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Monday, January 20, 2020
House Democrats: Trump must be removed to protect 2020 election
House Democrats argued in their legal brief filed Saturday that President Trump must be convicted in the Senate’s upcoming impeachment trial and removed from office to safeguard the 2020 election.
“President Trump’s conduct is the Framers’ worst nightmare,” said the House impeachment managers, who will act as prosecutors during the trial next week.
“President Trump abused the power of his office to solicit foreign interference in our elections for his own personal political gain, thereby jeopardizing our national security, the integrity of our elections, and our democracy,” the impeachment managers said in a joint statement.
House Democrats also argued that Mr. Trump’s request for an investigation into Ukraine meddling in the 2016 election would benefit him by adding “legitimacy” to his presidency.
They argued that an investigation of Ukraine meddling would obscure the fact that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
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“President Trump’s conduct is the Framers’ worst nightmare,” said the House impeachment managers, who will act as prosecutors during the trial next week.
“President Trump abused the power of his office to solicit foreign interference in our elections for his own personal political gain, thereby jeopardizing our national security, the integrity of our elections, and our democracy,” the impeachment managers said in a joint statement.
House Democrats also argued that Mr. Trump’s request for an investigation into Ukraine meddling in the 2016 election would benefit him by adding “legitimacy” to his presidency.
They argued that an investigation of Ukraine meddling would obscure the fact that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
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Two deceptions at the heart of Democrats' impeachment brief
In a newly released impeachment brief, Democratic House managers argue that President Trump must be removed "immediately" to protect the integrity of the current presidential race. "The Senate must use that remedy now to safeguard the 2020 U.S. election," the managers write.
"The Senate should immediately remove President Trump from office to prevent further abuses," they continue. "He is an immediate threat to the nation and the rule of law. It is imperative that the Senate convict and remove him from office now."
Democrats insist on Trump's immediate removal because, they argue, he was the knowing beneficiary of Russian help in the 2016 election, and if he is not thrown out of office right now, he will do it again. But in making their argument, Democrats make two critical mis-characterizations about Trump, Republicans, and 2016. One is flat-out wrong, while the other is misleading.
The one that is flat wrong is the Democrats' assertion that Trump wanted Ukraine to investigate "a debunked conspiracy theory that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 presidential election to aid President Trump, but instead that Ukraine interfered in that election to aid President Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton."
The problem is, the theory does not hold that Russia "did not interfere" in the 2016 election. There is a mountain of evidence that Russia interfered, and that has been the conclusion of every investigation into the matter, beginning with the first congressional probe, by the House Intelligence Committee under then-chairman Devin Nunes. The theory is that in addition to Russian interference, some people in Ukraine, including some government officials, also tried to influence the U.S. election. It was not a government-run effort, and it was on a far smaller scale than the Russian project, but it happened.
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"The Senate should immediately remove President Trump from office to prevent further abuses," they continue. "He is an immediate threat to the nation and the rule of law. It is imperative that the Senate convict and remove him from office now."
Democrats insist on Trump's immediate removal because, they argue, he was the knowing beneficiary of Russian help in the 2016 election, and if he is not thrown out of office right now, he will do it again. But in making their argument, Democrats make two critical mis-characterizations about Trump, Republicans, and 2016. One is flat-out wrong, while the other is misleading.
The one that is flat wrong is the Democrats' assertion that Trump wanted Ukraine to investigate "a debunked conspiracy theory that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 presidential election to aid President Trump, but instead that Ukraine interfered in that election to aid President Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton."
The problem is, the theory does not hold that Russia "did not interfere" in the 2016 election. There is a mountain of evidence that Russia interfered, and that has been the conclusion of every investigation into the matter, beginning with the first congressional probe, by the House Intelligence Committee under then-chairman Devin Nunes. The theory is that in addition to Russian interference, some people in Ukraine, including some government officials, also tried to influence the U.S. election. It was not a government-run effort, and it was on a far smaller scale than the Russian project, but it happened.
More
'Strong' paper trail has John Durham investigating the months before Mueller appointment
A trail of documents has reportedly led Attorney General William Barr's handpicked federal prosecutor to focus his inquiry into the origins of the Russia investigation on the first several months of President Trump's tenure.
John Durham, a U.S. attorney from Connecticut, is zeroing in on the period spanning from January 2017, when Trump took office, to May of that year. A "strong" paper trail, as CBS News senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge put it on Friday, has led the investigation into possible misconduct by federal law enforcement and intelligence officials to that time frame.
Durham's office declined to comment for this report.
While Trump and his allies have championed Durham's effort, Democrats have dismissed the allegations of wrongdoing during the Trump-Russia investigation and are concerned the inquiry may be an effort to discredit the work of special counsel Robert Mueller. Trump gave Barr full declassification authority for the endeavor.
