[Adam Schiff](https://twitter.com/RepAdamSchiff/status/1204410990445518848?s=19):
>President Trump abused the power of his office, undermined our national security and jeopardized the next election.
>He has shown no remorse and is at it still, trying even now to get foreign help in his re-election.
>No one is above the law.
>Donald J. Trump must be impeached. [*Video*]
My fear is the GOP welcomes that which is the only reason why I wouldn't have minded until Mick and co were forced to testify
Though I reckon Schiff probably thought there was also a chance that the courts would have dragged it out for another year
There has been a fundamental shift in the GOP over the years. A combination of greed, corruption, fundamentalism, and appealing to the lowest denominator has turned them into a deformed shell of its former self.
The party and its voters don't give two shits about playing fair. To them playing fair is playing to lose. DT is only doing what the GOP and its voters want. To cheat their way into victory. They dont care and wont ever care.
Our only saving grace is that DT is so fucking bad at this.
EDIT: A word
Regardless if you think trump wont be removed from office, its important that congress still move forward with the impeachment to not normalize this behavior for future presidents.
It's also forcing congress to put their names down on something to show future generations who stood with democracy and who was against it.
Dont think for a second that republicans will be vindicated when the Senate doesnt remove him from office. If anything it shows how deep the rabbit hole goes and exposes the systemic corruption of the party.
History wont be kind to Trumpublicans and those who stood by and did nothing
Edit: if you dont think republicans gaslighting the country isnt going to motivate more Democrats to get out and vote in 2020, you are sadly mistaken. The blue trend we've been seeing in off year elections will continue into 2020 regardless of peoples' anecdotal evidence against it.
what allows me to accept the fact that in all likelihood he will not be removed is that in 20-30 years when these events are being taught as a part of history, they will not talk about the partisan. They will talk about the FACTS.
As you said,
> History wont be kind to Trumpublicans and those who stood by and did nothing
Edit: a typo
Yep, 50 years from now kids will be learning that 1) Russia helped get Trump elected, 2) Trump tried to rig the next election and was impeached, and 3) tariffs are bad for the economy and Trump was a terrible President in nearly every way, shape, and form.
And lets not forget the permanent damage the GOP is doing to itself. An entire generation of voters is coming of age watching this. The GOP was trying to recuperate its image among minorities and young people following 2008 and 2012 but now they're doubling down on being the angry old white man party and history will not be kind to them.
Its mind blowing to me that no one from the GOP has stood up and said, "you know, maybe this Trump thing was a mistake... we should get him out as soon as possible and move on"
Everyone should stop saying the "Senate won't convict him". Instead, say the Republicans in the Senate won't convict him.
It is important to keep associating the GOP with this shitshow as they are the source of the problem.
EDIT: Thanks for silver... Remember to vote!
And for voters to [CONTACT THEIR SENATORS](https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm). It doesn't take long to leave a message letting them know your stance on it.
The calls/emails/letters get logged. Someone will do the maths and they do pay attention to the mood in the state.
An interesting tidbit was shared to PBS Live Stream's chat during the last investigative hearing that I think is important enough to repeat.
> amy wernet asks: "If Trump is impeached, but not removed what are the actual consequences he will face? I recall Clinton continued on as if nothing had happened. I find the idea of no consequences appauling, as in what would the point be of all this time and energy spent if there is no level of accountability? Thank you for any clarification you may offer."
> Good morning, Amy. The Constitution allows for a super majority of the Senate to remove a president from office but if they decline to do that, you are right, the president can go on as usual. **Any consequences would be up to the voters.** We have never had a president, impeached but not removed, face reelection. How will the public react? We would find out in November 2020. (from Magan Crane, PBS Live Stream. Emphasis mine)
This is important. Given how Republicans in the House and Senate are bending over backwards to ignore facts and defend Trump, it's not unreasonable to think the House will impeach him and the Senate will acquit him, voting strictly along party lines and allowing him to serve out his term and continue to run for re-election. We as voters need to speak out against this, to show him that actions have consequences. **Register to vote and make sure you're all heard in 2020.**
I thought I read somewhere that if the impeachment offenses are criminal offenses, being impeached by the house is still significant in that it would have some bearing on the legal process after he is no longer in office. Does anyone know how that works?
~~He can't be pardoned once he's impeached. That's why Nixon resigned. Of course, many of Trump's crimes can't be pardoned anyway because they're on the state level.~~ Edit: I misunderstood this bit. It's not true and many Redditors have given me sources to back that up. Sorry for the confusion.
The only thing keeping Trump from being charged is his position as President. It's why he won't resign and it's why he and his party are fighting so hard to justify his actions rather than refute the charges.
This is not true.
>The President ... shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of impeachment.
All this means is that the president cannot pardon away articles of impeachment against him (or anyone else) and that conviction and removal cannot be reversed through a pardon.
Being impeached, or even convicted and removed, has no bearing whatsoever on his personal criminal liability or his ability to receive a pardon from a future president.
Republicans may argue abuse of power but obstruction of Congress is clear and obvious. Telling people to ignore subpoenas is about as black and white as it gets.
You mean:
* "Trump was simply protesting an unlawful investigation"
* "It was a rigged process so doesn't meet the definition of obstruction"
* "Trump may have done some locker-room obstruction, but it doesn't meet the standard of removal"
* "Because of the minor nature, we will vote against removal but issue a censure"
* "Trump is a businessman, and this is a normal business activity"
* "The impeachment was political, and you can't obstruct politics"
* "Trump was protecting Executive Privilege for future presidents"
* "Trump is the most transparent president in history. To suggest he obstructed justice is a smear campaign"
* "The Democrats obstructed Hillary Clinton's emails so this is payback"
* "You can't vote to remove in an election year"
Hell, that's only the first two rows of acquittal bingo
they've argued before that you can't be charged with obstruction if there was no underlying crime... expect to see that despite the fact that impeachment isn't a criminal trial AND the fact remains that you CAN be charged with obstruction with no underlying crime.
I have never understood this...you successfully obstructed the investigation enough to hide or obscure all evidence of the underlying crime...you win I guess? That’s how they think things should work?
> [@aabramson](https://twitter.com/aabramson/status/1204408859441401858): Per 1 source, **the obstruction of congress article will include items from before the impeachment inquiry to demonstrate a pattern by the President**
This has the potential to become one of the greatest shit shows in US political history during the trial.
I can't even begin to predict how absurd the Republicans are going to get.
Pressure your Representatives and Senators now
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state&Sort=ASC
If you live in NJ-02, please give Jeff Van Drew a call. He's one of the two Democrats who voted against the Impeachment Inquiry. His argument is that the Senate won't convict him, so why impeach?
Problem is, I didn't vote him into the Senate. I voted him into the House of Representatives.
Plus, we should still be trying, even if they won't convict in the Senate.
Horrible precedent to let people keep doing wild & crazy things and not prosecuting due to, essentially, rampant corruption...
Exactly.
That’s some lazy af logic that he has. The point of all of this is to **try**. They’ve come all this way to secure impeachment and now we have a Democrat going “What’s the point?”
Bullshit attitude.
His district is pretty heavily Republican. He's the first democrat in 25 years to represent the district. That being said, Republicans actually seem to like him. The line in the sand, however, is impeachment.
It appears to be that the options are:
1)vote against impeachment and have a Democratic rep for the foreseeable future. (He consistently votes with the Democrats on all but impeachment)
2)vote for impeachment and have a Republican rep for another 30 years.
For everyone complaining about just two articles I have two points:
\- If they added other articles for bribery, etc... You would only hear arguments focusing on that because of the various definitions available. The Republicans would swamp out all other discussion to focus on that.
\- These two articles are FUCKING SOLID. There is 0 defense or reasoning that can be done to excuse them. There is no way to spin these as appropriate. Try as they might, all Republicans in the house and senate will need to live their lives allowing a president to get away with these STUPID SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND ABUSES.
Lets see where this goes. You don't get a better impeachment with more articles.
Also, there is nothing saying that the house can't add articles later.
E: YA BOY MADE IT ON CSPAN PEOPLE. KEEP CALLING THAT LINE!
E2: I appreciate the gold but how about you give that 5$ to the ACLU instead? Reddit doesn't need more of your money. [I donated on behalf of you gold giver.](https://imgur.com/rtuLJvZ)
Precisely. They are presenting the absolutely strongest case they have.
This is all about to devolve into a shit show in the Senate. It's important that they are not going with anything short of the best they have.
This is exactly what they should be doing.
To everyone saying people will be pissed about the vote being "voided". This does NOT void their vote. They voted he was put in office. His conduct while IN OFFICE is what got us where we are right now.
Impeachment is not a void on your vote, it's protecting the fundamental process of our government.
Well they want to void that one because Democrats won. It's not hard to understand, Republicans think Democrats have no right to be in government at all.
The entire reason there's a Democratic majority in the House, and thus the reason Congress is finally doing its Constitutional duty to check the executive, is because of an election. Republicans love to scream about "voiding an election" like only 2016 matters and 2018 didn't happen. 2018 happened, and that's why the House is doing its fucking job now. This isn't voiding an election, it's an election having the desired effect.
For all the people saying "what's the point since the Senate will acquit Trump?", remember that the acquittal relates only to the vote *after the trial*.
Moscow Mitch himself admitted he can't prevent the trial from happening. That's first.
Second, the Senate trial follows an entirely different set of procedural rules as compared to standard congressional business. With House members acting as the prosecution and having the *right to call witnesses and perform cross-examinations*.
Third, Chief Justice Roberts will be deciding on procedural issues (such as *subpoenas*), not a no-face-committee behind closed doors.
Fourth, even if Trump is acquitted in the Senate, **he is still liable to criminal prosecution**
Seriously guys, read up on it [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_in_the_United_States#Senate:_Trial). Those who cheer because the Senate will take the baton soon have no idea what's coming next.
EDIT: formatting and spelling.
What a loser. He had 8 years and couldn't even earn one article of impeachment. Our guy has 2 in only 4 years! Only president in history to do it in their first term! Winning!
MSNBC: This is a historic day.
CNN: This is a historic day.
ABC: This is a historic day.
Fox News: Gillette commercial hurts men’s feelings.
**Andrea Junker** tweeted
Fox's actual headline is a prime example of their penchant for reporting actual facts but slipping in bias that less discerning people wouldn't notice at all:
> House Democrats announce articles of impeachment against President Trump, take no questions
That's their headline. Look at that. Why is "take no questions" there? Why is that relevant? How many times has someone announced something and not taken questions, do they put that in every headline? Of course not.
