WATCH LIVE: Trump impeachment trial — January 24
House Democrats are expected Friday to conclude three days of arguments in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
Category: Impeachment
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries destroys Donald Trump’s claims of ‘no pressure’ in critical presentation
Stopped in a hallway outside the Senate chamber, Sen. Elizabeth Warren was asked what she’d seen that was “new.” Her immediate response — the presentation that had just finished from Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Warren is right. The facts that Jeffries reviewed may have come from the House hearings, but what they revealed in his presentation placed a whole new light on a key element of Trump’s impeachment.
On Wednesday morning, Trump began his record day of tweets by simply tweeting “No pressure.” That claim, that the Ukrainian government did not feel pressured to give Trump the investigations he wanted, is critical to the case for Trump’s defense. And Jeffries’ presentation showed just how ridiculous that claim really is.
1) The White House meeting and military assistance were both vital to Ukraine's very existence. As a independent democracy.
2) The pressure to maintain a stable relationship with the United States was enormous, because that relationship is the most important connection Ukraine has, and the only partnership that can safeguard them against a serious Russian incursion.
3) When Rudy Giuliani approached incoming President Volodymyr Zelensky saying that he was Trump's personal attorney, Zelensky and team fended off the demands that were passed from Trump through Giuliani for months.
4) Behind the scenes Ukrainian officials scrambled madly to preserve the U.S. relationship without doing something they knew was wrong. They saw what Giuliani was doing, but in supporting corrupt figures from past Ukrainian governments, and smearing ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, but did their best to stay out of it.
5) Zelensky’s government understood what Trump wanted, but they knew that giving it to him risked losing the bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress that was vital to continued assistance from the U.S. So, as long as it was just Giuliani pushing them, they resisted.
6) Unhappy that Giuliani had not been able to get the investigations started, Trump assigned the “three amigos” to listen to Giuliani and support his play.
7) After Kurt Volker and Gordon Sondland talked with Giuliani, reinforced the demands, and made it clear that U.S. foreign policy had been subverted to support Trump’s personal goals, Zelensky could see that the only way to preserve any U.S.-Ukraine relationship in the short term was to go along with Trump’s demands.
8) Even so, Ukrainian officials didn’t come to this position willingly. They drafted a version of the announcement that they hoped would satisfy Trump without making enemies in Congress. But Trump’s team shoved it back and forced them to make it more explicit.
9) With Giuliani, Sondland, Volker and others all pounding the Ukrainian team for announcements of the investigations, Zelensky eventually folded and agreed to the CNN interviews. Sondland walked Zelensky through what he needed to say to Trump to please him.
10) The interviews were only stopped when Trump was pinned down by the whistleblower, congressional inquiries, and public knowledge that forced him to release the military assistance. Without the pressure of the pending aid package, Zelensky withdrew from the interviews.
When Rudy Giuliani pulled up at Zelensky’s door and represented himself as Trump’s personal attorney, Zelensky was able to resist responding to the demands passed to him. It wasn’t until Trump backed Giuliani with senior officials—until “everyone was in the loop”— that officials in Ukraine realized just how corrupt the U.S. had become. And Zelensky saw that, for the sake of his nation, he had no choice to bend to the immeasurable pressure being applied by Trump.
Trump poses ‘continuing threat’ to national interests, say House managers
On their second day of arguments in President Trump's Senate trial, House managers focused on their first article of impeachment, abuse of power. They accused Trump of "extorting" Ukraine's government by withholding $400 million in critical military aid and a White House meeting until Ukraine delivered an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Nick Schifrin reports.
How senators and the White House are reacting to Democrats’ abuse of power argument
House impeachment managers are now in their second day of prosecuting the case to remove President Trump from office. On Thursday, they laid out why they believe Trump abused his presidential power. Yamiche Alcindor and Lisa Desjardins join Judy Woodruff to discuss the Democrats' presentation, how senators in the chamber appeared to be receiving it and what we're hearing from Trump himself.
Susan Collins finds a principle to stand behind: Tattling on ‘both sides’ in the name of civility
Just when you thought Maine Sen. Susan Collins couldn't get any worse, you find out she's a tattle-tale. Yes, the one thing that woke Chief Justice John Roberts out of his stupor during the ongoing impeachment trial was a note from Collins tattling on Rep. Jerry Nadler for being mean during his statement Tuesday night.
