Tag: Trump abuse of power

‘You’re not a dictator’: Lawmakers and experts lay out why Trump can’t declare war via tweet

AlterNet logoDemocratic lawmakers, anti-war advocates, and legal experts rebuked President Donald Trump after he announced on Twitter that he would be using the social media platform as the medium by which he would inform Congress of hypothetical, future military strikes against Iran.

“The Constitution doesn’t allow presidents to declare war over social media,” tweeted Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Caif.).

Khanna, along with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the Senate, introduced a bill Friday to block funding for the president’s effort to continue the conflict with Iran which exploded on January 2 when Trump ordered a drone strike in Baghdad which killed Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani. Continue reading.

Bolton willing to testify in Senate impeachment trial if subpoenaed

The Hill logoFormer national security adviser John Bolton said Monday that he would testify in a Senate impeachment trial of President Trump if subpoenaed.

“The House has concluded its Constitutional responsibility by adopting Articles of Impeachment related to the Ukraine matter. It now falls to the Senate to fulfill its Constitutional obligation to try impeachments, and it does not appear possible that a final judicial resolution of the still-unanswered Constitutional questions can be obtained before the Senate acts,” Bolton, who was ousted by Trump last September, said in a statement.

“I have had to resolve the serious competing issues as best I could, based on careful consideration and study. I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify,” Bolton said.  Continue reading.

Trump faces dueling crises upon return to DC

The Hill logoPresident Trump returned to Washington on Sunday facing dueling crises that could define his presidency and shape the course of his reelection bid.

The president spent more than two weeks at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, where he visited his nearby golf club on a near daily basis, met with top advisers and allies, and on Thursday night — in one of the most consequential decisions of his time in office — approved a military operation that resulted in the death of a top Iranian official.

But impeachment was never far from Trump’s mind. Continue reading.

NOTE:  Our question is if President Trump has repeated his behavior when faced with a crises by created an even bigger crises to change the focus of the media.

Least deliberative Senate faces weighty task of holding Trump’s impeachment trial

Washington Post logoThe Senate tasked with holding President Trump’s impeachment trial would be unrecognizable to most of its predecessors.

It’s particularly true for those who ran the last trial 21 years ago, a GOP-led Senate that logged almost 1,200 hours in session. By the end of 1999, senators had cast more than 350 votes on legislation and ushered into existence 170 laws, signed by a president after they tried and failed to evict him from office. It took more than 15,000 pages to cover that year’s Senate work in the Congressional Record.

The current Senate logged almost 230 fewer hours of floor time in 2019, voting just 108 times on actual legislation. And through the first 11 months of last year, the Senate’s official footprint covered just 6,779 pages in the Congressional Record. Continue reading.

White House Withholds 20 Emails Between Two Trump Aides on Ukraine Aid

New York Times logoIt contends the release of the documents sought by The Times would “inhibit the frank and candid exchange of views” in government decision-making.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration disclosed on Friday that there were 20 emails between a top aide to President Trump’s acting chief of staff and a colleague at the White House’s Office of Management and Budget discussing the freeze of a congressionally mandated military aid package for Ukraine.

But in response to a court order that it swiftly process those pages in response to a Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, lawsuit filed by The New York Times, the Office of Management and Budget delivered a terse letter saying it would not turn over any of the 40 pages of emails — not even with redactions.

“All 20 documents are being withheld in full,” wrote Dionne Hardy, the office’s Freedom of Information Act officer. Continue reading.

Security expert: Unredacted batch of Ukraine documents ‘reveal key decision points’ that underscore White House legal troubles

AlterNet logoIt remains to be seen when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will send the two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the U.S. Senate: although the U.S. House of Representatives indicted Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on December 18, Pelosi was still holding onto the articles on January 2. But Democrats certainly have a mountain of evidence to work with, and security expert Kate Brannen examines some of the Ukraine-related documents in an in-depth report for Just Security.

One of those documents is an August 30 e-mail from Michael Duffey, associate director of national security programs for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In that e-mail, Brannen notes, Duffey told Pentagon Comptroller Elaine McCusker, “Clear direction from POTUS to continue to hold.” Duffey was referring to the hold that Trump had placed on military aid to Ukraine, which House Democrats say was offered by Trump on the condition that the Ukrainian government investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.

Ten senators to watch on Trump impeachment trial

The Hill logoAs the impeachment spotlight shifts to the Senate, several senators are emerging as early pivotal players as Washington gears up for President Trump’s trial. 

The rules, where a simple majority can make or break decisions, could throw a curveball into the looming procedural fights that will determine what the trial looks like. Democrats will need four GOP senators to successfully call a witness or request documents, and only three GOP senators to block a Republican motion.

A handful of senators in both parties will be under the microscope during the proceeding as the press — and leadership — look for areas where members might break ranks. Continue reading

The Senate and the public need to hear from Mulvaney and Bolton

Washington Post logoHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is withholding two articles of impeachment from the Senate, pending assurance that the Republican leader of that body, Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), will agree to a full and fair trial of the House’s charges against President Trump. Whatever else may be said about the speaker’s move, and however long her holdout lasts, it has certainly taken advantage of some inevitable holiday-season downtime to focus attention on the Senate’s role in the process. So far, that has meant much-needed discussion of Mr. McConnell’s obvious — and obviously political — intention to go through the motions of a trial on the way to an acquittal.

Now fresh reporting from the New York Times has emerged to strengthen the Democrats’ minimum condition of a real trial: The Senate must seek witness testimony from key players in Mr. Trump’s attempt to strong-arm Ukraine into announcing an investigation of his political rival, former vice president Joe Biden, using congressionally appropriated military aid and promises of a White House visit as leverage. The Times reports, based in part on previously undisclosed emails, that acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney tried to freeze the military aid on Mr. Trump’s behalf as early as June, prompting puzzlement and backlash within the administration — to the extent that Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and then-national security adviser John Bolton convened a White House meeting with Mr. Trump to urge release of the aid. Mr. Trump, apparently fixated on the idea that Ukraine had tried to defeat him in 2016, balked, asserting, contrary to Defense Department certifications, that Ukraine was hopelessly corrupt. Continue reading

Behind the Ukraine Aid Freeze: 84 Days of Conflict and Confusion

New York Times logoThe inside story of President Trump’s demand to halt military assistance to an ally shows the price he was willing to pay to carry out his agenda.

WASHINGTON — Deep into a long flight to Japan aboard Air Force One with President Trump, Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, dashed off an email to an aide back in Washington.

“I’m just trying to tie up some loose ends,” Mr. Mulvaney wrote. “Did we ever find out about the money for Ukraine and whether we can hold it back?”

It was June 27, more than a week after Mr. Trump had first asked about putting a hold on security aid to Ukraine, an embattled American ally, and Mr. Mulvaney needed an answer. Continue reading

Figures to watch as White House mounts impeachment defense

The Hill logoSpeculation is increasing about the defense team being assembled by the White House as President Trump stares down an impeachment trial in the GOP-controlled Senate. 

While Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s (D-Calif.) decision to delay transmitting the articles of impeachment has created uncertainty around the contours and timing of the trial, it’s still widely expected the Senate will begin the proceedings in January.

The Trump administration has disclosed very little about its forthcoming defense apart from signaling that White House counsel Pat Cipollone will play a significant role, but the president is considering tapping others to play a part in the trial. Continue reading