The House Intelligence Committee had a 300-plus page impeachment report. Yet, the House Judiciary Committee released a full 658-page impeachment report. What made this report so much longer?
Early Monday morning, the Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler (D-NY) outlined why the Democratically-led committee decided these two articles of impeachment against Donald J. Trump were the ones they chose to consider. The full-House vote was anticipated to take place on Wednesday.
According to the report, the president has, Axios reported:
‘[E]ngaged in a pattern of misconduct that will continue if left unchecked. Accordingly, President Trump should be impeached and removed from office.’
As far as the impeachment articles of “abuse of power and obstruction of Congress ” went, the committee claimed that the president’s conduct:
‘[E]ncompassed other offenses, both constitutional and criminal in character, and it is appropriate for the Committee to recognize such offenses in assessing the question of impeachment.’
Then, there was the president’s “abuse of power.” The Judiciary Committee Panel alleged that article of impeachment involved both the Constitution’s crimes of:
‘Bribery and multiple federal crimes.’
Next, the report alleged this about POTUS:
‘He has betrayed the national interest, the people of this Nation, and should not be permitted to be above the law. It is therefore all the more vital that he be removed from office.’
In addition, the commander-in-chief was working both “directly and indirectly:”
‘[T]o “corruptly” solicit Ukraine‘s government to publicly announce investigations into his potential 2020 rival, former Vice President Joe Biden and the “discredited theory promoted by Russia” claiming it was the Ukrainians, not the Russians who interfered in the 2016 presidential elections.’
The report continued:
‘Taken together, the articles charge that President Trump has placed his personal, political interests above our national security, our free and fair elections and our systems of checks and balances.’
The minority Republicans were able to include their views, which of course, were the direct opposite. They felt that the case for impeaching the president was:
‘[N]ot only weak [it also] dangerously lowers the bar for future impeachments.’
The panel Republicans, other Republicans in the committee, and even Senate Republicans and Trump have strenuously claimed Trump’s innocence.
The panel’s Democrats said that the president’s behavior had been both “cconstitutional and criminal in character,” even though the case for impeachment need not rise to the level of criminal, according to POLITICO:
‘Although President Trump’s actions need not rise to the level of a criminal violation to justify impeachment, his conduct here was criminal.’
The committee argued that the president’s behavior was “part of a pattern.” This began with “welcoming” the Russians to attack the 2016 presidential election.” That attack continues until today. For example, Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani was in Ukraine last week. The report reads that this president is a “continuing threat if left in office:”
‘The Framers were not fools. They authorized impeachment for a reason, and that reason would have been gutted if impeachment were limited to crimes.’
The report writes that:
‘President Trump has made it clear that he believes he is free to use his presidential powers the same way, to the same ends, whenever and wherever he pleases.’
If you would like to read the entireHouse Judiciary Committee impeachment report, just click on the link.
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
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