The US House has yet to be wrong in their filings with the courts in regard to the obstruction of the Trump Administration.
There is very poor character within the Trump Administration and in that exists obstruction. To date, the US House's challenge to the obstruction has been successful. It is OBVIOUS that the Trump Administration in their POOR CHARACTER is attempting to obstruct to protect the guilty.
Philbin is holding to the only attempt to end the impeachment of Donald John Trump and that is to disenfranchise the US House from it's process and rules. The rules as determined by the US Senate and/or the Executive Branch is not required in the US House where the US Constitution demands the US House make it's own rules.
The speaker is responsible for ensuring that the House passes legislation supported by the majority party. In pursuing this goal, the speaker may use their power to determine when each bill reaches the floor. They also chair the majority party's steering committee in the House
The Speaker has the responsibility of introducing bills to the US House floor. That means any impeachment of Donald John Trump needed information to the US House to proceed. Her demand for an inquiry was right and necessary. Her judgement is the only real authority that matters in preparing bills to the US House floor.
Philbin is lying/
November 29, 2019
By Michael D. Shear
Washington — The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee (click here) asked President Trump on Friday whether he intends to mount a defense during the committee’s consideration of impeachment articles, setting a deadline of next Friday for Mr. Trump and his lawyers to decide if they will present evidence or call witnesses.
In a letter to the president, Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York and the committee chairman, said Mr. Trump has the right to review the evidence against him, ask questions of his accusers during public hearings that begin next week and present evidence and request witness testimony.
“Please provide the committee with notice of whether your counsel intends to participate, specifying which of the privileges your counsel seeks to exercise,” Mr. Nadler wrote. He said the deadline for responding is 5 p.m. on Dec. 6.
Mr. Nadler’s panel will begin examining next week whether Mr. Trump abused the power of his office by pressuring Ukraine for politically beneficial investigations of his political rivals, and whether the president obstructed the congressional inquiry by refusing to provide documents and by blocking witnesses from testifying.
Due process is not demanded in an impeachment by the US Constitution. Actually, Speaker Pelosi offered more opportunity for due process to Donald John Trump than any other Speaker in history.
November 2, 2019
by Erwin Chemerinsky
President Trump and his supporters continue to complain that the House of Representatives is denying him due process. But in fact, every part of the inquiry to date has been in line with constitutional mandates, and the impeachment procedures adopted by the House of Representatives on Thursday go well beyond what the Constitution requires.
The Constitution says very little about how impeachment proceedings are to be conducted. The document specifies that the president, as well as federal judges and other officers of the United States, can be impeached for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors” and gives the House of Representatives sole power to impeach. If a majority of the House votes for impeachment, there is then a trial in the Senate, which is presided over by the Chief Justice of the United States. It takes a two-thirds vote of the Senate to remove the president from office.
That’s it; that’s all the Constitution tells us about the procedures that must be followed. So long as these few rules are followed, it cannot be said that Congress is violating the Constitution. Trump and White House Counsel Pat Cipollone have said that the Constitution required a House resolution to authorize an impeachment inquiry, but they’re wrong....
It doesn't matter if the Whistleblower understand the law or the way to proceed. A Whistleblower can receive guidance either anonymously or not. The "truth" as stated in any complaint is investigated and is not simply taken as face value. The complaint is a REASON FOR ACTION, not a reason to prosecute.
The Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) (click here) protects Federal employees and applicants for employment who lawfully disclose information they reasonably believe evidences:
- a violation of law, rule, or regulation;
- gross mismanagement;
- a gross waste of funds;
- an abuse of authority;
- or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.
Under the WPA, certain federal employees may not take or fail to take, or threaten to take or fail to take; any personnel action against an employee or applicant for employment because of the employee or applicant’s protected whistleblowing. See 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8)....
Law can be quoted ad nauseum in this impeachment but it doesn't matter because the Trump defense lawyers and Trump himself consider themselves lawless in their accusations and actions. When a president is impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of justice it is because he has violated the public trust affiliated with the office. There is no defense when the evidence is obvious and hence the imagineering by the administration.
Donald John Trump FIRST formulated his OWN USE of the language of the law, ie: "I can do what I want," therefore breaking the law as he proceeded in his zealotry.
The Starr impeachment is not at all under the same law as that of Trump's. There is no parallel or precedent that can be drawn from the Starr investigation and impeachment because the law applied then is a completely different understanding than the current law.
