MSNBC Segment on ‘How Impeachment Works’ Gets Process Wrong

Newsbusters.org ^ | August 22, 2018 | Kyle Drennen

[Kaslin]

In his haste to outline the impeachment process for liberal viewers hoping to see President Trump removed from office, on Wednesday, MSNBC anchor Ali Velshi got a couple key facts wrong. Later in the 11:00 a.m. ET hour show, Velshi corrected his mistakes after being alerted to them by members of the audience via social media.

As he reported that the “president’s campaign manager...was found guilty in an Alexandria, Virginia, courtroom within minutes of the president’s personal lawyer pleading guilty in a New York City courtroom, implicating the president in his crimes,” Velshi walked over to a touchscreen monitor in the studio displaying the headline, “How Impeachment Works.”

MSNBC Segment on ‘How Impeachment Works’ Gets Process Wrong

Aided by on-screen graphics, the host began to summarize the congressional process: “First of all, the House of Representatives draws up articles of impeachment. Think of the House as the prosecutor, the document details any, quote, ‘High crimes and misdemeanors that the president is believed to be guilty of.’”

He then falsely explained:

Next, the House votes. At least two-thirds of the chamber has to approve the impeachment. Two hundred and eighty-eight votes, as it’s currently constituted, since there are four vacancies in the House right now. This is a high bar, making many impeachment proceedings a bipartisan effort, neither party can do it on their own.

In reality, only a simple majority is required in the House for an impeachment vote.

Velshi made another blunder as he outlined the next step:

Once the House approves the articles of impeachment, the matter goes to the Senate, which acts more like a courtroom. The Senate tries the case and votes, acting as defense, judge, and jury. Again, the threshold is two-thirds. So even half the chamber voting to impeach would still acquit the president. Two-thirds of the Senate, 60 as it stands right now, are needed to vote guilty for impeachment.

While the Senate does require a two-thirds majority vote on impeachment, that number would be 67, not 60. Immediately following his error-laden explanation, Velshi engaged in a discussion with presidential historian Jon Meacham and National Constitution Center president Jeffrey Rosen, neither of whom pointed out his inaccurate reporting.

Only after being informed by viewers on social media during the following commercial break about getting the impeachment process wrong did Velshi correct the record:

Welcome back. Some days we love social media because a number of you sent me information about something I made a mistake on in the last segment. So I want to correct that real quick. To impeach the president, the House needs only a simple majority, not two-thirds. The House needs a simple majority. The Senate does need a two-thirds majority, but that would be 67 of the senators, 66 of the senators or 67, someone will help you with the math on that, but the fact is, its two-thirds of 100 senators, depending on how many seats in the Senate are actually filled at any given time. So thank you to those of you who sent that information.

Velshi could have double checked the widely-available information with any number of sources. In May of 2017, The New York Times explained the impeachment process in a lengthy article, already eagerly anticipating the end of the Trump presidency only a few months after he took the oath of office.  

Here is a full transcript of Velshi’s initial August 22 explanation segment:

11:02 AM ET

(...)

ALI VELSHI: The president’s campaign manager – let's walk over here with me – was found guilty in an Alexandria, Virginia, courtroom within minutes of the president’s personal lawyer pleading guilty in a New York City courtroom, implicating the president in his crimes. All of it bringing impeachment back to the forefront. Let’s take a look at the process of impeachment.

[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: How Impeachment Works]

First of all, the House of Representatives – okay, let’s do that, let’s open that up [struggling with touchscreen monitor]. There we go, alright. First of all, the House of Representatives draws up articles of impeachment. Think of the House as the prosecutor, the document details any, quote, “High crimes and misdemeanors that the president is believed to be guilty of.” Only the House can bring charges against a president, but any individual congressperson can start this process.

Next, the House votes. At least two-thirds of the chamber has to approve the impeachment. Two hundred and eighty-eight votes, as it’s currently constituted, since there are four vacancies in the House right now. This is a high bar, making many impeachment proceedings a bipartisan effort, neither party can do it on their own.

