Democrats link Trump to Nixon as they lay impeachment case to rest – The Independent, Independent
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House Democrats have closed their case against Donald Trump with pleas to Republican senators to vote to remove the president over an “insidious” and “unprecedented” cover-up of his attempts to “defraud” an election – while his lawyers urged senators to leave the matter to voters in November.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff had the last word for his side, warning senators that “Donald Trump has betrayed his oath to defend the Constitution”. Minutes before, fellow impeachment manager Val Demings summed up Democrats’ case by saying Mr Trump and some of his aides “wielded the powers of the presidency” in a way that allowed him to “hijack the tools of our government to serve his own personal interests.”
“History will not be kind to Donald Trump,” Mr Schiff said. “Your name will be tied to his with a cord of steel and for all of history.”
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Lawyers on the president’s legal team argued House Democrats undertook a “partisan” and “political” investigation and noted Monday’s session is on the same day as the Iowa caucuses. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone spoke about the American people “right to vote,” part of the team’s contention that voters should decide if Mr Trump gets a second term.
As he closed the defense team’s case, Mr Cipollone bemoaned what he described a “endless investigations” of the president. “At the end of the day, we put our faith in the Senate,” he said, adding of Mr Trump and November’s election: “He is eager to go in front of the people.” But Mr Schiff argued near the end of the trial’s final day that, if acquitted, he would again try to solicit foreign help to win a second term, saying: “He will not change. And you know it.”
Ms Demings was referring to his July telephone conversation with Ukraine ‘s new president, during which he asked him to “do us a favor though “and suggested Volodymyr Zelensky launch investigations of top US Democrats right after they discussed a $ m military aid package that Mr Zelensky’s government was counting on in its standoff with Russia.
Ms Demings criticized Mr Trump for circumventing career national security and foreign policy officials – and his own appointed officials – by establishing a shadow policy process run by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani .
Where other commanders in chief relied on their government advisers, she said Mr Trump’s true motives – to secure the announcement of probes of former vice-president Joe Biden and other Democrats as the 7617481 election cycle was kicking off – were clear in his instructions to aides when they inquired about anything Ukraine: “Talk to Rudy.”
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