Directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Donald John Trump, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes.
Note the word “continue,” as in this resolution acknowledges the House committees have already been working on an impeachment inquiry. The bill went through mark-up last night and is now the subject of banshee-like wailing from GOP House members like Jim Jordan.
Can you imagine being so stupid and unethical that you’d willingly allow yourself to be recorded in Congressional record as a whiner on behalf of a shakedown artist like Donald Trump? Nevertheless, the GOP persists in being ridiculous and on record.
The vote was initially expected at noon but GOP whining may push it later.
~ 2 ~
We’ve also got two hearings today, the outcome of which may shape the House committees’ work on impeachment:
The judge handling former natsec adviser Charles Kupperman’s subpoena lawsuit has set a status conference for Thursday (10/31) at 3pm. Another judge in the same courthouse will be hearing arguments at 2pm in the Don McGahn subpoena fight. pic.twitter.com/3TaZN94AaS
Tim Morrison, who replaced Fiona Hill at the end of August when she left her position as National Security Council Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs, has arrived at the House to give testimony today related to the Ukraine aid-for-Trump campaign scandal. Morrison’s background is in nuclear non-proliferation and pre-Trump GOP policy; he’s been characterized as a Bolton hawk.
Morrison resigned yesterday; his testimony today will be offered as a former federal employee.
Not certain what more Morrison will be able to add since he assumed Hill’s role more than a month after the July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky. He’d been in his latest job less than two months.
But it would be nice to know if he is still seeing push back about the aid budgeted and approved by Congress for Ukraine. I haven’t seen anything indicating the aid has been released yet and it’s already past the end of the federal fiscal year. Office of Management and Budget’s associate director of national security programs and political appointee Michael Duffey had been given authority to hold the aid earlier this month. Duffey needs to be asked by the House if he still has orders to hold the aid, subrogating Congress’s authority in the process.
~ 0 ~
Watch out for trick-or-treaters as we approach evening. And look out for a tangerine troll tweeting madly as the day progresses.
This is an open thread. Bring your goodie bags here for inspection.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Pumpkin_Unsplash_31OCT2016-e1572534204424.jpg10001500Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-10-31 11:40:532019-10-31 11:41:57Three Things: Double, Double, Toil and Rubble
I’m working on a new whip list right now. I’ll update this post with a refreshed whip list at the bottom of the page once I’ve collected the freshest batch. Last I checked we were between 138-148 House Democrats in favor of an impeachment inquiry or impeachment. The magic number is 218.
If you haven’t called your representative and asked them to support impeachment inquiry, please do so. If your representative already supports a formal inquiry, thank them to maintain their perception of public support.
Stress the urgency to take action — we can all see the Trump administration is degrading before our eyes. The whistleblower complaint needs investigation and only a formal impeachment inquiry will have the legal clout to override any attempts to obstruct investigation.
Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121 or use Resistbot.
Please make the effort to look up your representative’s local office for the phone number. Some constituents have reported their rep’s voicemail is full; having the local number will provide a fallback to contact them.
Recruit like-minded constituents, even kids, to call their representatives. Yes, youngsters who are too young to vote are still constituents entitled to representation.
It’s time.
. . .
UPDATE — 2:50 P.M. EDT —
I can’t update my own list fast enough right now. Here’s where three news outlets stand on their whip counts:
POLITICO: Who supports impeachment? 211 Democrats support impeachment or impeachment inquiry, 28 Democrats who don’t support impeachment or impeachment inquiry — yet as of last update 9/24/19
Looks like NBC and Politico caught up to each other. If this is accurate, we only need 8-9 Democrats yet to sign on to secure an authorizing resolution.
This is the current list I have of Dems who are not yet in support of an impeachment inquiry. Some are no surprise like Tulsi Gabbard, this general election’s Jill Stein. Or Henry Cuellar, who is far more conservative than his district — just asking for a primary to take him out.
Anthony Brindisi NY-22 R+6
Cheri Bustos IL-17 D+3
Henry Cuellar TX-28 D+9
Joe Cunningham SC-1 R+10
Sharice Davids KS-3 R+4
Rosa DeLauro CT-3 D+9
Tulsi Gabbard HI-2 D+19
Jared Golden ME-2 R+2
Vicente Gonzalez TX-15 D+7
Ron Kind WI-3 EVEN
Conor Lamb PA-17 (R+2.5 under 2016 map, may change)
Al Lawson Jr. FL-5 D+12
Dan Lipinski IL-3 D+6
Ben McAdams UT-4 R+13
Stephanie Murphy FL-7 EVEN
Tom O’Halleran AZ-1 R+2
Collin Peterson MN-7 (House Ag committee chair) R+12
Max Rose NY-11 R+3
Linda Sánchez CA-38 D+17
Kurt Schrader OR-5 EVEN
Terri Sewell AL-7 D+20
Donna Shalala FL-27 D+5
Xochitl Torres Small NM-2 R+6
Jeff Van Drew NJ-2 R+1
Susan Wild PA-7 (D+1.1 under 2016 map, may change)
Frederica Wilson FL-24 D+34
But Wilson, whose district is rated D+34? or Sánchez, who’s served for 16 years in a D+17 district?
