Congress voting on ‘impeachment’ resolution authorizing Schiff’s secret probe of Trump (WATCH LIVE)
by RT
Congress voting on ‘impeachment’ resolution authorizing Schiff’s secret probe of Trump (WATCH LIVE)
The US House of Representatives is voting on a resolution authorizing the impeachment probe of President Donald Trump, despite Republican opposition arguing that the “Soviet-style” bill lacks transparency and due process.
The resolution puts House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff (D-California) in charge of the impeachment proceedings, while limiting the access of Republican members of Congress and White House attorneys.
It comes following criticism from the GOP that the inquiry launched by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) 37 days ago has not been properly authorized by a full House vote, breaking with precedent established by the previous impeachment campaigns in US history.
In speeches on the House floor on Thursday morning, Democrats and Republicans both invoked the Founding Fathers, the Constitution and the defense of duty and democracy. Democrats maintain that Trump abused his power, undermined US national security and the integrity of elections – citing a July phone call with the president of Ukraine.
Why do Democrats keep quoting our founding fathers? I don’t think the founding fathers of this country had Impeachment in mind to get revenge for a giant loss.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Why do you think the Founding Fathers included the mechanism of impeachment in the first place? They foresaw that it might be necessary to remove a president who was duly elected. Trump has abused his office and violated the Constitution.
Trump and the Republicans have pointed out that none of these things are true, and that there was nothing untoward about the call. The White House has released a transcript of the call, which Schiff famously mischaracterized in a “parody” during a committee hearing. The Democrat-led interrogations of the people involved in US-Ukraine relations have been kept secret, with bits and pieces being leaked to friendly media outlets.
Republicans have called the process an attempt to overturn the 2016 election and influence the 2020 presidential vote, citing a prominent Democrat who said Trump must be impeached or else he will win re-election.
No US president has ever been successfully impeached. Richard Nixon resigned before an impeachment vote. Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were impeached in the House but not in the Senate, remaining in office as the result.
