Tag: impeachment

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Trump Is 1st President To Be Impeached Twice

House of Representatives votes 232-197 to impeach Donald Trump a second time

House of Representatives votes 232-197 to impeach Donald Trump a second time Donald Trump has become the first president in the history of the U.S. to face impeachment charges twice. In a bipartisan vote of 232 to 197, the House of Representatives approved a single article of impeachment against Trump charging him with “inciting violence against the government of the United States” in regard to last week’s insurrection at the Capitol. So. Much. Winning. From the New York Times:

The House on Wednesday impeached President Trump for inciting a violent insurrection against the United States government, as 10 members of the president’s party joined Democrats to charge him with high crimes and misdemeanors for an unprecedented second time.

Reconvening under the threat of continued violence and the protection of thousands of National Guard troops, the House was determined to hold Mr. Trump to account just one week before he was to leave office.

At issue was his role in encouraging a mob that attacked the Capitol one week ago while Congress met to affirm President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory, forcing lawmakers to flee for their lives in a deadly rampage.

Ten House Republicans joined with Democrats in passing the measure. The Senate will now face holding impeachment proceedings once the House transmits the article of impeachment. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has reportedly been ‘pleased’ by the impeachment development but says he won’t bring the Senate back into session before its scheduled session on January 19.

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GOPer Blames Madonna, Kathy Griffin For Capitol Attack

Madonna was blamed by a member of Congress for the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week
Madonna was blamed by a member of Congress for the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week
Madonna (image via Depositphotos)

Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado raised eyebrows today when he attempted to blame international pop-star Madonna and comedian Kathy Griffin for the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week.

The statement came during hours of debate today on whether to approve an article of impeachment against Donald Trump for inciting a violent mob that invaded the U.S. Capitol building as Congress was certifying the Electoral College votes.

Buck told his colleagues that Americans were ‘frustrated’ by a laundry list of things including the Special Counsel investigation into the Trump campaign’s links to Russia, efforts by Congress to impeach Trump (the first time), and more.

“They were frustrated when members of this House spoke over and over about impeaching the President days into his administration,” Buck said. “And then the socialists in Hollywood joined their allies in Congress.” 

The socialists in Hollywood…here we go…

“Robert De Niro said that he wanted to punch the president in the face,” continued the Colorado lawmaker. “Madonna thought about blowing up the White House. Kathy Lee Griffin held up a likeness of the President’s beheaded head, and nothing was heard and nothing was said by my colleagues at that point in time.”

That’s not accurate, of course.

Griffin received considerable pushback from members of both political parties at the time of her ‘severed head’ stunt. 

According to Newsweek she was investigated by the Secret Service and the FBI, placed on the no-fly list for months and lost her New Year’s Eve CNN gig with Anderson Cooper. She also found it difficult to book stand-up comedy appearances for a long period of time.

And while it’s true that Madonna did allude to ‘blowing up the White House,’ Buck takes her comment totally out of context.

Her statement occurred at the women’s march on Washington in January 2017 opposing the inauguration of Donald Trump.

Here’s the remark in full:

“Yes, I’m angry. Yes, I am outraged. Yes, I have thought an awful lot of blowing up the White House, but I know that this won’t change anything. We cannot fall into despair. As the poet W.H. Auden once wrote on the eve of World War II: ‘We must love one another or die.’ I choose love. Are you with me? Say this with me: We choose love…”

Madge clarified her comments on Instagram the very next day writing, “I am not a violent person, I do not promote violence and it’s important people hear and understand my speech in it’s entirety rather than one phrase taken wildly out of context.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Madonna (@madonna)

Madonna and Kathy Griffin were soon trending on Twitter for this very surprising reason.

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CYA: Trump Urges ‘No Violence, No Lawbreaking’

Trump issues a statement calling for no violence
Donald Trump
Lacking his social media platforms, Donald Trump issued a statement ‘old-school’ today discouraging any further violence. “In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind,” read the statement from the White House Press Secretary. “That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for.” “I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank you.” As the House is currently debating an article of impeachment at this very moment, this seems like Trump probably got advice from his lawyers that he needs to at least ‘appear’ to discourage violence like the hideous insurrection that occurred at the U.S. Capitol building last week. Trump calls for no violence as House debates impeachment

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Mitch McConnell Won’t Bring Senate Back Early

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
While the House of Representatives debates approving an article of impeachment against Donald Trump for last week’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building, The Hill reports Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has informed Democrats he will not be bringing the Senate back into session before its currently scheduled date of January 19.

