Tag: U.S. Congress

Impeachment strains longstanding bipartisan support for Ukraine

Consensus built on keeping Ukraine inside the Western European camp

The bipartisan backing for Ukraine in its long face-off with Russia has been a hallmark of Congress’ role in foreign policymaking for decades. Congress — both parties — has generally been willing to confront Moscow more forcefully over its treatment of Ukraine than the Trump, Obama or George W. Bush White Houses.

But with U.S. policy toward Ukraine the centerpiece of the impeachment inquiry, President Donald Trump’s antipathy toward Kyiv out in the open, and Republicans not wanting to break with their GOP president publicly over Ukraine policy, concern is rising that this longstanding bipartisan consensus to keep Ukraine inside the Western European camp could erode.

Indeed, the career diplomats and military officers who have given depositions to the House Intelligence Committee in the past several weeks said — separate from any presidential misconduct — that they feared if Ukraine’s new president did Trump’s bidding and announced an investigation of Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, that it would do precisely that — kill the bipartisan support for Ukraine in Congress.

View the complete November 8 article by Rachel Oswald on The Roll Call website here.

White House backing off $8.6 billion demand for border wall funding

The most immediate decision to make is how long a second temporary funding bill should last

The Trump administration is backing off its demand for $8.6 billion in fiscal 2020 border wall spending in negotiations with top congressional leaders and appropriators, according to a source familiar with the talks.

That’s not just a recognition of reality — Congress hasn’t appropriated more than $1.375 billion for the wall in each of the past two fiscal years. It also reflects a realization that the administration risks losing a substantial boost in military spending and other GOP priorities if current stopgap funds end up extended for the entire fiscal year.

“The bazaar is open, no reasonable offer refused. It’s time for the Hill to make them a proposal,” the source said.

View the complete November 5 article by Jennifer Shutt on The Roll Call website here.

Impeachment on collision course with possible shutdown

Schumer already suggesting Trump may “want to shut down the government”

Congress could navigate a shutdown and a presidential impeachment inquiry if lawmakers and the Trump administration can’t reach an agreement on government funding during the next three weeks.

The two events haven’t overlapped before in the nation’s history. If that happens next month, however, roughly 2 million federal workers would get hit in their wallets as the holiday season begins, including staffers working on the impeachment proceedings.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Tuesday preemptively blamed President Donald Trump.

View the complete October 30 article by Jennifer Shutt on The Roll Call website here.

Pelosi says Trump notified Russians of Baghdadi raid before telling congressional leaders

Washington Post logoHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday called on the White House to brief lawmakers on the raid that targeted Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, noting that President Trump had informed Russia of the military operation before telling congressional leadership.

The statement from Pelosi (D-Calif.) came after Trump told reporters at a lengthy news conference that he did not inform the House speaker of the raid because he “wanted to make sure this kept secret.”

U.S. presidents typically follow the protocol of contacting congressional leaders, regardless of their political party, when a high-level military operation is conducted.

View the complete October 27 article by Felicia Sonmez on The Washington Post website here.

Rare, and unapologetic, bipartisan congressional rebuke for Trump on Syria

Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Lindsey Graham, Liz Cheney all part with president

“I think Lindsey should focus on Judiciary,” President Donald Trump said Wednesday when asked about criticism from South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of his decision to effectively side with Turkey over the Kurdish population of Syria.

Graham, who is often an ally of the president, was comparing Trump’s move to pull back U.S. forces supporting the Kurds to the Obama administration policy of withdrawal from Iraq. The senator is chairman of both the Judiciary Committee and the Appropriations subcommittee responsible for funding the State Department.

“The people of South Carolina don’t want us to get into a war with Turkey — a NATO member — or with Syria. Let them fight their own wars. They’ve been fighting for 1,000 years,” Trump said during a joint news conference with Italian President Sergio Mattarella. “Let them fight their own wars. The people of South Carolina want to see those troops come home, and I won an election based on that. And that’s the way it is, whether it’s good or bad. That’s the way it is.”

View the complete October 16 article by Niels Lesniewski and John T. Bennet on The Roll Call website here.

Congress set for showdown with Trump over Kurds

The Hill logoPresident Trump is barreling toward a showdown with Congress over his decision to pull back U.S. troops in northern Syria despite widespread opposition.

The announcement, which caught leadership and traditional GOP allies flatfooted, sparked a wave of condemnation, with Republicans calling it a “disaster in the making,” a “catastrophic mistake” and a “terrible decision.”

