As reported earlier, House Democrats released their impeachment resolution against President Trump Tuesday afternoon. The process is being driven by Democrats Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler and of course Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
But while the resolution moves the impeachment process into a sophisticated direction and away from an "inquiry," the rules still tie the hands of Republicans when it comes to issuing subpoenas and calling witnesses. This isn't new and while today's resolution brings hearings into public view, rather than behind closed doors, not much else has changed.
There's not much else of significance in here. It directs the Judiciary Committee to issue its own procedures for offering Trump the ability to call or cross examine witnesses.https://t.co/A6EhTLapBO
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) October 29, 2019
VERY LITTLE in this House resolution beyond what's already in House Rules. Here's what *already exists* in House rules, which allow staff questioning and rounds for the chair/ranking member that go longer than five minutes: pic.twitter.com/qFDG11sTuV
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) October 29, 2019
We're still in the "impeachment but not really impeachment" stage. Democrats are still appeasing their far left base with impeachment claims, while trying to stave off a backfire from independents in swing states who are opposed to the process. From U.S. News & World Report:
A new wave of polls indicates that majority Democrats in the House of Representatives face a difficult challenge persuading voters in key swing states that President Donald Trump should be impeached.
A CNN analysis finds an array of bad news for the pro-impeachment forces:
-- The latest Marquette University survey in Wisconsin indicates that 44 percent of voters want Trump impeached and removed from office but 51 percent don't want either of these outcomes.
-- A University of North Florida poll finds that 46 percent support impeachment and removal of Trump but 48 percent are opposed.
-- A New York Times-Siena College poll shows that only 43 percent of voters in six states that went for Trump narrowly in 2016 want to impeach and remove him from office but 53 percent do not. The states are Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Republicans continue to blast Schiff's charade and have accused Democrats of going around the long established steps for impeachment through due process.
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