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posted by martyb on Tuesday September 24 2019, @01:57AM   Printer-friendly
from the Watergate-or-TeapotTempest dept.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49800181

(Note: emphasis in original.)

Why is this important?

Mr Trump's most ardent critics accuse him of using the powers of the presidency to bully Ukraine into digging up damaging information on a political rival, Democrat Joe Biden.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump and his supporters the former vice-president abused his power to pressure Ukraine to back away from a criminal investigation that could implicate his son, Hunter.

Mr Biden is the front-runner for the Democratic nomination to take on Mr Trump next year.

In other words, it is nothing less than the White House at stake.

[...] What happened to the whistleblower's complaint?

After receiving the [whistleblower] complaint, the inspector general informed Joseph Maguire, the acting director of national intelligence, and said the matter was "urgent". The intelligence community whistleblower law says the director has seven days to pass the complaint along to congressional intelligence committees.

That didn't happen.

Instead, Mr Maguire spoke to a lawyer who told him the issue was not "urgent", at least according to legal standards, according to [T]he New York Times.

As a result, Mr Maguire decided that the members of the congressional oversight committees did not need to see it.

On 9 September, the inspector general informed Congress about the complaint's existence, but not the details. Democrats in Congress have since clamoured for more information - including a transcript of Mr Trump's call - but the administration has refused to co-operate.

And that's where things currently stand.

[...] Did Mr Trump commit an impeachable offence?

The constitutional process for handling a president who committed illegal and-or unethical acts is impeachment by a majority of the House of Representatives and conviction and removal by a two-thirds majority of the US Senate.

The US constitution outlines the grounds for impeachment as "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors". When it comes down to it, an "impeachable offense" is whatever a majority of the House says it is.

Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Letters to Congressional Intelligence Committees


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 24 2019, @04:11PM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 24 2019, @04:11PM (#898195)

    But that's the problem, ever since the NRA turned itself into a congressional lobbying corporation they (LaPierre specifically) cry the same "they're coming for you!!!!!" because it seems to be a good fund raiser. History is a great guide and it tells you that it never happens, so if you want to go with history, look there, not to the shrill cries. The blood is never even cleaned up after a mass shooting and they're out with "they're going to use this as an excuse to TAKE YOUR GUNS AWAY!" and there's a run on assault weapons, in particular. When their membership drops, "they're coming for your guns!" When they need to purchase a $6M house, "they're going to kick in your doors and take your guns!"

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Tuesday September 24 2019, @07:43PM (4 children)

    by hemocyanin (186) on Tuesday September 24 2019, @07:43PM (#898256) Journal

    They are coming for them. Right now the idea is Red Flag laws -- laws which turn due process on its ear and require people to prove before elected judges that they aren't a danger after someone with an axe to grind rats them out. Good fucking luck. It's pretty crazy how Democrats are willing gut the 1A (*), 4A, 5A, 6A, and 8A at least, just to wage a culture war.

    And yeah, blah blah blah, 40k dead (2/3 suicides though) and no useful purpose right? Well potable alcohol kills 88k per year and lets be honest, it has no useful purpose at all. It might be fun (like guns), but it can't hunt nor can it defend you (Obama's CDC research found hundreds of thousands to millions of defensive gun uses per year (most involve no shooting)). They're all calling for alcohol prohibition right (**)? Of course not, alcohol is part of their culture so its safe, despite being far more dangerous and deadly than guns are, and despite the fact that there is no constitutional right to drink (just mere silence on the topic).

    https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm [cdc.gov]

    * file sharing
    ** Because that never had worse unintended consequences now did it? /sarc

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 25 2019, @12:22AM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 25 2019, @12:22AM (#898336)

      I guess you need a reminder that Trump literally said to take their guns and worry about due process later. You idiots prop up the very nightmare you lose sleep over.

      Sorry, shouldn't call you idiots. Informationally challenged.

      • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Wednesday September 25 2019, @01:23AM (2 children)

        by hemocyanin (186) on Wednesday September 25 2019, @01:23AM (#898352) Journal

        You seem under the misimpression I like Trump. I do feel sympathy for him based on the unrelenting unprecedented level of hate spewed at him by the media, but let us not forget, he was originally a NY Democrat. It is thus unsurprising he has a warped view of the 2A or 5A.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 25 2019, @07:33PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 25 2019, @07:33PM (#898721)

          You spew propaganda and try to mitigate. Trump is a criminal and a traitor, so having any sympathy for him makes you not look good to put it mildly. Sorry reality has you so turned around, drop your political filters and wake up.

          • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Thursday September 26 2019, @07:08PM

            by hemocyanin (186) on Thursday September 26 2019, @07:08PM (#899263) Journal

            The problem with Dems today is that they can't respect honest differences of opinion. When you treat everyone with derision, and browbeat or bully to get your way, you remove the only peaceful means of resolving differences available to us (compromise) and set us up for more than a war of words in the future. Terribly short sighted.

  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday September 25 2019, @03:18AM

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday September 25 2019, @03:18AM (#898379) Journal

    History is a great guide and it tells you that it never happens

    A great counterexample to that was the Washington, DC ban on handguns from 1975 or 1976 which was one of the crises that created the present political focus of the NRA.