the Constitution and rule of law to Trump and the GOP.
1
If the law does not permit the President to withhold aid for policy reasons then the Office of Management and Budget should have just written the check despite what the President said. Investigate them, the OMB.
If the law says I must stop at a red light while the president tells me to run the light should I run the light?
3
Whether Republican Senators have morphed into values challenged nihilists will be memorialized in history books shortly. For the American voters the impeachment represents their future: the rule of law or the rule of the lawless.
6
I wonder what the G.A.O. has to say about taking money out of accounts set aside by Congress in the budget process for other uses, i.e. $$s taken out of the military budget for the border wall...
2
@joy
GAO says illegal to remove appropriations earmarked for one agency to another.
Trump is moving funds illegally. In all sorts of ways documented in all yearly routine agency audit reports.
GAO doesn’t announce illegality. It makes an audit and cites statutes that support findings. The legislature and agency can respond and act. The agency must correct the findings. That wall money moved should be returned to proper agency coffers. It is the law. Not a GAO rule. They are auditors and function in that capacity.
1
@nurseJacki Not so fast. The money allocated for the military is being used for National defence. In the eyes of the court.
I can’t help but notice that the same people who say “the law is the law” to justify locking up small children and separating families in detention camps (over a misdemeanor) seem to have excuses instead of condemnation when the law being broken pertain to global and national security.
It’s like the old joke...when a crime is big enough, it’s not a crime anymore. It’s just the way of the world.
11
OMB suggests no crimes were committed. Odd how that works. I would certainly like the GAOs reasoning for giving Joe Biden a pass when he did essentially the same thing.
4
@Panchovilla
It was not the same thing. That’s the point.
6
If Mitch and Lindsey and Nunes have taken money from Ukraine and Russia, that is a conflict of interest an their votes should be cancelled.
4
I'm not looking for a smoking gun anymore, just an honest Republican politician would suffice.
12
The Government Accountability Office said the White House violated a law that limits a president’s power to withhold money allocated by Congress.
The problem is; the "White House" is an inanimate object how to do you punish it?
2
Well the GAO found that the Obama Administration violated the law seven times so there that.
3
I don’t know how this works, but if the President doesn’t have the authority to withhold funds, how were the funds withheld?
Isn’t there someone there to say “Nope, can’t do that.”? Why is there even a mechanism to allow a president to do that, if he isn’t allowed to do it?
11
Bipartisan watchdog says. I've seen longer headlines in articles before. Why is that one part left out?
2
We should have blocks on aid credit card and student loans they pass out the dollars to put the common person in dept. Why not get a position to keep the banks from putting people in chains to where they have no hope of a future or being productive. But its all a game for the new world to controll the masses whats called democracy. As we went to a new world order started by Reagan lets make America great we lost ourselves to a few rulling all and the pupits we see getting ahead.And its not just The USA but all the countries. Is it the fallen Angels of thousands of years that has steped up to have turmoil for us that wasnt. So said defeated. We call. Them Nephilim ,Anunnaki or Istar ,Onu. Inanna Anunciante or Anunnaki de. May be the world is fed up and will seek the truth. As they say fake news. What to believe is stronger than ever. The truth is out there
Not sure what’s so tough to understand about:
1. The fact that withheld is withheld, even if you cough up the loot later;
2. Coughing up the lootafter you get publicly exposed isn’t much of a defense;
3. The way this works is, FIRST the trial, THEN the verdict.
6
Just some more street cred for the gang!
1
Shame on Adam Schiff and the unIntelligence committee for doing such a poor job on gathering evidence and Speaker Pelosi for allowing it to happen. Now the real damaging stuff comes to light and it's to late to enter it into evidence since the proceedings are in the hands of the Republican run Senate. There's always 2024.
@Kurt Pickard
You’re joking right? I guess you missed the whole part where Trump obstructed the investigation.
5
The story states, "The law at issue, the Impoundment Control Act, was enacted in 1974 over the veto of President Richard M. Nixon." In fact, it was signed into law by President Nixon on July 12, 1974.
2
Except he didn't withhold the money. Ukraine got their aid before the end of the fiscal year.
4
The evidence is clear today Trump and those who conspired
with Trump to withhold $391 million dollars in
Congressional approved aid to Ukraine ..have broken the law.
Those who participated in this conspiracy to withhold legally
approved funds to aid Ukraine are all guilty and should be
required to be part of the Impeachment Trial of President Trump. I call this traitorous act a conspiracy to deceive and
to use the power of the Executive , The Legislative and
Justice Branches of our Government.
All those who willingly participated in this treasonous deception should be held accountable; they abused their positions for personal gain.
Trump should be impeached and those who participated in
his conspiracy should be forced to resign as well.
12
Wait, the President and his House and Senate backers said this was just a partisan sham over a perfect phone call. You mean there was more to this Ukraine thing?
6
Life is a matter of timing. It is too bad that the reporters of the piece did not preface the description of the GAO impressions with a description of just when an obligation of funds is "late".
In both of the past examples dredged up for review, GAO notified congress of the noncompliance in the subsequent fiscal year. The executive branch was remiss in both instances to appropriate the fiscal year funds in the appropriate fiscal year, thus the alert given to congress. I am impressed by the fact that GAO's alerts were not acted upon with much fervor by congress at that time. Is it the reporter's findings that "late" is monies not obligated by the end of the fiscal year, or is "late" based upon a perceived date sometime during the fiscal year?
3
Are you an attorney? This kind of legal hairsplitting got Bill Clinton impeached. Too clever by half.
You understand that it was his intention to withhold those monies until he got what he wanted; an announcement by Zelensky or a Ukrainian prosecutor that an investigation into the Bidens would be opened. Trump was warned not to do this by experienced government officials who subsequently made statements to a White House attorney registering complaints about these moves.
The monies were authorized by overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate to assist Ukraine in its fight against a Russian military invasion of its territory. Nothing in the spending authorization stated that Trump was entitled to use the funds to get the Ukrainian government to make statements and begin investigations to harm Trump’s political opponents.
11
@MT
No that person is NOT an attorney. Attorneys can actually parse facts and “late” is when money is held up with the intent to extort the country for whom the funds were slated regardless of whether or not they were ultimately paid AND when Trump solicited the foreign election interference.
3
Senator Richard C. Shelby, Republican of Alabama and the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, called the release of the report as the Senate was taking up impeachment “suspicious timing.”
Having to consider evidence before rending a verdict, the very essence of suspicious timing.
Thank you for your service Senator.
4
Bias can't recognize own bias...
I’ve studied Zen, but I haven’t come across this koan before.
6
If Trump had researched how the US Presidential pursestrings, as well as political actions, are tightly managed by federal laws, rules and regulations, he would certainly have had second thoughts about running for president. Trump is nothing but an ignorant iconoclast. His motto is, "My way or the highway." It gladdens the heart to watch the guy tripping over one failed power grab after another.
8
Can The Caesar break The law? You can't break The Law when you are perfect. If Trump could fire The GAO he would. Didn't The GAO get the memo from Trump about his perfect phone call.
7
Corruption is ignored at great peril. If justice and truth are to prevail; the Senate must hear all the evidence! Anything less, is a mockery of the values your country stands for.
12
Rule of Law must be preserved or no longer a Democratic Republic. 45 belongs behind bars.
16
I am just so sorry for the struggles your Nation is going through! If Trump has his way, the real victims here will be your countries' honor, truth and your Constitution.
I pray that he does not get away with his criminal behavior and once He is gone; someone must close the loop holes that allowed this man to go down his chosen path. Your country deserves better.
25
@deb
Thank you. We do. We made many military mistakes since Vietnam.
We lose blood and treasure at the orders of fat suits that never served in the military. Boots on the ground grubs.
We cage immigrant and refugee seekers.
We all look to Canada as a sister nation of strong people.
We have social ills to fix but these oligarchs keep getting in the way.
Putin is the most powerful dictator and he owns us currently.
Thanks for caring. Sometimes I wonder why anyone would care since we have become bullies globally.
1
Co-incidental ?
1
We see more and more news coming out seconding Trump’s illegal actions in the Ukraine episode. Now we can assess correctly the honesty of the Senate’s impartiality in this impeachment trial. The Senate stands to be vilified if they are detached from an equitable hearing of the case against Trump.
14
President Trump didn’t withhold aid to Ukraine. He just delayed the money. He asked a very important question. Why is it always America who is expected to aid other countries financially when European countries could also chip in? It certainly is a logical question and many of us would also like to know the answer.
4
@KMW EU countries give more money to Ukraine than we do, you should read more before commenting.
10
I don’t know whether to feel sorry for you because in your service to ending abortion, you are willing to be blinded to all of Trump’s insanity and immorality, or whether to be disgusted that such a partisan nihilist would pretend to be a Christian who cared about abortion in the first place.
10
So then the follow up question is: WHAT ABOUT THAT WALL MONEY being diverted from the military budget? Is there no limit to the Republican defense of this irrational clown? We are no longer a nation of laws.
15
In all fairness to trump, he thought he was meeting at a Panera Bread.
1
Who cares what the law is? We ceased being a nation of laws when Trump took office. Just realize that we are now a dictatorship. He spends tax dollars as he sees fit, puts children in cages, builds a border wall very few want, assassinates an official of a foreign country, feels free to grab women by the wherever and then bribe their silence for his campaign.
24
What happened to the Republican Party? Now just a Trump cult.
Vote Democratic 2020!
31
But, in fact, the President did not block aid. "Blocked aid" is a wishful choice of words. Aid was released on September 11 by our democratically elected President. Delaying aid is not a violation of any law. Keep digging Democrats and their liberal spokespeople we mistakenly believe to be the professional journalists as opposed to paid propagandists.
What transpired between July 3rd and September 11th-the origin of Democrat's sensationalism and hyperbolic conspiracy theories-remains to be seen. However, I will probably reserve any judgment for the hearing.
It might be easier to take Democrats seriously had they not just spent 3 years, wasted millions of taxpayer dollars, exaggerated, lied, concocted and spread "Russian Collusion" propaganda to the American people without being able to charge our POTUS with a single crime. Not a single crime. No evidence of "Russian Collusion". Case closed. I guess they had to find another conspiracy to discredit Trump. It will all blow up in their faces. And I cannot wait to see those liberals distraught and crying in the streets of Manhattan like I did on November 9, 2016. I cannot wait for the sequel.
7
@Joshua Folds he did block the aid by not allowing it to be released until his scheme was uncovered. His release of the aid was not him “delaying aid,” it was him trying to cover up his illegal act.
31
Excuse me but his partner in crime is in jail and Trump is named as the “unindicted co-conspirator.” He will be indicted the day he leaves office.. Obviously you didn’t read the Mueller report. The remedy when a President commits a crime is not to charge with a crime but to impeach him. 11 impeachable acts were laid out. Too much reading for you? just do it.
20
He did block the aid until he got what he wanted, a sham investigation to dig up dirt on a potential political rival. When the scam was discovered, the aid was released. Trump and the republicans say ‘well, what’s the big deal, they got their aid’. The big deal is the original motivation behind stopping the aid in the first place. Plus, if trump did not do anything wrong as he claims, then why is he acting like he has something to hide by not allowing anyone to testify? Trump is a conman, a deadbeat as well as a pathological liar. He has no shame. He is deeply insecure and a hazard to this country. The country will be much better off without him one way or another. I prefer voting to get rid of him but I certainly don’t mind watching him acting like a shameless moron in the meantime.
18
Our nations democracy may very well rely on Fox News staffers accepting this new information as factual and not letting Trump cry fake news.
7
Where has Rudy been?
3
Check all the wine bars within a hundred mile radius of his home.
1
The “Republicans” love Trump more than they love America.
I would rather be an American than a Republican.
36
@Bob
It sure looks like those two things, being a Republican and being an American, are becoming mutually exclusive.
15
"Republicans cannot say no laws were broken." (Washington Post, 16Jan2020) Sure they can. The OMB has already said they disagree with the GAO. So the Republicans will just point to that. Never mind that the OMB is part of the Trump administration. "WH Rebuffs GAO on Ukraine Aid: 'We Are Not Legally Bound' " (Real Clear Politics, 16Jan2020) I mean, this is the same bunch that called the Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution "phony". Pure chutzpah.
10
@SteveKennedy You seem to ignore the fact that the GAO is part of Obama’s party. Play square with your comments, everyone is reading them so keep it straight
1
Wow- Obama must be magical - the GOA was founded in 1921. I knew Obama was a good President- but who knew he was a time traveler?!
25
@Coca Balz So when was the OMB founded? Seems you are really up on dates s
O what is your answer to this. I’m waiting to hear
1
I wonder if the Constitution has failed us in this instance. If the President cannot be indicted or held accountable for criminal acts, and a Senate trial for Impeachment of the President can rest solely on the predetermination of the leader of the Senate and his party members, then we are without checks and balances in terms of Presidential wrongdoing, illegal behavior and criminal behavior. I don't see a remedy within the system of so called 'checks and balances' when the politics of defending the President is what determines the outcome. The mere fact that we have the Chief Justice of the Supreme court, required to perform as a ceremonial actor in a sham trial defies any meaningful reason I can deduce. When the U.S. government is taken over by a President who is corrupt, and his political party supports him in all of his corrupt, unethical and criminal acts then we have exposed the weakness in our Constitution and the protections the framers of the Constitution hoped would protects us from a tyrannical President.
23
Do Republicans care about the rule of law and the constitution ?
Well, we’ll see, but my guess is they will not act with integrity or honesty
14
They only believe in the rule of law when favors them. The party has become an example of hypocrisy in action. They love the constitution but want to change it to suit them. They claim the world would be much better off if all countries were democracies but are actively trying to turn this country into a one party government with theocratic leanings.
10
This adds almost nothing to the narrative we already know, and importantly there are no federal criminal statutes or penalties linked to an opinion, and that's all it is, from the IG. We continue to hear the same set of facts and with no indication that anyone providing more fodder had any direct contact with the president or heard him demand any type of quid pro quo. Dems are hopeful of continuing the flubbed investigation in the Senate that they began in the House. It ain't gonna happen. They put their hopes in Mueller, the neurotic professor who testified against Kavanaugh and now this. The end will again be what Dems and their media allies despise: Trump Wins.
3
@Peter. Trump wins.... America(ns) lose.
3
It is crystal clear that trump withholding money to a foreign country until they agreed to announce that a investigation into the Biden's was wrong and a grave disservice to the citizen of America. trump has consistently used the office for personal gain and this is just one concrete example. Why are the GOP so intent on ignoring this, as I can guarantee if Obama did what trump did, they would be apoplectic. The GOP wanting to hold a trial without witnesses is absurd. As it is, they already directed numerous witnesses to ignore subpoenas. I am so fed up with trump and the GOP destroying our government. Moving forward, ALL presidential candidates must undergo a full psychiatric exam by am impartial physician, they must all take the citizenship exam, and an exam on the US Constitution, if that was in place, trump would have not been eligible for office.
7
@Emma From Your "Moving forward..." section is spot-on & needs to be copied by all who agree and sent to our Congresspeople. If a bill could pass to rein in Trump on wars, possibly this could pass even a Republican senate.
"Amend the Constitution to forbid Constitution-illiterate psychopaths to become president!"
Would be morbidly funny if they'd refuse.
3
Once a criminal, always a criminal.
13
...Upon hearing of Parnas's dinner with Trump story --- The time for THIS president to also testify UNDER OATH has come.
Who will champion that cause???
4
It will be a telling moment when the Chief Justice sits presiding over this demand of the US for witnesses.
2
All of this behavior is so clear to understand that it doesn't even deserve the respect a trial gives it. Trump's actions are criminal & if Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton had done any of it, I'd push to have them impeached so as to save oiur democracy, which in the end is all we have to protect us. Without a democracy and without an insistence that our elected representatives govern truthfully, we might as well be Russia or North Korea. We not only would give up a form of govt designed to protect and serve its citizens, we'd be creating a govt that's adversarial to us, that positions us as a constant threat.
Trump makes wayward decisions because he has no understanding of democracy or government, viewing everything as personal to him. That's why he can't understand why so many objected to his holdinng the G7 meeting at his "home," the Doral. It's a place few of us have the money to rate an invitation, thus it removes the govt from the people's access and it makes our allies his guests instead of govt officials. I don't want our president to fall in love with Chairman Kim & regard a state visit as a sleepover,
A president of our democracy who can't govern professionally according to our laws & long held values imperils what has taken centuries to build and clarify. And Trump's total disregard for & disrespect of our history is reason enough to impeach him. We have soimething incredibly important to protect.
19
The longer an investigation goes on, the clean get cleaner and the dirty get dirtier. Trump just gets more and more dirty with each passing week. How will the GOP Senators feel if they acquit this ignorant clown and he commits another offense and gets impeached a second time?
12
Hallulia, some law does still apply to the would be dictator!!!
4
Postscript: the point of continuing to present evidence of Trump's corrupt intent respecting Ukraine is not to impeach him, because that is not going to happen. The point is to pile on the evidence and then use it to damage every republican who acquiesced or colluded in prohibiting its presentation at trial.
11
When Trump shows off his revised weather map or Kelly Anne tries to make sense on Fox I sit back laughing. When a judgment by the GAO is ridiculed and dismissed as fake news then I sit up, alarmed. If Trump so easily bends or breaks the law now can we trust him to accept a loss in 2020? I don't see him sitting on the platform as the next president makes his speech, or accepting a handshake on the stairs of Marine One. My only consolation are the polls showing a 40-45% approval rate, not enough to win an election, even in the Electoral College, and the inevitability of more bad behavior. He won in 2016 because a lot of people voted against Hillary Clinton, and they had fallen away by Inauguration Day.
6
"Senator Richard C. Shelby, Republican of Alabama and the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, called the release of the report as the Senate was taking up impeachment “suspicious timing.”"
But the White House releasing the Ukraine aid almost immediately after the whistle blower's complaint surfaced was pure coincidence!
18
I can't wait to see what insane defense of Trump gets cooked up in the Senate.
It sure doesn't seem like claiming nothing illegal happened or that the evidence is "wafer thin" will cut it anymore.
5
For Trump and his devotee's just another day at the office. Laws? Laws are for the masses.
7
Impeachment proceedings, or the threat of them, will become a permanent feature of U.S. politics nationally. At the same time, the country is divided along connected geographic and political lines. My estimate is we have got about twelve years of functioning democracy left in the continental U.S. as presently constituted, unless some national crisis (climate change, for instance, not a faked up war against a known weaker enemy) pulls America together as a people with a renewed common interest in a good cause.
2
That’s right, we need more would -be dictators. The point is we must impeach a criminal president.
7
Nixon: "I'm not a crook"
Trump: "I've done nothing wrong"
12
@Tjilpi Rudy G: "We've done nothing wrong."
3
@Tjilpi
NYT: We print the truth
2
From the article, just to answer any 'timing' comments from those who didn't actually read it:
Accountability office officials said the timing of the ruling was coincidental.
“Our legal decisions are issued when we have completed all our legal research and are ready to come to a sound conclusion,” Thomas H. Armstrong, the G.A.O.’s general counsel said in a statement. “There was no coordination of timing with any entity outside of G.A.O.”
Similarly, Please Stop Bringing Up Hunter Bidens. His Ukraine job was investigated formally, and there is no crime. Thank you.
11
@AY You must be from way out west.
In DC, exoneration means nothing. Repitition
means everything.
4
@kenneth Actually, I'm a migrant Connecticut Yankee & former Manhattanite. Give my regards to Chelsea.
1
Trump is bad, but there is only one of him. The cowardly Republican Senators who won't acknowledge the misdeeds right in front of their eyes not only make me ashamed to be an American, they make me ashamed to be a human being. This country used to stand for truth and justice. If Trump is acquitted, it will set American civilization back 100 years.
16
So Trump says "You can't do that to me!"
Uh, ya, actually, that is the way our Republic works.
12
Sounds like a witness to me.
3
The great Experiment is over
3
Why wasn’t this dog called to testify in the House?
Kudos to the GAO – at least there is another department in our government that has avoided being completely decimated and/or compromised by the corruption oozing from the White House and its loyalists in the United States senate. Thank you for doing your job – ethically – for the American people! Are you listening Moscow Mitch, Graham, Grassley, Coryn, Senator Collins of Maine? Take the wax out of your ears and stop talking out of the sides of your mouths, blowing smoke to discredit and/or obstruct newly mounting evidence. FYI Collins: the Court, just last week, granted permission for Parnas and his attorney to share documents with the House. So either you are a sleep walker senator, or you are guilty of bad faith, disingenuous statements proffered as critical concern. Grow a spine and do the right thing and support witness testimony and admission of new evidence.
Americans want the truth, the whole truth exposed about Trump's corruption and misconduct. Obey your oaths or resign from office.
10
Thats been known for months. All of this is known. Its now do you accept it as a fact or is it another "alternate fact", That depends on which party you belong to, Thats the way things are now, each group has their own facts and truth.
No. There is only one truth. There are not two sides. There is a criminal, Putin-obeying man in office, and decent, law abiding US citizens who will vote him out. This is not a football game. This is your country.
11
Democrats need to turn the focus of their resources to grass roots education given that Fox News is the predominant media source for what it calls "News" and they play to whatever paradigm sells to the most people and keeps them hooked.
In the real journalistic paradigm facts and truth are linked by definition.
The News infotainment- propaganda space, seduces people into believing what their corrupted clergy social community pushes among their associates, truth has little role in their content. The agenda is not to do journalism but to get more viewers. This may well be a bigger conspiracy than just the natural outcome of totally unregulated media anti-trust and almost entirely unregulated capitalism or it could be part of a larger plan by oligarchic interests to brain wash as much of America as possible. Given that it is so profitable, it keeps growing and if it achieves the objectives of the U.S. and other multi-national Oligarchs, Putin, Koch, ... (you know the other big contributors to the Federalist Society) and many members of the Knights of Malta, then all the better for them.
The question is, "what are we doing to counter this lie machine?" It's going to require a movement of citizen journalists and the kind of organizing Bernie is doing with an emphasis to halt voter suppression, beating McConnell and all servants of the no-oligarchs, who's agenda's align with Putin's and Xi's. Communists? No. Capitalistic Oligarchs who use the veneer of Communism.
3
I hope all the NYT readers member the scores of times that Republicans complained that Obama thought he was a king and would disregard the law as enacted by Congress.
Given the Republican’s past grievances, one would think, for consistency sake, they would also complain about Trump’s imperial disregard for the law.
They don’t. They have not justification for their failure. They are cowards. They have no courage. Time for America, to be the home of the Brave, to eliminate the cowardly Republicans.
17
I can’t wait to hear Joe Biden explain (under oath) how his son...having zero experience in the gas industry...managed to snag a position on Burisma’s board at $50k per month while Joe was VP and the Obama administration’s Ukraine point man.
Are elected officials permitted to peddle influence for personal gain?
5
I wonder how Jared Kushner could be qualified to be a presidential advisor, beside being in debt to for over a billion on 666 Fifth Avenue and apparently being bailed out by the Saudis.
Don’t throw stones in glass houses.
20
I don’t know, why is Trump allowed to have his son-in-law and daughter as paid executive staff? Complaints of nepotism from Trump supporters always seems disingenuous to me. But there were governmental people who complained when Hunter Biden got that job, and Biden addressed it at the time in a manner not unlike how Trump explained he was putting his sons in charge of his business in order to supposedly contain conflicts of interests. Both Trump and Joe Biden indicated that they would not speak to their sons about financial issues in any way. The big difference between the two dads? Biden did not personally benefit from Hunter’s job.
15
Biden and son were already investigated. Turns out Biden snagged a not- too -great gig just the way yours, Susan, or mine would, by applying for it. This has zip to do with a President using congressionally voted money as a bargaining chip to bribe a foreign power to undermine his own country’s election. Do you follow that?
11
Trillion.....oh yeah, that's our national debt now! part of the great economy from Trump
7
Will this crime mean anything to GOP senators?
3
I seriously doubt this agency is non partisan. Their timing is suspect. The individuals have there own opinions. Basically no one can be trusted to be non-partisan any more, especially after what we are seeing with the FBI, CIA and Congress in general. .
4
@rich williams Yes. It’s only nonpartisan when they agree with you.
9
It’s weird how the FBI, the CIA, the U.S. diplomatic corps, etc., all government agencies have fallen into partisan disarray since the election of Trump. Partisanship is the only explanation for any complaints concerning DJT.
8
Are you being partisan if you do not want a criminal as president of the United States? His belonging to any party is absolutely irrelevant at this point.
11
It doesn't matter.
It no longer matters because the Republican Party and its Congressional legislators have decided to ignore their duties and responsibilities, ceding their powers to the executive branch (Donald Trump) to remain in power. A system of checks and balances in our government is no longer present.
Why? Because the institution of lobbying, a system of legalized bribery, is too lucrative for all of them. They are stuffing their pockets with lobbyist dollars, money which is only available as long as they maintain their seats in the Senate or House of Representatives. Donald Trump can do whatever he wants because the Republican Party will continue their role as enablers for the unforeseeable future.
7
Their position isn't that Trump did or didn't break the law. It's that the law is Trump's to break. They're in the impossible corner of trying to use some parody of reason to wreck reason. They didn't elect him to lead the government. They elected him to end it.
7
Re “G.A.O. Report Says Trump Administration Broke Law in Withholding Ukraine Aid“
Of course he broke the law. The Comey announcement of an investigation put Trump in office. He’d of done anything to recreate that circumstance. Not very creative , but that’s no surprise. His transparency is blinding, like a snowstorm.
5
The non partisan GAO says, Trump broke the low, the democrats say Trump broke the law, the GOP say he didn't but will not allow witnesses to prove it or not. I doubt if the public will believe their lying eyes and it will be proven it in November. Even Trump's mentors, Putin and Murdoch cannot help them this time despite Moscow Mitch's shenanigans.
8
The Senate and all US Senators are also on trial. The rule of law is on trial. Integrity is on trial. The constitution is on trial. These are strange times when we don't know what will happen because corruption has taken control of the White House.
11
Speaking of edits, wish I had checked my own work.
"Trump wanted only to be *seen* as seeking dirt on the Bidens."
Whoops, of course he didn't knowingly want to be caught. My sentence should have read:
"Trump wanted only =that Ukraine= be *seen* as seeking dirt on the Bidens.
It is very apparent that the Republicans do not care about the lawlessness, corruption, dishonesty and crimes. They care nothing fro our fragile Democracy. They only care about power I hope they pay a price in November 2020.
9
Did Joe Biden break the same law when he withheld $1 Billion of aid from Ukraine unless they fired the prosecutor who was investigating his son? If not, why?
9
@Samara Biden was not the decider. US, EU, IMF and others decided to withhold the billion until the prosecutor was fired because he was not doing his job i.e. he was not going after corruption, and more fact, he was not actually investigating Biden's son either.
This has been documented,verified, fact-checked and written about for years.
Internet slow?
43
@Samara
A perfect example of someone who gets their news from Facebook ads. There was no prosecutor investigating his son, something that can easily be fact-checked. This is why Trump loves the under-educated.
43
@Samara Look at a timeline. Burisma had been investigated before Biden asked for the prosecutor to be removed. The US and other countries felt the prosecutor was not tough enough on corruption; this was a policy decision.
And finally, if you really think Trump’s reasons for “investigating” the Bidens were correct, why didn’t he follow the proper channels? Why wouldn’t he want everyone involved and all the news out there? All you people trying to throw out Biden as a distraction never answer that question.
15
Republicans have been trying to portray this impeachment as a political vendetta. Their rationale is that no law was violated. Well, so much for that argument. The only logical conclusion now is that a president is allowed to break laws as long as he is a Republican.
1356
Actually, Trump isolated Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution.
10
@RN
There's no logic in dealing with illogical people.
They still have:
1) He did nothing wrong.
2) They've been trying to impeach him since before he was elected.
3) Impeachment was called for before the call was made.
4) This is a political hack job.
5) We don't need a defense when this is purely political.
69
@Moehoward AND you forgot its a civil violation not a criminal action. Remedy is for Comptroller General to file suit to correct.
14
At the very least, this represents a misdemeanor per the Constitution.
Why was it held until after the bills of impeachment were sent to the Senate?
To insure that it couldn't be used in the trial, or to show that the GAO is non-partisan and unlike Comey did not want to disrupt an onging political process.
In any event, this ought to draw the curtain on the Trump era.
593
The Constitution is a blueprint for government, not a list of laws. But I agree that Trump sure looks like he broke Federal law.
FYI, folks, no President is above the law. At most they’re termporarily beyond prosecution, for pragmatic reasons.
118
@William
I think it will be necessary to plunge a wooden stake through its heart before drawing the curtain on this administration.
218
@William
I think it will be necessary to put a wooden stake through its heart before drawing the curtain.
26
Gee, I guess he committed a crime after all. I'm shocked, shocked.....
7
Don’t we mean that donald j trump broke the law?
5
Don’t despair— there are some things this corrupt administration cannot touch. Independent offices, commissions, federal courts, you are more important than ever. Thank you for your service.
9
"The White House budget office promptly rejected the report’s conclusions, saying it had remained within the law."
Historically, Donald Trump has flouted the law. As president, he demands of his appointees that they agree carte blanche to defend him flouting the law. What a shame there is such a large population of amoral Republicans Trump can choose to appoint.
8
So if this was a private crime, Trump Crime Family would be stripped of position and most likely imprisoned. This President really is above the law.
6
I hope all the federal workers will remember that about a year ago Trump shut down the government in the longest shutdown ever. People's memories are short sided.I hope when it comes time to vote they will remember all the heartache and misery he caused. And will vote him out of office.
8
What was it that Trump said? "When you're a star, they let you do it." I guess he's the Republican's star. Bloated, gassy and dying.
15
go to jail go directly to jail
do not pass go do not collect 200 dollars...
not the first time the Trump administration violated the impoundment act; so its all just a game ?
8
You, facing bankruptcy, are entitled to $400,000, a gift from your uncle.
Uncle's manager insists you dig dirt on his ex-wife's new boyfriend, whose brother used to be a ringer in your son's Little League.
Manager won't hand over the money until you announce on national TV that you are investigating the new boy-friend and and his brother.
Do you think your uncle should fire his manager?
No - he’d just get another job hurting people. I think he should be locked up.
1
According to the NYT, "the Government Accountability Office said the White House violated a law that limits a president’s power to withhold money allocated by Congress."
Okay.
Looking forward to the Republican twist on this information - it should be a doozy.
2
Obama did it too and so did Bush2. Hardly an impeachable offense even if it is an offense. OMB disagrees as well.
3
No, they did not. This was a back room shakedown, not national policy. And, it was done in a way no one had done before.
7
One of these days the republicans are going to understand that you can fool some of the people some of the time but you can't fool all the people all the time. Once the trial starts we will hear the drip, drip, drip of justice. Lips will loosen and the public opinion will change among the independents. When it gets to 60/40 the republican senators up for election will start sweating. We may even see a miracle!!
9
Will the Trump 2020 hats have the logo Catch Me If You Can!
The current President's law and tax avoidance continues.
8
To Trump supporters and enablers: “Have you no sense of decency?”
This man is the lowest of the low.
12
On senate republicans
“Whose food I eat, his song I will sing”.
They are spineless and scared of loosing a primary. Loosing the country is not an individual failure it’s belongs to all of us.
5
So if the Senate acquits, the House can hold a second impeachment on this new charge and others that have come to light. Since McConnell has accumulated such a huge backlog of House legislation for Senate action, the House should have lots of free time while waiting for the Senate to catch up. Maybe a second trial in the Senate would be taken more seriously. In any case, a new distinction - only president to be impeached twice.
8
I can imagine what Republicans will say when President Sanders puts a halt to military spending to investigate whether the taxpayers are getting their money’s worth.
1
It has long been clear but as the days past even the GOP has to realize that the writing os on the wall. So they will be on record for if they vote to not impeach that they knowingly ignored their duty and their oath of office and they should be voted out of office along with Trump.
5
Why is Trump even eligible to run for a second term? We can't trust a word he says and he is clearly seeking self enrichment and power at our expense. He breaks the law constantly.
Aren't there any requirements for eligibility?
6
@kj breathing I think, but William Barr is looking to remove that criterion.
4
More and more it comes down to our president acting more like a King than an elected president subject to the Constitution and the laws built up over the 243 years since we declared our independence from the rule of King George III.
Before this ruling, Republicans were hanging a big part of their defense of the president on the fact he had not committed a crime. The GAO now says he violated the Impoundment Control Act. Undoubtedly, Republicans will downplay this finding and defer to the MBO statement that no crime was committed.
Of course, that is the MBO saying the MBO did nothing illegally. But saying his will not be difficult for Trump's defenders, who at this point have created their own alternate Bizzarro world.
It would behoove Democrats if Republicans acquitted Trump at this point, so that a scouring of our politics can begin with a big win for Democrats this Fall, including a trouncing of Trump and many of his enablers in the House and Senate.
Perhaps Trump's unfitness for his office would be more obvious if the Senate whitewashes this and his other crimes against our laws and our Constitution and continues to defend him, and themselves, right up until the election.
If that is not enough to give voters motivation to turn out the knaves and validate our first Revolution to be free from a king's tyranny, then we are lost as a democratic republic.
2
Just one thing. I'd like to know where all these agencies were when George W. Bush rushed into invade Iraq and it became clear that there were no WMD, but the bills were huge, and keep going -- still costing us. Add to that the so-called military action in Afghanistan, which is the oldest war in our history and cost, by one estimate, a Trillion dollars. These "wars" have had tremendous and profound impact on our country, hundreds of lives, and thousands of lives of others in other countries. Why has none of these agencies done their jobs with their accountability? Why didn't any Democrats -- especially when Pelosi was first speaker at the Time Obama was a newly elected president -- and she had a lot of power plus a president behind her, go after Bush and Cheney whose transgressions are beyond the pale. With Cheney and Haliburton making themselves rich beyond what any of us can imagine on that, uh, police action.
2
"Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law."
False. Nowhere in the Impoundment Control Act is there anything about this sort of situation, ditto with court precedents. The constitutional authority of the president to decide foreign policy and international relations trumps (no pun intended) the power of the purse by Congress. They can say money for such and such domestic program has been allocated and POTUS must pay out that money to the states for these programs. However, when it comes to foreign policy, Congressional powers fizzle. For instance, if Congress appropriates money for a war, they can't dictate which beaches are stormed and when. They can refuse approval of funding for a given program, foreign or domestic, and therefore POTUS cannot go to Exxon Mobile or the CIA to raise funds for that program, but that's it. The Impoundment Control Act, and indeed any act of Congress, does not supersede POTUS constitutional powers, and no court ruling has ever said otherwise, including those related to the ICA. The GAO is being highly partisan and subjective on their claims and 50 bucks says Trump's going to take them to the Supreme Court on this slander.
2
Somebody should tell Sen. Shelby that the reason the timing was suspicious is because tRump is always doing suspicious things. Let me know when a day goes by that he doesn’t violate some law, big or small.
6
If the law was so clear,why did it take 4 months for the most expert of government agencies - the GAO - to concludet: "Our legal decisions are issued when we have completed all our legal research and are ready to come to a sound conclusion.” And even now, they can't decide if State Dept. money was illegally withheld.
The fact is, Congress has abrogated its Constitutional responsibility routinely to control expenditures by:
- Self-imposing a debt ceiling for a century and forcing the president to pick and choose what remaining monies should be spent where.
- Allowing regulatory differences to channel money not intended to be channeled in directions already determined by Congress.
- Allowing defense department money to be spent on other things, including the wall (so far).
Is it any wonder the President thought he had discretion in withholding money from Ukraine?
1
So much for "it was perfect. I didn't break any law "
2
This is what happened with the president of Brazil who used to an appropriation from an approved legislative and executive purpose to social services and education. She was removed from office. She was a socialist and the right wing removed her. She did not betray her country.
As for Trump, he did violate the constitution by trying to use the funding not for the legislation was passed for (appropriation) but on top he was coercing a foreign dignitary, delaying payment and for his personal/ political interests. Trump went beyond anything the president of Brazil did. She was ousted. Different countries but similar laws
5
From GOA report: "Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law. In fact, Congress was concerned about exactly these types of withholdings when it enacted and later amended the ICA. See H.R. Rep. No. 100-313, at 66–67 (1987); see also S. Rep. No. 93-688, at 75 (1974) (explaining that the objective was to assure that “the practice of reserving funds does not become a vehicle for furthering Administration policies and priorities at the expense of those decided by Congress”)."
Conclusion: Trump is a criminal, Impeach and remove from office. As for the GOP co-conspirators in the House and Senate, vote them out this November.
3
The question every American must now ask is: Are we are nation of laws or a nation of men?
2
Okay, but so what? We already know that facts and truth don't matter. That the DOJ is in the administration's pocket. That Republicans one and all will put party before country and their voters will re-elect them. So I wonder why is this even news?
I've been saying for a while that the Republicans are instigating a slow-moving right before your eyes coupe, see the fruits of that coupe playing out before us now.
4
If Trump broke the law, and since the relevant facts were known to members of the House when they drafted their impeachment articles, why this is also not in the articles of impeachment?
2
Trump’s supporters don’t care that he broke the law. That’s the sad truth.
8
And if Trump broke the law here, so did Biden when he threatened to withhold aid to Ukraine. Biden's excuses that this was administration policy, that it was out in the open, cut no ice whatsoever on the basic question of discretion. If Trump had none, then the Obama-Biden administration had none either. Can't have it both ways.
2
@HMI
.
You're just so wrong. Go look up the FACTS. In 2015 it was a US Govt threat to withhold aid. Cause was an entirely non-Biden reason - internal Ukraine-govt corruption.
The warning was supported by G7, IMF, and other European organisations. Burisma was irrelevant.
The truth is, there was a separate investigation re the Hunter Biden scenario - he was CLEARED completely. His father was NEVER involved re HB.
Check the timelines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump–Ukraine_scandal#Ukraine_and_the_Bidens.
3
@ilma2045
In other words, you argue that Obama could withhold mandated funds because it seemed like a reasonable idea to him and because some foreigners shared that opinion. Timelines, Burisma, and Bidens are irrelevant—either a president has discretion in these matters or he does not. And if Trump did not, then neither did Obama.
@HMI. The difference here is that Trump withheld the funds to get help dirtying up a political opponent, to win his re-election, then tried to cover it up when things came to light Obama was not holding up funds for personal gain. BIG difference!!
2
I'm sure glad that Archie Bunker is in our past history and not in our present, or after Trump finally departs the presidency, the Trump fans would probably promote Archie Bunker for our next president. H'd be the perfect followup candidate for them.
1
The Republican defense of "what law did he break?" has been but only the most recent position in a long series of goal posts being moved. And with this question answered, the posts will be picked up and moved yet again. The entire Republican strategy is to keep the air filled with noise and confusion to further capitalize on the weariness and short attention spans of voters. And it works.
35
Sadly you are correct. I am weary and I am among the most passionate in my cohort. Others have just been making like ostriches. They can’t stand to watch or listen anymore.
8
I think Minuchin was right.
Trump administration and GOP is just expecting from us:
Get over it.
Other than that expectation, this is 10 x Watergate.
18
funny- when obama exceeded his authority to thwart congress- feel free to google it-the Left applauded. even when the supreme court smacked him down.
the hypocrisy here is nauseating.
11
@Ari Weitzner Obama is not on trial.
Trump is on trial for high crimes and misdemeanors.
20
Instead of telling people to “Google it” why don’t you actually say what Obama did? Is it because you want to cast doubt on Democrats since the majority of people won’t look it up and just assume something nefarious happened?
Stop with this both sides are the same thing. Republicans in the executive branch break the law far more than democrats and it’s not even close.
7
If what you stated was true the GOP would have been all over it like rabid dogs.
What you stated is not true, but what is your real point here, that Trump is guilty but should be given a pass.
6
327,000,000 people in this country, and this career loser is the best we could come up with? Not only that, but this sad sack has almost every Republican so terrified of a twitter storm, that they lick the ground he walks on. I can't imagine anything more pathetic.
102
@Chicago Guy The families of the GOP congresspeople will be ashamed for generations
7
@Chicago Guy I do not believe that the Republicans are afraid of Trump. He is a puppet. As long as they hold power, the Republicans can pass every single thing on their wish list. Appointing conservative judges, rolling back human and civil rights, pushing a pro-life anti choice agenda, destroying the line between church and state, destroying the EPA, and every single agency that is there to protect the American people, the treasures of our country and Federal and National preserved land, parks, oceans, and Democracy itself. The Republicans are not afraid. Trump is the gift that keeps on giving. They lie everyday and it is now an echo chamber of propaganda with the right wing media, Fox and Sinclair Broadcasting. They lie to the people, and turn around and represent the less than 1% and the most powerful in the country. He is the best thing that has ever happened to them. They have the power to do everything they want under a lawless president who would rather invite Putin and other dictators to dinner than speak with our Allies. Once he pulls us out of NATO, then all will be lost, and the US will no longer be considered an ally of those that fought for the rights and freedoms to protect and preserve Democracy against foreign dictators Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin. The UK has already stated they are planning to prepare to fight wars without the USA. Shocking.
9
Anyone who has a desk in The Government Office of Accountability will surely be in need of a lawyer to defend him/herself during the inevitable investigation sure to be commenced -- on the order of billy the emBARRassing A.G. -- by some third-party-prosecutor whom barr ‘should’ task to do his peculiar “Justice.”
(Don't 'those desks' know that, given barr's not-at-all-"Soft Parade" of fealty to THIS 'Article II Republican,' one can no more defy any choice of trump's than Jim Morrison could petition the Lord with prayer?)
8
Comrade McConMan (er, McConnell) will ignore this as far as he can, just like he will ignore the interview last night with Lev Parnas on MSNBC that further painted the picture that Mr. Trump, Mr. Giuliani and the Attorney General were all in cahoots to get Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. What a bunch of criminals. I pray for the day they all get a reckoning.
25
The deep state is at if for sure. Why is the agency reporting now?
1
Because this is when they finished their report.
9
Money had to be released by September 30.
Was released on September 11.
What’s the problem?
7
I stole the money. I gave it back two months later. What’s the problem?
11
Surprising that the GAO discovers this breach of law now.
