Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reportedly came up with the idea of withholding the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump from the Senate by watching CNN, according to Time magazine.
Time reported Thursday that Pelosi was inspired by an on-air suggestion from John Dean, the disgraced former White House counsel for President Richard Nixon who went to federal prison for his role in the Watergate cover-up and is a frequent CNN guest today.
Time report by Molly Ball (via Byron York of the Washington Examiner) says:
Pelosi, according to an aide, had been mulling the tactic since she heard former Nixon White House counsel John Dean float the idea on CNN on Dec. 5. In the committee meeting, she added that she believed McConnell would be motivated to move. “Somebody said to me today that he may not even take up what we send. [But] then [Trump] will never be vindicated,” she said, according to the aide in the room. “He will be impeached forever. Forever. No matter what the Senate does.”
The following day, Pelosi presided over the floor vote on impeachment, wearing a striking black suit to project solemnity, accessorized with a large gold brooch of the Mace of the Republic, a symbol of the House. When scattered cheers broke out inside the chamber after the first article was approved, she sternly and silently shushed them with a glare and a sharp gesture. After the vote, she announced that she did not plan to transmit the articles right away, saying she could not determine how to appoint House impeachment managers until the Senate decides on its rules for the trial.
Trump to honor Artemis II astronauts who traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history
Trump fires back after protester interrupts Myrtle Beach rally for Graham: ‘Mom is voting for us’
More Westerners Waking up to Islam as Gov’t Bans Face Coverings, Leaving Both Muslims and (Ironically) Feminists Angry
Trump rally security ejects protester wearing ‘kill your local pedophile’ shirt
Candace Cameron Bure Tears Up on Air Over Constant Criticism, But God Provided a Literally Perfect Smile Through the Pain
Fauci’s lawyers launch legal defense fund as federal, state investigations mount against him
‘Escalating Pressures’ from the FCC Have Impacted ‘The View’s’ Guest List: Disney Lawsuit
Late-night bull run ends with a little cowboy know-how on busy California highway
They Never Learn: NYT Ordered to Pay $9 Million After Falsely Linking Innocent Student to 2023 Murder
New Jersey mother allegedly drunk when boat hit channel marker on Memorial Day, killing her son
Texas Gov Abbott asks the Justice Department to investigate ‘discriminatory’ Islamic washing stations
DOJ says Rubio should have final say over Foreign Service board in latest bid to tighten executive powers
Trump Announces Deal to ‘Substantially Lower the Price of Ground Beef’
Chinese Man Charged with Illegally Voting in US Election and Trying to Frame Someone Else
Man Whose Daughter Was Killed by Illegal Alien Joins ICE in Key Role
Previously, reports suggested that Pelosi had been taking the advice of Harvard Law School professor Laurence Tribe, who also advised Democrats that they could withhold the articles of impeachment as leverage — even though the Constitution says explicitly that “The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.” There is nothing in the text of the Constitution describing the transmission of articles of impeachment. Current Senate rules suggest that the trial follows the transmission of the articles, though the rules can be changed by a majority vote.
Pelosi’s gambit has been something of a strategic disaster. She and her party rushed the impeachment — even skipping or withdrawing subpoenas for witnesses — on the argument that the president needed to be removed from office urgently to prevent him from soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 election. However, the House has delayed the transmission of the articles of impeachment to the Senate for more than three weeks.
Democrats argue they are using the articles as leverage to force the Senate to conduct what they consider a “fair” trial, with additional witnesses and documents, but that argument is being mocked by Republicans, who note that Democrats departed from past precedents and basic procedural fairness when conducting their rushed impeachment in the House.
Story cited here.
