White House attempting gambit to slow House impeachment push

[rooster59]

White House attempting gambit to slow House impeachment push

By Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle

 

U.S. President Donald Trump responds to a question about Ukraine and the whistleblower report during a joint news conference with Finland's President Sauli Niinisto at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 2, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's bitter fight against an impeachment inquiry has not slowed down the Democrats' push to investigate whether he sought personal political gain by urging Ukraine to probe Democratic opponent Joe Biden.

 

But in a new tactic, the White House plans to argue that U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi must have the full House vote to formally approve an impeachment inquiry, a source familiar with the effort said.

 

Without a vote, White House lawyers believe Trump can ignore lawmakers' requests, the source said, meaning the federal courts would presumably have to render a decision and potentially slow the march toward impeachment.

 

A White House letter arguing Pelosi must hold a House vote could be sent to Capitol Hill as early as Friday, the source said. It comes as the Democratic-led House Intelligence Committee plans to issue more subpoenas in the coming days as it pushes ahead with the investigation.

 

Trump's gambit is emerging at the end of a storm-tossed week for him as the president lashed out at Democrats, reporters and anyone else standing in his way to air complaints that he was being unfairly accused and had done nothing wrong.

 

Democrats want to prove Trump sought personal political gain by appealing to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July 25 phone call to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, who earned money from a Ukrainian gas company.

 

Joe Biden, the former vice president, leads in most opinion polls among the 19 Democrats seeking their party's nomination to take on Trump in the November 2020 election.

 

Trump sees the impeachment probe as a harassing follow-up to the Russia investigation that failed to knock him out of office over accusations that he colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign.

 

In a new wrinkle, Trump said on Thursday that "China should start an investigation into the Bidens" over Hunter Biden's business ties to China, again inviting foreign interference in a U.S. presidential election.

 

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China experts said Beijing was unlikely to act on Trump's invitation.

 

Administration officials did not know Trump was going to raise the issue of China but said he had talked about it previously and they were not surprised by it, two sources familiar with the situation said.

 

Trump's appeal to China was particularly striking given that Washington and Beijing are locked in a bitter trade war that has damaged global economic growth. They are due to hold another round of talks in the United States next week.

 

FRIDAY HEARING

 

A whistleblower's report about Trump's conversation with Zelenskiy lies at the heart of the Democratic complaint.

Michael Atkinson, who is the inspector general of the intelligence community, had reviewed the complaint and determined it raised issues of "urgent concern."

 

Members of the House Intelligence Committee will return to Washington from their home districts on Friday for a closed hearing with testimony from Atkinson.

 

The hearing is expected to focus on his investigation of the whistleblower complaint against Trump.

 

U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the committee’s Democratic chairman, confirmed that Atkinson would appear on Friday, but the committee has been extremely tight-lipped about his testimony, refusing to disclose even the time of his appearance behind closed doors.

 

Atkinson will be the second high-profile figure in the Ukraine controversy to appear in a secure House interview room in two days, following a lengthy interview on Thursday with Kurt Volker, who resigned a week ago as Trump’s special representative for Ukraine negotiations.

 

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Karen Freifeld; Editing by Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-10-05

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[PatOngo]

It's a pity his heart is not as big as his mouth!

[PatOngo]

9 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

the White House

 

[TopDeadSenter]

As expected this latest in a long line of witch hunts is fizzling out by the second. At this early stage the score is Trump +1, Biden -5, and democrat party -20. Their credibility is now totally shot. It might have been different had there not been the Russia collusion hoax, the peepee dossier hoax, and all the rest of the desperate measures that promised Trump’s fall from grace, yet only served to galvanise his base and productive citizens in general.

 I would be surprised if Schiff doesn’t get dumped this week. It has been embarrassing watching him.

[Samui Bodoh]

51 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

But in a new tactic, the White House plans to argue that U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi must have the full House vote to formally approve an impeachment inquiry, a source familiar with the effort said.

