David Dennison's Dilemma: House to vote on public session procedures to come

White House stonewalling and foot-dragging will be addressed by this resolution responding to the GOP stunts and whining about process. Procedures for assembling the articles for impeachment will be derived as well as the evidence that will correspond to the now 55% that favors impeachment and removal. A Thursday vote will also address what appears to be another attempt to thwart witness testimony signaled by the Charles Kupperman suit that delayed his appearance today.

The resolution will outline the next steps for impeachment inquiry, including for open hearings, the disclosure of transcripts and due process rights for the president.

— NPR (@NPR) October 28, 2019

Dear Democratic Colleague,

For weeks, the President, his Counsel in the White House, and his allies in Congress have made the baseless claim that the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry “lacks the necessary authorization for a valid impeachment proceeding.”  They argue that, because the House has not taken a vote, they may simply pretend the impeachment inquiry does not exist.

Of course, this argument has no merit.  The Constitution provides that the House of Representatives “shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.”  Multiple past impeachments have gone forward without any authorizing resolutions.  Just last week, a federal court confirmed that the House is not required to hold a vote and that imposing such a requirement would be “an impermissible intrusion on the House’s constitutional authority.”  More than 300 legal scholars have also refuted this argument, concluding that “the Constitution does not mandate the process for impeachment and there is no constitutional requirement that the House of Representatives authorize an impeachment inquiry before one begins.”

The Trump Administration has made up this argument – apparently out of whole cloth – in order to justify its unprecedented cover-up, withhold key documents from multiple federal agencies, prevent critical witnesses from cooperating, and defy duly authorized subpoenas.

Breaking News: U.S. Democrats plan to hold the first formal House vote Thursday on the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, ushering in a new phase as they prepare to go public with their investigation into his dealings with Ukraine https://t.co/hbLU4kmRDH

— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 28, 2019

NEW analysis by @ImagineWorldas1 for @forensicnewsnet: At least 82 House Committee requests for testimony and/or documents have been impeded by the Trump administration. https://t.co/T9CCM4MDxB

— Scott Stedman (@ScottMStedman) October 28, 2019

Following Charles Kupperman’s failure to appear, a lawyer for another witness scheduled for deposition this week — Tim Morrison, the National Security Council's Europe and Eurasia director — issued a statement saying he still plans to appear if subpoenaed.https://t.co/ZsVHYT561v

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 28, 2019

annieli

“You’re not mopping fast enough. (Laughter) That’s a socialist mop. (Laughter and applause) Grab a mop — let’s get to work.” – Barack Obama (2009); “Soyez réalistes, demandez l’impossible!”

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