All four White House officials scheduled to give closed-door testimony today in the House impeachment inquiry will not appear, multiple news outlets report. They include National Security Council lawyers John Eisenberg and Michael Ellis as well Brian McCormack of the office of management and budget, and Robert Blair, a top aide to chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. Eisenberg and McCormack … Read More
Today In Impeachment News
The House impeachment inquiry is zeroing in on two White House lawyers privy to a discussion about moving a memo recounting President Donald Trump’s phone call with the leader of Ukraine into a highly restricted computer system normally reserved for documents about covert action. Deepening their reach into the West Wing, impeachment investigators have summoned former national security adviser John Bolton to … Read More
Trump Moves To Florida And Contemplates Fireside Chat
NEWS: President Trump has filed a declaration of domicile in Florida, declaring himself a former resident of Trump Tower https://t.co/i1IT3OAmVn — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) October 31, 2019 Cuomo statement on Trump becoming a Florida resident: pic.twitter.com/FgGnKa6PJB — Tom Namako (@TomNamako) November 1, 2019 He’s going because NY State is trying to get his personal tax records and business tax records. … Read More
House Votes On Public Phase Of Impeachment Inquiry
Live: The vote is on a resolution that would set rules for the public phase of an impeachment inquiry that has so far been conducted exclusively behind closed doors. It would authorize the House Intelligence Committee — the panel that has been leading the investigation and conducting private depositions — to convene public hearings and produce a report that will guide the … Read More
The Very Bad No Good Transcript Summary Of The July 25 Quid Pro Quo Call Isn’t Even Accurate (And Other Impeachment News)
When I saw last night that Vickman was in there testifying for nine hours behind closed doors, I knew something big was happening. Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, who heard President Trump’s July phone call with Ukraine’s president and was alarmed, revealed more than his opening statement suggested. He testified that he tried and failed to add key details to … Read More
Breaking: Here It Is — The House Resolution To CONTINUE The ONGOING Impeachment Inquiry
Emphasis on “continue” and “ongoing”, both of which appear in the document: There is nothing within this document that limits the inquiry to the Ukraine matter. The resolution spells out that Republicans can suggest subpoenas or witnesses but must submit justifications in writing and they can be vetoed by Democrats. This is obviously to prevent Republicans from flooding the proceedings … Read More
Did Trump Violate The Hatch Act?
Title 18, United States Code, Section 610, known as the Hatch Act, makes it a crime — indeed, a felony, punishable by up to three years in prison — for “any person to intimidate, threaten, command, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, command, or coerce, any employee of the Federal Government … to engage in … any political activity.” Congress … Read More
Current WH Staffer, A Lieutenant Colonel, To Testify About Trump Phone Call Today
Let’s see Trump and his supporters try to smear U.S. Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. He’s a serving military officer whose concerns are directly connected to national security, and he’s a direct witness to both the phone call and the way Ukrainian officials were treated in the White House. He is the first current member of the White House staff to defy Trump’s … Read More
Republicans Get The Impeachment Inquiry Vote They Want, Then Complain
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the White House’s bluff by setting up a House vote on the impeachment inquiry “that affirms the ongoing, existing investigation.” The White House had said it wouldn’t cooperate until the House held a vote on whether to hold an impeachment inquiry, and Pelosi is doing just that “to eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump administration may … Read More
As Today’s Witness Is A No-Show, Pelosi Moves To Formalize Impeachment Process
Pelosi writes: For weeks, the President, his Counsel in the White House, and his allies in Congress have made the baseless claim that the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry “lacks the necessary authorization for a valid impeachment proceeding.” They argue that, because the House has not taken a vote, they may simply pretend the impeachment inquiry does not exist. Of … Read More
More Damaging Testimony Coming To Impeachment Inquiry Committee, And Trump Can’t Stop It
Today the attorney for National Security Council official Tim Morrison announced that, if he receives an expected subpoena from the House impeachment inquiry, Morrison “plans to appear for his deposition”—even if Trump attempts to block him. Even though Morrison is a sitting White House official. Morrison is one of five officials up in the next round of testimony. In April, Donald Trump … Read More
Barr Opens Criminal Investigation Into His Own DOJ’S Russia Investigation
Attorney General William Barr made it clear again on Thursday evening that he is the most dangerous man in America. The Department of Justice has reportedly moved beyond conducting an internal review of the origins of the Russia investigation and instead moved into a criminal investigation. A person familiar with the matter said the time span covered by the inquiry … Read More
Lots Of Irregular Channels
The testimony Tuesday of Bill Taylor, the US charge d’affaires to Ukraine, has rocked the political establishment. Taylor told the House he encountered an “irregular” channel on Ukraine, guided by Rudy Giuliani, that produced “a weird combination of encouraging, confusing, and ultimately alarming circumstances.” Taylor is the guy in those text messages who described the administration’s handling of Ukraine’s request … Read More
(Mock) Indictment of Fruity-G
This comes from former prosecutors at Just Security. If this were an actual indictment, many of the names would be replaced with generic identifiers, such as Candidate-1 or Company-A. The Justice Department requires this practice to protect the reputations of individuals and entities that are not charged with any crimes. A jury is told the identities of these individuals and … Read More
Signs Of Desperation From Trump And His Supporters
The New York Times editorial board correctly asserts that the “storming of the SCIF” by Freedom Caucus members yesterday was done only because Trump-supporting Republicans are getting drowned in bad testimony, so they attack the process (an old defense lawyer trick): The entire spectacle was a circus — which was the point. This was a publicity stunt aimed at delegitimizing the … Read More