Pelosi privately urges narrow Trump impeachment probe focused on Ukraine

[brooklynite]

Source: Washington Post

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged fellow Democratic leaders in a private meeting Wednesday to keep the impeachment investigation narrowly focused on President Trump and his dealings with the president of Ukraine, according to five Democrats familiar with the conversation.

The closed-door meeting took place hours after the White House released a rough transcript of a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump pressed Zelensky to work with Attorney General William P. Barr and personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani to investigate former vice president Joe Biden, who is seeking to unseat Trump.

Inside the room, Democrats said, Pelosi (Calif.) told colleagues that keeping the inquiry narrowly focused on the Ukraine allegations could help keep the investigation out of the courts, where a slew of investigative matters have been bogged down for months — though she did not rule out ultimately including other episodes in a potential impeachment package.

The meeting included multiple members of the House Judiciary Committee, which has been probing alleged obstruction of justice, self-dealing and other matters involving Trump, though not Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.). It ended without a firm decision on whether to circumscribe the probe but with consensus inside the room that narrowing the investigation, if only in terms of political messaging, made sense.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/pelosi-privately-urges-narrow-trump-impeachment-probe-focused-on-ukraine/2019/09/25/c65b6f0c-dfab-11e9-be96-6adb81821e90_story.html

[madaboutharry]

1. I agree with this approach.

Keep it narrow and tight and don't let it all get lost in the weeds.

The American people have a short attention span.

[not_the_one]

2. yes, the Ukraine situation, and everything related, IS important...

but one thing Americans will REALLY get is the millions of tax payer $$$ that the turd is/has been shoveling into his pockets.

Money gets everyone's attention. The little people understand graft. Even some of his minions will get they have been used, abused and cast aside.

[lagomorph777]

41. ...and Turd is still holding thousands of children in dungeons...or has already sold them.

This is a crime against humanity, the sort of thing we executed Nazis for.

[Freethinker65]

3. Has Pelosi seen the actual whistleblower complaint yet?

I am thinking there was more in it than the contents of this one phone call. I would not be surprised if it indicates a pattern of gross Presidential Power abuse.

She needs to see the complaint and hear directly from the whistleblower.

[lagomorph777]

42. Read it yourself here:

https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/20190812_-_whistleblower_complaint_unclass.pdf

[Miguelito Loveless]

4. Disagree strongly!

This is the time to dump the cesspool that is Trump and his minions onto the House floor, for all the world to see. To call witness, after witness, after witness, to attest to his crimes.

Rolling the dice on a single charge could back fire majorly. Also, Pence is in this as well, as is Barr, Mulvaney, McCarthy, McConnel, Graham, and about a dozen other people. They must all be hauled out and fumigated. Pence has to go, since he can do even more damage than Trump should he gain power.

Every bit of Republican rot must be excised from all branches of government.

[lagomorph777]

43. +1 He has committed hundreds of serious crimes. Need to hedge our bets and prosecute ALL of them.

[wysimdnwyg]

5. If they think they can get the Senate Republicans to come along with just this one issue...

Then I'm in. If this is what it takes to get this lunatic out of the White House, then do it. They can come after him for the other things once he's out of office and he can be prosecuted.

[denbot]

6. Bullshit, Russia installed this traitor.

This must be dragged into the light. Anything less is helping Shitler hide his crimes.

[orangecrush]

20. Uh Huh.

[IronLionZion]

8. I hope Pelosi knows what she's doing

Trump is guilty of so many crimes.

[Thekaspervote]

27. STOP with the I hope speaker Pelosi knows what she's doing!!

Now is the time more than ever to support our dem leaders, not second guess them

[IronLionZion]

30. Don't misunderstand

I support Pelosi because I hope she knows more about what's happening than any of us on DU.

[Thekaspervote]

34. Fair enough!

[Ninga]

9. Brilliant brilliant! One and done. I hope her strategy is respected. Actually, Neil Katyal said

that exact thing yesterday!

[bucolic_frolic]

12. I saw that

This narrow focus is something the public understands. Mueller Report has battle fatigue at this point. Plus this issue focuses on the integrity of our election process. The worst the other side can say is the Steele Dossier was seeking information too. But it wasn't trading government assets for information, no quid pro quo, no bribery, no extortion.