And the Democrats were not able to discover this before ??
3
Actually, if you read the article, you will find that Democrats in Congress specifically requested that the GAO look into the problem and issue a formal ruling. This is that ruling.
7
This has been known for months. The GAO is simply making it formal that trump broke the law.
4
Smart lawyers don’t say anything until the matter is fully vetted which takes time.
Trump has been shooting off his mouth for months because he has the luxury of being able to lie to the public with impunity. Most of us would like that to stop.
7
How can someone swear on a bible (and probably will) that they did nothing wrong and there is no evidence?
Oh, wait a minute it's Donald J. Trump the biggest liar in the universe.
There was a recent case where the person suffered from affluenza (affluenza is a psychological malaise supposedly affecting wealthy young people) and they must have passed this along to Trump at sometime in the past because he still thinks he's young and can do what ever he wants to.
Well Don your time is coming.
12
News flash: Trump is still a criminal. Will this make any difference to senate Republicans? No.
23
Another criminal act. And yet, just another day in the administration of president trump.
29
Nothing to see here, folks. No suspicious timing, how could such an accusation even be imagined? What we actually have is just another Obama appointee on point to get a headline and pray fervently for the reversal of the 2016 peoples' election. Won't work.
5
If it’s up to Mitt, he will acquit!
5
Any law is a law until DJT breaks it. OK GOP, we get the picture.
18
Evangelicals look toward the sky....there is a glimmer somewhere telling them Trump is a saint.
10
The United States is in tatters.
14
Whatever your donating to beat Trump, donate twice as much to defeat McConnell and every lying hypocrite that puts self-serving corporatism ahead of the well being of our fellow Americans, the vast majority of which are working, middle class and pressed upper middle class citizens who have become debt slaves to the absolute tyranny of improperly regulated capitalism and an agenda to destroy democracy and anything resembling a reasonable justice for the safety, health and security of average citizens.
They always label the safetynet and common human decency among the commonwealth with the well honed boogie man buzzword: "socialism". Let's counter that relentlessly. Let's talk about: "Social Security" and "Medicare" and "Medicaid".
I pray Roberts is a better man than his historical actions suggest (working ruthlessly to destroy the Voting Rights Act).
Robert's and his merry band of 5 Federalist Society men on SCOTUS, who are nothing more than lobbyists for the highest bidder and the dark side of the Catholic Church seek to curb democracy, freedom, and ultimately anything resembling actual "justice" for "We the Over Whelming Majority of People" and the citizens of the United States, to who these Senators have pledged ethical allegiance to the moral principles of our Constitutions and to the every American, not just Trump, the Koch industries and the mega billionaire neocon fascists who command the GOP like the puppets they are.
Truth --> Justice --> Freedom
15
Safe bet: Senate minions will whitewash this and all other patently illegal behavior. He may be a miscreant through and through, they believe, but he is their miscreant.
10
Why was nothing done about the prior two incidents? Clearly I joke.
The President can do no wrong. And if he did do wrong, then it is because everyone does it. And if they don't all do it, then it is because he cannot be wrong since he is the only stable genius among us all. Give him a break. He runs the GOP. Why can't can't people let him just run ramshod over everyone else?
7
Most of these Republican congresspeople also do not believe the climate is changing or that evolution occurs. It does not matter how big the mountain of evidence is. What they do believe is that man does not have the power to change the climate, Noah's ark, Adam and Eve, Trump is innocent. The key word is "believe." They tend to believe things not because of evidence, but in the absence of evidence. They believe things that conform with their existing world view and reject things that don't regardless of evidence. Trying to change their minds is futile.
9
Republicans have attacked and denigrated all of our intelligence agencies -- and now they will do the same with the GAO. They will claim the GAO is full of liberal-minded, never Trumpers and therefore cannot be trusted. Trump voters will continue following the belief that no government agency can be trusted, and will instead continue their blind faith in Donald Trump. Facts don't matter. Truth doesn't matter. The constitution doesn't matter. The Republican party is now the party of Donald Trump.
14
I'm tired of hearing people say that nothing that Trump does surprises them. The American people have become too complacent and Trump is using this to his advantage. Trump has been corrupt and amoral for his entire life. People with any kind of intellectual curiosity and at least a high school education should know this. The flip side of this coin are the hard core believers in fiction and reality shows with no connection whatsoever to reality and the easiest-of-all-to-manipulate people who have bought into Trump's self-proclaimed dedication to religious values. Nothing could be further from the truth.
What I personally find shocking is that politicians in the republican party and publicly known people who are chosen to be in Trump's administration on a rotating, non-official basis, for the most part, are enabling and protecting a criminal and actively working full time to keep facts from the American people. It's like the people in this malignant
Trump cult have been waiting for a dictator-type president to get a stranglehold on them to form some kind of manic autocracy.
If the American people feel comfortable being lead by a Putin puppet and that it's okay for Trump's government to lie and keep facts from them, then they have karma speeding their way that will enlighten them. albeit too late.
14
So, can DC sheriff arrest Trump and put him in jail, pending hearing ?
Any other person in the US would be in jail; if they broke the law.
11
P2
Quick answer: No.
Long answer: This is a constitutional mandated Senate trial following the submission of the two formal bills of impeachment passed and filed by the House for a Senate trial. The question at the Senate trial now pertains strictly to the occupant’s fitness to sit as an active president. If he is found guilty on either of the two bills of impeachment by a “guilty vote” by 67 senators, the occupant of the White House would be legally removed from office. After his legal removal from office, he can then be formally indicted and tried for any additional crimes he may have committed in any state or federal jurisdiction. But a guilty vote in the Senate trial only means he is removed from office and no prison time.
2
In our cowboy movies which shaped the morality of most Americans the hero is allowed sometimes to do things which are out of common decent behavior such as grabbing and bullying women. Trump belongs to this generation.
5
@Turgot Dincer
Old time cowboy Western heroes like Roy Rogers, “Hop a Long” Cassidy and the Lone Ranger always wore white hats and NEVER abused women or broke the law. Cowboy heroes were always decent men, defenders of women and the downtrodden with strong moral character. The present occupant of the White House would have played the law breaker, bully, and abuser of women — and worn a black cowboy hat!
3
Lev Parnas identified Trump as the ringleader and Giuliani, Pence, Barr, Pompeo, Bolton, Nunes's aide, and several others as active participants in Trump's illegal Ukraine shakedown scheme. At a minimum, the Senate trial needs to hear sworn testimony from Bolton, Giuliani, and Nunes's aide. Even Kenneth Starr agrees that sworn testimony is imperative now.
17
Add it to the list.
4
In order to convince people that lies are the truth, you must also convince them that the truth is a lie. And that is precisely what Republicans have been doing since Eisenhower.
On every major policy issue - from healthcare to the environment, etc, etc, etc - the GOP has been selling bigger and bigger lies, while simultaneously dragging more and more truths into the gutter.
No wonder they decided to make the biggest liar this country ever produced into some messianic figure of leadership.
10
Just watched Donald Trump hold a press conference in the White House, transmitted by CBSN.
He called the new trade deal with China the best ever in History (many doubt that), the US economy the strongest EVER (Many doubt that) and the telephone calls with the newly-inaugurated Ukranian president "perfect calls" (most doubt that).
As often before Trump gloated about him being the best US President EVER; he called the Impeachment process a "Witchhunt scam" and the Democratic Congressmen and -women as corrupt.
In other words, and really scaring for the World, The US President appeared as a Megalomaniac on the brink of psychosis.
20
In addition to Trump's now officially called out violation of the law, this might also explain the great hesitation by Mulvaney to testify - he might incriminate himself. And, while he could always take the Fifth, that wouldn't look so good for his boss.
5
@Pete in Downtown Trump people have no shame. For them, lying under oath has no ethical or moral component. These people just don't care.
Remember the apocryphal story of George Washington and the cherry tree? Trump would claim he knew nothing of the tree or the hatchet. "I've seen thousands of trees, and I know nothing of the hatchet".
1
Apparently the G.A.O. didn't get the memo from Mitch McConnell, William Barr, Lindsey Graham, and the rest of the Republicans in Congress about how our laws, and the Constitution, do not apply to Donald Trump.
Election rigging, emoluments violations, coercion, conspiracy, obstruction, fraud, collusion, self-dealing, extortion - it's all in a days work, and it's all legal now, as long as it's Donald "do us a favor" Trump that's doing it.
We've reached the point where self-serving political assassinations, carried out on a whim, are not only OK, but, when pressed for the rationale or justification for them the response of, "it doesn't really matter", is perfectly acceptable.
When murder no longer needs a justification, then what difference is a few broken laws about appropriations going to make?
11
And, because nothing will happen as a result of breaking the law, there effectively is no law, except that which Trump declares.
That's how kings and despots work.
13
This ruling is important as it will limit Trump in using executive privilege over Bolton and to an even greater extent Mulvaney, as the privilege does not apply if concealing criminal conduct. If the very issue at stake here is deemed criminal (the withholding of the aid to Ukraine), Trump can’t invoke privilege over their testimonies.
Thank you GAO.
2
The OMB said exactly otherwise last December. You'll believe what you want; I'll believe whatever our President - or any previous chief executive - does in the daily grind of conducting our internationals affairs is fair game.
1
What law? What constitution? What illegality? What difference does it make? This President and the Republicans, who stand at his side, don't see any wrong-doing nor accountability. As far as they're concerned, everything that has transpired is fine and not to be questioned. Whatever has been defined as law in governing our democracy has been tossed aside and rewritten by a President, who acts on a whim, often at the expense of those he serves in our nation and throughout the world.
1
In addition to the important information in that finding by the GAO itself, the timing is indeed interesting. @ NYTimes: please ask the GAO for an official timeline of their investigation, which might inform us why this finding was not issued while the investigation by the House was still ongoing.
2
In addition to the GAO opinion, records released from FOIA requests (that Trump refused to release to Congress) show people in the Pentagon raised questions on the legality of the hold, and members of Trump's administration tried to evade adhering to that legislation by claiming it was just a temporary hold. Meaning that the OMB knew they were on thin ice and were obligated to inform Trump of that. Considering how Trump micromanages his scams, he most likely was aware he was violating a law. But he didn't care because he knew the Republicans in Congress would cover him no matter what he did. Trump could shoot a nun on 5th Avenue and the GOP would give him a commendation.
5
The GAO report's findings are non-partisan, rational, and are consistent with the evidence already gathered by the U.S. House's impeachment hearings. The Sen. Shelby comment portends the reality that the Republican majority is now on trial; they will vote to acquit Donald Trump of both charges, employing the new reality that laws have no relevance. I guess I no longer have to pay taxes, no longer have to abide ordinances in my community, can park anywhere I wish, OR is this new protocol for Republicans only? The sham are the Republican senators who will allow this criminal a pass. Sen. Collins doesn't want to hear from witnesses. We are doomed as a nation. Simply doomed as the American rule of law is about to be nullified.
3
The Corporate world is far from perfect but if Trump was a CEO he would have been fired long ago.
He lies, he bullies , he has no strategies to build our country , no policies relating to our International challenges other than hit and miss.
He is running us into an unsustainable debt and enabling the destruction of the the future of our environment .
He fires and sometimes hires without due diligence, many of his top people are in jail or on their way.
Yet the Senate will exonerate him , he will use his acquittal as a re-election platform
He stands a good chance of reelection this says so much about the division and the state of our Country.
I am in the late autumn of my life but I feel so badly for the young who will inherit these real problems
6
Many of the republicans obviously are guilty of receiving foreign money for their reelection campaigns, this is the reason they want to shut this down.
3
There are three issues raised by this report that the Republican senators will need to consider very carefully during the trial:
1) The OMB is claiming the president has a line item veto anytime he chooses to do a "policy review". There is no constitutional provision for a line item veto.
2) The President also claims as commander in chief he can declare an emergency and move funds within the defense and state appropriations as he chooses. Coupled with the first issues, he is in effect claiming that Congress does not have the power of the purse. All Congress does, in his argument, is pass a baseline budget which he gets to spend (or not) as he chooses.
3) All of this could have been avoided by simply informing the Congress that the funds were impounded. Why didn't the President do that?
10
Is #2 a valid claim?
@MorningInSeattle
Yes. It is how the President is paying for the border wall
If a President disagrees with legislation, then the simple choice is to veto the legislation. Trump signed the legislation and then decided to hold the funds after all the appropriate reviews and confirmations had been completed. That puts him in an awkward position because the President is obliged to see that the laws enacted by Congress are faithfully executed, it's what the Executive Branch is intended to do. He likes to think of himself as a head of state, the boss man, the decider and doer, but in this case, he has no such authority.
11
The evidence also establishes that Pence knew about and approved the actions leading to impeachment. If Trump is replaced by Pence, whether by Trump's resignation or conviction, this same evidence can and must be used to impeach Pence.
The Speaker is next in line of succession to the Presidency.
So conviction of Trump makes a Democrat President.
How can you expect any Republican Senator to be renominated by the Republican Party if they contribute to Trump's removal from office?
12
@hiuralney Not so fast, as much as I'd like to see both of these guys removed from office, another VP would be appointed in the event either resigns. My bet is that Trump will jettison Pence, and appoint a new VP. But this is a band aid for the GOP. They are reeling and about to implode.
2
@hiuralney
much cleaner to vote the GOP out of power across the board.
4
I'm worried that once we rid ourselves of Trump, that the cardboard stand-up cut-out Pense, strategicly placed behind Trump in all the photo-ops, won't be able to govern either.
10
@BBB
He will, but he will have to ask his wife before making any decisions.
2
Right, Wisconsin. When the Trump White House budget buys the pens, Trump signs stuff, and then he gives away the pens, that's no problem. Pelosi is SO much more intelligent and strategic than Trump, and she's a woman. That's your problem with the pens, right?
6
As I read these comments it only underscores the alternate realities that exist in this country.
People who are opposed to Trump really need to wake up and realize that findings like these are utterly irrelevant to his followers and whether he is re-elected. Saying their rationale for his defense has been weakened or whatever is ludicrous. It doesn't matter
If you don't want Trump re-elected, its absolutely crucial to remember that facts are irrelevant to Trump supporters and his enablers in the House and Senate.
"Evidence" of any sort is not going to remove him from office.
9
@Marks
67 votes are needed to remove him but if 4 Republicans join the 47 Democrats, and the 51 vote count will shake up independents and moderate Republicans who voted for the occupant of the White House in 2016.
And the occupant will go ballistic with 51 Senate votes (bi-partisan votes) for a guilty verdict: meaning a majority of US senators found him guilty. (The highest guilty vote Clinton got was 50/50 split.)
2
It’s not as much about removal as it is about bloodying him up so badly he won’t have enough backing to get re-elected.
3
@marks These findings may be irrelevant to Many Trump voters, but they are not irrelevant to US senators who are 1. under oath and 2. have a legacy to think about.
3
My Congresswoman Elise Stephanik claims (according to the person who answers the phone at her office) - it doesn’t matter because Ukraine ended up getting their money. I guess she will soon be bringing a Bill to Congress that will do away with charges of attempted robbery if the robbery is stopped by a bystander.
20
@Maxi Good comeback -- you should call Stephanik's office back and tell them that.
2
@Maxi
You know what to do with her in the next election.
6
If Trump was really concern about US citizens breaking any laws in Ukraine, why didn't he use the FBI to investigate instead of his private attorney?
20
@Listening to Others and a country that was allegedly too corrupt to get money but was perfectly fine to investigate a US citizen.
The Office of Management and Budget that withheld the money disagrees with the GAO opinion so we have two opinions. Two government offices disagreeing with each other--nothing new. The Senate will be acquitting President Trump and he will be elected to a second term. BTW--stock market at a new high this afternoon--29,240. 50 year low in unemployment--especially among minorities. The minority voters will be voting for President Trump or staying home--bad news for the Democrats. Vote for America--Vote Republican.
5
@Jonathan
Boosted by a Trillion dollar a year deficit and counting — how long is that economic strategy going to work for us?
3
@Jonathan Are you staying the economy is more important than the truth and upholding the constitution?
We can have both, you know -- good economy and honesty in Government.
3
@Jonathan
Uh, Mick Mulvaney is the 'acting' head of the OMB and the 'acting' White House Chief of Staff. Any more questions? I doubt he will get an Oscar for his performance.
5
I live in hope that Trump takes his sycophants down with him. It's worked on everyone else he's tapped to serve his interests so far.
13
Trump administration explained.
"I am the Corruption"
get over it , people.
4
Good for the GAO-at least some people still believe in the rule of law!!
9
President Trump has been accused of acting illegally by his own administration.
9
No. The GAO is not "his own administration."
It is a private hack outfit.
1
@Mary Elizabeth Lease FYI -- The GAO works independently of any administration.
5
I’m shocked, shocked that the administration broke the law. Who knew?
11
I'm old enough to remember when Democrats were the antiwar party. They would balk at sending weapons to Ukraine because that's a sure way to irritate Russia, and no one except the insane wants to provoke a nuclear armed nation into war. Except modern Democrats are no different than Republicans. Both parties are war-mongering fools whose only interest is enriching defense contractors regardless of the cost to the Earth and humanity.
1
@Max
Check out the Democrats running — none of them are hawks for confrontation and war. The occupant has made past ultimatums against Iran and North Korea.
He gambled on killing an Iranian general without starting a war with Iran. Is either North Korea or Iran going to comply with US demands for no nuclear weapons or missiles? Especially after the occupant killed a top Iranian general? What will the occupant do if they don’t? Who’s more dangerous, now?
4
@Max That both sides line is really stale; the GOP is far worse in its governance and ethics. They need to purge their ranks of the criminals and liars, then maybe they'll win some elections, maybe.
4
@Max
Republicans and their false equivalencies...sad.
4
What took the federal watchdog agency so long? Too many other dogs to watch???
3
The world is watching.
Of course when the very people who were co-conspirators are the jurors, then...
11
Trump and the Republican party are corrupt, in fact probably the most corrupt in US history. It is therefore deeply strange to me that Republican voters simply don't care, as some of commenters here have confirmed.
16
It’s a simple test. The What If test?
What if Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama had done any of the things Trump is accused of? Would we be having a trial in the Senate?
No need for anyone to reply because we all know the answer.
12
@Stephen I don't understand the question. A crime is a crime. If under Obama, when the Republicans controlled congress, he committed such a crime then he would have been out of office.
But Clinton and Obama did plenty of the same, and like you say, no political circus. Quid pro quos such as Egypt, let Arab Spring activists take over your country or we will withdraw funds. Libya, Gaddafi must surrender or we will bomb you into submission.
2
He couldn’t help but do anything he could to get an investigation announced.
After all, a la Comey, that’s what got him “elected”.
1
Seriously searching for hope. What good does it do for every voter in the country to get out and vote if the electoral college doesn't reflect the popular vote? Thank you.
5
@Marian
It comes down to several states:
Wisconsin; Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Michigan. Maybe Ohio.
Steyer and Bloomberg should swamp those states with staff and advertising once a Democratic candidate has been anointed.
2
@Marian You're welcome. Now back to this story.
2
@kenneth
The question is directly related to the story and any story about Trump's administration. The comments in this story and just about all stories about him include the advise to vote him out of office.
2
No one in their right mind should try to untangle the arcane rules and regulations regarding the powers of the legislative and the executive branch. Ordinary Americans will be well advised to leave these things to professionals. Besides, they are largely irrelevant to the substance of the impeachment as those are about abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
As much as I understand, the real “crime” in this case is the abuse of power. The accusation about the abuse of power rests on very slim evidence: a brief conversation between the two presidents in which President Trump suggested that the Ukrainian side should look into cases of corruption and possible conflict of interests. Everything else that the accusers impugn as relevant to this conversation is not a fact but a guesswork and hearsay at best. The accusers can point nothing factual that would suggest any pressure or quid pro quo. Whether the President had the power to withhold aid to Ukraine or not is really irrelevant. It is a case for special dispensation to be resolved by professionals. By itself, withholding aid to Ukraine does constitute a case of abuse of power. Everything else brought up in this impeachment is circumstantial and irrelevant to the case in point. None of this would stand a chance in any court.
The Democrats took this case to the extreme. In their fervor they piled up so much in this case that it is likely to collapse under its own weight.
3
@Gennady I agree nobody should really try to untangle the rules but in the regard you are relating this to a regular case in a regular court room is an analogy that doesn't stand up. First, other than those rules not applying at all, circumstantial evidence is allowed on a regular occurrence as long as sufficient inference exists. That if of course up to the defense attorney to sell it as reasonable doubt and the prosecutor to sell it as evidence of guilt. Regardless, this is being tried in the court of public opinion and is the only real relevance.
3
@Gennady In a democracy, leaving everything to professionals is asking for corruption. That's why it's called a government of, by and for the PEOPLE.
6
@ Gennedy
Let’s pretend that its the impeachment trial of President Obama and the very same evidence was brought as against the occupant today— would your opinion without a moments hesitation remain the same? And Fox News’ Sean Hannity would be similarly opposed to the entire impeachment process and trial? And the present occupant as a private citizen would be similarly opposed based on this same evidence?
4
Watched the American Experience "McCarthy" program last week. So many similarities. He got away with the evil things he was doing because the public was behind him and his party failed to call him to task.