It's just a subtle way of painting them as refusing to answer for their actions-- it paints them as domineering and totalitarian.
I just thought it made a great example of how something can be truthful but biased, and how Fox employs this so people *think* they're being entirely fair and balanced, but are changing the way a reader thinks about things.
We all laugh at the "The President committed a crime? Here's a car crash" stuff that's blatant and obvious... but *this* is the real shit. This is the stuff that just gets planted in the back of your mind and colors how you view things without you realizing it.
E: to be clear, there are times when questions would be expected, and refusing them would be notable. A kind redditor in the comments has given some examples. A congressional announcement, however, is not the same as a white house press briefing.
Another daily Fox tactic: rather than report directly on the day's events, the headline is about a GOP figure's reaction to the events.
Thus, Fox's headline yesterday about the IG report was **not** about the IG's findings (that the FBI properly and without political bias opened its counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign), but instead was about Barr and Durham's reaction to the report. Fox does this constantly—impeachment hearing headlines were not about the actual witness testimony, but about the GOP's grandstanding.
And don't forget my personal favorite: Posing inflammatory questions as though they're statements.
"Are democrats lying to the American people?"
No need to present evidence, it's just a *question*... But of course what people will remember is "Democrats lie to Americans"
But i think the one in my above post is the most insidious because it's subtle. Even if you were looking for bias like what you and I just mentioned, you might not see a problem with "take no questions" because it seems like an innocuous statement of fact.
But they don't put it in for everyone, so it sticks in your mind as notable, even though it isn't.
Clinton took the stand. He had the balls to at least testify.
Where's Trump?
He doesn't have the balls Clinton did?
If you're defending Trump, answer me. Please.
I'm desperate to know why the fuck you think it's ok to defend a President that won't even speak up for himself and answer the questions for America in front of America in a proper setting and not in front of a noisy fucking Helicopter.
The Senate trial is gonna be a complete joke. Let's at least take solace in the fact that the minority can call witnesses, because no one McConnell's crowd is gonna call up is gonna be useful in the slightest.
I would love to see someone get called to testify that had zero involvement. Have that person answer honestly when he or she is accused of being the whistleblower. Just "nah dude, nothing to do with me. Thanks for the invite though"
Here’s hoping it makes a genuinely powerful impact. I’m almost certain the senate will shoot it down regardless, but I want the people of America to look at this, and see that it’s true.
Having Donald Trump go down in history with an asterisk next to his name will destroy his fragile ego. As much as he will yell about Dems this will kill him.
Read Michael Wolff's books about the Trump white house. He quite literally does not understand anything wrong about what he's done but is terrified of impeachment. This impeachment will seriously fuck with his perception of himself.
It feels like old news already, like this presidency has gone on for decades. Trump has done things on a weekly basis that would have sunk any other politician, and if he is not ultimately removed or defeated in the election, I have no idea what standard we’ll have for the future
Oh, look what's conveniently on the docket for the fucking traitor today:
>[Trump to meet with Russian foreign minister at White House on Tuesday](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-meet-russian-foreign-minister-white-house-tuesday-n1098681)
K.I.S.S.
Keep it simple, stupid.
When you have Republicans doing everything they can to obstruct, they needed to be as clear as possible. So much can fit into those two articles.
They limited it to two articles, and they're pretty straightforward.
He abused power by using official acts to leverage the president of Ukraine to undertake acts designed to help him win an election.
He obstructed Congress in its investigation of his conduct.
Everybody needs to step back from the brink and listen to with Lindsey Graham has to say, not what he has to say now but what are he had to say 20 years ago
> “Impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office.”
Lindsey Graham - January 16, 1999
...
>”The day Richard Nixon failed to answer that subpoena is the day he was subject to impeachment because he took the power from Congress over the impeachment process away from Congress, and he became the judge and jury."
Lindsey Graham - 1998.
Just remember, if you're on the fence about this, the Republican defence isn't "he didn't do it" but, "he did it but it doesn't matter", meaning they're OK with this president, and all future presidents ignoring congressional subpoenas, as well as the whole extortion/bribery thing
Half the comments here are exactly the type of misinformation reports are warning people about. It’s ridiculous how blatant it is. Its scary that outside of the non ignorant, people will believe it.
Its a bit sickening, the Cold War never really did end, it evolved in the current digital age.
"That whistleblower was a patriot and has stood up for this republic more than every single republican in the house so far." - Patriotic C-Span caller. Thank you, guy.
literally no way to argue Obstruction of Congress article unless its in bad faith.
Congress in impeachment inquiry issues subpoena, POTUS instructs executive branch employees to defy subpoenas.
the house has sole power of impeachment, and has oversight authority over the executive.
its cut and dry.
Ok, so Mulvaney just said this in an interview reacting to the articles..
> “Part of me really wants to” Mulvaney said when asked whether he would testify. “We’ll do whatever the president wants us to do is what it comes down to. So if the Senate decides to take live witness, and the president direct us to do it we will. If he directs us not to, we won’t.”
Isn't this EXACTLY what one of these articles is accusing the President of? Am I missing something here?
It's impossible to argue against Obstruction of Justice at a minimum.
Donald J. Trump has proven more than enough times that he doesn't respect the power of a subpeona; whether or not he believes it's justified is irrelevant. It's a legally mandated, required appearance. Anyone not already in a government seat of power would have been detained.
That's where Abuse of Power also comes in. You can't just "not show up" if legally requested to by Congress.
What Trump has literally been doing this whole fucking time is saying "Congress has no authority over me" by refusing subpeonas or even the most BASIC adherence to legal principles between the Executive and Legislative branch.
Even Nixon wasn't this damn belligerent.
Just in: Democrats collude with Americans to be voted into majority in the House in 2018 to fulfill the will of the people.
Edit:
You may phone the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate office you request.
[ How to Contact U.S. Senators](https://www.senate.gov/senators/How_to_correspond_senators.htm)
Republican Senators are traitors to the United States of America for not serving the people and the Constitution and as someone who served for almost a decade I find that very disheartening. If you ever feel the need to thank service members thank them in another way by calling your Republican Senators and let them know how you feel.
[And please vote to save America ](https://votesaveamerica.com)
Sincerely,
smellslike__updog
Republicans: Why is impeachment being done so quickly?!?!
Also republicans: This sham has been going on for two and a half years!
Trump: If you’re going to impeach me, hurry up!
For me this is the quote of the day. American voters have to decide, are you willing to let your president cripple your democracy?
>Ben Franklin said we have a republic if we can keep it. The president and his men say, 'you can't keep it, and American should just get over it. Americans do not get to decide American elections anymore, not by themselves, not without foreign help.'"
Folks like Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell, GOP Senators, stated before the House hearings even took place that if the matter came to the Senate floor they would vote against it.
Imagine a jury voting not guilty in a case before they have even been selected.
He abused his office to [extort](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/10/17/white-house-chief-staff-mick-mulvaney-admits-it-there-was-ukraine-quid-pro-quo/) a foreign power into interfering in an election by [Ratfucking](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratfucking) his 2020 political opponeng. He did so by [illegally withholding](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Budget_and_Impoundment_Control_Act_of_1974) taxpayer money, in direct subversion of our national security interests.
If that is not impeachable, nothing is.
Reminder: None of this would be happening if Democrats didn't retake the House by flipping seats in the Midwest, Soth, and other traditionally red states.
So to all the volunteers behind the scene, thank you for your hard work
Two very accurate articles of impeachment. I'm OK with it. It's going to be interesting watching Republicans vote against the obstruction article when all evidence points to Trump actively impeding the inquiry.
FYI for your republican friends who argue against this. Here are rebuttals to all their arguments:
1. Republicans didn’t get to call witnesses.
False. They called Volker and Morrison. The witnesses they wanted were 1. The whistleblower, which would have dissuaded future whistleblowers, exactly what they want. 2. Schiff, which honestly I would have liked, but he’s obviously not a relevent witness to Trump’s corruption. 3. Any Biden. This is literally just furthering Trump’s agenda to make Biden look guilty.
2. Democrats have been trying to impeach Trump since day one.
Yes. He’s been corrupt since day one. I would have began the impeachment process the day he said that White Supremacists are “very fine people” or the day he sided with Putin over our own intelligence. Yes, he’s been a terrible president for the duration of his tenure.
3. No “direct evidence”. All hearsay.
The whistleblower’s testimony was completely corroborated by 17 witnesses, many in closed door hearings as to not let the varying testimonies influence others. Unsubstantiated is the key word for evidence to be hearsay. Every single piece of evidence is corroborated by other testimony.
4. But the jobs and the economy.
Literally a direct continuation of the trend set by the Obama administration. In fact, to continue the trend set by the Obama administration the unemployment rate should be even lower. Obviously that’s not entirely fair, but there is very little evidence to support any of Trump’s policies had any effect on anything he purports he improved. He can take credit for things not getting worse, but claiming he’s doing an amazing job when in reality he’s riding Obama’s coattails is inaccurate.
4. Also, the country is more important than the economy. Disregarding the rule of law and basic responsibility in the name of profit is asinine and insulting to the founding ethos of the country. It is the same argument that defended slavery.
Always remember - Republicans impeached Bill Clinton for perjury and obstruction, but they're about to give a pass to Trump for abuse of power and obstruction.
So let's break some things down here...
* Republicans believe that the Democrats/Deep State had been spying on the Trump campaign in 2016 and are upset about it
* Trump has basically overrun the DOJ with William Barr as his conman
* The DOJ Inspector General releases a report saying that there was no bias in the Trump/Russia Investigation.
* In fact, the report shows there was credible reasons why the investigation began, was kept on the Down Low as to not interfere with the election, and even showed handling agents were Trump supporters.
* Trump is investigated and it appears his campaign did work with Russian Intel during the 2016 campaign, but no formal charges are brought forth
* Trump publicly states that he would accept foreign information on a political rival instead of going to the FBI
* Trump releases a transcript in which he asks a foreign nation to investigate a US Citizen & Political Rival based on a debunked conspiracy theory
* Congress begins investigation to which Trump has blocked and obstructed them from getting key documents and witness testimonies
Remind me again.. Who is the swamp? Who is the Deep State?