President Zelenskyy's words is not valid because he was COMPROMISED by Trump as per the date of the conversation. Zelenskky in offering many opportunities to meet with Trump was desperation to receive the military aid for Ukraine, hence, acting when he was already COMPROMISED. Trump's only goal with Zelenskyy was to postpone the military aid to the point of no return when the expiration date of the legislation would prevent any sale of Javelins.
We know for a fact that Trump's agenda was to compromise Ukraine to favor Russia because he placed a permanent hold on the sale of Javalins BEFORE the conversation took place.
...The Trump administration (click here) initially told Congress it was releasing the aid to Ukraine on February 28. It repeated that assertion to Congress again on May 23, but failed to explain to lawmakers but struggled to explain — both publicly and to the lawmakers who approved the aid — exactly why the funds were withheld.
Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell couldn’t get a straight answer from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper over the summer on why the aid hadn’t been dispersed yet....
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy was COMPROMISED since March 1, 2019 when Trump hadn't released the military aid. Any conversation between Zelenskyy and Trump after March 1, 2019 is COMPROMISED CONTENT.
Why?
Because Zelenskyy never asked (after April 1, 2019, the day of his election) why the military aid was delayed or not released on February 28, 2019 as promised by the legislation of Congress. INSTEAD, President Zelensky was always trying to over come any objection by Trump to gain the release of the military aid. Even during the conversation of July 25th (click here) was COMPROMISED and that is when the Whistleblower came to the decision the aid was never going to Ukraine and the deadline to receive the aid was approaching.
Whether the place for a meeting was Ukraine or Poland or otherwise, it was never going to happen.
...U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled his planned visit, (click here) citing the threat of Hurricane Dorian, and sent Pence instead.
Trump’s absence delivered a blow to Ukraine’s plans, as the U.S. president was scheduled to have a one-on-one meeting with Zelensky....
S.2537 - Ukraine Foreign Assistance Integrity and Accountability Act of 2019 (click here)ECTION
1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Ukraine Foreign Assistance Integrity and Accountability Act of 2019”.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
Law can be quoted ad nauseum in this impeachment but it doesn't matter because the Trump defense lawyers and Trump himself consider themselves lawless in their accusations and actions. When a president is impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of justice it is because he has violated the public trust affiliated with the office. There is no defense when the evidence is obvious and hence the imagineering by the administration.
Donald John Trump FIRST formulated his OWN USE of the language of the law, ie: "I can do what I want," therefore breaking the law as he proceeded in his zealotry.
The Starr impeachment is not at all under the same law as that of Trump's. There is no parallel or precedent that can be drawn from the Starr investigation and impeachment because the law applied then is a completely different understanding than the current law.
President Zelenskyy's words is not valid because he was COMPROMISED by Trump as per the date of the conversation. Zelenskky in offering many opportunities to meet with Trump was desperation to receive the military aid for Ukraine, hence, acting when he was already COMPROMISED. Trump's only goal with Zelenskyy was to postpone the military aid to the point of no return when the expiration date of the legislation would prevent any sale of Javelins.
We know for a fact that Trump's agenda was to compromise Ukraine to favor Russia because he placed a permanent hold on the sale of Javalins BEFORE the conversation took place.
...The Trump administration (click here) initially told Congress it was releasing the aid to Ukraine on February 28. It repeated that assertion to Congress again on May 23, but failed to explain to lawmakers but struggled to explain — both publicly and to the lawmakers who approved the aid — exactly why the funds were withheld.
Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell couldn’t get a straight answer from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper over the summer on why the aid hadn’t been dispersed yet....
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy was COMPROMISED since March 1, 2019 when Trump hadn't released the military aid. Any conversation between Zelenskyy and Trump after March 1, 2019 is COMPROMISED CONTENT.
Why?
Because Zelenskyy never asked (after April 1, 2019, the day of his election) why the military aid was delayed or not released on February 28, 2019 as promised by the legislation of Congress. INSTEAD, President Zelensky was always trying to over come any objection by Trump to gain the release of the military aid. Even during the conversation of July 25th (click here) was COMPROMISED and that is when the Whistleblower came to the decision the aid was never going to Ukraine and the deadline to receive the aid was approaching.
Whether the place for a meeting was Ukraine or Poland or otherwise, it was never going to happen.