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John Durham, a U.S. attorney from Connecticut, is zeroing in on the period spanning from January 2017, when Trump took office, to May of that year. A "strong" paper trail, as CBS News senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge put it on Friday, has led the investigation into possible misconduct by federal law enforcement and intelligence officials to that time frame.
Durham's office declined to comment for this report.
While Trump and his allies have championed Durham's effort, Democrats have dismissed the allegations of wrongdoing during the Trump-Russia investigation and are concerned the inquiry may be an effort to discredit the work of special counsel Robert Mueller. Trump gave Barr full declassification authority for the endeavor.
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Poll: Overwhelming majority say news media making US more politically divided
An overwhelming majority of voters say the news media is making the United States more politically divided, according to a Hill-HarrisX poll released Friday.
The survey of 1,001 registered voters found that 75 percent believe that the way news is reported increases the political divide, compared to only 7 percent who say it has made the county less politically divided.
The issue found strong majority support among both Democrats and Republicans.
Eighty-four percent of GOP voters and 74 of Democratic voters believe the news media has contributed an increase in political polarization throughout the nation, as did 69 percent of independents.
President Trump and his allies have have frequently railed against the media, particularly when it comes to coverage of the administration and, increasingly, impeachment.
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The survey of 1,001 registered voters found that 75 percent believe that the way news is reported increases the political divide, compared to only 7 percent who say it has made the county less politically divided.
The issue found strong majority support among both Democrats and Republicans.
Eighty-four percent of GOP voters and 74 of Democratic voters believe the news media has contributed an increase in political polarization throughout the nation, as did 69 percent of independents.
President Trump and his allies have have frequently railed against the media, particularly when it comes to coverage of the administration and, increasingly, impeachment.
More
UK Wind Farms Paid Millions Per Day NOT to Run Turbines
Last week, millions of pounds in “constraint payments” were paid to wind energy farms to not run their turbines.
Over £12 million was handed out to wind farms in the United Kingdom last week, following a major outage in a powerline that transported energy from Scottish wind farms to England. The handouts will be tacked onto consumers’ energy bills throughout the country.
The firms were paid between 25 and 80 per cent more than they would have earned were the turbines actually running, reports The Telegraph.
A study conducted in December by the Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) found that the UK handed out a record high £136 million to 86 wind farm owners last year in “constraint payments” when the grid was incapable of handling the energy flow.
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Over £12 million was handed out to wind farms in the United Kingdom last week, following a major outage in a powerline that transported energy from Scottish wind farms to England. The handouts will be tacked onto consumers’ energy bills throughout the country.
The firms were paid between 25 and 80 per cent more than they would have earned were the turbines actually running, reports The Telegraph.
A study conducted in December by the Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) found that the UK handed out a record high £136 million to 86 wind farm owners last year in “constraint payments” when the grid was incapable of handling the energy flow.
More
Watch Adam Schiff Tell Three Laughable Impeachment Whoppers in Less Than 90 Seconds
It has been entertaining, to say the least, watching the "sad" and "somber" way in which the Democrats have conducted themselves on the Trump impeachment proceedings.
If the efforts to undo a presidential election, flout the Constitution and subvert the will of the American people using politically weaponized illegal surveillance and phony charges weren't so serious – and welcomed by so many many Democrats – it would be laughable.
For the "laughable" part of this pathetic scenario we turn to Adam Schiff. The primary House Manager for impeachment, who should be a material witness in the case for his dealings with the amazing, disappearing "whistleblower," worshiped at the altar of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" on ABC News on Sunday. Schiff gamely reacted to the Trump legal team's first assertion that the House impeachment charges are facially unconstitutional.
More/Watch
If the efforts to undo a presidential election, flout the Constitution and subvert the will of the American people using politically weaponized illegal surveillance and phony charges weren't so serious – and welcomed by so many many Democrats – it would be laughable.
For the "laughable" part of this pathetic scenario we turn to Adam Schiff. The primary House Manager for impeachment, who should be a material witness in the case for his dealings with the amazing, disappearing "whistleblower," worshiped at the altar of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" on ABC News on Sunday. Schiff gamely reacted to the Trump legal team's first assertion that the House impeachment charges are facially unconstitutional.
More/Watch
New York AG Letitia James’ obscene attack on the NYPD
New York’s top law enforcement official, Attorney General Letitia James, is going after . . . law enforcement.
On Monday, James said she’s probing the NYPD’s fare-evasion policing for racial bias. It’s a disgraceful pander.
“If NYers have been targeted because of the color of their skin, we will not hesitate to take legal action,” she tweeted. Well, sure: If cops were singling out minorities, she’d be remiss not to act. Yet there’s no evidence — none — of such targeting.
From October 2017 to June 2019, James notes, minorities got 70% of the fare-evasion summonses and accounted for 90% of arrests, though they’re only 52% of the wider population. But this tells you nothing unless you determine what percentage of farebeaters they are: James should have determined that before announcing any wider investigation.