Especially under a continuing blue wave, when the 2020 vote will be a referendum on Trump?
If one of these representatives are yours, call them and ask them to get behind a formal impeachment inquiry. Contact info above in this post.
UPDATE — 3:45 P.M. 25-SEP-2019 —
We are soooo close! Thank you to these Democrats who’ve finally stepped over to the right side of history:
Cheri Bustos IL-17 D+3
Henry Cuellar TX-28 D+9
Rosa DeLauro CT-3 D+9
Dan Lipinski IL-3 D+6
Stephanie Murphy FL-7 EVEN
Linda Sánchez CA-38 D+17
Terri Sewell AL-7 D+20
Donna Shalala FL-27 D+5
According to NBC’s list these eight representatives now bring the total number to 216 in support of a formal impeachment inquiry.
These folks are still Undecided or No votes:
Anthony Brindisi NY-22 R+6
Joe Cunningham SC-1 R+10
Sharice Davids KS-3 R+4
Tulsi Gabbard HI-2 D+19
Jared Golden ME-2 R+2
Vicente Gonzalez TX-15 D+7
Ron Kind WI-3 EVEN
Conor Lamb PA-17 (R+2.5 under 2016 map, may change)
Al Lawson Jr. FL-5 D+12
Ben McAdams UT-4 R+13
Tom O’Halleran AZ-1 R+2
Collin Peterson MN-7 (House Ag committee chair) R+12
Max Rose NY-11 R+3
Kurt Schrader OR-5 EVEN
Xochitl Torres Small NM-2 R+6
Jeff Van Drew NJ-2 R+1
Susan Wild PA-7 (D+1.1 under 2016 map, may change)
Frederica Wilson FL-24 D+34
What the heck is going on with the Ag Committee chair? As if Trump’s disastrous handling of trade hasn’t been enough reason to seek impeachment before this solicitation for foreign assistance to cheat his way into re-election.
And what’s going on with the lingering holdouts who are in D+ districts? This is a blue wave; the House was won in 2018 because the people wanted the White House restrained. They still want him restrained. Get on the right side of this.
If one of the holdouts is your representative, you know what to do.
Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/WristWatchClock_Tristan-Colangelo-Unsplash_24SEP2019_bluetrans-2.jpg8441500Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-09-24 11:26:002019-10-18 11:25:26Whip It Good: Time Has Come Today [UPDATE-3]
It’s time to revisit the ongoing comparison of Nixon’s Articles of Impeachment with possible Articles against Donald Trump. Previous posts in this series:
An expansion of Part 2 into 2b addressing more abuses of power is planned in the near future. Trump continues to rack them up.
As noted in previous posts in this series, the House Judiciary Committee prepared five Articles of Impeachment against Richard M. Nixon during the course of its impeachment inquiry. Only three of the five were passed out of committee and approved by Congress. We all know Nixon resigned before the House could vote on the three approved articles.
The fourth article which was not approved pertained to Nixon’s Operation Menu — the covert bombing of Cambodia. Congress, which has the sole power to declare war, had not expressly approved this in its 1964 Gulf of Tonkin resolution. The bombings went unreported for four years and contributed to the destabilization of Cambodia.
A fundamental problem with this Article was that Congress bore some of the blame for the bombing; the Gulf of Tonkin resolution was written in such a way that it didn’t expressly preclude bombing of neighboring nations along the border with Vietnam. The resolution also did not constitute a declaration of war against North Vietnam, authorizing instead the use of military force to meet its obligations under the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty. The legality of the military action in Vietnam was on thin ground, making action on any neighboring country even more questionable.
~ ~ ~
It’s not impossible this very same challenges will form the basis for another Article of Impeachment against Trump should he pursue military action against Iran without adequate approval from Congress.
But we already have seen Trump take action without Congressional approval and without the support of existing legislation behind him, beginning with his first week in office. His Executive Order 13769 to begin a Muslim travel ban was illegal; he persisted in pushing a ban focusing on Muslims with subsequent Executive Order 13780 and Presidential Proclamation 9645 until his Departments of Justice and Homeland Security arrived at restrictions which met the letter of existing law according to a now-stacked and partisan Supreme Court after several lawsuits. This is not a faithful execution of the law — 8 U.S. Code § 1158.Asylum — it’s whack-a-mole with innocent humans as collateral damage for no constructive reason or benefit to this country.
