The House impeaches with a simple majority vote, the Senate removes with a 2/3 majority vote. It's been possible since the new House was sworn in, just not politically viable because without substantial justification it would only strengthen Trump's base by playing right into his narrative. Due to the contents of the Mueller report being very damaging and the incompetency of Barr it's quickly turning into a smart move for 2020.
I don't get this either. Just start with subpoenas. It's not an insult. It's exactly how any other person in the country gets summoned to court to testify. There's nothing mean or shameful about it. When people refuse, hold them in contempt. That's literally just how the system is supposed to work.
Nixon's impeachment became viable because of findings that came out during the Watergate hearings. Which is literally the part of the process we're in now. So using Nixon, who was never impeached, as an example of why Democrats should impeach Trump while they're in the middle of the process that lead to Nixon's impeachment being a popular enough position for Republicans to tell him to resign, because Nixon's impeachment eventually became a popular enough position for Republicans to tell him to resign, is a nonsense comparison.
A subpoena doesn't just happen by saying the word "subpoena." You've got to write up the damn thing for one, but you've also got to be able to prove in a court that you tried multiple avenues of getting the witness to comply before resorting to a subpoena as a last resort.
Right. I mean that's really the fucking abyss of government we're looking at here. The House can subpoena Barr, he can ignore it. Dems can hold him in contempt, it can't be enforced in any way. Dems can take the subpoena to court, Barr if he's so inclined can fight it all the way to SCOTUS where, hey look at that, five Republican hacks ready to rule in his favor. There are no consequences for him to reckon with here.
Capital Police led by the Sergeant at Arms would be dispatched to make the arrest and bring the person before Congress. Hasn't been done in like 85 years so it would be a significant escalation but at this point with the Trump administrations stonewalling it feels very much appropriate especially if its the Attorney General brought in with handcuffs on
Is this true? I'm totally quoting Wikipedia here, but:
i.e. you're under no obligation to try other means of getting the information first. I think this "last resort" thing is just another one of those niceities that people do sometimes.
His first misleading summary, his misleading press conference, today's testimony, his lie in his previous testimony, Mueller's letter. I think there's a strong case for them to make. They could also wait for Mueller to testify and use it against him.