I think this is instructive; notice that there really is no argument in favour the rectitude of his actions, but rather a focus on delay and obfuscation. And, this is the problem; the White House/the Republicans have lost all sense of right and wrong, all sense of ethics and all sense of 'Doing The Right Thing' in favour of power for power's sake

 

The real villain here is the Republican party. Yes, Trump has done horrible, immoral, illegal things and will continue to do so until his ass is tossed in jail, but that is Trump. It is the Republican party that enables him. And, it is the Republican party that will pay the price long after he is gone.

 

There are good Republicans; Romney, Sasse, Porter, Burr and more. But, as long as they play along and allow Trump to flout the law and convention, they are as guilty as he is. Further, all those Senators ran on principles of Good Governance, Rule of Law, Free Trade, the Constitution, Limited Government and Executive Power etc, and they are just cowardly allowing Trump to walk all over those things. There is going to be a vote on Trump's impeachment, and that vote is going to define political careers well into the future (had Hillary voted against the Iraq war, she likely would have beaten Obama in 2008).

 

Be careful Republicans, be very careful. What you do over the next few months is going to affect you for decades to come. And, if you tie your future to Trump, then you'll wear that mark on your forehead like a 'shame' tattoo forever.

 

I have said it before and will say it again;

 

Donald Trump is an ever-expanding cloud of toxic waste that defiles everything it touches.

 

Keep your distance or get splashed...

 

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2019 by Samui Bodoh

[Sujo]

5 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

As expected this latest in a long line of witch hunts is fizzling out by the second. At this early stage the score is Trump +1, Biden -5, and democrat party -20. Their credibility is now totally shot. It might have been different had there not been the Russia collusion hoax, the peepee dossier hoax, and all the rest of the desperate measures that promised Trump’s fall from grace, yet only served to galvanise his base and productive citizens in general.

 I would be surprised if Schiff doesn’t get dumped this week. It has been embarrassing watching him.

Yo do realise biden isnt the subject of the impeachment dont you?

 

Lets not forget the guliano fake dossier hoax.

[Tug]

9 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

As expected this latest in a long line of witch hunts is fizzling out by the second. At this early stage the score is Trump +1, Biden -5, and democrat party -20. Their credibility is now totally shot. It might have been different had there not been the Russia collusion hoax, the peepee dossier hoax, and all the rest of the desperate measures that promised Trump’s fall from grace, yet only served to galvanise his base and productive citizens in general.

 I would be surprised if Schiff doesn’t get dumped this week. It has been embarrassing watching him.

I know you aren’t American so let me help you out a little bit ok?as far as the russan investigation it was found they encouraged and used information from a hostile foreign power the one and only reason Donald hasent been indicted for obstruction of justice is because he is potus so your hoax bs doesent hold water Donald is selling my country’s elections out in a desperate conn to stay in power that sir is a high crime indeed and who knows what else they will find of corse you know all this allready so I usually don’t respond to your .....

[Jingthing]

45 just adding more weight to one of the articles of impeachment that will be coming when Pelosi decides the time is right, if she goes forward which is her choice -- OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESS. 

[Chomper Higgot]

2 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

As expected this latest in a long line of witch hunts is fizzling out by the second. At this early stage the score is Trump +1, Biden -5, and democrat party -20. Their credibility is now totally shot. It might have been different had there not been the Russia collusion hoax, the peepee dossier hoax, and all the rest of the desperate measures that promised Trump’s fall from grace, yet only served to galvanise his base and productive citizens in general.

 I would be surprised if Schiff doesn’t get dumped this week. It has been embarrassing watching him.

You seem to make a great effort to be misinformed.

 

At this early stage there are at least 10 criminal charges in the Mueller report lined up against Trump that will become indictable the moment he leaves office.

