PeterS

Well, Republicans are going to get what they've been sniveling and whining for--the president's lawyers are going to be able to cross witnesses. What this means is that Nasty Nancy thinks she has the goods on Trump (the investigative phase is basically over) and that participating by his representatives won't have an influence on the rest of the impeachment process. Love her or h**e her Nasty Nancy certainly knows how to go about impeaching a president.

https://www.npr.org/2019/10/31/774777869/house-to-v**e-to-formalize-outline-impeachment-inquiry?utm_term=nprnews&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR0HOlnfS0P6o2meOAmlM_vFLIiqb3mFYdnupihvQRo6e-X5SmSHZ-1nAfc

The House of Representatives v**ed Thursday 232-196 to pass a resolution formalizing its impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Just two Democrats v**ed no — Reps. Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey.

Amid the debate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called it a "sad day."

"It's a sad day because nobody comes to Congress to impeach a president of the United States. No one," she told reporters. "We come here to do the work, make the future better for our children, for America's future. We take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, and that's what we cannot ignore and will not ignore when the president's behavior indicates that that investigation, that inquiry, is necessary."

House Democrats released a draft version of the resolution, which outlines the next steps of the inquiry, on Tuesday. The resolution authorizes the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee to conduct open hearings and allows the president and his attorneys to cross-examine witnesses.

The resolution also directs the House committees leading the inquiry to report their findings to the House Judiciary Committee, which will decide whether to recommend moving forward with articles of impeachment.

In her press conference ahead of the v**e, Pelosi also pushed back on Republican claims that the process is a "sham" and unfair to the president. The procedures in the resolution are "very t***sparent and open," she said, "giving more privileges to the president and his argument than were given in the past."

Republican leadership after the v**e slammed what they called a "Soviet-style process." House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy asserted, "There's nothing the president did to be impeached."

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., noted that not only did all Republicans v**ed against the resolution, but so did two Democrats. "The House deserves better, the people of this country deserve better. We should be tackling real problems," he said, arguing that Pelosi is "infatuated" with impeachment.

Immediately after the v**e, Trump tweeted, "The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!" Press secretary Stephanie Grisham called the proceedings "illegitimate."

"The President has done nothing wrong, and the Democrats know it," she said in a statement.

Witnesses continue to testify behind closed doors in the inquiry, which centers on whether Trump improperly pressed Ukraine — including by withholding military aid — to conduct investigations that would help him politically.

Thursday's witness, Trump's Russia director Tim Morrison, is set to leave the National Security Council, as NPR first reported. On Wednesday, two State Department officials spoke with House investigators about their work on U.S.-Ukraine issues and the role of Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani in Ukraine policy.

Lawmakers also heard this week from Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who testified about repeatedly raising concerns to his superiors about Trump's demands that Ukraine investigates former Vice President Joe Biden and his son H****r.

Vindman also told lawmakers that he feared Ukraine complying with the president's demands would lead to the loss of bipartisan support and would "undermine U.S. national security."

Radiance3

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The president will have the last laugh. GOP's will have the last laugh. I can assure this.

Liberty Tree

Her first statement was a lie. They have been planning impeachment since he was elected. The procedure rules are completely onesded. This is still a partisan farce.

woodguru

Actually they are allowing things they don't have to at this stage, the right acts like they expect the senate "trial" stage rules to be adhered to so that Trump can litigate and argue...this is the investigation stage where information and facts are accrued. This isn't going to be a court of law, anything that is established as a fact is going to stand regardless of procedures, it won't be thrown out because a t wasn't crossed or an i dotted.

An impeachment needs to simply establish that abuses of power or crimes or misdemeanors did happen, not how the information was arrived at.

Pariahjf

Yet the t***h is that the process the Democrats have proposed is roughly analogous to the Clinton impeachment run by Republicans.

In both inquiries, the majority controlled the process of subpoena issuance; in both inquiries the normal rules of rapid-fire five-minute questioning by members were relaxed to allow for lengthier examination; and in both inquiries there are mechanisms by which the president could offer rebuttal evidence.

---Paul Rosenzweig, a senior fellow in the National Security and Cyber Security Program at the R Street Institute, was senior counsel to Kenneth Starr in the Whitewater investigation.

Liberty Tree

GOP can only call rebuttle witnesses with Democrat approval.

Pariahjf

Like he said, the same processes the GOP used when they attempted to impeach Clinton-----so why are they crying now?

Liberty Tree

It is not the same process. Clinton was treated a lot differently. Do a little research.

Pariahjf

House majority makes the process rules. You get what you get.

Pariahjf

FOX NEWS:

The measure also sets the stage for proceedings to move into a public setting soon.

The resolution authorizes the Intelligence Committee to conduct an "open hearing or hearings" in which minority Republicans have equal time to question witnesses.

And, after that hearing is concluded, "to allow for a full evaluation of minority witness requests, the ranking minority member may submit to the chair, in writing, any requests for witness testimony relevant to the investigation described in the first section of this resolution within 72 hours after notice is given."

McGovern has argued, and maintained on Thursday, that the standards outlined in the resolution are the same as those under the impeachments of both Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.

Liberty Tree

Just watch how the hearings are actually run. Of course, anything Democrats do is ok with you.

Pariahjf

Nothing EITHER side is doing is okay with me right now. The majority of those on both sides of the aisle are i***ts. All they had to do was to censure him in the House, and move on to other business. Simple solution.

woodguru

Just like Russia hearings, right?

Pariahjf

They didn't censure him then, either.

woodguru

Sort of like anything the GOP does is okay with you...like refusing to seat a SCOTUS pick under Obama, but McConnell says he won't adhere to the same precedent for Trump?

Stop whining and crying, e******ns have consequences, and they will be a lot more serious than this if you lose the senate and white house.