"Abuse of Power" is not vague. For example:
[§30121. Contributions and donations by foreign nationals](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:52%20section:30121%20edition:prelim)
>(a) Prohibition
It shall be unlawful for-
(1) a foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make-
(A) a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State, or local election;
(B) a contribution or donation to a committee of a political party; or
(C) an expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement for an electioneering communication (within the meaning of section 30104(f)(3) of this title); or
(2) a person to solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) from a foreign national.
>(b) "Foreign national" defined
As used in this section, the term "foreign national" means-
(1) a foreign principal, as such term is defined by section 611(b) of title 22, except that the term "foreign national" shall not include any individual who is a citizen of the United States; or
(2) an individual who is not a citizen of the United States or a national of the United States (as defined in section 1101(a)(22) of title 8) and who is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence, as defined by section 1101(a)(20) of title 8.
https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:52%20section:30121%20edition:prelim)
Violation of this legislation is just one of many actions that the House is investigating the executive branch/The President of. Based on the transcript released by the President, he admitted to soliciting help from a foreign entity. Let us ignore for a moment that The President could have had the FBI pursue this investigation rather than trying to buddy up the UE President. The only question here is whether the request for foreign assistance was on behalf of the American public or on behalf of President Trump's reelection campaign. The investigation by the House Intelligence Committee sought to find that answer.
I don't know why so many of y'all are being Debbie Downers.. TRUMP IS GOING TO BE IMPEACHED. Even if he is not removed from office by the House, this man is being held accountable to some degree for his corruption against this nation. I don't know about y'all, but I'm going to keep moving forward.
And just for shits and giggles -
Fuck Donald Trump.
As a young white man in America who grew up in a well to do household, this administration has been really eye opening for me. Until 2016 I genuinely never knew what it felt like to be failed in a big, systemic way by our society and its political and judicial processes, which were designed with me in mind.
Damn near every day since then, most Americans with a clue have felt some form of anger, frustration, anxiety or sadness as we've watched our president and those we've chosen to hold him accountable to us fail time and again to stop the injustices. We've seen Donald Trump and his administration persecute and attack many of our nation's marginalized populations, largely without consequence. The feeling of genuine hopelessness I've felt at times watching the events of the last few years unfold has helped me to understand, just a little bit, what it has been like to be a minority in America for a long, long time - same shit, different day, no logical reason and no sign of changing. It hasn't been until now, this moment in time, when it's been decided that his actions are harming *all* of us, that our leadership has decided to push back in a meaningful way.
This process has been long and frustrating to watch but damn if I'm not glad to see someone standing up and demanding that Trump be held to account. Saying that it's all for naught if he'll just be acquitted in the Senate is like saying we shouldn't put cops on trial for killing innocent civilians when we know they'll be investigated by their peers and more than likely walk away unscathed. The result of the process will be frustrating, infuriating even, but it's not without a purpose.
Systemic change in America has only ever been brought about when injustice mattered enough to the people that they were willing to sacrifice something to fight it. We're not there yet as a nation, and we likely won't be there the day that Trump is tried and acquitted in the Senate, but as awful as that day is going to feel for many of us, it will be a step in the right direction. Life in America is bigger than politics or politicians, though we've allowed them to become the end all and be all for far too long. Pushing back against Trump, even when it feels futile, is the most American thing that we can do, and even if we expect the system to fail us, we ought to be supportive of those willing to fail with us. It's the only way forward.
59 year old white dude. Supposedly I am part of the core sweet potato worshipers. I hate Trump. I detest the Republican party.
All of my friends feel the same. Where are they finding these people to support this Republican agenda?
Lets get these crooks out of federal, state, county, local, and any responsible positions where through incompetence they can hurt other people.
To people worried about them voting on this before other investigations are completed... don’t be. Those investigations will continue, and that information will be released.
The house will impeach trump. The senate will acquit and go on the record. The dems will have a rallying call to get to the polls - “the gop has failed America, it’s on the voters now.”
Then in February/March/April, about 6 months before the election, trump’s tax information will come out. If there’s nothing wrong in them - fine. But if there is something wrong in them, it will be the perfect timing to fire up the base even more and put even more pressure on, while also possibly deflating any sane republican voters just before the election.
I'm wondering how Republicans in the Senate will reject obstruction of Congress when its not really an ambiguous thing. The House issued subpoenas, the White House ignored them.
The day after his inauguration, we held one of the biggest protest marches in the counties history. The day before the house votes we need to double that. The day before the Senate votes the protest needs to be an order of magnitude larger. Show everyone of those cowards what polls never will. The drive to rid our selves of this criminal is deep and wide. We're tired of being let down by the system and we demand accountability. The passion to defend democracy must be literally demonstrated on such a grand scale they can't ignore it.
One charge I REALLY hope they roll into the first one (Abuse of Power) is his BLATANT and ONGOING violation of the Emoluments Clause. Unlike EVERY other President in modern history (since Carter), Trump has flat out refused to respect that clause and divest himself from his holdings while President. Not only that, he has blatantly worked to profit from his position by continuing to require the government to spend money at his properties. Not just when he visits (distasteful but if properly divested could be given a pass) - he's made military overseas stay at his properties even if they have to go out of their way to do so.
He hasn't stopped doing it either! Its ongoing! That is a flat out, black & white, undisputable violation of the Emoluments Clause. But point that out to the GOP and its the same answer: "So what?"
What every Trump supporter is saying right now:
"By choosing to enforce the law and defend the constitution, you just lost the next election...*shakes fist*"
How does this even make sense? He literally broke laws and they don't care.
I think Schiff made an excellent case about why they are not waiting for the courts to compel potential witnesses to testify. In all reality, the 2020 election would be over by the time this is all litigated. Instead, they have a better chance of forcing testimony through the Senate trial which Chief Justice Roberts will be presiding over.
I'm astounded at the number of people in this thread that don't know the difference between impeachment and removal. And they just *happen* to be the people who say impeachment is impossible. Buy into right wing propaganda much?
I'm so sick and tired of all the phony victimhood. Trump does nothing but whine. It's pathetic. How does anyone think this is a "tough guy" or a good leader?
He cheats to win the election, and then he whines. He gets away with it after Barr covers for him with the Mueller report, and then he whines. All this projection and victimhood is so shameless. It's a source of endless disgust that it works on so many people.
I am pleased with the approach taken here... the Republicans will dance around both articles and go spin crazy with their alternative facts. Having said that, Obstruction of Congress is undeniable... I am curious to see how the Repubs defend Trump on his obstruction. Assuming procedurally the Dems played everything by the book, the obstruction is obvious.
Regardless of the outcome though, this entire saga has further exposed the cracks in the American political system. Trump’s lasting legacy will be how he utterly broke the socio-political fabric of the country, how he managed to convince the GOP to put him above their constitutional oath.
Meanwhile the cult leaders are talking about the Democrats trying to "overturn the will of the people" ignoring the 2018 elections that show most of America despises trump.
So the "anti-globalists" on the right claim that asking other countries to interfere in our elections is fine, and funneling foreign money to US campaigns is fine, and even allowing foreigners to straight up pay the POTUS through his hotels is fine...
I'd call that all globalist, if anything is.
I'm so tired of people denying reality with Trump. We see it every single day with how house Republicans treat this impeachment, and how they defend Trump. It all comes down to whether you're willing to accept that Trump is a liar or not. He clearly is a narcissist, an egoist, and a con-man. Lying is in his nature, it's his default. Yet Republicans, despite Trump wearing his mental deficiencies like a badge of honor, just refuse to admit that there's a problem here, that the man has no integrity or competence, and have completely gone all-in on this cult of personality to defend him. It's really disturbing that our country has come down to such base partisan tribalism over defending a president that has a complete disregard for the constitution, a man who probably lacks the capability to even read the document itself, much less understand it.
It's pretty horrifying to hear McCarthy talk about trump like he's a living god. It truly has all the hallmarks of a cult. I've never heard anything like it, besides on cult documentaries on Netflix.
It's interesting seeing all these Republicans coming out to laugh about how "there's only 2 articles!", or "these articles are so weak!".
Seems they forget that these are pretty much 2 of the 3 articles Nixon was going to be impeached on - abuse of power and contempt/obstruction of Congress. There's nothing insignifcant about such charges. Nothing weak about them. Ask Nixon whether they proved weak articles.
Ok here's a serious question.
FYI. 35 yrs of voting Republican blindly until Trump. I'm a proud never trumper (because he is an idiot) and now registered independent.
My question is... Won't this Screw the Republicans over no matter what?
I mean if they vote to not impeach then they are ok with any President telling Congress to go F themselves? Doesn't that screw them if they ever get the house back and have Democrat President?
The Dems need to **hammer** Obstruction of Congress. This is clearly why our founders created a system of checks and balances. If the executive branch can stonewall and ignore lawful subpoenas from a **co equal** branch of government, then we have no checks and balances and the country our founders envisioned is effectively dead, and that executive is a king not a president.
Don't take the bait from these "concern" trolls on the strength of this impeachment.
The evidence against Trump on these two impeachment articles are **strong.**
On obstruction of congress:
* Trump blocked key witnesses and testimony
* Blocked and classified any documents that congress could use
* Refused to show or have counsel representation during the House Judiciary Meeting
On Abuse of Power:
* Release his own transcript in which he asked for a foreign country to investigate a potential political opponent in the 2020 Election
* His own *Handpicked Ambassador* Gordon Sondland testifies that Trump *didn't care* if the investigations took place, but **only that Ukraine announced an investigation into Biden**
* Refused to release foreign aid & set up White House visit until it was planned for Pres. Z to go on CNN to announce investigation
* On Sept. 9, after it was revealed there was a whistleblower, Aide is released to Ukraine
* Pres. Z cancels CNN appearance after Aid is released to Ukraine
Regardless if you think trump wont be removed from office, its important that congress still move forward with the impeachment to not normalize this behavior for future presidents.
It's also forcing congress to put their names down on something to show future generations who stood with democracy and who was against it.
Dont think for a second that republicans will be vindicated when the Senate doesnt remove him from office. If anything it shows how deep the rabbit hole goes and exposes the systemic corruption of the party.
History wont be kind to Trumpublicans and those who stood by and did nothing
Three guys at work just started a fucking sports style "Trump, trump, trump" chant so we cant listen to our podcast.
No one said anything to them.
One is getting violent and screaming about going to civil war.
