Pelosi calls for articles of impeachment against Trump: 'No choice but to act'
By: Brooke Singman and Gregg Re
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday that Democrats will proceed with articles of impeachment against President Trump, declaring that the president's conduct "leaves us no choice but to act."
The announcement comes after a heated House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday featuring four law professors -- most of them Democrat-invited witnesses who presented arguments for impeachment. Pelosi claimed the facts are now "uncontested" that Trump "abused his power for his own personal political benefit at the expense of our national security" by allegedly using aid as leverage to seek an investigation of the Bidens from Ukraine.
"Today I am asking our chairman to proceed with articles of impeachment," Pelosi stated during her brief address, referring to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y.
"The president's actions have seriously violated the Constitution," she said. "His wrongdoing strikes at the very heart of our Constitution."
The White House swiftly hit back, with Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham tweeting the Democrats "should be ashamed."
Trump "has done nothing but lead our country - resulting in a booming economy, more jobs & a stronger military, to name just a few of his major accomplishments. 🇺🇸 We look forward to a fair trial in the Senate," she tweeted.
The three professors called upon by the Democratic majority on Wednesday expressed an urgency to impeach the president.
"If we cannot impeach a president who abuses his office for personal advantage, we no longer live in a democracy—we live in a monarchy, or we live under a dictatorship," Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman said.
But the GOP’s witness, Jonathan Turley of George Washington University, warned Democrats not to rush into impeachment, explaining that a stronger foundation was needed to take such a drastic step.
Turley even accused lawmakers of doing “precisely” what they’re condemning Trump for doing. “It’s your abuse of power,” he warned the House should they move to impeach.
Turley conceded that it was possible Trump had set up an illicit and impeachable quid pro quo -- but he asserted there was simply no evidence in the record to prove the claim.
At the heart of the case is the allegation that Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate the Bidens for political gain, while using U.S. aid as leverage. The records demonstrate that Trump sought that investigation, but Trump maintains there was no quid pro quo for aid and witnesses have not directly linked him to one.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., cited another reason why Democrats should not move forward with impeachment right now -- the House’s failure to pass vital bills amid the impeachment fight.
“Franky, we’d love to govern with you,” he said to Democratic colleagues on Wednesday. “We’d love to pass USMCA, we’d love to put out a helping hand to our seniors and lower prescription drug prices. It’s the will of the people you ignore when you continue down this terrible road of impeachment.”
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The die is finally cast.......Pelosi will most likely let members vote on individual acts of impeachment as an out for moderate members. My hunch is the articles will be more about the Mueller Report than the President's phone call with the Ukrainian President.
She keeps her Speakership for now. House members will return home later and they will get an earful from their constituents, but the move will have been made. As all here know - I predict that dems will lose the House in November along with everything else. Pelosi claims that she is sad that this has happened, but we all know how giddy these hate filled ideologues have been about outing this President since 2016!
Rules of civility are in effect
Trump committed an impeachable offense by asking a foreign government to help him in his re-election efforts, and yes that is what his demand that Ukraine investigate Joe Biden was.
That is the base line to this whole thing. It would be dereliction of duty for the House not to impeach him once the whistleblower allegations unfolded and proved true.
The supposed argument against impeachment is that it will fail to remove him. While that may be true, it's not a reason to fail to impeach. If they don't impeach Trump he will undoubtedly say that they tried to impeach him in the House but couldnt because he was innocent, as ridiculous as that claim may be.
The bottom line is trump tried to cheat, as he said he would (he said he would like information about his opponents from foreign sources) , and he got caught. Thats all it is, and lets go forward with it.
Still a matter of opinion, but one that you and others have held since the day he was elected.
That is the base line to this whole thing.
Then we shouldn't see anything from the Mueller Report in the Articles of Impeachment, right?
The supposed argument against impeachment is that it will fail to remove him.
That has never been my argument. Mine has always been the flimsy charges made against a President who has been subjected to fraudulent investigations.
If they don't impeach Trump he will undoubtedly say that they tried to impeach him in the House but couldnt because he was innocent, as ridiculous as that claim may be.
