Impeachment Today: GOP Adopts Disruption Defense as More Damning Evidence is Revealed
House Democrats hope to wrap up private impeachment depositions during a previously scheduled recess next week, then begin public hearings when they return November 12. There will be a vote on a resolution on Thursday outlining broad procedures for the ongoing impeachment proceedings.
Republicans have already scorned the rules of the road in the resolution, saying it’s too little, too late or complaining about fairness. Former Congressman Jason Chaffetz used his perch at Fox News to grumble that two days was not enough time for Republicans to even read the eight page document.
Given that there are now five public confirmations of a quid pro quo between President Trump and the Ukraine, the GOP has gone from complaining about the process to guerrilla warfare.
Derek Harvey, an aide for California Republican Devin Nunes, gave notes to House Republicans identifying the whistleblower’s name ahead of the high-profile depositions, hoping to get that person’s name into the record of the proceedings. Questions from GOP lawmakers leading in that direction were ruled out of order, leading them to complain they were being denied the right to cross-examine witnesses.
https://twitter.com/dnvolz/status/1189324845277962240?s=20
As more damning testimony from NSC Ukraine expert Alexander Vindman revealed that the so-called transcript of the phone call at the center of this scandal was not as complete as the administration claimed, GOP Congressmen were disrupting proceedings throughout the House of Representatives.
Vindman told House investigators the White House transcript of a July call between President Trump and Ukraine's president omitted crucial words and phrases, and his attempts to restore them failed.
https://twitter.com/RepScottPeters/status/1189302351007551488?s=20
After failing to attach last minute ‘poison pill’ amendments to legislation aimed at improving health care offered to female veterans at VA medical facilities, Republican members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee make a big show of storming out of the hearing room.
Chairman Mark Takano condemned the tactics, saying "My Republican colleagues had a seat at the table every step of the way. Instead of bringing forth meaningful, productive additions to legislation that will improve the lives of women veterans, they added toxic, partisan amendments—none of which worked to address how women veterans receive care."
GOP Congressman Alex Mooney released a video of himself whining after failing to crash to closed deposition in progress. He, of course, doesn’t serve on any of the committees pursuing the investigation.
Just to be clear, as the Republicans launched their propaganda campaign seeking to discredit the upcoming open hearings they were pining for just a few days ago, the House Judiciary Committee released a chart comparing its procedures with past inquiries.
Here’s the New York Times summary of the salient political points within the Democrats resolution:
The resolution envisions two distinct phases. In the first, the Intelligence Committee, led by Mr. Schiff — which until now has been conducting closed-door depositions about the Ukraine scandal — would hold one or more open hearings to take public testimony about the matter. His committee would then compile its findings in a report, and transmit transcripts and additional evidence to the Judiciary Committee.
In the second phase, the Judiciary Committee, led by Mr. Nadler, would receive the Intelligence Committee report and consider whether to recommend one or more articles of impeachment. The Judiciary panel could also seek additional evidence, including hearing from witnesses. Mr. Trump’s legal team would be permitted to participate in that round.
Still, a related set of procedures unveiled on Tuesday by the Judiciary Committee for its phase sought to use that due process right as leverage to get Mr. Trump to stop stonewalling congressional subpoenas. Mr. Trump has vowed to fight all subpoenas, and his White House counsel has directed executive branch employees not to participate in the effort.
The Judiciary Committee procedures would empower Mr. Nadler to block Mr. Trump’s lawyers from cross-examining witnesses if the president continued to try to prevent any of the four committees conducting impeachment-related investigations from gathering information from the executive branch. (Republicans on the committee could still do so.)
Further explanation of the resolution can be found at Impeachment Rules in Plain English.
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Today’s testimony before Congress is more bad news for the administration, based on my reading of opening statements from State Department officials Catherine Croft and Christopher Anderson.
From the Washington Post:
Specifically, Croft mentions receiving inexplicable phone calls from Washington lobbyist Robert Livingston, “who told me that Ambassador Yovanovitch should be fired,” referring to Marie Yovanovitch, then the top U.S. envoy in Kyiv.
“He characterized Ambassador Yovanovitch as an ‘Obama holdover’ and associated with George Soros,” she plans to testify.
Livingston, by the way isn’t just any ordinary DC lobbyist. Then-Congressman Robert Livingston was once chosen as Newt Gingrich's successor as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He resigned on the eve of the impeachment vote, following revelations of an extramarital affair.
Chris Anderson’s opening statement also contained a reveal: When Russia attacked Ukrainian military vessels heading to Mariupol, the Department of State quickly prepared a statement condemning Russia for its escalation. Top officials in the White House blocked it from being issued.
The President never officially responded to Russia's escalation, offering a "we'll see" comment before heading to the G20 summit in South America where he again met with Putin (after insisting he would not).
From the aforementioned article in the Washington Post:
The testimony from Christopher Anderson makes clear that administration officials were concerned about Giuliani’s back-channel involvement in Ukraine policy, and his push for investigations of Democrats, even before the July 25 phone call between President Donald Trump and his Ukraine counterpart at the center of the House impeachment inquiry.
As Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said, not long ago at the White House, “All roads with you lead to Putin.”
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1189575206987280384?s=20
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