She told Politico she was "stunned" that Nadler would suggest that Senate Republicans were aiding in Trump's cover-up of his Ukraine dealings, and felt compelled to tell teacher Roberts that Nadler and White House counsel Pat Cipollone were breaking the rules. "So I did write a note raising the issue of whether there’d been a violation of the rules," she said. "I gave that note to [Senate Parliamentarian] Laura Dove and shortly thereafter the chief justice did admonish both sides. And I was glad that he did." Which is quintessential Collins: more concerned about decorum in the Senate chamber than Trump extorting a foreign leader to interfere in our election on his behalf. And clearly more invested in helping cover that up, since she voted against every single amendment brought by Democrats trying to expand the record with new witnesses and documents.
Collins apparently also remains unconcerned with the behavior of her fellow Republicans, who are breaking all the rules set for them in an impeachment hearing by leaving the chamber for long stretches of time, chatting, snapping gum, doing crosswords, playing with toys, and reading books. She's not tattling to Roberts about that, and reminding him that he's supposed to keeping her colleagues in line. That’s presumably because it's Republicans and not "both sides" misbehaving.
WATCH: ‘Bogus’ Ukraine theory led to Trump’s abuse, Dems argue in impeachment trial
As the Democrats pressed their case for a second day before skeptical Republican Senate jurors, they displayed video images of the nation's top FBI and Homeland Security officials warning the public off the theory that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 election.
House managers continue to build devastating impeachment case against Trump: Live coverage #4
Donald Trump has been impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress—and in case there was any doubt he’s guilty, he’s bragging about obstruction. But that’s not enough for Senate Republicans determined to protect him at all cost.
On day one of opening arguments, the House impeachment managers, led by Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, gave a master class in conveying complicated information clearly and persuasively, while Republicans conveyed their contempt for the proceedings by leaving the room and Chief Justice John Roberts failed to do his job by rebuking their absences. Even before Democrats began to make their case, a majority of Americans believed Trump should be removed from office.
The House impeachment managers—Schiff, Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler, and Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Hakeem Jeffries, Val Demings, Jason Crow, and Sylvia Garcia—continue to make their case in the second day of opening arguments. Daily Kos will be following live.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 9:39:11 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerAdam Schiff finishing out the list of reasons it’s clear that Trump’s Ukraine actions were meant to benefit him personally, rather than genuinely fight corruption.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 9:43:04 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerAll of this was from just one hour into the hearing. Republicans have the attention span of a tsetse fly.
xThursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 9:55:02 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerSome other observations from the last half hour: @SenatorBurr has a fidget spinner, @RandPaul has quite the sketch of the Capitol going, and @MarshaBlackburn is reading a book.
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) January 23, 2020
Zoe Lofgren takes over as Schiff finishes up going over how they can know that Trump was acting only for himself.
If Schiff was focused on the motivation, Lofgren appears to be dealing with the means — including getting Yovanovitch out of the way and putting in the “amigos.”
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 10:00:42 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerLofgren is delivering this segment with a tone that’s like a teacher reading a storybook to first graders. Which seems sadly appropriate.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 10:05:46 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerIf there was any truth to that business of “ears burning” when someone talks about you, Lofgren would have caused Giuliani to go into spontaneous human combustion by now.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 10:07:15 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerAnd the awful thing is … Lofgren is leaving out by far the majority of Giuliani’s trips, articles, interviews, and statements that he used to bulldoze Marie Yovanovitch, twist arms in Ukraine, and make corruption great again.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 10:12:26 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerBy the way, it’s obvious to everyone but Trump that Giuliani was working for at least two masters in this scheme. Oligarch Dmytro Firtash was actually picking up most of the tab and putting Giuliani together with “sources.” The Trump connection was convenient for Giuliani and Firtash, because they both knew that once Trump was defending an action, the original motivation wouldn’t matter.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 10:17:27 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerLofgren sits down, and Val Demings steps up to continue talking about the scheme directed by Giuliani. McConnell interjects to note there will be a dinner break around 6:30 — which in practice means whenever Rep. Demings sits down.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 10:21:16 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerIf Lofgren is a grade school teacher reading a story, Demings is the hard-boiled detective who meets you at a bar to tell you about the crazy sh#t she saw on the beat today.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 10:31:02 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerI like it every time they come back to Marie Yovanovitch. I can’t believe there’s a living room in America, even in the reddest, Trumpiest America, where someone would side with Rudy Giuliani over Masha Yovanovitch. If there is, please don’t tell me.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 10:35:02 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerDemings making it explicitly clear that Giuliani — who claimed he was there as Trump’s personal agent — was directly shaping U.S. policy, and U.S. personnel, in Ukraine.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 10:40:48 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerDemings completes drawing the line between Giuliani approaching Zelensky as Trump’s personal agent, and Trump forcing the State Department to work through Giuliani — in effect, making U.S. foreign policy subservient to Trump’s personal interests.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 10:48:12 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerDemings delivering a kick-ass finish to her segment, reminding senators of the scale of the effort here. Trump hijacked not just Ukraine funds, but U.S. foreign policy, U.S. national interest, and U.S. national security … all for an edge in the 2020 election.