Projection! That is what the left does. Comey let Hillary go, thus she was innocent.
The bottom line is trump tried to cheat
No, his opponents within government have done that.
There have been no fraudulent investigations. Your problem is that you believe everything you see or hear from right wing media.
You have been telling everyone for months that the IG report, and then Barr/Durham was going to prove there was a conspiracy against Trump. By reports we are getting, all this is failing to come true. The IG report is not going to substantially allege misconduct by the FBI, and just yesterday a story came out saying that DURHAM concluded that Joseph Mifsud was not a US intelligence asset used by the CIA to instigate the FBI's Russia investigation. Mifsud's supposed role was a linchpin in the right wing conspiracy theories about the Russia probe . All your conspiracies are blowing up in your face Vic.
Then tell us how we had a counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign? What triggered that?
Then tell us how we had a Special Counsel investigation of Russia/Trump? What triggered that?
So you agree FDR, Kennedy, LBJ etc should have been removed from office for abusing their powers to benefit themselves politically right?
The special counsel investigation was triggered by the firing of FBI Director James Comey. The counterintelligence investigation was triggered by all the connections between Trump associates and Russians, I presume.
If he was innocent, why object to an investigation?
I get a kick out of people who get up on their hind legs about an investigation of someone who
a) consistently lied about his interest in Russia (he was pursuing a hotel/condo development in Moscow at the same time he was telling Americans he had no business interest in Russia
b) publicly asked Russia to steal his election opponents emails. (which they tried to do just hours after he asked).
Trump had every right to fire him. It dosen't stop an investigation. Democrats had been calling for Comey's resignation.
a) consistently lied about his interest in Russia (he was pursuing a hotel/condo development in Moscow at the same time he was telling Americans he had no business interest in Russia
Actually he told the truth - He did not conspire with Russia. It was the media lied to us for 3 years.
b) publicly asked Russia to steal his election opponents emails.
Another media lie: “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing, I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press”
He never asked Russia to steal anything!
He was guilty of one thing - He won the 2016 election!
Vic, they tried to hack her system hours after Trump made the ask.
I get a kick out of people who get up on their hind legs about an investigation of someone who.
So why all the outcry against Biden, Hunter, and the Obama administration being investigated?
Still a matter of opinion
If we are talking about us here, the Fex Ex driver, or the barista at Starbucks, then yes. But three constitutional scholars have confirmed it.
Correct. That is the base line Democrats have put forward. But that line isn't consistent with Trump's past behavior. Joe Biden has already provided the political dirt with his boast about threatening to withhold foreign aide to force out Viktor Shokin.
Consistent with past behavior, Trump would use Biden's boast as a wedge just as he did with the birther wedge. The quid pro quo that Democrats are alleging is consistent with Democratic behavior; Joe Biden is the example. Using government resources to investigate political rivals and influence elections is something a Hillary Clinton would do. It's very status quo behavior.
Since when has Trump become a status quo politician? Yep, there's a lot of charges that can be made against Trump. But alleging that Trump has behaved like a deadwood Democrat doesn't pass the smell test.
Do you know how truly childish that sounds? That Vladimir Putin would refrain from doing something unless President Trump publicly said "I hope you find them." John, we are all adults here. Russia dosen't act on what American politicians say. They act whether anyone likes it or not out of self interest. Let me ask you if you are aware that they tried to hack the GOP server as well?
Three anti-Trump leftists gave us their opinion, which would be just the opposite if it were a democratic president. Then they would be telling us what technicality made the case different. Their performance yesterday was all too obvious to everyone (except for progressives who were elated by the BS)
Noah Feldman gave a standout performance. I can just see him in one of Charles Dickens novels.
I guarantee that if this had been a Democratic POTUS that did what trump has done, every republican would be demanding impeachment from day 1, and it would have happened already.
Had this been a Dem, I would be every bit as disgusted. Its a shame how the Right has put party over country.
It is a shame that they put trump over party over country.
The rubes don't even realize the harm they are going to end up doing, even to themselves.