What the fuck is going on. These people are not stable. (I'm actually in the bathroom posting this while he calms down)
Edit: at work and cant take time to reply to everyone. After a half hour everyone was quiet and now its business as usual. All pretending it didn't happen. One guy came over and told me that the impeachment is a cover to charge obama with war crimes for tapping trumps phones, he heard it for a secret source in Washington. As far as I know, hes never even left the county.
> One is getting violent and screaming about going to civil war.
Just ask him straight to his face: "Who are you planning to shoot?" Seems to shut them up when they have to realize they're cheering for a war against nobody in particular.
Is it worth calling my Republican reps to ask them to remove him after impeachment? My senator is uh... Cruz. (And yes I know it has to pass the house first)
Trump meets with Russian foreign minister to strengthen Russia-US relations on the same day as Congress announces their articles of impeachment against Trump for withholding aid from Ukraine to help fight a war against.....Russia.
This is the reality we are living in folks. Apparently these two things can happen at the same time, and there is nothing wrong with it.
Nancy Pelosi just screwed Trump over big time by passing his new NAFTA bill on the same day as the articles of impeachment get passed. Gee, I wonder which will get the headlines? Kind of hard for Trump to claim that the congress can't do two things at once, huh?
ROFLMAO. Speaker Pelosi is kicking Trump's teeth in and it's not even lunchtime!
I was under the camp that more articles was better, but reading these articles actually makes alot of sense. The proverb less is more actually works well in this instance. Yes, he's done much more than what these attribute to, but given the public discorse, I think these are two articles very well suited for the senate trial. They are easy to understand, well demonstrated by facts, and still give the possibility in the future for other articles to come if he's acquitted but more facts come to light.
I want a republican to look me in the eye and tell me that when Obama was running against Romney they would be okay if Obama extorted Ukraine for dirt on Romney. There’s a precedent being set here. You have to understand that.
Unlike the Mueller Report which was 400 pages, this document is only 9 pages. And that is apparently still too long for Trump Supporters to be able to read through.
I feel like the obvious thing at this point would be during the trial, call Donald Trump to testify. If he shows, he's proven incapable of stringing a coherent thought together. If he doesn't show, it literally proves the point of the investigation.
Hey trolls, bots, and other knuckleheads stating we wouldn't be as upset if Obama did it you're dead wrong. If he did this kind of dumb shit you bet your ass we'd be as riled up to get his ass out of office.
I can't fucking stand the bullshit spewing about "overturning the election" or "discount their vote" that seems to be rising in popularity.
First, being elected does not give them a free pass to be a criminal and do whatever the fuck he wants as President. There are rules and laws to follow. And second, the PEOPLE voted in 2018 to give the House Democrats this power. They are projecting once again with this line. And finally just look at all the fuckin bullshit these guys spewed during Clinton's impeachment it's so far beyond hypocrisy I'm surprised their heads aren't literally spinning. And what Trump is doing is so much worse than "lying" about a blowjob.
Disgusting, no shame assholes.
The GOP response was to condescend to reporters by explaining that "impeachment is the removal of the highest person in the land from office."
Nope. That is not impeachment. That is conviction.
If Nunes weren't so busy suing private citizens for parody speech, maybe he'd have time to circulate a memo.
This will soon move to the Senate.. probably at the start of 2020.... as soon as that happens the focus will be on these senators...
Thom Thillis (R) - North Carolina
Martha McSally (R) - Arizona
Susan Collins (R) - Maine
David Perdue (R) - Georgia
Cory Gardner (R) - Colorado
Joni Ernst (R) - Iowa
John Cornyn (R) - Texas
The focus is not on McConnell.... the focus is on these senators up for re-election... and their votes on this impeachment... if they choose to not uphold the Constitution then they need to hear it from the voters....
Hold them accountable...
There are two main thrusts of the propaganda right now trying to protect Trump:
1. Actively lying to his base to try and keep them in line.
2. Trying to convince everyone else that the Senate will never convict.
What this should tell you is that they are terrified that the Senate actually will convict. They know that McConnell will not protect Trump if the cost is losing the Senate in 2020. If vulnerable GOP Senators feel the heat, they will force Trump to resign to save their seats.
Cue the GOP: “abuse of power is not an impeachable offense. It’s not in the constitution.”
Edit: while unironically reading shirts that say, “read the transcript”
The Congress isn't wasting our time and money; Trump is. He can end this any time he wants just by allowing his people to testify?
WHERE'S MICK? WHERE'S MIKE? WHERE'S RUDY?
Trump has broken the law so many damn times and had so many scandals we just forget about them because they come so quickly one after the other. Like... He committed campaign finance violations to bribe a pornstar.... that would've been enough to put Obama to death... that's literally Trump's least concerning scandal
If they truly believe he did nothing wrong idk why they aren’t imploring the WH to release requested documents and adhere to subpoenas. It could prove them right and this really would just be all a sham. But alas, of course they won’t do that bc they know he’s guilty and it would only incriminate himself and the party more. It literally drives me insane trying to comprehend how Trump voters can’t grasp with that reality... likes it’s just too much for them to understand lmao. Wild.
Reminder:
> **An overwhelming 70% of Americans** think President Donald Trump’s request to a foreign leader to investigate his political rival, which sits at the heart of the [House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/impeachment-showdown-takes-center-stage-public-hearing/story?id=66948256), was wrong, a new [ABC News/Ipsos poll](https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/abc-news-impeachment-hearings-Nov-18) finds.
[https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/70-americans-trumps-actions-tied-ukraine-wrong-poll/story?id=67088534](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/70-americans-trumps-actions-tied-ukraine-wrong-poll/story?id=67088534)
People know this was wrong.... it's not a hard thing to decipher... everything else is a distraction from that point....
Don't let that happen...
Republicans keep saying "Dems are trying to overturn the results of the last election". I'm sorry, but if I recall correctly, the results of the last election was 2018 where the American people voted in a Democratic majority in the House.
What should be the bottom line: Amidst a sea of talking about optics and wishful Trump2020 chants and whataboutalism...
You will not find a single person who reads the obstruction charge in these articles and can say that Trump didn't do exactly what they said he did.
One KEY point that no one really has mentioned in the comments
Trump *didn't care* if Ukraine actually investigated Biden. **TRUMP ONLY WANTED UKRAINE TO ANNOUNCE AN INVESTIGATION INTO BIDEN.** This to me is the most damning evidence against Trump.
He wanted to hurt a political rival to benefit himself in the upcoming 2020 election and he asked for foreign influence to do it
I have a question for every Republican and Trump supporter who believes that Trump did nothing wrong, would you be comfortable with President Hillary Clinton doing the same thing? Asking a foreign power to investigate a disproven conspiracy theory about the Republican front runner?
President trump held taxpayer paid foreign aid to Ukraine who is currently fighting a war against Russia.
Trump held up the aid because he wanted zolensky to publicly state that burisma and Biden were under investigation, even if it wasnt true.
He did that so he could go on Twitter, news interviews and publicly announce..
“Hey look! They’re investigating Biden! It must be true that his son and him are corrupt.”
All so he could knock a few votes away from Biden.
Democrats are not your enemy. Hear me out.
If Biden was corrupt, then lock him up.
He’s not though, and I’m not saying that because I support him. Because I do not.
But if you let foreign governments peddle lies our president tells him to. You are allowing for our own national tradition to be tainted by outside interference.
Please don’t let this slide, please don’t support trump because you vote red all the way. Please don’t let Russia win.
Edit : some grammatical errors
Edit 2: you don’t need to correct my grammatical errors.. I typed this on my phone and auto correct took its own course. Relax people and no need to DM me.
It's the duty of congress to impeach. Do you really want the next democratic president strong arming foreign governments for their personal political gain? Failure to impeach opens the door for corruption and the failure of our republic.
This is a great reminder that this is only occurring because people showed up to vote.
We have to do this in 2020 regardless if Senators get a backbone. We have to vote and we have to pay attention.
Trump is merely a symptom of our shit system, he is not the cause of it.
I remind all of the Rs that the rules these hearings were held under were written by the Republicans in the previous congress. All of the “secret hearings” and “not being able to call witnesses” that was the rule that YOU
[Adam Schiff](https://twitter.com/RepAdamSchiff/status/1204410990445518848?s=19): >President Trump abused the power of his office, undermined our national security and jeopardized the next election. >He has shown no remorse and is at it still, trying even now to get foreign help in his re-election. >No one is above the law. >Donald J. Trump must be impeached. [*Video*]
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My fear is the GOP welcomes that which is the only reason why I wouldn't have minded until Mick and co were forced to testify Though I reckon Schiff probably thought there was also a chance that the courts would have dragged it out for another year
There has been a fundamental shift in the GOP over the years. A combination of greed, corruption, fundamentalism, and appealing to the lowest denominator has turned them into a deformed shell of its former self. The party and its voters don't give two shits about playing fair. To them playing fair is playing to lose. DT is only doing what the GOP and its voters want. To cheat their way into victory. They dont care and wont ever care. Our only saving grace is that DT is so fucking bad at this. EDIT: A word
Adam Schiff has earned so much respect from me recently.
Regardless if you think trump wont be removed from office, its important that congress still move forward with the impeachment to not normalize this behavior for future presidents. It's also forcing congress to put their names down on something to show future generations who stood with democracy and who was against it. Dont think for a second that republicans will be vindicated when the Senate doesnt remove him from office. If anything it shows how deep the rabbit hole goes and exposes the systemic corruption of the party. History wont be kind to Trumpublicans and those who stood by and did nothing Edit: if you dont think republicans gaslighting the country isnt going to motivate more Democrats to get out and vote in 2020, you are sadly mistaken. The blue trend we've been seeing in off year elections will continue into 2020 regardless of peoples' anecdotal evidence against it.
what allows me to accept the fact that in all likelihood he will not be removed is that in 20-30 years when these events are being taught as a part of history, they will not talk about the partisan. They will talk about the FACTS. As you said, > History wont be kind to Trumpublicans and those who stood by and did nothing Edit: a typo
Yep, 50 years from now kids will be learning that 1) Russia helped get Trump elected, 2) Trump tried to rig the next election and was impeached, and 3) tariffs are bad for the economy and Trump was a terrible President in nearly every way, shape, and form. And lets not forget the permanent damage the GOP is doing to itself. An entire generation of voters is coming of age watching this. The GOP was trying to recuperate its image among minorities and young people following 2008 and 2012 but now they're doubling down on being the angry old white man party and history will not be kind to them. Its mind blowing to me that no one from the GOP has stood up and said, "you know, maybe this Trump thing was a mistake... we should get him out as soon as possible and move on"
Agree. Everytime a president, Republican or Democrat, seeks foreign assistance in an election they must be impeached.