 

There are also reports that the CIA General Counsel has filed a criminal referral against Trump with the DoJ. Brace yourself for what that alleges, here’s a clue, it won’t be jay walking.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/cia-s-top-lawyer-made-criminal-referral-whistleblower-s-complaint-n1062481

[mtls2005]

2 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

I think this is instructive; notice that there really is no argument in favour the rectitude of his actions, but rather a focus on delay and obfuscation.

 

The president is running his own defense/attack via twitter, which seems to change by the minute with each unhinged tweet.

 

Jared and Mick are said to be trying to corral him, but this genius has bolted the stable.

 

This "s-tragedy" leaves his supporters grappling with changing talking points. This is why so many republicans have gone to ground.

 

And, I think, there are many, many, many more shoes (Imelda Marcos' closet is reportedly jealous) to drop. Barr, for one, has some 'splainin to do.

 

There are many Whistleblower complaints said to be in process now, including another on the Ukraine Collusion, and one at the IRS. Other patriots will also be leaking to the press.

 

There are rumors, based on FOIA requests, that political appointees have been altering, deleting, shredding records, and that this has been going on for some time.

 

FWIW, Congress is in recess, so any formal vote would likely have to wait until next week? Not sure I'd pin my defense on this overhang?

 

 

 

 

Edited October 5, 2019 by mtls2005

[Chomper Higgot]

2 hours ago, Sujo said:

Yo do realise biden isnt the subject of the impeachment dont you?

 

Lets not forget the guliano fake dossier hoax.

Giuliani’s ‘bundle of lies’ is a clear case of witness interference, a Federal Offense.

 

I’ve said for a while now, Trump needs to focus on prison reforms.

[Chomper Higgot]

We need a volunteer to organize the party.

 

 

[bendejo]

27 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

This "s-tragedy" leaves his supporters grappling with changing talking points. This is why so many republicans have gone to ground.

Have a look at what Marco Rubio has been saying, the "he was only joking" defense.  I've had trouble respecting that guy from the start.  He was the only one in the 2015-16 primaries to call DT out on his stupidity.

 

Imagine this: DT and his veep get the boot, and then, ladies and gentlemen, welcome the new president of the United States of America....

 

"...and I'd like to thank disgraced former president Donald Trump for making this possible..."

Perhaps she will run in 2020 as the incumbent.

 

 

Edited October 5, 2019 by bendejo

[Sujo]

47 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Giuliani’s ‘bundle of lies’ is a clear case of witness interference, a Federal Offense.

 

I’ve said for a while now, Trump needs to focus on prison reforms.

i hope guliano has registered as a foreign agent.

[newatthis]

46 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I’ve said for a while now, Trump needs to focus on prison reforms.

Thank you.

In the middle of discussing fencing problems with a builder [wrong materials ordered etc]. A bit stressful.

Your post made my day

[Srikcir]

6 minutes ago, Sujo said:

i hope guliano has registered as a foreign agent.

As he was/is working at the direction of the Office of the U.S. President - no under U.S. law.

As he was working under the auspices of the U.S. state Department and the Office of the U.S. President, his "lobbying" was official U.S. diplomacy - no under Ukraine law.

But as Giuliani said he wasn't being paid for his involvement (ie., by the federal government), and his activities related to the re-election of Trump in 2020, he has been and continues to provide benefits of value to the Trump election committee. That falls under the Federal Election Commission laws. If both Giuliani and the Trump election committee fail to report such value to the FEC, federal crimes have been committed.

[mtls2005]

I think Giuliani (his security/consulting firm) had a $14 million contract with TriGlobal Ventures involving "work" in Ukraine. This "work" was disclosed as being about public safety/emergency management. Potentially legitimate, I mean sure it looks "corrupt-y" but if I do it it must be OK? 

 

I would assume he was a registered foreign lobbyist?

