US Congress impeaches self | 254 comments (254 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: US Congress impeaches self: D1 (none / 0)

Democrats decry McConnell's impeachment rules as 'cover-up'

Trump in Davos
Pelosi touring Poland and Israel

"The McConnell rules seem to be designed by President Trump for President Trump," said the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer.
[...]
Rep. Jerry Nadler, the Judiciary Committee Chairman also leading the House team, said: "There's no trial in this country where you wouldn't admit relative [sic] witnesses."
[...]
The first several days of the trial are expected to be tangled in procedural motions playing out on the Senate floor and behind closed doors. Senators must refrain from speaking during the trial proceedings.

by Cat on Tue Jan 21st, 2020 at 07:44:28 PM EST

Re: US Congress impeaches self: D1 (none / 0)

McConnell drops two-day limit on opening arguments

McConnell amended his organizing resolution for President Trump's impeachment trial at the last minute to give each side three days to make their opening arguments, which can last for up to 24 hours, the same amount of time given to the prosecution and defense during the 1999 impeachment trial of President Clinton.
The GOP leader made another significant amendment to his resolution by allowing the House impeachment inquiry to be entered into the Senate's official trial record - subject to hearsay objections - something McConnell declined to greenlight in his initial proposal. The resolution also allows each side to choose how many people may make those arguments.

reference
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, The Trump-Ukraine Impeachment Inquiry Report (pdf 298 pp), Dec 2019; HTML; no witness transcripts enclosed
House Committee on Oversight and Reform, (unclassified) Transcripts as Part of Impeachment Inquiry, witnesses, subpoenas, statements listing, Oct 2019-present

by Cat on Tue Jan 21st, 2020 at 08:23:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

< wipes tears > : D1 (none / 1)

Impeachment comes with its own rules - or lack thereof - on standard of proof

"My INTUITION is that this is likely to be even more true with regard to politicians," said Louis Michael Seidman, the Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Constitutional Law at Georgetown University Law Center. "Either you think that Trump should be impeached or you don't. In the real world, people just don't focus on abstract questions like the standard of proof," Seidman said.

supra
"There are no standards of proof. There are no rules of evidence."

by Cat on Tue Jan 21st, 2020 at 08:40:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: US Congress impeaches self: D1 (none / 1)

Round Up

I sat in chamber for entire Schiff speech. That was a mauling. Trump team thought they were there to debate process and Schiff ambushed them with a full-throated case for impeachment. Republicans were visibly uncomfortable. Sekulow & Cippolone responses were rambling & bombastic
— Jon Ward (@jonward11) January 21, 2020

The Chief Justice of the United States is presiding meekly over a trial that may well have no evidence or witnesses. Thereby, he is lending the gravity of his office and the institution he represents to the wholesale dismantlement of the rule of law in the US. It's obscene.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) January 21, 2020

Democrats blocked three times from subpoenaing documents in Trump trial

Members of the public packed the balcony overlooking the chamber, including actress and activist Alyssa Milano, who sat in the front row, listening intently.

evidence: Excluding press clippings, EU database records, and POTUS prepared remarks for public events from my footnote count, "Material Facts" attached to the House "Trial Memorandum" are 70 unique items, of which complete H. Rep. (reports), witnesses' transcripts, or depositions, video recordings, and correspondence, Apr-Dec 2019. I might have missed some. These are cited by House server URL for review. If the Trial Memorandum, summarizing indisputable evidence for impeachment, does not obviate display of each exhibit, again, I shudder to think what more could.

by Cat on Wed Jan 22nd, 2020 at 02:48:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Democrats for Pence! : D1 (none / 0)

How many senators want to be remembered as having convicted beloved POTUS #44 or 45 for "impermissible policy" impoundment?

by Cat on Wed Jan 22nd, 2020 at 04:18:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: US Congress impeaches self: D1 (4.00 / 2)

So I skimmed footnotes in House Trial Memorandum. This is where Schiff et al. itemize "evidence." The evidence seems to stored in digital facsimile in a House server (ea URL address) for sentators' review. My first pass found 70 unique exhibits on which the managers' argument for conviction rely (excluding sundry NYT press reports and DJT's prepared remark at public events). A gargantuan number of pages. Note that collection this material appears to ascertain motive and establish alleged Art. I, abuse of office ("bribery" conduct) by the POTUS, of which OMB/GAO/HPSCI correspondence.
Lt. Col. A. Vindman, HPSCI deposition
Amb Wm. Taylor & G. Kent, HPSCI deposition (Nov 2019)

Taylor, HPSCI deposition (Oct 2019)
Taylor-Kent, HPSCI deposition

Amb. K. Volker, HPSCI deposition (Oct 2019)
- Volker-T. Morrison, deposition (Nov 2019)
Amb. F. Hill, HPSCI deposition (Oct 2019)
- Hill-Holmes
Amb. G. Sondland, HPSCI deposition (Oct 2019)
- Sondland, Opening Statement, HPSCI (Nov 2019)
D. Holmes, HPSCI deposition (Nov 2019)
J. Williams, HPSCI deposition (Nov 2019)

Williams & Vindman, HPSCI deposition (Nov 2019)
William, classified supp'l. Pence-Zelensky call (Sep 2019)