McConnell said in a memo circulated to colleagues last week that the Senate will not be able to handle business on the floor until senators are scheduled to return to Washington on Jan. 19 unless all 100 senators agree to reconvene sooner.

The memo stated that unless there is unanimous consent from senators, Trump’s impeachment trial would not be allowed to begin until 1 p.m. on Jan. 20, at which time Joe Bidenwill have been sworn in as president. 

In that case, any trial against Trump would not begin until around the time of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. CBS News reports that McConnell supports the impeachment maneuver but doesn’t want to address it until the article of impeachment is approved and sent to the Senate.

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Geraldo Rivera: Trump Should Be Impeached

Geraldo Rivera with Donald Trump

Geraldo Rivera with Donald Trump
L-R Geraldo Rivera, Donald Trump (image via Facebook)
File this under ‘More rats leaving the ship.’ Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera, a longtime ally of Donald Trump, now says the Donald should be impeached as the House of Representatives debates the issue today. In a tweet posted today Rivera says he had a “eureka moment,” saying that “my loyalty toward Donald Trump, my old friend, was misplaced when it comes to what happened last Wednesday.” “Shame on him. He should be impeached,” continued Rivera. “If the Senate wants to acquit him, that’s their business, but he should know that history is judging him.”

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News Round-Up: January 12, 2021

Real-life couple featured in new Cadbury chocolate ad

Real-life couple featured in new Cadbury chocolate ad
(screen capture via Cadbury)
Some news items you might have missed: • OUT: One half of the real-life gay couple in that Cadbury ad (above) clapped back at critics of the spot – “I’m sure there would be half as many complaints if it was two ‘beautiful’ cisgendered hetero-looking Caucasian women. Get your act together world: y’all are as hypocritical and uneducated and bizarre as Donald Trump.” • The Advocate: Hillsborough has become the first town in North Carolina to adopt LGBTQ-inclusive antidiscrimination protections since the state’s ban on doing so expired. • NowThis News: “Knock the crap out of ’em, would you? I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees” — Watch this report on how Donald Trump has been inciting violence from his supporters for years.

• LGBTQ Nation: An 18-year-old lesbian who says she has been kicked out of her home for being gay has outed her Trump-loving family members who participated in the violent altercation in D.C. last week. • New York Times: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has told associates that he believes Donald Trump committed impeachable offenses and that he is pleased that Democrats are moving to impeach him, believing that it will make it easier to purge him from the party, according to people familiar with his thinking. • NBC News: Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, and Steven D’Antuono, head of the FBI’s Washington field office, briefed reporters on the sprawling criminal investigation designed to catch those who took part in the violent Capitol insurrection last week. They said that the FBI had opened 160 case files, and that “this is only the beginning.”

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House Dems Introduce Article Of Impeachment

Donald Trump

House Democrats have introduced an article of impeachment regarding Donald Trump's incitement of violence at the U.S. Capitol building
Donald Trump (photo: White House/public domain)
From the New York Times:

House Democrats on Monday introduced an article of impeachment against President Trump for inciting a mob that attacked the Capitol last week, vowing to press the charge as Republicans blocked a separate move to formally call on Vice President Mike Pence to strip him of power under the 25th Amendment.

The dual actions came as Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her caucus sought to ratchet up pressure on Mr. Pence to intervene and push Mr. Trump to resign. If they did not, the Democrats promised immediate consequences for Mr. Trump’s role in an attack that put the lives of the vice president, members of Congress and thousands of staff working on Capitol Hill at risk as officials met to formalize President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory.

“The president’s threat to America is urgent, and so too will be our action,” Ms. Pelosi said on Monday.

