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McConnell Pushes to Speed Impeachment Trial as Trump Requests Swift Acquittal
On Monday, the president’s lawyers asserted he did nothing wrong and urged the Senate to “swiftly reject” the charges against him.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/20/us/politics/mcconnell-pushes-to-speed-impeachment-trial-as-trump-requests-swift-acquittal.html
WASHINGTON — Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, unveiled ground rules on Monday for President Trump’s impeachment trial that would attempt to speed the proceeding along and refuse to admit the evidence against the president unearthed by the House without a separate vote.
Mr. McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, showed his hand hours after Mr. Trump’s legal team called on the Senate to “swiftly reject” the impeachment charges and acquit him, arguing that Democrats would “permanently weaken the presidency” if they succeeded in removing him from office over what the team characterized as policy and political differences.
...
Mr. McConnell’s trial rules, which limited each side’s arguments to 24 hours over two days, gave the White House a helping hand at the outset and drew swift anger from Democrats. The rules left open the possibility that the Senate could not only decline to hear new evidence not uncovered in the House impeachment inquiry, but could also sidestep considering the House case against Mr. Trump altogether — although such a vote is considered unlikely.
“Under this resolution, Senator McConnell is saying he doesn’t want to hear any of the existing evidence, and he doesn’t want to hear any new evidence,” said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader. “It’s a cover-up, and the American people will see it for exactly what it is.”
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McConnell proposal envisions speedy impeachment trial for Trump
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-impeachment-rules/mcconnell-proposal-envisions-speedy-impeachment-trial-for-trump-idUSKBN1ZJ2CI
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Monday proposed rules that would execute a potentially quick impeachment trial for President Donald Trump, with no guarantee that witnesses or new evidence would be allowed.
A resolution McConnell unveiled on Monday would give House Democratic prosecutors and Trump lawyers 48 hours, evenly split, to present their arguments over a maximum of four days.
Under the resolution, which could face a vote as early as Tuesday, lawyers for Trump could move early in the proceedings to ask senators to dismiss all charges, a senior Republican leadership aide said, a motion that would likely fall short of the support needed to succeed.
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The Senate impeachment trial is about to kick into high gear. Here's what we know
https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/20/politics/impeachment-watch-january-19/index.html
A version of this story appears in CNN's Impeachment Watch newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.
Washington (CNN)The Senate impeachment trial is set to begin in earnest Tuesday when Republicans and Democrats are expected to debate a resolution setting the rules for the trial before starting opening arguments.
Loaded rhetoric from the White House and Democrats this weekend promises a bitterly partisan trial. And we'll have more on that in a moment.
First, here's what we know and what we don't about the Senate trial from CNN's Ted Barrett and Ali Zaslav:
-----
Schiff says NSA, CIA withholding Ukraine info due to White House pressure
“The intelligence community is beginning to withhold documents from Congress on the issue of Ukraine,” he said.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/19/adam-schiff-nsa-cia-ukraine-info-100952
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff alleged that the NSA and CIA may be withholding documents on Ukraine from Congress due to pressure from the White House, even as the Senate prepares to move forward on the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Schiff was asked about a POLITICO report that intelligence agencies officials don’t want to testify in public during an upcoming hearing in the House Intelligence panel on global security threats, asking that the session be held in private instead. Trump slammed the intelligence chiefs one year ago for the assessment of Iran, calling them “extremely passive and naïve” on the issue.
Schiff confirmed that report, and then asserted that Ukraine-related information is being withheld from Capitol Hill. Schiff blamed the White House for the failure to turn over the information to lawmakers.
“And I'll say something even more concerning to me, and that is the intelligence community is beginning to withhold documents from Congress on the issue of Ukraine,” Schiff said. “The NSA, in particular, is withholding what are potentially relevant documents to our oversight responsibilities on Ukraine, but also withholding documents potentially relevant that the senators might want to see during the trial.”
-----
Newly released texts tie Nunes aide closer to Ukraine plot
https://apnews.com/6305f2fe649ba580d718aac2a8cbe50e
WASHINGTON (AP) — New documents released by House Democrats suggest that Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, was more deeply involved than was previously known in efforts by allies of President Donald Trump to dig up dirt in Ukraine on former Vice President Joe Biden.
Democrats on the Intelligence Committee released a trove of text messages, photos and other documents Friday night as part of the impeachment inquiry. The materials were provided to the House by Lev Parnas, a Florida businessman who worked with Trump personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to try to persuade the Ukrainian government to launch an investigation into Biden.
Nunes initially denied knowing Parnas but has since been forced to admit the two had spoken. The messages released Friday show about 100 text messages traded over months between Parnas and the California Republican’s staffer, Derek Harvey, a retired U.S. Army colonel. Harvey previously served at the White House on Trump’s National Security Council.
