Adam Schiff is truly boring

Off-Topic
41

The Senate does not call witnesses. Trump Defense team and the House Managers call witnesses.

the only thing that the Senate (McConell) will decide about witnesses is if they will allow the teams to call them.

Which if you look at how they did the Clinton impeachment, the Senate decided to allow the calling of witnesses after the opening statements.

Technically it is a “Constitutional Process” set by the founding fathers. How the impeachment is ran is based on how the Senators feel it should be done.

42

The impeachment is technically over. That’s the House’s Job. In a court of law, that would be the “trial.” The Senate’s Job is the penalty phase. The House has already convicted Trump.
The Senate can look at the trial in the House and decide it was a sham guilty verdict and decide no penalty because there were no high crimes and misdemeanors as understood by the framers in their day. That was treason or bribery. Not obstruction of the Democrats in the House. The dumbest reason ever!

43

You are correct it is a Constitutional process but it differs from a court proceeding in that it has always been a political process because the party in power of whatever chamber of Congress can control the process. It isn’t necessarily fair.

It is true that Trump has been impeached. He is the 3rd to be impeached, Andrew Johnson, Clinton, and now Trump. I think Nixon resigned before he was impeached because he knew he would be impeached and the Senate would remove him.

44

The House does not impeach. They decide if there is enough evidence (articles of impeachment) to present to the Senate for Senators to deliberate on whether or not to even hear the presented evidence, vote on whether or not to read or hear more evidence and vote to impeach (remove the official) or not to impeach. Technically, the president is not impeached until the Senate votes to impeach (remove from office). That it is said that the House impeached Trump is not accurate. People over the years have wrongly stated that concept and so it has become an (unofficial) way of speaking. If Trump has already been impeached, he would already have been removed from office.

Obviously, the House articles of impeachment are a sham. The house “managers” want more documents and witnesses for 2 reasons, so they can improve their side and second, for PR / political reasons.

Although I think the possibility of the Senate voting to impeach is small, It would not surprise me if they voted to impeach. Trump is not beloved by many Repub senators.

45

Actually the House does impeach. Impeachment doesn’t mean removal. The Senate decides if an impeached president will be removed.

1 Like
46

Actually as a registered Democrat that for years have voted split party amongst a myriad of far right wingers, my opinion is somewhat different. If the Senate discovers that Trump has acted illegally then he should be impeached and I have no problem with Pence. This is the highest office in the country and should be handled with integrity. If the Senate impeached Trump for any other reason, then it is a disgrace to their office. I hope fervently that Trump is not impeached, because it will probably mean losing control of the Senate in addition to the White House. The last thing anyone should want is a party that is weak and ineffective running this country with crazed lunatics like NK and Arab terrorist organizations running amok. I truly believe in the strongest military we can muster as a deterrent to the evil designs of men and Satanic influences. I can overlook Trump’s imperfections if he leads this country from a position of strength. Let us not become like so many civilizations that have succumbed to what they considered progressive enlightenment. The terrorists are laughing at us, perceiving us as weak and evil and maybe we are becoming so. God protect us from the evil designs of men

47

I would agree that if Trump committed a high crime, misdemeanor, bribery, or treason as defined by the Constitution he should be removed. So far all there is a vague charge of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, but no crimes. The Democrats couldn’t find any crimes and that is why the vague charges. Now they want this to go on and on hoping a crime will be discovered that they couldn’t find. At the very least they are hoping Trump’s poll number will collapse to the point that one of their very weak candidates can be elected.

If his alleged abuse of power involved a major breach of law I would agree with him being removed. Obama and many others broke minor laws, sometimes unknowingly. So far it hasn’t been demonstrated that Trump has been involved in anything others have done that didn’t even raise an eyebrow. There was an allegation in the news about a weak ago that he broke a law and it was one that numerous presidents have broken. I don’t remember the details but nobody has ever been impeached for it. Obstruction of Congress was something the Democrats pulled out of their butt to try to find something that sounded vaguely like the real crime of obstruction of justice which hasn’t been found, nor alleged. The article of obstruction of Congress can be dismissed out of hand because it is ridiculous.

Trump is already impeached. The Congress impeaches and the Senate removes if appropriate.

48

Ya, way off. The house impeaches and the Senate decides to penalize or not. It’s the penalty stage if this were a Judicial court proceeding.

