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As Pelosi Plays Games With Impeachment, What's Next For The GOP?
Townhall.com ^ | December 25, 2019 | Byron York

Posted on 12/25/2019 5:48:44 AM PST by Kaslin

The House of Representatives impeached President Bill Clinton on Dec. 19, 1998. It was a Saturday. The votes, in which two articles of impeachment passed, were held around mid-day. By 3 p.m., the House had named its impeachment managers and physically delivered the articles to the Senate for trial.

Impeachment was on. The House, controlled by a Republican majority, was serious about its ultimately failed effort to remove Clinton from office.

Contrast that to today. On Wednesday, Dec. 18, at around 8 p.m., the Democratic-controlled House passed two articles of impeachment against President Trump. Speaker Nancy Pelosi immediately announced that the House would not appoint managers, and the articles would not be delivered to the Senate. The next day, Pelosi told reporters she did not want to talk anymore about it, and the House went into recess until Jan. 7.

Impeachment was not on, or at least a Senate trial was not on. Pelosi was holding out, apparently, for better terms in a Senate trial.

That is where events stand today.

Pelosi acted after a Harvard professor and zealous impeachment advocate, Laurence Tribe, published an op-ed in The Washington Post arguing the Democratic strategy should be "voting for articles of impeachment but holding off for the time being on transmitting them to the Senate."

Withholding the articles, Tribe said, would strengthen Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer's hand as he negotiates with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the terms of the trial. It would do so, Tribe speculated, "because of McConnell's and Trump's urgent desire to get this whole business behind them." CARTOONS | Tom Stiglich View Cartoon

Without concessions from McConnell, Tribe urged Democrats to withhold the articles indefinitely, because a trial dominated by majority Republicans "would fail to render a meaningful verdict of acquittal."

It seemed a far-fetched idea, to be generous. McConnell and Senate Republicans would be perfectly happy if they never had to hold a trial; after all, they didn't impeach Trump. "I admit I'm not sure what leverage there is in refraining from sending us something we do not want," McConnell said drily.

After the weekly Senate Republican lunch, I asked one GOP lawmaker, via text, what the party's reaction was. He texted back a one-word answer: "Laughter."

Nevertheless, Tribe's idea took off like a rocket in some circles of the Democratic left. His column was published on Monday morning, and by Wednesday night Pelosi had adopted his plan.

Just to be clear: Pelosi has no leverage at all over a Senate proceeding. The Constitution gives the House the "sole power" to impeach, a power Pelosi and her majority used to its fullest. But the Constitution gives the Senate the "sole power" to try all impeachments. The Speaker of the House has no role.

Given that, Republicans have been wondering what Pelosi is up to. Crazy theories -- at least they seem to be crazy theories -- have emerged. Democrats would impeach the president repeatedly. (That was actually a serious suggestion from a New York Times columnist in October.) Or Democrats would never send the articles to the Senate, to keep impeachment hanging over Trump's head. Or whatever.

The key Democrats involved aren't saying. But one plausible notion came from The Hill columnist A.B. Stoddard, who keeps a close eye on Democrats. Party leaders have their eye on the ongoing investigations into Trump, Stoddard said on Fox News Thursday. What about reports of Russian money going to Ukraine figure Lev Parnas' wife? What are prosecutors in the Southern District of New York doing? Is something big coming? There is, Stoddard, said, "a lot of pressure on Democrats to wait this out until there is more to throw at the president."

It's not clear precisely how that would work, because the House has already passed two articles of impeachment that make specific accusations against Trump. Beyond that, withholding impeachment indefinitely in hopes that a federal investigation will come up with something big -- basically what Democrats did in the Trump-Russia affair -- might end in disappointment.

In any event, Pelosi is withholding the articles of impeachment. It is unclear how long she will do it, but it seems they will be withheld at least until Jan. 7 when the House returns for business. That alone will delay a Senate trial significantly. (In the Clinton impeachment, as noted above, the House vote was on Dec. 19, the articles were sent to the Senate the same day, and the trial began Jan. 7.)

In the limbo Pelosi has created, almost anything seems possible. Recently, Brit Hume, of Fox News, tweeted that, "If House Democrats continue to play this game, I can't see what would prevent McConnell and the Senate Republicans from dismissing the articles of impeachment for lack of prosecution. It would take two-thirds to convict, but only a simple majority to dismiss." That seemed like an entirely sensible option for Senate Republicans, although one certain to draw howls of opposition from Pelosi and Democrats.

During the House impeachment inquiry, Republicans often complained that Democrats did not observe basic rules of fairness. On one hand, Democrats denied it, and on the other, they argued that the majority can do what it wants. It's true. Given the constitutional authorities involved, the House Democratic majority could do what it wanted during impeachment. Now, if there ever is a trial, the Senate Republican majority can do what it wants. And whatever they choose in the end, Pelosi's gamesmanship will likely make them more united.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: demonrats; dsj02; impeachment; nancypelousi; presidenttrump
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1 posted on 12/25/2019 5:48:44 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

The longer the fake articles of impeachment rot in the house, the more ridiculous the democrats look.

And the less and less the average voter cares.


2 posted on 12/25/2019 5:51:16 AM PST by 2banana (My common ground with islamic terrorists - they want to die for allah and we want to kill them.)
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To: 2banana

As Brit Hume said they can cut it off with 51 Senate votes but they don’t have them.


3 posted on 12/25/2019 5:52:24 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
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To: Kaslin

So this is Quid Pro Quo, Obstruction Of Congress, and a few other crimes. Who is in charge of impeaching Nancy Pelosi?