9
@Linda O'Connell But eventually, McCarthy went down.
2
It almost doesn't matter if Mitch McConnell doesn't allow witnesses to the impeachment trial (or a vote for having them). What Nancy Pelosi has done by first holding the articles of impeachment and now delivering them, is create the opportunity for further evidence to come out of its own accord through individuals like Lev Parnas who may be more willing to speak the truth outside of a Senate which is hostile to it anyway.
This holds the Republicans' feet to the fire of public perception with very specific consequences.
Americans will find out anyway what's being held back by Republicans' unwillingness to be impartial during the trial (despite taking an oath be just that).
Americans will see how far Republicans will go to defend not the Constitution but a corrupt president/aspiring dictator.
Americans will resent these elected officials for not doing what's best for the country and its citizens.
And Americans will vote accordingly come November despite any proliferation of red baseball caps.
9
Apparently vice presidents are exempt from this law, or more likely doesn't apply if Democrats such as Biden being on record boasting to have done just that ..doesn't raise an eyebrow.
3
Partisan you are. This is about Trump. Why are you deflecting. If there is sufficient evidence on Biden he will be held accountable also. But that’s not what you really want. You just want to see Trump get off scot free even though he has committed crimes.
4
Not true and unhelpful. You know as well as we all do that if there was sufficient evidence Biden would be brought up on charges immediately.
5
@Lane Okay. I guess that proves this incident never happened.
The idea that Trump administration with access to all its lawyers and experts broke the law should make everyone shiver.
But the reality tells a different and even more sinister story, namely that of a lawless president, who didn't care about lawbreaking and wanted his administration to follow his order.
And we've learned that none of his underlings budged.
They have become complicit and shameful public servants, who have helped break the law and now must be prosecuted for their crimes.
7
The Republican Senate has lost all credibility. They will acquit Trump regardless of the crime/evidence, and have said as much.
6
I remember when the GOP was attacking anything and everything Obama did or say.
I hoped that the Democrats would at least a bit better and learned something from the mistakes of their predecessors.
The question is what will prevail in the end - the number of times the GOP tried to repeal the Obamacare or the number of Democratic attempts to impeach Trump...
3
The activities, statements, and corruption level of the respective men is entirely of a different class and category, however.
9
@Kenan Porobic
I remember when the GOP revered the Constitution and was the all about the rule of law.
11
@Meadowlark Lemmy Sshhh. He doesn't want to realize that.
"The question is what will prevail in the end ..."
.... doing things best for the American people or protecting one's own political base.
1
Guesses on which Republican senator will move that this report not be admitted into evidence because it wasn't part of what the House sent over?
Much easier question: guesses on whether or not said motion will pass?
6
They may never step into the limelight like the witnesses at the House impeachment hearings. But once again Americans should be grateful to the federal government employees who worked on this matter. These public servants bravely rendered their findings knowing that they will now incur the wrath of The Don(ald) and his henchmen (who apparently are now finished with their "work" in Ukraine).
15
The GOA said "withhold". The Trump administration didn't withhold they "delayed".
There is a difference.
Delay = make (someone or something) late or slow.
Withhold = refuse to give (something that is due to or is desired by another).
5
They withheld until they got caught, then it became delay.
14
@NYChap
and of course you are leaving out pertinent facts.
the funds were withheld from a foreign ally engaged in a shooting war with a foreign enemy state—at least a foreign enemy state to the interests of the nation and increasingly evident that it is a political ally to Trump.
the funds in question were released only when Trump's skullduggery was made public.
11
They didn’t delay, they withheld until the public found out about it. That is not the definition of delay.
8
The key metric for the Trump administration is:
IAPM: Illegal acts per minute.
Counting the refusal of asylum requests, and aggressive un-enforcement of environmental and campaign finance laws, acts of financial fraud, emoluments violations, and misallocation of targeted funds, etc., this value probably exceeds one illegal act per minute.
(By way of reference, during the Obama administration, this metric would need to be recast as IAPM: illegal acts per month to get the results on the same scale.)
Withholding funds is just another tick in the IAPM scale of the lawless Trump administration.
Glad there is at least someone left in the government who is still attempting to obey and assess lawful conduct rather than hide or augment it.
5
Trump and the GOP, and the enablers around him, simply do not believe in the rule of law, and Trump absolutely believes he is untouchable.
That's it in a nutshell.
15
The lasting damage to Ukraine was inflicted by Hillary Clinton as Sec of State, and her Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland (a Kagan family neocon), and the Ambassador she supervised closely.
It was a foreseen and inevitable disaster, as a second round of color revolution met with a pre-planned response the Russians had plenty of time to get ready.
Then, as it unraveled, She doubled down on conflict not only with the Russians but also with her EU allies, which was more egregious because the promises made by Her to Ukraine were of EU actions that the EU was not inclined to undertake (or pay for).
Then Obama backed off when She left the State Dept, and declined to send the weapons that now Trump is impeached for delaying.
4
This is about Trump. What’s the point in bringing up the previous admin? Whatever they did or did not do doesn’t change what Trump did one iota.
8
@max
Get over whatever Hillary dis or didn’t do to bring us to this point. At the end, Trump withheld funds to benefit his political campaign, illegally. No one made him do that.
8
Dear House of Representatives,
when the inevitable acquittal occurs, shut the government down. Tell the government workers now to quit so they can find other jobs.
5
Of course they broke the law.
That’s what they do.
And they will continue to do so since no one will do anything about it.
16
The longer we wait, the more fuel gets tossed on this impeachment fire. First we had allegations of misconduct. Republicans said it wasn't 'compelling'. Then we had senior White House figures testify that corruption and misconduct occurred. Republicans said it didn't matter because, after all, the money was released in the end. Now we hear that the president blatantly broke the law simply by withholding the money.
The long list of Republican justifications is wearing down. Makes you wonder why they didn't all pile on to get rid of Trump five months ago in the first place. They could have fielded a new presidential candidate easily since then and started over without the lies, corruption, and hateful divisiveness their current leader carries with him like a cloud of smog.
12
If we applied the same standards to every President in our history that the Democrats are doing to Trump? They ALL could have been impeached. This is a new low, even for this Congress. And they will regret this ... probably at the ballot box.
4
@Stephen
so you are saying every President in our history was allied with a foreign enemy state for the purpose of personal political advantage.
18
Breaking laws is merely a subset of the damage wrought to our Democracy during Trump’s Reign Error . He consciously campaigned and governs with the goal of shattering norms, whether such norms are imposed by law or propriety. He lies incessantly, even if not perjuriously; he spews divisive rhetoric giving inspiration to murderers, even though he bears no legal responsibility. He can interpret the law to cause harm to children ripped apart from the parents , and suffer no legal consequence for such lasting damage. It is not illegal for him to vest official power in his unqualified and financially conflicted family, and benefit from his opaque international business dealings, but he has has flaunted the expectations that he should refrain from such conflicts. He has appointed lobbyists to kill off our environmental regulations, but their damage is a crime against the environment and public health, not against our criminal codes.
This list can go on and on. But the violation of the Impoundment Control Act is evidence not merely that Trump believes he is above the law; the breach is part of a continuous assault on the social contract that, often with the fragility of scotch tape, binds our nation. The ultimate victim of Trump’s aberrant and defiant governance, with no recourse to the statute books, is our Democracy itself.
14
@Asher Fried
Thank you. Very well said.
1
One more reason that Trump does not deserve to remain in office. Add this to the list of "cumulative awfulness."
9
I see very little difference between a president breaking the law and a president granting a waiver to allow somebody else to break the law.
9
---
“Faithful execution of the law does not permit the president to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law,” the accountability office wrote in an opinion released Thursday. “The withholding was not a programmatic delay.”
---
That seems pretty clear.
12
Get ready for Republican Deep State talking points about how the GAO is just a two-bit agency run by Hilary supporters.
18
@JS Agree, but they will have a hard time sustaining that notion -- maybe not with Trump supporters, but with Congress, which is fully aware of the careful, non-partisan work that GAO has done for them over the years.
6
One of the Republican talking points is that the President didn't "break any laws." The "abuse of authority" and "contempt of congress" Articles are mere political infractions, modest over reaching, if you will, according to GOP point person.
Well, now we have a "crime," according to GAO; but to be fair to the Dems, a simple "extortion" charge against the president would be enough for me to impeach.
8
How shall I say this...Duh!
Of course he and his enablers (like Mulvaney) broke the law, the law is rather obvious. Even a non legal eagle can read it and see what they did was illegal.
When are we gonna come to grips with the realities of these and other laws and how Trump and his enablers are wholly ignoring them?
10
What about Biden's video-taped confession that he threatened to withhold aid from the Ukraine unless the Ukraine fired its prosecutor? How is that different?
1
@pete
Please, please, read the rest of the information about what VP Biden did. The EU, the IMF, and the US had already repeatedly told the Ukraine government that the funds being sent to them would NOT continue if they did not get serious about ending corruption, and most importantly, that the Ukraine prosecutor was not doing anything to deal with corruption. As a last resort and with the approval of the IMF and the EU, VP Biden was sent to Ukraine to deliver a blunt, final message to the Ukraine president. This is not myth. It is fact. What VPBiden did was not a benefit to his son, nor the business on whose board he served. Neither was under investigation by the prosecutor and neither benefited by the firing of the prosectuor.
18
@pete
The Wall Street Journal laid out, very clearly, exactly what @alicewren writes should you have any doubts.
The article was published on September 22nd and was titled “Bidens in Ukraine: an explainer”
I’m astounded that the op-Ed writers for the WSJ choose to ignore what their own paper has written , as does the president and his supporters
6
@pete
well for one, it doesn't exist.
7
After learning how many times the GOP tried to repeal the Obamacare and how many times the Democrats tried to obstruct Trump the only conclusion is that both parties are the sore losers that care only about their party base...
@Kenan Porobic
"...how many times the Democrats tried to obstruct Trump..."
you have the shoe on the wrong foot.
10
The Republicans had control of both chambers of congress, the courts and a majority of the states governments the first 2 years of Trumps term.
The notion that the democrats were somehow obstructing Trump when they were the minority party at all levels of government is absurd. The GOP and Trump are to blame for their inability to govern.
5
I have the proposal to bring our country back to cooperation, unity and tolerance.
The honest people are not afraid of the facts.
Joe Biden should agree that the hiring of his son is investigated and Trump should in exchange for releasing his tax returns to the public have the impeachment charges against him dropped.
1
@Kenan Porobic Blackmailing a foreign government into finding dirt on one's election opponent seems to have already failed at bringing about cooperation and unity.
7
@Kenan Porobic honest people don't acquiesce to random investigations because a known con-man and grifter makes up accusations as part of an extortion scheme to rig an election.
14
@Kenan Porobic
The former has already been done.
The latter is not the issue at hand.
8
This is one of many revelations since the initial House of Representatives investigation and hearing. Pelosi's decision to hold the articles of impeachment was not only to clarify procedures for the Senate trial, but also to gather and organize further evidence and strategize on ways to introduce it and choosing the right litigators to do so. One hopes that they will find a water-tight way to present the information and Roberts will permit it.
12
The Senate is constituted by state and not by population. The logical (and likely intentional) constitutional role would be for it to be a nonpartisan deliberative body that would operate by consensus. The representation by state would allow all opinions to be heard, but the weight of the majority does not provide a basis for authority. Since the House represents population, it is also logical to consider its votes as a necessary voice of population in proportion. The role of the Senate is being seen for what it has become, not what it should be.
10
Excellent post. The Senate “should” be very non partisan (6 year terms) and nor
Is the body a representation of the views of the population....but! It’s not
2
If something is done illegally at the federal level, but the Justice Dept. refuses to investigate or prosecute, shouldn't those responsible for not enforcing the law be held responsible? Can the Attorney General of the US be impeached?
38
@karisimo0 - Congress has the power to impeach the president, the vice president and all civil officers of the United States for treason, bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors, according to Article 2 of the Constitution. That includes Cabinet members like the attorney general. The process of impeaching an attorney general is the same as when removing a president except that the vice president presides over the Senate trial if anyone except a president is impeached. The AG can be removed or forced to resign and replaced by the president because of a scandal because they serve at the pleasure of the president. Those are the two ways to remove Barr. If Trump and Pence are impeached and Nancy Pelosi is the new president, then she can easily and swiftly remove him and replace him with her choice.
10
Problem is, the Justice Dept and the Attorney General are at the top of the law enforcement heap. There is no one to prosecute them. That is why the Trump Administration is such a danger to our democracy. The country needs people at the top who believe in laws, honor, oaths of office, democratic institutions, Checks and Balances and the Constitution.
9
@karisimo0
Yup......but breath holding is not recommended.
1
The president didn't break any law. The president was upholding the US law.
If the government gives the significant aid to a foreign country and that country in return hires the top government official's son, it just smells as the classic kick-back scheme.
It is the official duty of the executive branch to fight against the corruption of elected officials.
If investigation showed no dirty play, the aid would be immediately transferred.
The honest people are not afraid of verification of the facts.
6
@Kenan Porobic
Incorrect. It is clear that the president broke the law. In fact it is clear that he has broken many laws and continues to do so with impunity because of the corrupt Republican Senate. I understand that for some people Trump can do no wrong. I am not one of those people.
18
"The honest people are not afraid of verification of the facts." Agreed. Will the Senate take witness's testimony on the rationale for the President's actions? The Republican party, and Trump say no.
15
@Kenan Porobic I'll take the conclusions of trained professionals over the random postings of an arm-chair attorney on a comment board.
10
The OMB already explained in December why this is a wrong conclusion.
9
Except since it’s not OMB’s place to interpret the law, Their legal opinion means very little. As part of the executive branch their duties are restricted to implementing and enforcing the laws that the legislative branch (congress) creates. The GAO is a nonpartisan government agency that is part of the legislative branch. The GAO does have the authority to make legal decisions and opinions. OMB was very clearly violating the law and went beyond the scope of their job. Several OMB officials realized they were breaking the law and tried to sound the alarm
8
This Presidency reminds me of Simpsons season 12 episode 11, "worst episode ever".
It truly was a stinker.
It never really recovered after that, either.
7
The OMB's statement of disagreement with the GAO report carries, in Neil Sheehan's description of the Vietnam War,
A Bright, Shining Lie.
The OMB spokesperson claimed the President had the authority to fiddle with appropriated funds to ensure that their use was "consistent with the President's priorities".(which were, in this matter, personal, e.g,,his wish to discredit Joe Biden). That is the assertion of a line item veto, which the President does not have.
May we assume the ignorant spokesperson got this language from AG Barr's Justice Department, now become the Department of Presidential Excuses? If so, it is another assertion of AG Barr's divine right of Presidents.
I wish the GAO would also examine whether pilfering DOD monies for the "Wall" is a violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act?
23
@Frank McNeil
John Michael "Mick" Mulvaney is an American politician who is serving in President Donald Trump's cabinet as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, as well as acting White House Chief of Staff. Wikipedia
I wonder who promulgated the OMB's statement?
1
This stuff would be reason for removal of any president at any prior time period. New norms are being established every day. Creeping towards autocracy.
33
@Mannwich
Nonsense. When the GAO found Obama had also broken the law (over Bergdahl) democrats and media barely blinked.
1
If it was illegal to withhold Congress-approved aid for the Ukraine; is it illegal to withhold aid to a state or territory that has already been approved by Congress (e.g., Trump's administration has withheld disaster aid from Puerto Rico)?
24
It’s probably also illegal to take money from the DoD to build a wall that Congress expressly denied funding for. That’s our “Law and Order” president!
6
The independent watchdog federal agency, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), has rendered its verdict. Donald J. Trump "broke the law" in illegally withholding Congressionally authorized aid to Ukraine as alleged in the articles of impeachment as a quid pro quo for them investigating former Vice President Joseph Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. For the Senate now to acquit Trump would send the chilling message that Trump is "above the law" thus invalidating our Constitution, its rule of law, and the democracy it supports. Instead, they would be voting for the autocratic "rule of Trump."
5
During Clinton's impeachment I remember thinking, "who cares if he had 'relations' with an intern? That is between him and his wife to work out, not Congress." After all, many presidents before him had extramarital affairs. But Trump's impeachment is completely different because he used Congress allocated aid monies as a leverage for his personal, campaign re-election goals. Add insult to injury, Trump also had his minions follow, pressure, and ultimately remove professional, experienced, long term civil servants from their jobs in an effort accomplish his goals and hide his illegal activities. Most Republicans KNOW what Trump did is wrong legally, and morally. But instead of holding him accountable, they remain silently complicit in lock step putting their party before country. It would be a refreshing change for Republicans to do more than talk about doing the right thing by actually DOING the right thing- impeach Trump for his abuse of power and obstruction. America deserves better than to have a corrupt president!
24
@An Independent American
I suspect there will be a record voter turnout in November. This is not a partisan issue and purge is long overdue.
7
Hasn't Gordon Sondland's testimony already stated the same thing Parnas testified? Didn't make a dent.
13
In the court of public opinion, no it didn’t make a difference. However, a second witness, with additional evidence, will make a difference. How much, I don’t know, but there is a growing number of people who are just sick and tired of trump and his criminal machinations.
5
Mitch McConnell would prefer that every law in this country have an addendum added to it - i.e. "unless a Republican does it" - because Mitch, in his naked partisan hypocrisy, prefers two sets of laws. Or more accurately, one set of laws which are not applicable to his "tribe". That way, as it is in this case, extortion is only illegal when someone else does it.
That way lying about an affair is impeachable, when it's a Democrat. But, extortion that threatens our national security interests, conducted for purely personal political gain, is actually praiseworthy, when it's a Republican that's doing it.
Perhaps we can have two sets of rules for other things as well. Things like housing laws, discrimination laws, sexual assault laws, incitement laws, financial laws, voting laws, etc, etc, etc. One for everyone else, and none for Republicans.
17
Like Republicans care one bit about the law, the constitution or democracy. Any decent human being has been driven from the Republican party long ago.
18
Fortunately, the head of GAO is untouchable until 2025 so Trump won’t be around long enough to nominate someone to silence or politicize that agency. Unfortunately, GAO doesn't have any power, just helpful recommendations and long PDFs no one reads.
GAO “is headed by the Comptroller General, who is appointed to a 15-year term. The long tenure of the Comptroller General gives GAO a continuity of leadership that is rare within government.”
https://www.gao.gov/about/comptroller-general/
11
I hope and fear for this nation because, if the Democrats succeed in removing the President, there will be a Civil War, and it won’t matter which side is right. The state of emergency called by the governor of Virginia is a preview for the nation. That the nation should come to this pass at this point is the greatest of tragedies because so much else is going right, but out of partisanship we are determined to throw it all away.
2
Sorry, but this is not about partisanship, but about an entire party working to destroy the Constitutional basis of our system. Your false equivalency is noted and strongly rejected.
88
Don't worry, the Republican partisanship will prevent them from convicting and removing the President and avoid the civil war with which Trump's supporters are threatening the whole country for thinking about upholding the law and carrying out an act the Constitution explicitly supports. It will confirm that a President can violate our Constitution, break our laws, and that our government is completely broken, but yeah, no civil war. You can celebrate the end of the rule of law and installing a dictator in the White House. Everything will be fine as long as we don't hold Trump accountable, right?
29
@Edward
I think the bar to civil war is higher than you think. Will there be organized violence from the far right? Perhaps. But it takes a lot for most people to kill their neighbors, and most Americans do not hate each other as much in real life as they do on the internet. And most Americans do not support Trump.
10
Just by chance this report comes out today? This non partisan government agency is completely partisan. As is almost all government agencies.
DC voted 96% Clinton in 2016. Everyone in DC is a democrat. The whole city is biased.
On a side note Pelosi had no right to give away the pens that signed that articles as souvenirs. They are government property. They could be auctioned off. She stole the pens. Impeachment her.
2
@Jim: Ah yes, of course. Only Trump supporters are nonpartisan. Everybody else is completely partisan.
43
@Jim
now about that signing of a "trade agreement" with China the day the House moved Articles of Impeachment to the US Senate.
6
Xi sent a VP to sign and Trump wasn’t smart enough to realize that was a slap in the face. Such a deal.
1
Last month, a top aide to Zelensky, confirmed that the eastern European country never believed that U.S. military aid was tied to any investigations.
“We never had that feeling,” Andriy Yermak told TIME magazine. “We had a clear understanding that the aid has been frozen. We honestly said, ‘Okay, that’s bad, what’s going on here.’ We were told that they would figure it out. And after a certain amount of time the aid was unfrozen. We did not have the feeling that this aid was connected to any one specific issue.”
The Office of Management and Budget that withheld the money disagrees with the GAO opinion so we have two opinions. The Senate will be acquitting President Trump and he will be elected to a second term. BTW--stock market at a new high this morning. 50 year low in unemployment--especially among minorities. Vote for America--Vote Republican.
6
@Jonathan Quid pro quo is a smoke screen that obscures the obvious abuse of power of a sitting president seeking help from a foreign government in digging up dirt on a political rival. Whether they felt strong armed or not is a secondary discussion.
