{"articles":[{"reaction_config":[{"text":"Yes","color":"#624960","stance":"yes"},{"text":"No","color":"#4ac6ec","stance":"no"}],"id":40102,"title":"Should the Senate Call Witnesses in Trump’s Impeachment Trial?","html_content":"

by Countable's Trump Impeachment Coverage | 12.23.19

What’s the story?

\nDemocratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that “explosive” new emails about the president’s interaction with Ukraine reinforce the need for White House witnesses in the upcoming Senate impeachment trial.\n
The New York lawmaker urged President Donald Trump and his GOP allies to submit documents and witnesses so the Senate could hold a \"full, fair and honest\" trial.

\"What is a trial with no witnesses and no documents? It's a sham trial. And that's why [I] feel so strongly that there ought to be witnesses and documents.\"

Emails released over the weekend reveal that a senior White House official contacted the Pentagon about withholding Ukraine's aid about an hour-and-a-half after Trump ended his now-infamous July 25 phone call with Vladomyr Zelensky.
Trump withholding military aid to Ukraine in order to pressure Kiev into investigating his political rivals is a central focus of the impeachment proceedings.\n
\"Until we hear from the witnesses, until we get the documents, the American people will correctly assume that those blocking their testimony were aiding and abetting a cover-up, plain and simple,\" Schumer added.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has repeatedly dismissed efforts to call witnesses.
\"Do you think Chuck Schumer is impartial? Do you think Elizabeth Warren is impartial? Bernie Sanders is impartial? So let's quit the charade. This is a political exercise. ... All I'm asking of Schumer is that we treat Trump the same way we treated [President] Clinton,\" McConnell told “Fox & Friends” on Monday.
\"[House Speaker Nancy Pelosi] apparently believes that she can tell us how to run the trial,\" he added, alluding to the speaker's decision to withhold the two articles of impeachment.

\"Look, we're at an impasse. We can't do anything until the Speaker sends the papers over, so everybody enjoy the holidays.”

What do you think?

Should the Senate call witnesses for the impeachment trial? Or is it all a “charade”? Take action above and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

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Wounded veterans constitute a significant percentage of my students, as do minorities and international students. I suppose I had naively imagined that progress had been made on social issues during the 1970s, but everything negative seems to be hanging around, and the new administration in Washington worries and offends me. I feel compelled to voice my concerns because America cannot survive without reason, compassion, and an energetic sense of humor.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"verymary","issue_count":13,"is_following":null,"influence_score":4690,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":176,"following_count":483,"position_count":161,"id":"jZB7LVzm","partner_id":null},{"name":"jimK","vote_count":568,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/large_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/small_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/tiny_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/9odrQBnb/following","followers":"/api/users/9odrQBnb/followers"},"about_me":"Retired, Politically Independent. Won’t listen to slogans, chanted mantras or generally any kind of marketing spin or “rebranding” crap. I firmly believe that everyone else is entitled to their erroneous opinions. Citizen vigilance and due diligence is price we must pay to live in a thriving, functional democracy.\nI fear that our citizens are too easily swayed by politician’s pablum about “babies”, “jobs” and now, in particular, perceived “enemies”. I fear that a citizenry focused on the “here-and-now” is easily tricked by short term benefits that have negative long-term consequences. I fear that our legislators are more concerned about buffing their constituents than looking out for the long-term welfare of our country- and are way too eager to provide those short-term benefits to the “here-and-now” crowd.\nI fear that honor is generally being sacrificed/replaced by expediency. I hear politicians eloquently argue for one side of an issue and later, when it’s to their benefit, just as eloquently argue for the opposite side. OK, so they are good at arguing- but what is that they actually believe? What is it that they actually stand for? An honorable person has values that persist even when it is not convenient or expedient. An honorable person has a moral compass that stops them from doing something wrong even if it is not illegal. A foul is a foul- even if the referee doesn’t catch you.\nI fear that each of our federal governmental branches have devised or discovered shortcuts which tend to protect them from the checks and balances our founders intended.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"jimk","issue_count":4,"is_following":null,"influence_score":48210,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":1631,"following_count":88,"position_count":565,"id":"9odrQBnb","partner_id":null}],"article_comment":{"flagged":false,"id":1142816,"body":"Good Lord this whole story has gotten stale. Just get over the fact that this jackass is guilty of being an absolute loser and move on with life. I feel sorry for all those who bet on the wrong horse, but you all need to get a hold of yourselves and suck it up!","parent_type":"Article","parent_id":40102,"created_at":"2019-12-24T02:26:31.091Z","liked":false,"like_count":3,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/comments/1142816","likers":"https://www.causes.com/api/v1/likers?likeable_id=1142816&likeable_type=Comment"},"article_id":40102,"shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/comments/1142816.png","note":{},"note_text":false,"note_color":false,"user_id":"BWYoyJlm","liker_ids":["Q9znzPe9","jZB7LVzm","9odrQBnb"]}}

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