When acting Attorney General Sally Yates announced the Department of Justice would not enforce the Muslim travel ban three days after Trump signed Executive Order 13769, she explained that the ban was not lawful. Trump rejected this opinion and fired her instead of relying on her expert opinion. He had to be told repeatedly by federal judges his executive order was not enforceable because it was unlawful.
People were detained unlawfully. People were unable to travel freely. The primary reason for their restriction was their religious identity — a violation of the First Amendment and its protections of religious freedom. It was a fundamental human rights violation under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to which the U.S. is a signatory.
Trump’s introduction of a “zero tolerance” policy implemented during the first months of his term in office has also denied freedom of movement to persons seeking asylum at the border. The policy’s implementation resulted in systematic crimes against humanity including enslavement; deportation; imprisonment; torture; sexual assault including rape; persecutions on political, racial and religious grounds; other inhumane acts.
None of this was authorized by Congress; none of this is in 8 U.S. Code § 1158. These acts also violate numerous U.S. laws as well as treaties. While there is not currently a treaty on crimes against humanity, Trump’s bad faith execution of U.S. law and existing treaties like the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the U.N. Convention Against Torture spell out many of these crimes.
Again, Congress did not authorize acts like:
— separating children from parents or guardians;
— holding children in cages;
— trafficking separated children into unauthorized adoptions without parental or guardian consent;
— deportation of minors without parent or guardian;
— failure to track minors so they can be reunited with parents and/or guardians;
— failing to provide reasonable care including adequate food and water, bedding, hygiene, heat and cooling, health care;
— transporting detained persons without notification to parents, guardians, family members;
— refoulement – deporting asylum seekers back to the place they fled;
— forced labor.
Nothing in U.S. law or treaties to which the U.S. has been a party or signatory authorizes this kind of treatment.
Trump also systematically defies a court order issued in June 2018 prohibiting further separations of minors from their families at the border and instructing the Department of Homeland security to return minors to their families. The Trump administration weaseled around the court order, detaining entire families at military facilities — new concentration camps — while DHS continued to separate families on an irregular basis.
We’ve seen evidence of this systematic lawlessness based on inspections by Congressional tours of detention facilities — concentration camps in which asylum seeking minors were denied reasonable “safe and sanitary” conditions.
The number of illnesses and deaths attributable to Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy may never be fully known because the administration has done so much to avoid monitoring and oversight.
~ ~ ~
Other deaths which can be wholly attributed to Trump’s bad faith in executing his office are those of 2,975 Americans who lived in Puerto Rico (pdf) when Hurricane Maria hit the island in 2017.
Puerto Ricans were denied their right to equal protection under the law; they were not accorded the same access to federal aid as mainland citizens, in contrast to the assistance received by other Americans after Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Michael in 2017-2018.
And none of this had the imprimatur of Congress.
~ ~ ~
Unlike Nixon’s Operation Menu which only lasted 14 months, Trump’s derogation of Congress’s authority through his bad faith execution of laws is now into its 33 month. His malign acts increase in depth and breadth, now including the wretched refusal of Bahamians fleeing their hurricane devastated country, continued separation of families including Bahamian children.
There are homeless who work in Silicon Valley, homeless only because there isn’t affordable housing. Will he stop at them? Is he doing this to line his pockets in some way or as a campaign promise not shared with the public?
Will Congress do nothing at all to stop this creeping and inhuman fascism, these sustained attacks on human rights of citizens and non-citizens alike?
The 93rd Congress may not have passed the fourth Article of Impeachment against Nixon, but at least they understood and grasped the executive could and must be removed with the three articles they passed. It’d be nice if the 116th Congress was less supine.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/USFlag_KevinMorris-Unsplash_08OCT2016_1500pxw_mod-e1558831138343.jpg9941500Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-09-11 21:57:492019-09-12 09:32:34History’s Rhyme, Part 5: Bad Faith, Unauthorized Acts and Crimes Against Humanity
I’ve got a couple of posts s-l-o-w-l-y brewing but there’s plenty to chew on in the mean time. There may be some all-caps yelling, I must warn.
~ 3 ~
Utah’s Senator Mike Lee went to Moscow this week to talk about lifting the sanctions. Because of course he did, being utterly insensitive to the ongoing attacks by Russia on U.S. elections ahead. The sanctions Russia placed against the U.S. are pure bullshit and shouldn’t be seen as anything more than that; a member of Congress negotiating with them only legitimizes them.
Curiously, Lee is one of the same Class III GOP senators whose terms end in January 2023. What a coincidence that eight of 22 Class III GOP senators have now made a visit to Moscow.