They are trying to normalize and defend his behavior, take that back, enable his behavior, that can and probably will be mimicked by a predecessor that might not align with their views.
I dare any one of them to question any president after this with what they are letting him get away with.
Of course in their hypocritical stance, only they are allowed to do such things.
I'm sure this sort of thing happened under many administrations. It would have been deemed inappropriate but nobody would make an issue of a president asking a foreign leader to do something such as what was done here. The difference is Trump must be smeared/removed!
As for whistleblowers, we know what Obama used to do with them:
I doubt that very much.
'It would have been deemed inappropriate but nobody would make an issue of a president asking a foreign leader to do something such as what was done here.'
How could it be proven if nobody thought it worthy of mention
That call did involve personal interests like turning the tables on those who launched a fraudulent investigation of the President. Remember what Biden did to get a Ukrainian prosecutor fired passes Schiff's definition of "bribery." So ya, there was a lot of personal interest in that phone call, however I disagree totally on the narrative that it was to interfere in a future election. It was all about the 2016 election, the Dossier and what was done to Manafort.
They tried to hack into a computer in FBI possession that was in all likelihood, turned off?
They would have demanded impeachment. "The call" didn't happen until this past summer, so I'm not so sure about timing.
For me, it would depend on the Dem. I think my tolerance for bad behavior is moderately inversely correlated with how much the person in question is actively screwing up my life.
But I don't think I'd be this disgusted. Frankly...of all the things Trump has done and said, this may not make the top 10 list of most disgusting.
She has to let it die in the Senate to save face. But, as you say, some Dems will pay the price for it in November.
We all know how this is going to end, and it will pretty much destroy what's left of the Democrat party.
Pelosi had no choice but to give in to the far left fringe of liberals, and it will be fun to watch the electoral fall out.
Dems very likely to lose the House and Trump assured of a second term.
I see no reason to believe anything you say.
He's admitted before on my seed the only reason he is here is to piss off liberals.
Perrie told him to cut the shit or get booted.
I'm still here, and if people get pissed at my comments, it's on them.
My superior knowledge and intelligence seem to trigger certain people, otherwise
they would simply not respond and ignore what I say.
If necessary we'll have an intervention. They've been enraged since 2016.
No one gets pissed at your comments. I saw them for exactly what they were. So did Perrie.
Greg, people are judged by what they say, and for all practical purposes what you say on this forum is nothing.
As far as I can see you are WAY down on the list of contributors to this group.
Hahaha, that is hilarious.
Based on past results your prediction is going nowhere, lol.
Lol, Your memory is obviously short.... It was I who predicted what dems would pull on Justice Kavanaugh
'It was I who predicted what dems would pull on Justice Kavanaugh'
PROVE IT
Maybe you did but one out of five is a poor batting average.
Seems on many seeds I can't respond. Do you fear me?
Who's fault is that?
Do you fear me?
You really need to get over yourself
There is absolutely no basis to believe this. To the contrary, most elections since the beginning of 2017 show a shift away from Trump and his chosen candidates in contested races.
63 Million Americans voted for Trump. They will all come out to vote after this smearing stunt. You got that asterisk you desperately wanted next to the President's name but you will pay for it.
Contested races since 2017 have shown a shift away from Trump and Trump backed candidates. The reason for this is simple, people have observed him in office for the past 34 months.
Why don't you be specific?
Governor's races are all about local politics. For example: Former Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin was extremely unpopular, yet Trump was able to make that race close.
Btw we could use more hearings, more outrage, more Pelosi and please bring back that angry Stanford lady too.
The voters need to see more of them!
Show us those facts and figures, John.
So even after all of his chronic lies you still defend him? what does that say about you?
They've been backed into a corner by Trump and can do nothing but defend him now. They doubled down too many times, their entire party is riding on the success of Donald Trump, which, if you know anything about the other companies that have relied on Trump for success, is not a gamble most of us would take.
But now they are feeling the effects of the "sunk cost fallacy".
