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By Al Neal
The seven prosecutors—Democratic House members who will serve as impeachment managers—have been selected, and all of them are experienced litigators to one degree or another. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has taken the oath as trial adjudicator, and all 100 U.S. Senators have been sworn in as jurors for the impeachment trial of Donald John Trump, president of the United States.
Behind the pomp and circumstance which marks the beginning of a formal impeachment trial, new evidence against the president’s conduct continues to pile up.
The latest shakeup comes from the independent, non-partisan Government Accountability Office. In an opinion issued by the government watchdog Thursday, the GAO concluded the White House violated the Impoundment Control Act when it withheld appropriated funds to aide Ukraine last summer to advance Trump’s personal political agenda (Impeachment Article I—Abuse of Power).
“Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law,” the report said. “OMB withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA)…. Therefore, we conclude that OMB violated the ICA.”
The GAO’s opinion—which sadly carries no disciplinary power—zeroed in on the exact reasons for Trump’s impeachment, and gave a soft “guilty” verdict.
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