You’ll recall that last year GOP Senators Richard Shelby (AL), Steve Daines (MT), John Hoeven (ND), John Neely Kennedy (LA), Jerry Moran (KS), Ron Johnson (SD), and John Thune (SD) — all Class III senators except for Daines who is in Class II — made a visit to Moscow on July 4 last year ostensibly to ask Russia to stop meddling in our elections.
Ha. More likely to ask for help when they run for re-election.
Kind of disgusting to see Lisa Murkowski on this list; she’s been more independent of the GOP than most of the rest of her caucus. The RNC has spent $400,000 at Trump hotels since the 2016 election, setting a great example of corruption for the rest of its ranks.
Don’t even get me started on spineless Ben Sasse, he of all talk and no cattle when it comes to doing the right thing.
Have to wonder what the state of play in Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin for these four GOP senators to not only call on Russia on America’s holiday of independence last year but to suck up to their mobster party boss at his overpriced hotels.
One thing I couldn’t find readily: the name of the lone Democratic senator who visited a Trump hotel. Name and shame them, people. Democrats need to clearly differentiate themselves from corruption.
~ 1 ~
Meanwhile, some Democratic freshmen can’t find their butts with both hands when it comes to an impeachment inquiry. These representatives so far have resisted supporting an inquiry in spite of being elected to office in a blue wave — they were chosen to fix Trump’s Washington, in short. Most of them are holding out for more facts, a stronger case before they support impeachment.
And now a direct message to those freshmen holdouts:
It’s right there in the Special Counsel’s Report which every member of Congress has had more than ample time and at least one lengthy break to read.
Not to mention the ongoing daily abuses of power and gross negligence which speak for themselves and in some cases have cost human lives (ask Puerto Rico and the untold numbers of asylum-seeking children still in cages).
Take notes from California frosh Rep. Katie Porter on an impeachment inquiry. Nobody is above the law and you members of Congress have a constitutional duty to uphold and defend it — you’re given the power to deal with an intransigent executive by the Constitution.
You’ve read the Constitution’s Article I, haven’t you? You understood your oath of office, yes? Bloody well do what you were hired to do which is outlined in the Constitution and your oath, neither of which prescribe winning popularity contests or fundraising.
These are the representatives I’ve seen named in several reports* as reluctant to get behind an impeachment inquiry:
Susan Wild PA-7 D+1.1 (redistricted from pivot districts, doesn’t believe there’s enough evidence for impeachment)
Gil Cisneros CA-39 EVEN R+0/D+0
TJ Cox CA-21 EVEN R+0/D+0
Josh Harder CA-10 EVEN R+0/D+0
Katie Hill CA-25 EVEN R+0/D+0
Jared Golden ME-2 R+2 (called impeachment nonsense, isn’t hearing from constituents about supporting impeachment)
Angie Craig MN-2 R+2
Andrew Kim NJ-3 R+2
Conor Lamb PA-17 R+2.5 (redistricted)
Haley Stevens MI-11 R+4
Elissa Slotkin MI-8 R+4
Being from Michigan I can almost understand the concerns of the last two, BUT…they were elected in districts which have been strongly GOP for at least a decade, as a direct rebuttal of Trump policies. Trump’s bullshit trade war with China has hurt both businesses and investments of their constituents greatly (unless they’re accountants who are raking in big bucks from all the new tax code changes). They’ve also got a Democratic governor, attorney general, and secretary of state who are women and going to do their best to get their backs and assure a fair election in 2020. The excuses they have for waffling in R+4 districts are nominal, especially after Trump’s egregious behavior on so many topics this week. How badly does Trump have to meltdown before they will get behind a formal inquiry?
And that’s what should be pounded into the rest of the freshmen who are holding out ‘because we don’t have all the facts’ or ‘we need the strongest case’ or ‘I don’t jump on a bandwagon’: DO THE RIGHT THING BY SUPPORTING AN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
We will get all the facts and make the strongest case with a formal inquiry which has Constitutional support.
And the bandwagon is to DO THE RIGHT THING, not worry about re-election, Rep. Wild. None of your bills are going anywhere so long as Senate Majority Leader #MoscowMitch McConnell is in thrall to both Trump and Russia. Quit dragging your feet and get the hell on board.
~ 0 ~
I’ve got a post in progress on the Epstein-MIT Media Lab scandal and another on Scotland. Later this week we’ll have to do another whip count now that I’ve laid out the problem with freshmen Democrats.
If you haven’t called your representative lately, do so — Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121 — and ask them to support an impeachment inquiry. Thank them if they already have committed to supporting an inquiry. They count calls, I can see it reflected in media reports.
Let’s get back to school, people. Treat this as an open thread.