“The sunk cost effect is the general tendency for people to continue an endeavor, or continue consuming or pursuing an option, if they’ve invested time or money or some resource in it,” says Christopher Olivola, an assistant professor of marketing at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business and the author of a new paper on the topic published in the journal Psychological Science . “That effect becomes a fallacy if it’s pushing you to do things that are making you unhappy or worse off.”
Not even 25% of the country.
And Mrs..Clinton was sooooooo stellar with 66 million and her barely 20%. You do realize that all 330+ million Americans can't vote amirite?
Are we now measuring his voters against everyone in the country - even those too young to vote, those who don't, etc? That sounds awfully devious.
It says I'm heads & shoulders better that a hate-filled progressive!
The party of Putin sure has its talking points down. Projection, projection, projection. And evidently pleased the USA is now a laughingstock of the world. Of course, because it benefits......PUTIN. Again.
Had no idea you are an expert on Russian politics.
That is projecting!
Do all nutjobs feel that way?
Talking to yourself? Or Trump? Here is something just for you. And maybe we'd all be crying if we weren't laughing at the damage Trump has done to our national security.
Why don't you tell us?
Strange questions to be asking of someone who directed a post to you. See, if I wanted to say it to Trump, I would have. That is how these kinds of things work.
I do feel qualified to after reading some of your posts.
But you don't read anyways, remember, so why waste time writing it and then having to explain it 20 times?
And the party that always made excuses for Stalin, Mao and Castro suddenly expects us to believe they are patriots.
Another one of Kushner and Trump's favorite nationals committed murder today. But Trump says nicer things about the king than he does of suffering Americans.
If republicans don't like the Russian connection, then disconnect. Otherwise you are all just promoting Russian interests over US interests. Your ability to see it is irrelevant, its happening in real time and it can be seen by everyone.
Bull fucking shit. Some things never change...........................
The Democrats are in so deep with this nonsense that she had no choice. Dems and the media are just treading water now.
The smear campaign continues at the expense of the taxpayers.
What is the smear? Let's see if you can explain it.
Let's see if I can predict how this goes. Someone cites a smear and you say it's not a smear, it's true. Right?
I asked her to explain what the smear is. I'd rather hear her try and do it, but you are free to do so as well.
I'm just laying out what your well known position is.
To impeach this President for whatever the reasons are going to be is a smear. The fact that not even you know what the Articles of impeachment will be kind of makes the case that this process is nothing more than smearing the President going into the 2020 election. A REAL CASE OF ELECTION INTERFERENCE!
Again, the truth is not a smear.
'A REAL CASE OF ELECTION INTERFERENCE!'
All impeachment, all the time in Speaker Pelosi’s House.
LOL. Is that really all you have?
In other words you didn't expect that one and have no answer for it?
No, I'm stunned that you are offering such a piece of nothingness as an argument.
Ya, your stunned AND stumped!
I asked Sunshine and then you to tell us what the "smear" against Trump is. It's a simple question. I make my comments 90% of the time off the top of my head. If you ask me what Trump did wrong I can write a few paragraphs about it without looking at Google once.
Surely you or Sunshine or someone can tell us how Trump is being "smeared" over the Ukrainian situation.
Have to look up the next talking point. The next tweet for instruction.
Nah he'll supposedly prove his bogus point and lock the seed so no one can debunk him.
Probably getting more propaganda during the vodka breaks.
I could do the same with Obama. We know what you want and the rest of us have put a stop to it.
Trump left Congress with no choice but impeachment!
It's so sad isn't it? The suddenly solemn, suddenly "patriotic" progressives carrying out their duties/sar.
You don't know how bad it looks.
“Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path because it divides the country.” .....Nancy Pelosi
Certainly not bi-partisan and the meager "evidence" is neither compelling nor overwhelming.
Yup, but when the squad is threatening her role as Speaker, she had to do what she had to do!
The transcript is the evidence and it's damning.
You mean the Democrat controlled House that is grasping at straws to find an issue that will gain bi-partisan support for impeachment.
You must realize that this travesty of attempted sedition will be DOA in the Senate, after thoroughly embarrassing the dopey Democrats.
It was clear yesterday that d emocrats all but ignored Turley and focused instead on getting from their witnesses exactly what they wanted to hear.
