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On Politics | IMPEACHMENT. 2020 ELECTION. WASHINGTON. AND MORE FROM THE POLITICS WORLD. | Thursday, December 12 | | |
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| Hello again, OnPolitics readers! We could see a historic moment from the House Judiciary Committee at any time as the 41-member group debated the two articles of impeachment drafted against President Donald Trump deep into Thursday night. We'll keep a close eye on those developments in a day packed with news from the world of politics. |
House Judiciary Committee debates the impeachment articles |
| The House Judiciary Committee's hearing on Thursday featured a debate on the two articles of impeachment: Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress. The panel has 24 Democrats and 17 Republicans, with Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., absent Wednesday and Thursday because of a heart ailment. He was reported in good condition. So, most, if not all, Republican amendments will be rejected. But that hasn't stopped them from trying and, subsequently, lengthening the process. |
| These are some key moments from what we've seen so far: |
| • | Republicans opened the voting session by repeating their demand for a hearing with witnesses chosen by Republicans as they have complained about the lack of witnesses with facts about the accusations. But Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., hasn't yet scheduled the hearing. "It is a farce that we're ruling on this today," said Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the top Republican on the panel. | | • | The committee rejected separate Republican efforts to have both articles of the impeachment removed. | | • | The committee also rejected the amendment from Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to remove former Vice President Joe Biden as the target of the Ukraine investigation. The amendment would have replaced him with his son, Hunter Biden, and the company where he worked, Burisma Holdings. | | • | An amendment from Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., that sought to insert language explaining that the military aid was suspended until Ukraine approved anti-corruption laws also was rejected by the committee. | | • | Nadler said Trump's White House refused to comply with any subpoena during the inquiry and he called that a "large step toward dictatorship" because it would remove any check on the president. "That is an obstruction of Congress," Nadler said. "This is an assertion of tyrannical power." | | • | The references to the 1998 impeachment of former President Bill Clinton over his lying about an affair with intern Monica Lewinsky emerged as a recurring theme. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., accused Republicans of being unreasonable for thinking Clinton's conduct was an impeachable offense but Trump pressuring a foreign government for help in an election is not. "If it's lying about sex, we could put Stormy Daniels' case ahead of us," she said. | |
...What may happen next |
| If the articles of impeachment are approved Thursday or Friday by the committee, the full House would then vote as early as next week on whether to impeach Trump. If approved, the Senate would hold a trial in early 2020, to decide whether to remove the president from office. |
Democrat to vote against Trump impeachment, says others could join |
| Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Democrat who represents a district in New Jersey that favored Trump by five points in 2016, said Wednesday that he will vote against articles of impeachment that outline the case for Trump's removal from office, becoming the first Democrat to publicly say he will not vote with his colleagues. |
| Van Drew has been a vocal opponent to the impeachment effort, saying he did not think Trump's conduct was grounds for impeachment and it would only end up helping the president in 2020. |
| "I don't see anything there worthy of actually taking a president out of office," he said. "I'm concerned about splitting our nation apart." |
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Lawmakers reach tentative spending deal to avert government shutdown |
| Key House and Senate lawmakers say they have come to an agreement on government spending bills that will prevent a potential government shutdown. The deal encompasses all 12 annual spending deals and was announced just hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. |
| Lawmakers did not detail what was included in the $1.37 trillion bipartisan agreement, but a House vote is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday. Government funding will run out Dec. 20 at midnight. |
| The deal, if passed, would avoid another lengthy shutdown. In 2018, House Democrats and the White House failed to come to an agreement over spending for a wall along the southern U.S. border, leadinbg to a 35-day shutdown, the longest ever. |
Boris Johnson's Conservative Party secures big win in British election |
| In news from Europe that is likely to impact much of international politics, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson secured a comfortable majority in Parliament, a BBC exit poll showed Thursday. |
| The result comes after an election pitted Johnson's plan to "get Brexit done" against opposition parties who wanted to delay Britain's departure from the European Union or even cancel it altogether. |
| The result, if confirmed, likely paves the way for Johnson to push through Brexit on Jan. 31. It will also put to bed three years of divisive and acrimonious debate by lawmakers over whether Britain should leave a bloc it joined more than four decades ago. |
Trump attacks Greta Thunberg for winning Time honor |
| Trump attacked 16-year-old environmental activist Greta Thunberg on Thursday for being named Time magazine's "Person of The Year," saying in a tweet the teenager "must work on her Anger Management problem." |
| Thunberg responded swiftly and in a cheeky fashion, changing her Twitter profile to reference Trump's insult. |
| Trump also mocked Thunberg back in September, when both were in New York City for meetings at the United Nations. |
| The president's behavior toward Thunberg has dragged first lady Melania Trump into the spotlight as well as social media users were quick to point out that it was a week ago when the first lady, the White House and Republicans slammed impeachment inquiry witness Stanford Professor Pamela Karlan for a comment made about Barron Trump, the Trumps' teenage son. Users also asked where comments about Thunberg fall within Melania Trump's "Be Best" anti-bullying initiative. |
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Welcome to the Lightning Round |
| We want to be quick, so here are some more politics stories we think you'll want to check out: |
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| - Until Friday, OP readers |
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