If you've been handed the hot hand, play it, and strike like lightning! Don't make it complicated.

[Ninga]

14. Thx! I looked for the vid but couldn't remember which MSNBC program he was on.

Speaker Pelosi has gotten us this far....she gave trumple a rope of time and he used it.

[BannonsLiver]

22. I explained it to my non newsy wife in less than 60 seconds

And she got it right away. I thought that was key given that not everyone is a news hound. I think Pelosi is smart to play it that way despite what the goal post moving experts in the thread believe. There are some really poorly thought out hot takes here.

[regnaD kciN]

31. Fine, if it works, BUT...

...I fear most Americans don't really give a sh*t about our dealings with Ukraine, and will think the notion of removing a president over them utterly ridiculous. ("Who cares if it was illegal -- Ukraine is too meaningless a country to get all worked up about.&quot Maybe she knows something we don't, but, otherwise, I think we need a lot more charges than just this to convince the public it's necessary that Trump be ousted.

[LiberalLovinLug]

39. This exactly!

Is there no way to keep it open-ended?. Start with the Ukraine, see how it goes. If what is revealed is so explosive that its all we need, fine. But why tie your hands like that before it even starts?

[bucolic_frolic]

10. Pssst! The other guys have commited crimes.

You've got them. You have the power here. Use it!

[Drahthaardogs]

11. Nah, we need his tax returns

And he cannot stop us now.

[Voltaire2]

13. OFFS

it is exasperating.

[Bradical79]

15. I partly agree

This is the part that I'm fine with: "if only in terms of political messaging"

I wouldn't want any firm decisions on that without them seeing the whistleblower complaint first, and I would keep other investigations going on in the background (like looking into his finances), AND I would be ready to lay out the obstruction case Mueller handed Congress (adding in the Ukraine obstruction we know is coming). Public messaging wise, of course keep running with the Ukraine stuff since that's immediate and seems it may be pretty damning, even among some Republicans. Ukraine is also useful in that Barr is implicated as well.

[BigmanPigman]

16. Ditto!

[Fiendish Thingy]

17. NO. FUCKING. WAY.

We've got him on the ropes now, no mercy.

Sure, make the Ukraine crimes the centerpiece of the hearings, but don't ignore the myriad other crimes- obstruction, campaign finance fraud, abuse of power, etc.

Keeping the inquiry open to other non-Ukraine issues is critical, especially because an important court decision is due around November that would force the release of financial documents by Deutches bank and Trump's accountants, and is sure to include lots of incriminating evidence around fraud and money laundering for Russians. To exclude that evidence could hamstring the case for impeachment and remove the coup de grace that might even get a senate conviction.

Also, having non-Ukraine articles of impeachment would give the GOP and "out" to say "those other articles were just political, but this Ukraine (and hopefully financial crimes in the November decision) stuff crosses the line"

[regnaD kciN]

32. Agree 100%...

Sure, if Pelosi knows something about the Ukraine matter is serious enough that Republicans will jump ship, even against the popular will. But I have the sinking feeling that she has really decided that there's no chance impeachment will succeed, and so just wants to get it out of the way fast, so that we can concentrate on the 2020 campaign. After all, hasn't she said time and again that the only way to get Trump out of office should be next year's election?

[Locrian]

37. agree 100%

No mercy

The only way we "lose" this is if the dems bungle it.
Go for all the crimes - and there are MANY - the Deutches bank is a BIG one.
If Pelosi cant make the case and clearly get it across / communicate it to the people then get the hell out of the way.

Now is NOT the time to be quiet and let them "work the magic".
This is the time to ROAR so they know how much "support" there is.

[LiberalLovinLug]

18. Here we go again.

She couldn't stop the wave to impeach, so now she wants to limit it to a risky one issue investigation. So Republicans only then need to concentrate on this one small tangent of Trumps many abuses of power. All they'd need then is to set up one small "Dan Rather" mistake, some false flag fake evidence for Jake Tapper and Rachel Maddow to go gaga over, stake their credibility on, to "prove" how much of a witch hunt it all is. And then use the full power of their proliferate RW news media on TV, Radio, and Social Media to go full def con 5, and like in that instance, not only discredit ONE aspect of the full story, but throw out the baby with the bath water because, using that same media, they could then discredit every single accusation against what Trump has done till now.

