White House Signals Trump Won't Mount House Impeachment Defense
Source: New York Times
The White House signaled on Friday that it did not intend to mount a defense of President Trump or otherwise participate in the House impeachment proceedings, in a sharply worded letter to Democrats calling the process completely baseless and urging lawmakers to get it over with quickly.
You should end this inquiry now and not waste even more time with additional hearings, the White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone, wrote in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee chairman, Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York.
Adopting articles of impeachment would be a reckless abuse of power by House Democrats and would constitute the most unjust, highly partisan and unconstitutional attempt at impeachment in our nations history, he added.
Sign Up for On Politics With Lisa Lerer
A spotlight on the people reshaping our politics. A conversation with voters across the country. And a guiding hand through the endless news cycle, telling you what you really need to know.
The letter did not explicitly say what Mr. Trumps legal team planned to do, but it ended by quoting the president saying that the House should vote quickly on impeachment so a trial in the Republican-controlled Senate, where White House officials believe Mr. Trump will have a better chance to mount a defense, can commence.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/06/us/politics/white-house-signals-trump-wont-mount-house-impeachment-defense.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
Seems so uncharacteristic of Trump. Wonder what's going on?
PuffedMica
(1,061 posts)Trump probably thinks his Republican fixers in the House will take care of the issue. His tweets will smooth it over without even interrupting his time alone with a Big Mac.
onetexan
(13,040 posts)You can't defend the indefensible.
EarlG
(21,947 posts)They're just trying to do what they can to try to make the process seem illegitimate.
They know the Dems want to move quickly. Earlier this week Jonathan Turley testified that impeachment was happening too fast (even though he, their handpicked witness, suggested that impeachment would not be inappropriate if more hearings were held). So my guess is that the White House is now demanding that Democrats hurry up so they can then whine about how the process was rushed.
Desperate times...
Captain Zero
(6,805 posts)Urge BOTH strategies for the Dems as most fair to Trump. Whichever one happens claim it was the wrong one for fairness to Trump. In fact after the articles are voted on and returned they will claim both in the press loudly and repeatedly. After it goes to the Senate we will hear both. The Dems rushed the process ! The Dems went far too slowly with this process ! Anything to confuse the process, muddy the waters, and distract from the facts.
Dan
(3,559 posts)What defense?
abqtommy
(14,118 posts)Moscow Mitch and all the rest would just report to Gitmo now.
steventh
(2,143 posts)Also, they expect to have no facts to refute the current and future evidence.
bucolic_frolic
(43,157 posts)Our sovereignty is being violated from within.
iluvtennis
(19,852 posts)Response to lanlady (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
duforsure
(11,885 posts)To come up with one, they had to give up.He has no defense.
Alliepoo
(2,216 posts)Unjust, highly partisan and unconstitutional... Good grief.
machoneman
(4,007 posts)LastLiberal in PalmSprings
(12,586 posts)Fat Donnie still thinks the fix is in. First, he tried to keep the House from getting hold of any evidence or testimony. The willingness of long time non-partisan government employees put the kibosh on that. He probably asked Mulvaney if he could stop their testimony by having the Secret Service arrest them and lock them up.
Now he's blowing impeachment off as no big deal. He's about to find it is a big deal, and it will be forever linked with his name. Turtleman has probably assured him that any vote will be done by roll call, and that assures an acquittal, because a Repug senator is willing to sell their soul rather than face the wrath of Trump's "base."
Moscow Mitch has probably assured him that there's no way the Senate will remove him. That's not absolutely certain, however, if five Republicans join the Democrats in calling for a secret ballot. I think that's one of the reasons Mitch wants to cut the Dems out of the process of establishing the rules for the trial.
Trump probably thinks that even if the Senate votes against him, he's got a firewall in the SCOTUS, which has a conservative majority, with two justices being his appointees. I guess nobody has told him that there's no appeal from a decision by the Senate to remove him. If they vote to against him, he's gone. Get your ass out of the People's House, and take your grifter children and Melania's ugly Christmas trees (which are all white, just like his supporters) with you.
BTW, you might stop for moment once you're through the WH gate so you can be served with criminal indictments and civil complaints. Take a pair of clean underpants you can wear when SDNY locks you up.
This is all a fantasy, of course. There are too many uncertainties involved, the primary one being the secret vote. Once a senator knows he can tap dance around that, they might be willing to vote with the Constitution.
Stay tuned, boys and girls. It's about to get interesting. As Rachel says, "Watch this space."
in2herbs
(2,945 posts)in the Senate trial? That's like a judge ordering a default judgment but then allowing you to have a trial even though you have never participated in the lower court proceedings. (Yes, I know impeachment is not a criminal matter.)
Raven123
(4,832 posts)Marcuse
(7,480 posts)Of course he doesnt have the decency to resign.
Beartracks
(12,809 posts)Why mount a defense, and cooperate with the inquiry to clear your name (if that's possible) when DENYING everything is so much cheaper and plays really, really well on rightwing media?
===========