 

TRIGLOBAL STRATEGIC VENTURES ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL TRIP FOR CITY OF KHARKIV REPRESENTATIVES TO NEW YORK CITY

 

NEW YORK – Vitaly Pruss, President of TriGlobal Strategic Ventures, reports that the meeting between the official delegation from the City of Kharkiv, Ukraine and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and John Huvane, CEO of Giuliani Security & Safety, was a success. The City of Kharkiv was represented by First Vice Mayor Igor Terekhov.

During the meeting Mr. Terekhov expressed gratitude to Mr. Giuliani from Kharkiv’s Mayor Gennadiy Kernes for assisting in organization of the visit of Kharkiv representatives, with the aim being to study the setup and experience of the Offices for Public Security and Offices for Emergency Management in the states of New York and New Jersey. The parties also discussed the areas of future cooperation with the goal of establishing and operating a new Office for Emergency Management in Kharkiv.

 

http://tgsv.net/triglobal-strategic-ventures-announces-successful-trip-for-city-of-kharkiv-representatives-to-new-york-city/

[Chomper Higgot]

28 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

As he was/is working at the direction of the Office of the U.S. President - no under U.S. law.

As he was working under the auspices of the U.S. state Department and the Office of the U.S. President, his "lobbying" was official U.S. diplomacy - no under Ukraine law.

But as Giuliani said he wasn't being paid for his involvement (ie., by the federal government), and his activities related to the re-election of Trump in 2020, he has been and continues to provide benefits of value to the Trump election committee. That falls under the Federal Election Commission laws. If both Giuliani and the Trump election committee fail to report such value to the FEC, federal crimes have been committed.

The use of Federal funds for election purposes is in and of itself a Federal crime.

[spidermike007]

3 hours ago, Tug said:

I know you aren’t American so let me help you out a little bit ok?as far as the russan investigation it was found they encouraged and used information from a hostile foreign power the one and only reason Donald hasent been indicted for obstruction of justice is because he is potus so your hoax bs doesent hold water Donald is selling my country’s elections out in a desperate conn to stay in power that sir is a high crime indeed and who knows what else they will find of corse you know all this allready so I usually don’t respond to your .....

Correct. It is called treason, and Trump is the polar opposite of the patriot he falsely presents himself as. Five deferments from the draft, when his only opportunity to serve his nation, and not his self arrived. Total and complete cowardice. A total unwillingness to put his butt on the line. He would pee his pants if he faced live ammunition.

 

Now, he betrays the national security of his nation, to gain a potential advantage on an opponent. Over and over again. Openly. That is how brazen this crime lord is. It is a gangland administration, and sorry to say, his supporters, and the GOP members of the house and senate are now complicit in his illegal actions. Not only the cover up of the Ukraine calls, but the attempt to out the whistleblower. Both highly illegal. You can make an argument that there was no real proof of the Russian collusion. But the proof of the White House Ukraine crimes is right there, in black and white. Now, Pompeo is completely destroying any shred of credibility he had remaining, by attempting to prevent the state department officials from testifying. Yet, as loyal Americans they are coming forward anyway. Some people are simply unwilling to betray their nation, to the extent Trump, Pompeo and Barr are willing, to cling to power. It is called completely losing the plot and one's moral bearing. Most of us knew Trump lost that ability around the age of 12. But Barr and Pompeo? Shame on them. They have shown us who they really are. 

[Spike1938]

Now that Pompeo has decided to ignore a legal congressional subpoena I don't understand why USA Marshals are not standing at his door with handcuffs at the ready?

[bendejo]

17 minutes ago, Spike1938 said:

Now that Pompeo has decided to ignore a legal congressional subpoena I don't understand why USA Marshals are not standing at his door with handcuffs at the ready?

 

The answer is:

 

These guys have a fondness for this finger-to-the-head gesture, is that to stop the sawdust from leaking out?

 

 

[Srikcir]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

the White House plans to argue that U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi must have the full House vote to formally approve an impeachment inquiry

Unless specified by the constitution, the House makes its own rules.

[sfokevin]

It would be advisable for anyone working in the Whitehouse is do a history refresher course before they withhold testimony or evidence... The next Warren administration will be very thorough... 