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On Monday, James said she’s probing the NYPD’s fare-evasion policing for racial bias. It’s a disgraceful pander.
“If NYers have been targeted because of the color of their skin, we will not hesitate to take legal action,” she tweeted. Well, sure: If cops were singling out minorities, she’d be remiss not to act. Yet there’s no evidence — none — of such targeting.
From October 2017 to June 2019, James notes, minorities got 70% of the fare-evasion summonses and accounted for 90% of arrests, though they’re only 52% of the wider population. But this tells you nothing unless you determine what percentage of farebeaters they are: James should have determined that before announcing any wider investigation.
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The Impeachment ‘Kill Switch’
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is as of now including in the U.S. Senate impeachment trial rules a “kill switch” that effectively allows for the president’s legal team to seek an immediate verdict or dismissal of the case should Democrats engage in any shenanigans like they did in the House process.
The revelation comes after the House finally late last week formally sent the Articles of Impeachment it adopted before Christmas—after holding them for more than a month without transmission—to the U.S. Senate, thereby triggering the start of a Senate trial. The Senate will formally commence its trial procedures in votes this coming week, and while some Republicans want to outright dismiss the charges altogether from the outset, others believe a trial should take place.
In so finally transmitting the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also named impeachment case managers—the Democrats who will present and manage the House’s case to the Senate—last week. They include House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY). Both Schiff and Nadler were widely panned for the highly unfair process they ran in the House of Representatives, and many Senate Republicans do not trust them to refrain from playing games that seek to make the Senate trial unfair to the president as the highly partisan process in the House ended up.
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The revelation comes after the House finally late last week formally sent the Articles of Impeachment it adopted before Christmas—after holding them for more than a month without transmission—to the U.S. Senate, thereby triggering the start of a Senate trial. The Senate will formally commence its trial procedures in votes this coming week, and while some Republicans want to outright dismiss the charges altogether from the outset, others believe a trial should take place.
In so finally transmitting the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also named impeachment case managers—the Democrats who will present and manage the House’s case to the Senate—last week. They include House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY). Both Schiff and Nadler were widely panned for the highly unfair process they ran in the House of Representatives, and many Senate Republicans do not trust them to refrain from playing games that seek to make the Senate trial unfair to the president as the highly partisan process in the House ended up.
More
Impeachment manager claims Trump attempted bribery, dodges when asked why it was not charge
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., one of the seven Democratic impeachment managers prosecuting President Trump before the Senate, accused Trump of attempting to commit bribery in his dealings with Ukraine, but when asked why this was not one of the articles of impeachment, he did not appear to have an explanation.
Bribery is one of the specific offenses mentioned in the Constitution’s discussion of impeachment. The House impeached Trump for alleged abuse of power -- itself is not a statutory crime – and obstruction of Congress, but Crow insisted Sunday that the president was still guilty of attempted bribery.
“Yeah, specifically he did attempt to bribe and coerce a foreign government official, in this case, the president of Ukraine,” Crow told CNN's "State of the Union."
“Then why isn’t that an article?” asked host Brianna Keilar.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/impeachment-manager-claims-trump-attempted-bribery-dodges-when-asked-why-it-was-not-charge
Bribery is one of the specific offenses mentioned in the Constitution’s discussion of impeachment. The House impeached Trump for alleged abuse of power -- itself is not a statutory crime – and obstruction of Congress, but Crow insisted Sunday that the president was still guilty of attempted bribery.
“Yeah, specifically he did attempt to bribe and coerce a foreign government official, in this case, the president of Ukraine,” Crow told CNN's "State of the Union."
“Then why isn’t that an article?” asked host Brianna Keilar.
More
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/impeachment-manager-claims-trump-attempted-bribery-dodges-when-asked-why-it-was-not-charge
Honduras Arrests U.S.-Bound Iranians as New Caravan Heads North from Central American Nation
As hundreds join a new U.S.-bound caravan in Honduras, authorities in the crime-infested Central American nation reveal that four Iranians were recently arrested there. Like thousands of illegal immigrants from around the world, the Iranians entered Honduras illegally and were heading north to the United States, according to a Honduran newspaper article that attributes the information to the president, Juan Orlando Hernández. The Iranians were transported to the capital, Tegucigalpa, and officials have launched an investigation.
Earlier this week Judicial Watch reported on a U.S. alert warning Mexico of armed Iranians planning to enter the country through the southern border, but it’s not clear if the cases are related and calls to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) went unanswered. The bulletin, issued by the Border Patrol’s regional intelligence operation center in Arizona, said that a Guatemalan national may try to smuggle five Middle Easterners—including a suicide bomber—into the U.S. through Mexico. The smuggler and four other men and a woman transited through Guatemala and Belize before reaching Veracruz, Mexico, according to the bulletin.
