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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
(Score: 3, Insightful) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Tuesday September 24 2019, @05:31PM
Is Beto O'Rourke still a running candidate for President? [huffpost.com] Then there you are.
Until the last three years I would have soundly agreed with you that it was all Chicken Little. And I really do not object to some of the ideas suggested as common sense measures to address gun violence, just as there are some that I don't feel are common sense or would solve it (but that is a debate for another day). I thought the previous "assault weapons ban" came dangerously close to that. But for things to reach a point where a viable Presidential candidate is openly advocating confiscation or mandatory buyback? Well, the epithet is deserved and every candidate can declare themselves to which side they now stand on because one has certainly drawn his line in the sand. I don't worry about what's happening next November nearly as much as where we will be five years from now.
But I could be wrong.
This sig for rent.