By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton | NoisyRoom.net
In my book, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is one of the most evil, vile, and dangerous men in the Senate. His reputation is intact as he is calling for several current and former Trump administration officials to be subpoenaed to testify in the chamber’s proposed impeachment trial for President Trump. This is the same man who stood against witnesses testifying during former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial in 1999. Hypocritical much?
During Clinton’s impeachment, Schumer said that having witnesses testify amounted to “political theater.” “It seems to me that no good case has been made for witnesses,” Schumer said during a press conference on Jan. 27, 1999. Just days later he said, “I wonder if the House managers aren’t a little more interested in political theater than in actually getting to the bottom of the facts.” But now that it is the Republicans coming under fire… well, he’s good with witnesses now.
From Fox News:
“As with virtually everybody involved in the Clinton-era impeachment on both sides of the aisle, the roles and talking points have reversed now that Trump is facing impeachment for his dealings with Ukraine. Republicans who cheered Clinton’s impeachment have condemned Trump’s. And Democrats like Schumer are sudden champions of the process.
“On Sunday, the powerful New York Democrat penned a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., outlining the parameters for a weeks-long impeachment trial in the Senate, including proposed witnesses.
“In the trial of President Clinton, the House Managers were permitted to call witnesses, and it is clear that the Senate should hear testimony of witnesses in this trial as well,” Schumer said.
“I propose, pursuant to our rules, that the Chief Justice on behalf of the Senate issue subpoenas for testimony by the following witnesses with direct knowledge of Administration decisions regarding the delay in security assistance funds to the government of Ukraine and the requests for certain investigations to be announced by the government of Ukraine: Robert Blair, Senior Advisor to the Acting White House Chief of Staff; Mick Mulvaney, Acting White House Chief of Staff; John Bolton, former National Security Advisor; and Michael Duffey, Associate Director for National Security, Office of Management and Budget.”
“He noted all four of those witnesses were asked to testify in the House impeachment inquiry but did not appear.
“We would of course be open to hearing the testimony of additional witnesses having direct knowledge of the Administration’s decisions regarding the delay in security assistance funds to the government of Ukraine and the requests for certain investigations to be announced by the government of Ukraine, if the President’s counsel or House Managers identify such witnesses,” he continued, adding that the witness testimony time should “be limited to not more than four hours” for House Managers and “not more than four hours for the President’s counsel.”
“But Republicans in the Senate have signaled their interest in calling different witnesses — like Hunter Biden and former Democratic National Committee consultant Alexandra Chalupa, both of whom Republicans in the House tried to call only to be blocked by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff.
“At the center of the impeachment inquiry is Trump’s efforts to press Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch politically related investigations—regarding former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter’s dealings in Ukraine, as well as issues related to the 2016 presidential election. The president’s request came after millions in U.S. military aid to Ukraine had been frozen, which Democrats have argued shows a “quid pro quo” arrangement. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
“The House Judiciary Committee on Friday voted to adopt two articles of impeachment against Trump, alleging abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, on a party-line vote of 23-17. A final roll call in the full House is expected this week.
“A massive impeachment report issued overnight by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., stated: “This continued solicitation of foreign interference in a U.S. election, as well as President Trump’s other actions, present a clear and present danger that the President will continue to use the power of his office for his personal political gain.”‘
The kangaroo court that has played out in the House is one thing… the Republican-held Senate is quite another. Should witnesses be called, there will be actual due process there and witnesses from both sides would be summoned. All of this is probably a moot point as I expect McConnell to call for acquittal without a lengthy trial with witnesses.
Should the witnesses that Schumer mentions be called, he’s probably not going to like the results of their testimony. It will almost assuredly all be in support of President Trump. Why? Because he did nothing wrong or illegal, much less prosecutable or impeachable. The same cannot be said if Joe and Hunter Biden are called to testify. Both will take the 5th but their dirty laundry will certainly be aired for Americans to parse and review.
Either way, this leads to a second term for President Trump and it’s exactly what the Democrats have earned here. Their actions since the beginning have been unconstitutional, illegal, treasonous and frankly evil. Make no mistake, Nadler and Schiff are buffoons as well as evil, but Schumer is a canny shark and very dangerous politically. Regardless, Trump has done nothing wrong here and Schumer will only cement Mitch McConnell’s inclination to acquit.