The U.S. alert didn’t faze a busy Mexican border city’s police chief, who confirms the region is full of Middle Easterners, Africans and Asians trekking north. In a Latin American news report published shortly after the U.S. issued the bulletin, Mexicali Police Chief MarÃa Elena Andrade RamÃrez matter-of-factly said the arrival of people from the Middle East, Africa and Asia as well as the rest of the Americas is “normal” in her California border city of about a million residents.
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Earlier this week Judicial Watch reported on a U.S. alert warning Mexico of armed Iranians planning to enter the country through the southern border, but it’s not clear if the cases are related and calls to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) went unanswered. The bulletin, issued by the Border Patrol’s regional intelligence operation center in Arizona, said that a Guatemalan national may try to smuggle five Middle Easterners—including a suicide bomber—into the U.S. through Mexico. The smuggler and four other men and a woman transited through Guatemala and Belize before reaching Veracruz, Mexico, according to the bulletin.
The U.S. alert didn’t faze a busy Mexican border city’s police chief, who confirms the region is full of Middle Easterners, Africans and Asians trekking north. In a Latin American news report published shortly after the U.S. issued the bulletin, Mexicali Police Chief MarÃa Elena Andrade RamÃrez matter-of-factly said the arrival of people from the Middle East, Africa and Asia as well as the rest of the Americas is “normal” in her California border city of about a million residents.
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Washington Post Presents Virginia Gun Rally as Charlottesville 2.0
The Washington Post is previewing the January 20, Virginia gun rights rally in a way that suggests a Charlottesville 2.0.
The rally, organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), is structured as Lobby Day; the day on which pro-Second Amendment citizens show up to support gun rights. VCDL’s Philip Van Cleave told CNN his group has been coming to the state Capitol every January 20 since 2003 without incident.
This year took a new turn when Gov. Ralph Northam (D) voiced concerns over so-called “violent rhetoric” and put a gun ban in place to guarantee the pro-Second Amendment citizens in attendance cannot be armed.
The Post reports on various self-declared militia members who are coming in from other states to attend the rally, and they note the militia members who pledged to never return to Charlottesville while armed made no such pledge regarding Richmond, the location of Monday’s rally.
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The rally, organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), is structured as Lobby Day; the day on which pro-Second Amendment citizens show up to support gun rights. VCDL’s Philip Van Cleave told CNN his group has been coming to the state Capitol every January 20 since 2003 without incident.
This year took a new turn when Gov. Ralph Northam (D) voiced concerns over so-called “violent rhetoric” and put a gun ban in place to guarantee the pro-Second Amendment citizens in attendance cannot be armed.
The Post reports on various self-declared militia members who are coming in from other states to attend the rally, and they note the militia members who pledged to never return to Charlottesville while armed made no such pledge regarding Richmond, the location of Monday’s rally.
More
2 more Puerto Rico officials fired after warehouse break-in
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Gov. Wanda Vázquez fired the heads of Puerto Rico's housing and family departments Sunday in the latest fallout over the discovery of a warehouse filled with emergency supplies dating from Hurricane Maria.
The removal of Housing Secretary Fernando Gil and Department of Family Secretary Glorimar Andújar came a day after the governor fired the director of Puerto Rico's emergency management agency. Vázquez fired him hours after a video posted to Facebook shows a warehouse in Ponce filled with thousands of cases of water and other much-needed supplies that are believed to have dated back to the hurricane that struck the island in 2017, ABC News has learned.
"In the last days there have been actions by members of the government that are not acceptable"... I will not permit this type of conduct in my government," Vazquez said.
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The removal of Housing Secretary Fernando Gil and Department of Family Secretary Glorimar Andújar came a day after the governor fired the director of Puerto Rico's emergency management agency. Vázquez fired him hours after a video posted to Facebook shows a warehouse in Ponce filled with thousands of cases of water and other much-needed supplies that are believed to have dated back to the hurricane that struck the island in 2017, ABC News has learned.
"In the last days there have been actions by members of the government that are not acceptable"... I will not permit this type of conduct in my government," Vazquez said.
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Warren Confronted About Whether It’s Okay To Lie To The American Public, Refuses To Answer
Democrat presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) refused to answer a question from a CBS reporter on Sunday about whether it was acceptable for a presidential candidate to lie to the American public.
CBS News campaign reporter Zak Hudak asked Warren: “Is it disqualifying for a presidential candidate to lie to the American public about anything?”
“Um, I think that, that we just do our best out there every day, and I hope that’s what happens with everyone,” Warren responded.
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CBS News campaign reporter Zak Hudak asked Warren: “Is it disqualifying for a presidential candidate to lie to the American public about anything?”
“Um, I think that, that we just do our best out there every day, and I hope that’s what happens with everyone,” Warren responded.
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