What is she so afraid of? What is there to lose now that we are actually going to impeach? Yes, I see why you'd have a focal point on which to revolve the investigation on. But surely she is not advocating refusing to listen to any other criminal or treasonous activiity by this administration?

[Thekaspervote]

28. Oh ...so it took all of 24 hrs to start with more arm chair speaker Pelosi needs to do such and so

STOP!! JUST STOP

[GulfCoast66]

44. Respectfully, but you are so off base.

Pelosi would have held out against impeachment till the election had she deemed it best for our chances in 2020. She does not care about the heat.

But suddenly what she has waited for happened.

He did something so egregious, so easy to understand and explain that all Americans will get it. So she did a 180 and made her move in 24 hours.

She would have never had allowed impeachment on a crazy quilt list of charges that would had make the average American lose interest. She waited till she had a 3 sentence story to tell.

‘Trump tried to Bribe the PM of Ukraine for manufactured dirt on Joe Biden. Using tax payer money Ukraine needed to fight off the Russians. Then admitted it’.

Had this not occurred there would never have been an impeachment.

If you think Nancy Pelosi succumbed to pressure you don’t know her.

Impeachment has nothing to do with law. It’s 100% political. If you lose the politics you just lose.

[orangecrush]

19. When she says so publicly I'll believe it

And if she does, I back her.

She erased any doubts I had over the last few days.

[wysi]

21. This is a terrible idea

Everything has to be on the table, just to avoid the inevitable "forged memo" event (which many seem to have forgotten).

[elleng]

23. The narrower it is, the fewer offenses NOT available, post-impeach,

with which to charge him, eh?

[Massacure]

24. Impeachment has no impact on criminal charges

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 I, Section 3, Clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution.

[elleng]

25. Thanks,

saw a different " " yesterday. I wonder why, and from whence.

[TwilightZone]

26. It would help if people actually read the article.

Her rationale is quite clear and she has not ruled out adding other charges to the articles.

[Thekaspervote]

29. Thank you!! She knows what she's doing.. we should all continue to support her efforts and not

Negatively poke!!

[regnaD kciN]

33. Frankly, I'd be a little more inclined to trust her judgment on this...

...if it wasn't for the fact that she's been slow-walking every possible move toward impeachment since January, and was even shooting down the notion of an inquiry this time, until her own caucus forced her hand.

[TwilightZone]

36. "slow-walking"?

Had she rushed it forward before the votes were there (and when many here were incessantly complaining about it) and before the latest allegations, it would have died in the House.

"until her own caucus forced her hand"

That's cute.

[GulfCoast66]

35. Brilliant. She is not just playing Trump but half of DU!

Anyone reading my post knows, like Speaker Pelosi I was opposed to impeachment.

All the other trump crimes, while deserving impeachment were only things political junkies followed. The average voter, not so much. Yeah, they knew he was probably crooked but nothing in their mind to justify impeachment. Remember, impeachment is purely political. Right, wrong at the end of the day means nothing.

So Pelosi was patient, waiting for something easily understood. Had it not appeared there would have been no impeachment.

But it has appeared. The president admitted to bribing a foreign power to interfere in our election. And the best thing is that bribery is actually mentioned in the constitution.

So now, like Speaker Pelosi I favor impeachment. Focused on this on clearly understandable charge.

Her strategy was perfect. Everyone knew she was against impeachment. She was taking increasingly huge amounts of shit for it. So there is no one who can claim she supported it all along. Apparently she even shocked trump last night when he called her. Even he thought she would never support it.

But he crossed the Rubicon. Committed a simple, non-complicated crime as well as an abandonment of everything American.

And she pounced.

Keep it Simple. Impeachment on easily understood charges.

Now, the senate will never convict. He will not be kicked out of office.

But the damage is done for 2020. That has been Speaker Pelosi’s goal all along. Winning.

Best speaker of my 53 years.

[DeminPennswoods]

38. 100% agree

This is enough and encompasses every aspect of the corruption that is Trump, his family, his friends and his administration. Plus it's easy for Americans to understand and can be done quickly.

The other crimes, Trump can be prosecuted for them when he's out of office.

[Bradical79]

40. Might not be so "narrow" going forward

Seems this Ukraine monster has lots of tentacles.