________
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rusty3_MarkusSpiske-Unsplash_08SEP2019-1.jpg10001500Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-09-08 17:16:192019-09-08 17:17:45Three Things: Corrupt, More Corrupt, and Stumbling Naifs
[NB: Check the byline, thanks. Updates will appear at the bottom of the post before the whip count table. /~Rayne]
I was really torn about sharing this video — watching it induced a wicked flashback to my salad days. As problematic as the images in it are now, the lyrics are effective and the tune snappy.
Just the thing to get you pumped up to make a phone call to your representative. Now crack that whip!
Since the last Whip It post we’ve picked up these Democrats in support of an impeachment inquiry:
Rep. Lauren Underwood IL-14 (rated R+5*)
Rep. Anthony Brown MD-4 (rated D+28)
Rep. Ben Ray Luján NM-3 (rated D+8)
As the current Assistant Speaker and former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair during the last session, Luján is the highest ranking representative to commit to date.
According to POLITICO’s most recent count, we’re at 131 Democrats in support of an impeachment inquiry. We need 87 more to pass an authorizing resolution.
We’re entering the tough slog. It’s not going to be pretty when representatives are offering tepid support in spite of their very blue district, or flipping only after claiming their district is too conservative. I’m rather annoyed at Anthony Brown, for example, whose district is D+28 — ridiculous to string this out so long and make such a tepid statement when declaring support.
There are 104 Democrats who have not yet committed to supporting an impeachment inquiry. This means 17 Democrats can remain uncommitted and a resolution would still pass.
But there are 75 Democrats in districts ranked D+0 or better who have yet to get behind an inquiry. There are no excuses for this; surely they can see the 2018 wave will continue, especially as a recession begins and Trump continues to put the nation at risk nearly every damned time he tweets.
12 of the 29 Democrats in R+1 or worse districts must also eventually give their support. They will lose their existing Democratic base if they don’t. If they don’t already see obvious reasons why an impeachment inquiry must begin, they need to be primaried for having failed their oath of office.
You’ll notice if you haven’t in past Whip It posts that I’ve given up on the House GOP members. They are wholly committed to a transnational organized crime syndicate’s omertà, willing to kowtow to foreign entities to obtain continuing support, willing to turn a blind eye to the many gross failings of the Trump administration.
They’ve completely thrown in the towel on democracy by refusing to protect voting infrastructure and ensuring every citizen has access to the polls.
Their oath of fealty to their syndicate is stronger than their loyalty to their fellow Americans and the Constitution.
This is the moment of differentiation for Democrats. This is when the rubber meets the road, when bullshit walks. Do not be found wanting when weighed and measured; do not be Republican light. Be a true (little r) republican and defend this democracy.
That goes for us as constituents as well. It’s still upon us to keep this republic, showing up at town halls our representatives have during the remaining summer recess, by calling their offices in D.C. or locally, by sending faxes or using Resistbot to make our sentiments heard.
Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Call your representative (and only your representative) and ask them to support an impeachment inquiry, even if they are a Republican. If your representative has already thrown their support behind an inquiry, do be sure to thank them.
This whip count will continue to be updated. Share in comments any new announcements by House members throwing support behind an impeachment inquiry.
And thank community member harpie for staying on top of the count as new commitments are made.
UPDATE-1 — 7:00 PM EDT —
Looks like another Democrat declared support for an impeachment inquiry while I was drafting this post.
Rep. Jim Langevin RI-2 (D+6)
UPDATE-2 — 11:30 PM EDT —
Oops, my count was off by two and now I know why. I missed Ruppersberger and Trone.
UPDATE: POLITICO’s official impeachment inquriy whip count is at 131 Democrats (132 overall w/ Amash).
Come on, Hoyer. Your Maryland district is a D+11 like Ruppersberger’s. Don’t think for a moment we’ve forgotten you.
UPDATE-3 — 3:40 PM EDT 22-AUG-2019 —
Add another to the tally, now at 134.
Rep. Bruce Schneider IL-10 (D+10)
UPDATE-4 — 6:00 PM EDT 22-AUG-2019 —
Feels like things are picking up steam. We have two more to add to the count:
Rep. Bill Keating MD-09 (D+4)
Rep. Mark Takano CA-41 (D+12)
That’s 136. Who’s next?
UPDATE-5 — 5:50 PM EDT 23-AUG-2019 —
Politico added Ro Khanna to their count; he’s made tepid statements over the last two months like Anthony Brown MD-4 so we hadn’t added him before now. I guess we’ll add him and then hold his feet to the fire to ensure he delivers, hmm?
Rep. Ro Khanna CA-17 (D+25)
Really no excuses not to be bolder when you’re in a true blue district. Be a leader, for crying out loud.