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Mitch McConnell Blocks Reporters From Shooting Video Of House Impeachment Managers
https://www.politicususa.com/2020/01/20/mitch-mcconnell-blocks-reporters-from-shooting-video-of-house-impeachment-managers.html
Mitch McConnell wouldn’t allow reporters inside the Senate chamber and refused to allow reporters to shoot video of the House managers entering and exiting.
Here is the latest attempt by McConnell to limit coverage of Trump’s impeachment trial:
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John Roberts Has More Power Than Mitch McConnell Would Like You to Think. But Will He Use It?
https://time.com/5768467/john-roberts-mitch-mcconnell-witnesses/
The Constitution is, in many respects, vague. And no part of our founding charter has more gaps than the impeachment clauses.
At the time of drafting of the Constitution, the colonists were still recovering from a bitter eight-year war for independence, in which their adversary was the armed forces of the British King George III — the tyrannical monarch who had stripped them of their right to self-government. So while the Founders understood the need for an executive department of any effective government, they were wary of recreating anything close to a monarchy. The result was a compromise, a tripartite state consisting of a legislature, an executive and a judiciary.
One of the checks in this balance was to give the legislature the power to remove the any member of the executive branch, including the President, by impeachment.
...
The most prominent question today, is shall the Senate hear witnesses? Precedent suggests the answer is “yes”– there have been 15 prior impeachment trials in the Senate (two involving Presidents) and all have had witness testimony in the Senate. And there is no Constitutional bar against witnesses in what the Constitution refers to as an impeachment “trial.” But Mitch McConnell, the Majority Leader in the Senate, is clearly willing to ignore precedent and has thus far refused to commit to calling witnesses. He even considers that his constitutional oath to do “impartial justice” permits him to coordinate every aspect of trial management with counsel for the President, who objects to witnesses.
But wait a minute. While McConnell is not mentioned in the Constitution, Chief Justice John Roberts is. Indeed, it is the Chief Justice of the United States who shall “preside” over the trial, not the Majority Leader. So why isn’t it up to Roberts to decide whether witnesses shall appear?
Absent anything in the Constitution to the contrary, it seems obvious that the witness dispute should be resolved by the ruling of the constitutionally appointed “Presiding Officer” of the trial. This is especially true if we were to abide by the conservative element of our judiciary that insists on the strict construction of the words of any constitutional or statutory provision.
On Monday, the president’s lawyers asserted he did nothing wrong and urged the Senate to “swiftly reject” the charges against him.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/20/us/politics/mcconnell-pushes-to-speed-impeachment-trial-as-trump-requests-swift-acquittal.html
WASHINGTON — Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, unveiled ground rules on Monday for President Trump’s impeachment trial that would attempt to speed the proceeding along and refuse to admit the evidence against the president unearthed by the House without a separate vote.
Mr. McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, showed his hand hours after Mr. Trump’s legal team called on the Senate to “swiftly reject” the impeachment charges and acquit him, arguing that Democrats would “permanently weaken the presidency” if they succeeded in removing him from office over what the team characterized as policy and political differences.
...
Mr. McConnell’s trial rules, which limited each side’s arguments to 24 hours over two days, gave the White House a helping hand at the outset and drew swift anger from Democrats. The rules left open the possibility that the Senate could not only decline to hear new evidence not uncovered in the House impeachment inquiry, but could also sidestep considering the House case against Mr. Trump altogether — although such a vote is considered unlikely.
“Under this resolution, Senator McConnell is saying he doesn’t want to hear any of the existing evidence, and he doesn’t want to hear any new evidence,” said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader. “It’s a cover-up, and the American people will see it for exactly what it is.”
-----
McConnell proposal envisions speedy impeachment trial for Trump
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-impeachment-rules/mcconnell-proposal-envisions-speedy-impeachment-trial-for-trump-idUSKBN1ZJ2CI
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Monday proposed rules that would execute a potentially quick impeachment trial for President Donald Trump, with no guarantee that witnesses or new evidence would be allowed.
A resolution McConnell unveiled on Monday would give House Democratic prosecutors and Trump lawyers 48 hours, evenly split, to present their arguments over a maximum of four days.
Under the resolution, which could face a vote as early as Tuesday, lawyers for Trump could move early in the proceedings to ask senators to dismiss all charges, a senior Republican leadership aide said, a motion that would likely fall short of the support needed to succeed.
-----
The Senate impeachment trial is about to kick into high gear. Here's what we know
https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/20/politics/impeachment-watch-january-19/index.html
A version of this story appears in CNN's Impeachment Watch newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.
Washington (CNN)The Senate impeachment trial is set to begin in earnest Tuesday when Republicans and Democrats are expected to debate a resolution setting the rules for the trial before starting opening arguments.