...U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled his planned visit, (click here) citing the threat of Hurricane Dorian, and sent Pence instead.
Trump’s absence delivered a blow to Ukraine’s plans, as the U.S. president was scheduled to have a one-on-one meeting with Zelensky....
S.2537 - Ukraine Foreign Assistance Integrity and Accountability Act of 2019 (click here)ECTION
1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Ukraine Foreign Assistance Integrity and Accountability Act of 2019”.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Since 2014, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, with broad bipartisan support, have provided millions of dollars in security and development assistance to Ukraine as it defends against Kremlin aggression in Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
(2) Security assistance for Ukraine has enhanced the army, national guard, and navy of Ukraine and helped the country defend against Russian aggression.
(3) Since 2014, the United States has imposed a series of sanctions on the Russian Federation in response to its illegal occupation of Crimea and continued military operations in eastern Ukraine.
(4) Security and development assistance programing have been designed, implemented, and supported by personnel at the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the United States Agency for International Development.
(5) Before submitting notifications to obligate funds to Congress, the Department of State has traditionally shared obligation notifications with the Office of Management and Budget, to be reviewed for approximately 5 days.
(6) On June 21, 2019, the Department of State sent a notification to the Office of Management and Budget to obligate security assistance funding for Ukraine.
(7) On September 22, 2019, President Donald Trump acknowledged that he raised a 2020 United States presidential candidate in a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
(8) On September 11, 2019, the Department of State sent a notification to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate to obligate security assistance funding for Ukraine.
(a) Sense Of The Senate.—It is the sense of the Senate that security assistance provided to the country of Ukraine is in the vital national security interests of the United States and is a critical component of United States efforts to counter aggression and malign influence on the part of the Government of the Russian Federation.
(b) Inspector General Investigation.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General of the Department of State shall immediately investigate and, not later than October 25, 2019, provide to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on inappropriate interference into foreign assistance designated for Ukraine....
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General of the Department of State shall immediately investigate and, not later than October 25, 2019, provide to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on inappropriate interference into foreign assistance designated for Ukraine....
October 3, 2019
By Deirdre Shesgreen, Nicholas Wu and William Cummings
...Giuliani's admission (click here) that he was the source of the dossier, during a late-night interview with CNN, marked an anti-climatic end to another drama-filled day in Washington.
By Deirdre Shesgreen, Nicholas Wu and William Cummings
...Giuliani's admission (click here) that he was the source of the dossier, during a late-night interview with CNN, marked an anti-climatic end to another drama-filled day in Washington.
The State Department's inspector general billed Wednesday's briefing as an “urgent” matter related to Ukraine; arrangements were quickly made for him to speak with congressional staff in a closed-door room reserved for classified briefings.
After the hour-long briefing, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., emerged and seemed befuddled by what he'd learned. The Maryland lawmaker said he'd expected to hear about possible threats of retaliation against State Department employees who agreed to cooperate with the Democrats' impeachment inquiry.
But that subject did not come up, Raskin said. Instead, he came out with about 40 pages of nonsense that he said seemed like an irrelevant distraction....
From “Ukraine Foreign Assistance Integrity and Accountability Act of 2019” - The Senate set this down as a requirement of knowledge to be reported.
Got that? The Senators themselves asked for these reports.
(2) ELEMENTS.—The investigation and report under this subsection shall include the following elements:
(A) An examination of when and how the Department of State first learned $141,500,000 in foreign military assistance for Ukraine would be delayed, and the extent of the involvement of the Secretary of State and other political appointees of the President in deciding to suspend that assistance and implement that decision.
(B) An assessment of the reasons the Office of Management and Budget provided for blocking the obligation of the foreign assistance funds in question to Ukraine....
January 16, 2020
By Ayesha Rascoe
The Office of Management and Budget blocked (click here) the Defense Department from spending money designated by Congress on July 25, "pending a policy decision," according to OMB General Counsel Mark Paoletta. That hold was lifted on Sept. 12.
But a 1974 law that governs budget procedure within the government "does not permit OMB to withhold funds for policy reasons," said Thomas Armstrong, general counsel for the watchdog Government Accountability Office....
...The law further designates the ways in which Congress has the power of the purse. Under the Impoundment Control Act, it is illegal for OMB to withhold money that has been appropriated by Congress and signed into law.
If the White House wants to delay or deny funds, it must first alert Congress.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, asked the GAO to assess Trump's decisions to freeze the Ukraine aid.
