**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************:
Third impeachment trial in US history begins
California representativeA (dam Schiff,the lead impeachment manager, is reading out from (impeachment resolution) ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************: Impeaching Donald John Trump, president of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. The House voted to send the resolution to the Senate yesterday.
The impeachment charges are being read by lead House manager Rep Adam Schiff D-CA from the Well of the Senatepic.twitter.com/OZRevpIaBR(***********
January (*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************,
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************. ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (pm) ******** (EST**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************: 08
TheSeven House impeachment managershave completed their (second) ceremonial walk to the Senate to deliverarticles of impeachment
They have been escorted to the Senate floor and a proclamation was made by the seargant-at-arms.
We have a live feed of the trial at the top of the blog. Lead impeachment manager,Adam Schiff, has taken the podium.
********************
(************************************** ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* am EST) *********:
Mixed reactions fromSenate Republicansthe nonpartisan GAO report which found the White House broke the law by withholding military aid:
Steven Dennis(@ StevenTDennis)
Most told me they haven’t seen it / read it, including *********** Susan Collins********************************** Lisa Murkowski********************************** et al
January (**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************, **********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Chad Pergram(@ ChadPergram)Graham on GAO rpt: What I haven’t looked at it I don’t know why it would I mean, it’s I got the money they got the money on September the th so I don’t know why that interim period of time would be a violation of law
January (******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************, Matt Wolking, a deputy director of communications for the Trump (campaign,) ****************responded by highlighting how many times the GAO found Barack Obama’s administration violated the law: four.
(one, (two
),**************************** (three, (four) )A complicating factor for Wolking’s argument is that these charged Obama’s agencies with breaking the law, not the White House directly, as today’s GAO report does. And incident two violated the lawbecause the president was not involved.
12. amEST********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************:More fromPelosion impeachment.
She said the trial “is not without risk” and said the revelations in the Lev Parnas documents, and what he has been saying in interviews, would normally warrant a special prosecutor.
But not in thisWhite House. “Does anybody think the rogue attorney general is going to appoint a special prosecutor?” Pelosi said. “No, because he’s implicated in all of this.”
When asked again about US attorney general,William Barr,
Pelosi said: “I don’t know who is the puppet – Trump or the Attorney General.”**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************: **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************An eight -page report by the independent government watchdog GAOsaid the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) “withheld funds for a policy reasons” in theUkraine
affair, which violated the law.The GAO’s central argument is theWhite Housecannot unilaterally decide to withhold foreign aid that has been appropriated by Congress. An OMB spokesperson saidthe office disagreed with the watchdog’s findings.
“The president not only undermined our diplomatic relationships for his own personal, political gain – he also broke the law,”
. “He must be held accountable or he will continue breaking the law and putting the country at risk.”
Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, said on the Senate floor that the GAO’s findings should get a “full hearing” in the impeachment trial.
Josh Lederman(@ JoshNBCNews)(******** (Let’s be clear: There is no@ USGAOpolice that can go prosecute White House officials for violating Impoundment Control Act. GAO works for Congress.
But the ruling becomes a fresh cudgel for Dems just as senators being sworn in to decide whether Trump abused his power (January) ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************,
Updated (at) . am EST
(******************************************************************************************** ()
(************************************************************************************************** 12. amEST10: 21
Government investigators say White House broke the law by freezing Ukraine aid
An independent government watchdog, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), said theWhite Housebudget office violated the law when it frozeUS military aid to Ukraine.
“Faithful execution of the law does not permit the president to substitute his own policy implications for those that Congress has enacted into law,” the report said.
The GAO said the White House violated the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, which says funds appropriated by Congress cannot be withheld by the White House.
A spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Rachel Semmel, told the New York Times:“We disagree with GAO’s opinion. OMB uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the President’s intended and with the law. ”
Thursday’s impeachment trial schedule
Yesterday, the House voted to send articles of impeachment to the Senate, setting in motion the third impeachment Senate trial in US history.
Here’s how that looks today
US supreme court chief justice John Robertsis scheduled to join the proceedings and be sworn in for his presiding role at the trial.
Then:Roberts will swear in (senators –
Republicans, (Democrats and two independents – as jurors. (************************************************************************************************************** and click here to learn how we got here)
Updated (at) ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************. am EST
The White House press secretary,Stephanie Grisham, just spoke with (Fox & Friends) ************ aboutLev Parnas
and said the Trump administration was “not too concerned” about his allegations. She also questioned Parnas’s trustworthiness and his motives.Mark Knoller(@ markknoller)More from************************************************************************************** PressSecon Lev Parnas allegations. Questioning his motives, she says he’s “out on bail … and is desperate to reduce his exposure to prison.” Says
Mark Knoller(@ markknoller)“This really isn’t distracting him,”@ PressSecsays of Pres Trump and the impeachment proceedings now in the Senate. She says he’ll continue to do his job during the trial and expects he’ll travel to Davos next week for the World Economic Forum. (January) ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************, 2020
Updated (at 9.) am EST
(**************************************************************************************************************************** (9.) ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (AM) ******** (EST)(******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************: ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Lev Parnas
said while he did not speak directly with Donald Trump about efforts to pressure Ukraine into investigating the former vice-president Joe Biden, a political rival, he had met with the president several times. Parnas also saidRudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, told Parnas he was updating Trump in an interview with The New York Times.Parnas is facing criminal charges in federal court, so he is not the most reliable witness, buta trove of his documentsreleased to House investigators provided fresh evidence of the close relationship between Parnas and Giuliani ahead of the Senate trial. Trump has denied misconduct.
“My biggest regret is trusting so much,” Parnas said. “I thought I was being a patriot and helping the president,” he said, adding that he “thought by listening to the president and his attorney that I couldn’t possibly get in trouble or do anything wrong”.
Parnas’s statements to the Times echo a similar interview he gave toMSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Wednesdayand Anderson Cooper on CNN.
Giuliani and Trump’s efforts were “all about (**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************, Parnas CNN told.
“That was the most important thing,” Parnas said, “for him to stay on for four years and keep the fight going. I mean, there was no other reason for doing it. ”
Updated (at 9.) *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** am EST
(8. **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** AMEST
Hello and good morning
A key player at the heart of the impeachment inquiry,
Lev Parnas,has told reportersDonald TrumpHe was fully aware of his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate the president’s political rivals, just as the Senate prepares to be sworn-in for the trial.Parnas, a businessman and GOP donor, told MSNBC Trump “knew exactly what was going on”. He told the New York Times: “I am betting my whole life that Trump knew exactly everything that was going on that Rudy Giuliani was doing in Ukraine.”
Trump has denied misconduct, and it’s unclear how much this new material will be absorbed into the Senate impeachment trial.
House prosecutors are expected to arrive at the Senate midday to complete a set of procedural rituals that will formally open the third impeachment trial in the Senate in US history.
Trump, meanwhile, has a quiet schedule for the day besides an announcement about prayer in schools in the afternoon.
We’ll have live updates from the Capitol as well as from the presidential campaign trail.
Updated (at 8.) am EST
**********************************************************************************************************************************(***************************************************************************************************************************************** (Read More) (*****************************************************************************************************************************************
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings