House Dems announce rule changes to make Trump's impeachment inquiry just like Nixon's

[marble falls]

Last edited Sat Apr 18, 2020, 04:21 PM - Edit history (1)

House Dems announce rule changes to make Trump’s impeachment inquiry just like Nixon’s
September 7, 2019
Grant Stern
https://occupydemocrats.com/2019/09/07/house-dems-announce-rule-changes-to-make-trumps-impeachment-inquiry-just-like-nixons/

<snip>

All impeachment inquiries originate in the Judiciary Committee, and now they are planning a formal resolution to lay out procedures for this fall’s impeachment inquiry, which Politico first reported late last night.

As a result, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) will be given additional powers to rapidly convene hearings, on a vote which a reliable source on the Hill close to the process just told Occupy Democrats, “will take likely place this week, likely on Tuesday or Thursday of this week because, on Wednesday, Congress will primarily be dedicated to commemorating the September 11th attacks.”

One of the House Judiciary Committee’s biggest proposed changes will be abandoning its much-maligned 5-minute alternating partisan question format, in favor of the same hearing plan that turned the two top Senate Watergate committee counsels into key actors in that probe, which CNN revealed as part of their report with significantly more details:

“[The resolution] is expected to follow the precedent set in 1974 over the committee’s procedures during then-President Richard Nixon’s impeachment proceedings.


<snip>

[marble falls]

3. I knew it was coming, the wheels roll slowly but they keep on rolling.

[Bettie]

11. That's where I am

If it happens, great, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Perseus]

24. Me too...There is joy in my heart when I read things like this, but it is in a box, just waiting

I hope the gas peddle is suddenly pushed and they start going on fast gear...200mph please.

[MyOwnPeace]

53. As with the rest above........

I've been hoping for the last 3 years that "THIS IS THE ONE!!!!!" would finally be "it" - and the shit-show goes on - and on - and on.
I still have hope, faith, and patience, but...........................

[StarfishSaver]

10. Yep

You've been saying that all along ...

[2naSalit]

2. They may not have been

driving the news cycle all this time but they have not been idle either. This session is the one I've been waiting for the past few weeks. I think there is a lot going on behind the scenes that we will be pleased to see when revealed, in the coming months.

[triron]

4. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[marble falls]

6. Justice is a process. Crossing the ts and dotting i's make it impossible for Trump to wiggle out ...

you and I have been waiting for this and its finally coming.

Trump's arrogance with Congress has finally caught up with him.

[Takket]

8. The Democrats aren't grabbing their glove and bat unless they intend to play ball

It is coming..............

and like all of you i am FURIOUS it has taken this long.... to which I blame drumpf for abusing the Court system to force Dems to battle for EVERYTHING no matter how trivial or clearly NOT legal drumpf's claims are (most of these cases are obvious losers that they are suing for just because they know it will stall for months, NOT because they think they have an actual argument). Even more than drumpf though, the real villain in all this is McConnell and Senate rethugs. Without their shield Pelosi would never have needed to jump through all these hoops if the rethugs would have put country before drumpf.

One thing is for sure, some massive reforms are needed to streamline the process of Congressional over-site of the executive branch because national security and quite literally people's lives are ending under the policies of a president that should have been removed years ago.

[Mc Mike]

9. Rollin', rollin', rollin'.

Let's roll.

[Mc Mike]

15. Send them home to russher and north korea. nt.

[Mc Mike]

20. He promotes the values that deaden the sensibilities of a great Democracy.

[bluestarone]

13. Love this BUT

I would have to mute the tv when the RETHUGS start talking!!

[marble falls]

16. I'll be fighting the temptation, but there's no doubt: I will mute some of them.

[StarfishSaver]

21. Fortunately, under the new rules, Republicans won't get to do much talking

[bluestarone]

22. Now THIS i would love!

[calimary]

70. So would I!

They can all go to the back of the room and shut up. And STAY there after school for an hour, in detention, so they can write a composition about how all their many grievances are complete bullshit, while everybody else gets let out early.

[Ninga]

14. I think the coffin needs as many nails as possible.I think dotards daily insane blathering of late,

has been providing rapid firing of nails.

Because so many nails have been fired off only since the recess, I believe it dramatically strengthens the Judiciary’s case.

Is it better for the voting public to say “It’s about time,”

As opposed to: “Why now?”

I’m hanging on by my finger nails....please, please,please...

[marble falls]

17. I think his and his minions' refusal to cooperate with any of the committee hearings are the ...

nails that finally got us here. If they'd played along he might have made this moment harder to achieve.

[Ninga]

19. Yes, of course! It meanwhile his lying blathering disgraceful Sharpie bull shit is reaching

further into the bottom of the barrel where unfortunately many low info voters reside.

The on-going crap is helping build the Judiciary's case. Had he been quiet, complacent, not been an asshole at the G7, thrown away his Sharpie...his negatives might have stalled.

It takes a Village of events to contribute to public support.

[Sogo]

37. How will these proceedings

....suddenly make them cooperate?

[marble falls]

41. These procedings don't require his cooperation and limit GOP grandstanding. This is where ...

Mueller's report will have great value.

[StarfishSaver]

44. No hearings "require his cooperation"

But he's just as likely to stall and stonewall the Judiciary Committee here as he has in the past. He doesn't care that it's an impeachment proceeding.

[marble falls]

55. Nixon never cooperated either, look where it got him. Read the article. The GOP Senate didn't ...

get on board until Democrats in Congress stopped individual GOP Congressmen from their five minutes of political hackery and appointed attorneys to question witnesses. Remember Sam Dash? Nixon never went to Congress to answer questions at all. Lotta good that did him.

[StarfishSaver]

60. You're conflating the Senate Watergate hearings with the impeachment hearings

The Senate hearings were in 1973 - Sam Dash was Senator. But they were conducted in a more straight forward way without a lot of showboating by the senators, who were a different breed then. Remember Howard Baker?

The impeachment hearings were the following summer and weren't televised, so there wasn't any opportunity for grandstanding. The impeachment hearings weren't what pushed the GOP senators or the public over the top because they weren't conducted publicly.

[MFGsunny]

61. Exactly. The following link was a useful reminder to me of how/when Nixon timeline of events.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_process_against_Richard_Nixon

[FakeNoose]

23. Awesome move and the timing is perfect!

Chump won't be able to take the heat. He can barely handle it now. I predict he'll resign before the House ever gets to "impeachment" time.

[Control-Z]

31. You think?

The only time I have even felt a hint of possibility for giving up was during the G7 when he said, “Yeah, sure, why not?”
“Might as well. Might as well. I have second thoughts about everything.” after being asked whether he was having second thoughts about his posture with China.

That was the one and only time he appeared, to me, to be rather despondent.

[FakeNoose]

35. That just happened a couple weeks ago

... and since then he's been hit with several smackdowns in succession. It would take the wind out of anyone don't you think? Not many people are sticking up for Chump either, and that says a lot. This is all going to accumulate until he finally figures out that he just sucks are being president. All he needs is some feeble excuse to call it a "win" and he'll get the hell out of Washington.

If you recall the time before Nixon resigned, he was living in a dreamworld too, but it all turned to shit so quickly. (We've talked about it several times on DU.) Finally the Senate Republicans went to Nixon in private and told him it was time to resign. He was out of there in about 3 days.

[SunSeeker]

25. Good. Now let's DO it. nt

[lunatica]

26. I double checked to make sure it wasn't Borowitz or the onion.

[ChazInAz]

30. You, too?

[CTyankee]

27. We can thank Speaker Pelosi for this, I am sure...

Thank you Madam Speaker

[StarfishSaver]

33. She had nothing to do with it

Last edited Mon Sep 9, 2019, 09:13 AM - Edit history (1)

If they DON'T do anything on impeachment, it's because she won't let them and they're too weak and scared to make a move without her because she has so much power over them. If they DO something on impeachment, it's because they went ahead and did it without her because, apparently, she doesn't have any power over them.

Capisci?

[CTyankee]

42. I don't get that from this article. Maybe you can help me find it...

this time, without the sarcasm...

[StarfishSaver]

43. It didn't come from the article

It's a commentary on the pattern among some here who refuse to give Speaker Pelosi credit. When the House wasn't doing an impeachment inquiry, it was because Pelosi didn't want impeachment and wouldn't let them. When they started an impeachment inquiry, it was because they suddenly went rogue - despite the fact that everything they're doing is obviously being done with Pelosi's approval (and probably under her direction).

[CTyankee]

46. Well, I sure missed that by a mile. You have my apologies.

I have a great deal of respect for her. I think she is a masterful player of politics which we need in this time of Trump. I'm glad we have her.