Emphasis indicates those who have committed to supporting an inquiry since the last whip update.
(1) Vice Chair, House Democratic Caucus
(2) Chair, House Ethics Committee
(3) Chair, House Foreign Affairs Committee
(4) Chair, House Appropriations Committee
(5) Chair, House Rules Committee
(6) Chair, House Armed Services Committee
(7) Member, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
(8) Chair, House Homeland Security Committee
(9) Chair, House Small Business Committee
(10) Chair, House Energy and Commerce Committee
(11) Chair, House Veterans’ Affairs Committee
* Ranking by Cook Partisan Voter Index (2018), indicating degree to which a House congressional district leans toward one of the two major parties.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Phone2_QuinoAl-Unsplash_21AUG2019_3.jpg26664000Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-08-21 18:45:002019-10-18 11:25:45Whip It Good: Crack That Whip [UPDATED-5]
We could use a boost now as we work our way through the dog days of summer. Take a look at how far we’ve come even if it seems too slowly, measure our progress.
As of today we have 123 House Democrats supporting an impeachment inquiry.
This means we’ve picked up four more votes since the last Whip It post.
We need 95 more representatives to support a resolution approving an impeachment inquiry. It’s slow but steady progress.
Sure, we continue to hear that the House Judiciary Committee is working toward impeachment. HJC chair Jerry Nadler told CNN last week,
“This is formal impeachment proceedings…We are investigating all the evidence, we’re gathering the evidence. And we will at the conclusion of this — hopefully by the end of the year — vote to vote articles of impeachment to the House floor. Or we won’t. That’s a decision that we’ll have to make. But that’s exactly the process we’re in right now.”
But the HJC neither has a majority vote approving an impeachment inquiry within the committee nor a majority of the votes across the entire House — yet.
This only fuels the right-wing pundits who assure us attempts to impeach are doomed, DOOMED, they say.
Bah. Do take note of the source, like conservative think tanks’ thinky-tankers who are paid to both promote their conservative donor’s aspirations and sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
As I’ve noted before in previous Whip It posts, it’s still on us to make this happen by showing up at town halls our representatives have over the summer recess, by calling their offices in D.C. or locally, by sending faxes or using Resistbot to make our sentiments heard.
Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Call your representative (and only your representative) and ask them to support an impeachment inquiry. If your representative has already thrown their support behind an inquiry, do be sure to thank them.
It’s also time to take note of states in which too few Dems have thrown their support behind an inquiry. Like Connecticut — what the hell, Nutmeg State? What the actual hell?
This whip count will continue to be updated. Share in comments any new announcements by House members throwing support behind an impeachment inquiry.
Emphasis indicates those who have committed to supporting an inquiry since the last whip update.
(1) Vice Chair, House Democratic Caucus
(2) Chair, House Ethics Committee
(3) Chair, House Foreign Affairs Committee
(4) Chair, House Appropriations Committee
(5) Chair, House Rules Committee
(6) Chair, House Armed Services Committee
(7) Member, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
(8) Chair, House Homeland Security Committee
(9) Chair, House Small Business Committee
(10) Chair, House Energy and Commerce Committee
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/TelephoneCall_QuinoAl-Unsplash_mod3.jpg10001500Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-08-14 16:00:152019-10-18 11:26:00Whip It Good: Higher and Higher
At the time we had 85 votes in support of an impeachment inquiry representing 39% of the needed 218 votes to pass a resolution authorizing an inquiry’s formal launch.
Today we’re better than half way to 218. The table below reflects the new tally of 118 House Democrats and one Independent in support of an impeachment inquiry. We now need 100 or 45% more of the House Dems.
It’s still on us to make this happen by showing up at town halls our representatives have over the summer recess, by calling their offices in D.C. or locally, by sending faxes or using Resistbot to make our sentiments heard.
Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121
This whip count will continue to be updated. Share in comments any new announcements by House members throwing support behind an impeachment inquiry.
House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler has said his committee has “in effect” been conducting an impeachment inquiry, but his statement does not have the full force that a majority-supported resolution would have. It’d be much harder for a federal court to deny Constitutional powers to an inquiry authorized by a majority of the House. Nadler and the Judiciary Committee (HJC) filed an application for the release of grand jury materials (pdf) on July 26, relying on Watergate- and Clinton-era arguments to bolster this request. I’m not a lawyer but I think this could go either way after the recent McKeever v. Barr decision.
House Oversight is other committee steadily chipping away at Trump’s corruption. Chair Elijah Cummings must be making serious inroads if Trump’s bashing of Baltimore and Cummings as a Maryland rep is any indication. I saw a chart somewhere outlining the progress of Oversight investigations but I can’t find it now — it must have terrified Trump and his minions. Oversight’s work also looks like a precursor to an impeachment inquiry, but whether it can likewise wield clout like an impeachment inquiry remains to be seen.
