Near party-line vote expected Thursday on impeachment ground rules
House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern presides over a markup of the resolution that will formalize the next steps in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Jim McGovern
Republicans call rules a politically closed system

U.S. House of Representatives Democrats have set the stage for certain approval of the ground rules lawmakers will use when they consider impeaching President Donald Trump as the chamber braced for its first showdown over the inquiry.

There was no doubt that the Democratic-controlled body would approve the eight pages of procedures on Thursday, with each side likely to lose a handful of defectors, if any.

“As much as this president flaunts the Constitution, we are going to protect it,” House Rules Committee Chairman James McGovern of Massachusetts said on Wednesday as his panel debated the procedures.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told The Associated Press that the package creates “much more of a politically closed system than an open system.”

That echoed Republican complaints that the Democratic-run process has been secretive and tilted against them. Democrats say their plan follows how impeachment efforts against Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton were run.

The investigation is focused on Trump’s efforts to push Ukraine to investigate his Democratic political opponents by withholding military aid and an Oval Office meeting craved by the country’s new president.

It is likely to take weeks or more before the House votes on whether to actually impeach Trump. If the House impeaches Trump, the Senate would hold a trial to decide whether to remove him from office.

Both parties’ leaders were rounding up votes as Thursday’s roll call approached, with each side eager to come as close to unanimity as possible.

Republicans said a solid GOP “no” vote would signal to the Senate that the Democratic push is a partisan crusade against a president they have never liked. McCarthy, of California, said he’s unaware of any Republican even “leaning toward voting for it.”

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, a moderate who some thought might be open to backing the Democratic rules, said he would oppose them. He complained about the secrecy that Democrats have used and said he had not been pressured by GOP leaders or Trump, with whom he had a drink at a Republican fundraiser Tuesday night.

“You really can’t roll back the clock” from the time the investigation began last month, Upton said.

Democrats were also hoping to demonstrate solidarity from their most liberal elements to their most moderate members. They argued that GOP cohesion against the measure would show that Republicans are blindly defending Trump, whatever facts emerge.

“It will show the other party has become the party of Trump. It’s really not the Republican Party any longer,” said U.S.Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan.

Democrats’ chief vote counter, U.S. Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, said he believed “less than half a dozen” from his party would oppose the package. One Democrat whose vote was unclear, New York freshman Rep. Anthony Brindisi, said he’d not been pressured by party leaders to back the measure and said, “This is a decision I have to make.”

Republicans said they’d use the vote to target freshman Democrats and those from districts Trump carried in 2016. They said they would contrast their support for the rules with campaign promises to focus on issues voters want to address, not on impeaching Trump.

The House GOP’s campaign arm sent emails to reporters all but taunting some of those Democrats including freshman Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire. “Pappas wants to be a one-termer,” one said.

GOP leaders called the rules “Speaker Pelosi’s sham process designed to discredit the Democratic process” in their daily impeachment email to lawmakers.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California decided to have the vote following weeks of GOP claims that the inquiry was invalid because the chamber had not voted to formally commence the work.

The rules lay out how the House Intelligence Committee — now leading the investigation by deposing diplomats and other officials behind closed doors — would transition to public hearings.

That panel would issue a report and release transcripts of the closed-door interviews it has been conducting with diplomats and other officials with connections to Trump’s interactions with Ukraine.

The Judiciary Committee would then decide whether to recommend that the House impeach Trump — a finding that he should be removed from office.

Republicans could only issue subpoenas for witnesses to appear if the entire panel approved them — in effect giving Democrats veto power over such requests by the GOP.

Attorneys for Trump could participate in the Judiciary Committee proceedings. But in a bid for leverage, panel Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York would be allowed to deny “specific requests” by Trump representatives if the White House continues refusing to provide documents or witnesses sought by Democratic investigators.

The rules also direct House committees “to continue their ongoing investigations” of Trump.

Top Democrats think that language will shield their members from weeks of Republican complaints that the inquiry has been invalid because the House had not formally voted to begin that work.

Democrats have said there is no constitutional provision or House rule requiring such a vote.

Associated Press


2 comments

  • John Kociuba

    October 31, 2019 at 8:34 am

    Dear Citizens ~

    Re: Communism In America

    Hon. President Donald John Trump is trying to kick out the 10s of thousands of Clandestine Communist Operatives in our Governments, Media, Education, Private Sector. Yes. So Communist controlled lame stream media reflects their documented deeds on public airwaces against our President!

    READ OUR CONSTITUTION! CONGRESS NEVER VOTED ON IMPEACHMENT BUT CONTINUED UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES AND CIRCULATING PROPAGANDA TO UNLAWFULLY OVERTHROW A DULY ELECTED PRESIDENT FOR THE 2ND TIME!

    Aforementioned Coup d etat went on for 2 years defrauding public taxation for known coup.

    Furthermore few of you were purposefully not educated in basic Civics nor law. This is unacceptable in public education, and Federal controlled public education should be dissolved thereby given authoritarian back to States. Read “The Law” by Frederic Bastiat or get apps “The Constitution” “The Federalist Papers” “U.S. Presidents”.

    Yes. One cannot challenge propagandists without being taught “political aninal” and methods Clandestine Communists use.

    Theepochtimes.com “The Specter Of Communism” Duckduckgo “Labor Progressive Party” in the United States to see who created “Progressives!”

    Communists change titles like a snake sheds skin!

    In conclusion: Under Supreme Law the President should have DNC Leadership rounded up (arrested) interrogated and trualed in a military court!

    Indeed. President Theodore Roosevelt arrested U.S. Citizens at ports in NYC for sabotaging ships! They were trialed quickly in a military court and the Supreme Court agreed with the case.

    SEDITION WHETHER VERBAL OR PHYSICAL AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION IS ILLEGAL! SEDITION AGAINST “AGENTS” (POLITICIANS, POLICE, JUDGES, ETC) WHO SUBVERT OR COERCE THE CONSTITUTION IS LEGAL!

    UNDERSTAND THAT GUN GRABBERS? THE SOCIAL CONTRACT CANNOT BE CHANGED BEXAUSE I/WE THE PEOPLE CREATED IT TO RESTRAIN AMBITION OF TYRANTS! THE SOCIAL CONTRACT IS GRANDFATHERED IN TO ALL FUTURE GENERATIONS!

    Posse Comitatus and Habeas Corpus can only be suspended in acts of unlawful open rebellion which is EXACTLY what the Clandestine Communist Operatives “Democratic-Socialists” (aka Menshevik Communist) are doing!

    Thank you.

  • Sonja Fitch

    October 31, 2019 at 9:21 am

    Who is Rep Spano? Obviously a goptrumper cult member Fool Every impeachment inquiry meeting had Republican and Democratic us house committee members there! Spano you been drinking to much of the lying evil racist Moscow bitch trump blood kool aid! Ssshhhh

Comments are closed.


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