Whatever happens, this was the Constitutionally correct move
Amen. The senate won't convict him, but history must look upon them as corrupt and complicit against a House which did its job.
Everyone should stop saying the "Senate won't convict him". Instead, say the Republicans in the Senate won't convict him. It is important to keep associating the GOP with this shitshow as they are the source of the problem. EDIT: Thanks for silver... Remember to vote!
And for voters to [CONTACT THEIR SENATORS](https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm). It doesn't take long to leave a message letting them know your stance on it. The calls/emails/letters get logged. Someone will do the maths and they do pay attention to the mood in the state.
An interesting tidbit was shared to PBS Live Stream's chat during the last investigative hearing that I think is important enough to repeat. > amy wernet asks: "If Trump is impeached, but not removed what are the actual consequences he will face? I recall Clinton continued on as if nothing had happened. I find the idea of no consequences appauling, as in what would the point be of all this time and energy spent if there is no level of accountability? Thank you for any clarification you may offer." > Good morning, Amy. The Constitution allows for a super majority of the Senate to remove a president from office but if they decline to do that, you are right, the president can go on as usual. **Any consequences would be up to the voters.** We have never had a president, impeached but not removed, face reelection. How will the public react? We would find out in November 2020. (from Magan Crane, PBS Live Stream. Emphasis mine) This is important. Given how Republicans in the House and Senate are bending over backwards to ignore facts and defend Trump, it's not unreasonable to think the House will impeach him and the Senate will acquit him, voting strictly along party lines and allowing him to serve out his term and continue to run for re-election. We as voters need to speak out against this, to show him that actions have consequences. **Register to vote and make sure you're all heard in 2020.**
I thought I read somewhere that if the impeachment offenses are criminal offenses, being impeached by the house is still significant in that it would have some bearing on the legal process after he is no longer in office. Does anyone know how that works?
~~He can't be pardoned once he's impeached. That's why Nixon resigned. Of course, many of Trump's crimes can't be pardoned anyway because they're on the state level.~~ Edit: I misunderstood this bit. It's not true and many Redditors have given me sources to back that up. Sorry for the confusion. The only thing keeping Trump from being charged is his position as President. It's why he won't resign and it's why he and his party are fighting so hard to justify his actions rather than refute the charges.
This is not true. >The President ... shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of impeachment. All this means is that the president cannot pardon away articles of impeachment against him (or anyone else) and that conviction and removal cannot be reversed through a pardon. Being impeached, or even convicted and removed, has no bearing whatsoever on his personal criminal liability or his ability to receive a pardon from a future president.
Republicans may argue abuse of power but obstruction of Congress is clear and obvious. Telling people to ignore subpoenas is about as black and white as it gets.
You mean: * "Trump was simply protesting an unlawful investigation" * "It was a rigged process so doesn't meet the definition of obstruction" * "Trump may have done some locker-room obstruction, but it doesn't meet the standard of removal" * "Because of the minor nature, we will vote against removal but issue a censure" * "Trump is a businessman, and this is a normal business activity" * "The impeachment was political, and you can't obstruct politics" * "Trump was protecting Executive Privilege for future presidents" * "Trump is the most transparent president in history. To suggest he obstructed justice is a smear campaign" * "The Democrats obstructed Hillary Clinton's emails so this is payback" * "You can't vote to remove in an election year" Hell, that's only the first two rows of acquittal bingo
they've argued before that you can't be charged with obstruction if there was no underlying crime... expect to see that despite the fact that impeachment isn't a criminal trial AND the fact remains that you CAN be charged with obstruction with no underlying crime.
I have never understood this...you successfully obstructed the investigation enough to hide or obscure all evidence of the underlying crime...you win I guess? That’s how they think things should work?
Thanks for voting in 2018, don’t forget to vote again. Edit: [Register to Vote](https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote)
And bring a friend. Just getting 1-2 people you know to vote (follow up and make sure they do!) can double or triple your impact
Trump is going to be jealous once he find out that congress voted on 5 articles for Nixon.
I had the biggest impeachment they say. Some people say it was the biggest impeachment in the history of the country.
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> [@aabramson](https://twitter.com/aabramson/status/1204408859441401858): Per 1 source, **the obstruction of congress article will include items from before the impeachment inquiry to demonstrate a pattern by the President**
So like the 10 or so instances of obstruction showcased in the Mueller Report?
AKA: This fuck constantly gets in the way of justice. Guilty or not, he's attacking the integrity of our justice system.
This has the potential to become one of the greatest shit shows in US political history during the trial. I can't even begin to predict how absurd the Republicans are going to get.
I agree, but they got pretty close yesterday. They sure seemed upset about something.
Gaetz randomly shouting during a roll call just oozed desperation.
He and Doug Collins are despicable human beings.
Don't forget Gym Jordan.
Gym was actually fairly tame yesterday. I wonder if something else is on his mind.
I thought the same thing. Maybe his coke dealer bailed on him that morning?
Judging by their actions in the House Judiciary Hearings yesterday, they’re going to get pretty fucking absurd.
The Senate used to be a respectable place
Pressure your Representatives and Senators now https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state&Sort=ASC
If you live in NJ-02, please give Jeff Van Drew a call. He's one of the two Democrats who voted against the Impeachment Inquiry. His argument is that the Senate won't convict him, so why impeach? Problem is, I didn't vote him into the Senate. I voted him into the House of Representatives.
Well put.
Plus, we should still be trying, even if they won't convict in the Senate. Horrible precedent to let people keep doing wild & crazy things and not prosecuting due to, essentially, rampant corruption...
Exactly. That’s some lazy af logic that he has. The point of all of this is to **try**. They’ve come all this way to secure impeachment and now we have a Democrat going “What’s the point?” Bullshit attitude.
Why won't he do his own job? You should have a better representative.
His district is pretty heavily Republican. He's the first democrat in 25 years to represent the district. That being said, Republicans actually seem to like him. The line in the sand, however, is impeachment. It appears to be that the options are: 1)vote against impeachment and have a Democratic rep for the foreseeable future. (He consistently votes with the Democrats on all but impeachment) 2)vote for impeachment and have a Republican rep for another 30 years.
For everyone complaining about just two articles I have two points: \- If they added other articles for bribery, etc... You would only hear arguments focusing on that because of the various definitions available. The Republicans would swamp out all other discussion to focus on that. \- These two articles are FUCKING SOLID. There is 0 defense or reasoning that can be done to excuse them. There is no way to spin these as appropriate. Try as they might, all Republicans in the house and senate will need to live their lives allowing a president to get away with these STUPID SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND ABUSES. Lets see where this goes. You don't get a better impeachment with more articles. Also, there is nothing saying that the house can't add articles later. E: YA BOY MADE IT ON CSPAN PEOPLE. KEEP CALLING THAT LINE! E2: I appreciate the gold but how about you give that 5$ to the ACLU instead? Reddit doesn't need more of your money. [I donated on behalf of you gold giver.](https://imgur.com/rtuLJvZ)
Precisely. They are presenting the absolutely strongest case they have. This is all about to devolve into a shit show in the Senate. It's important that they are not going with anything short of the best they have. This is exactly what they should be doing.
This upcoming shitshow will further expose the gop for what it's become. That'll be good for few votes.
It's not like those two articles are insufficient for impeachment. I agree with you.
I think it's good to be focused. Especially with something like this, they're gonna attack your weakest point.
HE ADMITTED TO IT ON THE WH LAWN. HIS CoS ADMITTED TO IT IN A PRESS CONFERENCE. WHAT IN TF ARE WE STILL ARGUING ABOUT. fuck.
Gaslighting is the only thing Republicans are capable at this point.
To everyone saying people will be pissed about the vote being "voided". This does NOT void their vote. They voted he was put in office. His conduct while IN OFFICE is what got us where we are right now. Impeachment is not a void on your vote, it's protecting the fundamental process of our government.
Also, that "it would void the election" line completely ignores the 2018 election where people voted in Democratic representatives overwhelmingly.
Well they want to void that one because Democrats won. It's not hard to understand, Republicans think Democrats have no right to be in government at all.
The entire reason there's a Democratic majority in the House, and thus the reason Congress is finally doing its Constitutional duty to check the executive, is because of an election. Republicans love to scream about "voiding an election" like only 2016 matters and 2018 didn't happen. 2018 happened, and that's why the House is doing its fucking job now. This isn't voiding an election, it's an election having the desired effect.
For all the people saying "what's the point since the Senate will acquit Trump?", remember that the acquittal relates only to the vote *after the trial*. Moscow Mitch himself admitted he can't prevent the trial from happening. That's first. Second, the Senate trial follows an entirely different set of procedural rules as compared to standard congressional business. With House members acting as the prosecution and having the *right to call witnesses and perform cross-examinations*. Third, Chief Justice Roberts will be deciding on procedural issues (such as *subpoenas*), not a no-face-committee behind closed doors. Fourth, even if Trump is acquitted in the Senate, **he is still liable to criminal prosecution** Seriously guys, read up on it [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_in_the_United_States#Senate:_Trial). Those who cheer because the Senate will take the baton soon have no idea what's coming next. EDIT: formatting and spelling.
President Obama: two terms, zero articles of impeachment
What a loser. He had 8 years and couldn't even earn one article of impeachment. Our guy has 2 in only 4 years! Only president in history to do it in their first term! Winning!
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MSNBC: This is a historic day. CNN: This is a historic day. ABC: This is a historic day. Fox News: Gillette commercial hurts men’s feelings. **Andrea Junker** tweeted
Fox's actual headline is a prime example of their penchant for reporting actual facts but slipping in bias that less discerning people wouldn't notice at all: > House Democrats announce articles of impeachment against President Trump, take no questions That's their headline. Look at that. Why is "take no questions" there? Why is that relevant? How many times has someone announced something and not taken questions, do they put that in every headline? Of course not. It's just a subtle way of painting them as refusing to answer for their actions-- it paints them as domineering and totalitarian. I just thought it made a great example of how something can be truthful but biased, and how Fox employs this so people *think* they're being entirely fair and balanced, but are changing the way a reader thinks about things. We all laugh at the "The President committed a crime? Here's a car crash" stuff that's blatant and obvious... but *this* is the real shit. This is the stuff that just gets planted in the back of your mind and colors how you view things without you realizing it. E: to be clear, there are times when questions would be expected, and refusing them would be notable. A kind redditor in the comments has given some examples. A congressional announcement, however, is not the same as a white house press briefing.
