by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Members of the Democratic Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives are holding a special meeting this afternoon with only one item reportedly on the agenda: the possible impeachment of Donald John Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has stood firm in her opposition to entering an impeachment battle for the past many months, but now, as more and more members of the Democratic caucus are lining up in favor of impeachment, Pelosi appears to be about ready to cast her lot with the drastic constitutional remedy for an out-of-control President.
Two things seem to have predicated this sudden congressional lurch toward impeachment. The first is the battle that is shaping up over the administration's refusal to let Congress see the "whistleblower" report that was filed with the Inspector General of the intelligence community, a complaint that reportedly alleges that Trump tried to coerce a foreign leader into conducting a corruption investigation against a family member of one of Trump's political opponents. Or, more specifically, that Trump tried to pressure the President of Ukraine to produce dirt of Joe Biden's son - and that he threatened to withhold aid to Ukraine if he did not play ball with the Trump campaign - aid that had already been approved by Congress.
By law that report should have already been forwarded to Congress.
Trump has publicly admitted trying to lean on the President of Ukraine to implicate the Biden family in a scandal - as has Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney. Giuliani says that he carried a similar message to the President of Ukraine at the request of the U.S. State Department, an allegation that drags U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo into the political maelstrom as well.
That was the first thing that finally stirred reluctant members of the Democratic Caucus to begin discussing impeachment more seriously. The second was an opinion piece (op ed) that seven Democratic House freshmen wrote for the Washington Post yesterday. The seven, some of whom are from districts that went for Trump in 2016 and are thus at least somewhat vulnerable in the election of 2020, and all of whom are either prior military or prior government service, were critical of Trump's involvement in what appears to be an extortion of Ukraine in order to meet Trump's political needs.
The editorial was penned jointly by Representatives Gil Cisneros (CA), Jason Crow (CO), Chrissy Houlahan (PA), Elaine Luria (VA), Mikie Sherrill (NJ), Elissa Slotkin (MI), and Abigail Spanberger (VA). In it they stated:
Now it looks as though Speaker Pelosi may at long last be moving toward some accommodation with the growing number of House members who favor impeachment - and Congress may be ready to once again assume its role in our checks-and-balances system of government.
And it's about damned time!
Welcome to the party, Nancy. Better late than never!
Citizen Journalist
Members of the Democratic Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives are holding a special meeting this afternoon with only one item reportedly on the agenda: the possible impeachment of Donald John Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has stood firm in her opposition to entering an impeachment battle for the past many months, but now, as more and more members of the Democratic caucus are lining up in favor of impeachment, Pelosi appears to be about ready to cast her lot with the drastic constitutional remedy for an out-of-control President.
Two things seem to have predicated this sudden congressional lurch toward impeachment. The first is the battle that is shaping up over the administration's refusal to let Congress see the "whistleblower" report that was filed with the Inspector General of the intelligence community, a complaint that reportedly alleges that Trump tried to coerce a foreign leader into conducting a corruption investigation against a family member of one of Trump's political opponents. Or, more specifically, that Trump tried to pressure the President of Ukraine to produce dirt of Joe Biden's son - and that he threatened to withhold aid to Ukraine if he did not play ball with the Trump campaign - aid that had already been approved by Congress.
By law that report should have already been forwarded to Congress.
Trump has publicly admitted trying to lean on the President of Ukraine to implicate the Biden family in a scandal - as has Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney. Giuliani says that he carried a similar message to the President of Ukraine at the request of the U.S. State Department, an allegation that drags U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo into the political maelstrom as well.
That was the first thing that finally stirred reluctant members of the Democratic Caucus to begin discussing impeachment more seriously. The second was an opinion piece (op ed) that seven Democratic House freshmen wrote for the Washington Post yesterday. The seven, some of whom are from districts that went for Trump in 2016 and are thus at least somewhat vulnerable in the election of 2020, and all of whom are either prior military or prior government service, were critical of Trump's involvement in what appears to be an extortion of Ukraine in order to meet Trump's political needs.
The editorial was penned jointly by Representatives Gil Cisneros (CA), Jason Crow (CO), Chrissy Houlahan (PA), Elaine Luria (VA), Mikie Sherrill (NJ), Elissa Slotkin (MI), and Abigail Spanberger (VA). In it they stated:
"This flagrant disregard for the law cannot stand. To uphold and defend our Constitution, Congress must determine whether the president was indeed willing to use his power and withhold security assistance funds to persuade a foreign country to assist him in an upcoming election. Everything we do harks back to our oaths to defend the country. These new allegations are a threat to all we have sworn to protect."
Now it looks as though Speaker Pelosi may at long last be moving toward some accommodation with the growing number of House members who favor impeachment - and Congress may be ready to once again assume its role in our checks-and-balances system of government.
And it's about damned time!
Welcome to the party, Nancy. Better late than never!
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