49

Again, the House impeaches. Why do Democrats have a problem with this understanding? Oh, never read the Constitution? And, I’m not throwing pitch forks. I’m stating a fact.
The “trial” is in the House. The penalty phase is in the Senate. The Senate decides if the President committed any high crimes or misdemeanors based on the House’s case. The President gets to have witnesses to plead his case that he did not commit a crime or if he did it’s not to the level of removal.
My view on this is that this is the time for progressive Democrats to move closer to fundamentally change our form of government that promotes socialism and Marxism. Whoever the puppet master is, Pelosi and Schumer are deathly afraid they won’t retain their power and/or authority in the new government, post Constitution. That’s why they are doing all this trying to turn the Constitution on its head. They are all students of Aulinsky and see this is the time to flip the switch.
Who will be on the Lord’s side who and reject Satan’s government in the land of liberty and free right to live our faith?

50

I would have to agree with you. I believe it was a stunt to enhance their election chances this November. However, so far I believe it has backfired on them and hurt their chances in November if Trump is exonerated. I merely ignored Pelosi before when she appeared on tv, now I have to shut it off. Go figure-she represents California :yawning_face:

51

The House of Representatives can indict (articles of impeachment) but it is up to the Senate to convict (impeach) or not. Just because a person is indicted does not mean they are convicted.

52

Uggg…no, no and more no. The House convicts the President with impeachment. President Trump has been impeached by the loony dangerous Democrats. The Senate doesn’t hold a trial. They decide whether the conviction was proved that he committed high crimes and misdemeanors. Then, they decide whether or not to remove him from office or not. They don’t have to have the House talk for 24 hours to explain why they impeached him. They do have to listen to Trump’s side because he’s the one who was on trial. They don’t have to have witnesses. It’s up to Trump and no one else. Not even the Senate.

53

True. Politics is all about the Golden Rule, Those with the gold, make the rules.
Epstein did not kill himself, just ask the Clintons.

What we see today is no different from the 1790s when John Adams was so certain that he would be re-elected, he had stuffed all of the Judgeships and all Military command positions with like minded Federalists. Unlike Adams, Thomas Jefferson wanted to distance the USA from mother England and expand the country West against the Adams leaning Congress. Thomas surprised many with a win, formed the Democratic-Republican party, wanting to decentralize government and increase power to the States and to distance us away from the tentacles of England. Jefferson cleaned house with the help of a personal secretary, Merriweather Luis. He formed the Corps of Discovery (Luis and Clark Expedition) to see what was West. Bought the Louisiana Purchase (all lands that drain the Mighty Mississippi) from Napoleon, tripled the size of the USA. Probably the least talked about founding father who truly changed the US’s trajectory as a major player in the world. James Polk and his Tenn Volunteers would be another undervalued player in our nation’s history.

54

Jefferson not talked about? There’s a memorial in DC with his name on it. Republicans quite Jefferson quite a bit.

55

Yuck, NO, NO, NO AND NOOOOOOO!!! Got it wrong dude.

56

Yes, yes and yesssssss! Just cause you say a word over and over doesn’t make it true. The Dems are finding that out with this stupid impeachment.

57

This is the process according to the Constitution

  • First, an impeachment resolution must be introduced by a member of the House of Representatives.
  • The speaker of the House must then direct the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary (or a special committee) to hold a hearing on the resolution to decide whether to put the measure to a vote by the full chamber and when to hold such a vote.
  • A simple majority of the Judiciary Committee must approve the resolution.
  • If the Judiciary Committee approves the resolution, it moves to a full vote on the House floor.
  • If a simple majority of the those present and voting in the House approve an article of impeachment, then the president is impeached.
  • The procedure then moves to the Senate where a “trial” is held to determine if the president committed a crime. There is no set procedure for the trial. How it is conducted would be set by the Senate leadership.
  • Members of the House serve as “managers” in the Senate trial. Managers serve a similar role as prosecutors do in a criminal trial, they present evidence during the procedure.
  • The president would have counsel to represent him at the Senate process.
  • The chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court presides over the trial.
  • Senators listen to the evidence presented, including closing arguments from each side and retire to deliberate.
  • Senators then reconvene and vote on whether the president is guilty or not guilty of the crimes he is accused of. It takes a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict. If the president is found guilty, he is removed from office and the vice president is sworn-in as president.
58

Exactly where in the Constitution is this entire proceeding you listed with bullet points? What article word for word is this entire list you have?

59

There are several provisions in the [United States Constitution] relating to impeachment:

[Article I, Section 2, Clause 5]
provides:
The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

[Article I, Section 3, Clauses 6 and 7]
provide:

The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two-thirds of the Members present.

Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States; but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.

[Article II, Section 2] provides:

[The President] … shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.

[Article II, Section 4] provides:

The [President], [Vice President] and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, [Treason], [Bribery], or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Add to that the Federal papers talks about the process and the rest is well established guidelines create by congress

60

Thanks for your summary and then citing the article in the Constitution. I had a reasonable understanding of the process but you summarized it quite well. It something that is easy to forget because it rarely happens and I don’t think about it much until it is actually taking place.