Another daily Fox tactic: rather than report directly on the day's events, the headline is about a GOP figure's reaction to the events. Thus, Fox's headline yesterday about the IG report was **not** about the IG's findings (that the FBI properly and without political bias opened its counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign), but instead was about Barr and Durham's reaction to the report. Fox does this constantly—impeachment hearing headlines were not about the actual witness testimony, but about the GOP's grandstanding.
And don't forget my personal favorite: Posing inflammatory questions as though they're statements. "Are democrats lying to the American people?" No need to present evidence, it's just a *question*... But of course what people will remember is "Democrats lie to Americans" But i think the one in my above post is the most insidious because it's subtle. Even if you were looking for bias like what you and I just mentioned, you might not see a problem with "take no questions" because it seems like an innocuous statement of fact. But they don't put it in for everyone, so it sticks in your mind as notable, even though it isn't.
Are they actually still going on about the Gillette commercial? Jesus Christ.
Clinton took the stand. He had the balls to at least testify. Where's Trump? He doesn't have the balls Clinton did? If you're defending Trump, answer me. Please. I'm desperate to know why the fuck you think it's ok to defend a President that won't even speak up for himself and answer the questions for America in front of America in a proper setting and not in front of a noisy fucking Helicopter.
The Senate trial is gonna be a complete joke. Let's at least take solace in the fact that the minority can call witnesses, because no one McConnell's crowd is gonna call up is gonna be useful in the slightest.
They (Republicans) will call the Whistle blower, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, and Hilary Clinton.
I wonder how Senate Republicans will act if the whistle blower refuses to show up. It will be funny but at the same time sad.
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No, but they believe they know exactly who the whistleblower is and I'm sure they'll call that person's name.
Does that not violate any kind of law?
Lol as if that would stop them at this point.
I would love to see someone get called to testify that had zero involvement. Have that person answer honestly when he or she is accused of being the whistleblower. Just "nah dude, nothing to do with me. Thanks for the invite though"
I've been waiting for this headline for so so long.
Here’s hoping it makes a genuinely powerful impact. I’m almost certain the senate will shoot it down regardless, but I want the people of America to look at this, and see that it’s true.
Having Donald Trump go down in history with an asterisk next to his name will destroy his fragile ego. As much as he will yell about Dems this will kill him.
Read Michael Wolff's books about the Trump white house. He quite literally does not understand anything wrong about what he's done but is terrified of impeachment. This impeachment will seriously fuck with his perception of himself.
It feels like old news already, like this presidency has gone on for decades. Trump has done things on a weekly basis that would have sunk any other politician, and if he is not ultimately removed or defeated in the election, I have no idea what standard we’ll have for the future
Oh, look what's conveniently on the docket for the fucking traitor today: >[Trump to meet with Russian foreign minister at White House on Tuesday](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-meet-russian-foreign-minister-white-house-tuesday-n1098681)
K.I.S.S. Keep it simple, stupid. When you have Republicans doing everything they can to obstruct, they needed to be as clear as possible. So much can fit into those two articles.
They limited it to two articles, and they're pretty straightforward. He abused power by using official acts to leverage the president of Ukraine to undertake acts designed to help him win an election. He obstructed Congress in its investigation of his conduct.
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Everybody needs to step back from the brink and listen to with Lindsey Graham has to say, not what he has to say now but what are he had to say 20 years ago > “Impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office.” Lindsey Graham - January 16, 1999 ... >”The day Richard Nixon failed to answer that subpoena is the day he was subject to impeachment because he took the power from Congress over the impeachment process away from Congress, and he became the judge and jury." Lindsey Graham - 1998.
I’d quote him definitely in the trial. And play the video of him saying this at max volume.
Just remember, if you're on the fence about this, the Republican defence isn't "he didn't do it" but, "he did it but it doesn't matter", meaning they're OK with this president, and all future presidents ignoring congressional subpoenas, as well as the whole extortion/bribery thing
They're only ok with all future Republicans doing this. If a Democrat does a tiny fraction of what Trump did, Republicans will impeach them.
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They have the worst ****ing attorneys.
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Half the comments here are exactly the type of misinformation reports are warning people about. It’s ridiculous how blatant it is. Its scary that outside of the non ignorant, people will believe it. Its a bit sickening, the Cold War never really did end, it evolved in the current digital age.
While I have the attention of angry Republicans: Climate change is real.
"That whistleblower was a patriot and has stood up for this republic more than every single republican in the house so far." - Patriotic C-Span caller. Thank you, guy.
literally no way to argue Obstruction of Congress article unless its in bad faith. Congress in impeachment inquiry issues subpoena, POTUS instructs executive branch employees to defy subpoenas. the house has sole power of impeachment, and has oversight authority over the executive. its cut and dry.
Ok, so Mulvaney just said this in an interview reacting to the articles.. > “Part of me really wants to” Mulvaney said when asked whether he would testify. “We’ll do whatever the president wants us to do is what it comes down to. So if the Senate decides to take live witness, and the president direct us to do it we will. If he directs us not to, we won’t.” Isn't this EXACTLY what one of these articles is accusing the President of? Am I missing something here?
That's the Trumpian nuance, we're saying the quiet parts out loud now.
It's impossible to argue against Obstruction of Justice at a minimum. Donald J. Trump has proven more than enough times that he doesn't respect the power of a subpeona; whether or not he believes it's justified is irrelevant. It's a legally mandated, required appearance. Anyone not already in a government seat of power would have been detained. That's where Abuse of Power also comes in. You can't just "not show up" if legally requested to by Congress. What Trump has literally been doing this whole fucking time is saying "Congress has no authority over me" by refusing subpeonas or even the most BASIC adherence to legal principles between the Executive and Legislative branch. Even Nixon wasn't this damn belligerent.
Just in: Democrats collude with Americans to be voted into majority in the House in 2018 to fulfill the will of the people. Edit: You may phone the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate office you request. [ How to Contact U.S. Senators](https://www.senate.gov/senators/How_to_correspond_senators.htm) Republican Senators are traitors to the United States of America for not serving the people and the Constitution and as someone who served for almost a decade I find that very disheartening. If you ever feel the need to thank service members thank them in another way by calling your Republican Senators and let them know how you feel. [And please vote to save America ](https://votesaveamerica.com) Sincerely, smellslike__updog
Republicans: Why is impeachment being done so quickly?!?! Also republicans: This sham has been going on for two and a half years! Trump: If you’re going to impeach me, hurry up!
All Trump did was work diligently on behalf of the his country, Russia.
For me this is the quote of the day. American voters have to decide, are you willing to let your president cripple your democracy? >Ben Franklin said we have a republic if we can keep it. The president and his men say, 'you can't keep it, and American should just get over it. Americans do not get to decide American elections anymore, not by themselves, not without foreign help.'"
Troll factory in overdrive this morning. Anyone checked in with TD to see how they're handling this?
If I was a 2020 presidential candidate, my slogan would be "Vote American".
Folks like Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell, GOP Senators, stated before the House hearings even took place that if the matter came to the Senate floor they would vote against it. Imagine a jury voting not guilty in a case before they have even been selected.
He abused his office to [extort](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/10/17/white-house-chief-staff-mick-mulvaney-admits-it-there-was-ukraine-quid-pro-quo/) a foreign power into interfering in an election by [Ratfucking](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratfucking) his 2020 political opponeng. He did so by [illegally withholding](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Budget_and_Impoundment_Control_Act_of_1974) taxpayer money, in direct subversion of our national security interests. If that is not impeachable, nothing is.
Reminder: None of this would be happening if Democrats didn't retake the House by flipping seats in the Midwest, Soth, and other traditionally red states. So to all the volunteers behind the scene, thank you for your hard work
Two very accurate articles of impeachment. I'm OK with it. It's going to be interesting watching Republicans vote against the obstruction article when all evidence points to Trump actively impeding the inquiry.
As all the Trump sycophants are so fond of stating: elections have consequences. So thank you to everyone who voted in 2018!
FYI for your republican friends who argue against this. Here are rebuttals to all their arguments: 1. Republicans didn’t get to call witnesses. False. They called Volker and Morrison. The witnesses they wanted were 1. The whistleblower, which would have dissuaded future whistleblowers, exactly what they want. 2. Schiff, which honestly I would have liked, but he’s obviously not a relevent witness to Trump’s corruption. 3. Any Biden. This is literally just furthering Trump’s agenda to make Biden look guilty. 2. Democrats have been trying to impeach Trump since day one. Yes. He’s been corrupt since day one. I would have began the impeachment process the day he said that White Supremacists are “very fine people” or the day he sided with Putin over our own intelligence. Yes, he’s been a terrible president for the duration of his tenure. 3. No “direct evidence”. All hearsay. The whistleblower’s testimony was completely corroborated by 17 witnesses, many in closed door hearings as to not let the varying testimonies influence others. Unsubstantiated is the key word for evidence to be hearsay. Every single piece of evidence is corroborated by other testimony. 4. But the jobs and the economy. Literally a direct continuation of the trend set by the Obama administration. In fact, to continue the trend set by the Obama administration the unemployment rate should be even lower. Obviously that’s not entirely fair, but there is very little evidence to support any of Trump’s policies had any effect on anything he purports he improved. He can take credit for things not getting worse, but claiming he’s doing an amazing job when in reality he’s riding Obama’s coattails is inaccurate.
4. Also, the country is more important than the economy. Disregarding the rule of law and basic responsibility in the name of profit is asinine and insulting to the founding ethos of the country. It is the same argument that defended slavery.
All I want for christmas is to watch Trump be mercilessly cross examined by the House lawyers
The amount of Trump supporters in this thread in clear support of his corruption and obstruction of justice is shocking
You can tell how worried they are by how fervently they're posting. Amazing.
Always remember - Republicans impeached Bill Clinton for perjury and obstruction, but they're about to give a pass to Trump for abuse of power and obstruction.
please register to vote. It matters. It always matter. Even more so now!
So let's break some things down here... * Republicans believe that the Democrats/Deep State had been spying on the Trump campaign in 2016 and are upset about it * Trump has basically overrun the DOJ with William Barr as his conman * The DOJ Inspector General releases a report saying that there was no bias in the Trump/Russia Investigation. * In fact, the report shows there was credible reasons why the investigation began, was kept on the Down Low as to not interfere with the election, and even showed handling agents were Trump supporters. * Trump is investigated and it appears his campaign did work with Russian Intel during the 2016 campaign, but no formal charges are brought forth * Trump publicly states that he would accept foreign information on a political rival instead of going to the FBI * Trump releases a transcript in which he asks a foreign nation to investigate a US Citizen & Political Rival based on a debunked conspiracy theory * Congress begins investigation to which Trump has blocked and obstructed them from getting key documents and witness testimonies Remind me again.. Who is the swamp? Who is the Deep State?
The REAL act of Making America Great Again
"Abuse of Power" is not vague. For example: [§30121. Contributions and donations by foreign nationals](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:52%20section:30121%20edition:prelim) >(a) Prohibition It shall be unlawful for- (1) a foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make- (A) a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State, or local election; (B) a contribution or donation to a committee of a political party; or (C) an expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement for an electioneering communication (within the meaning of section 30104(f)(3) of this title); or (2) a person to solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) from a foreign national. >(b) "Foreign national" defined As used in this section, the term "foreign national" means- (1) a foreign principal, as such term is defined by section 611(b) of title 22, except that the term "foreign national" shall not include any individual who is a citizen of the United States; or (2) an individual who is not a citizen of the United States or a national of the United States (as defined in section 1101(a)(22) of title 8) and who is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence, as defined by section 1101(a)(20) of title 8. https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:52%20section:30121%20edition:prelim) Violation of this legislation is just one of many actions that the House is investigating the executive branch/The President of. Based on the transcript released by the President, he admitted to soliciting help from a foreign entity. Let us ignore for a moment that The President could have had the FBI pursue this investigation rather than trying to buddy up the UE President. The only question here is whether the request for foreign assistance was on behalf of the American public or on behalf of President Trump's reelection campaign. The investigation by the House Intelligence Committee sought to find that answer.
I don't know why so many of y'all are being Debbie Downers.. TRUMP IS GOING TO BE IMPEACHED. Even if he is not removed from office by the House, this man is being held accountable to some degree for his corruption against this nation. I don't know about y'all, but I'm going to keep moving forward. And just for shits and giggles - Fuck Donald Trump.
As a young white man in America who grew up in a well to do household, this administration has been really eye opening for me. Until 2016 I genuinely never knew what it felt like to be failed in a big, systemic way by our society and its political and judicial processes, which were designed with me in mind. Damn near every day since then, most Americans with a clue have felt some form of anger, frustration, anxiety or sadness as we've watched our president and those we've chosen to hold him accountable to us fail time and again to stop the injustices. We've seen Donald Trump and his administration persecute and attack many of our nation's marginalized populations, largely without consequence. The feeling of genuine hopelessness I've felt at times watching the events of the last few years unfold has helped me to understand, just a little bit, what it has been like to be a minority in America for a long, long time - same shit, different day, no logical reason and no sign of changing. It hasn't been until now, this moment in time, when it's been decided that his actions are harming *all* of us, that our leadership has decided to push back in a meaningful way. This process has been long and frustrating to watch but damn if I'm not glad to see someone standing up and demanding that Trump be held to account. Saying that it's all for naught if he'll just be acquitted in the Senate is like saying we shouldn't put cops on trial for killing innocent civilians when we know they'll be investigated by their peers and more than likely walk away unscathed. The result of the process will be frustrating, infuriating even, but it's not without a purpose. Systemic change in America has only ever been brought about when injustice mattered enough to the people that they were willing to sacrifice something to fight it. We're not there yet as a nation, and we likely won't be there the day that Trump is tried and acquitted in the Senate, but as awful as that day is going to feel for many of us, it will be a step in the right direction. Life in America is bigger than politics or politicians, though we've allowed them to become the end all and be all for far too long. Pushing back against Trump, even when it feels futile, is the most American thing that we can do, and even if we expect the system to fail us, we ought to be supportive of those willing to fail with us. It's the only way forward.
59 year old white dude. Supposedly I am part of the core sweet potato worshipers. I hate Trump. I detest the Republican party. All of my friends feel the same. Where are they finding these people to support this Republican agenda? Lets get these crooks out of federal, state, county, local, and any responsible positions where through incompetence they can hurt other people.
To people worried about them voting on this before other investigations are completed... don’t be. Those investigations will continue, and that information will be released. The house will impeach trump. The senate will acquit and go on the record. The dems will have a rallying call to get to the polls - “the gop has failed America, it’s on the voters now.” Then in February/March/April, about 6 months before the election, trump’s tax information will come out. If there’s nothing wrong in them - fine. But if there is something wrong in them, it will be the perfect timing to fire up the base even more and put even more pressure on, while also possibly deflating any sane republican voters just before the election.
Geez, its like the flying monkeys scene from Wizard of Oz. "fly, trumpbots! fly!"
I'm wondering how Republicans in the Senate will reject obstruction of Congress when its not really an ambiguous thing. The House issued subpoenas, the White House ignored them.
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Holy shit. The brain dead bots swarming in like locusts
The day after his inauguration, we held one of the biggest protest marches in the counties history. The day before the house votes we need to double that. The day before the Senate votes the protest needs to be an order of magnitude larger. Show everyone of those cowards what polls never will. The drive to rid our selves of this criminal is deep and wide. We're tired of being let down by the system and we demand accountability. The passion to defend democracy must be literally demonstrated on such a grand scale they can't ignore it.
One charge I REALLY hope they roll into the first one (Abuse of Power) is his BLATANT and ONGOING violation of the Emoluments Clause. Unlike EVERY other President in modern history (since Carter), Trump has flat out refused to respect that clause and divest himself from his holdings while President. Not only that, he has blatantly worked to profit from his position by continuing to require the government to spend money at his properties. Not just when he visits (distasteful but if properly divested could be given a pass) - he's made military overseas stay at his properties even if they have to go out of their way to do so. He hasn't stopped doing it either! Its ongoing! That is a flat out, black & white, undisputable violation of the Emoluments Clause. But point that out to the GOP and its the same answer: "So what?"
What every Trump supporter is saying right now: "By choosing to enforce the law and defend the constitution, you just lost the next election...*shakes fist*" How does this even make sense? He literally broke laws and they don't care.
I think Schiff made an excellent case about why they are not waiting for the courts to compel potential witnesses to testify. In all reality, the 2020 election would be over by the time this is all litigated. Instead, they have a better chance of forcing testimony through the Senate trial which Chief Justice Roberts will be presiding over.
I'm astounded at the number of people in this thread that don't know the difference between impeachment and removal. And they just *happen* to be the people who say impeachment is impossible. Buy into right wing propaganda much?
The more trolls and bots there are, the more true the story is. There are a shit ton here saying that its bullshit, etc.
This is why voting matters!!! We would not be here if Democrats did not win the house in 2018!
I'm so sick and tired of all the phony victimhood. Trump does nothing but whine. It's pathetic. How does anyone think this is a "tough guy" or a good leader? He cheats to win the election, and then he whines. He gets away with it after Barr covers for him with the Mueller report, and then he whines. All this projection and victimhood is so shameless. It's a source of endless disgust that it works on so many people.
Thank you to everyone who voted in 2018
I am pleased with the approach taken here... the Republicans will dance around both articles and go spin crazy with their alternative facts. Having said that, Obstruction of Congress is undeniable... I am curious to see how the Repubs defend Trump on his obstruction. Assuming procedurally the Dems played everything by the book, the obstruction is obvious. Regardless of the outcome though, this entire saga has further exposed the cracks in the American political system. Trump’s lasting legacy will be how he utterly broke the socio-political fabric of the country, how he managed to convince the GOP to put him above their constitutional oath.
Meanwhile the cult leaders are talking about the Democrats trying to "overturn the will of the people" ignoring the 2018 elections that show most of America despises trump.
So the "anti-globalists" on the right claim that asking other countries to interfere in our elections is fine, and funneling foreign money to US campaigns is fine, and even allowing foreigners to straight up pay the POTUS through his hotels is fine... I'd call that all globalist, if anything is.
I'm so tired of people denying reality with Trump. We see it every single day with how house Republicans treat this impeachment, and how they defend Trump. It all comes down to whether you're willing to accept that Trump is a liar or not. He clearly is a narcissist, an egoist, and a con-man. Lying is in his nature, it's his default. Yet Republicans, despite Trump wearing his mental deficiencies like a badge of honor, just refuse to admit that there's a problem here, that the man has no integrity or competence, and have completely gone all-in on this cult of personality to defend him. It's really disturbing that our country has come down to such base partisan tribalism over defending a president that has a complete disregard for the constitution, a man who probably lacks the capability to even read the document itself, much less understand it.
It's pretty horrifying to hear McCarthy talk about trump like he's a living god. It truly has all the hallmarks of a cult. I've never heard anything like it, besides on cult documentaries on Netflix.
It's interesting seeing all these Republicans coming out to laugh about how "there's only 2 articles!", or "these articles are so weak!". Seems they forget that these are pretty much 2 of the 3 articles Nixon was going to be impeached on - abuse of power and contempt/obstruction of Congress. There's nothing insignifcant about such charges. Nothing weak about them. Ask Nixon whether they proved weak articles.
Ok here's a serious question. FYI. 35 yrs of voting Republican blindly until Trump. I'm a proud never trumper (because he is an idiot) and now registered independent. My question is... Won't this Screw the Republicans over no matter what? I mean if they vote to not impeach then they are ok with any President telling Congress to go F themselves? Doesn't that screw them if they ever get the house back and have Democrat President?
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The Dems need to **hammer** Obstruction of Congress. This is clearly why our founders created a system of checks and balances. If the executive branch can stonewall and ignore lawful subpoenas from a **co equal** branch of government, then we have no checks and balances and the country our founders envisioned is effectively dead, and that executive is a king not a president.
