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Benjamin Wittes
@benjaminwittes
, 3 tweets, 2 min read Read on Twitter
Article X of the articles of impeachment passed by the House of Representatives against President Andrew Johnson begins as follows.
nps.gov/anjo/learn/his…
I stumbled upon this remarkable document thanks to The Rhetorical Presidency, by Jeffrey Tulis, which is the book I have read from which I learned the most about our current president, though it was published in 1987. amazon.com/Rhetorical-Pre…
Here's my conversation with Tulis from a little while back: lawfareblog.com/jeffrey-tulis-…
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Benjamin Wittes
@benjaminwittes
Discussion of current favorite podcasts over Friday drinks with the @lawfareblog crowd: My emphatic nomination, for combined knowledge and wisdom, is @TPpodcast_ with David Runciman and @HelenHet20.
@hannahneprash recommends "Decomposed" from @NPR.
@qjurecic recommends @replyall
Read 6 tweets
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Benjamin Wittes
@benjaminwittes
Attorney General Bill Barr, April 18 press conference:
politico.com/story/2019/04/…
Attorney General Bill Barr, CBS interview, today:
cbsnews.com/news/william-b…
What gives, dude?
Read 5 tweets
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Benjamin Wittes
@benjaminwittes
Some questions for Bill Barr:

(1) If it is tolerable for President Trump to publicly demand investigations of his political opponents, why would it not be tolerable for the intelligence community leadership in 2016 to have spied on the Trump campaign?
(2) If spying on the Trump campaign was intolerable, why are the president's public demands today acceptable?
(3) Why should I be more concerned about improper spying in 2016 for which you have put forward zero evidence than about ongoing demands for political investigations for which the evidence is plain and public and irrefutable?
Read 8 tweets

Related threads

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David Cicilline
@davidcicilline
Impeachment 101
1. Opening an Impeachment Inquiry:

A formal opening of the process to consider whether the President has committed high crimes and misdemeanors.
2. Investigation:

Once an inquiry has been opened, evidence is gathered, witnesses are called and documents reviewed.
Read 7 tweets
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Joseph Britt
@Zathras3
Vigorous #impeachment discussion yesterday between polls and elections expert @NateSilver538 (con) and former Harry Reid person @AJentleson (pro). The subject is worth a thread.
2. As with most issues before Congress, substance and politics are closely related but distinguishable. As to substance, the argument -- persuasive to me -- is that obstruction of justice, contacts with Russians seeking to influence a US election, corruption and the rest...
3...will do mortal damage to American democracy if tolerated. Not proceeding toward impeachment proceedings means tolerating all of these things, though it is possible to deceive oneself on that point. The political argument @NateSilver538 makes is about American voters.
Read 27 tweets
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Leah McElrath
@leahmcelrath
“He’s just not worth it” is brilliant messaging.

Setting aside the actual question, this message blows up GOP messaging in advance of 2020.

Pelosi is saying to the GOP, “You want to make this election about defending that pathetic orange sniveling bully? Have fun with that.”
Pelosi goes on to say that “unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan” we shouldn’t go down the road of impeachment.

BIPARTISAN is the key word there.

“Compelling and overwhelming” evidence exists.

But Republicans stand by Trump anyway.

2/x
Our Founders anticipated someone like Trump. They never anticipated a full 50% of lawmakers would support that person no matter what.

That reality puts Pelosi and other Dem leaders in a challenging position.

Without some GOP participation, impeachment will be mere theater.

3/x
Read 21 tweets
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Christian Lamar
@christianllamar
Whos surprised Democrat Governor of Virginia Ralph Northam has BlackFace KKK photos? Isn’t it the Democrats who voted against the first Civil Rights Act of 1866? Isn’t it the Democrats who voted against the 13th amendment? Isn’t the Democrats who voted against the 14th amendment?
Wait a minute... isn’t it the Democrats who voted against the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 - which is Civil Action against the Deprivation of Rights? Ralph Northam pushed the late term abortions earlier in the week right? Interesting coincidence. Any Democrats care to comment?
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was passed by Republicans in the House and Senate. Democrat President Andrew Johnson vetoed it. Republicans did a veto override. Why were Dems so eager to stop the Bill? What is this about? I thought Dems were the pioneers of Civil Rights?
Read 7 tweets
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Joshua Matz
@JoshuaMatz8
In this article, @Sulliview argues that "talk of impeachment, all-but-taboo in Big Media’s coverage of Trump, [has] moved from the margins into the mainstream." She attributes that development mainly to a prominent essay in @TheAtlantic. That's not right. washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/styl…
There's no denying that #impeachment talk has accelerated over the past few months. But I'm not convinced that this past week was really such a Rubicon when considered in broader perspective, or that a handful of well-argued essays in liberal magazines are the drivers of change.
For starters, there's been no shortage of impeachment talk in mainstream publications since Trump took office. I've gathered quite a few such articles in this @ShallTakeCare database, which includes analyses tracing back to before Trump even took office. takecareblog.com/blog/impeachin…
Read 17 tweets
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Matthew Cogdeill
@Matthewcogdeill
🚨#BreakingNews 🚨
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 25, 2018
Mr. @RepMarkMeadows & MR. @Jim_Jordan
submitted the following
resolution;

RESOLUTION

Impeaching Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General of the United States
meadows.house.gov/uploadedfiles/…

#WalkAway
#ThursdayThoughts
(2) Resolved that Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General of the
United States, is impeached & that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the Senate:
Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United
States of America...
(3) in the name of itself and all of the people of the United States of
America, against Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General of the United States,
in maintenance & support of its impeachment against him for high crimes &
misdemeanors...
Read 47 tweets

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