Lawmakers are already weighing how to respond to Trump’s decision, setting the stage for a high-profile clash with Trump as soon as Congress returns from a two-week break on Monday.

View the complete October 9 article by Jordain Carney and Rebecca Kheel on The Hill website here.

A Show of Contempt

Trump and his aides ignore subpoenas in an effort to marginalize Congress.

They ignore congressional subpoenas and refuse to testify before Capitol Hill committees. When they do show up, their disdain is obvious, as they berate and belittle elected representatives. President Donald Trump himself lobs insulting nicknames at Democratic lawmakers, and declared outright that he no longer considers House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, second in line to take Trump’s job, to be the speaker.

Never mind contempt of Congress, a sanction being weighed for members of the Trump administration who refuse to cooperate with House inquiries. Now, the White House and its supporters have turned the tables, brazenly displaying a contempt for Congress. It’s an approach that not only frustrates Congress’ efforts to serve as a check and balance to the executive branch, but marginalizes the authority of the legislative branch with the American people, analysts say.

“They’re trying to delegitimize the House of Representatives. They’re trying to delegitimize our most democratic branch,” says law professor Victoria Nourse, who worked on the Senate Iran-Contra Committee and is now executive director Georgetown Law’s Center on Congressional Studies.

View the complete October 4 article by Susan Milligan on The U.S. News and World Report website here.

Founders: Removal from office is not the only purpose of impeachment

As Congress moves toward a possible formal impeachment of President Donald Trump, they should consider words spoken at the Constitutional Convention, when the Founders explained that impeachment was intended to have many important purposes, not just removing a president from office.

A critical debate took place on July 20, 1787, which resulted in adding the impeachment clause to the U.S. Constitution. Benjamin Franklin, the oldest and probably wisest delegate at the Convention, said that when the president falls under suspicion, a “regular and peaceable inquiry” is needed.

In my work as a law professor studying original texts about the U.S. Constitution, I’ve found statements made at the Constitutional Convention explaining that the Founders viewed impeachment as a regular practice with three purposes:

    • To remind both the country and the president that he is not above the law
    • To deter abuses of power
    • To provide a fair and reliable method to resolve suspicions about misconduct.

View the complete September 26 article by Clark D. Cunningham, W. Lee Burge Chair in Law and Ethics; Director, National Institute for Teaching Ethics and Professionalism, Georgia State University.

Tracking 30 Investigations Related to Trump

New York Times logoFederal, state and congressional authorities are scrutinizing many aspects of Donald J. Trump’s life through investigations related to his businesses, campaign, inauguration and presidency. We’ll be tracking them here. According to reporting by The New York Times, there are currently at least:

•  12 Congressional Investigations
•  10 Federal Criminal Investigation
•  8 State and Local Investigations

Congressional Investigations

In the months since Democrats took control of the House, several committees have opened inquiries that could turn up politically damaging or embarrassing material or lead to impeachment proceedings. Select an investigation to see more.

1.  Possible abuse of power by using foreign policy for political ends
House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight Committees presidency

The committees opened an investigation in early September after the White House delayed a package of military assistance to Ukraine, which is fighting a war with Russian-backed separatists. The delay, which was later lifted amid bipartisan pressure from lawmakers, came on top of concerns about efforts by Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani to press the Ukrainian government to pursue investigations into two matters that date from the previous government and could be politically beneficial to Mr. Trump.

View the complete September 25 article by Larry BUchanan and Karen Yourish on The New York Times website here.

Lawmakers express concern after reading whistleblower report

Members urge patience, even public release of the complaint so the American people can see it for themselves

Some lawmakers expressed concerns Wednesday evening after reading a divisive whistleblower report that House and Senate Intelligence committee members were allowed to review in secure Capitol rooms.

Democratic lawmakers and even a Republican said the complaint raised concerns, but many urged patience and called for public release of the complaint so the American people could see it for themselves. The complaint was delivered to the Intelligence panels before the House voted 421-0 Wednesday evening to adopt a nonbinding resolution urging the administration to make the complaint itself available to Congress.

Sen. Ben Sasse told NBC News, “there’s obviously some really troubling things here.” But the Nebraska Republican urged caution and careful deliberation, saying both parties should “slow down” before Democrats begin using the word impeach, or Republicans begin to “circle the wagons.”

View the complete September 25 article by Chris Cioffi on The Roll Call website here.