The surest approach is an impeachment inquiry, freighted with authority directly from the Constitution. Let’s get one in gear — call your representatives. And do thank those who’ve already thrown behind an inquiry.
Emphasis indicates those who have committed to supporting an inquiry since the last whip update.
(1) Vice Chair, House Democratic Caucus
(2) Chair, House Ethics Committee
(3) Chair, House Foreign Affairs Committee
(4) Chair, House Appropriations Committee
(5) Chair, House Rules Committee
(6) Chair, House Armed Services Committee
(7) Member, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
(8) Chair, House Homeland Security Committee
(9) Chair, House Small Business Committee
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/YellowPhone_MikeMeyers-Unsplash_21JUN2019_mod3_1500pxw.jpg9971499Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-08-05 22:08:312019-10-18 11:26:13Whip It Good: Impeachment Inquiry — Better than Half Way
You may also notice though we agree that an impeachment inquiry is necessary, not everybody at this site agrees how to go about it.
All the shouting and the namecalling won’t change this fact: With 433 active House seats it will take 218 votes (allowing 1 safety vote) to pass a resolution to begin an impeachment inquiry; we are now at 85 votes or 39% of the necessary votes.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could try to put this up for a vote right now but she’d lose. It’d be obvious to that corrupt orange monster and his evil minions there was absolutely no Congressional check on his power. Trump, his minions and sponsors would perceive this failure as a permission slip to continue their crime spree, possibly ramping up to even worse.
One thing can change this dynamic.
You.
You can raise hell with your intransigent representative if they are a Democrat who has not yet offered their support for an impeachment inquiry. You can still raise hell with your GOP representative just so they know we are still expecting them to perform to the letter of their oath of office.
You can also identify a primary candidate running against the most resistent representatives, make a donation to them, volunteer to help their campaign, and then call your intransigent rep and let them know you are going to ensure they are primaried because they are failing their oath of office.
You can share Law Works’ production of The Investigation recorded last week if friends and family haven’t read the Mueller report and don’t understand that Trump obstructed justice. Now bmaz thinks this production was a stunt but treat it as a podcast: talk a friend or family member into a long car ride over the holiday and weekend, and play The Investigation while you’re on the road. Talk about the report and the obstruction — and then persuade them to help make calls.
About those rallies outside media offices: we could have rallies outside local offices of members of Congress, but there’s no guarantee media will treat these as newsworthy. They didn’t cover any of MoveOn’s rallies this month for example. So hold them at media offices, like outside the biggest radio or television stations in your market. Make it impossible to avoid coverage. I’d like to tell you to avoid the Sinclair-owned ones but if the local station picks up the story, it’s a double win. If you organize one with a group be sure to prepare clear, succinct talking points and have a designated spokesperson deliver them.
You can wallpaper your municipality with home printed materials to drum up more support. Feel free to use this graphic:
Post it at the library, grocery store, coffee shop, wherever there’s a bulletin board open for public use.
Is this an old school approach? Sure, but let’s face it — the new school efforts aren’t breaking through.
It’s up to you. And you, and you.
Let’s roll.
Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Updated whip count follows below; share in comments any new announcements by House members throwing support behind an impeachment inquiry.
A word to leaders of certain activist organizations who’ve been dogging Nancy Pelosi: it’s YOUR organizational leadership failing this country if you haven’t persistently encouraged your members to focus on getting the 218 House votes needed. Harassing Pelosi doesn’t make it likely the outstanding 133 vots will turn up; it makes it more likely they will hold out longer to avoid the harassment they’ve seen aimed at Pelosi. Jesus Christ, use your fucking brains. No dog is going to willingly show up for a whipping they’ve seen another dog take; they’ll run and hide.
Carrots are good as well as sticks; while your organization badgers Pelosi for fundraising now, keep in mind the entire House must raise money to run in 2020. Reward the representatives who are committing to voting for an impeachment inquiry with donations.
This is an open thread.
UPDATE — 1:00 p.m. 02-JUL-2019 —
Updated spreadsheet with count. Note that 16 of 25 Democratic House Judiciary Committee members are now in support of an inquiry since last week — that’s 67%.
Still zero GOP support save for Justin Amash; meanwhile the RNC is dishing out tickets for a non-campaign campaign event using taxpayer funded resources limiting access to a taxpayer-funded Fourth of July holiday. Surprised none of these spineless leeches are sucking up to Moscow for the holiday.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/TelephoneCall_QuinoAl-Unsplash_mod3.jpg10001500Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-07-01 13:55:532019-10-18 11:26:24Whip It Good: Impeachment Inquiry — Do You Even Math? [UPDATED]
[NB: Check the byline, thanks! Updates at the very bottom. /~Rayne]
CNN published a report this weekend tallying the House Democrats who have already expressed support in one way or another for an impeachment inquiry. The head count stood at 63 out of 235 Democrats on Saturday, along with lone Republican Justin Amash (R-MI).
