Yesterday the House voting along party lines ,passed a resolution that formalizes the current impeachment inquiry, setting out its scope and terms.
For weeks, Republican lawmakers had accused Democrats of mishandling the inquiry by not putting it to a vote. When Nancy Pelosi announced that there would be a vote, House Republican leaders said their members will vote against it because they maintain the measure should have been passed before the inquiry began.
For weeks the Trump Administration has prevented members from testifying to the House Intelligence Committee.
Recent testimony to the House Intelligence Committee, which is operating under the umbrella of the impeachment inquiry, appears to corroborate the allegation of a quid pro quo offered by Trump to Zelenskiy for the investigations.
Bill Taylor, the most senior U.S. diplomat in the Ukrain and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman the National Security Council’s Ukraine expert ,have testified to that effect in the past week.
Vindman testified that there were specific details left out of the White House’s rough transcript of the July phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Zelensky . Missing in the transcript is Trump telling President Zelensky that there were tapes of former Vice President Joe Biden.
The House Intelligence Committee summoned former National Security Adviser John Bolton. Bolton’s attorney said he “Bolton” was not willing to appear voluntarily. However he appear after the committee subpoena’d him. .
On Wednesday, Tim Morrison, a senior member of the White House Nationals Security Council resigned. The resignation came less than 24 hours before he was due to testify in the impeachment inquiry.
Former Republican and now an Independent Justin Amash representing Michigan ,sent a tweet to Republicans before the vote.
The Hearings
The Top Ranking Republicans and Democrats of the Intelligence committee are allowed the question witnesses for up to 90 minutes 45 minutes between each party.
President Trump
“The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History”
The President’s tweet after the vote. Unlike the Democrats, every Republican voted along party lines. The true test for the President is restraint. Last week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told the President to stop attacking Senate Republicans . The President has a propensity to attack those who disagrees with him, including other Republicans .
A new Washington Post/ABC that shows that the Presidents approval rating among Republicans sliding to a record low of 74 percent — down eight points from September and 13 points from July. Overall, the poll pegs Trump’s approval rating at 38 percent, with nearly half of Americans (48 percent) strongly disapproving of his job performance (Trump’s overall disapproval rate is 58 percent).
2020
New York Times/Siena College polling released last week indicates that a majority of voters in Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin support an impeachment inquiry, with a plurality of Florida voters supporting it as well. Trump won all six of those states in 2016
While the majority of Americans are in favor of Impeachment, many are not in favor of Removing the President from office. Overzealous Democrats could face a blow back in next years election.
23
Barring any surprise witnesses, the Impeachment of Donald Trump by the House seems like a forgone conclusion.
Next year, 23 Republican Senate seats are up. Including Mitch McConnells seat in Kentucky. Arizona, Florida, and Possibly Texas are in play. The Democrats needs four seats to take control of the Senate