“A violation of public trust. A failure to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. When it came down to the laws of the country and his own reelection, President Trump chose himself.”
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 10:49:51 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerHakeem Jeffries stands to continue the argument, so there won’t be a break until he completes. Loosens the senate up for a moment with a joke about Derek Jeter.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 10:51:49 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerJeffries: “Whats more American than baseball and apple pie? Perhaps the one thing that falls into that category is the sanctity of the Constitution.”
Jeffries thanks the Senate for preserving the dignity of the occasion, which may not sound like a dig, but it was during his presentation last night that almost half the Republicans walked out of the room.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 10:54:55 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerJeffries: “Rudy Giuliani … the human hand grenade.”
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 11:05:08 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerJeffries pounding home the point of the disparity in the U.S. — Ukraine relationship. The idea that Trump can get out of this by having Zelensky say “no pressure” is, and always has been, laughable.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 11:08:36 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerI’d forgotten the moment in which Gordon Sondland explains that “He loves your ass” is “Trump speak” for someone being cooperative.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 11:13:22 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Jeffries continues doing important work here:
The things that Ukraine wanted were vital to their existence. The pressure to secure U.S. assistance was enormous. Zelensky fended off Giulini for months while behind the scenes Ukrainian officials scrambled madly to preserve the U.S. relationship without doing something they knew was wrong. Then Trump made it clear his demands could not be avoided by ordering the “amigos” to join up with Guiliani. It was only after Volker and Sondland reinforced the demands that had come through Giuliani that Zelensky folded and agreed. Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 11:35:45 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerAnd we’re on a break, BTW. I should have mentioned that sooner.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 11:40:55 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner Asked what she heard new today, @ewarren pointed to the presentation by @RepJeffries for how clear it made the pressure that Ukraine experienced. Warren is right. Jeffries gave a fantastic explanation that genuinely put a new light on events in both Ukraine and U.S.Trump defender Matt Gaetz publicly sulking after he didn’t get picked for Dear Leader’s B-team
One of the problems with being a professional political suck-up is that there is always someone willing to be more of a suck-up than you. Grovel all you like: Lindsey Graham will have you beat. Praise Dear Leader day and night: Nikki Haley will write a whole book about Dear Leader's hidden genius, even as Dear Leader kicks mud on her shoes. Rep. Matt Gaetz is not exactly in the upper tiers of the Republican brain trust, but he has devoted himself to sucking-up like a Hoover.
So right now he's really, really steamed that he wasn't picked to be on Donald Trump's impeachment "defense" team. Not the elite team, the one sitting on the Senate floor doing its best impression of mob lawyers who have made the big time, but the B-team, with Rep. Jim Jordan and other House shouters who have been selected as Trump's semi-official Fox News defenders. According to Gaetz, the White House did it to punish him.
Specifically, Gaetz is publicly blaming White House legislative affairs director Eric Ueland for the betrayal, and is slamming him for it. Gaetz says Ueland is retaliating after Gaetz voted with Democrats to rein in Trump's war powers following Trump's assassination of a top Iranian military official. And he is steamed. Politico reports that Gaetz said, "He knows it’s House Democrats, not Iran, who are impeaching the president, right?" and added, “I thought ‘legislative affairs’ folks were supposed to help the president add friends, not extend silly fights with the president’s best friends."
BEST. FRIENDS. He is Dear Leader's BEST FRIEND, you White House lowlife. How dare you get between a man and his dog?
To emphasize: This is a very stupid fight. This is why Rep. Matt Gaetz is the best person to pursue it. Gaetz and the White House both know that Gaetz will still appear in front of any available camera to praise and defend Trump, regardless of whether he is allowed into the Dear Leader Fan Clubhouse or not. It is true that he wanted to be an executive talking point delivery boy, but he is still a regular talking point delivery boy. It's just a meaningless title that just helps insecure people feel better about themselves.
House managers continue to build devastating impeachment case against Trump: Live coverage #3
Donald Trump has been impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress—and in case there was any doubt he’s guilty, he’s bragging about obstruction. But that’s not enough for Senate Republicans determined to protect him at all cost.
On day one of opening arguments, the House impeachment managers, led by Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, gave a master class in conveying complicated information clearly and persuasively, while Republicans conveyed their contempt for the proceedings by leaving the room and Chief Justice John Roberts failed to do his job by rebuking their absences. Even before Democrats began to make their case, a majority of Americans believed Trump should be removed from office.