Stick with your stock market argument because arguing that DJ Trump did nothing wrong-whether with our without pressure on Zelenski-is a losing proposition. If you're okay justifying the disintegration of our social fabric and institutions at the hands of a man who will say or do anything he figures he can get away with to maintain his position and advance his power and who wants to win at all costs just so your stock portfolio gets fatter, then go right ahead with you vote.
33
Jonathan,
You failed to comment on the Federal deficit hits $1 ml in this time of economic growth. There will be a day of reckoning with future generations. In my home state, Georgia, there are revenue shortfalls so budget reductions are required. How can that be during a time of growth and prosperity? We have a Republican Governor and Republican controlled Senate and House. How about I not vote Republican.
29
@Johnathan
Great. I agree with you. Let’s vote according to Market whims. Nothing matters as much as corporate prosperity and low wage employment. Rah! Rah!
And, yes, your Republican logic (a definite oxymoron) does absolutely accept as truth Yermak’s account of Ukraine’s response when they learned of the frozen funds. I mean, who would ever think that Ukraine might be reluctant to tell the truth about being extorted by the bully who could help or hinder Ukraine’s war with Russia?
Finally, you must be delighted now that Ukraine is launching an investigation into potentially illegal American activities within Ukraine.
Don’t worry at all about those silly little crimes Trump commits. We know he’s not guilty because he says he’s not. And there’s one person who never lies.
35
Low and behold the so-called "witch hunt" is producing everything but witches as the truth emerges persistently and continuously. trump GOP patsies must be feeling the heat particularly prominent GOP senators McConnell, Graham, Cruz, Cornyn, Burr, Johnson, and Thune ... all in lock-step support of trump’s kowtowing to Putin’s demands for US sanctions relief on Russian oligarchs and their business interests. Their unflinching support is growing more and more untenable each and every day. GOP senators defending trump’s malfeasance (extortion, bribery) are accomplices not dupes.
24
The Republican view will be that OK, Trump broke the law, and also created a security risk for the nation, but it was not bad enough to get him impeached.
In the meantime they were happy to impeach Bill Clinton for lying about a consensual sexual affair.
This is all you need to know about Republicans.
29
@ernieh1 the Republican view will be Ok, Trump broke the law, who cares.
That's the Republican view.
8
@ernieh1 Clinton's impeachment wasn't just for lying, it was for lying under oath, which is perjury, and obstruction of justice. Those are serious offenses, but not serious enough to garner the 67 senator votes to remove him from office.
4
@ernieh1
Trump HAS BEEN IMPEACHED. That is a done deal. Whether he is convicted in the Senate remains to be seen but please do learn how this actually works! Trump has been impeached.
5
Ruminating on this snowy day, Al Capone comes to mind. This gangster was ruthless, loved attention, and was finally brought down by tax evasion.
So far, nothing nefarious has made an impression on most Republicans. Could those mysterious tax returns of Trump's if ever released, do the trick?
10
@KS Likely the returns won't even be truthful.
6
@KS: It appears that very little real information ever actually reaches Trumpistas, and even when it does, most immediately dismiss it out of hand as being "partisan," because it does not agree with their own partisan bias.
6
All right, Citizens. It is time to politely and forthrightly inform your state senators you are watching and evaluating their behavior. In particular, those Republicans who have forgotten their Oath to protect the Constitution. Be direct. Be clear.
And do it now. And let them know you will remember next time you step into the voting booth. It is time to put an end to this toxic nonsense.
13
Why is trump not required to be at the trial?
9
@Pjs
The real question why he is not being deposed, under oath, just like Clinton.
8
Corruption everywhere. Trump, McConnell, Alex Cora! But they want to arrest O’dell Beckham, Jr. for handing out cash to athletes subjected to the corrupt NCAA.
What is an honest person supposed to do?
Don’t worry, I know the answer. I am going to try to continue practicing honesty and courage despite our corrupt leaders.
5
If Trump broke the law by withholding aid to a Ukraine, he should be arrested.
10
@Marc
Uh, he is immune from prosecution when he is in office.
He may be sharing a flat with Edward Snowden in the future.
5
Why did the GAO wait so long to rule on this? It is very germane to the current impeachment trial. This ups the ante considerably. McConnell will probably try to prevent any information that came after the articles of impeachment were passed by the House. He wanted to do so anyway. The need to remove Trump from office becomes more urgent daily.
4
@Barbara
Ms Pelosi can, if she wishes, start another impeachment inquiry on the basis of new information.
4
@Dan True, but that action is fraught and not the best approach.
The timing of this "bombshell legal opinion", three months after it was requested and its release on the same day that impeachment proceedings begin in the Senate, raises some doubt about the GAO's claimed nonpartisanship and the credibility of this opinion. I don't think it will have much effect on the impeachment.
2
@John
When would you have released it? Before it was finished? The timing is not relevant. The finding that the grifter in the Oval Office is, well, a crook is relevant. Either for this impeachment trial, or for the one to follow.
7
@John From the article:
Accountability office officials said the timing of the ruling was coincidental.
“Our legal decisions are issued when we have completed all our legal research and are ready to come to a sound conclusion,” Thomas H. Armstrong, the office’s general counsel, said in a statement. “There was no coordination of timing with any entity outside of G.A.O.”
1
Thankfully, "Watchdogs" don't get to determine if laws are actually violated. It's part of what makes us a democracy.
1
No, what makes us a democracy is a president and a Senate that upholds their oath of office.
11
You’re right. Watchdogs tell the people who do enforce laws. Kind of an important function. The warning lights on your dashboard are watchdogs too. They’re kind of important too. But it’s up to you to heed the warning.
12
@Kimbo
That makes no sense. The GAO is an agency that investigates government actions. And they most certainly do determine if laws have been broken, in the same way your local detective determines if a crime has been committed. It is of course up to prosecutors, judges, and juries to assign guilt for those crimes. That, plus the notion that even a grifter in the Oval Office is not above the law, is part of what makes us a democracy.
10
The Government Accountability Office said the White House’s Office of Management and Budget violated the "Impoundment Control Act when it withheld nearly $400 million for “a policy reason,” even though the funds had been allocated by Congress. The decision was directed by the president himself, and during the House impeachment inquiry, administration officials testified that they had raised concerns about its legality to no avail." So happy to see that at least some government agencies will speak out againt Trump's crimes. Are you listening GOP Senators and Trump's die-hard base?
20
When is enough, enough?
Are the republican's honest brokers of the impeachment process is there not enough there, there?
The presidency has been shattered, the country wounded and our democracy jeopardized. This impeachment maybe our only avenue to restoration and healing. There is enough there and it's incumbent on the senators swearing this oath to explore all information and witnesses and save our union.
12
'The impoundment law limits a president’s power to withhold money that has been allocated by Congress, requiring that he secure approval by the legislative branch if he wishes to do so'.
“We disagree with G.A.O.’s opinion,” said Rachel Semmel, a spokeswoman for the budget office. “O.M.B. uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the president’s priorities and with the law.”
So, the tRump administration rewrites the laws as they see fit? What is the next step? Claim the law allows tRump to be president for life?
14
“....According to the President’s policies and priorities....”
That’s one of the problems with this President. He doesn’t understand that Congress, and only Congress sets spending.
11
Whatever, to Trump’s supporters this is just more evidence of the Deep State at work.
I’m a Democrat who voted for Hillary, Trump will win in a landslide and the Republicans will retake the house.
1
...and American democracy as we know it will come to an end.
5
It is vital to understand that under the circumstances Ukraine was enduring, being threatened by Russia who had already invaded and annexed Crimea, had to be especially paranoid and under extreme pressure to comply with Trump and Giuliani to cooperate for the simple reason of getting that military aide that was held back. It wasn't just quid pro quo, it was a hostage situation of a nation by Trump who knew the desperation of Zelensky who was under literally death defying circumstances. It's as if Trump knew these facts. The 400 Million Dollars was just the tool of blackmail, but Trump played life and death with a nation his friend Putin was seeking to gain. You must see the major crime of aiding the enemy that it was.
13
So how long will it take for Congress to Impeach the President again; if the Senate doesn't do what's right? After all, every day new evidence of misuse of power is made public. The Republicans cannot continue to Lie, Deny and Defy the American public.
9
@AJ
Remember in November.
2
No surprise. But even before he was inaugurated Trump began to construct his own personal "GUO" i.e., Government Unaccountability Office. Now our country and the whole world are reaping the whirlwind.
10
@alex I can take any more of all this "winning."
2
The White House's response is laughable:
“O.M.B. uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the president’s priorities and with the law.”
The point of the GAO report and impeachment is that "the president's priorities" and "the law" are not consistent.
With this report, it should be crystal clear to the public that any Senator's vote to acquit will be condoning illegal, unconstitutional behavior by the President that undermines their own branch of government.
The Republican position to acquit the President seems to get more disturbing and untenable each day.
19
And as it goes with all things Trump-related; there will be no lawful consequences, no recourse, and no accountability. Truth is dead, at the hands of demagogues.
4
Lately I find myself lamenting the decline of 'Quid Pro Quos' in the ever-evolving news cycles! I suppose it didn't stand a chance against 'Gigantic Buffoonish Corruption'. Oh Well.
4
Mr. Trump will continue his attempt to divide the country by using the threat of his impeachment as a cudgel. As more and more evidence continues to accrue, the administration’s excuses become more and more twisted and bizarre.
We can only trust that some sanity will prevail in the Senate, and these men and women will make decisions that they can look back on with a degree of self-respect.
3
The house should keep submitting articles of improvement on every infraction of the law or constitutional and abuse of presidential power. Next or what should have been first is separating children of asylum seekers from their parents - multiple counts of child abuse. Then misappropriation of Congressionally approved funds to build his Wall etc. Not bringing these charges and others devaluates the law and constitution.
2
@Denis I know it's a typo, but a "Freudian Typo." And Trump sure could use some Articles of Improvement!
Many of us have been waiting for several years for the one misstep that takes this lawless president down. Literally dozens of actions seemed to quality, but they have come and gone and nothing has changed. Given the Republicans' claim during the House hearings that no criminal acts were committed--itself an invalid argument against impeachment--perhaps this authoritative determination that trump did indeed commit a crime is the moment that kept eluding us.
5
Then how come there was no objection when Obama refused to send Lethal aid to Ukraine? I believe that he refused to send it on the ground that there was still too much corruption in Ukraine. He replaced the Lethal aid with non-lethal aid like MRE's , Blankets, night vision goggle etc.
So I fail to see a difference. Of course in my opinion Obama had a better policy and I would not send any lethal aid to a corrupt country like Ukraine. I am not even sure why we think it is useful to Ukraine. We want to calm things down in the East but sending lethal aid is not the way to do it.
First of all, no Obama didn’t withhold lethal aid because of corruption. He withheld it because he was simply against assisting Ukraine with that kind of aid. It was policy. Also, he did not withhold funds authorized by Congress. And he didn’t request that Ukraine investigate an American citizen and political rival. And finally, if Obama was concerned about corruption then why would he provide any kind of aid, lethal or non-lethal? Is it ok to waste funds on one kind of aid but not the other? So I hope I’ve answered your question.
6
Actually, Mitch is more troublesome and damaged the country more than that of Trump.
16
@KP You mean President Mitch? Trump is his puppet you know.
1
The day will come when this president turns against the very Senators who today pledge their undying loyalty to him. Take heed, ladies and gentlemen; you serve at his pleasure or whim, warped as it may be, and your punishment will be public and cruel.
20
The trap Trump set for Republicans is pretty amazing. He essentially has them arguing that Congress is an unequal branch of government, which is kind of a sad self-immolation of a political heritage. This should be a slam dunk for Democrats. Beat the 1776 drum--do we want a King or a constitutional democracy?
29
U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 1:
“The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States;”
Congress has the power to appropriate and spend money, not the president. End of story. If this isn’t a “high crime and misdemeanor” - the president violating the letter of the Constitution - I don’t know what is.
24
As long as Barr still has a job, Trump is a king, because the rule of law does not apply to him.
Same goes for a GOP-controlled Senate. We could impeach him over this, but it just doesn't matter. MAGA-law is what applies to us all
13
Shouldn’t Chairmen Schiff and Nadler personally arrest trump and confine him in the House’s prison pending transfer to Supermax prison? What are they waiting for? If McConnell or any other republicans resist, lock them up too. Emergency government now!
10
How many laws need to be broken before Republicans, who brag about there adherence to law and order and the Constitution, take action. All of them?
21
OMB Director, "Get Over It" Mulvaney, bravely abandons sinking ship and leaves crew to defend what he can't.
8
With a compliant judiciary and rampant clientelism and graft, why worry about the rule of law.
4
Trump hasn’t simply broken a law, he has broken our legal system.
Trump is unfit. Only with his removal will this nation survive as we have known it.
14
This is terrible, much worse than killing a Iranian general and the other 8 guys that happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
3
The Government Accounting Office alleges that “OBM [Office of Management and Budget] “violated the ICA [Impoundments Control Act] when it withheld USAI [Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative] funds for a policy reason. OMP contends there was no violation because the delays were “programmatic” in nature, i.e., work on preparations to release the USAI was permitted to proceed and the program objectives were met.
Since other administrations have frequently delayed appropriated funds for policy reasons, the alleged violation doesn’t rise to the level of an impeachable offense. The funds were released before the end-of-fiscal-year deadline.
The dispute has no bearing on the impeachment trail. The allegation in the impeachment trail is that President Tump threatened to deny funding to Ukraine unless it agreed to publicly announce an investigation of Joe Biden and alleged Ukrainian meddling in the U.S. 2016 election. The GAO does not allege Trump used USAI funds to pressure Ukraine.
1
@William Case: Examples of which administrations illegally delayed what, exactly, without even so much as informing Congress?
8
Aside from the articles of impeachment, why isn't Rudolph Guiliani under investigation for being Trump's bag-man?
15
Oops, there goes another government agency...
4
Pelosi, Nadler, and Schiff are dressed in black and have the most solemn of expressions on their faces, but they don’t seem to realize they’re dressed for their own funeral.
6
@Edward
Ha! Watch & learn, it may turn out much differently from your wish.
6
No one will do anything about this lawbreaking. There will be no repercussions for the President and his gleeful band of sidekicks. What point is there in having a law if there is no punishment for breaking it?
5
Chief Justice Roberts will be swearing in the Senators as trial jurors. The oath includes a commitment to impartiality. Given that numerous senators -- nearly all of them, on both sides -- have displayed their bias publicly, and some of them -- e.g., McConnell and Graham -- have openly declared that they have no intention of being impartial, how can they possibly swear the jurors' oath? And if they do so, can they be impeached for perjury?
16
...along with all of the "managers"
1
@Kimbo
The House managers do not vote as to the guilt or innocence of the accused-- in this case Trump. They take no oath of which I can find any record, but are expected to present the material and information supporting the articles of impeachment. One may not feel that a House manager is doing that task fairly, but that is also why the president has lawyers there to question and present other information. Those lawyers occupy for Trump precisely the role that House managers do on behalf of the House.
1
Superseding Indictment.
Prosecutors do it all the time when new evidence comes to light.
If Republicans in Senate refuse to admit any of the new evidence or hear from witnesses surfaced since the initial impeachment vote then the House must initiate a Superseding Impeachment.
10
The last two paragraphs from the findings - and the most troubling:
OMB and State have failed, as of yet, to provide the information we need to fulfill our duties under the ICA regarding potential impoundments of FMF funds. We will continue to pursue this matter and will provide our decision to the Congress after we have received the necessary information.
We consider a reluctance to provide a fulsome response to have constitutional significance. GAO’s role under the ICA—to provide information and legal analysis to Congress as it performs oversight of executive activity—is essential to ensuring respect for and allegiance to Congress’ constitutional power of the purse. All federal officials and employees take an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution and its core tenets, including the congressional power of the purse. We trust that State and OMB will provide the information needed.
5
Unfortunately, the Government Accountability Office is only binding authority on in those in gov't who are "accountable." As Trump and his enablers are only accountable to Fox & Friends, the Decision is non-binding. Also, I think OMB spokeswoman Semmel's statement isn't exactly true. In rejecting the GAO Decision, she said "OMB uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer $$ are properly spent consistent with the president's priorities AND with the law." A correct statement would substitute "OR." Last observation: Republicans have been crowing about how this is the first impeachment without a violation of law. Time to find another truth to flip....
3
What a pity that the GAO report didn't come out during the House investigation (although its conclusions were already voiced in unofficial circles). The GOP is saying that the Articles of Impeachment, as presented, do not include any charge of explicit violation of law, but if the House had added a third Article regarding the withheld aid, the GOP would not be able to make this allegation (irrelevant as it is to the matter of "high crimes and misdemeanors" in the Constitution).
1
It's necessary - and important - that Trump be allowed to break the law and then get away with it. This is our current agenda – to convert the presidency to a dictatorship - and this step is necessary. He MUST break the law during his office, and then he MUST be acquitted of it – or this pending dictatorship can't move forward. It must be demonstrated - to the country as well as to the rest of the government - that Trump must be allowed to do whatever he wants, and that he is above the law. Why isn't everyone in step with this program? It's inevitable, and the more resistance there is to it, the longer and more painful will this conversion be.
4
The GAO legal opinion may be useful prospectively but obviously has no impact on the Ukrainian funds impoundment. The political impact as regards the Senate trial will also be ultimately insignificant.
1
I keep thinking about that line from the movie, "Backdraft" -
"You see that glow in the corner of your eye? It's your career dissapation light and it's going into overtime."
With more and more information coming to light and new people are coming forward with new information, I don't know how the majority of the Republicans can see this situation other than it is - their boss abused his power and obstructed justice.
The smart money is on realizing what's happening and to actually get ahead of this instead of hanging on, trying to hold up a guy who should not be in his current position any longer.
6
This information comes from a usually nonpartisan source, it nice to get this info from a group that isn't political.
5
Just finished today's article about cheating in sports: the old sports saw - 'if you don't cheat, you ain't tryin'' - a pervasive attitude. The political news every day is not so much divided between liberals and conservatives, or republicans and democrats. The real divide is between those who believe in following the rules and those who cheat. In fact, those who cheat believe those who follow the rules are chumps. Better to be a devious winner than a goodie two shoes loser - it's Darwinian survival - the law of the jungle. This attitude seems to go well with capitalism but is the antithesis of what is needed for a functioning democracy. The rule of law refers to the laws of the people, not the jungle. If only the senators would apply the rule of law, the outcome will be righteous.
3
A Government Accountability Office opinion? Does it matter?
I take the fact, that the stock markets are all up today, as a strong indicator, that it doesn't matter.
But I'm sure, that the more Radical Democrats will do everything they can, to make sure that "trial by Bean Counter", does not perish from this earth.
3
@Peter Zenger
So if, say, the OMB decided to withhold your income tax refund until you publicly declared that you voted for Donald Trump, that would be OK as long as the stock markets were booming?
Not clear that fast turnover in a casino has any bearing on whether the aid block was illegal. Really, two different things.
7
@Pete Zenger
The more Republican logic I read and hear, the more I understand the phrase “alternative facts.”
It’s impossible to maintain rational discourse when confronted with specious reasoning, so I won’t.
6
@Dunn Arceneaux
You may be overthinking my comment. I didn't vote for Trump.
It is important to understand that "creative prosecution" is a dangerous disease that knows no boundaries.
The obvious tool for removal, is a centrist Democratic candidate, but that is being rejected by those, who most want, to rid ourselves of Trump.
Desperately continuing a very weak case for impeachment, is going to help Trump get re-elected. The Senate "deck" is totally stacked in his favor, and the crime of "fighting corruption" does not ring a very loud bell - even if he was obviously help himself in the process.
The stock market is the natural barometer of sentiment in a capitalist country, which is where we are now - regardless of whatever vision one may have for a better future. As long as the markets are up, Trump will be very hard to dislodge - that's just a fact.
1
As the four-hour Frontline program reveals, the president, his media and the GOP are one and the same. Their goals are not to "improve" but to "disrupt and gut". We will soon witness via Chief Roberts whether this infection has spread to the Supreme Court.
11
@RonRich
It’s unfortunate that those who may have benefited from that documentary probably avoid PBS.
6
As an aside, I watched Rachel Maddow's riveting interview yesterday evening with Mr. Parnas. Yes, all roads seem to be leading back to Trump. He is beyond a scofflaw. He is looking more like a criminal, surpassing Nixon himself. But there remains one nagging question: Why, with all this evidence of Giuliani being Trump's faithful and notorious Court Jester, is the Senate not insisting on this man being called as a witness? The mere fact that McConnell resisting both Bolton and Trump's "personal attorney" words is an ominous sign as to the degree that the Senate Majority leader and his sycophants are complicit in betraying law, order, and indeed the Constitution.
12
@Kathy Lollock
It appears the Senators know what will be found if allowed. So they stonewall in unison -- to keep the (now short-term) majority power they have.
6
We are at a very dangerous moment in our history. Ben Franklin famously stated that the United States government is "a republic--if you can keep it." What is at issue now is that "if."
Possibly for the first time in our history, there is not merely wrongdoing but brazen, unabashed wrongdoing. Wrongdoing in plain sight and with an open boasting about being able to get away with anything and everything. Possibly for the first time in our history, major political figures not only lie but are not the slightest bit embarrassed to be caught lying. Possibly for the first time in our history so-called "leaders" care nothing for the Rule of Law and the Constitution and don't care who knows it. Possibly for the first time, a large percentage of the American electorate seems happy with the idea of our having a King or a Dictator.
This breaks my heart.
11
Welcome to DEMOCKERY, DJT's own concocted form of government, aided and abetted by McConnell, Barr, the evangelical community and the various vulture capitalists perched atop Wall Street, the White House, various State Houses sprinkled around the country, and many not so obvious places.
7
The Trump Administration broke the law? That’s ok. Trump says he can do anything he wants and his supporters don’t seem to have a problem with that. MAGA! /s
8
Unfortunately, this crime does not rise even close to the apparent threshold level of : "Standing in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shooting somebody..." that Trump supporters declare would be necessary for them to begin to lose even a modicum of faith in their fearless leader.
3
@Think
And he made that statement BEFORE he was even the nominee!
1
Unfortunately, at the end of the day each Senator (Democratic OR Republican) will vote on removal from office based on what will be best to get them re-elected. It comes down to the pressure WE THE PEOPLE put on our elected officials to ensure that they do what is right, not what is in their best interests.
6
@Steve
The sad fact is that those legislators have a clear mandate to represent “We, the People,” and they are clearly not up to the job.
1
And he is doing it again. Withholding aid to Puerto Rico in an emergency by placing unneeded restrictions on how the money can be used and spent. This is not a foreign nation, this is a part of our country for which we are legally and ethically bound to give assistance to. It is humanitarian aid in a crisis for US citizens.
34
This is the one critical finding of the impeachment (and Mueller) investigations.
The U.S. government is essentially lost if laws governing the behavior of the administration can be ignored or treated as politics under a post-fact theory that presidential discretion trumps all other factors.
I hope the article is updated with some legal analysis of their response (OMB has "apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the president’s priorities and with the law").
The law should be updated to remove any loopholes and to require the ouster of any official who knowingly aids in the violation of the law, or who acts to conceal such a violation.
12
I LOVE the folks who work at this nonpartisan federal watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office.
The president's abuse of power appears to be pretty straight forward when he substituted "his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law" by withholding security assistance aid to Ukraine.
How can that NOT be checkmate?
22
We are not a country of laws and have never been a country of laws. The laws are for beating down the commoners and protecting the wealthy overlords. So, just because there are laws on the books, it doesn't mean they will actually be applied in any truthful or legitimate manner.
We are a criminal land where criminals rule.
5
Well of course the OMB is going to disagree with the GAO. One answers to the White House and the other answers to Congress. Everyone at the OMB is terrified of losing their jobs. The GOA is saying, "Yes, someone should lose their job." That "someone" is apparently the President of these United States.
For whatever it's worth, Wikipedia considers the Government Accountability Office "the supreme audit institution of the federal government." Grain of salt but the organization's opinion certainly isn't disrespected.
12
Sadly the notion of the White House respecting other government agencies has long since flown out the window.
8
I respectfully take exception to the note of defeatism included in some of these comments.
The disregard for the law and rational thought exhibited by Mr. Trump, members of his administration, senate Republicans and Trump’s “base” will not determine the future of American democracy.
Clear-thinking, law-abiding, thoughtful voters will.
The forces of democracy (voters) clearly outnumber the Trumpists (other voters).
If the Republican senators make a mockery of this impeachment trial, they may well be sowing the seeds of the destruction of their party.
Whatever happens — VOTE in November!
25
"O.M.B. uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the PRESIDENT'S priorities and with the law.”
The budget spokeswoman who said that may as well have substituted in "the King's priorities". This allotment of defense money was, in fact, at Congess's orders. The U.S. Congress's priorities, as enforced by law. It was not for the hood standing in as president to intervene.
Unfortunately, conservative news outlets like Fox will play this tiny, if at all. The GAO is yet one more arm of the Deep State and Fox hosts will sneeze louder on air than they'll report this further annoyance -- a gnat-size irritation to swat away.
4
Trump will dismiss the GAO’s finding. He’ll say the ruling is the action of the nefarious, unseen “deep state.”
The Republican legislators need to stand in front of a huge mirror and ask themselves if they’re willing to let fear override integrity and love of country. For all the “snowflake” name calling and pointing of fingers, it seems the group that melts most easily in the face of the hot, red/orange heat of bombast is that which calls itself the GOP.
8
Despite what Republicans, the Trump administration and Fox News have been claiming, laws were violated.
The tone of the released emails do not suggest this was unintentional or a mild oversight.
History will not judge the Republicans kindly.
Hypocritical how Republican Senators want a quick non-trial while they wanted years of investigation of Clinton’s lying under oath about his affair. I see Ken Starr on news interviews as a supposedly serious commentator. Please.
7
With full knowledge Trump violated the Impoundments Control Act. The question before us now is he above the law. If the Republican controlled Senate reach the conclusion that he is, then the implication is that all future Presidents, including the one elected in 2020, is above the law.
It also means that the Congress is no longer a co-equal branch of government. While the focus is on Trump, it is actually the Senate that is in the process of being judged. The McConnell controlled Senate is in the process of deciding whether the form of government in the United States continues as a constitutional Republic of whether it is in fact now a monarchy.
17
Imagine that. The president can spend money now to satisfy his priorities. His team is now openly admitting what we taxpayers have known all along. I suppose we will get official notification via a tweet.
Since the Senate endorses and approves virtually every one of his decisions, perhaps one of his priorities for 2021 can be to eliminate funding for the Senate. I can't see that they will have any meaningful role if he is re-elected. They can become the equivalent of the British House of Lords. They can talk ad naseum but no one will listen.
13
What’s it going to take for the Republicans to do the right thing ? They are completely under the control of Donald Trump because they fear alienating his base will lead to primary challenges. This isn’t the United States that I was taught about when I was in grade school.
22
@LAM
They are under the control of Koch/Adelson/Mercer MONEY, not Trump.
They know if they don't tow the line they will forfeit that money, and it will go to a primary challenger running against them.
6
I don't expect this latest revelation to make much difference to Trump's base or to Mitch McConnell.
What I hope is that just enough vulnerable GOP senators will feel themselves on the hot seat and will vote to call witnesses and conduct a real trial. And if they don't so vote, that the majority of Americans who want to hear the evidence will vote them out in November.
10
@catstaff
Nope. On both counts.
@catstaff
I'm more concerned what are country will turn into if the democrats win the presidential 2020 election, and what will happen to the economy...I see a real downhill slide into weakness and another depression if that happens...
2
Impoundment Control Act was wisely enacted because President Nixon chose not fund programs the Congress appropriated funds for. Without it, this would give a President the ultimate veto power. It is clear from the evidence presented during the impeachment hearings and slow drip of evidence that has been revealed since, is that President Trump concerns about the Ukraine Aide was not rooted in protecting taxpayers from sending our tax dollars to a corrupt government. The the illegal withholding of the Ukraine aide was used to extort President Zelensky to participate in a bribe to manufacture dirt on his political opponent. How much more evidence does his supporters need? When will they decide to choose country over party?
10
This would be a bombshell, save for the fact that the law doesn’t apply to Trump, as it does to the rest of us. Just ask the entire GOP.
18
The fact that Congress has failed to check this president just lowers the already record low opinion We the People have of those who refuse to do their sworn duty.
8
“We disagree with G.A.O.’s opinion,” said Rachel Semmel, a spokeswoman for the budget office. “O.M.B. uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the president’s priorities and with the law.”
Or consider:
"We disagree with the district attorney's opinion" said the bank robber. "As larcenous thieves we collect money from banks consistent with my capo's priorities and with the law."
So, saying something is legal doesn't make it legal, even if you are a low level employee of the president, and the priorities of one's boss do not magically render illegal acts legal.
This is justification from OMB is just one element of a nearly continuous stream of vacuous bafflegab from the current administration.
17
Trump and his GOP protectors will say, "So what?" And they can d this with impunity, because his supporters don't care. They don't care if their President blatantly breaks the law because they don't see how damaging it is for their country. They don't care because they hate the idea of a Democratic Party White House more than they care about their Constitution. They don't care because FOX told them not to.
This is the way your Republic ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper.
12
That OMB says this Administration broke the law is big news!
Report it.
That the Administration puts out a press release saying “we disagree” is not news! It is what 100 out of 100 people would expect. So don’t report it. It is NOT news.
Seriously, to write it in this article gives it a sort of false equivalency, making the reporting, on net, an absolute distortion.
Recent false equivalencies are part of the problem. Why can’t the journalism profession yet get a handle on this?
12
The constitution clearly gives the power of the purse to Congress. It does not say well under certain circumstances the president can use it as he wishes. In that case the president could use the government's resources like his own piggy bank. That is why the president is required to return to congress to get approval for changes.
If the Republican Senate chooses to ignore this GAO finding and the constitution it will give away any power to control a dictatorial president and create Trump once and for all as an emperor and itself as a rubber stamp that can be overruled at the whim of its master. But none of this seems to matter as the Republicans in there zeal to restore their master to his throne will ignore every illegal action of this man in our White House.
710
@just Robert I believe that in the actual law that dictates aid to Ukraine, there is a clause which says that the aid can be with held if there is evidence of corruption in the country. I believe that was the clause Obama used to send only non-lethal aid to Ukraine.
@just Robert Calm down and take a breath. This is just another mountain out of a mole hill. Its actually on the Comptroller General to file a CIVIL lawsuit if he thinks they have a problem. Its not even a criminal matter. Therefore no criminal conduct or constitutional problems here even remotely. By the way, the Senator to the left is wrong too. Its not illegal but a violation of 2 USC 682.
2
@Judy Weller,
True, but what is your point? The DoD had already certified that Ukraine met the requirements to received the funds.
34
These wholly corrupt corporate owned Republicans actually believe they can keep up the charade, keep breaking the laws of our nation, thumbing their noses at whomever calls them out, and get away with it.
I'm reasonably certain that the American people, dense as some may be, and angry at being ignored for so long, I'm certain they have had enough, and regardless whether Trump is convicted and sent into the wilderness, come November a Democrat will be elected as our 46th President.
No doubt about it.
9
The Impoundment Control Act was passed by Congress in 1974 when it found President Nixon frequently stopping Congressionally authorized funds to programs that he (Nixon) did not like or support. The aim was mainly to prevent the Executive from impounding the distribution of funds that Congress has authorized and allocated. Hence, President Trump's decision to withhold military aid that Congress had authorized and allocated for Ukraine's security is a violation under this law.
16
Surely the OMB must have known that Congress needed to be notified when there are delays of approved funding, including the legitimate reasons for the delay. I bet the reason why Congress wasn’t notified was first to keep it secret per Trump’s demand and second, they wouldn’t have been able to come up with legitimate reasons.
7
Not one Republican or administration official has actually addressed the charges or refuted one of them. The claim that Trump was righteously scrutinizing corruption is an obvious falsehood- even if Hunter Biden was an unworthy nepotism hire. The 'corruption' of nepotism is rampant in American corporate and financial worlds. It does not constitute a national threat other than perpetuating the unfair redistribution of wealth to the rich.
Now with the GAO & Parnas confirming the essential facts of the unlawful acts- that Trump organized a rogue squad (like the Nixon Plumbers)- led by Guiliani, supported by Pence, Pompeo, Mulvaney & Barr as political toadies - enlisting Sundland, Lev & Igor (who also funded the operation) to get compromising smears on Biden. (The tactic of compromat is a hallmark of Putin's FSB and appears to be ongoing as the Russians hack Burisma to create dirt.)
These dots are no longer hard to connect.
27
The strategy of Pelosi in delaying the transmission of the articles is appearing to be an increasingly smart move.
While it gave time for the senate to stew in the issues of witnesses appearing and thus run the risk of looking complicit in Trump's crimes, it also allowed the other issues of the investigation to bear fruit such as Lev Parnas' recent disclosures.
Now we have the GAO declaring the actions of Trump unlawful and adding yet another embarrassing item to the list of Trumpian corruption.
Pelosi knew that more worms would crawl out of the rotting log that is this clown car of feckless corruption and that patience would be rewarded.
Now we have to see just how many GOP senators are stocking up on clothespins and blindfolds to ensure they get no whiff of the stench of their decomposing principles.
23
New evidence, but no normal legal procedures during the impeachment process in the House.
I get many people hate Trump, but making impeachment a "normal' procedure anytime we don't like a President is the death knell of this system. Watch out Dems, short term gratification, could upset an already fragile system. We know the Repubs going forward will now impeach at the drop of a hat.
It amazes me that liberals don't really like elections that don't go their way. Why not defeat Trump decisively in the election?
4
@Labienus
Dem or Republican - - it doesn't matter. If laws are broken, if politicians go rouge then this is part of the the instruments that are in place to address these. What you're saying is - - it's ok to enable, support and affirm criminal activity no matter what. Is that what you really want?
14
@Labienus
They did! But the Repubs love the Electoral College.
3
First, you complained that this wasn’t normal.
Then, you complained that this was becoming normal.
And then there was something about how democrats need to ignore what Trump does and just get elected.
One gets the feeling you’d say that if he abolished elections.
16
I don’t even know why we report this stuff anymore. Nothing matters. Nothing will happen. Lie, cheat, steal then deny it and hold the police (senate) hostage through threatening their power. Let’s just vote already and end this national nightmare.
15
if anyone doubted Nancy Pelosi's strategy of holding back the impeachment articles, think again! Every day the revelations get more and more damaging to Trump
11
The GAO declares trump's actions illegal and Ukraine finally launches an investigation....just not the one trump wanted.
Incredible. More incriminating evidence comes out on an almost daily basis and the GOP does more than just defend & justify trump's antics, they angrily and nastily attack his critics who are at least trying to do the right thing for the country.
There's a disease in politics (and likely not just in this country): A politician's ego convinces her/him that they can't do good things for their constituents if they don't get reelected. And they can't get reelected if they don't do some sordid, immoral, or dishonorable things. Rationalization at its best.
Leningrad Lindsey explained his pathetic, sycophantic defense of trump this way: "If you don't want to get reelected you're in the wrong business."
I'd rather lose an election but be able to look my friends & family in the eye and say "I did the righteous & honorable thing."
13
He lies every waking hour. He violates the law every week. Meet the leader of your Republican Party! If you're going to crown him, go ahead and crown him. Because once he's acquitted, he'll lie ever waking minute, violate the law every hour, and trample the rights of every individual and group who opposed him.
16
Nobody but Domocrats will care. We're already in the territory of two legal systems, one for Democrats and one for Republicans. This is something the nation can't survive. it means, autocracy and authoritarianism is now the controlling force.
13
I keep waiting for the rational part of Republican minds to kick in. No matter how much you agree with a man's politics and like him, if he is committing crimes he's a criminal. It's as simple as that.
8
@Art Likely Unfortunately you will be waiting a long time.
2
Notwithstanding the claim made by the OMB spokeswoman, the Impoundment Act (according to a publication from the Congressional Research Service) requires that the President submit a REQUEST to Congress to rescind a "specified budget authority." The request must be approved by Congress for the rescission to take place.
In the case of "deferrals" of funding:
[...] funds may only be deferred (1) to provide for contingencies, (2) to achieve savings made possible by changes in requirements or greater efficiency of operations, or (3) as specifically provided by law. Funds may also be deferred pending congressional action on a rescission request from the President, but must be released if that request is not approved. Funds may be deferred without prior approval of Congress. However, the President must inform Congress and the Comptroller General of all deferrals, including those initiated by legislative and judicial branch agencies.
Bottom line: Trump and his Administration broke the law, at his direction. The withholding of aid was illegal.
And why is it that Republican members of Congress don't care?
19
GAO has been consistent in the application of the anti-impoundment law. This is hardly a surprising ruling.
5
Though I do think Trump withheld aid for his own selfish purposes, and thus should be removed (but won't be), this law strikes me as almost obviously unconstitutional. The Constitution grants the President exclusive authority over foreign policy, and grants Congress exclusive authority over appropriations. Thus, if a President's foreign policy decision will require the use of federal funds, Congress must appropriate those funds. But the President is entirely free, if acting in the interests of Americans (which Trump didn't do here), to make a foreign policy decision that does not require funding. If that happens, the fact that Congress may have appropriated funds for an anticipated different foreign-policy decision is irrelevant.
To say that the President must use Congress-appropriated funds as Congress has dictated they be used is to substitute Congress for the President as the foreign-policy decision-maker. The Constitution is quite clear on that, and so this law must (and undoubtedly will) be held unconstitutional as it is sought to be applied here. This really isn't a close question.
@Commenter The only problem with your analysis is that the Constitution does not provide the President with the power to mold foreign policy to suit his private interests instead of the country's not matter how much he and his cronies lie about it.
3
@Cassiopeia I agree completely with you on this: " ... the Constitution does not provide the President with the power to mold foreign policy to suit his private interests instead of the country's ... "
If Trump withheld aid because he thought that was best for the US, no second-guessing of his decision would be appropriate -- even if he personally benefitted from that withholding of aid. But he's not permitted to make foreign-policy decisions for personal reasons. That's what he did here, and he should be removed for it.
My comment was narrower: simply to make the point that the President is NOT required to spend money just because Congress has appropriated it. If he wants to spend money, Congress must appropriate it -- I acknowledge that. But if he makes some foreign-policy decision that doesn't use US funds, he's free to ignore Congress' "mandate" that he spend money that Congress has appropriated. To conclude otherwise would give Congress power over foreign relations, and the Constitution grants that power to the executive branch.
I hoped this was clear, but maybe it wasn't.
When the GAO declared that the President broke the law by withholding funds for “a policy reason”, do they need to know the actual reason, or, just any old reason will do and they don’t actually bother with what that reason was?
What was the reason then? Why were the funds withheld?
If no reason given, what evidence did GAO evaluate that indicates that holding back the money had anything to do with policy?
1
This is the same GAO that failed to enforce the law prohibiting Trump from leasing federal property for his international hotel. I guess this gives us a sense of where the bar of accountability really is.
Trump will ignore it, of course.
7
This cycle through the high-altitude impeachment climbing expedition contrasts quite a bit with the Nixon experience. In that case, a number of key players unroped themselves from the administration in order to reduce the danger to themselves and their careers. They resigned rather than buy in to the cover-up. In this case though, Republican Senators have all bound themselves to the Great Leader Trump. So when he goes down, as it seems ever the more likely day by day he surely must, the huge momentum of his uncoordinated fall is going to drag them all down the steep mountainside to ruin with him.
In some sense though, this risking by Republicans of their majoritarian Senate incumbency by subjecting it to the fate of the mercurial Trump makes sense. Losing public support broadly on all policy fronts, and having crossed the rubicons of gerrymandering, court packing and abuse (via McConnell) of many of the historic norms of U.S. government, they have lost most of their maneuvering options.
With Trump's failed attempt to start a war with Iran in abeyance, the only tool remaining is to somehow create a large scale social disruption requiring the U.S. military to step in and suspend the Constitution. Believe me, Trump's working on it. That's where we're at.
The good news is that Trump supporters are mostly decent people and respecting of U.S. democratic traditions. And the Trump radicals have no support at all. When Trump falls, they will collapse with him.
3
Just like Trump said when he was questioned about bombing cultural sites in Iran, "I like to obey the law".
Why are people always assuming the worst about our President. After all, he is President of the greatest nation on Earth so I don't think we should make negative assumptions.
1
@RS The incongruity of Trump's comment, amidst his actions, is lost upon you.
6
This is the at the point which Republican leadership (an oxymoron) convinced Nixon to resign, rather than be impeached. Trump is already impeached, and is now alleged to have committed a crime. Far worse than Nixon. The citizens need to hear testimony about the president’s criminal activity . The eyewitnesses have yet to speak publicly. We demand to hear their testimony.
9
GAO is correct. If it were otherwise, the president could just refuse to spend money on anything he didn’t like. The oath of office is to “faithfully exercise the law.” That means when money is appropriated, the president must carry out the expenditure of those funds to advance the purposes for which they were appropriated. This is eighth grade civics level stuff.
4
Republicans and supporters of Trump keep using the economy as a defense in almost any situation. Basically, they are saying that even if Trump committed a crime, it is OK. because he has brought up the economy. There is one thing to remember, this economy is fed by an enormous fiscal deficit.
The question should be, at what point must Mr. Trump be stopped in his liying and deficit spending.
I believe Mr. Trump needs to be tried in the Senate now and removed from the Presidency, before he causes more damage around the world.
The U.S. does not need a King as some Trump supporters seem to think.
There's plenty of smart people in this country, other than Trump.
6
The White House Budget Office / O.M.B. Is not legally qualified or relevant in this matter. The G.A.O. is. And the Administration broke the law.
10
Too bad the Democrats and their team of Ivy League Constitutional Law Scholars didn't think to put this "bombshell" "without a doubt" high crime in the articles of impeachment.
3
@Johnston The articles of impeachment are general. They don't specifically list every conceivable special case.
7
@Johnston Did you know what the articles of impeachment are? The illegality of withholding the funds IS part of the first article of impeachment.
7
@Johnston
It was issued January 16. Today. How would you propose putting the decision in the Articles a month in the past ?
5
Our President is a criminal and the Senate will soon have to decide, once and for all, whether they will be his co-conspirators. History will not be kind to our current Vichy collaborators.
