Trump Likely To Be Deeply Unhappy
Al Jazeeras Andy Gallacher, reporting from West Palm Beach, Florida, said Trump is likely to be deeply unhappy by the Senate vote to hear witnesses in the trial against him.
Its changed everything for former President Donald Trump, who Im sure was counting on this entire process being over today, Gallacher said. This is a game-changing scenario.
13 Feb 2021 – 16:14 GMT
Resolution To Begin Public Hearings
On October 29, 2019, Representative Jim McGovern introduced a resolution , referred to House Rules Committee, which set forth the “format of open hearings in the House Intelligence Committee, including staff-led questioning of witnesses, and the public release of deposition transcripts”. It also proposed the procedures for the transfer of evidence to House Judiciary Committee as it considers articles of impeachment. The resolution was debated in Rules Committee the next day and brought to a floor vote on October 31. It was adopted with a vote of 232 to 196, with two Democrats and all Republicans voting against the measure.
Us Senate Acquits Trump As Republicans Save Him In Impeachment Again
By Richard Cowan, David Morgan, Makini Brice
8 Min Read
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate acquitted Donald Trump on Saturday in his second impeachment trial in a year, with fellow Republicans blocking conviction over the former presidents role in the deadly assault by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol.
The Senate vote of 57-43 fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict Trump on a charge of incitement of insurrection after a five-day trial in the same building ransacked by his followers on Jan. 6 shortly after they heard him deliver an incendiary speech.
In the vote, seven of the 50 Senate Republicans joined the chambers unified Democrats in favoring conviction.
How the Senate voted
Trump left office on Jan. 20, so impeachment could not be used to remove him from power. But Democrats had hoped to secure a conviction to hold him responsible for a siege that left five people including a police officer dead and to set the stage for a vote to bar him from ever serving in public office again. Given the chance to hold office in the future, they argued, Trump would not hesitate to encourage political violence again.
Trumps attorneys argued that his words at the rally were protected by his constitutional right to free speech and said he was not given due process in the proceedings.
Romney voted for impeachment on Saturday along with fellow Republicans Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Ben Sasse, Pat Toomey, and Lisa Murkowski.
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What Is His Defence
Mr Trump denies using US military aid as a bargaining chip with Mr Zelensky and has repeatedly insisted his call with Ukraine’s leader was “perfect”.
He has called the impeachment inquiry a “witch hunt” by Democrats and elements of the media.
He also says it was appropriate to ask Ukraine to investigate “corruption”, referring to the energy firm where Hunter Biden worked.
The Republican defence comes in three parts:
– Ukraine’s president said he felt no pressure
– The Ukrainians were unaware the aid was held back
– US military aid was eventually released
House Of Representatives Investigations
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Maguire, who had delayed the whistleblower complaint from reaching Congress, testified publicly before the House Intelligence Committee on September 26. Maguire defended his decision not to immediately forward the whistleblower complaint to Congress and explained that he had consulted the White House Counsel and the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department , but was unable to determine whether the document was protected by executive privilege. Democrats on the committee questioned his actions, arguing that the law demands the forwarding of such complaints to the committee. Maguire countered that the situation was unique since the complaint involves communications of the president. Members of the House Intelligence Committee also asked Maguire why he chose to consult with White House lawyers when he was not required to do so by law, to which he responded that he believed “it would be prudent to have another opinion.”
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Would Trump Go To Prison
Weird as it is to visualize, the possibility of impeachment does carry real-world consequences for any U.S. president, Trump included. Australian Broadcasting Corporation points out that several major politicians have warned that if Trump is found guilty, jail time is a genuine possibility.
On the other hand, what if Trump isn’t impeached? What if he continues serving as president until 2020 or 2024? Even then, he’s still not out of the woods, according to Rolling Stone. Legal charges are piling up around him, and while he might not be prosecuted as a sitting president, that shield would disappear once he leaves the White House. In other words, an ex-President Trump could be embroiled in criminal legal disputes from the minute he steps down, meaning the next U.S. president could have to make a decision on pardoning Trump. That’s what Gerald Ford did when Nixon resigned, hence why Nixon never faced the music … and if you know your history, you also know it didn’t go well for Ford when he tried to get reelected.