The House impeachment managers—Schiff, Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler, and Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Hakeem Jeffries, Val Demings, Jason Crow, and Sylvia Garcia—continue to make their case in the second day of opening arguments. Daily Kos will be following live.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 8:35:38 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerEven though Adam Schiff began this discussion by saying “you can imagine” what Putin is thinking, there is a 101% chance Trump is now going to accuse Schiff of making up words for Putin.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 8:38:37 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerSchiff draws a laugh out of senators by saying that Trump has made Vladimir Putin religious, after Putin thanked God for Trump’s spreading of the Crowdstrike conspiracy theory.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 8:40:51 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerAs expected, Schiff has cycled back to this slide to show that Trump wasn’t interested in corruption or other U.S. interests.
Schiff: “’Thank God,” Putin said. 'Nobody is accusing us anymore of interfering in U.S. elections. Now they're accusing Ukraine.' Well, you've gotta give Donald Trump credit for this … He has made a religious man out of Vladimir Putin."
There’s a nice clip for the evening news.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 8:50:08 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerExpect Republicans to be deaf to everything said except Trump demanding an investigation into the Bidens. For Republican senators, everyone but Trump sounds like an adult in a Charlie Brown special.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 8:55:07 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerThe May 10 letter from Giuliani to Zelensky is a key piece of evidence. Giuliani’s initial claim in the letter—that he’s representing Trump to the head of a foreign state as a private citizen—should itself be enough to instigate impeachment, before another word is written.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 9:04:36 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner Schiff has essentially done his introductory speech to this topic—the rule of law, abuse of power, and Trump’s motivations—in the middle. Not clear why they’e arranged things this way, other than it does put their strongest speaker closer to the time when people might be getting home. Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 9:11:20 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner xThursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 9:14:30 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerThe House Managers are doing a great job blowing up Trump’s phony defenses in advance. I’d feel sorry for Team Trump — if I didn’t remind myself that nobody is forcing them to represent a dictator wannabe, a demagogue who threatens all we stand for as a representative democracy.
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) January 23, 2020
Anyone who thinks that 24 hours of House managers presenting an impeachment case before the Senate cannot be compelling, must-watch television, has not tuned in for a moment of this trial.
But there's still time. Tell everyone you know to call their Senators, but first tell them to tune into this presentation.
Thursday, Jan 23, 2020 · 9:19:11 PM +00:00 · Mark SumnerThe immediate, powerful reaction to Trump’s “perfect” call.
Trump is abusing his power and obstructing Congress right now while impeachment trial continues
In the middle of an impeachment trial in which Donald Trump is accused of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, the Trump administration is brazenly abusing its power, flouting a court order, and ignoring Congress. Just this week, the administration deported an Iranian student against a judge's express order, and defied a congressional order to turn over a report.
Late Monday night, Customs and Border Patrol deported Shahab Abadi, a 24-year old Iranian citizen studying at Northeastern University, despite a federal judge's order blocking his deportation. CPB claims it didn't know about the order, and the judge has to just let it go, or is choosing to, because now that Abadi is out of the country, there's no longer a case. The administration is getting way with it. So far, it’s also getting away with seemingly arbitrarily using national security as a bogus excuse to justify Trump's tariffs, and refusing to show Congress its evidence even after Congress ordered that it be turned over.
The administration says it has a secret report declaring some imported cars are a national security risk. Yes, cars. Because some imported cars and trucks were "weakening our internal economy" and thus pose a national security threat. That's really what is argued in this report (if it truly exists, and that has been in question because this is the Trump administration we're talking about). Congress included a provision demanding that the administration turn over the report in the spending bill passed at the end of last year.
The administration might not be turning over that report because it does not exist, which is as likely as anything. But that's not the point. The point is the administration says there is a report and because it says the law doesn't matter, it doesn’t have to turn it over to Congress even though Congress ordered it. The Commerce Department argued in its memo refusing to comply that it is "not releasing the 232 autos report because releasing it now would interfere with the President’s ability to protect confidential executive branch communications and could interfere with ongoing negotiations," and says it has a Justice Department opinion that backs it up.
This has two Republican senators supposedly hopping mad. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania says "the Department of Commerce is willfully violating federal law" and he is "evaluating the potential for corrective action to compel the rightful release of this report." Chuck Grassley of Iowa says the Justice Department memo "doesn't seem to have much merit on its face. The law as passed by Congress is clear."
If they wanted to send a message to the administration, and to Trump, that he is not above the law, they've got a very ripe opportunity right now. But I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for them to take it.