#impeachment proceedings

[katnotjas]

Watching Pelosi’s announcement like

[indignantlyindigo]

I’m listening to the hearing right now and anti-impeachment Republicans seem to be rallying behind the logic that if we impeach trump, it will further divide the country and that’s bad, and that Democrats shouldn’t be asking Pence to remove trump because it shows that they believe in Pence and think he can run the country, so they shouldn’t be asking him if they trust his judgment on the matter already. Circular logic at its finest? Additionally, I think they misunderstand the point of asking Pence to invoke the 25th - it is not a polite request. It is extending the option for the Republicans to fix their mistake within their own house, and if they don’t, we’ll fix it for them.

I am absolutely furious that they have decided to pick up the unity flag after 4+ years of actively trying to divide the country. It is unconscionable and disgusting.

Also one guy just yelled about being made to wear a mask for his entire 2 minutes. So.

[z4howard]

[midnightfunk]

#Projection

[lukemeintheeye]

Transcript reveals how Adam Schiff booted Matt Gaetz from the deposition room

President Donald Trump’s allies took to heart his request that Republicans start fighting back against House Democrats’ impeachment investigation, and one transcript released Friday vividly captures how one such lieutenant tried to crash the proceedings.

At the beginning of the closed-door testimony of Fiona Hill, the White House’s top Russia hand, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff notices a face out of place: Rep. Matt Gaetz, a flamethrowing congressman and Trump ally from the Florida Panhandle.

According to the transcript, Schiff interrupts the opening statement of Rep. Jim Jordan, asking whether there is anyone in the room not on the Intelligence, Foreign Affairs or Oversight committees that are conducting the closed-door portion of the investigation.

“Mr. Gaetz, you’re not permitted to be in the room,” he notes.

When Gaetz asserts that he should be allowed in the room because “I am on the Judiciary Committee,” claiming that “I thought the Judiciary Committee had jurisdiction over impeachment,” Schiff asks him to “please leave.”

“Mr Chairman, really?” Jordan asks.

“Yes, really,” Schiff responds.

“You're going to include Members of Congress on committees that have roles of impeachment —” Gaetz begins to respond, when Schiff interrupts him.

“Mr. Gaetz, take your statement to the press. They do you no good here. So, please, absent yourself,” he says.

[ms-cellanies]

Who Is Jonathan Turley? Republicans’ Lone Expert on Impeachment

A professor at George Washington University Law School, he has represented whistle-blowers, members of Congress and terrorism suspects.

Four EXPERT law professors & authors are testifying before the House Judiciary Committee today.  The proceedings began at 10AM.  All four are WHITE, one woman & three men.  Only one, Jonathan Turley, announced in his opening statement, he had NOT voted for Trump in 2016.  Of the four Turley is the ONLY ONE who has determined the evidence put forward by the House Intelligence Committee is NOT sufficient to bring impeachment charges against the sitting president.  Strangely, at least to me, that he also testified during the Clinton impeachment proceedings and, in that case, determined Clinton had broken the law and should be impeached.  

NOTE:  I normally find Southern accents charming and delightful. That said, I find Ranking Member Collins voice as annoying as fingernails scraped across a chalkboard.  

[sapphic-enigma]

Good afternoon guys hope you all [mainly Americans] are keeping up with the impeachment proceedings seriously this shit wild af

[sarcasticcynic]

Texts Detail Top U.S. Diplomat's Concerns About Possible Trump-Ukraine Quid Pro Quo

In texts released by House Democrats, a career diplomat worries that Washington is tying military aid and a White House visit for the president of Ukraine to an investigation of Joe and Hunter Biden.

Bill Taylor took over as interim U.S. ambassador to Ukraine in May of 2019, after Trump fired Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch for not helping Rudy Giuliani pressure Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to investigate Trump’s chief political rival, Joe Biden, and his son Hunter.

On August 28, Ukraine learned that Trump was holding up U.S. military aid to the country. On August 30, Ukraine learned that Trump was canceling a scheduled meeting with Zelensky. For some reason, Taylor then became concerned that Trump was withholding military aid and canceling meetings because Zelensky hadn’t unequivocally promised to investigate the Bidens.

On September 1, Taylor texted Gordon Sondland, Trump donor and subsequently U.S. ambassador to the European Union:

“Are we now saying that security assistance and WH [White House] meeting are conditioned on investigations?”

Sondland’s only response was “Call me.” There were no further texts, so we don’t know exactly what transpired in that phone call, but Taylor gave us a hint in another text to Sondland on September 9:

“As I said on the phone, I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”

Trump, of course, insists he never did any such thing. Sondland told Taylor he was “incorrect” and instructed him to stop putting things like that in writing.