Van Hollen said he thought the report vindicated Congress' decision to impeach Trump.
"We now have a GAO decision stating conclusively that the Trump administration violated the law. We know the president ordered that violation of law. And it's just all the more important that Republican senators support a fair trial," Van Hollen told NPR. "That means getting to the truth. And that means getting all the documents that are relevant to this case and all the relevant witnesses."
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., opposes the introduction of fresh witnesses or evidence into a Senate trial, arguing the Senate's role is to assess the House's fact-finding, not to do new investigations on its own....
The US Senate ORDERED the reports by the Inspector General of the State Department and Giuliani attempted to corrupt the findings of that Inspector General.
Additionally, the US Senate ORDERED a review by the Office of Budget and Management. That office is within the Government Accounting Office (GAO).
From “Ukraine Foreign Assistance Integrity and Accountability Act of 2019” - The Senate set this down as a requirement of knowledge to be reported.
Got that? The Senators themselves asked for these reports.
(2) ELEMENTS.—The investigation and report under this subsection shall include the following elements:
(A) An examination of when and how the Department of State first learned $141,500,000 in foreign military assistance for Ukraine would be delayed, and the extent of the involvement of the Secretary of State and other political appointees of the President in deciding to suspend that assistance and implement that decision.
(B) An assessment of the reasons the Office of Management and Budget provided for blocking the obligation of the foreign assistance funds in question to Ukraine....
January 16, 2020
By Ayesha Rascoe
The Office of Management and Budget blocked (click here) the Defense Department from spending money designated by Congress on July 25, "pending a policy decision," according to OMB General Counsel Mark Paoletta. That hold was lifted on Sept. 12.
But a 1974 law that governs budget procedure within the government "does not permit OMB to withhold funds for policy reasons," said Thomas Armstrong, general counsel for the watchdog Government Accountability Office....
...The law further designates the ways in which Congress has the power of the purse. Under the Impoundment Control Act, it is illegal for OMB to withhold money that has been appropriated by Congress and signed into law.
If the White House wants to delay or deny funds, it must first alert Congress.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, asked the GAO to assess Trump's decisions to freeze the Ukraine aid.
Van Hollen said he thought the report vindicated Congress' decision to impeach Trump.
"We now have a GAO decision stating conclusively that the Trump administration violated the law. We know the president ordered that violation of law. And it's just all the more important that Republican senators support a fair trial," Van Hollen told NPR. "That means getting to the truth. And that means getting all the documents that are relevant to this case and all the relevant witnesses."
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., opposes the introduction of fresh witnesses or evidence into a Senate trial, arguing the Senate's role is to assess the House's fact-finding, not to do new investigations on its own....
The US Senate ORDERED the reports by the Inspector General of the State Department and Giuliani attempted to corrupt the findings of that Inspector General.
Additionally, the US Senate ORDERED a review by the Office of Budget and Management. That office is within the Government Accounting Office (GAO).
Office of Management and Budget (click here) —Regulatory Review Activities during the Fiscal Year 2019 Lapse in Appropriations
B-331132: Dec 19, 2019
The Senate is in the possession of the review of the Office of Management and Budget as published by the GAO and they have NO RIGHT TO IGNORE THE VERY REVIEW THEY ORDERED.
TRUMP BROKE THE LAW and the US SENATE KNOWS IT!
IT IS A COVER - UP BY THE US SENATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The US Senate should vote for removal of office according to the oath because they know the findings of the very orders they demanded in relation to the withholding of aid to Ukraine.
US Senators that vote down the Impeachment of Donald J. Trump are consenting to corruption and abuse of government.
Trump's lawyers are making a big deal of "Burden Sharing."
August 16, 2018
NATO’s July 2018 summit meeting (click here) has been one of the most divisive meetings in the Alliance’s history. Regardless of whether NATO can now cover its internal divisions up with some kind of public façade, President Trump’s confrontational bargaining style has divided the U.S. from its allies over other issues like trade and tariffs, how to deal with Russia, the JCPOA agreement with Iran, refugees, the search for an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement, the environment, and even German gas imports from Russia. Transatlantic unity is at something approaching a record low.
The immediate issue for NATO, however, is burdensharing as measured in percentages of defense spending. President Trump has put growing pressure on America’s European allies to meet NATO’s two major goals: spending 2% of each country’s GDP on defense, and 20% of defense spending on equipment purchases. Goals that NATO set in 2014, with the further goal that they should be met by 2024, but that have since been treated as the key political metrics of what current national burdensharing performance should be....