Loaded rhetoric from the White House and Democrats this weekend promises a bitterly partisan trial. And we'll have more on that in a moment.
First, here's what we know and what we don't about the Senate trial from CNN's Ted Barrett and Ali Zaslav:
-----
Schiff says NSA, CIA withholding Ukraine info due to White House pressure
“The intelligence community is beginning to withhold documents from Congress on the issue of Ukraine,” he said.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/19/adam-schiff-nsa-cia-ukraine-info-100952
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff alleged that the NSA and CIA may be withholding documents on Ukraine from Congress due to pressure from the White House, even as the Senate prepares to move forward on the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Schiff was asked about a POLITICO report that intelligence agencies officials don’t want to testify in public during an upcoming hearing in the House Intelligence panel on global security threats, asking that the session be held in private instead. Trump slammed the intelligence chiefs one year ago for the assessment of Iran, calling them “extremely passive and naïve” on the issue.
Schiff confirmed that report, and then asserted that Ukraine-related information is being withheld from Capitol Hill. Schiff blamed the White House for the failure to turn over the information to lawmakers.
“And I'll say something even more concerning to me, and that is the intelligence community is beginning to withhold documents from Congress on the issue of Ukraine,” Schiff said. “The NSA, in particular, is withholding what are potentially relevant documents to our oversight responsibilities on Ukraine, but also withholding documents potentially relevant that the senators might want to see during the trial.”
-----
Newly released texts tie Nunes aide closer to Ukraine plot
https://apnews.com/6305f2fe649ba580d718aac2a8cbe50e
WASHINGTON (AP) — New documents released by House Democrats suggest that Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, was more deeply involved than was previously known in efforts by allies of President Donald Trump to dig up dirt in Ukraine on former Vice President Joe Biden.
Democrats on the Intelligence Committee released a trove of text messages, photos and other documents Friday night as part of the impeachment inquiry. The materials were provided to the House by Lev Parnas, a Florida businessman who worked with Trump personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to try to persuade the Ukrainian government to launch an investigation into Biden.
Nunes initially denied knowing Parnas but has since been forced to admit the two had spoken. The messages released Friday show about 100 text messages traded over months between Parnas and the California Republican’s staffer, Derek Harvey, a retired U.S. Army colonel. Harvey previously served at the White House on Trump’s National Security Council.
-----
Mitch McConnell Blocks Reporters From Shooting Video Of House Impeachment Managers
https://www.politicususa.com/2020/01/20/mitch-mcconnell-blocks-reporters-from-shooting-video-of-house-impeachment-managers.html
Mitch McConnell wouldn’t allow reporters inside the Senate chamber and refused to allow reporters to shoot video of the House managers entering and exiting.
Here is the latest attempt by McConnell to limit coverage of Trump’s impeachment trial:
-----
John Roberts Has More Power Than Mitch McConnell Would Like You to Think. But Will He Use It?
https://time.com/5768467/john-roberts-mitch-mcconnell-witnesses/
The Constitution is, in many respects, vague. And no part of our founding charter has more gaps than the impeachment clauses.
At the time of drafting of the Constitution, the colonists were still recovering from a bitter eight-year war for independence, in which their adversary was the armed forces of the British King George III — the tyrannical monarch who had stripped them of their right to self-government. So while the Founders understood the need for an executive department of any effective government, they were wary of recreating anything close to a monarchy. The result was a compromise, a tripartite state consisting of a legislature, an executive and a judiciary.
One of the checks in this balance was to give the legislature the power to remove the any member of the executive branch, including the President, by impeachment.
...
The most prominent question today, is shall the Senate hear witnesses? Precedent suggests the answer is “yes”– there have been 15 prior impeachment trials in the Senate (two involving Presidents) and all have had witness testimony in the Senate. And there is no Constitutional bar against witnesses in what the Constitution refers to as an impeachment “trial.” But Mitch McConnell, the Majority Leader in the Senate, is clearly willing to ignore precedent and has thus far refused to commit to calling witnesses. He even considers that his constitutional oath to do “impartial justice” permits him to coordinate every aspect of trial management with counsel for the President, who objects to witnesses.
But wait a minute. While McConnell is not mentioned in the Constitution, Chief Justice John Roberts is. Indeed, it is the Chief Justice of the United States who shall “preside” over the trial, not the Majority Leader. So why isn’t it up to Roberts to decide whether witnesses shall appear?
Absent anything in the Constitution to the contrary, it seems obvious that the witness dispute should be resolved by the ruling of the constitutionally appointed “Presiding Officer” of the trial. This is especially true if we were to abide by the conservative element of our judiciary that insists on the strict construction of the words of any constitutional or statutory provision.