17
Im concerned that the White House is being sullied by all the soot coming from the gaslighting there...nasty stuff to clean...
7
How many times do you need to be told?
Donald Trump is a terrible president. Vote and vote Democrat.
16
If there’s no repercussions, who cares?
2
@Grove History. Of course if there are no repercussions there may be no history (of either the democracy or the planet).
3
@Grove PRECISELY. Half of our government has decided to suspend our legal system. Trump has nothing to worry about.
2
In this very paper, one story over, you'll see Trump finally got his wish to fight corruption. Ukraine just opened an investigation into the nefarious surveillance of Marie Yovanovitch.
17
Blackmailing the Ukraine is against the law? I'm shocked!
1
Of course this president rejects the GAO conclusion; just as he and his administration of crooks reject laws they don't agree with and court rulings they find inconvenient.
This nation is neck-deep (and drowning) in perilous water with a president and entire administration unbeholden to anything except their own desires.
Every American who really cares about this nation needs to insure they are registered or re-registered to vote...then vote as if your life depends on it; it does.
11
How is his possible that this incompetent can do whatever he wants with no consequences? Can u imagine if any democratic president would do this? It is worse than Putin who at least does not pretend that Russia is a democracy.
10
Oh my goodness gracious sakes alive! The Department of Justice should do something about that!
/s
5
@Xylotops We still have a Department of Justice?
6
Aw, come on you guys! This isn't a "real" law! This is one of those laws you can break any time you want to, if it is to your benefit. Everyone knows that only the laws that affect the peons are real laws; those are the ones where you go to a federal penitentiary for most of your life. This law? It's just a suggestion, really. Something only dumb people obey, like the tax code or the prohibitions on paying off porn stars for their silence. Everyone knows that!
14
I have voted every November since 2015 when I became 18. Despite the GOP's behavior, I have always gave it the benefit of the doubt until 2017. If this trial is indeed a sham kangaroo court by Senate Republicans, I vow to never vote for a Republican ever again until the day I die.
20
My first vote was for Carter and I vote religiously. Not once have I pulled the R lever. The republicans have been criminals since Nixon.
2
I always believed that breaking the law actually meant something with big time ramifications. How foolish of me.
9
@Tim McCracken
Only if you are one of the "little people" (meaning those of us not rich). Sad state of affairs.
2
Americans are about to see if Republicans have any respect for the Constitution and law and order.
Or if they have all been corrupted by a criminal President.
10
“And it doesn’t matter.”
Now I’m looking at Putin’s recent sweep of his governmental officials and just wondering if himself might not get one of his flash impulses and emulate his best bud. Just the House of course, and that mouthy GOP senator who said it was a lousy briefing.
1
Trump, "I want that report to be de-ported."
1
The GAO is an arm of Congress (that just impeached Trump) and is headed by an Obama appointee.
Media-Democrats need to come up with better “bombshells!”
4
Per Wikipedia he was initially made COO of the GAO in October 2000 under George W. Bush.
9
@JQGALT . When the law and the evidence aren't helpful to your case, just shoot the messenger! There -- problem solved.
8
@JQGALT
Ruditys
Remember the words of the statute: Whoever, being a public official, directly or indirectly, corruptly demands anything of value personally in return for being influenced in the performance of any official act has engaged in the crime of bribery.
6
I know that ignorance of the law is no excuse. What about just being ignorant?
5
So what! Ya let's drag this through the courts for two years until it doesn't matter anymore. Just another case of how our separation of powers is mute.
If Senate Republicans engage in a cover up of this illegal activity, can we impeach the whole lot of them??
9
@JS
Who would do the actual enforcement? William Barr?
Yeah, thought not.
When Pres. Trump called for the investigation of Biden, he was calling on Zelenshy to address the millions of dollars gone missing in U.S. aid...a programmatic delay in Ukrainian aid.
1
The OMB statement that it works to assure consistency "with the president's priorities and with the law" is the very definition of fascism. It puts the president before the law. In Anglo-American democracy the law comes before any man's priorities. Lord Justice Coke (pronounced cook) is said to have told King James I that he was "non sub homine sed sub deo et lege" -- not under [any] man, but under God and the law. [The First Amendment eliminates the priority of ecclesiastical law.]
2
You "need my voice"? Nice try. But here it is anyway:
Are there any Republican Senators NOW willing to take at least a gander at what is clearly a criminal act -- brazenly and recklessly committed by our so-called Commander-in-Chief?
And another thing: why does the Times "tease" us anti-Trumpists with these headlines that, "upon further reading," go absolutely nowhere?
What a country we live in. What recklessness and absurdity we "adults" are -- minute by minute by minute -- leaving behind for unwitting youth.
I don't know anymore what's worse -- climate change (streaking across the globe, unchecked by any moral consensus or concertedness on the part of our world's leaders, or the moral miasma Trump and his Republican sycophants are forcing us -- chortling all the while -- to try to breathe through?
It's disgusting across the board.
6
Doesn’t matter. In the immortal words of an SNL parody, that wasn’t much of a parody — “You mean nothing matters anymore?”
Nope.
3
How can anyone defend this administration with a straight face?
5
This is more about Biden and the Billion he said ON Video of how you will NOT get you Billion dollars if you Do NOT Fire the investigator that is looking into the company my son sits on the board of getting over 50 k a month!
@There for the grace of A.I. goes I: That doesn't matter. The two cases aren't the same. What Biden did was legal and ethical. There's more on that, too. Check it out.
10
Here’s the [unnecessary] violation of law Republicans said is missing.
3
None of this matters. The House impeached based on the evidence in the articles, that's it. You just keep rolling and rolling. The democrats back up what they presented in December or not.
1
And I’m still waiting for Mexico to fund the wall
10
@Le Beau
Hang in there, buddy!
“For without our dreams, we are nothing at all.”
— Blanche DuBois(?)
1
Well, if this Administration is allowed at will to side step Congress- which is after all the First Branch of our government as described in our Constitution-why not then simply be done with it and finish the process, and let Trump Inc crown himself King, Emperor or Big Kahuna for Life?
And perhaps an even more timely question : Where does the Supreme Court come down on all this kerfulla-Will Silent John Roberts finally speak-up when overseeing the Impeachment Trial (and does he care if he finds himself presiding over the destruction of our Republic)?
1
But FoxNews says this is the only impeachment that the President didn’t break any laws...
I wonder what they’ll say now?!?
4
@JB . they will stick to the script.
Trump's long history of illegal and illicit activities has yet another chapter. His supporters bizarrely ignoring his lying, cheating, and illegalities as though they had no relevance. Cognitive dissonance is a virtue it would seem in the world of Trump.
5
Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney maintained from the beginning that the administration had until the end of September to release the funds. They were released before that deadline.
Nothing to see here, folks. Move along!
If I were Trump, I'd eliminate the GAO and the other two branches of power. Of course, I'm not Trump and as a patriotic American, would sacrifice my life to prevent him from doing so. His base would be pretty excited, however.
3
It's getting to the point where *every* Republican needs to be impeached and sent to prison. Isn't aiding and abetting a criminal a criminal act as well?
7
I'm not sure I can read that as the GAO being non-partisan.
The IRS is also considered non-partisan.
The FBI is also considered non-partisan.
Please omit "non-partisan" form your reporting of these agencies because we have definitely seen behavior that contradicts that appellation.
@Margo
GAO and the Comptroller General of the U.S. are about as non-partisan as it gets in government. In my job, I have been following GAO very closely for a bit more than a dozen years now and I consider it to be the gold standard for a non-partisan government watchdog agency.
The facts may be, ahem, inconvenient for Trump, but they are incontrovertible.
8
Things are changing rapidly.
Lev Parnas told Anderson Cooper in plain (and eloquent) English that Trump knew about the whole thing and that multiple promises were made not only to Zelenskiy but to the former President of Ukraine if they would support Trump personally (not as a matter of US policy) to “announce” an investigation of the Bidens. Corrupt as the devil.
Ambassador Yovanovitch was probably being followed and at risk of harm, for the right price. Surely treasonous.
Now the GAO says that Trumps withholding of Congressionally approved aid to Ukraine was illegal. No more “it was undesirable but not impeachable.”
Would newspapers including the NYT stop saying that Trump’s acquittal is assured.
I’m feeling more optimistic about a conviction. Maybe they get Pence too and Nancy Pelosi becomes the first woman president of the United States!
And how about Barack Obama on the Supreme Court?
Dream big. The tides are turning.
11
@Alice In Wonderland
It won't matter. None of it matters. Everyone on the planet could agree that Trump has to be removed, and the GOP Senate will still protect him.
It's up to the rest of the world to decide just how much we want to trust the USA after this, because it's starting to look lie the USA is going down the same road as Russia.
If they don't get Trump out, he is going to make major moves toward dictatorship. He watches and seeks to emulate everything Putin does
5
Everyone is saying they're not surprised that Trump lied and that he broke the law. The man is corrupt, amoral and ignorant, and he's lived his entire life this way. The thing that bothers me most about all of this is recognizing that the politicians in the Republican party and publicly known people who Trump picked on a rotating, non-permanent basis to be part of his administration were so corrupt and easily manipulated as well. Were these people, including an entire political party, just waiting for a dictator-type president to get a stranglehold over them and lead them to some kind of totalitarian victory?
6
There is no end to the level of criminality exhibited by this woefully inadequate president. If Trump had even an iota of patriotism he would resign today — along with Pence and the entire cabinet — sparing the country the expense of an impeachment trial. But Trump is so mentally deranged, so steeped in narcissism, so boorish and so arrogant, the thought of saving America the agony of impeachment never crossed his substandard mind. He should be doing hard labor somewhere. America is a shell of itself under his regime. Godspeed to the Democrats in their impeachment effort. We sorely need this now.
5
Headline:
Watchdog Says Trump Administration Broke Law in Withholding Ukraine Aid.
Corrupt, Wannabe King, Impeached Trump's standard response:
“We disagree with G.A.O.’s opinion,” said Rachel Semmel, a spokeswoman for the budget office. “O.M.B. uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the president’s priorities and with the law.”
Are the likes of Semmel so desperate for a job, they sell their soul and country for an inept man/child like Trump?
4
A GAO opinion timed to be released when the impeachment news will get it press. The money was released by the deadline established by Congress so another egg laid.
1
The Trump Administration did give the money to Ukraine and nothing came of the request to Ukraine to investigate. A 30 day to one year delay and interacting with the beneficiary country is pretty standard stuff in government. A review would find 1,000's of such instances over the last 50 years. This microscopic review is all nonsense.
1
So What? We repubs don't care what he does as long as he can get our voters out.
So what?
The GAO report is but one more brick in the wall that will hold the statue that commemorates the fall of the United States.
The Senate has the opportunity to correct the direction of the ship of state but will fail to do so because of the GOP putting party above country and each individual GOP senator fears losing their seat. The malignant personality that is currently holding the Office of the President of the United States (in contempt) will continue to denigrate and degrade our agencies, institutions, laws, and our Government's standing at home and abroad. Enough people, those who have been given the least opportunity, will allow the re-election of such a hideous executive. And the fall of the United States will accelerate.
Hey voter! It really is up to you. You have to remove this man from office! You have to remove that support him from office! Support your local non-Trump candidates. Vote!
5
This is the problem with having laws with no consequences.
Republicans have no fear of breaking laws.
If you have no ethics, you win.
Nothing ever happens.
This is why we are where we are.
Trump has bragged that he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue, and nothing would happen.
His lawyers have actually made a point of it.
2
Of course they did. Congress controls the purse. That’s it.
2
So, the criminal disagrees with the oversight authority's opinion that what he did was a crime. Since just about every person ever in prison can give you a dozen arguments about why they are innocent, I can't see how the perpetrator's opinion should carry much weight. Ignorance by a president of how our government is designed to work is not an excuse for his blatant illegal actions.
2
The trump administration lied. I'm devastated. Is there nothing left to believe in anymore?
2
Uh, while I agree that he broke the law, Republicans and certainly Trump supporters think he is ABOVE the law. So it becomes a moot point. Does anyone actually think the GOP is going to give this trial the full attention it needs? Get real. You could come up with verifiable video of him shooting someone on Main st. USA and they will still say he is allowed. Personally I think the man needs not only to be removed from office but he needs to answer for the crimes he has done and put him behind bars.
2
I think we have found our new axis of evil- and it is busy here- at home.
6
"“O.M.B. uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the president’s priorities..."
This, to me, is the really terrifying, and maddening, aspect of Trump's Presidency: he and the Republicans hold him to be above the law. In essence, he is a dictator, deciding which laws he'll obey (for now), and which he deems optional or not applicable to him. That the Republicans in Congress (and his supporters) support this claim breaks every oath they've sworn, and makes impotent the Separation of Powers installed by our Founders to ensure against tyranny.
I know that it's beyond even the remotest hope, but I fervently pray that at least a handful of Republicans finally stand up for America and the Constitution, and rein this tyrant in before irreversible damage is done to our nation and the world.
3
There is little hope that Trump will suffer any consequences from breaking this law, or any other law he chooses to break in the future.
I can't understand what has come over US, to allow Trump to continue in office. Trump's supporters scare me far more than Trump himself.
9
Trump could care less about the law or the constitution, but this can't hurt. Democrats can now point out that what he did is illegal.
The key is not to got caught up in the details, but to just continue to pound illegal, illegal, illegal. Sadly, the Republicans are much better at this sort of thing than we are.
2
Would this GAO decision also apply to appropriated money Trump has withheld (and continues withholding) from Puerto Rico after two hurricanes devastated the island?
6
@Sharon Givens And now an earthquake.
1
I often wonder what has made the Republican congress continue to support this lying president in light of behavior that is so inappropriate and illegal. How is Trump able to maintain the subservience of a body that is supposed to balance power, an essential cornerstone of Democracy? What explains this- money, power?Whatever it is, it has replaced their oath of office, their love of Country and the Constitution, morals and ethics. I will never understand.
3
The senate republicans couldn't care less. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how they contort themselves yet again in coming up with a tortured explanation as to why the GAO's opinion is incorrect, doesn't matter and, finally, so what?
That seems to be the general trend in regards to their responses to his criminal behavior(s).
1
It's only a matter of time between Trump tweets, “It doesn't really matter" because he will say they Ukraine eventually received the military aid.
For crying out loud, being the President of the US is NOT even on a par with being "The Apprentice."
The point wasn't ever that Ukraine eventually received the aid, but the the president cannot arbitrarily barked out an order to hold up something like military aid after it was approved by Congress.
The Republicans keep looking for grey areas but in reality, what the president said and did are very black and white. He flatly violated the law in "withholding security assistance aid to Ukraine." Period.
5
Just what do the Republicans think the end game is? Announcing on Fox that it was all in good fun, just a joke, and then we can go back to regular governance? Some wizard magic? These are not the droids you're looking for... I fail to see how even squatters such as the Republican leadership can cover up things like blatantly illegal actions, internally (GAO charge) or externally (threats against the Ukraine ambassador). There's not a rug among them big enough.
2
@Chip The end state for Republicans is a permanent, Republican, ruling class, and a dictatorship run for the benefit of wealthy, white men and a theocracy that controls the masses. The end state for Trump is to make his family as wealthy and powerful as possible.
Of course the administration is dumbfounded as to how the unelected swamp of dark state liberals over at the GAO could make this finding when The President himself has made it very clear: He has done, as always, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong!
The decision's only importance is to help pave over the liberal angst of his assassination of a general of a sovereign (though largely evil) government making headlines only a week ago. Any hope this will be considered or even allowed as evidence in the upcoming Senate trial is futile.
It is only words and words will never hurt him. For that matter, as long as the Senate is in Mitch McConnell's hands, neither will sticks, stones or indictments. This president makes his own reality, just like The Apprentice. Logic, common sense, and most importantly, Truth have all been fired. As that great American, Mick Mulvaney said, "Get over it!".
2
With Lev Parnas's information coming out this week on top of this GAO report, and with potential Bolton testimony on top of all the other testimony already collected by the House of Representatives, if we don't end up with President Pence by the end of February, Moscow Mitch and the rest of his GOP cronies in the Senate might as well walk over to the National Archives building and physically shred the Constitution - because they will have done so for all practical purposes.
1
There are several so called non partisan watch dogs who can throw a bone to partisan bickering. The senate trial conducted by chief justice of the US supreme court will be the only credible legal bipartisan exercise that can make a sweeping statement about the Trump administration and its handling of Ukraine Aide. To those who want to attack democracy by undoing the fair and square 2016 presidential elections on a flimsy excuse, don't go crying to mommy Pelosi or silly watch dogs, trust the senate trial to be fair and constitutional. Schiff and Nadler sham circus is over and they can now defend their accusations and for once try to prove the high crimes that they allege.
2
@Girish Kotwal
For those who hope that Kentuckians will vote out Moscow Mitch please bask in the alternate reality of Kotwal in Louisville, KY and come to grips with the futility of that scenario.
If they are still are claiming "undoing an election" or speaking of "silly watchdogs" you know that reality or any sense of the republic are not present there.
6
The Office of Management and Budget that withheld the money disagrees with the GAO opinion so we have two opinions. The Senate will be acquitting President Trump and he will be elected to a second term. BTW--stock market at a new high this morning. 50 year low in unemployment--especially among minorities. Vote for America--Vote Republican.
1
@Jonathan
BTW - if all you count is money, then you don't count at all. VOTE BLUE 2020 & Always (For Sanity)
2
Trump believes he is King. He feels whatever he wants to do, he should be able to do it. And the Republican Party enables his moronic behavior by standing by quietly as he dismantles our country.
Trump attaches "executive privilege" to everything he wants locked up and out of sight, for fear it will be used against him. Which it would be, because he abuses his Presidential power every single day.
Now Trump is fighting to keep the cost of his golfing expeditions (which he spends most his time golfing verses working) and the cost for security for his massive family hidden from taxpayers. He will not allow the dollar amount released to the public. Trump complained how much money Obama spent for golf and security, yet Obama was always transparent on what was spent, while Trump is fighting to keep his report hidden. How much has Trump spent?
The Senate's job is to be impartial in the impeachment hearing. Since McConnell and Graham have stated on numerous occasions they are not impartial and will vote to exonerate the President, regardless of the facts, they should not be allowed to participate in the impeachment trial.
Americans have the power. We need to be more vocal and demanding with our paid for politician. We need to demand that Trump is held accountable. The Senate needs to be held accountable as well. America is watching.
2
As a former high school math teacher, I remember a few occasions when a student whose efforts had yielded an incorrect solution to a problem, would react to the correct solution presented on the blackboard, with this interesting statement.
“Sir, that is only your opinion!”
Explaining to my class that “opinion” matters not at all in the study of Plane Geometry, was always a key component to the teaching of that course.
I mention this as, for the past three years, we have been citizens of a nation whose chief executive appears to believe that obeying the law is optional, a matter of opinion.
“‘We disagree with G.A.O.’s opinion,’ said Rachel Semmel, a spokeswoman for the budget office.”
Rachel! The Government Accountability Office isn’t offering you an opinion. They are clearly stating a pertinent legal statute, not “an opinion.”
Mr. Trump! Congressional subpoenas aren’t optional. Opinion doesn’t determine whether you comply or not, whether your subordinates comply or not. That’s not how government/law works.
Did you folks go to high school? Laws aren’t overruled by opinions!
11
This was not a procedural error or other misunderstanding but a willful violation of the law. My guess is Trump simply ignored legal advice and did what he wanted, same as he has always done.
One big problem with Trump is that, despite having been named in some 3500 lawsuits, the legal system has never in all that time given him what he's had coming to him. He's always found a way around; this time he figures will be no different, and somehow he's probably right.
3
Broke the law. How quaint. Where this country is headed, laws are mere suggestions only to be enforced against ‘enemies of the people.’ Democracy out.
1
The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office has declared the President’s actions vis-a-vis the Ukraine a violation of federal law; Trump has never explicitly denied engaging in the alleged acts; and yet the entire Senate trial is going to be a poorly-acted charade that will “find” Trump innocent of the alleged charges. This is not how democracy is supposed to work!
3
Republican Senators at Impeachment Trial: 'Trump did illegal stuff but we are a few months away from Nov 2020 so let's just let the people decide'. Senators, that's the easy way out of doing your duty. Allowing illegal behavior to go unpunished will set America to be a zero integrity country. Regardless of Nov, 2020 outcome.
2
I want to state out front that my understanding of the law in this regard is quite low, however, I wonder this.
Why doesn’t the House initiate a new inquiry and begin new articles of impeachment based on these bombshell reports and legal findings of Trump wrongdoing?
1
In the Trump Administration, are we a nation of laws that apply to everyone regardless of status in life, or we no longer a nation of laws but the rule of Republican men?
“Faithful execution of the law does not permit the president to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law,” the G.A.O. wrote. “The withholding was not a programmatic delay.”
“We disagree with G.A.O.’s opinion,” said Rachel Semmel, a spokeswoman for the budget office. “O.M.B. uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the president’s priorities and with the law.”
So to the GAO, a law was broken by President Trump, but to Ms. Semmel, a law is merely an opinion.
Are laws against murder merely opinions?