There are many possible reasons why House Democrats haven’t yet expressed support for a Constitutionally empowered inquiry, not the least of which is simple chickenshit worry about polling for the 2020 race. I say chickenshit because 2018 was a huge wave and the reasons which drove that wave have not subsided. They have only increased in intensity.
Can you think of anyone in your circle of friends and family whose taxes have gone down since the Trump tax bill passed? Can you think of anyone who’s found their grocery bill or their rent has gone down? What about medical bills — has anyone you know experienced a drop in prescription drug costs or health care insurance premiums?
And what of other matters like personal privacy or the ability to vote? Have those matters improved for the average Americans you know?
Now we can add more rural Americans to the discontented having been ignored while their states have been inundated, just as coastal residents in hurricane-damaged states have also gone without timely attention and aid.
The blue wave will continue. Its power needs to be focused. We have some time to address that. But we also need to develop that focus with more effective investigations into the Trump administration’s public corruption and abuses of power as well as obstruction of justice and oversight. An impeachment inquiry will provide the teeth necessary to obtain evidence and testimony, and it’s well past time to get the House Dems on board.
Here’s the whip list below — I will update it as I see reports in the media.
Your job as a citizen is to exercise your civic duty and contact your representative to find out where they stand on an impeachment inquiry, and to convey your opinion supporting one.
Do share your results in comments; we’ll watch to see how long it takes for the media to catch up with any changes in this whip count.
I saw a mention of 67 Dems now supporting an inquiry but I only have 64. If you know of any other House members who have now said they support an impeachment inquiry, please let me know. Thanks.
UPDATED — 5:00 p.m. 19-JUN-2019 —
Thanks to community member harpie who shared a link to NBC’s latest whip count which showed 66 House Dems and 1 House GOP member supporting an impeachment inquiry. NBC’s list deviated from CNN’s in that NBC did not include Brenda Lulenar Lawrence (D-MI) and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX). Newly added supporters are in boldface.
[1] NBC also showed Harley Rouda as a Yes in a previous iteration but has now offered a correction:
CORRECTION (May 30, 2019, 1:25 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misstated the position of Rep. Harley Rouda, D-Calif., on beginning an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. Rouda has said he supports an impeachment inquiry only if Trump does not comply with congressional subpoenas, not before.
Nice fence sitting, Rouda, hope your pants are adequately padded. Does this include obstruction by staff/ex-staff who refuse to comply with subpoenas or no? Anybody in Rouda’s district want to call and find out which side of the fence Rouda is on today after Hope Hicks refusal to cooperate with the House?
UPDATED — 5:00 p.m. 19-JUN-2019 —
Adding Brian Higgins (D-NY) as a Yes:
Obstruction of justice is an impeachable offense. The multiple instances laid out in the Mueller report necessitate that the House launch an impeachment inquiry. pic.twitter.com/Y6wERZyorS
Productive day on the Yes front. Wonder how much was because of Hope Hicks’ and White House intransigent responses to questioning. House GOP caucus is still fully behind the scofflaw-in-chief, save for Justin Amash (D-MI).
UPDATED — 7:45 a.m. 21-JUN-2019 —
I’ve made a change to the spreadsheet to indicate which members of the House Judiciary Dems support an impeachment inquiry. 13 out of 24 members currently do — that’s critical mass. Chair Jerry Nadler is a likely supporter given his submission of a resolution last year for impeachment, but as chair he may be obligated to hold back until he has reached some threshold internal to the committee. Here’s the breakdown:
If your representative is one of the House Judiciary Committee Dems who have not yet thrown their support behind an impeachment inquiry, your calls matter the most right now. With all HJC Dems on board, Nadler has the political will power aligned to begin pursuit of an inquiry.
UPDATED — 1:30 p.m. 21-JUN-2019 —
Add another Yes on the board supporting impeachment inquiry:
Two more House Dems now support an impeachment inquiry — one of them is a House Judiciary member, too. That’s 14 of 24 or 58% of the committee now behind an inquiry.
If you call your representative, please share the results of your call in comments. Thanks. If comments close here soon because the post gets knocked down by other content, I will put up a new Whip It post.
https://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/TelephoneCall_QuinoAl-Unsplash_mod3.jpg10001500Raynehttps://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Logo-Web.pngRayne2019-06-17 15:57:172019-10-18 11:26:35Whip It Good: Impeachment Inquiry Edition [UPDATED-7]