The article of impeachment calls out Trump specifically for “incitement of insurrection.” Trump’s own former toadie, Chris Christie, told ABC News on Sunday he believes Trump definitely committed an impeachable offense. You can read the article of impeachment at the New York Times. A House vote on the single article of impeachment could come as early as Wednesday. While most of us watched the events at the Capitol unfold via live news streams, since that time much more video and photographic evidence has been made available which illustrates the breadth of the violent insurrection. Check out this report from NowThis News.

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Chris Christie: Trump Committed Impeachable Offenses

Former Gov. Chris Christie says he believes Donald Trump's actions on the day of the Capitol invasion constitute an impeachable offense

Former Gov. Chris Christie says he believes Donald Trump's actions on the day of the Capitol invasion constitute an impeachable offenses
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (screen capture)
Impeachable offenses? Chris Christie thinks so. The former Republican governor of New Jersey told ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos that he believes Donald Trump’s actions and statements to his followers prior to the invasion of the U.S. Capitol building constitute “impeachable offenses.” “If inciting to insurrection isn’t, then I don’t really know what is,” said Christie. “What we had was an incitement to riot at the United States Capitol. We have people killed, and to me there’s not a whole lot of question here.” The former Trump supporter also called out the White House for not flying the U.S. flag at half mast in honor of the Capitol Police officer who was killed in the riots.

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News Round-Up: January 9, 2021

Trump supporter accidentally tasered himself in the balls triggering a fatal heart attack during the invasion of the U.S. Capitol

Trump supporter accidentally tasered himself in the balls triggering a fatal heart attack during the invasion of the U.S. Capitol
Kevin Greeson (image via Parler)
Some news items you might have missed: • Snopes: The venerable fact-checking site says there’s no truth to the rumors that a Trump supporter tasered himself in the balls causing a heart attack. Kevin Greeson (above) has been confirmed as one of the five people who died during the invasion of the U.S. Capitol, but his wife said he did not have a taser. • New York Times: House Democrats intend to introduce articles of impeachment against Donald Trump for his role in the insurrection against Congress if he refuses to resign. • Deadline: The final show featuring longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek aired Friday, and a special tribute at the end of it captures everything that audiences loved about the man. In a video montage, Trebek jokes, banters with contestants, and generally delivers the same warm, naturally smooth, humble and reassuring presence that guided his performances through 36 years.

• Wall Street Journal: White House officials pushed Atlanta’s top federal prosecutor to resign before Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoffs because Donald Trump was upset he wasn’t doing enough to investigate the president’s unproven claims of election fraud. A senior Justice Department official, at the behest of the White House, called Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak and told him he needed to step down because he wasn’t pursuing vote-fraud allegations to Mr. Trump’s satisfaction. • Business Insider: Top aides have said Trump has been spiraling out of control for weeks, but now he’s directed much of his ire toward his heretofore loyal vice president. A source told The Wall Street Journal that the president was furious, telling Pence: “I don’t want to be your friend — I want you to be the vice president.” • Billboard: Taylor Swift’s Folklore finishes 2020 as the top-selling album of the year in the U.S., and the only album to sell at least a million copies during the year, according to MRC Data. Plus, the superstar has now claimed the top-selling album of the year five times — becoming the first act to earn the honor.

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Trump (Finally) Acknowledges Reelection Loss In Video Message

Donald Trump begs to not be removed from office

Donald Trump begs to not be removed from office
Donald Trump (screen capture)
Amid calls for a second impeachment proceeding and his Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment, Donald Trump has issued his fifth response to the invasion of the U.S. Capitol yesterday and asked his cultists to stand down. Trump released a two-minute video today calling for his cultists to stand down and accept the results of the 2020 election. In a speech that could not ever have been written by the Donald, this represents two things in my mind: 1. This is the closest thing Trump will ever come to conceding the election. 2. He is clearly scared by the wide-ranging calls for his removal from office either via the 25th Amendment or a second impeachment. All of the language used here is carefully scripted with the idea of a future legal proceeding in mind. Yesterday, Trump told his followers he “loved them” and that they “are special.” p.s. Trump lies in the video saying he “immediately” ordered the National Guard to go into the fray. He did not.