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It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. We think of it as a mini-magazine in your Inbox.
THE PHASES (AND KEY PHRASES) OF IMPEACHMENT
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent
The decision by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to move forward with what she is calling an official impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump capped a day of dizzying developments with the highest stakes. How did we get here?
Investigation
House Democrats have been conducting an “impeachment investigation” for months -- though there was tension in the party as to whether it was a good political move. This is a general term incorporating the work of several House committees, and Democrats have used it to describe any hearing related to investigations of Trump’s actions as a candidate or as president.
Formal inquiry
This is what Pelosi said she launched today. The move means the House is beginning the judicial process of determining whether the president should be removed from office. A formal inquiry could open some new legal avenues for Democrats to force the administration to disclose information.
“The president has admitted to asking the president of Ukraine to take actions which would benefit him politically,” Pelosi said in a brief statement, referring to allegations that Trump pushed Ukraine’s new President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. “The actions of the Trump presidency revealed dishonorable facts of betrayal of his oath of office and betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections.”
“No one is above the law,” she added.
Until today, Pelosi was resistant to taking such a dramatic step, arguing that there was not enough support for impeachment and that Democrats risked energizing the president’s supporters. But under pressure from her members, the speaker made her move.
While Pelosi is saying they have moved from an “investigation” to a “formal inquiry,” Republicans do not necessarily see it that way. Some note that the formal impeachment inquiry launched during Watergate was started with a vote of the full House and insist that such a vote is the only mechanism to launch one.
Moderate Pressure
Key to Pelosi’s evolution was a letter released this morning from seven Democrats calling for impeachment in light of the allegations about Trump’s conversations with the Ukranian president.
Those Democrats are all considered “vulnerable” because they represent districts that voted for Trump in 2016 or had long been represented by Republicans. Support from those members was important to Pelosi, since she had been cautious about impeachment to protect them. Their letter sparked an avalanche of other Democrats calling for a formal investigation.
What’s next?
The president has insisted that everything he said on his call with Zelensky was appropriate, but promised, before Pelosi’s announcement, to release a transcript of the conversation on Wednesday.The president has acknowledged withholding nearly 400 million dollars in aid to Ukraine around the same time as the phone call, saying he wanted pressure other European countries to chip in.
As a reminder: All of this was sparked by a whistleblower complaint to the intelligence community’s inspector general. The complaint has been withheld from Congress by the Director of National Intelligence. Now Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House intelligence committee, has said that the whistleblower wants to testify and may appear before the committee as soon as this week.
WHAT IS AN IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE, ANYWAY?
By Candice Norwood, @cjnorwoodwrites
Digital politics reporter
Now that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced that the House will move forward with an “official impeachment inquiry” into President Donald Trump to determine whether he committed an impeachable offense, what will they be looking for?
Here’s a closer look at how impeachment inquiries can begin and what history can teach us.
What is an “impeachable offense?”
According to the Constitution, Congress can remove an official for “treason, bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors.” But there are no definitions as to what those terms mean. And beyond these vague requirements, there are no other rules about how and when lawmakers decide to proceed with the impeachment process.
In that way, impeachment is a political action. The evidentiary standards for a criminal investigation, for example, do not apply here. In short, the House has sole discretion to decide what conduct warrants impeachment and the Senate is charged with deciding whether to try to convict.
What can history teach us?
Congress has moved to act three times in the past.
President Andrew Johnson faced impeachment in 1868. The House voted on 11 articles of impeachment, the majority of which stemmed from Johnson’s decision to oust his secretary of war. The articles accused Johnson of conspiring to violate the Tenure of Office Act, a law meant to limit the president’s ability to remove federal appointees. Though a House majority voted to impeach, the Senate ultimately acquitted Johnson. He was not removed from office.
In 1974, the House moved to begin impeachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon after revelations of the Watergate scandal. At the center of the controversy was a burglary into the Democratic National Committee's offices. Nixon’s administration was accused of facilitating the crime in order to dig up political information. The president was also charged with trying to cover up details of the burglary and surveillance efforts by providing misleading information and refusing to comply with the House Judiciary Committee’s subpoenas. The committee approved three articles of impeachment: obstruction of justice, abuse of power and contempt of Congress. Nixon, however, was never impeached. He resigned before the full House vote under pressure from his own party
Facing public accusations of sexual harassment and an extramarital affair, President Bill Clinton was charged in 1998 with perjury and obstruction of justice for providing false and misleading testimony in an effort to cover up the nature of these relationships. A Republican House majority voted to impeach, but the Senate, controlled by Democrats, blocked Clinton from being removed.
FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Candice Norwood, @cjnorwoodwrites
Digital politics reporter
Pennsylvania State Senator Resigns After Arrest On Child Porn Charges -- Sept. 18. Pennsylvania state Sen. Mike Folmer stepped down after being arrested and charged with three counts of child pornography possession. Why it matters: Folmer was reelected to a fourth term last year and is one of the more conservative members of the state legislature. Folmer opposed legislation that would have provided a retroactive window for victims of child sexual abuse to sue predators. -- NPR
Nearly 60 mayors and ex-mayors endorse Buttigieg -- Sept. 18. Nearly 60 current and former U.S. mayors endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg in a USA Today op-ed calling for "a great mayor in the White House." Why it matters: The group includes some notable representatives, including several from early nominating states like New Hampshire and Iowa. Breea Clark, mayor of Elizabeth Warren’s hometown Norman, Okla., was also included in the endorsement. -- Politico
Kentucky State Police take computer from Alison Lundergan Grimes’ office amid inquiry -- Sept. 18. Kentucky State Police seized a government computer as part of an investigation into whether the office of Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes misused voter data. Why it matters: The move is part of ongoing troubles for Grimes a week after her father was convicted of making illegal contributions to her 2014 U.S. Senate campaign. She has also been battling a new law that strips her of some authority. -- Lexington Herald Leader
Michigan official once honored by Dems now facing election fraud charges -- Sept. 24. Sherikia Hawkins, a Democratic city clerk in Michigan, is facing six felony fraud charges related to the 2018 elections. Why it matters: Amid national concerns about electoral integrity, Hawkins has been accused of forging records and incorrectly marking absentee ballots as invalid in 2018. Her arrest comes months after the Michigan Democratic Party honored her at a legacy dinner -- Fox News
California wants you to build a ‘granny flat’ in your garage or backyard. Here’s why -- Sept. 17. California legislators sent two controversial bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk that seek to alleviate the state’s housing crisis. Why it matters: The measure would make it easier for homeowners to turn garages into rental units and to build small apartments in their backyards. Advocates say the bills would provide a pathway to more affordable housing options. -- The Sacramento Bee
#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Kate Grumke, @KGrumke
Politics producer
Yesterday in 1987, more than a year before the presidential election, Joe Biden ended his shortrun for president. A scandal had embroiled the campaign after he was accused of plagiarism. Rounding up, how many months did Biden’s presidential bid last?
Last week, we asked: On this day in 1996, Oprah Winfrey launched her wildly influential book club. She recommended a book by a 2020 presidential candidate on her website, saying, "I have never been more moved by a book than I am by this one."
Which presidential candidate was she talking about? And for a bonus point, which book was she referencing?
The answer was Marianne Williamson and “A Return To Love.”
Congratulations to our winner: Susan Kupsky of Green Bay, WI!
Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your Inbox next week.
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