Posted on 10/29/2019 10:39:19 AM PDT by Liz
House Democratic leaders are walking back a planned vote Thursday that would officially endorse impeachment proceedings and say that the resolution would merely address the process of holding public hearings on the matter.
“This is not an impeachment resolution,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters Tuesday morning. “I don’t know what an impeachment resolution is.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Monday that the planned vote was “not an impeachment resolution.”
Earlier in the day, Pelosi announced the House would vote on a resolution that “affirms the ongoing, existing investigation,” and “establishes the procedure for hearings that are open to the American people, authorizes the disclosure of deposition transcripts, outlines procedures to transfer evidence to the Judiciary Committee as it considers potential articles of impeachment, and sets forth due process rights for the president and his Counsel.”
Pelosi characterized the vote as one that would put to rest accusations by President Trump and the GOP that the impeachment proceedings are not legitimate because they were not sanctioned by an official House vote.
“We are taking this step to eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump Administration may withhold documents, prevent witness testimony, disregard duly authorized subpoenas, or continue obstructing the House of Representative,” Pelosi said Monday.
But Democrats are suddenly wary of calling it an official vote to open an impeachment hearing and aren’t even promising a vote on Thursday.
Hoyer said the resolution “addresses moving from the investigatory phase to the hearing phase,” of the impeachment proceedings, entering the public phase. Hoyer, who controls the floor schedule, would not fully commit to holding the vote on Thursday. “We are going to have to consider whether or not it is ready to go on Thursday,” Hoyer said. The resolution will be drafted and advanced Wednesday by the House Rules Committee, whose Democrats operate as an essential arm of the speaker.
Hoyer described the resolution as one that would establish a process for ending the closed-door investigatory phase of the impeachment proceeding, which has so far involved depositions taken in a secure room in the basement of the U.S. Capitol.
The House Intelligence Committee has been running the proceedings since late September, and lawmakers from Foreign Affairs and Oversight and Government Reform have been invited to attend and ask questions. The resolution expected Thursday would “address the process,” of ending the closed-door depositions “into a phase when we have public hearings.”
Hoyer added, “That is what this is: No more, no less.” The resolution is expected to provide the Intelligence panel with sole authority to conduct the public hearings, which departs from precedent.
Past presidential impeachment hearings involving both judges and presidents have always been conducted by the House Judiciary Committee.
The resolution is expected to provide minority Republicans with an opportunity to call witnesses and for Trump to defend himself against Democrats who accuse him of abusing power and obstructing Congress.
Hoyer said he didn’t know when public hearings would begin.“We still want to do this expeditiously, but we are not bound by any time deadline, Hoyer said.
I am no lawyer, but I think I read that the judge in the case you cite is partisan, so the ruling will probably got to USSC for appeal. If its what I am thinking about, its an argument regarding two issues: a) that the Mueller grand jury testimony is not to be made public by law, so Barr cant release legally, and 2) the co-equal branch/executive privilege issue. I am not sure if its one or both. But I dont think its a settled issue.
More like Congressional Rats Abysmal Party or CRAP for short.
1)The goal of impeachment is to grind beltway business to halt and wound POTUS for 2020. The Dems have always known it was extremely unlikely the GOP Senate would convict.
2)Any Dem Senators running for POTUS would be front and center of any Senate trial. Thus getting near unlimited free campaign ads from Fake News TV.
There is really no reason for Pelosi to wrap impeachment up now and many reasons for the Dems to drag this out for many months more.
I’m afraid that this country is fast becoming solidly divided between Trump supporters and hard-core lefties. There’s certainly no “middle” left in the Republican Party. Look at Mittens (I forget his new girlie-name). He might as well be a hard-core lefty.
1) the beltway business has been at a halt since January of this year when Nancy was handed the gavel.
2) the trial requires the senators to sit and listen to the presented evidence. no speeches, no grand standing, just sit on their asses and listen, for days or weeks or however long it takes. It would not help anyone's campaign. It would kill it effectively.
What are ya? CHICKEN?!?!
*BWACK BWACK* ;)
There’s a risk there though.
Unless they can figure a way to make the process look legitimate it risks them looking exactly like what Trump has branded them: “Do Nothing Democrats”
They will immediately impeach when Ginsburg goes to her grave.
That is what this is.
Howell is a partisan hack. The most recent filing in the case is DOJ notice of appeal and motion for stay, so Howell for sure is not the last word. Loser at appeal will likely petition SCOTUS to take the case, but SCOTUS has no obligation to take it.
Both issues you raise look different under an impeachment investigation. The first question is whether or not that condition exists.
The people in the government are willing to use the government to plant and drive false rumors in order to turn elections (Russian collusion hoax), so it is no wonder they are also willing to subvert any other practice the government engages in. Congress and the courts are driving the Ukraine “hoax.” Violation of executive secrecy to start with, misreading of call to be “digging dirt for political purposes” not “looking to settle an allegation of corruption,” then abusing the institution of the House.
It’s worse than “pretty bad.” The government has cut out its own basis for legitimacy.
I agree this is not good.
It has been divided between free people and closet communists for a long time, FRiend. President Trump put a face to the free people and the closet communists begin coming out and showing their true colors. Then those on our side began, in ones or twos, opening their eyes to reality.
yes but THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES according to the us constitution has the power to impeach:
The House of Representatives...shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.
ARTICLE I, SECTION 2, CLAUSE 5
thus to implement an impeachment inquiry or rules of impeachment, IMO the whole house must vote on the inquiry. as you say there are no standing house rules. They at that time would authorize the inquiry and its limitations and powers such as subpoenas. We have a rogue House of Representatives acting against the Constitution. Maybe we should start impeaching them starting with Pelosi and Schiff...
Liz had her arms twisted by the lefty Alinskyites in the Dem Party.
Pelosi has lost her ‘Speakership’ and is now a mere prop for the likes of AOC.
Let it keep cranking Nancy. All you are doing is inflating the number of voters for our President.
TRANSLATION: “We don’t have the votes!”
If they thought that would happen, they would have voted overwhelmingly for it already, from both parties. In their minds, the military and law enforcement would deal with all 60 Million of us knuckle draggers and they would have a wonderful country all to themselves and their preferred weirdos...
They really do think that the swamp creatures at the ball game Sunday represents the country, not just their little dysfunctional corner of it.
“She’s saying she will re write the rules.... uh huhhh.”
As long as they have 218 votes, they can choose to follow existing rules, write new rules, or adhere to no rules at all.
It is entirely the exclusive choice of the majority. They can do whatever pleases them.
“As long as it is fake impeachment, Trump and his administration have no duty to cooperate.”
He has no duty to cooperate whether the House holds a vote or not.
It’s called separation of powers.
And the Judiciary has no role.
Early voting is under way. This is all posturing to get the Democrat base excited in an off year election.
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