 

[Jingthing]

Unless specified by the constitution, the House makes its own rules.

Yes and so does the senate. Which is why the senate leader said he would hold an Impeachment trial if the house impeached which they probably will. The constitution doesn't explicitly require the senate to do so but the senate rules do. However there are no required guidelines about how such a trial is to be conducted from either the constitution or senate rules. So the senate leader can run a 10 minute sham trial if he wants with no legal consequences. But I assume there would political consequences if it's a totally obvious farce of a trial. So I expect they will at attempt to have the appearance of a real trial.

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[Pedrogaz]

Not a clever move by Trump. Moving the inquiry into next year will not help his re-election bid. The best way to impeach is to get hold of his financial records.

[johnmell]

Problem with Trump is he is still operating like the dodgy businessman he was. Being president needs a rather higher set of ethics.

[joecoolfrog]

6 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

As expected this latest in a long line of witch hunts is fizzling out by the second. At this early stage the score is Trump +1, Biden -5, and democrat party -20. Their credibility is now totally shot. It might have been different had there not been the Russia collusion hoax, the peepee dossier hoax, and all the rest of the desperate measures that promised Trump’s fall from grace, yet only served to galvanise his base and productive citizens in general.

 I would be surprised if Schiff doesn’t get dumped this week. It has been embarrassing watching him.

Care to put money where your mouth is , I say Trump will definitely get impeached , whats the wager ?

[mtls2005]

2 hours ago, Spike1938 said:

Now that Pompeo has decided to ignore a legal congressional subpoena I don't understand why USA Marshals are not standing at his door with handcuffs at the ready?

 

Pompeo appears to wear shame-retardent suits.

 

< See his questioning of Secretary Clinton during the Benghazi circus. >

 

He graduated West Point first in his class, as he is quick to tell everyone. The West Point Honor Code is quite succinct:

 

"A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."

 

 

(Yes, I understand that he is no longer a Cadet.)

 

 

 

Best name seen so far for this Ukrainian Collusion:

 

Crackpot Dome

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

37 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes and so does the senate. Which is why the senate leader said he would hold an Impeachment trial if the house impeached which they probably will. The constitution doesn't explicitly require the senate to do so but the senate rules do. However there are no required guidelines about how such a trial is to be conducted from either the constitution or senate rules. So the senate leader can run a 10 minute sham trial if he wants with no legal consequences. But I assume there would political consequences if it's a totally obvious farce of a trial. So I expect they will at attempt to have the appearance of a real trial.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Pelosi won’t put Trump’s impeachment to the vote until Moscow Mitch is begging her to do so in order to prevent more GOP dirt spilling.

 

Pence is already caught up in this mess, the longer it goes on the worse it reflects on the GOP Senators who have been backing Trump.

 

Trump has a narrowing window of opportunity to avoid impeachment by cutting a deal to resign.

 

Moscow Mitch would be wise to encourage Trump to cut a deal now.

Edited October 5, 2019 by Chomper Higgot

[Monomial]

28 minutes ago, joecoolfrog said:

Care to put money where your mouth is , I say Trump will definitely get impeached , whats the wager ?

 

Here's my bet. Trump will definitely be impeached. He will not be convicted.

 

The Republicans made this the new normal when they went after Clinton. Yes, Clinton comitted perjury. He was impeached for this. But there was no outrage in the country to get him convicted for it. People just didn't care that he broke the law.

 

Same here. Trump probably broke a law or 3. He will be impeached. But there is not sufficient outrage in the country to convict him for it.

 

From now on, in the future, every president that doesn't come from the same party as the House can look forward to a possible impeachment for what will become increasingly minor infractions.   It has become a political tool to be used by the opposition. Filibusters in the Senate used to be unimaginable also in the early days, right up until they weren't.

 

But if you are seriously claiming Trump will be convicted or removed from office for this, I will take that bet.