4 posted on 12/25/2019 5:54:46 AM PST by Bernard (We will stop calling you Fake News when you stop being Fake News)
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To: Kaslin

Next for the GOP. Constitutional amendment naming Trump president for life.....


5 posted on 12/25/2019 5:55:04 AM PST by kjam22
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To: 2banana

The overwhelming number of Americans have had their fill of Pelosi, Schiff, Nadler, Schumer, the Biased Democrat Party Media “Fake News”...period!!! The longer the the “PELOSI: temper tandrum goes on, the more the American people come to dislike and cannot stand or support the Democrat Party, Pelosi, etc., and the entire present roster of abnormally weak 2020 Democrat Party POTUS candidates!!!

Fact is...the majority of the American people have already tuned out to anything Pelosi says or does and that is also a big ditto for the fatally flawed group of Democrat Party 2020 POTUS Candidates....Case Closed!!!


6 posted on 12/25/2019 6:02:53 AM PST by JLAGRAYFOX (Defeat both the Republican (e) & Democrat (e) political parties....Forev er!!!)
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To: Kaslin

Tribe is a bastard. Republican acquittal isn’t meaningful, but a Democrat conviction is great? No concept at all that Senators should look out for the best interests of their states or country regardless of party.


7 posted on 12/25/2019 6:07:21 AM PST by Williams (Stop Tolerating The Intolerant)
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To: Kaslin
Is something big coming? There is, Stoddard, said, "a lot of pressure on Democrats to wait this out until there is more to throw at the president."

Nothing From Nothing

One important fact omitted from the article is that Clinton had actually committed crimes according to US Code. The "accusations" against President Trump are nothing more than the usual leftist demagoguery, written up in the form of "articles of impeachment" rather than spewed in front of TV cameras the way they usually are.

On the basis that no actual charges as defined in any US law were included in the "articles", this whole thing should be dismissed by the Senate in such a way as to make clear that the Senate will not waste its time with such political posturing. The DemocRATs need to be shut down decisively, or they will keep manufacturing "articles of impeachment" without end. They have already said they will do that.

Meanwhile, the DemocRATs who are playing political games are NOT doing their jobs. There is rich material for anyone running for Congress to use in ads. I hope they make full use of it.

8 posted on 12/25/2019 6:07:31 AM PST by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org)
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To: Kaslin

Remember an old commercial? Old grandma on the floor “Help, I’m falling and I can’t get up.”

The newest edition of this is

Pelosi (old grandma): “Help, I’m on this impeachment tiger and I can’t get down/get off.”


9 posted on 12/25/2019 6:08:24 AM PST by Sir Napsalot (Pravda + Useful Idiots = USSR; Journ0List + Useful Idiots = DopeyChangey)
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To: Kaslin

Dismissing the impeachment articles may be more palatable to Collins, Murkowski and Mittens (and maybe Manchin) because Pelosi has threatened the turf of the Senate.

It is not just Trump she is after — she want the House to control the Senate. That may piss off the RINOs enough to get the 51st vote to dismiss.

The RINOs can always say that the House has to go back and do it again, but properly and not trying to control the Senate rule-making process.


10 posted on 12/25/2019 6:17:26 AM PST by Andy from Chapel Hill ( ERIC CIARAMELLA IS THE OBAMA MOLE HIDING BEHIND THE WHISTLEBLOWER LAWS)
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To: Kaslin
I'd laugh if the Republicans called Schitt and the whistleblower. He is NOT entitled to anonymity under the circumstances.
11 posted on 12/25/2019 6:39:21 AM PST by Sacajaweau
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To: DIRTYSECRET

Hume THINKS they don’t have them.


12 posted on 12/25/2019 6:41:11 AM PST by Sacajaweau
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To: Sacajaweau

Hume, the same dickhead who calls President Trump..Sir Tweetsalot. Screw him.


13 posted on 12/25/2019 6:44:59 AM PST by shelterguy
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To: Kaslin

Give Pelosi’s impeachment circus nothing. No vote, no dismissal, no attention whatsoever. Let it sit there like a day-old meatloaf going stale on the counter.


14 posted on 12/25/2019 6:46:51 AM PST by Flick Lives (MSM, the Enemy of the People since 1898)
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To: Kaslin


15 posted on 12/25/2019 6:49:22 AM PST by Vlad The Inhaler (I love Mankind - It's Just Most Of The People That I Can't Stand)
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To: 2banana

Fake Congress passes fake Articles of Impeachment and now uses fake procedure to delay exoneration. That’s about par for the course.

BTW, The vote and articles are in the Congressional Record. Therefore, McConnell can use the Congressional Record to accept the Articles of Impeachment. Start the trial. Fake Speaker can name managers or not. Vote to dismiss. Next, charge her with Obstruction of the Senate and Abuse of Power.


16 posted on 12/25/2019 6:52:47 AM PST by NTHockey (Rules of engagement #1: Take no prisoners. And to the NSA trolls, FU)
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To: Bernard

The House of Representatives has the sole power to impeach, so that will not happen.


17 posted on 12/25/2019 6:55:01 AM PST by Robert DeLong
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To: Vlad The Inhaler

Excellent. I like it.


18 posted on 12/25/2019 7:07:08 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

What is clear is that Washington’s UniParty has no fear of the public’s reaction to Trump being expelled from office.


19 posted on 12/25/2019 7:18:24 AM PST by TTFlyer
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To: Kaslin

Caving.


20 posted on 12/25/2019 7:19:25 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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