[StarfishSaver]

48. No apology necessary.

She is a badass and knows just what she's doing.

[CTyankee]

49. I like this policy of just wearing Trump down with constant congressional hearings, witnesses,

testimonies, embarrassed repukes, dirt and more dirt...

Who know, maybe there will be some great revelatory moments we can all hope for and relish when they happen. And they will happen.

this just made my day!

[lagomorph777]

62. Exactly. We know Murder Turtle won't allow the Senate to act, but that's not the point.

Destroy Trump and the Russiapublicans by laying bare their entire corrupt scheme. Then on Election Day, turn out so many enraged voters that no amount of theft can succeed.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

54. +1,000,000

[PatrickforO]

29. FINALLY.

The American people who can't see beyond the tips of their noses need to have this front and center, day after day, so they can see what a criminal this guy really is.

[triron]

39. Would be nice. there's been a lot of dumbing down going on.

[ffr]

32. YES! Keep the pressure on. Turn up the heat on these KGOP grifting assholes!

[lindysalsagal]

34. Like pouring gasoline on a fire.

He was already burning....this is great news.

[Control-Z]

36. This is the exact scenario I have been hanging

my hopes on.

Shortly after the Mueller report came out, when Barr inserted himself into the process with his personal, false, outcome, I did a 180 on impeachment. I had been fine with waiting until then. Ever since I've just hoped that Madame speaker was working on this exact plan.

I just hope this is real. The timing would be perfect, imo. An impeachment inquiry open and televised before the American people is our only chance. It scares the crap out of me, still. How the maggot responds will always be questionable and dangererous.

[Sogo]

38. It is good news.

It may be why he’s been so bonkers, all over the place in the last couple of weeks. His lawyers probably let him know it was coming.

[triron]

40. knr

[kentuck]

45. Now the Congress should flood them with subpoenas

Not one or two, but one or two dozen.

Get some new witnesses that people have not yet formed an opinion .

If any of the subpoenas is defied, then they should be passed straight to the Courts for adjudication .

If still defied , they would go straight to jail .

[trof]

47. YES!

[real Cannabis calm]

50. K&R

[Fiendish Thingy]

51. Rule changes are meaningless unless contempt citations are enforced

Heavy fines or imprisonment or both for those who don't obey subpeonas

[spanone]

52. K&R...👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[czarjak]

56. Bring Barr to heel...

[DaDeacon]

57. This is all I have asked for...

A slow methodical impeachment build up that should last right up to the conventions. Now if Madame speaker will stop acting like it’s not happening and tune the American people back in, this would be perfect.

[McCamy Taylor]

58. K&R

[NewJeffCT]

59. Occupy Democrats?

not really the best of sources.

There will not be weeks of televised hearings of witness after witness like there was with Nixon.

There will be people fighting Congress that they don't have to testify, then lawsuits to compel testimony and then people taking the 5th once they get on the stand.

[marble falls]

63. https://democraticunderground.com/?comview_post&forum1014&pid2365210 ...

What are YOUR sources for that hopeless scenario?

[NewJeffCT]

64. Iran Contra

Other than Oliver North, most of the witnesses stonewalled and delayed and delayed and delayed. Then, as Bush was leaving office, he pardoned the several people that had been indicted, causing the rest of the case the fall apart.

North's testimony overall was seen as a big win for Republicans because he wrapped himself in the flag and the media loved him for hit.

[marble falls]

65. Oh? Who got impeached? Are there any Iran/Contra legislators still in office? Didn't Reagan have ...

the House and the Senate?

[NewJeffCT]

66. the last 2 years of Reagan

Democrats had big majorities in the House and Senate 258-177 in the House and 55-45 in the Senate

For the four years of Bush Sr, Democrats had 55 seats in the senate the first 2 years and 56 the last 2 years. They had 260 in the House for the first two years and 267 seats the last two years of Bush Sr.

[marble falls]

67. Have a nice day.

[NewJeffCT]

68. OK

so, the fact that Bill Barr was AG under Bush Sr and is following the same delay and stonewall playbook means nothing.

When the weeks and weeks of damning testimony a la Watergate are broadcast worldwide like they were under Nixon, I'll come back and admit my mistake.

[marble falls]

69. Mike Flynn will be the first to spill his guts in front of an impeachment process ...

https://democraticunderground.com/10142365329

He really wants to keep himself and his son out of the can.