Amb. M. Yovanovitch, HPSCI deposition (Nov 2019)
- Yovanovitch, HPSCI deposition (Oct 2019)
D. Holmes & M. Yovanovitch, HPSCI deposition (Nov 2019)
L. K. Cooper, HPSCI deposition (Oct 2019)
- Cooper-D. Hale, HPSCI deposition (Nov 2019)
M. Sandy, HPSCI deposition
Hale, HPSCI deposition
Croft, HPSCI deposition
Morrison, HPSCI deposition
J. Maguire, HPSCI deposition (Sep 2019)
WH, Memorandum of Telephone Conversation (Apr 2019)
WH, Memorandum of Telephone Conversation (July 2019)
Mulvaney, press briefing transcript (Oct 2019)
Associate Press, DJT interview transcript (Apr 2017)
ABC, DJT interview transcript (June 2019)
DNI, ICA "Assessing Russian Activities..." (Jan 2017)
SSCI, "Russian Active Measures ..." (May 2018)
CRS, "Ukraine: Background ..." (Sepp 2019)
Comptroller Gen. (GAO), "Matter of Office of Mgmt..." (Jan 2020)
OLC, agency counsel exclusion determination (Nov 2019)
Pub. L. 115-245
Pub. L. 226-6
Pub. L. 116-59
H. Rep. No. 116-9
H. Rep. No. 116-335 witnesses: R. Blair, M. Ellis,P. Griffith, R. Vought, B. McCormack
H. Rep. No. 116-346
H. Rep. No. 116-105 in re: Wm. Barr
H. Rep. No. 116-266
R. Mueller, "Report on the Investigation..." (Jan 2019)
L. Pernas, R. Giuliani-V. Zelensky letter (May 2019)
J. Shaheen et al, letter to Mulvaney (Sep 2019)
C. Murphy letter to A. Schiff, HPSCI (Nov 2019)
E. Engle, letter to P. Cipollone (Sep 2019)

Engle et al, letter to P. Cipollone (Sep 2019)
Engle et al, letter to M. Pence (Oct 20119)
Engle, letter to M. Pompeo (Sep 2019)

E. Cummings, letter to J. Mulvaney (Oct 2019)
P. Cipollone, letter to N. Pelosi et al. (Oct 2019)

Cipollone, letter to W. Pittard (Nov 2019)
Cipollone, letter to W. Burck (Nov 2019)

M. Duffey, email to D. Norquist etl (July 2019)
D. Noble, email to M. Mulvaney (Nov 2019)
M. Atkinson (IGIC) to A. Schiff, D. Nunes (Sep 2019)
A. Schiff, letter to J. Maguire (Sep 2019)

Schiff et al, letter to OMB R. Vought (Oct 2019)
A. Schiff, letter to M. Duffey (Oct 2019)

M. Morgan, letter to E. Cummings et al (Oct 2019)
J. Yaworske, letter to A. Schiff (Oct 2019)
- Yaworske, letter to A. Schiff (Nov 2019)
R. Hood, letter to A. Schiff et al (Oct 2019)
B. Bulatao, letter to L. Robbins (Oct 2019)
D. Norquist, letter to D. Levin (Oct 2019)
DJT, letter to N. Pelosi (Dec 2019)
K. Volker, SMS (Oct 2019)
R. Giuliani, Twitter post (Dec 2019)
DJT, Twitter post (Oct 2019)

by Cat on Wed Jan 22nd, 2020 at 04:34:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: US Congress impeaches self: D1 (none / 0)

O. SNAP

Schiff may have ["]mischaracterized["] Parnas evidence, documents show

In one section of the letter, Schiff claims that Parnas "continued to try to arrange a meeting with President Zelensky," citing a specific text message exchange where Parnas tells Giuliani: "trying to get us mr Z." The remainder of the exchange -- which was attached to Schiff's letter -- was redacted.
[...]
But an unredacted version of the exchange shows that several days later, Parnas sent Giuliani a word document that appears to show notes from an interview with Mykola Zlochevsky, the founder of Burisma, followed by a text message to Giuliani that states: "mr Z answers my brother." That suggests Parnas was referring to Zlochevsky not Zelensky.

supra
Les Crises | Plan du dossier "UkraineGate" - Des faits qui dérangent (EN, RU)
Zlochevsky - Shokin (bump), Lushenko (bump)- all the way down

by Cat on Wed Jan 22nd, 2020 at 06:53:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: US Congress impeaches self: D1 (none / 0)

The apparent ["]mischaracterization{"], however, does not undercut Democrats' argument that Trump withheld critical military aid to Ukraine as a way to pressure Zelenksy into opening up investigations into the Bidens, including Joe Biden's son Hunter, who was once a board member on Burisma, a Ukrainian natural gas company.

Schiff's misrepresenation of fact, however, sure af demonstrates corrupt detailing, a "cover-up" of, suspect business between US federal officials and that specific, internationally reknowned, criminal firm in Ukraine, ergo The Call.

What else have this latter-day HUAC "mischaracterized" in their collection of evidence? We shall learn perhaps from x-examination of the "evidence".

archived
Worldwide Organized Crime

by Cat on Wed Jan 22nd, 2020 at 07:28:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: US Congress impeaches self: D1 (none / 0)

archived

by Cat on Thu Jan 23rd, 2020 at 03:24:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: US Congress impeaches self: D1 (none / 0)

Plan du dossier "UkraineGate" - Des faits qui dérangent (EN, RU), Pt. 3

NARRATOR: It sounds great to hear Joe Biden condemn the "cancer of corruption" here, there, and everwhere, but it would be better if he were not the origin of the metastases. More generally, it is not logical to claim to be fighting corruption in Ukraine by just asking for the replacement of Shokin, supposedly the number one problem of the country, a few months after his appointment. If you have a corrupt prosecutor general, you have a prosecutor general problem. But if you have three prosecutors general, one after the other, who are problematic, you have a president problem!

by Cat on Sun Feb 2nd, 2020 at 12:44:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]

US Congress impeaches self | 254 comments (254 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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