Once the House approves the articles of impeachment, the matter goes to the Senate, which acts more like a courtroom. The Senate tries the case and votes, acting as defense, judge, and jury. Again, the threshold is two-thirds. So even half the chamber voting to impeach would still acquit the president. Two-thirds of the Senate, 60 as it stands right now, are needed to vote guilty for impeachment.

Now if they do, the president is removed from office, the vice president would then take his place. We have never gotten to this step before, with the Senate acquitting Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Richard Nixon resigned before impeachment proceedings could begin. Had he not done that, he would have been impeached.

Joining me now, presidential historian Jon Meacham and president of the National Constitution Center Jeffrey Rosen.

[Kaslin]

That arrogant pos former occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave sure did a lot of impeachable things. You got that right.

[Henchster]

Velshi could have double checked the widely-available information with any number of sources.

He should have known without double-checking available sources simply by remembering his reading of the U.S. Constitution.

Oh, wait a minute, this anti-American asshat would never read something so pro-American.

[DesertRhino]

They left out the part where several million angry citizens show up outside. With rifles and pitchforks and torches

[faithhopecharity]

if a sitting president’s lawyer is stupid enough to actually let his client sit down with Mueller.....no, its impossible that PDJT would actually agree to such a dangerous, ridiculous, and unnecessary thing.. from which no good could possible result
the ONLY thing DJT should say now to Mueller and Company, through his AG or a replacement AG, is “You’re Fired~!”

Period.

[kiryandil]

Democrats think that impeachment is like a piece of legislation.

They don't understand that hemp and cherry trees are involved, too...

[Kaslin]

I doubted, and if they did they definitely failed them.

[kiryandil]

They have no idea what they are dealing with.

Nope. Millions of enraged people with blood in their eye aren't going to show up in the Swamp and put all those cherry trees to good use...

Just to be on the safe side, they should start practising holding their breath for long periods of time...

[colorado tanker]

Math is hard!

[pgyanke]

After all, How many Presidents have been impeached to-date...

Not enough...

[glennaro]

They will realize soon enough that a significant portion of the 63 Million voters the Left is attempting to nullify will not “take kindly” to their actions.

[kiryandil]

They left out the part where several million angry citizens show up outside. With rifles and pitchforks and torches

Don't worry - they have millions of armed security guards.

Oh, wait - they don't...   

[lapsus calami]

 

 

Absolutely - no gain to be had. Nothing but a trap, and outside the powers of any pissant 'special counsel' to demand to begin with. But that won't stop every dirtbag on every media outlet screaming for it. Gonna be interesting how Trump shoots all that down.

 

 

[faithhopecharity]

trump can shoot it down by simply ignoring it himself, referring any inquires to his lawyers

or he could just tweet “I’ve done nothing wrong, nobody has shown I’m doing anything wrong, and all these idiots who are claiming otherwise can GTH! Its offensive to me.. but far more importantly, its offensive to the American voters that these media and leftwing political operatives have been lying 24/7 to all of us. But, our republic is much stronger than all of that. Now then, I have work to do, work to MAGA, work that the American people elected me to do. End of discussion.”

or something shorter and pithier, as is his style

oh yes, DJT needs to stop tweeting against his AG and just order Sessions to fire the Mueller/Rosenstein witch hunt cabal. If Sessions balks, fire Sessions and hire and AG or acting AG who will do it. Its all up to PDJT as I see it

[kiryandil]

They will realize soon enough that a significant portion of the 63 Million voters the Left is attempting to nullify will not “take kindly” to their actions.

And that the 63 million got to the local Bob's Gun, Ammo And Rope Store before the Lefties did...   

[SERKIT]

So they dropped down from fake news to false news.

[genghis]

My goodness if I was that stupid I would get a gun and kill myself.

[timestax]

[lapsus calami]

 

 

That's a smorgasbord of possibilities you've got there, all plausible. And yet Trump tends to do the unexpected - a lot of times something that nobody even anticipated. Like I said, gonna be interesting.

 

 

[spacewarp]

And if they pull the trigger on impeachment, I fully believe it will go from cold to hot in minutes.