Trump is increasing the danger to the USA's national defense by causing enormous divides with allies while building favorable relationships with Russia and other strong man governments.
Donald John Trump needs to be impeached and the US Senate knows it!
September 30, 2019
By Bryan Bender and Wesley Morgan
The military aid scandal that spawned the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump has a very different significance for Ukraine, where years of U.S. assistance have just begun to turn a ragtag army into a better-armed and professional force to counter Russian aggression.
The U.S. has provided about $1.5 billion in military support to Kiev between 2014 and this past June, according to an updated analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. And Trump’s temporary cut off of the aid represented a significant setback for the country....
CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH OFFICE (click here)
The US Senate has the report stated above. The US Senate KNOWS what Trump antics have brought to Ukraine and the USA National Security.
THE US SENATE KNOWS THE TRUTH.
The US Senate needs to remove Trump from office. The FACTS are in and the danger to the USA and it's allies are concrete. The US Senate needs to end it's charade in regard to finding no fault of Trump. They are abandoning the country for their own political ideas of national security.
Trump’s temporary cut off of the aid represented a significant setback for the country
Damage has already been done. It is not FAKE. Trump caused real damage to Ukraine.
Trump needs to be removed from office!
The US Senate needs to do their job with the KNOWLEDGE THEY ALREADY HAVE INCLUDING THAT PRESENTED BY THE US HOUSE MANAGERS.
US Senators that do not vote to remove Trump from office is acting outside their oath of office in acting in true faith and allegiance to the US Constitution.
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
The US Senate should vote for removal of office according to the oath because they know the findings of the very orders they demanded in relation to the withholding of aid to Ukraine.
US Senators that vote down the Impeachment of Donald J. Trump are consenting to corruption and abuse of government.
Trump's lawyers are making a big deal of "Burden Sharing."
August 16, 2018
NATO’s July 2018 summit meeting (click here) has been one of the most divisive meetings in the Alliance’s history. Regardless of whether NATO can now cover its internal divisions up with some kind of public façade, President Trump’s confrontational bargaining style has divided the U.S. from its allies over other issues like trade and tariffs, how to deal with Russia, the JCPOA agreement with Iran, refugees, the search for an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement, the environment, and even German gas imports from Russia. Transatlantic unity is at something approaching a record low.
The immediate issue for NATO, however, is burdensharing as measured in percentages of defense spending. President Trump has put growing pressure on America’s European allies to meet NATO’s two major goals: spending 2% of each country’s GDP on defense, and 20% of defense spending on equipment purchases. Goals that NATO set in 2014, with the further goal that they should be met by 2024, but that have since been treated as the key political metrics of what current national burdensharing performance should be....
Trump is increasing the danger to the USA's national defense by causing enormous divides with allies while building favorable relationships with Russia and other strong man governments.
Donald John Trump needs to be impeached and the US Senate knows it!
September 30, 2019
By Bryan Bender and Wesley Morgan
The military aid scandal that spawned the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump has a very different significance for Ukraine, where years of U.S. assistance have just begun to turn a ragtag army into a better-armed and professional force to counter Russian aggression.
The U.S. has provided about $1.5 billion in military support to Kiev between 2014 and this past June, according to an updated analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. And Trump’s temporary cut off of the aid represented a significant setback for the country....
CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH OFFICE (click here)
The US Senate has the report stated above. The US Senate KNOWS what Trump antics have brought to Ukraine and the USA National Security.
THE US SENATE KNOWS THE TRUTH.
The US Senate needs to remove Trump from office. The FACTS are in and the danger to the USA and it's allies are concrete. The US Senate needs to end it's charade in regard to finding no fault of Trump. They are abandoning the country for their own political ideas of national security.
Trump’s temporary cut off of the aid represented a significant setback for the country
Damage has already been done. It is not FAKE. Trump caused real damage to Ukraine.
Trump needs to be removed from office!
The US Senate needs to do their job with the KNOWLEDGE THEY ALREADY HAVE INCLUDING THAT PRESENTED BY THE US HOUSE MANAGERS.
US Senators that do not vote to remove Trump from office is acting outside their oath of office in acting in true faith and allegiance to the US Constitution.
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
