By: Liv George | Contributing Writer
A flurry of sensational news has flooded the channels these past three weeks after House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, announced that the House of Representatives was initiating an impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump. The story has many twists, turns, and finger-pointing. As week one of The Vanguard’s Impeachment Watch begins, it is very important to establish a timeline of events that got us to where we are today.
The impeachment inquiry being performed by the House is in response to a whistle-blower (reports from an employee of the illegal activity of their company) report that Donald Trump was attempting to enact a quid pro quo (you scratch my back, I scratch yours) deal with the Ukranian President, Volodymyr Zelensky. The transcripts of this call were publicized, and President Trump asked President Zelensky to investigate the Biden family, his biggest political opponent for the 2020 election. In exchange for the investigation, President Trump promised President Zelensky a trip to the White House and some missiles for the Ukranian war with Russia.
It is speculation whether or not this is grounds for impeachment. This speculation lies largely in the allegations of Russian interference by Trump in the 2016 election and whether or not this is a repeat. The House maintains they will be investigating the matter to determine whether or not this call constituted collusion on the part of the President. However, President Trump doubled-down on his theory that a foreign entity should be investigating the Bidens, when on the South Lawn last week, he mentioned that not only Ukraine, but China should be investigating the Bidens.
The tide did not change in President Trump’s favor as he tried to motion various courts against the impeachment investigation. President Trump publicly alleged that the impeachment investigation was unconstitutional. The Circuit Court for D.C. disagreed, reinforcing the House’s right to subpoena any documents pertaining to the investigation.
The Court system has historically shown to rule against presidents in impeachment investigations. Chief Judge Beryl Howell of the D.C. District Court summed it up and said: “By my reading of the Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit law, I owe enormous deference, if not absolute deference, when it comes to the exercise of the impeachment power to how the House decides to conduct itself.”
This is the end of week one of the Impeachment Watch. This story will be updated with new information as this historical event takes place in our White House.
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