What Is The Process
It happens in two stages.
The first stage is done now – two articles of impeachment were brought to the House of Representatives and passed in a vote along party lines.
Next the process heads to the Senate where a trial will be held in January.
But here, a two-thirds vote is necessary for a president’s removal – and this milestone has never been reached in US history.
The Senate is currently controlled by the Republican Party so conviction is considered unlikely in Trump’s case.
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Trump Impeachment: President Acquitted On Both Articles
President becomes third in US history to be impeached by the House and acquitted in Senate trial
Donald Trump has been acquitted in his Senate trial on both of the articles of impeachment he faced, ending the threat that he would be removed from office and concluding the impeachment process.
Voting largely along party lines, the senators found Trump not guilty of the first article of impeachment, abuse of power, by a 52-48 tally, and not guilty of the second article of impeachment, obstruction of Congress, by a 53-47 tally.
Trump became the third president in US history to be impeached by the House of Representatives but acquitted in a Senate trial. A two-thirds majority of 67 senators would have been required to remove him.
As the historic vote landed, Democrats protested that Trump had not won a true acquittal because, in the words of Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, the trial was a show trial. The acquittal votes came after the chambers Republican majority defeated an effort to call witnesses at the trial who could have testified directly to Trumps alleged misconduct.
Mitt Romney was the only Republican to vote in favor of convicting Trump and he became the only senator in history to vote to remove a president from his own party in an impeachment trial. Romney voted guilty on article 1, for abuse of power, and not guilty on article 2, for obstruction of Congress.
Resignations And Firings Of Witnesses
Marie Yovanovitch and Bill Taylor resigned from their positions in the State Department. Jennifer Williams left her position to take up a new post. Alexander Vindman was dismissed from his position in the White House following Trump’s acquittal by the Senate. Vindman’s twin brother Yevgenywho was not involved in the casewas also dismissed. Both Vindman brothers were reported to have been physically escorted from the White House. Gordon Sondland was also recalled from his position as ambassador. The White House claimed that the dismissals were necessary, but Trump was criticized for seeking revenge against those who had testified against him. Trump was also reported to have labelled Williams and Alexander Vindman as . Trump suggested that the Pentagon should seek disciplinary action against Vindman, but the Army declined to investigate., the top Pentagon policy advisor who, on July 25, 2019, warned Defense Secretary against withholding military aid to Ukraine, was forced to resign on February 19, 2020. In May 2019 he had certified to Congress that Ukraine was eligible for the aid.
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Deal On Witnesses Very Close: Wh Press Pool
Al Jazeeras Alan Fisher, reporting from Capitol Hill, said the White House press pool is reporting that US senators are close to reaching a deal on witnesses.
The deal would see Republican Representative Jaime Herrera Beutlers account entered into the congressional record without objection, which means it will become part of the formal proceedings.
But there will be no witnesses called, said Fisher, adding that if the deal is reached, the vote on impeachment could happen later on Saturday.
Listen To The Daily: The Impeachment Of President Donald J Trump
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Thats it for The Daily. Im Michael Barbaro. See you tomorrow.
Despite years of speculation, Mr. Trumps impeachment did not, in the end, grow out of the two-year investigation into Russian election meddling by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, or the seemingly endless series of other accusations of corruption and misconduct that have plagued this White House: tax evasion, profiting from the presidency, payoffs to a pornographic film actress and fraudulent activities by his charitable foundation.
Instead, the existential threat to Mr. Trumps presidency centered around a half-hour phone call in July. On it, he pressured Ukraines president to announce investigations into former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and other Democrats at the same time he was withholding nearly $400 million in vital military assistance for the country and a White House meeting.
Congress learned about the call after an anonymous C.I.A. official lodged a whistle-blower complaint in August pulling a string that helped unravel an effort by the president and his allies to pressure a foreign government for help in smearing a political rival. Over a period of weeks this fall, a parade of diplomats and other administration officials confirmed and expanded on those revelations.
And Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a Democratic presidential contender who has built her reputation as a maverick in her party, voted present on both articles.
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Leahy The Trial Presiding Officer Says He Worked Hard To Be Impartial
From CNN’s Ryan Nobles
Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, said he understands the important role he played as presiding judge and he worked as hard as he could to be impartial.
Well, Ive presided over hundreds of hours before. Nothing like this I, I realized the significance, he said.
When asked about the seven Republicans who voted to convict, Leahy demurred. I dont want to comment on that, I just tried to be as impartial as I possible could in that position.
House Intelligence Committee Hearings
On November 6, 2019, Chairman Adam Schiff announced that the first public hearings of the impeachment inquiry would be held on November 13, beginning with Bill Taylor and George Kent. The announcement added that would testify in the second public hearing on November 15. The White House appointed new aides, including Pam Bondi and Tony Sayegh, to work on communications during the inquiry. House Republicans assigned Representative Jim Jordan to the House Intelligence Committee to participate in the hearings. Jordan replaced Representative Rick Crawford , who stepped down so Jordan could take his place.
The release of the Ukraine aid came two days after the House Intelligence Committee was notified of the whistleblower complaint and opened an investigation, and two days after three House committees publicly announced an investigation into Giuliani’s activities in Ukraine.
As hearings began, Schiff said Trump may have committed bribery, and House Speaker Pelosi joined him on November 14 bribery is specifically listed as an impeachable offense in the Constitution.
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Impeachment And Senate Trial
President Trump was impeached by Congress on charges of abuse of power and obstructing Congress. The articles of impeachment were referred to the Senate, which over twenty days from January 16 to February 5, 2020. Trump was acquitted on both charges by the Republican-controlled Senate, with the vote split along party lines. Maine senator , who emerged as a key figure during the impeachment trial owing to her perceived willingness to break with her party, defended the acquittal as she believed Trump had learned from the trial and would not attempt to solicit foreign interference in future.
Senate Acquits Trump On House Charge He Incited Insurrection At The Capitol 7 Republicans Voted To Convict
WASHINGTON Donald Trump was acquitted Saturday of inciting the horrific attack on the U.S. Capitol, concluding a historic impeachment trial that spared him the first-ever conviction of a current or former U.S. president but exposed the fragility of Americas democratic traditions and left a divided nation to come to terms with the violence sparked by his defeated presidency.
Barely a month since the deadly Jan. 6 riot that stunned the world, the Senate convened for a rare weekend session to deliver its verdict, voting while armed National Guard troops continued to stand their posts outside the iconic building.
The quick trial, the nations first of a former president, showed in raw and emotional detail how perilously close the invaders had come to destroying the nations deep tradition of a peaceful transfer of presidential power after Trump had refused to concede the election. Rallying outside the White House, he unleashed a mob of supporters to fight like hell for him at the Capitol just as Congress was certifying Democrat Joe Bidens victory. As hundreds stormed the building, some in tactical gear engaging in bloody combat with police, lawmakers fled for their lives. Five people died.
The outcome after the uprising leaves unresolved the nations wrenching divisions over Trumps brand of politics that led to the most violent domestic attack on one of Americas three branches of government.
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Yes The Outcome Would Depend On Republicans
Here’s the key thing to remember even if Trump does get impeached: For him to actually be convicted and as a result, removed from office it would require a rather large number of Republican Senators to turn against the president, according to CNN.
While the 2018 election put the House of Representatives in the hands of Democrats, the Senate is still owned by the GOP. That means while the House will probably end up voting to impeach Trump when the time comes, two-thirds of the Republican-dominated Senate has to make the call to convict him or the whole thing becomes a false start. For those doing the math, getting that two-thirds majority would require all existing Democratic Senators to vote to convict, plus 20 Republican Senators would need step across the aisle to join them. Is that impossible? Of course not. But it does mean that charges against Trump would need to be seen as so severe that the majority of voters from his own party go against him. That said, such a thing did happen with Nixon, so it is possible.
