Rep. Adam Schiff: 'Our answer to these questions will affect not only the future of this presidency, but the future of the presidency itself—and what kind of conduct or misconduct the American people may come to expect from their commander-in-chief.'
The first, historic public impeachment hearing began Wednesday as Democrats hoped to make their case to millions of Americans watching on television that President Donald Trump's conduct has been so serious he deserves to be removed from office.
Schiff is using his opening statement to go over the evidence collected so far in the impeachment inquiry including testimony of key witnesses. GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, who was added to the committee late, is sitting in the center on the Republican side.ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce on Capitol Hill reports she is told that while some political wrangling is expected, Democrats say they will stay "somber, serious and focused."
"The president has said that Article II says that he can do whatever he wants. That is a rejection of the genius of the Constitution of the United States. Benjamin Franklin said, when asked coming out of Independence Hall at the time of the adoption of the Constitution – what do we have, a monarchy or a republic. He said, ‘A republic, if you can keep it. Article II says I can do whatever I want? That’s a monarchy. A system of checks and balances, that’s a republic.
Finally, Schiff will work to show that Trump and his administration sought to"obstruct, suppress or cover up information to conceal from the Congress and the American people evidence about the president's actions and conduct." "We want the American people to hear the evidence for themselves in the witnesses' own words, and our goal is to present the facts in a serious and sober manner," Schiff said Tuesday ahead of the hearing."The three witnesses this week will begin to flesh out the details of the president's effort to coerce a foreign nation to engage in political investigations designed to help his campaign, a corrupt undertaking that is evident from his own words on the July 25 call record.
A transcript of Kent's deposition also showed he testified that Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, carried out a"campaign of lies" to smear former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and that the former New York City mayor pushed Ukraine on Trump's behalf to investigate Biden based on an unfounded theory about the country's interference in the 2016 election.
Republicans point out that Ukraine never initiated an investigation into Trump's rivals but Trump still met with Zelenskiy and U.S. security assistance ultimately flowed to Ukraine in September 2019, undercutting the Democrat's assertion of a quid pro quo.
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