Trump: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters,”
The Guardian: "One of Donald Trump’s personal lawyers has argued to judges that the president cannot be investigated by local authorities while he is in office, even if he murdered someone on Fifth Avenue"
I don't think Donald Trump, William Barr, and Mitch McConnell's Republican Party is going to argue this when our next president is a Democrat.
And that's our not-so-little legal problem in this country. This will be the fundamental question we are answering when we go to the polls in 2020 and vote for the President, House, and Senate candidates. Think about it.
1
Trump and the Senate should learn a thing or two from the Government Accountability Office about "accountability."
4
“O.M.B. uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the president’s priorities and with the law.”
Well crafted legal gibberish there. The money was apportioned by Congress not the president. The president has no say in its disbursement.
4
The president's ordering the withholding of documents and testimony to the House should be a new article of impeachment.
He violated the Constitutional separation of powers, and the House's sole authority to impeach. This is separate and apart from the charge of obstruction of Congress.
Saying the articles of impeachment are incomplete, and therefore cannot be tried by the Senate would be an example of the absurd proverbial case of murdering one's parents and begging the court's leniency as an orphan.
1
Why, why is the entire country beholden to an OLC memo from 1973?
Nowhere, nowhere in the Constitution does it say that a sitting president cannot be indicted. The only place that a person will find such an argument is a memo, a memo, it’s not even law, written by Nixon loyalists who were trying to protect a man so corrupt he had to resign before he could be impeached.
And this is what we as a society are allowing to protect Trump from indictment? If one man is allowed to break the law at will with no fear of consequence, then the law is itself meaningless. It means we do not live in a society of laws. It means we live in a dictatorship.
2
“We disagree with G.A.O.’s opinion,” said Rachel Semmel, a spokeswoman for the budget office. “O.M.B. uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the president’s priorities and with the law.”
And there you have it. The Republicans are so partisan and beyond the rule of law at this point that I honestly don't think this will change anything in the Senate. When they went all in with Trump, they went all in. Unfortunately, we don't have enough checks and balances to sort this out. For the GOP, as with Trump's mind, reality is perspective, and perspective is tied to a game about "winning". Facts, truth, and law mean nothing.
5
It's satisfying to see watchdog groups assert this (fairly obvious) fact. It would be even more satisfying to see our government step up and enforce the law in a timely, rational manner.
4
The president took an oath, presumably on a Bible, to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." He has violated that oath and his conduct signals his rebellion against the very document he had sworn to protect.
4
No doubt the opinion is correct, but why didn't Democratic House members raise this Act during their hearings. Surely such a law would have been immediately reviewed at the outset.
If I as a regular citizen break the law, then there are consequences for me.
If Trump as our president, who should be a shining beacon of morality, breaks the law, then what happens? The Senate needs to prove to us that there are consequences for him, and that he is not above the law as he seems to think.
4
Finally! The GAO finally stepped in here with the facts... and while the issue here may seem fairly benign to the general public, one of the fundamental mechanisms in our government is Congress's power of the purse. It is a serious issue that may not be sexy, but is critical for a functional government and the necessary separation of powers.
2
Despite all the evidence, Trump sycophants in the Senate will likely not convict Trump on the existing impeachment charges so the House should immediately start hearings on the other impeachable offences.
The Muller report identified numerous cases of Presidential abuse of power and abuse of Congress. The President added to them by refusing to provide documents to the House and forbidding government employees from testifying.
Trump also violated the law in proclaiming emergencies to override Congressional appropriations when reallocating funds for the Wall and ignore Congressional mandates about not providing arms for use in the Syrian war.
In the new impeachment hearings, the House should force government employees to testify and the administration to turn over documents, pressing the issue in court if Trump continues to abuse his power by withholding documents and government employee testimony.
In addition to impeachment hearings, the House should move forward on more hearings to reveal the other pernicious policies of the Trump reign - hearings on:
- Climate change in general, taking the country out of the Paris agreement, and silencing government scientists on the subject
- The changes to many environmental regulations that not only contribute to climate change but thousands of American deaths and health problems
- Presidential spending on travel
- How Trump benefit personally from his huge tax cut
1
But in the end, it really doesn't matter; does it?
The Senate will bury this impeachment effort very quickly with the Republicans simply scrambling to turn it into just another partisan food fight.
Look, the Republicans are stuck with Donald Trump. They have to support him as they have no alternative. Tearing up the law and the Constitution are a small price for them to pay in order to retain their hold on power so that they can further advance the right wing cause.
@George
Be that as it may, Senate Republicans up for reelection this November will have to balance protecting Trump against protecting themselves. Ultimately, the desire of a few politicians for self-preservation may save the Constitution by allowing damning testimony from witnesses. We can still hope, anyways....
3
Democracy is vulnerable to manipulation and demagoguery. In our binary system of political parties, when one party abrogates its responsibility to the Constitution, you will end up with a king for a president and all institutions which safeguard democracy become the tools to destroy it. Republicans will have to choose between party or country.
4
RE: “...to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the president’s priorities and with the law.”
To me that sounds like a admission that in fact the President substituted his own priorities over “that Congress has enacted into law,”
Since Congress represents the people the President substitutes his priorities over those of the people.
Now the GAO will be on his list of targets and he will move to eliminate it.
But since Trump can do no wrong, even when he admits to it, (Do us a favor, though), among the faithful it doesn't matter.
1
Donald Trump has finally gotten what he has been searching for for so many years, infamy, he has never won an Emmy, a
Golden Globe, an Oscar, a Nobel Prize, however, he now has what can never be sold no matter how desperate he is to hide it away and that is Total Impeachment even if the Senate does not follow thru on their oath to protect and defend the Constitution and Republic of the United States, even in light of the newfound testimony and documents and of course the findings of unlawful withholding of funds granted by the Congress. for now until he is out of Government we can say some form of Justice did apply to him and watch the next step take place in the State of New York when he no longer can hide under the pretense of being a Good President, where his enablers can no longer protect him and where his attorney general will have no power. Until that day comes today's small victory must be relished and the hope that a brighter future lies for not only all Americans but for the World,
1
In Russia, Putin is reorganizing his government to create a position of unlimited power for himself. Essentially, he wants to become a Tsar. Here in America, Trump wants to become a king. His strategy is different from Putin's. He merely declares that he is above the law.
4
The GOP does not care that he breaks the law and the accepted norms on a daily basis. They really don’t care as long as we keep on a trajectory to an Authoritarian regime.
1
How convenient. Now we have rolling impeachment with new charges being added everyday. The Senate should have dismissed the articles of impeachment until the House could certify that they are complete. There are always new developments, but, if the House has made its case, it must proceed on the evidence that is already in place. Otherwise, nothing will ever be settled, and the stability of the nation and its institutions will be undermined.
5
@Edward
The House made its impeachment decision on the evidence available at the time of its vote. Although it is an inexact comparison, limiting the Senate trial to evidence that was used by the House is akin to limiting a prosecutor solely to evidence used by a grand jury to indict because impeachment in the House is similar to a grand jury indictment and the prosecution before the Senate is the actual trial.
The trial in the Senate has not begun and both sides are allowed to incorporate any new evidence - and should be allowed to call new witnesses - to make their case. There is absolutely no reason (logical, legal, constitutional or otherwise) why the trial in the Senate would be - or should be - limited to evidence used to impeach in the House.
35
@Edward This sounds to me like an excuse for limiting or withholding evidence. If that's the strategy Republicans need to win, truth is taking a back seat to playing the system.
6
@Edward
Congress has never moved on an impeachment with the assumption that the House was solely responsible for investigating the issue. The House decides if there is fire behind all that smoke. It is the Senate's job to determine if that fire was arson.
This is why, after more than a century of impeachment trials in the Senate, it is laughable that the GOP has suddenly decided that it is sensible that they should not investigate or hear witnesses.
6
Honestly, now the Republicans will say the GAO report is an opinion and they disagree.
Who would a reasonable person trust, the GAO or the Trump administration?
167
@SAS The report is a deep state plot. The Dems made them lie. Pelosi is everywhere. They don't like our Dear fearless leader.
1
When, oh when, will the Rs see the light? The evidence becomes more and more definitive every day. If the Rs refuse to consider ALL the evidence, then they are betraying theit oaths and violating the Constitution.
Just who do they think they are? Do they think their party is more important than their OATHS of office and impeachment?
The American people disagree and will demonstrate their displeasure at the ballot box if they refuse to do their jobs with at least a modicum of honor.
67
@Shayladane They won't see the light because they have consciously chosen to close their eyes.
3
Forget about Trump and his supporters vs. Democrats axis for a second. Who is actually defending the constitution? Or who is attacking it? I firmly believe it is Trump at this point. Not only that but he is actually undermining it.
42
@Okan The Constitution is like the bible you read it anyway you want. Trump is showing us how non consequential it can be in the wrong hands. Kind of like when Tammy Faye used the bible to get very rich.
1
If the law still matters, this is a really BIG deal. But we can expect the sham "trial" in the Senate to demonstrate that the rule of law no longer matters in this country.
43
Don't give up just yet.
The Republican Party, the Republican Party we used to know may wake up and do what is right and just, which of course is convict Trump.
4
One need to be really truth-blind to think that Trump is remotely interested to investigate and stop corruption in Ukraine.
It seems that time has come to thank the Republican Party for its unflinching support for a person like Trump. It's they who actually saved our national representative, that too as high as an Ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch, from having the same fate of that top Iranian general, Qassim Suleimani. Not sure how many more US diplomats and other national representatives, whom current ruling party boss do not like even for false reasons or for personal/political reasons, are facing the same vigilance with potential physical threat abroad with some knowledge, if not direct support, of Trump Administration!
Not sure if the Republican Senators would have any interest to hear any new or old proof (that White House effectively prevented from testifying in the Congress), to come forward in this ongoing Senate impeachment trial of President Trump.
7
One by one, all their defenses are falling apart. The latest argument being "we can't impeach him because no law was broken" - now proven false, even if law breaking is not required for impeachment.
36
If the Senate votes to keep Trump in office, they will live to regret it, much sooner than any of them think.
48
Of course the first people to tell Trump were his own advisors.
He did not care. He is above the law.
17
Not only illegal, but it wasn’t done by Trump for a “policy reason” on behalf of our country - it was for a corrupt reason, the personal benefit from extorting a foreign leader to smear his political rival.
But even this won’t change an outcome preordained by a Republican Party that has abandoned democracy and decided they don’t care how many crimes this President commits or how often he lies about them. When the head juror, McConnell, is openly collaborating with the defendant on how to acquit him, you have a pretty good idea of how this is going to go.
The only way to restore the rule of law is to elect Democrats in November.
57
The only way this doesn't hurt Republican Senators for decades, is if they meet with Trump and tell him that it is time for him to resign.
If they run a fair trial, they loose because the criminal evidence is obvious and overwhelming.
If they cover it up, they loose because they are acting like immoral crooks.
Either way, voters from both parties will remember.
46
This doesn’t just point to POTUS, McConnell and Republicans’ egregiousness, rather 63 million egging them on. What to even think about that!
31
When this story first broke, it was reported that Mulvaney was told to withhold the money and to tell Congress only that inter-agency processing caused the delay, and nothing more.
In effect, the White House was deceiving Congress to carry out the president's personal agenda.
The real question is why Pence, Pompeo, Mulvaney, Perry, Barr, Nunes, Giuliani, Ron Johnson, WH lawyers and other top officials didn't ring the tocsin. Were they "all in the loop?"
60
@Occupy Government
Politics is the art of deception. They are not magicians, but illusionists. Enjoy the show if you must, but I have seen this act too many times before.
1
@Occupy Government - Absolutely, they are in the loop and their pockets are getting filled by the minute
2
@Occupy Government
Good point. Trump's willing henchmen, one and all.
3
Will any ruling or recent emails and testimonies (Lev Parnas) have any influence on the GOP Senators? McConnell is doing all he can to shield the cowards' deliberations from the public eye with a closed door senate trial. I just hope public opinion will rise to a level that will force them out of their caves and into the sunlight. On the upside, it may result in them loosing their majority in the Senate, if they refuse to call witnesses.
19
Love the timing of this finding by GAO. OK, Republican Senators - what's your next unsupportable argument going to be??
26
@Joyce
My guess the argument will amount to one word: "So?"
The President can’t determine who and when countries receive foreign aid? Congress determines foreign policy and faid? Where in the Constitution does it say that?
4
@Shamrock Look up "Impoundment Control Act of 1974." Congress appropriates aid, the president signs off on it. Then it has to be disbursed within a particular timeframe. Ukraine had already met the US government's benchmarks for dealing with corruption.
4
@Shamrock
Article 1, section 7, clause 1 and article 1, section 9, clause 7. Congress has the power of the purse. If they a lot money for a specific purpose, the President does not have the power to nullify their control of the budget by ignoring their allocation.
6
@Shamrock Yes, that is exactly what the Constitution says. The Congress writes the law, the President executes the law.
From the article, "Faithful execution of the law does not permit the president to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law."
6
There you have it. He broke the law, just like his advisers advised.
Get. Him. Out. Of. Office.
56
Please remind me again how many of Nixon's "henchmen" went to jail following Watergate; 35? 40? More?
26
It should be no surprise that the president broke the law and did it with impunity knowing full well congress would do nothing to hold him accountable. This is how he has lived his life before the presidency and congress by abdicating their responsibilities for oversight as well as walking away from their own power has allowed him to live the same way as president. Politicians have sunk to a new level, they should not wonder at the lack of trust from the public.
61
@christina kish
It is, as you say, not surprising that trump is breaking the law, what shocks me to my core is Barr. When the head of the DOJ lies and shamefully behaves like a partisan hack, the rule of law, that bedrock American value, dies in the dust.
This unraveling of American systems of accountability and checks and balances is leaving this citizen weeping real tears of rage and sorrow.
4
If the media continue to accept the Senate exoneration of Trump as fact, it will be easily accomplished. If the media keeps harping on this and people keep wringing their hands, the backlash will be diluted before the actual event. The media should still hold out the expectation that senators will do the right thing.
What worries me as well is the political game that will be played. Those Republican Senators whose seats are in jeopardy, e.g.Collins of Maine, will be be permitted by McConnell as long as he knows there are enough senators to exonerate Trump, to either abstain or vote for removal to shore up their doubting voters.
22
Trump never had anyone watching him before, no board of directors, no share holders, he has no idea how to operate is this atmosphere.
50
Well of course Trump broke the law, and of course he'll deny it. He's striving to prevent all testimony, and that's a blaring sign of guilt.
Unfortunately the republicans in the Senate are bound and determined to protect him no matter what, regardless of what crimes or even treason he's committed. So he won't be removed from power by this impeachment, and our one hope for the future of America is that he loses the election in November. After that, he can finally be prosecuted, having lost all power and protection.
38
I want to watch and see what my Senate does during the trial of my President.
I do not want to be shoved out of this most important trial as if it was a Russian kangaroo court.
I want all relevant evidence presented - documents and witnesses - whether they have surfaced after the delivery of the articles of impeachment or were known about but refused to be turned over to the House Inquiry on the orders of the President.
I want the Senate hearing to be a search for the truth, not a washover of the facts for a pre-determined outcome.
This is not a court trial following long-established criminal justice court rules. This is a Senate trial following its own rules, made up by the leader of the Republican Majority, Mitch McConnell, walking in self-proclaimed lockstep with the wishes of the defendant. How does that serve Americans and American ideals?
If this report is relevant to the issues in the articles of impeachment, then it should be brought in as evidence. If alleged co-conspirators have relevant testimony, they should be heard. If witnesses to the acts have relevant testimony, they should be witnesses.
Trials have witnesses. Cover-ups do not.
267
Well brace yourself, it'll be a cover-up. Witnesses will be prevented from testifying, the media will be barred from the proceedings, the republicans will do everything they can to have a sham trial and end it quickly. There will be no justice.
26
@ inkspot
What, then, can the public do to prevent McConnell from the newly announced restrictions on press coverage of the impeachment trial?
Apparently the Senate Majority Leader intends to actualise his Dear Leader’s charge that the Press is the Enemy of the People
Will there be an outcry against this blatant attempt to make this an actual star chamber proceeding?
10
Media was barred in the House, so what's the point? Leakers gonna leak, though.
2
None of this seems to matter or ruffle the Republicans in Congress who have knelt in fealty to Trump and ceded their Constitutional powers and responsibilities. As Mulvaney said, Get over it." Perhaps a lightning bolt will hit the Capitol this week and reset the power lines.
40
Findings, be they by non-partisan organizations, the Congress or the Courts, mean nothing to this regime. Indeed, Trump and his collaborators sneer at the very notion they can be held accountable.
47
Pelosi brilliantly delayed delivery of the articles of impeachment. Now the Senate is on trial as well.
314
@Juan Rivera
Yes, exactly.
This impeachment is no longer about Trump.
Rather, it is about the fitness of the Republican Party to govern or productively participate in governance. It is about the rule of law.
Trump is nothing but but a pathetic sideshow, providing an exaggerated and fanciful demonstration of the criminality and heedlessness of the Republican Party.
16
Republicans are on very shaky ground. Yesterday, Senator Barrasso from Wyoming said he thought Trump was just concerned about corruption generally in Ukraine, when all the evidence says otherwise. Now we have the GAO decision that withholding aid was itself illegal, regardless of Trump's corrupt intention.
Republicans voicing their ever more desperate defenses of Trump do not exculpate him, they implicate themselves.
1475
@Sherry I'd say they, the Republican enablers and Trump, are treading on quicksand. But that's nothing new.
71
@Sherry
Spot on. We live in a time when logic, morality and good old common sense have been replaced by fantasy, fear and “alternate facts.”
It’s hard to accept the new rules when the only steadfast guideline is Trump is always right.
102
@Sherry
"Republicans voicing their ever more desperate defenses of Trump do not exculpate him, they implicate themselves"
Perfectly stated.
122
This should be game, set, and match for impeachment. Too bad we don’t live in a world where the rule of law matters any more, not with Mitch McConnell running the Senate.
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@Larry Roth
Larry, Trump has been impeached. He has not been convicted, nor is he likely to be. You think any of this matters? All this is simply political theater and grand standing by both parties. We've seen this plot line many times before. it's gotten rather tedious and I wonder why anyone is still watching it as we all know how it ends. Spoiler alert. Lord Alfred was right about that.
1
He has been impeached. The next step is for the Senate to either (a) convict and remove him from office or (b) find him not guilty. Regardless of the Senate decision, this president remains impeached.
10
@Mark Shyres
How are the Democrats grandstanding? They are following the terms of your Constitution and calling out your President's wrongdoing for the public to see. How else can that be done than through impeachment? And so it was.
The Republican Senate is not grandstanding, either; they use ridiculous words and actions to try to tell everyone to "move on, there's nothing to see here" that merely highlights their fear and hatred of your Constitution.
4
Republicans are going to dismiss any agency with “accountability” in its name. This won’t change any minds, sadly.
30
Gosh, I just hope that Senators Mitt and Collins get their statements out about how this is a, “troubling,” development in time to save the Republic.
What with them (and Obi-wan, to be sure) being our only hope.
20
I guess Trump’s supporters will just say as Nixon said, “If the President does it, it’s not against the law.”
If Mitch McConnell has his way, it will be true.
The ludicrous OLC opinion that a sitting President cannot be indicted has got to be struck off the DOJ rule book.
It’s plain to see that a lawless Presidency has resulted from this rule.
68
OMB response:
Rachel Semmel- “O.M.B. uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the president’s priorities."
You're not kidding.
According to HUFF POST Trump's golf hobby has cost American taxpayers over $115 million in travel and security expenses.
Impeach, remove him from office and let him spend his own dime on the links.
128
The Republicans simply won't care until public opinion really turns against Trump.
29
Sometimes I wonder if there are real DJT supporters or merely bad actors from central casting? Real Americans cannot possibly believe that 'if you, the Ukraine, announce an investigation of Joe & Hunter Biden, even if you, he Ukraine, never investigates and then you can receive monies appropriated by the Senate, designed to fight Putin's Ukraine take over dreams, might on any planet be ok, legal and benefits only DJT isn't paying attention. Such beliefs are the same as saying that the guy who beat and robbed you, who was caught on video tape, was a victim of a District Attorney's need to con people, have missed the point. Yes, its that simple and basic. If it looks like Watergate, walks like Watergate, has as many participants as Watergate, then its Watergate, aka Impeachment 2020, or should be.
14
Do I hear "abuse of power"? Do the Republican senators hear it? Or, are they ready, as it seems, to grant "Total Exoneration!" to Trump and therefore proclaim that he is, in fact, "above the law"? If so, they will have formally anointed an autocrat who now will be even further encouraged and free to rig the November 2020 election. As with the Roman Republic that died in their Senate, "Sic transit gloria Americana."
27
He's been breaking the law and the Constitution since he became President. Only the Trump cultists seem to approve of it. He administers by tweet for God's sake.
34
@Joe He's been breaking the law his entire adult life, but point well taken nonetheless.
4
America needs to see Trump, Pence, and all others involved with this illegal aid action indicted, charged, and tried for their crimes.
Breaking the law, is breaking the law.
45
OMB disagreeing with GAO's opinion is like defense counsel in a trial disagreeing with a judge's decision to allow certain evidence of the crime; their opinion is irrelevant.
25