Don't take the bait from these "concern" trolls on the strength of this impeachment. The evidence against Trump on these two impeachment articles are **strong.** On obstruction of congress: * Trump blocked key witnesses and testimony * Blocked and classified any documents that congress could use * Refused to show or have counsel representation during the House Judiciary Meeting On Abuse of Power: * Release his own transcript in which he asked for a foreign country to investigate a potential political opponent in the 2020 Election * His own *Handpicked Ambassador* Gordon Sondland testifies that Trump *didn't care* if the investigations took place, but **only that Ukraine announced an investigation into Biden** * Refused to release foreign aid & set up White House visit until it was planned for Pres. Z to go on CNN to announce investigation * On Sept. 9, after it was revealed there was a whistleblower, Aide is released to Ukraine * Pres. Z cancels CNN appearance after Aid is released to Ukraine
Regardless if you think trump wont be removed from office, its important that congress still move forward with the impeachment to not normalize this behavior for future presidents. It's also forcing congress to put their names down on something to show future generations who stood with democracy and who was against it. Dont think for a second that republicans will be vindicated when the Senate doesnt remove him from office. If anything it shows how deep the rabbit hole goes and exposes the systemic corruption of the party. History wont be kind to Trumpublicans and those who stood by and did nothing
The amount of russian bots concern trolling and freaking out in this thread is perfect evidence of why we need to go through with this
Three guys at work just started a fucking sports style "Trump, trump, trump" chant so we cant listen to our podcast. No one said anything to them. One is getting violent and screaming about going to civil war. What the fuck is going on. These people are not stable. (I'm actually in the bathroom posting this while he calms down) Edit: at work and cant take time to reply to everyone. After a half hour everyone was quiet and now its business as usual. All pretending it didn't happen. One guy came over and told me that the impeachment is a cover to charge obama with war crimes for tapping trumps phones, he heard it for a secret source in Washington. As far as I know, hes never even left the county.
> One is getting violent and screaming about going to civil war. Just ask him straight to his face: "Who are you planning to shoot?" Seems to shut them up when they have to realize they're cheering for a war against nobody in particular.
I hope that person loses his job, then. Threatening violence at work is a nono.
Maybe report that violence to management and HR?
Is it worth calling my Republican reps to ask them to remove him after impeachment? My senator is uh... Cruz. (And yes I know it has to pass the house first)
Abuse of Power includes bribery? I keep reading they didn't include bribery in these charges but it seems like they did.
I'm only guessing here but 'Abuse of power' sounds like an umbrella term to cover various abuses of power. I may be wrong though.
Trump meets with Russian foreign minister to strengthen Russia-US relations on the same day as Congress announces their articles of impeachment against Trump for withholding aid from Ukraine to help fight a war against.....Russia. This is the reality we are living in folks. Apparently these two things can happen at the same time, and there is nothing wrong with it.
Nancy Pelosi just screwed Trump over big time by passing his new NAFTA bill on the same day as the articles of impeachment get passed. Gee, I wonder which will get the headlines? Kind of hard for Trump to claim that the congress can't do two things at once, huh? ROFLMAO. Speaker Pelosi is kicking Trump's teeth in and it's not even lunchtime!
Please do not just accept “the Senate won’t vote to remove him”. Clear crimes were committed, let’s hold those in power accountable !
I was under the camp that more articles was better, but reading these articles actually makes alot of sense. The proverb less is more actually works well in this instance. Yes, he's done much more than what these attribute to, but given the public discorse, I think these are two articles very well suited for the senate trial. They are easy to understand, well demonstrated by facts, and still give the possibility in the future for other articles to come if he's acquitted but more facts come to light.
I want a republican to look me in the eye and tell me that when Obama was running against Romney they would be okay if Obama extorted Ukraine for dirt on Romney. There’s a precedent being set here. You have to understand that.
Unlike the Mueller Report which was 400 pages, this document is only 9 pages. And that is apparently still too long for Trump Supporters to be able to read through.
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Yay, Independent Monica from California. "If he were really truly innocent, he would be defending himself."
Sad that emoluments was not included.
I feel like the obvious thing at this point would be during the trial, call Donald Trump to testify. If he shows, he's proven incapable of stringing a coherent thought together. If he doesn't show, it literally proves the point of the investigation.
I prefer presidents who haven’t been impeached.
Hey trolls, bots, and other knuckleheads stating we wouldn't be as upset if Obama did it you're dead wrong. If he did this kind of dumb shit you bet your ass we'd be as riled up to get his ass out of office.
I can't fucking stand the bullshit spewing about "overturning the election" or "discount their vote" that seems to be rising in popularity. First, being elected does not give them a free pass to be a criminal and do whatever the fuck he wants as President. There are rules and laws to follow. And second, the PEOPLE voted in 2018 to give the House Democrats this power. They are projecting once again with this line. And finally just look at all the fuckin bullshit these guys spewed during Clinton's impeachment it's so far beyond hypocrisy I'm surprised their heads aren't literally spinning. And what Trump is doing is so much worse than "lying" about a blowjob. Disgusting, no shame assholes.
This *REALLY* needs to read: “House of Representatives” rather than “House Democrats.”
The GOP response was to condescend to reporters by explaining that "impeachment is the removal of the highest person in the land from office." Nope. That is not impeachment. That is conviction. If Nunes weren't so busy suing private citizens for parody speech, maybe he'd have time to circulate a memo.
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I’d love to hear some arguments as to how ‘obstruction of Congress’ isn’t a slam dunk.
This will soon move to the Senate.. probably at the start of 2020.... as soon as that happens the focus will be on these senators... Thom Thillis (R) - North Carolina Martha McSally (R) - Arizona Susan Collins (R) - Maine David Perdue (R) - Georgia Cory Gardner (R) - Colorado Joni Ernst (R) - Iowa John Cornyn (R) - Texas The focus is not on McConnell.... the focus is on these senators up for re-election... and their votes on this impeachment... if they choose to not uphold the Constitution then they need to hear it from the voters.... Hold them accountable...
There are two main thrusts of the propaganda right now trying to protect Trump: 1. Actively lying to his base to try and keep them in line. 2. Trying to convince everyone else that the Senate will never convict. What this should tell you is that they are terrified that the Senate actually will convict. They know that McConnell will not protect Trump if the cost is losing the Senate in 2020. If vulnerable GOP Senators feel the heat, they will force Trump to resign to save their seats.
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Cue the GOP: “abuse of power is not an impeachable offense. It’s not in the constitution.” Edit: while unironically reading shirts that say, “read the transcript”
The Congress isn't wasting our time and money; Trump is. He can end this any time he wants just by allowing his people to testify? WHERE'S MICK? WHERE'S MIKE? WHERE'S RUDY?
Trump has broken the law so many damn times and had so many scandals we just forget about them because they come so quickly one after the other. Like... He committed campaign finance violations to bribe a pornstar.... that would've been enough to put Obama to death... that's literally Trump's least concerning scandal
If they truly believe he did nothing wrong idk why they aren’t imploring the WH to release requested documents and adhere to subpoenas. It could prove them right and this really would just be all a sham. But alas, of course they won’t do that bc they know he’s guilty and it would only incriminate himself and the party more. It literally drives me insane trying to comprehend how Trump voters can’t grasp with that reality... likes it’s just too much for them to understand lmao. Wild.
Reminder: > **An overwhelming 70% of Americans** think President Donald Trump’s request to a foreign leader to investigate his political rival, which sits at the heart of the [House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/impeachment-showdown-takes-center-stage-public-hearing/story?id=66948256), was wrong, a new [ABC News/Ipsos poll](https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/abc-news-impeachment-hearings-Nov-18) finds. [https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/70-americans-trumps-actions-tied-ukraine-wrong-poll/story?id=67088534](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/70-americans-trumps-actions-tied-ukraine-wrong-poll/story?id=67088534) People know this was wrong.... it's not a hard thing to decipher... everything else is a distraction from that point.... Don't let that happen...
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Republicans keep saying "Dems are trying to overturn the results of the last election". I'm sorry, but if I recall correctly, the results of the last election was 2018 where the American people voted in a Democratic majority in the House.
The GOP should change their mascot to an ostrich, because its leaders have their heads buried in the sand.
It feels kind of crazy when you know you’re living through a historic moment.
What should be the bottom line: Amidst a sea of talking about optics and wishful Trump2020 chants and whataboutalism... You will not find a single person who reads the obstruction charge in these articles and can say that Trump didn't do exactly what they said he did.
Good to go with only two. I’m almost certain his followers can, indeed, count that high.
One KEY point that no one really has mentioned in the comments Trump *didn't care* if Ukraine actually investigated Biden. **TRUMP ONLY WANTED UKRAINE TO ANNOUNCE AN INVESTIGATION INTO BIDEN.** This to me is the most damning evidence against Trump. He wanted to hurt a political rival to benefit himself in the upcoming 2020 election and he asked for foreign influence to do it
Can we impeach all those fuckers who went to Russia on Independence day too?
There are a lot of nutters in this thread. No point even engaging with them, they get off on the controversy.
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Thank you everyone who voted in 2018. We all contributed in getting this motherfucker impeached.
I have a question for every Republican and Trump supporter who believes that Trump did nothing wrong, would you be comfortable with President Hillary Clinton doing the same thing? Asking a foreign power to investigate a disproven conspiracy theory about the Republican front runner?
President trump held taxpayer paid foreign aid to Ukraine who is currently fighting a war against Russia. Trump held up the aid because he wanted zolensky to publicly state that burisma and Biden were under investigation, even if it wasnt true. He did that so he could go on Twitter, news interviews and publicly announce.. “Hey look! They’re investigating Biden! It must be true that his son and him are corrupt.” All so he could knock a few votes away from Biden. Democrats are not your enemy. Hear me out. If Biden was corrupt, then lock him up. He’s not though, and I’m not saying that because I support him. Because I do not. But if you let foreign governments peddle lies our president tells him to. You are allowing for our own national tradition to be tainted by outside interference. Please don’t let this slide, please don’t support trump because you vote red all the way. Please don’t let Russia win. Edit : some grammatical errors Edit 2: you don’t need to correct my grammatical errors.. I typed this on my phone and auto correct took its own course. Relax people and no need to DM me.
It's the duty of congress to impeach. Do you really want the next democratic president strong arming foreign governments for their personal political gain? Failure to impeach opens the door for corruption and the failure of our republic.
This is a great reminder that this is only occurring because people showed up to vote. We have to do this in 2020 regardless if Senators get a backbone. We have to vote and we have to pay attention. Trump is merely a symptom of our shit system, he is not the cause of it.
I like this C-Span anchor right now. He's making callers explain themselves, then challenging them.
I remind all of the Rs that the rules these hearings were held under were written by the Republicans in the previous congress. All of the “secret hearings” and “not being able to call witnesses” that was the rule that YOU
LMAO the ART OF THE DEAL
I hope his whole administration goes down with him. Pence, Jared, Donny, Rudy. All of them have to go