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Michigan Democratic Rep. Brenda Lawrence, a prominent supporter of Kamala Harris who has previously supported the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, abruptly announced Sunday that she no longer saw any "value" in the process and called for her fellow Democrats to throw their support behind a symbolic censure resolution.
Lawrence's about-face came as polls have shown that independents are souring on the idea of impeaching and removing Trump from office, including in critical battleground states like Wisconsin, even as House Democrats aggressively presented their focus-group-tested "bribery" case against the president over the past two weeks.
"We are so close to an election," Lawrence said Sunday on a Michigan radio program, noting that Trump stands little chance of being convicted by the GOP-controlled Senate. "I will tell you, sitting here knowing how divided this country is, I don't see the value of taking him out of office. But I do see the value of putting down a marker saying his behavior is not acceptable. It's in violation of the oath of office of a president of the United States, and we have to be clear that you cannot use your power of the presidency to withhold funds to get a foreign country to investigate an American citizen for your own personal gain. There's no way around that."
Lawrence continued: "I want him censured. I want it on the record that the House of Representatives did their job and they told this president and any president coming behind him that this is unacceptable behavior and, under our Constitution, we will not allow it. ... I am a Democrat, but I am an independent United States of America citizen."
originally posted by: shooterbrody
a reply to: rickymouse
I agree.
If they do not vote with their constituents they will get voted out.
If this goes to the senate I think a lot more will be exposed than those doing the investigating want to be exposed.
originally posted by: sooth
I've been registered as an Independent since 18 (not in a key battleground state, though) and I haven't even devoted a single minute to the impeachment sideshow. That is how much I care. In fact, a lot of my more reasonable democrat friends don't give a damn either. That is the problem with reactionary politics is each time you pull another stunt you lose a bit of your punch and after a while you're no longer getting the reaction you had on your way up. Unfortunately, as is the custom, this is typically when the opposition starts gaining traction with their reactionary nonsense. And then the process repeats and we are forever trapped in a toxic feedback loop where critical, free-thinking dies from a lack of oxygen.
originally posted by: Middleoftheroad
All Republicans should vote for impeachment to push it to the Senate anyway. It's the Republicans turn to use this disaster for their own political purposes and election interference.
Yet Sondland noted that “we did not think we were engaging in improper behavior” — that no one expressed any concerns. And he admitted that Trump never told him of any “preconditions” for aid or a meeting.
“No one on this planet told you that President Trump was tying aid to investigations. Yes or no?”, he answered, “Yes.”
“So you really have no testimony today that ties President Trump to a scheme to withhold aid from Ukraine in exchange for these investigations.”
Sondland’s answer: “Other than my own presumption.”
Sondland testified, he saw no link between investigations and aid or a Trump-Zelensky meeting. And, he stressed repeatedly, he had no clue at all, ’til “late in the game,” that Joe or Hunter Biden was remotely tied to any of this.
He also admits his current take on it all is shaped by what he’s read about others’ testimony — not his own recollections.
“Did anyone ever ask you to bribe or extort anyone at any time during your time in the White House?" House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes, R-Calif., asked at one point in Tuesday's afternoon hearing.
Former National Security Council (NSC) aide Tim Morrison: "No."
Former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker: “No."
"Mr. Morrison, you were on that call, and there was no quid pro quo, correct? No bribery? No extortion?"
"Correct," Morrison replied in response to each question.
"And, Ambassador Volker, I presume you got a readout of the call. ... Was there any reference to withholding aid? Any reference to bribery? Any reference to quid pro quo? Any reference to extortion?"
"No, there was not," Volker replied, again and again.
No reason for the GOP to vote for for impeachment just to get the DEMs to the senate for trial.