Friday, Jun 13th
Last update07:29:49 AM GMT
Congressional Glance
The U.S. House has voted to remove the deadline on ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment in an attempt to revive the amendment. The 232-183 vote fell largely along party lines with five Republicans supporting the measure and zero Democrats opposing it.
Changing the deadline is a key part of one route that some ERA proponents believe would lead to the amendment becoming a part of the Constitution, but the path forward is uncertain.
House managers, led by Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), began presenting three days of opening arguments Wednesday in the historic Senate impeachment trial of President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Earlier in the day, Trump said at a news conference in Switzerland that he “can live either way” with the Senate’s decision on whether to call witnesses in a trial focused on his administration’s conduct toward Ukraine.
The crux of the House case is the allegation that Trump withheld military aid and a White House meeting to pressure Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden, a political rival, as well as his son Hunter Biden.
That second article of impeachment charges President Trump with obstruction of Congress for refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas in the absence of a final court order. In so charging him, the House Judiciary Committee has arrogated to itself the power to decide the validity of its subpoenas, as well as the power to determine whether claims of executive privilege must be recognized, both powers that properly belong with the judicial branch of our government, not the legislative branch. The House of Representatives will do likewise.
The articles – abuse of power and obstruction of Congress – are charges of wrongdoing that lay out specific assertions of how the president violated the U.S. Constitution and the oath of his office.
Each of the articles will be voted on separately by the Judiciary Committee later this week, possibly Thursday. Those the panel approves will go to the full House for a vote, probably with a simple majority in the Democratic-controlled body on each article.
An allegation that Bob Livingston, a congressman-turned-lobbyist, sought to oust the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine raises questions about whether he violated a federal law that requires lobbyists to disclose their work for foreign clients.
Livingston, a former high-ranking House member who heads an influential Washington lobbying firm, repeatedly called Foreign Service Officer Catherine Croft and pressed for the ouster of the ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch, Croft told impeachment investigators last week.
In Croft's written statement, she said Livingston told her that Yovanovitch – now a key figure in impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump – was an “Obama holdover” associated with George Soros, the billionaire investor, philanthropist, Democratic donor, and Trump critic.
An official working on the impeachment inquiry told CBS News that Reeker received a subpoena to appear.
"In light of an attempt by the State Department to direct Ambassador Philip Reeker not to appear for his scheduled deposition, and efforts by the State Department to also limit any testimony that does occur, the House Intelligence Committee issued a subpoena to compel his testimony. As is required of him, Ambassador Reeker is now complying with the subpoena and answering questions," the official said.
Semyon Kislin, an associate of President Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, has reached a deal with the House Intelligence Committee to cooperate with its impeachment investigation and avoid being deposed behind closed doors, according to CNN.
The panel reportedly sent Kislin a letter earlier this month asking for information on Giuliani’s efforts to solicit potentially damaging information from Ukraine on former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s work in the country.
Jeff Dannenberg, a lawyer for Kislin, reportedly told CNN that the Giuliani associate is “being cooperative” with the Intelligence Committee.
Dannenberg also said that his client has reached an agreement with the intelligence panel to avoid having to appear for a deposition
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