Meanwhile the expression on Jonathan Turley's face spoke volumes
“Impeachments require a certain period of saturation and maturation,” Turley told lawmakers. “That is, the public has to catch up… If you rush this impeachment, you’re going to leave half the country behind. And certainly, that’s not what … the Framers wanted.” “You have to give the time to build a record. This isn’t an impulse buy item. You’re trying to remove a duly elected president of the United States. And that takes time. It takes work.”
Truly a Freudian delight!
That he's constipated?
Nancy Pelosi lost control of the Democratic caucus shortly after Labor Day. Pelosi is just a figurehead trying to keep her butt polished, fine leather upholstery. Trump's political attacks on the Squad shifted the politics of the Congressional Democrats to the left. Pelosi trying to restrain that leftward shift opened the door for a power grab by ambitious deadwood in the party. Democrats will use Democratic politics against each other. Nancy Pelosi is Speaker in name only; she no longer leads. House Democrats are now just making up stuff as they go since there isn't leadership that can formulate and control an agenda.
What amazes me is that Democrats are going to hand the political narrative to Trump at the beginning of the primary season. House Democrats won't be able to control the politics of a Senate trial. Trump's political behavior has not followed the status quo political playbook. Democrats following the model of politics-as-usual are likely going to be blindsided. In case Democrats have not been paying attention, the news reporting focused on fact checking, unflattering stories, and scathingly critical opinion has not been moving Trump's approval according to status quo expectations. The impeachment hearings have only been another news day in a three year media frenzy. Democratic outrage has become nothing more than another part of the status quo.
Excellent point. They haven't noticed. They've been in their impeachment frenzy. As I said before - they will pay for this in November!
The country has entered a phase of transition. Trump is not a cause; Trump is a result. Republicans attempting to defend the status quo will fare no better than Democrats. Republican deadwood isn't a viable alternative to Democratic deadwood. In the end, it matters little which party gains control of elected government because neither are prepared to listen to voters. That has created a power vacuum that the technocratic bureaucracy is attempting to fill. It's not a power grab or a coup; it's only a desperate attempt to keep the damned thing running.
For quite a while the public has felt that institutional government was on the wrong track. Trump has thrown a wheel off the rail and sparks are flying everywhere. But Republicans and Democrats trying to put that train back on the wrong track isn't going to prevent the wreck that is coming. We can either pay attention and change direction with new track or we can rebuild after the wreck. Either way, a change in direction is coming.
On her way out of the door, Pelosi returned to the lectern when a reporter asked if she hated the president. "I don't hate anybody," she said. "As a Catholic, I resent your using the word 'hate' in a sentence that addresses me." She said she prays for the pres "all the time."
Anyone buying that?
A good Catholic?
I'll bet she's been to Church about as much as I have.
Some people call themselves practicing Catholics if they go to mass a few times a year. Its hard to say without knowing her details.
I bet you she is more of a Catholic than Trump is a Christian though. That is a no brainer.
2. Trump says he's Presbyterian and previously attended services with the Reformed Church of America denomination.
Trump told Human Events and other news outlets that he is "a believer." In 2011, he told CBN he attended First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica Queens, which is part of the Presbyterian U.S.A. denomination. Some past articles and interviews have listed Trump as a member of the Reformed Church of America, but more recently he has said he is Presbyterian. He says he goes to church on Sunday when he can and always on Christmas, Easter, and on special occasions.
Ooops, should have checked that one out first.
Are you implying that Nancy molests children?
"Today I am asking our chairman to proceed with articles of impeachment," Pelosi stated
She's been Praying, and had back to the podium to tell a reporter she doesn't HATE anyone, because she's catholic.
Where are these so-called " Logical " and " atheistic " folks speaking out against Nancy For " USING" religion like she did ?
SEPERATION OF CHURCH AND STATE, NANCY !!!!!!!!!!!
Speak out you "Logical" and "Atheistic" Types
, like you do with anything not "Democrat" ....won't you ? 
STILL FUCKING ..................… WAITING ...... you .... hypocrits !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
