Yep, here comes Donald Trump’s impeachment
Yesterday, Palmer Report pointed out that when House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler (rightfully) called his committee back from recess in order to get a head start on gun legislation, it also gave his committee the chance to move ahead with its ongoing impeachment inquiry. After all, House Democrats have to win their court battles over evidence and testimony before they can put on compelling televised impeachment hearings. But there’s more going on here.
Back when the impeachment process got underway against Richard Nixon (he resigned before it could truly get rolling), there was a House Judiciary Committee – but there was no House Intelligence Committee. Why does that matter? As Politico has spelled out in a lengthy but worth-reading new piece, the House Intel Committee has unique access to classified information that can be used as part of the impeachment process against Donald Trump.
This is important, because as we’ve all seen by now, Donald Trump’s corrupt Attorney General Bill Barr isn’t going to willingly give House Democrats a single piece of classified intel that can help demonstrate Trump’s international crimes. But the House Intel Committee has ways around that. Moreover, House Democrats – who are clearly behind the Politico story – must already have the intel they need, or they wouldn’t be putting it out there that they can get to it.
Meanwhile, House Republicans have decided to combat the impeachment process with, well, delusion. Doug Collins, the Republican ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, tweeted yesterday that “The House has not voted to begin a formal impeachment inquiry, and Twitter assertions don’t change that.” That’s all fine and dandy, except the House began the impeachment inquiry with a court filing. Trump’s allies can’t seem to admit that the impeachment process is even happening – but yes, it’s happening.
