Posted on 11/07/2019 10:19:48 AM PST by jazusamo
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Republicans must justify the relevance of witnesses they want to call in public hearings as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
Schiff in a letter to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the panel, late Wednesday outlined questions that will be used to weigh whether a witness's testimony would be germane.
Among the questions are whether President Trump requested “that a foreign leader and government initiate investigations to benefit the President’s personal political interests” and if he sought to use his office “to apply pressure on the head of state and government of Ukraine to advance the President’s personal political interests,” including leveraging an Oval Office meeting or millions of dollars in military aid.
Schiff also said witnesses must speak to whether the president or administration officials sought to obstruct or cover up any evidence regarding Trump’s actions.
Republicans must submit their witness requests to Schiff by Saturday, including a written justification for the relevance of the testimony from each person they intend to call.
House Democrats announced Wednesday that they will hold their first public impeachment hearings next week as they ramp of their investigation into Trump's dealings with Ukraine.
Schiff said that William Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine, and George Kent, a top State Department official, will testify on Wednesday. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch is then expected to testify on Nov. 15.
Democrats and Republicans on the House Intelligence, Oversight and Reform, and Foreign Affairs committees have already conducted several interviews behind closed doors.
Schiff said in the letter to Nunes that Democrats don’t intend to request public testimony from every witness the committees have already interviewed, and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) has said the GOP would likely seek testimony from people beyond those who have already spoken privately.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) added Thursday that Republicans intend to subpoena the government whistleblower who first raised alarm about interactions between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The effort is likely to fail, however, as Democrats have said they do not intend to out the anonymous figure over safety concerns and that other witnesses have already gone beyond what the official alleged.
The House’s impeachment inquiry was launched in September amid Democratic concerns that Trump leveraged $400 million in military aid to pressure Zelensky to open an investigation into unfounded corruption allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden, a top candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, and Biden's son.
The White House has repeatedly blasted the House investigation as a "witch hunt" and decried Democrats' efforts as "unhinged" after they voted to formalize the inquiry last week.
Democrats have countered the president has abused his oath of office by seeking to involve foreign nations in U.S. domestic politics after publicizing testimony from several witnesses saying there was a quid pro quo surrounding Trump's dealings with Ukraine.
Just gets worse, I’m sure he’ll just judge against the relevance.
A fishing expedition on one side and obstruction on the other...
And once again, it’s not about the Dems stopping. It is about not aiding and abetting their rigged impeachment, but discrediting it as the partisan sham it actually is. It’s about not buying into and supporting their entire premise of stacking the deck and tying Republican hands. Republicans can reject having their hands tied by walking out en masse. Let the Dems try to do anything without a single Republican even in the building.
The GOP needs to stop playing and disrupt Schiff’s star chamber. Walk out en masse. Interrupt every question, force Schiff to use force against them and accuse Schiff or conspiracy with foreign intelligence services, etc. etc.
What? The GOP has no balls? You have got to be joking.
Just how insanely stupid do you to have to be to take this obvious infantile irrationality seriously?
democrat stupid
The Senate Trial should Mirror the House Action, with DemonRatz being cut out and marginalized.
The potential witness heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it from another....
I agree. The Dems are proving true “Any excuse will serve a tyrant.” There is much more than the fate of Trump and his policies at stake here.
Republicans SHOULD submit whatever they need to and immediately go off script in the hearing. Make Schiffstain try to shut them down. This IS a circus. Make it a circus.
Yes indeed a Ten Ring Circus!
Evidence that establishes an alternate theory of the case is always relevant.
he is Captain Kangaroo Court.
= = =
Captain Kangaroo is an American children’s television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS from October 3, 1955, until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast
children’s television program of its day. Wikipedia
First episode date: October 3, 1955
Final episode date: December 8, 1984
Number of episodes: 6,090
= = =
Capt. K is OK in my book.
I want Schiff to prove his relevance to exist as a human being instead of the psychopathic liar that he is.
You understand it, perfectly. I'm hoping Nunes, Meadows, and company play it out publicly andrepeatedly how the rules are completely and unfairly slanted. We know the RATS make a continual spectacle in every hearing, it's well past time for the conservatives to do the same. The average House Republican is puddling the floor at the mere thought, as usual, so it's left to the conservatives.
The conservatives need to making multiple points including why we have a constitutional republic not a democracy to avoid abuses of the minority like this and why also we have an Electoral College to prevent electing a President like this. I know, I know, lofty ideals but they're not going to get a chance to ask any real questions or bring in a real witness and I have faith in the House conservatives and, of course, the savvy of this President.
The RATS ought to be watching the climactic scene in Quigley Down Under to see how it's going to go for them because one day the President will stand over them as Quigley did over Hans the Terrorist :) and say,
Said I didn't have much use for cutthroat politics in Washington. Never said I didn't know how to play cutthroat politics in Washington.
Thanks, and good laugh there at the end.
We’re on the same page.
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